In August 2016, after successfully passing the interview stages, I received a phone call to offer me the role of head coach for the 2017 Team England ParaCheer Freestyle Pom team. Not only was this an overwhelming opportunity, but an incredible achievement.

After the 2016 Cheer team blew away the entire arena during the ParaCheer display at the ICU World Championships, the ICU announced that from 2017, a ParaCheer Cheer and Freestyle Pom division would be included in the competition. ParaCheer is a division which combines disabled and non disabled athletes, working together with creative adaptations. This is such a positive step forwards to encourage inclusivity.

With the help of two assistant coaches, I have been training with a team of 18 athletes since September to compete at the ICU World Championships for the first time and I am so excited to not only be representing England, but to show the rest of the world what can be achieved with this exciting new division.

The competition will be held in Florida in April at ESPN Wide World Of Sports to showcase the hard work and talents of athletes from across the globe in a huge two day event.

Participation in the Team England ParaCheer Freestyle Pom program is completely voluntary, so I have been saving extremely hard to fund my trip.

I'm hoping to raise money which will help to pay for my registration and entrance tickets. This will allow me to be present at the competition and on standby as a reserve, should an athlete not be able to compete.

I absolutely adore the competitive world of Cheerleading and Freestyle Pom, having my own teams and travelling across the country to work with other teams and also judging competitions.

Every single penny raised would be much appreciated and would contribute towards my dreams of attending the World Championships.

Thank you for supporting me through this amazing journey. I am so grateful for this opportunity.

Aaron