For this month’s Pick Six we turn to Notts born athlete and Paralympian Richard Whitehead…
Personal hero: Terry Fox
There are so many people who have inspired me throughout my career, but I would have to say Terry Fox, who was a Canadian athlete and had one of his legs amputated due to cancer. After this, he embarked on an epic cross Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. As a young person with a double amputation, he was one of the first people to inspire me to start running and become an athlete.
Sports team: Tottenham Hotspur
Most people know that I’m a huge football fan, and in particular a passionate Tottenham Hotspur fan. You might wonder why I support Spurs when I was born and still live in Nottingham. Well, my uncle worked in London when he was younger, he took me to a game and I’ve been a fan ever since, which was over forty years ago!
Holiday destination: Bigby-on-Sea
I’m lucky that I get to travel around the world with the role I do, but my favourite holiday destination is Bigbury-on-Sea in Devon. My family and I visit regularly and it’s such a beautiful and unique place, overlooking Burgh Island and with a large sandy beach. It’s the perfect place to relax and spend time with my children… if the sun is shining, even better!
Notts meal: The Old Vol
There are so many great places to eat around Nottingham, but my favourite would be The Old Vol in Caythorpe, near Lowdham. It’s a great place for fantastic food and has a really nice outdoor area for when the weather is good!
Notts Spot: Holme Pierrepont
It has to be Holme Pierrepont in South Nottingham for me. I live fairly close by and often run there; I’ve actually taken part in the Holme Pierrepont Running Club’s evening run recently. It’s also the venue for the Richard Whitehead Foundation’s annual event Run with Rich: a truly accessible and inclusive event, where you can take part in 5km around the lake or 1km sensory route. You can do it your way, walk, run, scoot, or push. I would love for the reader to join me on 27 September this year!
Book: Diary of a CEO
I would choose Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO as my favourite book, as it’s a really insightful book; one you can apply and learn from for all areas of life. I like to listen to audiobooks and am always interested to hear what other people are reading and listening to and be inspired by their suggestions.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
