Ruben, a 12-year-old, has received a £500 sponsor from the company Redrow to help fund his wheelchair tennis training.
Kent-based Ruben was born with congenital talipes equinovarus (also known as clubfeet) and has recently had both of his feet removed after not being able to position them properly without pain.
His passion started after his parents discovered wheelchair tennis in 2018 after realising that his disability held him back from doing other sports. They quickly found that he excelled at it.
With this sponsorship Ruben can continue his hard work for the 2020 School Games event where he has been chosen along with three other boys to represent Team GB after showing passion for the sport through his four to five hour weekly training.
Wheelchair tennis provides a safe space for the committed athlete as it allows him to recover physically and mentally from his exhausting operations.
Leon Shelton-Smith, Area Sales Manager at Redrow South East, stated that: “We are delighted to be sponsoring such an inspiring young athlete. It is great to be given the opportunity to help Ruben achieve his goals, which are incredibly admirable. We wish Ruben the best of luck for his journey to the 2020 School Games and will watch out for him on our TVs in the future!”
The School Games event has shown to be the best step forward for Ruben for a future professional career as 15% of Team GB at Rio 2016 had participated when they were younger.
The event is hosted for four days for the UK’s best athletes at school age across multiple sports and is used to encourage more young people to take part in sport.
Ruben has a Just Giving page to help fund his journey to the 2020 School Games: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ruben-harris-2?utm_term=66d3qzaGW
