| | | Vanessa Sims | | Lancashire Post Editor |
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reader It is great to see Andrew Flintoff make his comeback on television with his show Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams On Tour. It is 20 months since the former England all-rounder suffered multiple injuries in an accident during filming for an episode of Top Gear. While it was clear at the time how serious the crash was, it is only now we learn for the first time just how devastating it has been for the 46-year-old. It has emerged this week that Flintoff only left his home for medical appointments in the seven months following the accident at Surrey’s Dunsfold Aerodrome in December 2022 which left him with facial and rib injuries. The new television programme reveals it has left him not just with mental scars but facial injuries which will shock fans who have only seen glimpses of him in the media since the accident. It is, perhaps, fitting that his first major steps back into the public eye should come with the return of Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams On Tour which is back on our screens now. The first series made for inspirational viewing as he put together a team of lads from Lancashire and shaped them into a cricket team. Freddie’s desire to make a difference in their young lives shone through and it was feelgood television of the best kind with the sort of positive message only sport can bring. One storyline which emerged from the original shows was the experiences of Adnan, an Afghan asylum seeker living with a foster family in Preston. He was just 16 at the time the first series was filmed and after it was screened his application to remain in the UK was rejected. It now transpires – away from the cameras and without calling on his global profile – Flintoff wrote to the Home Office in support of Adnan’s appeal. This would have been during the darkest days of Freddie’s recovery and yet he found time to help change the teenager’s life forever when he was granted asylum at the second attempt in August 2022, and he will now be able to apply for British citizenship in six years’ time. This just shows Freddie's true Lancashire character. I hope his recovery continues to help him grow stronger every day. Let me know your thoughts at vanessa.sims@lep.co.uk King regards Vanessa Sims, Editor Lancashire Post | 