THE sporting dreams of a disabled schoolboy have been given a boost thanks to the generous legacy of a caring villager.

Ollie Porter, 11, of Hurworth, near Darlington, dreams of winning a Paralympic gold in wheelchair racing.

And those ambitions are a step closer thanks to a £3,000 donation from the Hurworth Rogers Charitable Trust, which was used to buy him a bespoke racing wheelchair.

The trust was established after Hurworth villager Brian Rogers left a considerable sum of money in his will, to be used to support the elderly and people with mental illness.

The ministers from All Saints Church and Hurworth Methodist Church were approached to administer the fund and trustees were appointed, chaired by Dr Ian Bagshaw, who was a long-serving GP in the village.

The parameters of the trust have now been extended so that the money can be used for the benefit of the Hurworth community and its residents.

Ollie, who is a member of Darlington Harriers, has spina bifida and has no use of his legs but that hasn’t stopped him from excelling at sport. He is the reigning Tees Valley schools’ champion at 100m and 400m and he came second in a national competition for under-13s at Coventry. He also competes at 200m and loves playing wheelchair basketball for the Tees Valley Titans.

His dad Martin, who works at Cummins in Darlington, said: “The trust has enabled Ollie to do what he loves at a higher level. He comes alive when he gets in the racing wheelchair.”

Mum Rebecca added: “We can’t thank the trustees enough because Ollie dreams of winning the Paralympics one day and the racing wheelchair means he can go so much faster.”

Ollie, whose hero is Paralympic wheelchair-racing legend David Weir, travelled to Loughborough to be measured for the new wheelchair which is designed specifically for him.

The Hurworth Primary School pupil said: “I just love everything about it – the colour and how fast it can go. It’s amazing.”

Since Mr Rogers died six years ago, the trust has helped a wide range of good causes in the village, including providing a toilet for the disabled at Hurworth Grange, enabling films to be shown at the village hall, and supporting the Mustard Tree café and All Saints Church.

Dr Bagshaw said: “It was a joy to see the smile on Ollie’s face when he first sat in the racing wheelchair. We’ll follow his progress with interest and look forward to him bringing that gold medal home to Hurworth!”