Jamie Kelly, 20, a gold medal winning Special Olympian is a step closer to his dream of competing in the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, the home of the Olympics, thanks to a £1500 donation from TNG, a local welfare to work organisation.

The cheque was presented by his personal adviser Brett Smith, team leader Lisa Crossley and business manager Andy Spensley at the TNG Rochdale office on Wednesday 28th April.

Born premature at 29 weeks, Jamie suffered a bleed on his brain which left him with learning difficulties. Jamie began swimming when he was 5 years old, and it wasn’t long before his family realised Jamie had found his passion.

Living was learning difficulties wasn’t easy, and Jamie struggled at school, but one place he excelled was in the pool. At 14, he joined his local swimming club, the Aquabears, and never looked back. He was named the 2009 Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year, and was a gold-medal winner in 200 meter freestyle at the 2009 Special Olympics in Leicester. Jamie also volunteers as a swimming teacher for adults with learning difficulties and children.

Although swimming kept him busy, Jamie was also a full-time labourer. However, when the recession hit, he was made redundant. Jamie searched for work but a lack of vacancies made it impossible. Jamie knew that to compete at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens he would have to fund it himself, and without employment, his dream was slipping away.

Wanting to do everything he could to find a job, Jamie sought the help of TNG in Manchester Road. At TNG, Jamie worked with personal job adviser, Brett Smith. Together, they looked at sectors other than construction for Jamie to look for work. Jamie's passion for swimming shone through, training to be a lifeguard seemed a natural choice. To help him achieve a place on the lifeguarding course, Jamie is working towards literacy and numeracy qualifications. Having a learning disability makes this particularly difficult for Jamie, and Brett has been impressed with the way he has worked hard and remained motivated.

TNG was so impressed with Jamie's dedication that they have donated £1500 towards Jamie's 'Athens fund'. Business Manager for TNG Rochdale, Andy Spensley, commented, "Jamie is an example to us all. He hasn't let his learning difficulties hold him back, and when he encounters challenges, such as studying for qualifications, he meets them head on, works hard to overcome them. Jamie's commitment to achieving his goals, both to find work and to become a champion swimmer, is commendable, and makes all of us at TNG very proud."

Jamie said, "TNG is helping me to reach my sporting goals, and my personal goals. Since I have been working with Brett, I have been treated with respect, and shown that with help, I can achieve the qualifications I need to help me combine a career with my passion for swimming.

Their sponsorship will take me one step closer to my dream, of representing my country in Athens, and having everyone in the country know who I am."

The Special Olympics is part of the Olympics sporting family, providing year-round sporting events for all people with learning difficulties. The World Summer Games will be from 25 June- 4 July 2011 in Athens, Greece.