A HAMPSHIRE town is set to honour an inspirational athlete who helped the British wheelchair rugby team win gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Totton and Eling Town Council could decide to name a children's play area after Aaron Phipps, who was made an MBE in the New Year Honours.

The other option under discussion is dedicating a seat to him in the town centre.

Aaron, who lives in Totton, was 15 when he lost both legs below the knees, plus the tips of his fingers, after contracting meningitis in 1999.

Determined to overcome his disability he started competing in wheelchair racing in 2007. He was subsequently introduced to wheelchair rugby and represented Team GB at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Four years later he became the first disabled person to climb Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, without assistance.

When his off-road wheelchair was unable to cope with the increasingly rough terrain he vowed to crawl the rest of the way on his hands and knees.

"There is no way I was going to be carried," he said.

Aaron, 38, is an ambassador for the Meningitis Research Foundation, for which he has raised more than £250,000 over the years.

He was made an MBE for services to wheelchair rugby after he and his teammates won a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, held last year after being postponed by the pandemic.

Briain beat the USA in a thrilling final watched by more than a million TV viewers across the UK.

A few weeks later Aaron and fellow members of the squad jointly won the National Lottery's Paralympian of the Year award.

Speaking about his MBE he said he was "lost for words" adding: "To be on the list with so many amazing individuals who worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic is truly humbling."

But one of the people who took to social media to congratulate him said: "I'm not lost for words - you totally deserve it.

"Thanks for being an inspiration to so many people."

Another added: "You came to visit the infant school where I used to work. You were such a fantastic role model for the children."