PARALYMPIC star Ben Rushgrove was in Swindon to inspire disabled children to follow in his footsteps.

The 22-year-old sprinter, from Bath, who won a 100m silver medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008, said it was important for children with disabilities to believe they could achieve in sports and defy those who said they could not.

He said: “If I can help inspire just one or two people to take up sports off the back of today that’s my job done, helping people to overcome these barriers to success.”

Ben, who is a member of City of Bath Athletic Club and TeamBath based at Bath University, has cerebral palsy and competes in T36 classification disability events.

He joined 175 children from special needs schools and children with visual or physical impairments who attend mainstream schools at the Link Centre in West Swindon yesterday for a day of sporting activities.

These included trampolining, fencing, martial arts, croquet, football, climbing, ice skating, boccia, which is a version of bowls, volleyball and goal ball, which involves a ball with a bell in it for the visually impaired.

The access day, one of three each year, was organised by the council’s leisure services department in partnership with the education department.

Ben Humphrey, ability sports development officer for leisure services, said the sessions, which have been running for the last 10 years, were not only to give pupils a taste of different sports, but to pinpoint them towards continuous sessions and sports clubs afterwards.

He said it was about adapting the sport to fit the person.

“There is a perception within sports clubs that you have to be good at a sport to join a club.

“It’s about having fun and getting the benefits of sports. You have to have a can-do attitude.”

Paralympian Ben said his first taste of success at the county championships aged 16 inspired to go on further.

He said he was lucky to get teachers that recognised what he was capable of early on.

But he said nothing should hold people back if they believe in their ability.

“To be told you cannot do something, that makes you more determined to do it,” he said.

Sam Thornton, 11, from Purton, has spinabifida and is home schooled.

He has been coming to the access days since he was five years old.

Mother Emma Thornton, 29, said: “It’s a really good opportunity and he’s done lots of things off the back of it.

“The ice skating, we now go to together.

“It’s just things we wouldn’t have thought of doing – he looks forward to it.”

Sam said: “I love fencing.”

Jamie Davies, 9, who came from Ruskin Junior School, tried out football and trampolining.

He said: “It was really good because it was really fun when I was kicking the ball.”

His teaching assistant Sue Jones said: “It’s very good because it gives them the chance to have a go at something they wouldn’t necessarily have a go at and sometimes they might get a feeling for it and they might join a club.”