A WHEELCHAIR Basket Ball champion visited a Windermere school to inspire the future players.

Carlisle based world champion wheelchair basketball player Nat Pattinson paid a visit to Windermere's St. Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School to play with their Year six students.

Head of School Lucy Bone said: "Nat did an incredible job in raising the children’s awareness of disability in sport and all the children and staff had a fantastic time learning to play wheelchair basketball, whilst developing skills of perseverance and collaboration as they played.

"One of our fantastic Reception boys is a wheelchair user. Cole absolutely loved being able to play against his friends, who were in their own chairs.

Nat is a sporting legend & has represented his country in world championships, has won countless medals and been able to travel the world with his sport.

"What an incredible session and what an honour to welcome Nat to St. Cuthbert’s.

"We've already booked him for next year. We can't wait."

Nat said: "Teaching children about disability is easiest done through something fun like sport.

"Wheelchair basketball is a safe, fast and really exciting sport.

"It helps young ones not only to see that disabled people are very normal and very capable, but sometimes – especially when they are sat in the wheelchairs, you can’t tell who has a disability.

"So, then its a level playing field, they are all the same and no one stands out. I always find that it also gives young people access to a disabled person – I know that this sounds a bit funny. But generally we teach children not to stare at anyone that’s ‘different’.

"They normally stare because they have questions, so I love to give them the opportunity to ask anything they want.

"Its usually ‘do you sleep in your chair?’ or ‘how do you go to the toilet?’.

"But these are important questions for inquisitive young minds.

So, for me its letting young ones see that being disabled doesn’t disable you.

"You can achieve anything you put your mind to it – I’ve travelled the world, built my own business, trained to be an engineer, and become a world champion athlete, all by the age of 21.

"They can do anything they want too."