‘His zeal for life was an inspiration’

‘An inspiration with a heart of gold’.

This was how friends remembered Andrew Faries this week as they struggled to come to terms with the 24-year-old’s sudden death.

Mr Faries, who was affectionately known as ‘HottWheels’, passed away on Friday in hospital.

The passionate Arsenal fan was born with spina bifida but devoted much of his life to helping youngsters at WindReach overcome their own physical challenges.

Mr Faries was also a key player in the charity’s wheelchair basketball side as well as its adaptive sports programme.

Erica Fulton, executive director of WindReach, described Mr Faries as a character who would ‘light up the room’.

She said: “Andrew was a very warm person with a smile that was contagious.

“He devoted so much of his time to WindReach and especially the children he worked with.

Dependable

“He was the kind of person you would go to when something had fallen through or you needed help at the last minute and you knew you could depend on him to come through for you.

“He loved his family and would always talk about his dad and his brother when he was up with us.

“It was just two weeks ago that he was taking part in our nativity play.

“It’s a huge shock for us to lose such an important part of the WindReach family.”

Mr Faries lost his mother when he was very young and lived with his father, Michael, in Smiths.

Friend and colleague Tammalita Astwood worked closely with Mr Faries at WindReach when she was the charity’s adaptive sports programme coordinator.

She told the Sun: “Andrew was one of our key players in the adaptive sports programme.

“He loved wheelchair basketball and you could always count on him for some mean defence.

“Andrew’s outlook on life was just amazing. His zeal for life, despite his physical challenges, was inspiration to others.

“He would give everything a go, and children at WindReach really looked up to him.

“He was fabulous with the kids and would do everything he could to help out at WindReach.”

She added: “One of my fondest memories was when he got the licence for his trike.

“He was so happy, and this infectious smile he had, was as wide as I had ever seen it.

“It gave him independence and enriched his quality of life, and whenever I have seen him since I left WindReach a couple of years ago he just seemed so happy and was really enjoying life.”

Mr Faries, a former CedarBridge Academy student, had been a familiar face at WindReach for many years.

Earlier this year he had been a counsellor for the charity’s summer camp and just recently he had stepped in at the last moment to help out with the WindReach Nativity show.

Lance Furbert, who ran WindReach until 2011, described Mr Faries as a ‘role model and mentor’ to children at WindReach.

He added: “Andrew was always cheerful and always helpful.

“He was a really important part of WindReach when I was there.

“Children would see what Andrew could do and think, ‘Andrew can do it, so I can do it’.

“He was a real inspiration to so many and wonderfully optimistic.

“To hear that such a vibrant, happy young man had died was a real shock to all of us and our hearts go out to his family.”