Ben Rowlings, age 18 from Newport, is currently ranked fifth in the world in the T34 Wheelchair racing category and has also been nominated in the Jack Wills ‘Young Brits’ 2014 awards.

Ben, who has cerebral palsy, combines his athletics training with his studies towards A Levels in PE, English Language and Geography, as well as a BTEC in Biology.

The College is supporting Ben with its Sports Scholarship Award scheme and the Telford Elite Sports Scheme. In addition Ben has been offered free membership to the sports facilities at the Whitehouse Hotel.

Catherine Whitehead, Assistant Principal, Learner Services and Reputation says “Everyone here is very proud of Ben’s achievements. His strength, commitment and determination to succeed make him a highly successful sportsman and inspiration to others.”

In 2012, Ben was the face of an advertising campaign by the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS). He starred in billboards placed across London during the 2012 Paralympics as part of the EFDS ‘Pass the Baton’ campaign to encourage more disabled people to be active and inspired into sport.

Ben has recently returned from a week’s training in Switzerland as part of his ongoing quest to be selected to compete for Team GB in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. He has represented Great Britain all over the world including Dubai and Switzerland. He is now ranked within the world top 5 or 6 over every track distance from 100m to 1500 for the T34 classification (for athletes with Cerebral Palsy). Over longer distances he competes in several half marathons every year and holds the second quickest time in British history over the half marathon for his classification in wheelchair racing.