A FORMER member of the British Paralympian squad was delighted when scores of people turned out to try their hand at wheelchair basketball.

Lee Fawcett recently launched the Tees Valley Wheelchair Sports Club to replace the Teesside Lions, the wheelchair basketball club that also spawned Paralympian Terry Bywater.

And in a bid to get more people interested, he organised an open event at Middlesbrough’s Stewart Park to encourage everyone to try it out.

The former basketball and fencing star said: “It has been really good, the turnout has been incredible.

"At first some people were a little bit wary but once we got them into a chair and out playing we couldn’t get them back out again.”

The sessions, which ran throughout Sunday, were open to all comers, whether they were wheelchair users or not.

For more information about the club visit teesvalleywsc.co.uk/teams/