Darren’s Winning Moment

Adult Learners from Trafford College, along with pupils from Trafford primary schools, teamed together to welcome Olympic hero, Darren Campbell MBE to Broomwood Primary School.

The Olympic gold medallist joined the students and pupils to celebrate the winners of a writing competition entitled ‘My Winning Moment’ which tasked adult learners from Trafford College’s Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy course – delivered at Trafford Primary Schools – to write a short story about a ‘Winning Moment’ in their life. 

The College’s Community Learning team worked with partner schools across Trafford and ran the competition in the form of a series of family literacy workshops for parents. Schools which participated included Broomwood Primary School, Lime Tree Primary School and Navigation Primary School. The judging criteria was based on the ability of the learner to bring their story to life using descriptive vocabulary to set the tone and scene of their ‘winning moment.’

Darren, who formed part of Britain’s most successful relay team, taking gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics, was delighted to become involved in the competition and show his support of adult learning when approached by the College. As a former student with the College, Darren also has three children and is passionate about the importance of having an adequate standard of reading and writing.

Darren spoke to the children and guests about his winning moment back in 2004 when he stood on the Olympic podium with his relay teammates in first place and fulfilled his lifetime ambition of winning a gold medal for Great Britain. He then went on to present the winner of the writing competition with her prize. Susan-Ann Stanton from Broomwood, whose son William was born with Down ’s Syndrome, captured the imagination of the judges with her moving and thought provoking story about her special relationship with her son. Susan’s experiences of learning to cope with a disabled child spurred her on to help others in her situation and she now supports other parents with Down’s Syndrome children in her community.

Susan commented, ‘I was really thrilled to win first prize for my story. As soon as I saw the ‘Winning Moment’ title, I knew that I wanted to share my special story of having William. Enrolling on my course with Trafford College and winning this competition has motivated me to continue writing a book I started writing after William was born, which is all about having a child with Down’s Syndrome.’

Darren added, ‘When the College approached me about supporting this writing competition, I was more than happy to be involved. I wasn’t as attentive as I could have been at school and now as a parent to three children, I want to ensure that they understand how important reading and writing skills are. My son, who initially lacked confidence in reading due to changing schools so many times as a result of my travelling, is now in his second year of high school and is looking forward to reading in front of the Major next week thanks to the additional time we’ve spent reading at home.

‘The night I won my medal, it wasn’t just about winning gold, it was about the achievement. I’d finally accomplished what I’d set out to achieve after years of hard work and training. That’s exactly what these adult learners have done today. I was really moved by Susan’s story. She’s turned an incredibly difficult situation into something positive, and others are now benefitting as a result of her achievements. ‘

Second prize winner of the ‘Winning Moment’ competition was Louise Scanlon from Sale and third prize went to Jo Griffiths from Sale.

Adults interested in applying for a community course at Trafford College should contact the College on 0161 886 7070.