•OLYMPIC CHAMPION ANNOUNCES SKY SPORTS LIVING FOR SPORT WINNER 

•FRASER ARMSTRONG OF HOLLYBROOK ACADEMY WINS STUDENT OF THE YEAR FOR SCOTLAND 

Sky Academy Ambassdor Darren Campbell made a surprise visit to Glasgow today to present 17-year-old Fraser Armstrong with the Sky Sports Living for Sport Student of the Year award for Scotland.

The Olympic Gold medallist surprised Fraser as he was participating in a school PE lesson at Hollybrook Academy to give him the award, broadcast live on Sky Sports News HQ. 

Fraser will now attend the Sky Sports Living for Sport Awards at Sky Studios in London this weekend to discover whether he will be crowned the overall UK & Ireland Student of the Year. He will be up against the winners for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the Awards will be broadcast on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday 29 March at 7.30pm. 

The Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of students and teachers in using sports stars and the skills learnt through sport to improve lives as a result of their involvement in the programme.  Sky Sports Living for Sport is part of Sky Academy, a set of initiatives using the power of TV, creativity and sport to help one million young people in the UK and Ireland build practical skills and experience to unlock their potential. 

Sky Sports Living for Sport Ambassador Darren Campbell said: “It’s an honour to present Fraser with the Student of the Year award for Scotland. He’s achieving things in his life that were simply unthinkable before his participation in Sky Sports Living For Sport and that’s the beauty of the initiative. 

“The skills learned through sport can be applied to all areas of life and Fraser is a fine example of that. He’s a worthy winner for Scotland and I’ll be tuning in on Sunday to see if he picks up the overall UK & Ireland Student of the Year Award.”

Fraser, who has autism, was selected as the Student of the Year  winner for Scotland by a panel of judges for participating in the Sky Sports Living for Sport programme to reignite his passion for athletics. Fraser finds communicating with others a challenge because of his autism and despite his natural talent, he struggled to keep motivated. 

Participating in Sky Sports Living for Sport presented him with the tools to overcome the barriers he faced. Through his new-found determination, Fraser soon rediscovered the drive he needed to make his dream of representing Great Britain at future Special Olympics a reality.

Athlete Mentor and international gymnast Steve Frew inspired Fraser while working with him on the programme as he described the importance of setting high goals and having a willingness to push the barriers of personal performance.

Frew’s words combined with the life skills Fraser gained through the Sky Sports Living for Sport project certainly had a positive influence on talented middle distance runner. Fraser soon had the confidence to embrace his selection for the Scotland West Special Olympics Squad, winning three Gold and two Silver medals in 2013.

Fraser’s teacher Chris Milne said: “I was delighted to hear that Fraser had  won the Sky Sports Living for Sport Student of the Year award for Scotland.  Fraser has shown great resilience in the six years that I have known him, overcoming every obstacle he has encountered and is now a fabulous example of how sport can enrich lives. Fraser’s journey through sport is the reason he is the young man you see before you today. Confident and independent, he has grown into a fabulous role model and inspiration to all pupils at Hollybrook Academy. We are all very proud of him.”

The Sky Sports Living for Sport initiative has been running in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust since 2003 and this academic year alone over 1500 UK secondary schools and 175 Irish secondary schools will take part.

To get involved and sign up to Sky Sports Living for Sport visit www.skysports.com/livingforsport.

Ends

23 March 2015

For further information, please contact:

Jim Curtis or Will Taylor

tpf

02075806200

jimcurtis@tpf-london.com

williamtaylor@tpf-london.com 

Follow us on twitter @SkyAcademy  

About Sky 

Sky is Europe’s leading entertainment company. The group serves 20 million customers across five countries: Italy, Germany, Austria, the UK and Ireland. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.

Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe’s leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of over £4.6 billion. The company employs 31,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate 

About Sky Academy

Sky Academy is a unique and groundbreaking set of initiatives that uses the power of television, creativity and sport to inspire young people and help them build skills and confidence.  At Sky, we want to use our position as a leading media and communications company to make a positive impact on society. So, to mark our 25th anniversary, in November 2013 Sky Academy was launched with an ambition to create opportunities for one million young people by 2020.  There are many other free initiatives that form Sky Academy, that schools and students can take part in.  

To find out more about these initiatives visit our website www.sky.com/academy 

About Sky Sports Living for Sport

Sky Sports Living for Sport was launched in 2003 and is delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust. Now in its 12th year, it is a free initiative open to all UK and Irish secondary schools. This academic year 1500 UK Secondary schools and 175 Irish Secondary schools will take part in Sky Sports Living for Sport.

Sky Sports Living for Sport uses sports stars and the skills learned through sport to help build confidence and develop life skills. It’s not about finding the next sporting superstar, it's about using the power of sport to change behaviours and increase academic attainment, whatever your athletic ability.

To find out more about Sky Sports Living for Sport, please visit https://livingforsport.skysports.com/

Youth Sport Trust: Wellbeing. Leadership. Achievement.

The Youth Sport Trust is a national charity that is building a brighter future for young people through PE and sport. Through 20 years of experience we have developed a unique way of maximising the power of sport to grow young people, schools and communities through the development of qualities including creativity, aspiration, resilience and empathy. For more information, please visit www.youthsporttrust.org.