Archery Coach Adam Kenyon Honored with BBC South East’s Unsung Hero Award

An archery coach has been recognized with BBC South East’s Unsung Hero award, having developed a prosthetic hand attachment to enable an individual to engage in the sport. Adam Kenyon, a teacher at Sittingbourne Community College, conceived and arranged for the 3D printing of the attachment after Hayley Hudson expressed her wish to participate in archery. Mrs Hudson, who received an invitation for trials preceding the Rio Paralympics, remarked: “Adam has changed my life.” Mr Kenyon is slated to advance to the national Unsung Hero competition, with the victor scheduled for announcement at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Awards ceremony. Mrs Hudson further conveyed: “Through doing archery I’ve met some incredible people, shot in some amazing places…this sport has really opened the world up for me.” Mr Kenyon stated that the club, which he founded in 2007, has expanded “because we now work on the whole person, not just the sport”. Matthew May, who began his journey at the club, is presently on the Team GB pathway with the goal of participating in the 2032 Olympics. May shared: “When I started I had very low self-esteem and struggled with my confidence, but Adam embraces all of that and makes it a very welcoming environment for us to come down here and shoot.” Mia McGuane, recipient of a silver medal at the European Indoor Archery Championships in Croatia, expressed: “They built me up from scratch.” She continued: “I’ve been able to train here and go on to the Team GB pathway and be an international athlete.” Sarah Drury, who competed at a high national level in archery before transitioning into a coaching role, put forward Mr Kenyon’s nomination. Drury remarked: “What’s clear is the impact he has on other people and I have seen that over a number of years.” Following the presentation of the award, Mr Kenyon commented: “The nomination in itself for me made me feel worth a million. “I’d do it again, I’ll do it every day, and we will make a difference.”