A Hawick teenager who has battled shyness is on his way to Holyrood to receive a Rathbone Scotland Achiever of the Year Award.

Now eighteen, Shaun Tennant lost his self-esteem after a difficult time at high school. He had always wanted to follow his uncles into the army but his struggles in the classroom allied to problems at home, stopped him in his tracks.

Shaun came to Rathbone on the Get Ready for Work programme, which combines learning life skills with picking up qualifications in areas such as health and safety and IT. He was soon restoring his sense of self-worth on placement at Home Basics – a charity which ensures furniture is polished-up and re-used.

Shaun Tennant

Meanwhile, his tenacious attitude at the centre saw him scoop Hawick’s Achiever of the Month Award for July before he became their first national winner. Shaun will now make his premier visit to the Scottish Parliament Building on March 4th to collect his award.

Action man Shaun can often be seen cross-country running around his Hawick home and he also plays semi-professional Rugby Union for the Hawick Linden Club. That means he should be fit in time for his basic training at the Catterick Garrison. Prior to that, he will be brushing-up his numeracy and literacy skills at the Borders College on the Preparation for Entry into the Army course.

Shaun said: “I always wanted to join the forces because I think they’re great role models throughout the world. Learning in small groups at Rathbone really helped me build up my confidence and I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the customers on my placement or realise my dreams of joining the army if it hadn’t been for them.”