Working with Ben SAW THEO’S CONFIDENCE SOAR
Working with Dame Kelly Holmes Trust Athlete Mentor, Ben Fletcher, 12-year-old Theo, a patient who has been in and out of Sheffield Children’s Hospital for over six years, saw tremendous changes in his confidence, self-esteem, and increased his physical activity as well as further encouragement in continuing to grow his budding business.
Theo has a range of health issues including hypermobility, chronic pain, coeliac disease, colour blindness, dental issues, neurological issues, gastrointestinal issues, and autism which have affected his personal and school life. His conditions have also prohibited his ability to take part in PE and sports in general. He was referred by the hospital to the Trust’s One-to-One Mentoring programme and chose Trust Athlete Mentor, Ben Fletcher an Olympian who competed in two Olympic Games in the sport of Judo.
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.
Strong connections, a tailored programme and incredible results
The unique approach to the One-to-One mentoring programme allows young people to choose from a range of Athlete Mentors meaning they get to choose someone who resonates most with them.
For Theo, Ben was the perfect choice having experience not only at elite level sport, but also in his family business – Theo’s passion is his budding business, Print Geeks. As the sessions commenced it meant Ben could craft a specialised approach for Theo which touched all the key points in helping with his physical activity but also inspiring him to reach for the stars and develop his budding entrepreneurship talent.
Speaking about the experience, Theo’s Mum, Louise said: “Just before he met Ben, he’d entered something called the Big Challenge, an entrepreneurship competition run by Sheffield City Council – so he had some really specific goals from the outset prior to working with Ben.”
Ben helped Theo through a range of different things including nurturing the ability to think positively, increasing his confidence in a business environment as well as at school and also in increasing his physical activity. Finally, Ben helped Theo in recognising that everyone has their own abilities despite any challenges people face.
His mum continued: “What’s harder to put into words though is how Ben changed the way Theo saw himself. Suddenly he wasn’t just a problem in the playground, another child at school with Special Educational Needs. He was someone who was seen and understood, still a child with challenges, yes, but a child whose skills and gifts were being seen and nurtured. Ben really was a champion in Theo’s corner. He believed in Theo. That mattered”
During the programme, Theo got the good news that he made it to the final of the Big Challenge something which was a huge win for both Theo and Ben.
Confidence in physical activity meant Theo flourished
When someone believes in you, it is incredible what you can do. Although Theo was exercising as much as he could within his limits, there were still confidence issues and hesitation, both due to perceptions of others or physical barriers in his way. Across our programmes in 2025, 43% of young people said they were more confident after participating in our programmes and when it comes to physical activity 56% of males reported an increase – Theo is one of those young people.
His Mum noticed a rapid change when it came to his exercise, saying: “Theo’s confidence has brought a new level of physical activity,” she said. “The pain is still there but the hesitation has gone. It’s like Theo isn’t so afraid of the pain anymore and like it’s not the only thing in his head. Theo has managed and learnt that when he really can’t do something physically, it’s OK to find another way, or to ask for help.”
His confidence among his peers and friends has also sky-rocketed all because Ben saw him differently to how those do at school. “Theo now sees himself differently too -he’s proved what he can do and learnt that what others perceive as disabilities can be an advantage,” continued Louise.
One-to-One mentoring has been ‘life-changing’
For all our Athlete Mentors, sport has helped shape their identities and sport has meant they have experienced the incredible highs but also the excruciating lows, this is one of many reasons why they are perfect to help the young people navigate through the current struggles of this world. Their stories in and out of sport resonate with young people and that’s how Theo’s connection with Ben really flourished.
Theo wasn’t massively into sport, but he understood the immense benefits of it to help him with his physical conditions – but during the sessions it was more about Ben teaching Theo that he just needed to believe in himself and the rest will come.
Talking about his time with Theo, Ben said:
““I count myself very fortunate to mentor the people I work with through Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. Every person I mentor is a joy to work with, but Theo was truly remarkable.
From our very first session, I could see how engaged he was and how ready he was to make the most of the opportunity mentoring provided — and he absolutely did. His mum was an incredible source of support, and together they made a fantastic team. They were both a pleasure to work with: clear about what they wanted to achieve and fully committed to making it happen.
I’m delighted to say they achieved exactly what they set out to do, and they thoroughly deserved their success. I’m very excited to see what they go on to achieve together in the future.” ”
“It’s been wonderful to see Theo’s confidence and self-belief grow and I think he’s realised is that athlete mentors aren’t just athletes, they’re often successful and fascinating people like Ben who wants to give back,” explained his Mum.
Dame Kelly Holmes Trust uses the unique experiences and skills our Athlete Mentors bring from their time in elite level sport to show young people that anything is possible. To find out more about our One-to-One Mentoring programme click here.