A Deeside mum has won a top award for learning which turned her life around after joining a gym led her to helping other woman overcome their own difficult backgrounds.

Lael Heaney, 36, has been awarded the Active Wales Award at this year’s Inspire! Awards, in recognition for the dedication to learning which helped to turn her life around.

Lael was brought up in a strict religious community which didn’t encourage her to pursue her education in Kent and then Anglesey.

She said: “I grew up in a very trusting environment – I thought of the congregation as one big family. But unfortunately, I faced situations which no child should ever face. My memories of that time are blurry, but I did speak out when I was 16.”

Lael got into a relationship as a teen and was cut off from her family and religious community.

But Lael missed her parents and, at the age of around 21, returned home and to the religion. Shortly afterwards, she met her husband and was married for five years when she began to struggle with her mental health.

By this time, she had a son who was 14 months old. After getting help she found a bungalow and asked for a divorce, though still co-parents with her ex-husband.

Later she entered into another relationship and had her daughter. In this time, her education had taken a back seat.

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She said: “School was a disaster. I had so many hopes and dreams, but further education was not encouraged in the religion. I was also dyslexic which made learning more challenging. I’d always been a stay-at-home mum.”

Joining a women’s gym to keep fit and to meet other people sparked a fire inside her. She started training to become a fitness instructor and discovered St Giles Trust which works across Wales to help people overcome barriers and get the support they need to move forward with their lives.

“Joining the gym helped improve my mental wellbeing, as well as my physical fitness. I found it hugely important to my recovery, and I wanted to learn how I could help other woman within my workplace at the gym. St Giles Trust was looking for people with lived experience.

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“I am completing my Mental Health First Aid qualification. I’ve done the wellbeing course with ‘Empower – Be The Change’, the ‘Learning to Advise’ assured course and I’m also completing my NVQ Level 3 in Advice and Guidance with St Giles Trust.”

Lael now works in the gym and has created a centre where she can provide guidance and support to women on a range of subjects such as domestic abuse or financial difficulties.

Lael is one of 13 winners to be recognised at the 2022 Inspire! Awards.

Co-ordinated by the Learning and Work Institute with support from the Welsh Government, the Inspire! Awards recognise those who have demonstrated a commitment to never stop learning.

Lisa Owen, North Wales Hub Co-ordinator and Trainer Assessor at St Giles Trust, nominated Lael for the Active Wales Inspire! Award: “Our Peer Advisor Model is based on recognising the difference an individual who has faced challenges and overcome them can make to another person facing similar difficulties in their lives.

“I knew from the minute I met Lael that she was an incredible individual who can inspire others and support them on their own journeys. I am very proud of what she has achieved, and it is clear from the work she is doing she is going to make such a difference to the individuals she works with in the future.”

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The Inspire! Awards are part of Adult Learners’ Week, which this year takes place from 17-23 October.

In-person taster courses and online sessions will run throughout October and during Adult Learners’ Week, with advice and information available locally to inspire people across Wales to keep learning throughout their lives.

To find out what’s going on during Adult Learners’ Week, and for personalised advice on your own learning options and support available, get in touch with Working Wales on 0800 028 4844 or search www.workingwales.gov.wales.