Celebrate Success South West 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.
All the finalists have been selected from young
people supported by The Trust in the South West over the past year.
The dedicated support provided by Prince’s Trust volunteers,
partner organisations and staff throughout the South West was also
recognised at the ceremony. The award ceremony took place at The
Bristol Marriott Hotel.
The University of
West England Young Achiever of the Year Award
Badou Sisay
Badou is from Gambia and came to Britain when he was 15 after
being orphaned. Without his family, he struggled to adapt to life
in the UK and found himself isolated and amidst a world of drugs
and crime. He secured accommodation but failed to achieve the GCSE
results he needed for college.
Feeling frightened and alone, he was faced with two choices: go
back on the streets or work hard and find a way to move forward. It
was at this time he spotted an advert for The Trust’s Get into
Customer Services course and he hasn’t looked back since.
The course offered Badou the opportunity to gain qualifications
and work experience in customer service. His self-confidence grew
hugely and he now feels comfortable meeting and working alongside
new people. With the help of a Prince’s Trust mentor, Badou has
completed a Diploma in Business and has now gone on to college to
study a National Diploma.
Avon & Somerset
Constabulary and the South West Fire & Rescue Service
Educational Achiever
Jakob Hunt
Jakob was a very frustrated young man who was
bullied at school. As a result of this his attendance was virtually
non-existent. He found it very difficult to cope with school and,
with no future plans or aspirations, was at serious risk of being
excluded.
Through his school, Jakob was introduced to
The Prince’s Trust xl club. He was very nervous about joining the
group and found it difficult to relate to his peers. He had anger
issues and problems with people in authority, including
teachers.
However, once he joined xl, Jakob’s attendance
improved almost instantly from very little to 97 per cent. He began
to learn how to talk to other people through team-building
exercises and was able to control his anger issues.
Jakob’s eyes were finally opened up to the
prospects available to him and he started to think about the future
and what he could achieve. He completed his Bronze and Silver xl
Awards and is now at college studying Land & Environment.
The Society of
Merchant Ventures Enterprise Award
Michael Harding
After being made redundant, Michael struggled
to find work in his area of expertise – e-marketing. There were few
opportunities open to him in Barnstaple, the area in which he
lived, so he began looking into running his own business, but
wasn’t sure where to start.
After being rejected for support from the
banks, he approached The Prince’s Trust and was awarded funding and
support. With help from The Trust and his mentor, he set up his
business SEO Dynamiks which later, after joining forces with
graphic design company The Layer Design, developed into Inspira
Digital Limited.
Inspira Digital Limited offers web-design and
marketing, employing two staff with clients ranging from smaller
independent businesses to large firms. In less than a year Michael
has built up a strong reputation in the local area and is now
helping others by giving talks in the local community focusing on
making sense of the web for business.
Avon & Somerset
Constabulary and the South West Fire & Rescue Service Community
Impact Award
The Daemon Drink
This group of young people decided to write a play on the
effects of binge drinking – an issue they wanted to combat. They
were awarded funding from The Prince’s Trust Community Cash Awards
scheme to develop their project and sought advice from local
charities in Bournemouth. They secured a theatre and the play was
such a success that they decided to make it into a DVD.
They have since won numerous awards for the film and have
overcome all manner of personal issues relating to housing,
identity and family breakdown. Each member had different, but
equally crucial, roles in the project. They learnt how to work well
as a team, supporting and encouraging each other in their quest to
raise awareness of binge drinking.
The group are now working on other films that will benefit the
community and are really excited about the future, with most of
them moving on to education, employment or other volunteering
opportunities.
Britannia Royal Naval
College and HMS Raleigh Inspiring Leaders Award
Tony Curtis
Tony has been an xl Adviser in King Edmund
Community School for the past three years. It was his vision and
enthusiasm that gave the head teacher the confidence to introduce
xl to the curriculum and the scheme is now thriving. Thanks to
Tony’s commitment and passion, all students have achieved their
Bronze xl Award, and many are now going on to their Silver xl
Award.
Tony is well respected for his dedication to
the welfare, education and achievements of his students and he
believes so much in xl that he presented to other schools in his
area to encourage them to sign up to it. Through Tony’s leadership
skills, the students on xl have shown a massive improvement in
their attendance, some from as low as 10 per cent to as high as 95
per cent.
Tony has grasped every chance thrown at him to
add value to xl and enhance the students' learning, going far
beyond the role of an adviser at every opportunity.
Smith & Williamson
Volunteer of the Year Award
Erica Thomas
Erica has been a hugely dependable volunteer for the last eight
years, mentoring eight businesses successfully.
Recently, Erica has significantly extended her support for The
Trust by becoming a progression mentor for the Get into Programme
and an Awards Assessor. As a partner in a firm of solicitors, Erica
brings substantial experience to The Trust and exudes calm and
confidence. She inspires young people to achieve and has shown
unwavering commitment to her clients, frequently going beyond
the call of duty. She provides constant support to her
clients, often giving up her weekends to attend events and
offering informal legal support.
The past year has been exceptional for Erica as, after so many
years of already significant commitment, she has increased her
responsibility. It is clear that Erica is fully committed to the
future of The Trust. She has embraced the changes of the new
volunteer structure and is incredibly inspiring.
Somerfield Stores
Prince’s Trust Staff Award
Asha Vijendran
As Programme Manager for Business and Awards,
Asha has been instrumental in rolling out the new Business
Programme, not just in the South West region but nationally too.
She contributed heavily to the design of the new programme,
throwing herself into making sure everything was tested properly.
Alongside this, she has worked hard to maximise the impact of
volunteers and improving their experience through
encouragement.
She was personally responsible for raising a
significant amount of money for The Trust. Over the past two years,
Asha has led teams through the Costa Rica and Borneo Challenge
Events, raising over £48,000.
A great example of her ability to inspire is
the help she has given her counterparts in Wales. She has helped
launch their Business Programme, often using her own time to do
this. Asha is passionate about the work of The Trust and always
ensures young people come first – she has an exemplary record for
never cancelling an appointment.