A NORTH-EAST man has been shortlisted for a national award after overcoming personal challenges and helping the community

Aidan Sayers, from Darlington, has been named as a finalist in the Ascential Educational Achiever Award for The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards.

The national awards recognise the achievements of young people who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life, and had a positive impact on their local community..

The Ascential Educational Achiever Award celebrates young people who have overcome barriers and developed new skills to improve their future prospects through re-engagement with education.

Mr Sayers, who has overcome the odds to succeed in education, is one of many local young people who have been supported by the youth charity in the last year

After a number of setbacks while at school, the 19-year-old felt like he was “going nowhere” and running out of options before taking on an English qualification

Mr Sayers, who aged 14 had to uproot and move in with his grandparents, said: “I felt defeated, because I’d lost all my friends and thought I didn’t have any way of passing my GCSEs, as I had to start my coursework all over again.”

He became increasingly frustrated at school, acting disruptively and not focusing on his lessons.

He was excluded and only allowed to go in to sit his exams, adding: “I felt like I had left myself down and was cross at the people around me. I still felt positive when I left school because I was planning on joining the Army, so it came as a real shock when they wouldn’t accept me because of a food allergy.

"I didn’t know where my life was going and didn’t have anything to look forward to.”

Aged 16, Mr Sayers took on several courses at college but was getting involved with drugs at the time and was excluded.

He said: “I didn’t have any role models, so I saw the people around me as my family. But eventually, I realised I wanted different things from my friends.

"I didn’t want to spend the weekends getting drunk and seeing myself going nowhere. It wasn’t the life for me.”

However, Mr Sayers applied to a college in Stockton where he could do The Prince’s Trust Achieve programme to gain career direction and an English qualification that he missed. He also completed work placements and charity fundraisers.

Mr Sayers said: “The Prince’s Trust Achieve course made a huge difference to me. It helped me actually engage with learning and look at all different aspects of my life. Now, I have a job, I’m happier, and trying to move on with my life.”

“I began working at a warehouse this year but my contract was stopped due to the pandemic.

“I joined my new job at a call centre for Test and Trace in May, and it made me feel like I was doing something to help with the pandemic.

“I was promoted to a new role there doing quality assurance, and now work as a customer service advisor for BT Broadband where I have a higher salary and a more engaging workload that makes my brain work a bit more.

“Having a stable job makes me feel like I’ve got something to work towards. I have more of a future that I thought I did when I was younger.”

The winners of The Prince’s Trust and TKMaxx & Homesense Awards will be announced in early 2021.

Speaking about the awards, Louise Greenlees, president, TJX Europe said: “We’re delighted and very proud to continue to partner with The Prince’s Trust to sponsor these awards, and to recognise those young people who, with the help of the Trust, have beaten the odds to turn their lives around.

"We’re humbled by their achievement and grateful for the opportunity to share in their celebration.

“Since 2013, our partnership with the Prince’s Trust has enabled us to bring over 1,000 young people into our stores through the Get Into Retail programme, and over 700 have gone on to find employment with us in TK Maxx and Homesense.

“We believe that the Trust helps to make a huge difference to the lives of young people across the UK, and we are privileged to be able to support them in this work.”

Youth charity The Prince’s Trust gives young people the practical and financial support they need to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work.

The charity supports 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school and at risk of exclusion and has supported over one million young people since it was founded in 1976.

Three in four young people helped by The Prince’s Trust move into work, training or education.

Anyone who is looking for support or to help support The Prince’s Trust, search ‘Prince’s Trust’ online.