Preston-born Martin Heald, 25, who took up sport after losing one of his legs to cancer nine years ago, is to star in the Lancashire Sport Partnership (LSP) video to raise awareness of inclusive sports across the county.

LSP aims to help 55,000 people across the county to be active by 2017. They are set to release a disability awareness video at the end of October 2016 to encourage sports clubs to become more inclusive. The video will feature climbing, wheelchair basketball and football.

Martin will star in the video and works as a project support officer for Lancashire Sport Partnership. He also plays football for Great Britain and has represented the country in climbing. He hopes the video will show other disabled people the variety of sporting options at their disposal as well as encouraging clubs to welcome sport enthusiasts of all abilities.

Martin says: “I was never a sporty person but after losing my leg I had to find an opportunity to get out of the house. I came across a small amputee football league in Preston and decided to give it ago. It was quite a challenge at first but with some persistence it soon became enjoyable and I secured a place on the Great Britain amputee team.”

A few years ago Martin decided to try climbing and has since represented Great Britain in the sport. “My first climbing lesson was at a club in Preston and it was a steep learning curve for me and for the instructor who had never worked with an amputee before.

“Any concerns turned out to be unfounded as the instructor didn’t need to adapt anything. I’m climbing the same wall as able-bodied people. It shows that inclusivity is more about sports clubs’ willingness to try and find what works rather than making major changes to the facilities.”

“Sport has introduced me to people who are facing the same daily challenges and many of them have become great friends. I’ve also been lucky to have travelled the world and visit countries such as Russia, Turkey and Argentina. I can’t wait for the video to be launched and I hope the initiative will get more clubs involved in disability sports,” adds Martin.

Adrian Leather, Chief Executive of LSP, explains: “In the spirit of Paralympics 2016, we want to urge sports clubs across the county to acknowledge these achievements and take greater initiative to break down barriers and become more inclusive.

“The aim of the video is to showcase the realities of day-to-day life with a disability and demonstrate how only small adaptations are actually required when making sport facilities more accessible. We’re also here to help with securing funds and have supported many clubs with staff training or the introduction of new sports. Just recently we helped Blackburn Youth Zone to launch a wheelchair basketball team by providing the funding for sports wheelchairs. We’re also supporting the club in the launch of the football ability league for girls.”

For more information about the event and to take part, visit www.lancashiresport.org.uk