ROYAL BLIND SCHOOL PUPIL TO CARRY THE COMMONWEALTH BATON TOMORROW
Tomorrow Harrison Lovett, a 15 year old pupil at Edinburgh’s Royal Blind School, is taking part in the Queen’s Baton Relay, when it begins its 8,000km journey across Scotland in Edinburgh.
Harry, who has cerebral palsy, autism, dyslexia, epilepsy and impaired hearing and vision, was nominated by the Royal Blind School to take part in this year’s Relay, which will cover 4,970 miles and visit more than 400 communities ahead of the opening ceremony of the Games in Glasgow in July.
Harry will be carrying the baton along Duddingston Low Road at 5.30pm on Saturday, and will be wearing his kilt specially for the occasion, along with his Commonwealth 2014 Queens Baton Relay t-shirt.
It will be an extra special moment for Harry as, despite his enormous struggles, he is obsessed with sports. The teen has been practicing Judo for the past four years, and even got the chance to meet the Queen on her 80th birthday.
Harry said: “I am proud that I am carrying the Baton and representing myself, my family and my school. I hope that everyone is proud of me and will come along and cheer me on. I like that disabled people are competing in the Commonwealth Games and hope that one day I will be part of Team Scotland.”
Harry’s devoted mum Fiona said: “Harry is Harry. He doesn’t see himself as inspirational. However he really is miraculous as he loves playing sport despite being told he may never be able to walk, talk or see.”
Fiona said there is a chance that Harry will lose his vision altogether, something the schoolboy refuses to let himself get down about.
She continued: “The day that we were told that I got upset and Harry turned round to me and said, ‘I don’t know why you’re upset mum, some of my friends are blind’. That sums up how he just gets on with things and does them. To him, he is just a normal teenage boy.”
“For Harry to have been selected to be part of the Queen’s Baton a Relay is a real honour and recognises his courage and determination to succeed.”
Harry’s Scout Leader Michael Mair is also carrying the baton this weekend. Michael, who leads the Royal Blind School’s scout troop, the 77th Braid Scouts, was recently ordained as a Church of Scotland Minister, and is now the youngest minister in Scotland.
Michael will be carrying the baton up Edinburgh’s iconic Grassmarket at 11.24am on Saturday. Both Harry and Michael would appreciate the support of anyone who would like to go along and cheer them on.
To find out more about the work of the Royal Blind School and the many successes of pupils like Harrison, visit http://www.royalblind.org/education.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
