BBC Unsung Hero is 'a force to be reckoned with'

A disability champion has scooped BBC East Sport Personality of the Year - Unsung Hero.

George Sullivan, from Peterborough, has a severe sight impairment and works tirelessly to support others in the sport of goalball - including setting up a new team.

The 31-year-old began losing his sight at the age of nine, growing up in Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire.

"Winning this award is my biggest ever achievement," he said, adding: "Helping others who have been on the same journey as me to enjoy playing sport really makes me smile."

Goalball is a team sport for visually-impaired players, with goals scored by bowling a ball along the floor lined with tactile markers.

The ball contains internal bells which help players locate it.

Mr Sullivan began to lose his vision because of a condition known as Stickler Syndrome.

He also lost his mother at the age of 11, and his sight rapidly deteriorated over the course of the next 10 years.

Now he only sees shadows and a perception of light.

"It was a big mental health battle," he says.

"Some days I could see quite well and others days I could see nothing at all.

"There were times when I wished it would just go one way or the other.

"It's only recently that I've finally accepted that this is how it is for me, and to embrace it.

"It was like a lightbulb going on in my head."

Mr Sullivan has been playing goalball for nearly 15 years.

He used to play for Cambridge and is now trying to set up a "showdown" team in the university city - which is a sport combining table tennis and air hockey.

"I just think it's really important to promote these sports for visually impaired people," he says.

"There's a sport out there for everyone and they might not know about it."

He also works for the charity Herts Vision Loss, helping visually impaired people get work and training.

As a volunteer, he helps the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) with their social media sites.

As a keen Arsenal fan, Mr Sullivan likes to spend as much time as possible at the Emirates Stadium, and hosts a podcast called The Arsenal Women Chat Show.

He recently campaigned to get headsets with audio commentary at all of their matches at the Emirates and their ground at Meadow Park in Borehamwood.

The Community Connection Co-ordinator for the RNIB, Warren Wilson, described George as "a force to be reckoned with".

"George has been an integral force in campaigning to make mainstream sport accessible for blind and partially sighted people," he said.

"He's made a huge difference to the lives of people with sight loss."

But Mr Sullivan does have another claim to fame.

His grandfather was Lennie Peters, from the 'Welcome Home' hitmakers, Peters and Lee. The pop duo were household names in the 1970s and 1980s.

"I know he was very famous, but I'm not one to boast about it," Mr Sullivan says.

"My nan used to sing 'Welcome Home' whenever I got back from school or from the shops.

"It's a proud part of our family history."

As the winner for BBC East, Mr Sullivan will be one of 15 finalists hoping to win the national Unsung Hero title at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

• The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards will be broadcast live on BBC1 on Tuesday, 17 December.