Bradley meets his football hero (From Witney Gazette)

Bradley meets his football hero

1:03pm Thursday 9th March 2006 in Witney

A FOOTBALL-mad boy with mild cerebral palsy had his wish come true when he met his hero, Oxford United striker Steve Basham.

Bradley Rowles, ten, has hemiplegia, which means he struggles to move the right side of his body, and has to do regular exercises to prevent him becoming wheelchair-bound when he is older.

But he finds the exercises three times a week at school, and three or four times a week at home painful and annoying. So physiotherapist Sheila Hurdwell asked Basham to visit Bradley to encourage him to keep up the regime.

Basham visited Bradley at Finstock Primary School on Tuesday last week. He said: "I heard about Bradley and the fact that he has to do all these stretches endlessly, and it really gets him down.

"I was told I was his favourite football player, and so I agreed to go and meet him, to try to cheer him up and encourage him.

"If he doesn't do them, he could end up in a wheelchair, so he really needed that boost.

"Sometimes it's uncomfortable for him to do these exercises. He needs a motivation. We thought it would be great to give him a reward — to meet his hero."

Headteacher, Paul Barnett

"He loves football, and if he carries on with his exercises, he will be able to play in the future.

"His eyes lit up when I walked in. He seemed to really enjoy himself. He works very hard and deserves a reward."

Bradley's mother, Susan, of Hill Crescent, Finstock, said: "He's been talking about nothing else. He was so excited to meet his hero. It gave him a real boost. He loves kicking a ball around.

"But he has to do physio exercises three or four times a week at home and several times at school to keep him supple and his muscles growing in time with his bone.

"He has one leg shorter than the other, and his balance is affected.

"He was told if he worked hard doing all his exercises, then he would be rewarded."

Headteacher, Paul Barnett, said: "Sometimes it's uncomfortable for him to do these exercises. He needs a motivation. We thought it would be great to give him a reward to meet his hero."

A teaching assistant at the school is trained to help Bradley with his exercises.