Declan Kerry

Declan Kerry, 19, of Chester is an award-winning sportsman. He won the Cheshire West and Chester Council Disabled Sports Person of the Year 2010, Chester Terrapins Swimming Club Tony Howley Cup for Swimmer of the Year 2009, and Special Olympics Chester Award for Consistent Performer of the Year 2009.

Declan was thrilled to be chosen to compete at Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens as part of the Unified Football® Team - which breaks the social barriers between people with learning disabilities and those without by bringing them together on the same team. . The team came home with a hard won Silver medal!

Before the Games, Declan met with Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street with other Games athletes and Darren Campbell MBE, London 2012 hopeful Beth Tweddle and Special Olympics President Lawrie McMenemy MBE.

Declan was chosen out of hundreds of athletes to participate in an expedition to the South Pole combining the Three Olympic movements: Olympics (Derek Redmond), Paralympics (Mark Woods) and Special Olympics Great Britain (Declan). The team was in training with Polar Explorer and Special Olympics Great Britain Board member Rosie Stancer and is now waiting for funding.

Like almost all young men in Great Britain, Declan just loves football -- both watching it and playing it. Declan also trains and competes regularly with Golf, Karate, and Swimming clubs and in 2009 won Gold and Bronze medals at the National Association of Swimming Clubs for the Handicapped regional galas.

Declan has studied Horticulture at Reaseheath College and Business and Retail courses at West Cheshire Colleges and currently works as a Trolley Person at his local Tesco He also enjoys volunteering for Special Olympics football training sessions. CR