At 18 years old, Josh was born with a break to his T6 vertebrae, but his passion for sport has never wavered. After discovering WheelPower at the age of nine, sport became an even bigger part of his life. Now, as he transitions out of junior participation, Josh has returned to the National Junior Games but this time as a volunteer.

Growing up in mainstream schools, sports mad Josh was often not involved with PE and although things improved at secondary school, PE still wasn’t accessible nor inclusive because Rugby and Football dominated the curriculum.

After discovering WheelPower at the age of nine, Josh discovered a whole range of sports that he could try alongside his peers. As he got older, Josh started attending the National Junior Games, WheelPower’s flagship event for disabled children where Josh found his sport – Wheelchair Basketball.

“Finding WheelPower probably saved me, especially after I rediscovered it after lock down… Sport has changed my life. I am training 12 hours a week at quite a high level at Wheelchair Basketball and it all started with WheelPower and the National Junior Games.”

Josh plays Wheelchair Basketball for Stoke Mandeville Stadium based club, Aces and during his time at the club he has played across all divisions, ranging from Junior League, all the way up to Division 1.  His talent has also seen him enter the talent pathway with the National Governing Body, British Wheelchair Basketball, with his goal of representing Great Britain.

"I think without WheelPower’s help in finding Basketball or even any other sport, I think I’d be a lot less of the person I am today. I think I’d be probably a lot less active as well, I think I’d be sat at home without really a plan going forward or the will to carry on being quite a sociable and active person in day-to-day life.”

2025 saw Josh return to the National Junior Games, but this time as a volunteer, something he knew he wanted to do for a while. For Josh it was about sharing his knowledge and experience with the participants so they could get the most out of their time. Josh said, “I loved just being able to share my experiences alongside my knowledge with a bunch of different people and allow them to experience the sports itself to a level that they could most enjoy.”

We asked Josh what he would say to anyone youngsters that have never been to a WheelPower event before and this is what he had to say:

“Give it a go, I don’t think there is any reason not to. Even if you are already in a sport, I’d say give it a go, at least once. It just allows you to try different things and you learn so much and you meet so many great people through it and I know a lot of people who made many great friends through it and I think it’s a great opportunity for young disabled people to meet and experience stuff that they may not be able to do without it."

As Josh looks to the future, he plans to continue pursuing his basketball career with the goal of going professional, while also exploring opportunities in further education and employment. Whatever path he chooses, we are confident he will succeed.