Hayeswood First School were visited by Paralympic blind football stars Keryn Seal and Dan James and pupils were put through their paces in their first taste of the game.
School children in Wimborne were shown that no obstacle can stand in the way of scoring success thanks to an inspirational talk from a Paralympian.
Pupils at Hayeswood First School spent the day with GB blind footballer Keryn Seal who gave them an insight into getting to the top of their field with a disability.
Keryn was joined by goalkeeper Dan James, who is fully sighted and assists Keryn, to lead an assembly and football sessions with every class in the school.
Headteacher, Pippa Gerrett, said: “It was a real pleasure and privilege to welcome Keryn to our school.
“He led an inspirational assembly in which he talked about his disability and his love of sport and football in particular.
“The children then they took part in football sessions with Keryn, taking it in turns to wear a blindfold so they could understand what it is like to play sport with no sight.
“Our pupils were absolutely buzzing after his visit – he really showed them there are no barriers to success if you are determined to follow your dreams.”
Hayeswood First School were visited by Paralympic blind football stars Keryn Seal and Dan James and pupils were put through their paces in their first taste of the game.
Keryn was born with a visual impairment and became totally blind when he was 20 years-old.
He has always loved sport and played football, rugby and cricket at school level.
Keryn started his international sporting career in blind cricket, making his debut for England at the 2002 World Cup.
He went on to represent England at cricket 35 times before choosing to focus on football, making his debut for the blind England football team in 2005.
Since then he has won 70 caps, playing or England in the European Championships, World Cup and the Paralympics in 2008 and 2012.
On his visit to Hayeswood, the football star said: “It was an absolute pleasure talking to the children, and I am glad I could help inspire them through the Athletes in Schools initiative.
“It is important we keep working towards the London 2012 Olympic/ Paralympic legacy that we left, by continuing to inspire the future generation of champions.
“I hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as I did, and learnt something new about the ins and outs of blind football.”
Any schools interested in receiving a visit from an Olympian or Parlympian can find out more by going to www.athletesinschools.co.uk
Hayeswood First School were visited by Paralympic blind football stars Keryn Seal and Dan James and pupils were put through their paces in their first taste of the game.
Hayeswood First School is one of seven First and Middle schools in Wimborne Academy Trust (WAT), along with Allenbourn Middle School, Colehill First School, St John’s First School, Merley First School, St Michael’s Middle School and Witchampton First School.
WAT was formed in March 2015.
All of its academies are rated either Good or Outstanding.
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