Portadown lady who established prospering photography business versus all chances scoops Prince’s Trust award – Armagh I

Sionibha Kelly, 24 from Portadown

A young Portadown who established a prospering photography business versus the chances has actually has actually been called as the winner of an award from The Prince’s Trust

Sionibha Kelly, 24, scooped the award which identifies youths who have actually been successful versus the chances, enhanced their possibilities in life and had a favorable effect on their regional neighborhood.

“I’ve loved every minute of being with The Prince’s Trust! It boosted my self-confidence, expanded my horizons and encouraged me to be creative again.”

Following a car mishap in 2015, Sionibha needed to leave goals for a profession as a beauty therapist. In the following years, she did some other tasks however constantly wished to go back to doing something she liked in an imaginative market.

“The car accident left me without the use of my right arm. I spent the next two years in recovery and had to learn how to use my arm again; even how to hold a pencil. The whole experience had a huge impact on my confidence, and I lost all hope.”

During the pandemic, Sionibha was working as a cleaner in a call centre when she saw an advert for The Prince’s Trust on Facebook, including a girl who had actually turned her life around with help from the charity. This motivated her to learn more about the Enterprise course.

“As soon as I spoke to the staff at The Trust, I felt so excited and welcome. Through the Enterprise programme, I learned what I needed to set up my own business. It felt so empowering to do something for myself.”

Sionibha then registered to a photography course with The Prince’s Trust.

“I’d been fascinated by cameras from a young age, but I never actually thought about turning that interest into a career. I had hoped to do makeup or lashes, but that became difficult after the accident. Discovering photography was like a whole new door opening. In the space of a couple of weeks, my mindset about life shifted.”

The course assisted Sionibha learn brand-new photography abilities, motivated her to picture how it might end up being a full-time task and, notably, assisted her establish her sense of self.

“Looking back, I didn’t even know who I was before. The accident happened when I was 17 so a lot of my friends were getting on with their lives and doing everything I wished I could do. I felt isolated, and anxious going into public spaces or speaking with strangers. The Prince’s Trust helped me express myself in so many ways – they pushed me out of my comfort zone without even realising. I’ll talk to anybody now!”

Sionibha has actually come cycle, from being motivated by a girl informing her story in an advert, to starting her own journey of motivating other youths in her function as a Prince’s Trust Young Ambassador.

Sionibha opened her own photography studio a year back and is already needing to take a look at a larger facilities to handle need. She likewise routinely operates at the Dog Bark, a regional dog park where Sionibha assists to take care of the dogs whilst broadening her portfolio of family pet photography.

“The Prince’s Trust brought me out of my shell completely. I’m not the girl I used to be and I have overcome so much without even realising it.”

On winning the Homesense Young Achiever Award, Sionibha said: “Winning this award has given me so much confidence in myself and my business and I still can’t believe I’ve won. I’m so grateful to everyone who believed in me and offered me support to make this happen.”

Sionibha Kelly and Jane O’Brien (TJX)

Jo Murphy, Vice President and Corporate Responsibility Director, TJX Europe said: “We are thrilled to support the Young Achiever Award, and to celebrate inspirational stories from across the UK. Through our longstanding partnership with The Prince’s Trust, we’re proud to help young people overcome barriers to build a better future for themselves and have a positive impact in their communities. Congratulations to Sionibha and all the winners
for their amazing achievements.”

TK Maxx and Homesense (TJX Europe) have actually been partners of The Prince’s Trust given that 2013 and are among The Trust’s biggest shipment partners of the Get into Retail program.

This is a 2 to 6 week course that establishes youths’s abilities in the retail sector and supports them into favorable results in retail. TJX has actually likewise supported the Prince’s Trust Achieve program given that 2016, dealing with schools throughout the UK to build the self-confidence and team effort abilities of youths as they get ready for life after education.

Youth charity The Prince’s Trust offers youths the abilities and self-confidence to get their lives on track. Three in 4 youths assisted by The Prince’s Trust move into work, training or education.

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