A MEMORIAL shield has been created by a therapy and education centre to ensure the memory of a young horse rider lives on.

Stephen Binns, who had cerebral palsy, died suddenly last November after contracting flu.

The 13-year-old, of Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle, had been a weekly visitor to Lords House Farm in Rishton which provides therapy and education to hundreds of adults and children with physical or mental disabilities.

To celebrate Stephen's life, the centre has designed a new accolade for its annual awards ceremony - the Stephen Binns Memorial Shield for the Little Achiever of the Year.

At the latest awards ceremony, Stephen's father Malcolm, 54, presented the shield to the first young people to have their names engraved on it - Jessica Stone, six, from Clitheroe, and Bradley Brandon, 10, of Blackburn, who were honoured for their efforts and improvement during 2003.

Mr Binns said: "Stephen was a wonderful young man. He was very gentle and he had a really wicked sense of humour.

"He enjoyed life as it was and didn't get upset by the things he couldn't do but enjoyed the things he could.

"Because of that attitude he was one of the happiest children I have ever known.

"It is wonderful that he is going to be remembered in this way at Lord's House Farm where he enjoyed himself so much and where the staff gave so much to him.

"He had been going there almost nine years, from soon after it first started, and had come on quite a bit because of the work he did there. I just can't thank them enough."

Stephen, a pupil at Newfield School, Blackburn, was brought up by his father, who gave up his job as a manager with Yorkshire Bank to look after him after his mum, Christine, died of a rare form of pneumonia three days before Christmas 1994.

More than 20 main awards were presented at this year's ceremony which was attended by in excess of 200 students, riders, staff and volunteers plus their families.

In addition to the main awards students also received certificates they had achieved through the National Proficiency Skills Council in Animal Care and certificates in basic skills and horticulture as well as completion certificates for volunteer courses and catering.