Bexley hero encourages students to go that extra mile

: Created: 12 February 2021

Sean Ash (39) was paralysed from the waist down following an illness last year and can now only walk small steps with a frame. Yet despite the difficulties he faces every day, Sean decided to follow the example set by his hero Captain Sir Tom Moore raising much-needed funds for the NHS and London Ambulance Service. He did this by walking a mile round his local neighbourhood in January and then again around Millwall Football Club’s pitch.

Sean has raised over £79,000 so far but is going further in his mission to support people in the area by kindly agreeing to give talks to students of all ages on a range of health and public services courses at London South East Colleges.

Today saw the first of these talks, which was delivered via Zoom to over 100 students aged 16-18. As well as speaking about his fundraising endeavours and overcoming adversity, Sean spoke about his career pathway to his current job as an emergency call handler for London Ambulance Service. He talked openly about his disrupted education and how Further Education provided him with the qualifications and confidence he needed to succeed.

During his talk Sean spoke openly about the challenges he has overcome and the positive choices he’s made. He told students: “In life you will face many obstacles. Today you could be running 800 metres and tomorrow you could be in a wheelchair. Like the flick of a coin, your life could be turned upside down. And you’ve got to deal with that. If you aren’t trying, if you aren’t learning, then failure will always be the result. I didn’t choose this wheelchair, it chose me, but I choose to win. What do you choose?”

Dawn Buttle, Career Pathway Director - Creative and Service Industries at London South East Colleges, added: “We are incredibly grateful to Sean for giving his time so generously to speak to our students. It is a challenging time for so many people and Sean’s selfless support for others is truly remarkable.

“I hope that hearing Sean’s words today, particularly in terms of never giving up and going that extra mile, will really resonate with our students and be what they need to help motivate them. Sean has overcome many barriers and continues to do so on a daily basis, which is extremely inspiring to us all.

“Sean has also shone a light on the exciting world of London Ambulance Service and the many different career pathways available, which is great for our students to hear."

Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service, Garrett Emmerson, said: “We’re so incredibly proud of everything our call handler, Sean Ash, has achieved recently and is doing to help raise money for our Service’s charitable fund.

“During this difficult time our staff and volunteers have been working so hard to care for Londoners in need and the money Sean has raised will go a long way to support them in doing so.”

Sean will be delivering further talks on behalf of the college after half term - including one to adult learners on a variety of health and social care courses.

To find out more about Sean’s fundraising endeavours or to make a donation, please click here.

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