A youngster from Horwich was one of a 100 disabled children to enjoy the UK’s biggest athletics event for partially sighted schoolchildren.

Samuel Wood, aged eight, competed in the sprint, long jump and javelin at the Boots Opticians Actionnaires Athletics Day in Sheffield, organised by Action for Blind People.

Partially sighted Samuel, who is a member of Manchester Actionnaires, said: “Making friends and doing new things is what I love about Actionnaires and this event is one of my highlights of the year.”

There are 23 Actionnaires clubs in the country, helping blind and partially sighted children aged four to 16 lead full and active lives, build confidence and meet new people.

Lesley Inganni, Action for Blind People operations manager, said the Athletic Day was a great success.

She said: “Samuel and the other children were so excited about the event, as many don’t get to participate in sport at all outside of their local Actionnaires clubs.

“It was an opportunity to sample a range of sports for the first time, helping them to understand that sight loss isn’t a barrier to fun, competitions and social activities.”