Worcester Warriors rugby club tour for injured fan, 14
It was an accident that could have ruined his career, but one year on, a young Telford rugby player was back on his feet and picking up tips from some of the best sportsmen in the country.
For 12 months ago, 14-year-old Olly Derham was in hospital having undergone life-saving surgery after being hit by a car travelling at 50 miles per hour.
The youngster, from Lawley, suffered serious internal bleeding and an open wound on his side in the accident, which happened as he made his way home from school.
Doctors said he would be unable to play rugby for at least a year, but Olly made a remarkable recovery and went back playing scrum half for the Telford Hornets within 10 months, and picked for the county under-15s squad.
And thanks to help from a coach with links to Worcester Warriors, Olly got to spend the one year anniversary of his accident with VIP passes to see their hard-fought match against Perpignan.
After the match, which Worcester won 22-21, he met the players, who were happy to give him advice on his future, telling him to work hard on the pitch and in the classroom.
Paul Derham, Olly's dad, said: "It was a very wet and cold night, but it was much better than sitting at home thinking about the accident." Olly went with his parents and grandparents, and sister Evie, and they were met by former England scrum-half Shaun Perry.
Mr Derham said: "It was good for Shaun to meet us. "He gave us a tour all over the stadium and facilities.
"Shaun is from Wolverhampton and he told him about when he was playing for Dudley Kingswinford against Telford Tigers.
"The VIP pass meant we could go in the bar and meet the players, which was a dream come true.
The trip was organised by Iain Mason, a coaching co-ordinator at Telford Hornets, and Mr Derham also sent him the family's thanks.
