A 10-year-old wheelchair racer from Kingston has been chosen as one of just seven to take part in a race linked to the Great South Run.

Sam Walkington, who has cerebral palsy, will race in the first ever Unlimited Great South Wheelchair Event on Saturday, October 21.

His condition affects his whole body, especially his legs, and he finds it difficult to walk far and has problems with balance.

He trains at the Weir Archer Academy in Kingston but has never raced before.

Sam said: ““It’s really hard to take part in sports at school when you have a disability like me. I am lucky where I live though because I go to wheelchair basketball and I also train in wheelchair tennis and swimming too. If you look around there are places out there and all disabled kids should have the chance to take part in a sport if they want to.

“I’m hoping to improve my fitness with my training and learn to handle the chair better. I’m also hoping for my very first Personal Best over a mile!”

Paralympic coach Rich Hoskins will train Sam before the event.

Sam said: “I’m very lucky to have Paralympic coach Rick Hoskins training me in Portsmouth so I’m ready for the big day!

“I was so excited when I first sat in the racing chair, because it looks just like the ones they use in the Paralympics. To be able to have a chair like theirs is a dream come true for me.”

Run by the Unlimited Company from Simplyhealth, and the Great Run Company, the one-mile event takes place in Southsea, Portsmouth, the day before the Great South Sun.