Hannah Sumner
Hannah, 20, from Colne, had been in care since
the age of six due to family problems and ended up suffering
emotional and behavioural problems after moving between three
foster homes and two children's homes. With help from The Prince's
Trust, she is now persuing a teaching career.
In 2004 she
eventually found some stability with a foster family and lived
there for five years - it was the first time she "felt like a
somebody and not a nobody".
Despite such an unsettled upbringing, she
managed to get good GCSE grades and found a job at a nursery.
However, her life spiralled out of control when she lost the job
due to a personal problem. She felt she had nothing to live for and
was scared that she had ruined everything she had worked so hard to
achieve.
Hannah was at rock bottom when she joined The
Prince's Trust Team programme. The Team programme is a 12-week
personal development course, offering work experience,
qualifications and practical skills and a real lifeline to people
like Hannah.
She worked hard throughout the course,
building up her experience and her confidence. Her communication
and team leading skills were superb and she was a popular figure
over the 12 weeks. Her talent for working with children shone
through during a work placement at West Street Primary School in
Colne.
Thanks to The Prince’s Trust Hannah has
completely turned her life around. She has now passed her teaching
assistant qualifications while still working at the local school,
and she will continue her teacher training after a teaching trip to
Uganda and Thailand during summer 2011.
The support that Hannah received from The
Prince's Trust showed her that all was not lost. She said:
Quite simply, The Prince's Trust changed my
life. They put me in a direction I wanted to go. My confidence has
grown and I feel so much happier and more positive about the
future.
Champions
We would like to acknowledge the individuals or organisations
who have played a key role in helping this young person achieve
success through their Prince’s Trust programme:
- Jackie Bird, Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service
- Tony Clough, Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service
- Claire Mann, Prince’s Trust