A Weymouth man who made the tough decision to have his leg amputated below the knee is raising money so he can play wheelchair rugby.

Eyan Naylor, 45, was born with a club foot which meant his right foot was twisted and deformed.

It caused a spinal and pelvic torsion, making it hard to sit in the same position for long periods of time and a result he also suffered through years of chronic pain.

In August 2020 Eyan made the tough decision to have his leg amputated below the knee, which, he explained: “Gave me my life back - All I’ve done is get rid of a part of my body that didn’t work.

“Before my amputation to just walk from my house into town, I was in so much pain it was hard to breathe.”

Now Eyan, who's originally from Yorkshire, has discovered wheelchair rugby and plays with a team called the Taunton Gladiators, founded by Invictus Games silver medallist Julian Allen.

Eyan said: “These sports are giving me back the life I never had as a kid, it gives you that rush of endorphins – it’s brilliant, the feeling that ‘I can do this.’

“It’s easy to slip into the mindset that it’s over and you’re damaged goods - My week is counting down to training.”

The Taunton Gladiators have been invited to play at a national level, but currently use the clubs’ standard chairs for the sport.

Eyan is raising funds to buy his own custom chair which should ‘help ease the aggravation caused by sitting in that same position for too long.’

He plans to ‘wheel the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles) in a standard wheelchair on Saturday, June 24, along the Rodwell Trail in Weymouth which is 13.5 lengths, with the hope to complete the challenge in under four hours.

Eyan has been wheeling himself along the Rodwell Trail in order to train for the event and said: “If anyone sees me they can join on their bikes or run with me, it would be great for people to give me a cheer or a wave.”

He needs to raise around £3,500 for the custom wheelchair.

Eyan said: “The custom chair would be invaluable and life changing.

“Wheelchair rugby has given me the opportunity to realise I can still do sport, compete be a normal person and has helped me mentally to deal with my disability.

“There are times that you can’t wear the prosthetics and when I first got my wheelchair there were times that I felt invisible, but wheelchair rugby has made me more confident, especially gaining the experience of being part of a team.”

Eyan is already planning to hand cycle up Mt. Snowdon for his next challenge which will see him raise money for the Pilgrim Bandits military charity.

You can donate to Eyan’s just giving page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-towards-buying-a-rugby-wheelchair?member=22236841&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer.