“I found a sense of community”
Through our partnership with Sanctuary Supported Living, we met 23-year-old Saphffire who has been taking part in Dame Kelly Holmes Trust’s Get on Track programme at Swan House Foyer in Basildon.
This incredible young person has been through so much in their young life – but their time on the programme and with their athlete mentor, Commonwealth Fencing gold medallist, Claire Bennett has been transformational as they have sights set on some aspirational goals for the future.
Get on Track programmes offer young people a Champion in their Corner -world-class athlete mentors who use their experiences from elite sport to help young people apply the knowledge to their own lives. The programmes boost wellbeing, increase confidence, strengthen resilience, build self-esteem and enhance employability prospects so individuals can fulfil their true potential.
Maxine Scholes, who works at the Swan House Foyer spoke about the effect the programme has had on Saphffire and other young people who took part:
“This is the second time the foyer has taken part in the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust programme and each time I have been so impressed with the motivation and encouragement Claire has given to them all. Saphffire and the other young people all had the skill and knowledge to move forward in their lives but being involved in the programme gave that extra confidence boost to further believe in themselves. ”
A difficult upbringing only made Saphffire stronger
When we met Saphffire at a filming session at Swan House, straightaway you could see a tremendous personality shine through – it wasn’t just their personality though - it was their openness and fearlessness in sharing their story, as the programme has helped them to realise their true potential, which was poignant and inspiring.
During most of Saphffire’s adolescence, homelessness was the norm because of a complex relationship with their mother. Thankfully, Saphffire’s grandparents and aunt and uncle (mother’s younger siblings) were a big part of their childhood and helped and were there to support when they could.
Speaking openly about their previous situation, the 23-year-old said: “It was hard enough trying to survive day to day, life made it that much harder to want to even survive. I felt like I was giving the last bit of my money, energy, mental health and I was getting nothing in return. It’s very isolating and very frustrating.”
Despite being homeless, Saphffire had three younger siblings which they helped care for – they mentioned many times that they were the ‘glue’ that held the family together during those days. Saphffire, however, struggled to hold themself together throughout this ordeal.
Saphffire with athlete mentor, Claire Bennett
Saphffire said: “I stood up for myself which made me lose everything. I experienced complete and total isolation.” Because of that isolation and the problems at home, Saphffire then moved into a toxic and abusive relationship which they described as a concrete connection to reality.
It wasn’t until the 23-year-old moved to Sanctuary Supported Living’s site in Basildon in 2024 that they realised they needed to put themselves back together – and fortunately, the Get on Track programme offered a means to do this.
“It wasn’t until moving into Swan House and starting the programme, that I started putting work into myself. Understanding how to be alone with myself and how to make choices for myself, instead of making my life revolve around others.
The programme has made me more social and helped me realise my future goals
The specially designed programme is builds young people’s resilience and self-esteem, stretching them outside of their comfort zone, helping them feel more confident to face life’s challenges. Equally important for the young people, is the opportunity to work one to one with a mentor.
Throughout the 20 sessions, Claire and Saphffire built up a strong relationship and shared open and honest conversations. “The whole experience has been very get-up and go, Claire bought lots of positive energy,” explained Saphffire.
“It was great to have someone who had positivity, energy and strategies to help push your motivation forward and allow you to achieve your goals,” the 23-year-old continued.
Trust athlete mentor Claire said: "Saphffire is a very inspiring young person. They have fully committed themselves to the programme and have big dreams and goals for the future. They have shown determination, discipline, motivation and confidence throughout the programme. They are a role model to so many and I couldn't be prouder of the person they are today. I know Saphffire will go on to achieve amazing things and I feel humbled to have been part of their journey on this very special programme. I feel very grateful to work in partnership with Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and Sanctuary Supported Living to help make a positive difference to incredible young people like Saphffire, and I'm excited to follow their journey in the future.”
As well as developing confidence in social interaction, Saphffire also attributes getting back into full-time education to the programme.
Saphffire and Katie were two young people who benefitted from Dame Kelly Holmes Trust Get on Track programme.
“I’ve been used to isolation for over a decade, but here I’ve been able to have conversations and a laugh on this programme. I found a sense of community,” explained Saphffire. The benefits of having a Champion in their corner didn’t stop there for Saphffire: “I was able to work on my passion which is bringing people together.”
Now they are back in full-time education, Saphffire has big plans. They are currently doing their Level 3 in Health and Social Care and then plans to get an apprenticeship in social work to get their qualification to be a social worker. From there, the ultimate dream is to open their own foster home and day care centre for young children.
It’s refreshing to hear about Saphffire’s plans, expanding on why they want to open a foster home and day care centre, they said: “I want to have a day centre for kids to come to so that they have a safe environment that’s not on the streets.”
“I also want my own foster home for kids that are in the system who don’t get adopted, so that I can look after them. I aim to provide the safety and resources for them and then once the kids are of age to move out of the system, I then want to be able to provide safe and stable accommodation for young adults,” they explained.
Saphffire is one of many young people across the UK who have been impacted by Dame Kelly Holmes Trust programmes – each with their own unique story – our programmes boost wellbeing, increase confidence, strengthen resilience, build self-esteem and enhance employability prospects so individuals can fulfil their true potential.
Saphffire is an excellent example that when someone believes in you, it’s incredible what you can do.