Cheshire Independent Issue 218

MACCLESFIELD • TYTHERINGTON • BOLLINGTON ALDERLEY EDGE • PRESTBURY • WILMSLOW • HANDFORTH • POYNTON • BRAMHALL • DISLEY • ALSAGER • BIDDULPH • CONGLETON • SANDBACH ISSUE 218 FREE CHESHIRE FREE YOUR LOCAL GOOD NEWS-PAPER FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @CheshireIndy www.independentnewspapers.co.uk Looking for Flooring Inspiration? Let us help you find the perfect flooring for your home. With great advice, home styling, measure and planning service, plus quality fitting of top brands and designs, youwill be glad you did . Visit our showroom: Tuesday to Saturday or call 01260 224445 for a private appointment Thornycroft Farm, Pexhill Road, Siddington, Cheshire SK11 9JN ● Modern, Traditional & Luxury Carpets ● Natural Wood Flooring ● Laminate Flooring ● Stair Runners & Rods ● Luxury Vinyl Tiles ● Bespoke Rugs & Runners STUDENTS across Cheshire have been celebrating some out- standing GCSE results. To mark their achievements we’ve produced a special page.Turn to P12. THE mum of a teenager with cerebral palsy who passed his GCSEs by using eye-tracking technology has said she is “super proud” of his achievement. Patrick McCabe, 16, from Macclesfield, took seven GCSE exams between Feb- ruary and June and got the grades he needed to go on to sixth form and study A-levels. His mum Jo praised his “patience and willpower”, add- ing the exams were difficult enough to do, but “having to do them with his eyes is an even bigger challenge.” Patrick said when he opened his results he “thought they mixed me up with some- one else”, but after double checking his name at the top he “felt relieved that all the work I did prior to my exams paid off.” He said his most difficult subject was maths, “because I had to do the workings out in my head.” “I found it frustrating that I couldn’t just write on to the paper,” he said. “I had to describe where to put each number before I even got to work out the answer. I found this really exhausting.” Patrick was supported in doing his exams by the organisation, CandLE, which Making the grade Patrick’s mum Jo says he always had a “can do” attitude (Image: Supplied) PATRICK IS TOP CLASS Teenager with cerebral palsy passes GCSE exams using eye-tracking technology helps students who use Aug- mentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology to access educa- tion across the UK. He will go on to take A-levels in French, Media and Business. Patrick said that his “ulti- mate dream” was to “travel around the world and report on sporting events” and the accessibility of sport- ing venues. In a video message congratulating Patrick on his “phenomenal” results, sports presenter Clare Balding said she had been “very inspired” by his story and “impressed with your diligence, your apti- tude, your resilience.” She said he had “all the qualities necessary to be a brilliant sports reporter.” Jo said her son, a student at The Fallibroome Academy in Macclesfield, “had to, almost, devise his own way of revis- ing, which he did and with the assistance of CandLE he managed to get through a really difficult few months of revision.” She said it was “a testament to his patience and willpower that we’re sat here today and he’s able to go on to sixth form and study the subjects that he really wants to do.” Using traditional revision techniques such as making notes and highlighting text- books was not an option for Patrick, she said. Jo said Patrick had “always had such a can do attitude which has really stood him in great stead for the exams and barriers don’t get in the way of what he wants to achieve so... it’s been great.” Laura Baggley from Can- dLE said Patrick had “abso- lutely smashed those exams” but added that the exam pro- cess was “not designed for younger people who do have challenges like Patrick.”