Congratulations from Halton Council to the borough’s own Commonwealth champion – Jack Hunter Spivey.

Paralympian Jack, 27, from Widnes, won Gold in the Para Table Tennis  at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He thrilled the home crowd by winning men’s singles, classes three to five.

Jack started playing table tennis when he was 10  and joined Halton Table Tennis Club and, with the help and support from the club and Halton Borough Council, he became a full time athlete.

He was helped on his way by numerous grants from the Council, including one in 2015 to help with his qualification for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Jack, a former Saints Peter and Paul pupil, has achieved great success over the years, including a bronze in the Tokyo Paralympics.

He said he is now looking ahead to the World Championships later this year, and the Paris Olympics in 2024, when he hopes to win more medals to take home to his friends and family.

After his gold medal-winning performance in Birmingham, he was met off court by Karen Tonge OBE, Chair of British Para Table Tennis and Halton Table Tennis Club, and the pair shared a special moment (photo). Karen was Referee of  the Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis at the Games.