Paralysed rugby player stands again for the first time in 15 years on his wedding day

A former rugby player who was paralysed from the neck down stood again for the first time – on his wedding day.

John Power was just 18 when he suffered a devastating spinal cord injury while playing for Oldham RLFC A team. It ended his promising career as a professional rugby player.

But, John, 33, was determined to live life to the full and has battled for the last 15 years to gradually recover some movement.

He said: “To be able to stand next to Julie is a dream come true. She has been my rock and even though I cannot physically stand by her on a daily basis I wanted to make a special effort on our wedding day to show that I will be symbolically standing by her forever.

“Although I couldn’t stand for the service I was determined I would do it for our photographs.

“It was really emotional and a lot of people were surprised by how tall I am.”

Julie, 28, a teacher at Springhead Infant and Nursery school in Oldham, said: “I met John when he was seated in a wheelchair and to me it makes no difference whether he stands or not, he is still the same person that I fell in love with.”

Jessica Beckett