With his infectious personality, Zac has brought his passion to every session and now aims to pursue a future in coaching.
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Just after her third birthday, Evelyn was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a lifelong condition managed through insulin injections. “Initially, it was horrendous,” her mum Gemma shared. “She would cry with her insulin injections and finger pricks, and we weren’t sure how we would carry on.”
While many people accept their diagnosis as a limitation, ten-year-old Evelyn has chosen to embrace hers. She uses it as motivation to push her abilities and prove that it doesn’t define what she can achieve.
Despite having to sit out of PE or playtime due to low sugar levels or cold weather, Evelyn faces these challenges with resilience and has found a new passion thanks to the Premier League Primary Stars programme and PE sessions delivered by Shrewsbury Town Foundation Community Coach Charlotte. These sessions have helped Evelyn to blossom into a fantastic role model for her classmates.
In these sessions, Charlotte has taught pupils what it means to be a coach from including everyone to adapting activities for different needs. Evelyn has taken that knowledge and transformed it into something of her own. She now leads playtime games for her classmates, from dance-offs to skipping rope challenges, including her favourite game, “Fire and Ice.”
“She’s really impressed me,” said Acting Head of School and Evelyn’s Class Teacher, Mrs Clarke. “She goes out and organises games for the children without being asked. She’s just so independent.”
Even when she can’t always take part herself, Evelyn stays involved by planning and leading activities, a newfound passion of hers. “She’s taken on quite a big role in her school community,” said Charlotte. “I really hope she carries this forward into her future.”
Now, Evelyn is taking on her biggest challenge yet: completing a half marathon to raise money for Diabetes UK. During school breaktimes, she and her classmates have run laps of the playground to reach her 13.1-mile target. Not only has she raised funds, but she’s also raised awareness, helping her classmates understand what it’s like to live with Type 1 diabetes.
When asked what advice she’d give her younger self, she said: “Stay strong. You can do anything the same as everyone else.” This is just the beginning of her incredible journey, as Evelyn continues to inspire everyone around her with her determination, creativity, and positivity.
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