Teenage Paralympic hopeful Toby Richardson, whose cancer left him needing a wheelchair, has been given a boost from Wiltshire disability aid company Urathon.
Toby, from Purton, was only 11 when he was struck down by a fast-growing cancer, which wrapped itself around his spinal cord.
Surgery and subsequent treatment left Toby, now 16, able to take only a few steps but he remained undaunted and – supported by his parents, Leanne and Mark, and sister Holly – turned first to wheelchair rugby and then wheelchair racing.
With Paralympic gold medallist Micky Bushell MBE as his coach, Toby is now number one in Great Britain and world number two for the under 17s category, competing in sprint distances of 100m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m. He hopes to be selected for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
Lucy Carson, Managing Director of Calne-based Urathon, read about Toby on social media and immediately wanted to help.
The company – which designs, manufactures and sources disability aids, that are sold throughout the UK – is now Toby’s sponsor.
“I was scrolling through a Facebook feed and saw a post about him from a mutual friend. I thought we should absolutely help this young man who has been through so much,” said Lucy.
“We love his spirit in the face of all that he has been up against. If we can help a young person like Toby to achieve his dreams then we are delighted to do so.”
Toby’s mum Leanne said Urathon’s sponsorship was a huge help to Toby, who travels to Yate to train twice a week.
“The sponsorship means a great deal to Toby, and we are so grateful to Urathon,” said Leanne. “Just things like travelling to and from Yate uses a lot of petrol, so any help we can get is wonderful.”
For more about Urathon, visit https://www.urathon.com/. To find out more about Toby, a recent Pride of Swindon Award winner, visit https://tobyrichardson.uk/.
