Olympic champion Sam Quek lauds inspirational work done by ordinary people
TV star and Olympic champion Sam Quek lauded the inspirational work done by ordinary people across the UK at the launch of her new podcast, Amazing Starts Here.
The former hockey star has teamed up with The National Lottery for the eight-part series which sees Quek speak to people from all walks of life, including Olympic champions and inspirational mothers.
And the 35-year-old admitted she was amazed by the outstanding work done by people across the country with the help of National Lottery funding.
“I thought I knew what was in store but when I met these people doing amazing things in their community, I was genuinely blown away because these are ordinary people doing amazing things,” she said.
“These ordinary people who are setting up these groups are having such a positive impact in their local community.
“When it came to The National Lottery and getting involved, I was 100% involved and I was really excited.
“I didn’t realise how far everything stretched in terms of who they help, it is endless and people are benefitting in so many ways to help their communities.”
During the series, Quek speaks to a range of people including Olympic gold medallist Alex Yee and Paralympic champion Libby Clegg as well as some lesser-known names doing incredible things in their communities.
One episode focuses on mother Kate Valentine, who set up a singing groups for fellow mums that has helped many with post-natal depression while another speaks to Sam and Emily Stables, who pioneered a charity to provide mental health support in the farming community.
And Quek reflected on the transformative impact of National Lottery funding, something she knows about all too well after being part of the Great Britain hockey squad that were able to become full-time thanks to Lottery support.
She added: “I wouldn’t be a gold medallist without [National Lottery funding], Team GB wouldn’t have won it, we wouldn’t be in the position we are now.
“It gives you enough support to train full-time, it allows you to access the best nutrition, psychologists, coaches.
“Before we had the support from The National Lottery, we used to train Friday, Saturday, Sunday but we were ranked like eighth in the world.
“As soon as we got funded, around 2009, we started climbing up. The medical support, mental health support, it is all there to help you to be the best.”
Sam Quek is the host of The National Lottery’s award-winning podcast series Amazing Starts Here which celebrates the ordinary people who do extraordinary things with help of the £30 million raised by National Lottery players every week for good causes throughout the UK. Listen to the entire series here: https://podfollow.com/amazing-starts-here
