A PARALYMPIAN has been announced as the new ambassador for a Newport charity

The team at the Sparkle Appeal have said that they are over the moon to announce that Cardiff-born Paralympian Jordan Howe has agreed to take on the role of an ambassador for the charity.

Mr Howe started his career as a swimmer and then discovered a talent for running, going from strength to strength and achieving a silver medal at the world championships in London 2018 with a personal sprinting best of 12.52.

In a conversation with Gemma Sandhu, Marketing and Communications Manager for Sparkle, Mr Howe opened up about his experiences growing up with cerebral palsy.

He said: “It was hard traveling for appointments, we didn’t have a car; luckily there was a good physio 10 minutes from home so that really helped.

“There weren’t many activities on offer when I was growing up for someone who had a disability.

“I first found out I had a talent for running when I was on holiday in Portugal. I was playing football on the beach and was approached by someone who said they could see a talent for sprinting, it all went from there”

Mrs Sandhu added: “It is so exciting having Jordan on board, not only will he be a fantastic cheer leader for the charity, spreading the word of the unique services we provide and drumming up further support but also he is going to be the most incredible role model to our children and young people.”

Sparkle is the official charity of the Serennu Children’s Centre, the charity’s guiding principle is to ensure that children and young people with a disability and/or development difficulty and their families are fully supported to participate in valued childhood experiences, and have access to the same range of opportunities, life experiences, activities and community services as any other child.

For more information on the Sparkle Appeal, or to donate, visit sparkleappeal.org