ET “blossomed” during his Residential with British Racing School
Ethan-Thomas (ET) was determined to complete his Gold Award. While being on track to complete his Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition section; he knew that his residential would prove more difficult. With Chiltern Way Academy supporting young people throughout every section of their Awards, his DofE Leader, Matt, was keen to find a residential well-suited to ET.
When he first saw the ‘Introduction to Racing’ programme at British Racing School funded by the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust, Matt knew that this was something ET could be perfect for. Despite having no experience with horses, ET saw this as a “really good opportunity to try something new”.
ET has since overcome many challenges to completing his Gold Award. He remembers the first day of the residential being particularly “tough”, meeting new people in a different environment. He was also spending time away from home, where he usually supports his mum who is deaf and visually impaired.
Before going into his residential, ET told himself that even if he didn’t really enjoy the experience, he could come away thinking “I’ve still got my Gold”. He says having this ‘nothing-to-lose’ mentality made him more open-minded going into activities. Luckily, he did really enjoy it, as “every day had something to offer” and he was able to form a close bond with one of the horses. ET took to the horses naturally and enjoyed their “calming” presence.
ET’s DofE Leader, Matt was also really impressed with the residential experience, describing the opportunity as the “perfect placement for students”. He says the chance to spend time around racehorses is “a completely different environment for our students” and ET admits this isn’t something he would usually be able to access.
Beth Sullivan, Operations Manager at British Racing School described how ET “blossomed throughout the week” and was a “genuinely lovely person to be around”.
Now in his final year at Chiltern Way Academy, ET hopes to continue to support other young people through their DofE Awards as a Young Leader and plans to pursue a career in the police in the future. Meanwhile he’s looking forward to attending his Gold Award celebration event at Buckingham Palace, alongside his fellow students and DofE Leader, Matt, who has supported ET on his DofE journey from day one.
“My mum was really proud when I got back from my Residential.”
– Ethan-Thomas (ET)
