"Plastering saved my life": Liversedge anxiety-sufferer nominated for national award

A Liversedge single father diagnosed with acute anxiety has explained how a new vocation saved his life after he was nominated for a prestigious national award.
Shane Robinson has used plastering to turn his life around.Shane Robinson has used plastering to turn his life around.
Shane Robinson has used plastering to turn his life around.

Shane Robinson, who studies at Kirklees College, has been picked as one of only three finalists in the Plaisterers Student of the Year awards.

He has had to overcome a number of hurdles in his educational journey and has also suffered a number of setbacks both physically and mentally after an unprovoked gang attack left him seriously injured.

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On top of these trials he is also a single parent to his young son and since the attack has been diagnosed with acute anxiety.

Shane said of his nomination: “I am so thrilled to have been nominated as Plaisterers Student of the Year because, for me, plastering is my passion and although this may sound dramatic, I believe it was this that saved my life.

“If it wasn’t for the belief that my tutor had in me and the push he gave me to keep going and never give up, even at my lowest point, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today.”

Shane explained the turnaround in his life, saying that he looks upon his future with excitement.

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“I now have a career I love, a support network I can turn to and the confidence that I have the best skillset to deliver fantastic plastering to professional high standards.

“I already feel like a winner, no matter what the result is, as I have achieved far more than I ever thought was possible.”

The winner will be crowned at Plaisterers’ Hall in London on Tuesday, attended by the Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Shane’s lecturer Kevin Byrne said: “It is remarkable how Shane has turned his life around through hard work and dedication and he is a credit to himself, his family, Kirklees College and his employers KNH.

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“Throughout his time at college we have seen him grow from strength to strength and he is always looking for the next challenge and how he can better himself. He is hoping to enrol on NVQ L3 in plastering in the next academic year, and we are confident he will continue to excel on this course, as he has through his previous study.”