NORWICH City Football Club will be delighted to welcome Hayley Buck as our Kare Plus Community Hero for Friday's match against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Hayley is a regular attendee of the club’s Community Sports Foundation disability programmes, and has shown remarkable progress both physically and socially since she started attending these sessions.

Hayley, 16, has Cerebral Palsy and as a result was unable to walk unaided until she had reached the age of four. She was then able to use a K-Frame, which she still often relies on for mobility.

She first got involved with CSF through their weekly swimming sessions at Riverside Leisure Centre – it was there she learnt about the range of other disability programmes that the Foundation provides. She joined Canary Club, which offers the chance for disabled children and young people to participate in sports and games at CSF’s Carrow Park facility, and is also a regular attendee at CSF’s Cerebral Palsy Soccer Centre sessions.

As a massive Canaries fan, Hayley also takes advantage of the Foundation’s Match Day Clubs which give participants the chance to combine physical sport sessions with a Norwich City home fixture.

"Coming to CSF is top of her priority list," says Hayley’s grandmother Sally. "Although Hayley has restricted speech she can sign really well and this has helped her communicate with the coaches and other children in the group, who have also learnt from her during the sessions."

Sally explained that over the last six years, she and her husband Sid have been responsible for getting Hayley to any extra-curricular activities. "Unfortunately Hayley’s mum struggles with agoraphobia and this restricts her to the support she can offer to Hayley. So, myself and Sid have supported her with any activities she has wanted to get involved with.

"This is the best thing she has been part of. It’s made her more active, more mobile and the enjoyment she gets out of it is unmeasurable."

CSF Disability Officer Reece Morgan says Hayley is a pleasure to coach: "Since joining the Foundation, Hayley’s confidence and social skills have improved so much. She always has a smile on her face and loves being part of the group and never fails to make everybody else around her happy."

Please be sure to give a big Carrow Road welcome to Hayley, as she brings out Friday’s match ball ahead of kick-off!

COMMUNITY HERO: BRIGHTON

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