When he was just 11 years old, Ben Grainger scooped 5 medals - including two golds - in the National Para Swimming Championships, where he was the youngest in the Under 14 category. He went on to compete in the British Disability Championships in 2015, winning 3 golds and 2 silvers. Last year, aged just 13, Ben was selected for the British Swimming Para Academy where he is one of 49 athletes in the programme set to develop talent for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

An Ambassador for Microgaming’s PlayItForward initiative, Ben is also a former winner of the Dreamcatcher Heroes in the Community Award, received the Responsible Business award in September for Positive Role Model and, just a few days ago, landed another as Young Achiever at the Isle of Man Awards for Excellence.

Christy managed to distract Ben from his rigorous training routine when he returned to visit the Island in October, and he and his Mum Sonia came to speak about his plans and many achievements...