Wheelchair champion helps set the pace

The seven-year-old, who was previously confined to a wheelchair, took 45 minutes, or just over an hour, if well-earned rests were taken into account, to walk roughly 700 metres from his home in Silsden, near Keighley, to Hothfield Primary School with the aid of his crutches.

His look of determination said it all as he completed the challenge while people from his village cheered him on.

Evan was born 10 weeks premature and diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was a year old.

He has always had difficulty walking and at the age of six travelled with his parents Lynda and Andrew to St Louis in the US for the surgery that he could not get in this country.

That changed his life – enabling him to walk around with the aid of sticks.

He was inspired by a project called Walk the history of the Games and schoolchildren across Bradford and West Yorkshire to get children to walk, scoot or cycle to school to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Yesterday the inspirational youngster was joined by world champion wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft.

Tom Jones, Bradford Council’s assistant transport planner, said: “It is truly inspiring to hear about this young boy’s efforts to join in walking the history of the Games.”