Caterer voices owl to help people wise up about disability

A caterer who was paralysed in a motorbike accident when he was 18 will voice an owl in an animated disability advert from the creators of Wallace and Gromit.

Adrian Carter, 25, brings Ozzy the Owl to life in one of six Creature Discomforts adverts, which will be broadcast from this week with the aim of changing attitudes to disability.

Aardman Animations has created six clay animals similar to those in its Creature Comforts series for Leonard Cheshire Disability's campaign. Each character is voiced by a young disabled person talking unscripted about their lives. Mr Carter, from Nunhead, who has used a wheelchair since his accident, is studying business at Westminster University while also running a Caribbean catering company called Carter's Home Cooking.

As Ozzy, also in a wheelchair, he says: "It took me a little while to build up the courage to get back into the gist of going into education. Because you're interacting again isn't it, you're back out there with the public. People look at you like, 'Ooh, he's in a wheelchair, he's at uni,' like. 'Good on ya mate,' you know what I mean?"

Mr Carter himself said: "I know where I want to be in five years' time so I don't let anyone put a perception on me based on my disability."