Luke's mission to motivate children

Luke Askew has been offering support and advice to young people for the past year, and is now reaching out a hand to Wigan youngsters at every high school and college in the borough, who need help realising their dreams, learning about the fear of failure and about others who might try to demotivate them.

Clients’ ages have so far ranged from 11 to 27.

His passion to inspire teens came from his own struggles in school which affected his confidence and made him believe that he could never fulfil his potential.

The 22-year-old said: “I was diagnosed dyslexic at a young age. As a result, I struggled academically and had problems with my self-esteem and belief. Growing up with that made me develop a love for helping others in the same position.

“My big desire to educate and motivate young people was so strong that I decided to become a life coach.”

The former Shevington High pupil, who lives in Appley Bridge, tried his hand at coaching martial arts and also became a PE teacher, before channelling his desire to help others into public speaking.

“I’m an entertainer by heart, so I love doing motivational speaking. My theme is about ‘staying in your lane’. It’s about what your vision is, where you want to go, what your dream is and how you’re going to get there. It’s all about how to keep going and focus on yourself.”

On his offer of free talks in Wigan schools, Luke said: “Wigan is my home town, and a lot of people here have done good things for me. So I want to give back to the community. I even went back to my old school, Shevington High, and did a talk there recently. I’ve had a great response.”

For deatils about Luke’s Believe and Succeed sessions, visit luke-askew.com