Earlier this year we had the offer to work with the above initiative which links world class athletes to schools.  The athletes commit to 3 sessional in the schools to help groups of youngsters to set goals, learn to cope with setbacks and hopefully meet personal targets.

We met our athlete Fiona Duncan to make a plan for Harlaw.  Fiona is a cyclist who took part in the Paralympics in London 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014.  She is the sighted member of the tandem team and has trained with UK cycling at the National Cycling centre in Manchester.

We agreed to work with a group of around 24 pupils from S3-S5 – people we felt had potential and who with the right focus could not just achieve that potential but could perhaps go beyond what they even think is possible.  Some of those we selected are good at sports and we think they could become great at sport.  Some are not sporty but have shown us something to suggest they want to do better but need a bit of help to get to that next level.

It can be so difficult to encourage young people to be winners – they can look and sound very confident but inside many are filled with self doubt or are unable to make choices which go against their peers.  I hope that the chance to work with Fiona will help some of our 24 pupils to; set ambitious targets, work through setbacks and experience success in their personal journey.  We are planning a reception in early June at which the group will share their experiences and achievements with this particular project.