Tony Bucknall, aged 37, from Wolverhampton - regional individual award winner
Firefighter Tony Bucknall has overcome a lack of qualifications to gain a teaching certificate. “I was the stereotypical thick kid who would not amount to much,” he says. “I always believed my ambitions were greater than my academic ability and never expected much of myself. I decided to return to learning because I wanted to do more with my life, and to prove to myself and others that I was worth something.”
While studying for a Certificate of Education at City of Wolverhampton College, Tony continued his work as a full-time fireman. He and his wife Michelle are also registered foster parents and provide emergency care for difficult children. And despite being injured in a factory fire, he persevered with his studies – attending college in a plaster cast and on crutches.
Within the fire service Tony has continued to study and develop his skills – he has now been appointed crew commander at Wolverhampton Fire Station. Since completing his qualification he has founded a Youth Inclusion course to support young people outside mainstream education. Tony also teaches part-time on the fire service access course to help people achieve their ambition to become fire fighters, and runs a youth club to teach teenagers about fire safety.
He says: “My reading and writing skills were poor and when I first enrolled on my course I felt I was out of my depth. But with support and encouragement from my mentor I began to believe in my own ability.”