Earlier this month Plymouth College sports scholar, Tia Simms Lymn, 13, met Dame Kelly Holmes at a business breakfast event hosted by the Fashion and Textile Children's Trust (FTCT). The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the grants which FTCT provides, to support the children of people working in the UK fashion and textile industry.
Tia, a talented fencer and modern pentathlete was awarded a grant by FTCT after her father Andy, who works as a general assistant at Tesco in Plymouth, applied to the charity for help. The grant has enabled Tia to stay at Plymouth College where she has access to the high-level coaching available at the school's Modern Pentathlon and Fencing Academy. Plymouth College combines a professional coaching and mentoring programme with first-rate academic opportunities. Amongst a number of other national titles, Tia is the reigning U14 British Epeé Champion and has represented England in multi-nation sports competitions across Europe.
The breakfast event in London welcomed 30 top fashion retailers including David Walker Smith, Selfridges, Mary Homer, Top Shop and Nick Robertson, ASOS. Guests heard a moving speech from Tia before the truly inspiring Dame Kelly discussed her path to success and the people in her life who helped her along the way.
"Tia is an incredibly talented athlete", said Plymouth College Director of Modern Pentathlon and Fencing, Andy Hill. "She often competes and wins against young people two or three years older than her and has a very bright future ahead of her. The continued support of the Trust gives Tia the very best chance of succeeding in both the sporting arena and in the classroom."
"We were delighted to have Tia as a guest speaker at our event and thrilled that she found meeting Dame Kelly Holmes so inspiring", said Anna Pangbourne, Director of FTCT. "These events are a great way for us to raise awareness for our charity and to help us support more children like Tia, whose parents work in the UK fashion and textile industry."
