Last month I headed along to the RBS – Finding Scotlands Real Hero award ceremony in Edinburgh. The aim of the event is to celebrate community champions all over Scotland who often provide their time, skills and knowledge for free to aide the people within the area that they live.
Andrew Campbell was awarded the gong for Sporting Volunteer of the year for his work with Camran Taekwondo, a martial arts school that he founded in North Lanarkshire. I caught up with Andrew this week to find out a little more about his organisation and how winning the award will help shape Camran Taekwondo for the future.
What motivated you to start Camran Tekwondo?
I started the club 20 yrs ago in the small village I grew up in as it was a village that had nothing for kids, juniors to do, all had to be bussed out to other areas, also I wanted to run a club non commercially so as to allow everyone the chance to do Tkd regardless of circumstance .i was a national team player at the time and felt I could be a role model and influence to local kids , that they could see what could be achieved if they set there minds on it.
What’s your vision for the club going forward?
My vision is to keep the club running the exact same way , non commercially , and to also see the team progressing onto the international circuit , we have several Scotland development team players and one senior student instructor , my nephew Kieran Campbell has just represented the full Scotland team at the European championships in Austria .
Who nominated you for the RBS Finding Scotland’s Real Hero award?
I was nominated by Scott Lamond , one of my senior students who has trained with me for over 14 yrs
How will winning help you to progress?
Winning was fantastic for me and the club , but I’m someone who likes to pass on the limelight , I prefer to share with my club , the students . The exposure has been amazing and I’m noticed all over the area more now and my membership has increased since the award. The club is very very busy, my cubs class which is free for 3-5 yr olds went from 10 to over 25 students
Who is your hero?
My current hero is world number 1 in Tkd Aaron Cook who now represents the isle of Mann after being snubbed by team GB Tkd due to internal politics , for the 2012 Olympics , he lost everything , sponsors, and the chance at a gold , others would have given up , but Aaron handled major disappointment by winning event after event and is still ranked number 1 in the world .
What advice would you give to someone who wishes to make a difference in their community?
The advice I would give is if you have a talent and can help communities then you should help, always strive to be the friendliest most helpful person you can and work hard building up confidence and skills and treat everyone as equal . Be open and honest and never ever give up.
