Watch a video with Kevin Simpson at the Spinal Injury Unit (transcript coming soon).
A former Paralympian is using tennis coaching to inspire people with serious spinal injuries through their rehabilitation.
Kevin Simpson, who competed for ParalympicsGB in wheelchair tennis in Beijing, runs sessions funded by the Tennis Foundation and Tennis Scotland every six weeks for patients from across Scotland at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injury Unit.
Simpson is no stranger to their situation and knows the benefit of the sport better than most, having turned to wheelchair tennis after being paralysed by a falling plate of metal while working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2001.
Despite suffering extensive injuries and undergoing 17 operations, Simpson achieved his dream of competing for Great Britain in 2008 and is now hoping to inspire those currently in the same situation he was in 12 years ago.
Simpson teaches basic skills such as movement across the tennis court and shot technique to give an introduction to the sport.
Simpson's efforts have drawn special praise from Andrew Raitt, who is the Tennis Foundation and Tennis Scotland's Disability Development Manager for Scotland.
He said: "These sessions are always very well attended by people at the unit, whether they've been there for two weeks or two years – the classes are a massively important part of their recovery.
"For these guys to see someone like Kevin being so enthusiastic about tennis and knowing that he was once in their situation is incredibly inspirational for all of them and gives them the belief that they can achieve what he has.
"Just picking up a racket for someone recovering from a spinal injury makes an incredible amount of difference, even if it's just giving them something to take their mind off their recovery."
The sessions aim to take patients' minds off their situation and possibly encourage them to keep playing the sport on a regular basis.
Scotland's Gordon Reid, Great Britain's no.1 wheelchair tennis player who competed alongside Simpson in Beijing and appeared at the Paralympic Games last summer, has also thrown his support behind the cause after helping his former team-mate with a session at Christmas.
Glasgow is one of four Disability Tennis Networks in Scotland, which aim to provide inclusive and accessible tennis opportunities to their local communities.
Following the success of last summer's Paralympic Games the Tennis Foundation and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) are currently supporting 29 Disability Tennis Networks across the UK which includes grants, resources, disability inclusion training, coach education and more.
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