Beth Mead , England and Arsenal professional footballer visits Risborough Rangers and surprizes our Pan Disability team. Copy

Beth Mead believes it’s time to tear down misconceptions about disability

Christmas came early for the Risborough Rangers pan-disability Junior Club when Mead surprised them with the new accessible HONOR 9x smartphone.

The phone includes a groundbreaking PocketVision app making it easier for partially sighted people to read text more clearly.

The England winger said: “Football helped build my confidence as a young girl.

“I’m actually working with some individuals at the moment to learn more about myself as a player.

“I’ve dug a bit deeper into how I am as a person off the pitch and how I am on it.

“I don’t actually realise that maybe I’m different when I’m playing until someone has actually picked up on it.

“When I’m on the grass I’m confident I show who I am as a person whether it’s in a shot that I take or a skill I do.

Visually impaired YouTuber and team coach Ricky West gave Mead and the team a smartphone masterclass

“It’s so important that sport is open to everyone and HONOR is helping these young disabled people build their own self-belief and leadership skills.”

Mead, from Whitby, North Yorkshire, is currently recovering from a badly bruised leg after a crunching tackle in the Gunners’ 3-1 win at Everton.

The table toppers have scored a whopping 73 goals in just 19 games across all competitions so far this season and it has been a landmark year for Mead.

She was part of the record breaking North London Derby in Novemeber which saw 31,213 fans at the new Tottenham Stadium – the highest ever WSL crowd.

And will cherish the memory of playing in front of over 77,000 fans at Wembley in the Lionesses’ disappointing 2-1 defeat to Germany in the same month.

The new PocketVision app helps partially sighted people to read.

Credit: Alamy Live News