A DISABLED Colne man has impressed his bosses so much with his computer skills he has been chosen to develop the company's website.

Nathan Birtwistle, 20, of Milton Street, suffers from muscular dystrophy and is a wheelchair user.

He joined Burnley-based specialist health products supplier Perpetual Markets on a temporary placement in January, after joining the New Deal for Young People scheme at Colne Jobcentre.

He had been out of work for 18 months before being appointed a personal adviser to help him find the type of job that was right for him.

He said: "I've been interested in computers for about five years and I'm self-taught. The job's going well and I'm enjoying it. I think New Deal is a good thing -- I don't think I could have got a job without it."

Nathan's adviser, Kathy Walsh, said: "Nathan's story is a good example of what can be achieved when the right organisations work together. He was keen to use his computer expertise, so it seemed perfect when one of our work placement companies, Guy Foster Training, fixed him up with the placement at Perpetual Markets."

"Once Nathan had completed his placement, Remploy Interwork were able to financially assist the company through the Supported Employment scheme -- this will help them in the early stages as Nathan takes the necessary time to adjust to the demands of the job."

Perpetual Markets has also made several adaptations to the premises to make them wheelchair friendly.

Nathan's boss David Shaw, said: "Nathan's very sharp-minded, keen and had the skills that made him an ideal person to develop our website, which we'd just launched. You only have to log on to the website itself to see at first-hand the good work he's already done for us."