Olympic date for plucky Richard

Olympic star . . . Greenfield teenager Richard Howarth

A DETERMINED spirit in the face of adversity has resulted in a courageous teenager being selected to represent Saddleworth.

Richard Howarth had limited sight in his right eye from birth, and had already learned to read braille as a youngster. Losing his sight completely overnight at the age of 10 forced him to adapt and spurred him to succeed.

He said: “I’d already got used to getting around, coping, but it was a bit of a shock.

“It was really different, I was more disadvantaged but I managed to adapt reasonably quickly once I got over the initial shock.”

Richard (19), who will carry the torch through Westhoughton, in Bolton, on Thursday, May 31, went to Stockport Grammar as a teenager before attending the National College for the Blind in Hereford, which meant he had to live away from home for the first time.

He said: “Going to college was a challenge. They do help you but they make sure you stand on your own two feet. It was an experience, but I was determined to do what my friends were doing.”

Now he is preparing to start a foundation course in law at Coventry University College in September and is planning to share a flat with one of his college friends.

The Greenfield teenager was stunned to find out he had been selected, after being nominated by his former support teacher Debbie Flint.

Richard said: “I thought it was really cool. This is a chance of a lifetime and something that not many people get to do.”


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