Stacey Herring

Stacey has Aspbergers syndrome. She lives with her mum in Bournemouth and has attended special schools through her life. I met Stacey in 2008 at Hengistbury Head Outdoors Centre in Bournemouth where she was a sailing and watersports student. Despite her background (Stacey was frequently in trouble at home and at school) she showed a passion for sailing and watersports and a determination to work hard and improve her skills. In 2009 the Centre closed and Stacey joined Christchurch Sailing Club. We had some concerns about how Stacey would adapt to our club environment and fit in with the other members. In the past 3 years she has transformed not only her skills at sailing, but she has grown in confidence, improved her behaviour and social skills, and has become a popular and respected member of our sailing club. Stacey is training to become a dinghy instructor and has worked hard for a couple of years to gain experience and qualifications. She gives up many hours of her spare time to help supervise and teach young children to sail, and she has also bought her own boat to sail and race at events around the country. Her journey is a remarkable one and Stacey is well on the way to turning her life around from a difficult start. She is an inspiration to so many of us at Christchurch Sailing Club and to be selected as a torch-bearer would be the proudest moment of her life. She deserves this opportunity - we are so proud of her. Please add her to the short-list! Thank you.