Craig’s resilience motivates Barnsley College students

Barnsley College welcomed Craig Walton to talk about motivation, psychological theories and how a positive mindset helped him overcome the trauma of being involved in a serious road traffic accident.

Craig came to the College as an inspirational speaker to talk about a serious head-on collision with another driver, which resulted in him being trapped in his lorry for over an hour. He was cut out of his cab and airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary where his right leg was amputated below the knee, changing his life forever.

Since then, Craig has undergone intense rehabilitation and has overcome cripplingly low self-esteem and confidence by investing his time in setting achievable goals linked to mental health, physical training for special populations and personal life.

Craig said: “My visit to the College was enjoyable; everyone was very friendly and welcoming and helpful with the extra support that I need.

“My talk was based around previous experiences that I have been through, and the loss of my lower leg after I was involved in a road traffic accident seven months ago. The struggles around these topics have helped me build resilience and find motivation in simple everyday life. This allows me to always stay on top of my mental wellbeing and keep myself in a positive mindset.

“I felt the response from the students was really positive. I was asked a few questions around my struggles with mental health and how to pick myself back up if I do find that I am slipping into a depressive state or even just feeling low. I received questions on phantom limb/nerve pain. The students were engaged when I was talking, the staff were interested and asked some good questions about motivation and resilience too.

“I believe my talk was very beneficial and if I just help one person along my travels, I will consider it a massive success.

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity that the College provided me with to share my story and provide motivation for others.”

Kalam Neale, Esports Programme Lead at Barnsley College, said:

“I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Craig on behalf of our students and staff. It was fantastic to have Craig in to speak to our students. His journey is truly inspirational. He covered a variety of topics including mental health strategies, psychological theories, motivation, personal training and exercise for special populations.

“Students took a lot away from the talk both in regard to contextualising their academic studies and in finding motivation in their personal life around motivation, mental health, fitness and wellbeing; topics which are all extremely prevalent in today’s society.”

To find out more about Barnsley College or to apply for a course starting in September 2022, visit www.barnsley.ac.uk