Richard Snook is the Head of Fundraising, Development and Communications at the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. He was a judge for the Get on Track Award at Future Fit Training’s Legacy Awards.
“It was a natural link for me to be involved with the awards as all the applicants have all been through our Get on Track development programme, where we use world-class athletes to mentor and support disadvantaged young people; the award was dedicated to our trust.”
“The athletes we work with are all transitioning out of
sport and undergoing personal development themselves, so our youngsters don’t
necessarily have to be sporty; they are simply facing a multitude of challenges
due to their personal circumstances and we try to develop their confidence,
resilience and self esteem, to help them succeed in life.”
“Future Fit definitely have something special in the industry and are clearly very well respected.The atmosphere on the night was very close and you can see they are very passionate about what they do. You really felt it that evening, it was brilliant. There were stages throughout the night, when the awards were being given out, that were really emotional too, as the finalists had all worked so hard and done such great things for their communities.”
The winner of the Get on Track award was 22-year-old Josh Harkness from Edinburgh, who has always had a keen interested in sports and martial arts, training in Muay Thai, boxing and MMA with the aim of becoming a professional.
“I was inspired just how humble and hungry Josh was, wanting to help others believe they could also follow their dreams. His presentation was very moving. This award will transform his life.”
“One of the biggest things for the young people on our
course is ‘what’s the next step’, making sure they have something they can move
into. For Josh this will be entering the fitness industry and taking it to the
next level as a personal trainer. This
award will keep up the momentum and help him go on to live a positive life.”
“The awards were a different way of ensuring we are bringing a diverse group of people into the industry. They are giving opportunities to people who’ve shown incredible commitment and resilience, and who, with the right support, can be transformed into high performing professionals and make a real impact on their communities and on the sector as a whole.”
“There was such a feel good factor about it. I feel we
are very fortunate that Future Fit chose to work with us. It’s been fantastic
for our young people to be offered this opportunity. Many of these young people
will never have received an award, so it’s amazing for them to receive this
recognition.”