Dame Kelly Holmes rewards Rochdale teenager’s community work

Nathan Milner with Dame Kelly Holmes and Andrew Hall of AQA

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A Rochdale teenager’s hard work in the community was rewarded at a ceremony in London this week, when he received a certificate from Dame Kelly Holmes.

Nathan Milner, aged 15, of Rochdale was one of 20 young people from across the country selected to take part in the Unlocking Potential scheme, jointly developed by the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust and exam board AQA.

Through the scheme, Nathan received mentoring from European Skateboarding Champion Neil Danns and organised activity days in the Rochdale and Bury areas.

Activities included running ‘after-school’ projects in the Rochdale and Bury area,
workshops at Millwood School, Radcliffe, which focused on fire safety and was supported by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and work with Bury Football Club.

Nathan was nominated for the scheme through his school teachers, and Dame Kelly revealed it was her teachers who unlocked her potential when she was younger too.

“I’m delighted to see the achievements of these young people honoured today,” she said.

“It was my PE teacher, Debbie Page at Hugh Christie School in Tonbridge, who identified my talent and set me on the path to achieve my dream of becoming double Olympic champion.

“She went the extra mile to ensure I had the chance to fulfil my potential, and that’s what the teachers of these young people, combined with the support of athletes from my charity, have done on the Unlocking Potential programme.”

The scheme, which began in May 2012 is designed to help unlock the potential of young people aged 14-19 who have shown commitment and integrity in the face of challenging personal circumstances.

Andrew Hall, chief executive of AQA, explained the programme was about helping young people to blossom.

"We wanted to do something to help young people who had faced challenges realise their true potential, and when we talked to teachers they said they often knew students who had bags of potential, but needed a bit of extra support to really blossom,” he said.

“The young people involved in the programme should feel very proud of what they have achieved.

“With all the excitement of the London Olympics, it’s been a great time to be working with the Trust, and I’m looking forward to us building on this partnership next year and beyond.”