Injury and the coronavirus pandemic may have delayed Will Bayley’s competitive plans but the Paralympic table tennis champion has still managed to make a difference.

Out of action since damaging the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee while performing on Strictly Come Dancing last October, the Tunbridge Wells star’s plans of a triumphant return at Tokyo 2020 were dashed by the postponement of the Paralympic Games.

However, that hasn’t prevented Bayley from making the nation proud – the 32-year-old has instead spent the subsequent lockdown raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital through his rainbow facemasks campaign.

Using his showbiz connections, Bayley has already managed to raise a staggering £25,000 for a cause very close to his heart – the table tennis champion having spent much of his life there for treatments on his arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder that affected all four of his limbs, and the Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma he was diagnosed with aged seven.

“Like everyone, I’ve had a bit of spare time so me and my friend David Morgan wondered whether we help out Great Ormond Street Hospital because they had an emergency appeal for extra funds,” he said.

“I had my contacts from Strictly and Vikky Gill, who is the head designer for the show, said she would donate some face masks.

“We thought we’d just donate a couple of hundred but we’ve ended up doing so many more and it’s gone really well.

“It means everything for me to be able to give back to Great Ormond Street. I can honestly say that they saved my life so anything that I can do for them feels great.”

Bayley is one of the more than 1,100 athletes funded by The National Lottery on UK Sport’s World Class Programme, which allows him to train full-time and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support, but he has been forced into going it more alone during lockdown.

The global shutdown meant the Rio gold medallist had to cope with both the absence of routine and working solo on his rehab, something which he admits he struggled with initially.

However, as time has gone on the light at the end of the tunnel has become clearer and Bayley has been able to refocus on doubling up his gold medal collection in 2021 – won one of the 864 Olympic and Paralympic medals since National Lottery funding started in 1997, in Rio.

“Lockdown was really hard because I had the injury on Strictly then I had a few weeks rehabbing and then I went straight into it,” Bayley added.

“It’s been a massive challenge rehabbing on my own and it’s been hard not having the routine I’ve had every single day. My brain didn’t know what to do but I feel like I’ve now adapted well.

“I would be playing in the Paralympics if it was next month but to be fully fit I need more time. With an ACL injury I think it would be brilliant if I was 100 per cent fit in January.

“But the Paralympics suspension has allowed me to reflect for the first time in my career and that’s going to stand me in really good stead for 2021 because I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise around £30 million each week for good causes. Discover the positive impact playing The National Lottery has at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/stories/track-to-tokyo and #TNLAthletes #TracktoTokyo

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