Morpeth teenager part of Learning Disability rugby showcase at Twickenham during Premiership final day
A teenager who lives in Morpeth enjoyed an amazing experience at a rugby union national stadium.
Grant Gilhespie, who is autistic and has a few other specialist needs, and nine of his Newcastle Falcons teammates were chosen to represent their club at Twickenham in London last Saturday after playing earlier in the day at a festival of rugby at the nearby Stoop (Harlequins’ home ground).
They played at the national stadium at half time in the Gallagher Premiership final between Northampton Saints and Bath, and Grant scored a try in this game.
He attends Collingwood School and Media Arts College following a family move from Wallsend to Morpeth a few years ago.
After a premature birth, weighing just 2lb, he was at the RVI Tiny Lives unit in Newcastle for eight weeks but managed to pull through.
Today, the 13-year-old is 5ft 6ins tall and wears size 10 boots, and he keeps active in a variety of ways.
This includes playing learning disability (LD) rugby union and rugby league through a Newcastle Rugby Foundation programme in partnership with Wooden Spoon, both codes at clubs in Wallsend as he wanted to keep playing with his friends from the place where he used to live, and other activities such as swimming and weightlifting in school and at the leisure centre in Morpeth.
Grant’s proud mum, Michaela Gilhespie, said: “As well as enjoying the rugby, being part of these teams helps Grant to build friendships and develop key skills such as teamwork.
“He has come on leaps and bounds, and he was so excited to be one of the Newcastle Falcons LD players chosen to represent their club at Twickenham.
“The whole day was an amazing experience for them. He scored four tries at the Stoop and to then score a try on hallowed ground at the England national stadium in front of a big crowd cheering on all the players made it even better.
“It is such a wonderful achievement for Grant and it has given him a massive boost of confidence.
“The people at the various clubs he plays at have given him fantastic support and he is thriving at Collingwood School and Media Arts College with their great all-round education.”