Wigan documentary star is ready for first home

And Ryan Sheridan, who is now settled in his two-bedroom semi at Persimmon Gardens, Hindley Green, says he couldn’t be happier.

“It’s brilliant – I am so happy to finally have my own home,” said Ryan. “It feels amazing and I’ve settled in really well.”

Ryan’s life has been documented every seven years by the BBC’s 7 Up New Generation, a millennium project showcasing children at seven-year intervals as they grew into adulthood.

Now 27, he was born three months premature and has cerebral palsy. But his disability has never held him back: he passed his driving test, played wheelchair basketball, gained a degree in sports studies, and has competed at the highest level in wheelchair rugby – he was selected for the Great Britain development squad in 2011.

He is one of the longest serving members of the West Coast Wheelchair Rugby Club and is known as a workhorse by his teammates.

Before buying his home, Ryan lived with his mum Dawn in Westhoughton. He used Wigan Council’s hugely successful Affordable Homes Equity Loan Scheme to buy, which helps local people get on the property ladder.

Ryan said: “It felt really strange finally moving in, after planning it for so long, but it felt really good. I haven’t quite got everything I need yet, some of my furniture is still on order, but from day one it felt like home.”