'Padel connected me to other amputees for the first time'
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Andrew Simister only had one padel lesson under his belt when he was asked to enter an international tournament.
It was 2023, and Andrew was in recovery from a catastrophic road accident that resulted in his right leg being amputated above the knee.
He first heard about the increasingly popular racket sport when his son and a family friend took it up, persuading him to book an introductory session in Harrogate.
"The beauty about padel is the courts are enclosed, so for somebody with mobility issues it makes it ideal," he explains.
"I've got the benefit of having glass around me for rebounds, so it is a sport that encompasses everybody."
Padel is a cross between tennis and squash, played with smaller, unstrung rackets with tennis-style balls and usually in doubles.
Already a keen sportsman, after his accident Andrew started to follow disability sports figures on social media for inspiration while he navigated his own journey.
"It gave me encouragement and positivity from a situation which was quite appalling," he said.
"To see how these people have gone with their lives and they're doing amazing things - that's what I wanted to do."
That how Andrew's path first crossed with Alessandro Ossola, an Italian Paralympic sprinter who had set up Inclusive Padel Tour (IPT) two years earlier.
The circuit pairs a player with a disability alongside one non-disabled player at tournaments across the world.
Andrew reached out to Ossola simply to ask if he could come and watch a match when he was in the UK.
Ossola responded with an offer for Andrew to join the tour.
"I'd only had one lesson," Andrew laughs.
"I thought about it long and hard, and I said 'OK, I'll join in January 2024', so it gave me a few months to have some more lessons, to get a bit of playing in."
Becoming part of the IPT team as the first British representative was also the first time he had "really engaged with a group of other amputees", Andrew says.
As well as being able to exchange stories about recovery, fitness and their experiences of their disabilities, there was another surprising benefit for his family.
"One thing that people forget about with a traumatic accident is the impact on the family as well," he explains.
"So for my wife to be able to speak to other partners who had been involved with traumatic accidents was beneficial to her."
Since his first tournament in Milan, Andrew has travelled around the world with the IPT, playing padel and "showcasing disability and inclusivity" in sport.
Later this year, he'll be flying to Shanghai to compete, the first time the IPT will host a tournament in Asia.
"I'm looking forward to that, and it'll be interesting to see a completely different culture and how they embrace disability in sport," he says.
In December last year, he was nominated in the Adaptive Padel Player category at the British Padel Awards, with the winner expected to be announced in May.
For Andrew, it's important to "put the word out, so people can see that somebody who almost lost his life four years ago is now being nominated for an award".
"I wasn't sure what the outcome of padel was going to be when I got involved with it and I absolutely loved it," he adds.
"It doesn't matter on your ability to start with, it's about encouraging people to get involved."
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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