Young Bangor man turns life around and wins prestigious King's Trust Award

On Wednesday, June 25, Taylor also attended a reception at Buckingham Palace to meet His Majesty The King, Founder of The King’s Trust, who congratulated the award winners on their achievements.

Taylor was honoured last week at the star-studded awards ceremony, hosted by Ant and Dec, and attended by many celebrity supporters and Ambassadors of the youth charity. Hewas presented his award by Sam Thompson and Steven Frayne who had also joined him at the Palace.

The King’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards honours and celebrates the successes of those who have been helped by The Trust, and those who support them, in the UK and around the world.

The Awards shine a light on the inspirational stories of young people, volunteers and those who support their wider communities. It showcases the impact of The Trust’s work building the confidence and skills needed to get into a job, education, training or self-employment. Many of the winners have overcome significant barriers to transform their lives and build brighter futures for themselves and their communities.

Taylor’s story

Before The King’s Trust, Taylor was in a dark place. Years of bullying and the loss of a close friend contributed to struggles with his mental health. He rarely attended school and began turning to drugs to cope. By the age of 15, he was attending his third school and had lost hope in his future.

“I had a miserable experience at my first school and was bullied daily. Things got really difficult when my I lost my friend. I was struggling with my mental health and I didn’t like the person I had become. I was in a dark place, selling my belongings to buy drugs and living in self-destruct mode.”

Around this time, Taylor was diagnosed with ADHD and introduced to The Trust’s Achieve programme. The personal development course is delivered by schools in partnership with the charity to empower students to succeed in education.

“Achieve gave me a safe space where I could open up about my mental health and how difficult things had been. Once I realised how much this helped, I tried to encourage the other boys to do the same. I found my voice and wanted to help others find theirs.

“The Achieve programme gave me opportunities that I wouldn’t have had before. I never would have imagined gaining all my qualifications and finding a subject I really enjoy.”

Taylor finished the academic year having achieved Level 2s in all subjects and having advocated for more funding for alternative education provisions, like his school, in front of the government's Education Minister.

Today, Taylor is enjoying the second year of his apprenticeship to become a qualified electrical engineer. He also welcomed his son to the world in autumn of 2024 and is thriving as a new Dad.

“I’m in my second year of my apprenticeship now and I really love it. My job feels like a hobby to me, and I genuinely enjoy going in each day. I used to struggle with my ADHD diagnosis but now I realise it’s my superpower.”

Podcast and Hits Radio host Sam Thompson said: “Taylor is such an inspiration. He shows that ADHD can be a superpower, not a limitation. Taylor’s journey shows that with hard work, the right support and a determination never to give up, it is possible to turn things around. I am so proud of him, and I’m excited to see what his future holds!

Illusionist, King’s Trust Ambassador and Alumni Steven Frayne said: “Taylor should be extremely proud of himself. Not only has he achieved so much at school, but he’s encouraged other young men to speak out about their struggles as well. I wish him the best of luck for the future.”

An on-air celebrity surprise

In the lead up to the awards ceremony, Sam Thompson interviewed Taylor on his Hits Radio show. During their conversation, the two discussed their shared experiences of going through school with undiagnosed ADHD, and the positive impact their diagnoses later had on them. At the end of their chat, Sam revealed that Taylor had won the award. You can see his reaction here.

On winning the Tesco Education Award, Taylor said: “Winning this King’s Trust Award means so much to me. I didn’t have an easy time during my school years, so to win an education award feels incredible. For a long time, I couldn’t imagine what my life would look like but now I’m excited about building my career, learning new skills and ensuring my son has a bright future.”

Alison Cheung – UK & ROI People Director at Tesco said: “A huge congratulations to Taylor on winning your award. You are shining example of what this award represents, and all that can be achieved with the right support and access to opportunity. You have shown great resilience in not only overcoming significant challenges but to pave a positive and bright future for yourself that we at Tesco are so proud to see. We champion your every success for the future – well done!”

In honour of Taylor’s award win, Tesco have awarded a £6, 000 Stronger Starts grant to Taylor’s school – Redburn A.E.P in Holywood, Northern Ireland. Stronger Starts, which Tesco runs in partnership with Groundwork UK, provides grants to help schools and community groups working with children provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and equipment for healthy activities.

Since it launched in 2023, the programme has provided over £14 million grants to over 14,000 schools and community groups, supporting more than 3.5 million children.

Youth charity The King’s Trust gives young people the skills and confidence to get their lives on track. Three in four young people helped by The King’s Trust in the past five years have moved into work, training or education.