Oct 14 2010 by Mark Dowling, Flintshire Chronicle
Your Champions: Connah’s Quay High School pupil Robert Smith nominated for young person award
A CONNAH’S Quay High School pupil who has battled cerebral palsy and gone on to do well in his GCSE exams and continue playing football has been nominated for a Your Champions award.
Robert Smith, 17, has been put forward for the Young Person of the Year category by Lisa Hughes, a physio at Catherine Gladstone House, Mancot.
Lisa said: “Robert has had multiple operations but it hasn’t stopped him.
“He loves his football, despite going off the field on crutches and he is determined to get off them.
“He is very proactive and also did better than expected in his GCSE exams.”
Colette Garratt, a physio and sports coach at Connah’s Quay High School, explained how determined Robert was to succeed.
She said: “In school Robert has had to use a wheelchair after having several operations on his legs, but he has fought through adversity and can now walk with the aid of crutches.
“He has done an awful lot of voluntary work, recycling for charity and always goes above and beyond.
“His main ambition is to become a football coach and he won’t let anything stop him becoming that. He just keeps pushing himself forward.
“Everything he does takes twice as much effort but he always does it with a smile on his face.”
Robert said: “I am made up about being nominated.
“I had an operation about two years ago and the next stage for me now is to walk with a stick, and then hopefully without any help.
“I play disabled football, in any position I hope to get a goal.”