Celebrate Success East of England final 2009

The Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards honour the achievements of disadvantaged young people supported by The Trust who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life and had a positive impact on their local community.

The award ceremony took place at West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge on Monday 2nd November.

Simon McLarenAcademies Enterprise Trust Young Achiever of the Year Award

Simon McLaren

As part of a gang, Simon would steal, pick fights and cause criminal damage. Simon started to drink heavily and became homeless after falling out with his family.

The turning point for Simon came when he was held at gunpoint by a drug dealer. Simon knew he had to change. His support worker suggested he joined Team.

Simon feels that the Team programme changed his life. He developed his confidence and motivation as well as his ability to work in a team.

Team gave Simon the determination to apply for The Trust’s Get into Social Care programme. Simon did a placement at the St Elizabeth’s Centre, impressing staff so much he was offered a full-time job there.

Simon really has achieved so much since getting involved with The Trust. He has a job he loves and has just moved into his own flat. He is determined not to go back to his old life. Without The Trust, Simon believes he would be dead or in prison.

Patricia SilvaNHS East of England Strategic Health Authority Educational Achiever Award

Patricia Silva

Feeling isolated and low in confidence. Patricia had very few friends and little direction in her life.

English is not Patricia’s first language and at first Patricia was reluctant to speak English. Patricia also suffers from Bardet Biedl Syndrome which means she is affected by symptoms such as visual impairment and learning difficulties. Both of these barriers resulted in her finding school hard and having low self-esteem.

Patricia joined xl hoping to overcome these obstacles. Her visual problems made things more of a challenge when working on team building activities. However, the group gelled quickly and all helped each other out. Patricia’s confidence began to grow as she made new friends and joined in all the activities.

She went on to complete her Gold xl Award and her GCSEs. Patricia has just started a course at Norwich City College. Now a confident young lady with many friends, her future is much brighter.

Ben HigginsThe Federation of Small Businesses Enterprise Award

Ben Higgins – Elegant Landscapes

Ben didn’t finish school. He had the potential to get good grades but his attendance was poor. Ben left school with no qualifications.

Ben enjoys working outdoors so he started working at a local garden centre part-time, and then for a couple of landscaping companies. He then enrolled on a horticulture course at his local college. With his new skills, Ben thought he wanted the freedom to work for himself and not be restricted. This gave him the idea to start his own company.

With the help of The Prince’s Trust, Ben started Elegant Landscapes. The business is a local landscape gardening company and is growing by the day. It took time and dedication for Ben to market the business but he now employs a part-time employee and has himself become a confident young businessman. He has learnt many new skills along the way and is looking forward to his business expanding in the forthcoming years.

 

 

Basildon Team 35Essex & Suffolk Water Community Impact Award

Basildon Team 35, Kent View Pre-School

A school building that the local community wished would be demolished. The target of vandalism and graffiti, this building was an eyesore. Basildon Team 35 decided it was time that someone did something about it.

This motivated Team of unemployed young people took it upon themselves to raise money for their Team project. They decided that the local children needed a nicer environment to learn in. The Team took the project very seriously and rotas were put in place to ensure that tasks were completed on time.

The Team decorated the building with educational themes such as the solar system and jungle environments, as well as children’s TV characters.

The children and teachers now enjoy using the outside area of their school for learning. The local residents now also take pride in the building, ensuring that the building does not get vandalised again. The project is being maintained by the staff at the school.

Matthew Applegate and Emma RobertsBT Inspiring Leaders Award

Emma Roberts and Matthew Applegate, Team Leaders City College Norwich

Since 2007, Emma and Matt have been dedicated Team Leaders; they fully believe in the work of The Trust and work tirelessly to promote Team in their local area. Through this hard work they have developed an impressive network of referral agencies which means many Teams are now well over-subscribed.

Neither Emma nor Matt expect their young people to do anything they wouldn’t do. They are both down to earth and know how to really engage with our target audience.

Further commitment to The Trust is shown by Matt being the Chairman of the City College Million Makers team. They hope to raise over £16,000 by next year.

Emma and Matt’s unique style has impacted on changing many young lives so far. Retention rates on Team have increased and they are continuing to develop the programme to improve the experience each time. They are truly an inspiration and an asset to The Trust.

Mike BrownVolunteer of the Year Award

Mike Brown

For over 20 years, Mike has dedicated his time to helping young people across Kings Lynn and West Norfolk. He volunteers as a Development Awards Assessor and for many years has been the only one in the area. Despite this, Mike’s hard work has meant that the Development Award has always had a strong presence in the region.

The support that Mike gives to the young people is invaluable. He not only helps them through the application process but continues to support them beyond this to see how they are doing.

Mike is a valued and committed volunteer. He regularly attends panel meetings and volunteer events to ensure we get the best possible outcomes. He has true passion for The Prince’s Trust and has patience when dealing with disadvantaged young people. His good judge of character enables him to help to get the most out of a young person and really help them to get their lives back on track.