Children taught to 'never give up' by footballer

A Paralympic footballer left with brain damage after being assaulted is inspiring children to overcome adversity through PE lessons and talks.

Gloucestershire's Jack Rutter was about to sign for Birmingham City in 2009 when he was attacked, and believed it was the end of his sporting career.

But he later discovered cerebral palsy football, and went on to captain Team GB at the 2016 Paralympic Games.

"It's really inspiring how he got back up when he got down," said Suzanna, a pupil at St Lawrence's Primary School in Westbury, Somerset.

Mr Rutter received an unprovoked "single blow" punch on 22 March 2009 outside the former Liquid nightclub in Gloucester.

He fell, hit his head on a kerb and was knocked out, suffering a brain bleed and moderate brain damage.

He also suffered a severed cochlear nerve, meaning he will be deaf in his right ear for the rest of his life.

The impact his injury had on his balance and coordination meant he was unable to continue with professional football, affecting his mental health.

But the "dark, dark times" brightened when Mr Rutter discovered the cerebral palsy team.

"I ended up captaining my country in a European Championship, two world championships, and I captained Great Britain in Rio in 2016 at those Paralympic Games," he said.

During the talk at Westbury, Mr Rutter told the children how he was "devastated" to retire from professional football.

"I was very sad and very angry because of how it happened," he said.

"But you can't hold on to that sort of resentment and anger in life."

Eddie, a St Lawrence's pupil, said Mr Rutter's visit was "a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a real athlete".

"I absolutely loved it," Eddie said, adding that Mr Rutter taught them to "never give up and always have a positive attitude".

Mr Rutter said: "I just hope that they see every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow, whether they mess up in a maths test, miss a penalty - they're all opportunities to learn and grow.

"I'm trying to make them realise if they go through a tough challenge in life, just like I did, they can overcome it and achieve amazing things, too."

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