Major broadcaster Jenni Falconer honoured an East End community sports hero with an award after he beat out hundreds of nominees.
Eric Sproul, who was born and raised in Easterhouse, was presented with the National Lottery Sport Hero Award for his voluntary work helping the community get into cycling.
Eric has scoliosis, a back condition that affects the spine and causes constant pain, which prevented him from getting involved in sports for much of his life.
After a long struggle with mental health issues, Eric considered taking his own life but was inspired to turn things around when his mother passed away.
After purchasing a bike with the small inheritance he received from his mother, Eric started volunteering each day at the local Phoenix Community Centre in Easterhouse, helping other people to get involved in cycling.
He now voluntarily runs the centre’s cycling programme after taking a series of bike maintenance and leadership courses.
Eric told The Glasgow Times: “When I was first told I was getting this award, I thought it was a joke.
“I’m still shocked I actually won something, for doing something that didn’t really seem like a lot at the time.
“One of the people I trained, because they couldn’t cycle at all, was just short of being 60 years old and had never been on a bike.
“The smile on that woman’s face was absolutely priceless.
“You can’t buy something like that, it was like winning the lottery the way she smiled like that.
“It was like her youth was back, age wasn’t a thing, it was brilliant.
“When you do something like that on a regular basis, you can’t buy that, it’s what makes it worth it.”
Eric won a trophy and a cash prize of £5000, which he plans to put back into the centre with new bike parts and equipment.
Jenni said: “What I think is incredible is that Eric has had a tough time in the past, not just with scoliosis, but also fighting the fact that he’s had a mental health issue.
“However, coming here and finding cycling, and then becoming part of a community at Phoenix Community Centre, has just changed everything around him.”
Eric was selected by a judging panel out of 1,300 nominees across the UK who were put forward by members of the public.
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