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A teenager who spent 18 months in hospital recovering from a brain injury, after a life-threatening fall, is to receive a Trident from Edexcel Award – in a presentation at Babergh District Council.
When Sean Barker fell from a first floor window at the age of eight, his injuries were so bad that he had to have part of his brain removed and was unable to speak for six months. He was also told that it was likely he may never walk again.
Today Sean continues to live with the resulting haemoplegia, which means he is partly paralysed down the left side of his body, and has to wear a splint on his left leg.
Now he has scooped a prestigious award – through helping sport coaching sessions with Babergh’s Beacon award-winning Be Active Leisure Inclusion Project.
Sean, who lives in Great Cornard and attends the Ryes School’s 16+ Unit, Unity House in Sudbury, volunteered to help Babergh’s community coach Glen Parker – and clocked up 15 hours of assistant coaching at Hillside Special School in Sudbury.
Rex Thake, Chairman of Babergh District Council, will present Sean with the Trident Award for Community Involvement at the Council’s Hadleigh headquarters on Wednesday, February 14th at 11am.
He said: “What Sean has achieved, against the odds, is quite remarkable. It’s a tribute to his hard work and dedication, and everyone who has supported him. I am proud to formally recognise Sean’s success – and will watch his progress with interest.”
Sean’s keyworker Liam Dowdall and Gugu Motsi, Sean’s educational worker at Unity House, have supported him on the road to recovery.
Mr Dowdall, who has been at Sean’s side for the past three years, said: “He has a good general knowledge and his mind is incredibly active – the coaching sessions have provided a great outlet for that energy.”
He added: “One of the biggest challenges with Sean can be a lack of self-esteem, so positivity has a great impact on how he progresses. This award is a reminder of all the things he has achieved, and we hope it will spur him on to more success.”
Gordon Alecock, Community Liaison Officer at the Ryes School, said: “Sean is much more mature as a result of his coaching experience – and interacting with other people. Our ultimate aim is for young people to have pride in their community. And once the community can see what people like Sean can do – they will have pride in them too. For us Sean is truly a Beacon within a Beacon Authority. Our next step is to find him a work experience placement.”
More information about the Be Active Leisure Inclusion Project.
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