Star charity shines brighter after winning KCOM grant
A Hull and East Yorkshire charity that supports people with disabilities has been named as a winner in KCOM’s latest rounds of Community Grants.
KCOM has unveiled its latest van to be named after an inspirational Hull figure.
KCOM has unveiled its latest van to be named after an inspirational Hull figure.
Connor Lynes, 17, took time out from his hectic GCSE exam schedule today to visit the van named in his honour as part of KCOM’s initiative to brand its fleet of vehicles with the names of inspirational figures from Hull’s past and present.
Connor is the only teenager to have been voted for by the public as worthy of having a van named after him and he now joins the likes of William Wilberforce and Jean “Bee Lady” Bishop whose vans can now be seen on the highways and byways of Hull and East Yorkshire.
He said: “I think it’s cool. To think that people are going to see it on the roads with my name on it is really good. It’s nice to think that people have voted for me.”
Connor, of east Hull, hit the headlines aged 14 when he suffered two strokes and a blood clot on his brain while playing for his local rugby team.
While battling his way back to health he set up his own charity, Team Connor Lynes, and now gives others the chance of rehabilitation by raising money to provide equipment and support for brain injury groups across the UK.
Connor, who now plays full back for the Wakefield Physical Disability Rugby League team, has raised thousands for an interactive sensory room at the Life for a Kid charity in Leonard Street, west Hull. The sensory room, brought over from the USA, is the first of its kind in the UK.
Connor’s aunt Sara Lynes said she was proud of her nephew.
She said: “I think it’s brilliant. It’s strange seeing his name on the side of the van but it makes me very proud because it shows he’s been recognised for the work he’s done and everything he’s overcome.
“Connor’s always been very proud of being from Hull, so to have his name on the side of a KCOM van in his home town is the icing on the cake.”
The KCOM engineer who’ll be driving Connor’s namesake around Hull on her way to jobs is field technician Ellie Hannah.
She said: “It’s lovely to finally meet Connor and to put a face to the name.
“When I found out I was going to have Connor’s name on the side of my van I did Google him to find out more and I was delighted to have got someone so inspirational and who’s achieved so much despite being so young. I’ll definitely drive the van around with pride.”