pru’s - story
on track to achieve
In 2021 Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and Westfield Health launched a partnership with a difference. Over the past year, the partnership has created opportunities for students in 10 Sheffield secondary schools to attend an On Track to Achieve programme. Pru worked with Olympic swimmer and athlete mentor James Kirton; this is her story.
“Before I started this programme, I would kick off at home and that would lead into problems at school. I would struggle a lot to concentrate and to speak to people. I would just avoid, avoid and avoid.
The first few sessions were a bit difficult and I didn’t always want to go.”
James kirton
“When I first met Pru on the programme, she was quite quiet and she was a little bit unsure of where she was and what she wanted. She was making some poor choices at home and also at school and she was a little bit lost.
She just did an about turn and we see that all the time with young people. One they make the decision that they want to make those changes and they understand their journey… that’s so much more powerful than me trying to tell anybody what to do”
“I met James and my confidence just went zoom! It just went so high. I realised it was all about building up your confidence and focussing on yourself. I learned that I was a natural leader and it really felt good. I feel so much more confident now and I’m more than happy with the progress I’ve made.”
Pru’s teacher Rosie added:
“Pru was quite anxious and because she didn’t want to come I would bring her over ‘begrudgingly’. Something really clicked though in about the third session and you could see her really taking in what we were saying and then she just said, ‘I’m going to commit.’
After that, she came back to extracurricular activity and is making an effort to sort any behaviours that she feels are inappropriate at home.”
Pru attended our On Track to Achieve programme in Sheffield which was funded by and run in partnership with our Double Gold Starting Blocks partners Westfield Health.