A student is continuing his fundraising activities for a cause close to his heart.

Dyspraxia Awareness Week takes place from October 12 to 18 and sufferer Eben Fletcher, of St George’s Avenue, Sheerness, wants to help others understand more about the disability, which can affect coordination, motor skills and spatial awareness.

The 20-year-old’s handwriting often proves too difficult for others and even himself to read but he refuses to let it hold him back.

He is currently studying sports management at Southampton Solent University where he uses voice recognition software and a dictaphone for his lecture notes.

He also enjoys keeping active through football and cycling, but his real passion is handball.

He is a member of the Southampton University team where he is also on the committee, organising its travel and hotel stays.

He hopes to one day teach other dyspraxia sufferers how to play the sport and has so far achieved a level two coaching qualification.

The former Richmond Primary, Danley and Sittingbourne Community College pupil cycled 1,500 miles over the summer at local fundraisers around Swale to raise money for the Dyspraxia Foundation.

He hopes to add another 1,000 miles on to that distance next year by cycling from Sheerness to Southampton, then to Land’s End, John O’Groats and back to the foundation’s head office in Hertfordshire.

His dad Julian Fletcher said: “It’s called the hidden disability because you can’t tell if somebody has it.

“As a child he found it very awkward. To be able to play in school teams it was always a struggle because, ‘well you can’t catch a ball so I won’t pick you’.

"But his attitude has always been, ‘fair enough, I might struggle a bit more and it might take me a bit longer than you but I will do it’.”

He added: “The help is out there but it was a big struggle for us to find it.”

The family is organising a Halloween party at The Playa, The Leas, Minster, on Friday, October 31.

There will also be raffle, fancy dress buffet and disco and a secret bid for lunch for two with MP Gordon Henderson at the Houses of Parliament.

Tickets are £10 each, call Sue Fletcher on 07825 210093.