Harry found confidence on One-to-One Mentoring programme

Harry became a patient at Sheffield Children’s Hospital after being involved in a bike accident in 2024 which resulted in his sustaining a diffuse axonal brain injury.

Following the accident, Harry had to relearn to walk and talk but thanks to the incredible physio and occupational therapy team at the hospital he overcame these significant challenges and returned to school full-time. Still inspired by cyclists in spite of his accident, Harry chose to work with Athlete Mentor, Kelvin Batey a former World Champion BMX racer on the Trust’s One-to-One Mentoring programme funded by Sport England.

The One-to-One Health Mentoring programme in Sheffield is part of our offer in hospitals across the UK – Dame Kelly Holmes Trust currently also delivers programmes in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital and St Georges Children’s Hospital offering young patients the chance to work with our athlete mentors who encourage and motivate them to become more active during their treatment, and in their recovery, and focus on building their confidence, resilience and self-esteem. The mentoring sessions are delivered online to be accessible from hospital and at home and allows in- and out-patients to benefit from the programme.

Finding his feet and finding his confidence was huge for Harry

Coming back from a severe accident such as Harry was involved in had its complications and his Dad, Ben shared it became a ‘protracted’ affair - prior to starting his sessions with Kelvin he was very much still building up his strength and co-ordination.

The sessions came at the right time, as Kelvin who has experienced injury in his career was able to instil that confidence by sharing his own story and has given Harry a renewed drive to succeed in his recovery. Throughout the sessions, Kelvin became a Champion in Harry’s corner and speaking about their time together through the One-to-One Mentoring programme, he said:

“It has been a real pleasure to have mentored Harry in the sessions we had together for the Sheffield Children's Hospital mentoring programme.

I feel as though I had a great connection with Harry very quickly, as we both have a love of bikes and being outdoors. We have also both suffered injuries from our time on the bikes. He has been open and honest about his feelings in various ways, having clear opinions on a variety of topics from his own life and those of what happens in our World today. 

Harry has overcome so much to be where he is since his accident 18 months ago and this is a real credit to his resilience, determination and character, where he is getting the most out of life in all the ways we would hope for when we first start speaking to a mentee. 

It is clear to me that Harry will move onto do some amazing things in both the short and long term and I am proud to have mentored him in the time we had together.”

Most of the sessions focussed on getting Harry into a comfortable and confident place in relation to returning to school as he was beginning a phased return. “The sessions were hugely positive, confidence building chats, which helped him frame his outlook on life and consider the best way forward. Having them come from a pro athlete meant they carried extra weight and were of additional value,” explained his Dad.

Remaining positive in difficult situations can be hard for anyone and right from the outset, Kelvin tried to instil that thinking. Harry’s Dad, Ben commented on how Kelvin’s approach to ‘growth mindset’ and ‘positive thinking’ were hugely inspiring and enabled Harry to look to the future with optimism.

When someone believes in you, it’s incredible what you can do. In Harry’s case, he can now look forward to his recovery with renewed confidence following his successful sessions with Kelvin. To find out more about our One-to-One Mentoring programme click here.