A young Dundee woman who was repeatedly excluded from school has been reunited with Prince’s Trust ambassador and A list actor Kevin Spacey after 10 years.
Sara Lyttle, now 26, grew up in a deprived area of Dundee and was constantly in trouble at school before joining a Prince’s Trust xl club for young people at risk of underachievement or exclusion from school.
Her incredible turnaround saw her named xl Achiever of the Year at the first ever Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards when she was only 16.
Her award was presented by Kevin Spacey and their reunion was a chance to catch up on how her life has moved on.
When they met up again Mr Spacey said: “It was a whole decade ago but I still remember that day standing on stage and reading your name.
“It is interesting to me that given the fact you were so resistant to school and now lo and behold you dream of being a teacher. Don’t you find that ironic?”
They spoke about Sara becoming a mother to her now five-year-old son and Mr Spacey added: “I have a feeling you are going to make a wonderful teacher and it is already clear you are a wonderful mother.
“It is a great pleasure to see you again. This is one of the reasons why I have been an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust for so long.”
The pair also used their reunion to record a video telling Sara’s story to help others.
Sara said: “If it wasn’t for the Prince’s Trust xl programme, I wouldn’t have thought about education in the way that I do now.
“I wouldn’t have sat my exams at school or got a job afterwards, I think I would have just signed on. Essentially, I wouldn’t have had any ambitions.
“The Prince’s Trust xl programme transformed my approach to education to the extent that I now want to become a teacher myself.”
The Prince’s Trust will hold its 10th Celebrate Success Awards next week.