A local “blade runner” told a packed auditorium that running on his prosthetic can sometimes be as difficult as balancing a pencil on its tip.

In his talk at Airedale Hospital yesterday, Philip Sheridan, 48, of Worth Village, said the freedom it gives him is worth the hard work.

He lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident 10 years ago, which saw him slide under the wheels of a lorry.

But a decade on and with a state of the art running blade from the NHS, he is often spotted on local off-road trails.

Airedale Hospital at Steeton, near Keighley, played an important part in his physiotherapy, so when the NHS Foundation Trust asked him to talk to an audience about his story he was eager to return the favour.

The audience in the hospital’s Education Centre lecture theatre saw Mr Sheridan switch between his everyday prosthetic and the blade. He described swapping the prosthetics as “being a bit like Inspector Gadget.”

He added: “I got the blade and you think you know how to move, but you have to learn all over again.”

The crowd learned one drawback of having a blade is you have to prepare in advance.

Mr Sheridan said: “You can’t be as spontaneous with activities because it might require a leg change. Sometimes I’ll forget to take my running leg.

“Running on the blade is like trying to balance a pencil on the point of its tip. But the incentive to get out and run is big enough to do it. It is a means of therapy for me, both physical and emotionally.”

During a question and answer session, Mr Sheridan was asked about “phantom feelings” and he revealed he sometimes tries to itch his left leg with his non-existent right leg.

He said attitudes to amputees had changed in recent years, especially since the Paralympics, adding: “People no longer say to me ‘you’re missing your leg’. They say, ‘Wow, you’ve got one of those blades’.”

Among the crowd were students from Craven College’s sports therapy department.

They said prosthetics was a growing part of the subject and hearing Mr Sheridan talk about his experiences helped them understand more about how amputees cope.

Student Jack Metcalf, 18, said: “The thing that stuck out the most was the fact that he’s overcome it all. He has obviously had a lot of support from family, friends and the medical team that helped him.”

Course leader Yvonne Blake added: “It definitely shows what a difference a positive attitude can make.”

The talk was one of the regular events held by the Hospital Trust for its members.