Donation of £6K to 'life changing' youth scheme

A Norfolk man has secured a £6,000 donation to a youth scheme he said changed the course of his life.

Nathan Holland, from Downham Market, was 12 years old when he was enrolled on to the Blue Skies programme, run by the Jon Egging Trust.

It helps young people who face barriers to learning and offers them support to boost confidence, academic engagement and work-readiness.

Mr Holland successfully nominated the trust for a charity donation from his current employer. He described the programme as "the catalyst for my development".

Mr Holland was a student at Downham Market Academy when he joined the programme.

His headteacher offered him a chance to take part in Blue Skies training after signs he was starting to switch-off at school.

"I went into the headteacher's class after school, where my Mum turned up," he said.

"I was being told off, but as part of that telling off he mentioned that I had been chosen to go on the course."

Mr Holland said the three years he spent on the programme led him to become head boy at high school, a student ambassador at college and to complete his engineering apprenticeship.

"It was the catalyst for my development as an individual. I'm not sure I would have been capable of doing all those things if it were not for the Jon Egging Trust," he said.

The donation was presented to the charity's chief executive, Dr Alex Brown, at RAF Marham.

He said: "It's really, really beautiful to see that Nathan came here back in 2013 and now he is coming back and supporting us in such a terrific and fantastic way.

"We cannot thank Nathan, his employers and RAF Marham enough for their support.

"It's really going to allow us to reach more young people."

The money will be spent on providing virtual reality headsets for young people to experience what it is like to be flying a Red Arrows plane or travelling to space.

The Norfolk airbase hosts many of the Blue Skies sessions, offering youngsters the chance to develop their teamwork and leadership skills.

Its station commander, Gp Capt Leonie Boyd, said: "It's fabulous for us seeing the young people come through this programme.

"To see someone who has actually completed the entire programme and has found value in it and gone on to have a successful life, it's really great for all of us to see."

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.