A NEWPORT man has spoken of his life with autism and the support of the football community for World Autism Awareness Week.
Luke Degilbert is a member of Newport County’s County in the Community football team – who play under the We Wear the Same Shirt programme - and is a keen member of the Amber Army.
He has been a member since 2017 and has done coaching with the team, an impressive feat for someone who has struggled with injured legs, epilepsy and his autism.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, he would volunteer with County in the Community on match days, helping with the half-time kickabouts and with programmes.
MORE NEWS:
- Torfaen school's ASD Base to release lockdown cookbook on World Autism Awareness Day
- The artwork to highlight Autism Awareness Week created by people of Newport
- Cwmbran mum looks to dispel 'misconceptions and misjudgements' around autism
Throughout his life, Mr Degilbert has had a number of operations on his legs, including having pins in his legs and a cage on them. During the initial lockdown last year, he raised almost £1,000 for the NHS to thank them for all they have done for him and for others by doing football drills in his garden – this saw support from a number of football teams including Leicester City FC.
Unable to play football due to the Covid-19 restrictions, Mr Degilbert has taken to doing football drills in a park.
He is proud of how he has achieved these feats. Mr Degilbert said: “I don’t let my autism hold me back from anything.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel