Andy Walker MBE tells Holy Cross students to 'live your dreams'

Motivational speaker Andy Walker MBE visited college on Friday 31st January to deliver an inspiring talk to a selection of our students.

Andy was tragically paralysed after suffering from a spinal cord injury 19 years ago. He was just 28 when his life changed forever after he hit a rock diving into the sea in India.

Despite the challenges he faces every single day, Andy is determined to live his life to the full and has achieved some incredible things since his accident - not least becoming a motivational speaker who's passionate about inspiring young people by sharing his story, encouraging them to reach their full potential and live their dreams.

"After my accident, I was in a very dark place. I looked back at a motivational speaker we had while I was at University (Robert Swan) and I took inspiration from him - he said that if you never give up, you never know what you might achieve," he said. 

"I wanted to do something positive with what had happened to me, I wanted to be a role model for the children in our family, but I also realised I could do something to inspire other people like Robert Swan did to me. 

"That's when I decided to start working with students and tell my story. And that's I do now, I travel around the country, hopefully inspiring young people to live their dreams and change a little bit of their mindset." 

Andy told his story of how he has overcome adversity, the challenges he has faced and the journey his life has taken due to this. Thank you for visiting us, Andy - it was incredibly inspiring and emotional, both for students and staff.