Let Great Britons change your life

The latest winners of British Airways’ Great Britons programme have won flights to Sydney and Montreal to help them to realise their dreams

Congratulations to trampolinist Laura Gallagher and English teachers Huw and Carolyn Thomas, the latest Great Britons to be announced and the winners of round seven. Great Britons is a programme run by British Airways, the official airline partner of The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, to celebrate excellence and help talented people to progress.

The winners get flights to BA destinations anywhere in the world and the use of its luxury Executive Club lounges. They also get a winner’s pack, which includes a camcorder for recording their incredible journey.

Thanks to Great Britons, Gallagher is off to Montreal to learn from Canada’s top trampolinists. “I have qualified for the European Championships this month, and I hope to compete at the World Championships in November,” she says. “I am training very hard and trying to get as much experience of competing as possible. I want to win a Gold Medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games and I think this is a realistic hope.”

The Thomases are doing a tandem bike ride for charity and will be flown by BA to Australia: they’ll be cycling from Brisbane to Melbourne. “The plan is to cycle around 1,000 miles a month,” says Carolyn. “Sometimes we’ll give a presentation about our charity at the end of a long ride, so we’ll need to keep focused.”

Every UK citizen resident in the UK and aged 16 and over who needs support to develop their talent in their chosen field can apply to Great Britons. The judges are looking for talented individuals and groups who epitomise the values associated with the Olympic and Paralympic Games and who strive to be the best. Only those who can demonstrate that they’re determined, competitive and courageous enough to follow their dreams will win.

GREAT BRITONS, ROUND SEVEN

Do you share the passion and determination of these winners?

MONTREAL
LAURA GALLAGHER

Somerset trampolinist Laura Gallagher started the sport at her club, High Flyers, at the age of 12. Now 21, she’s won flights to Montreal to train with some of the world’s best trampolinists. “Winning means I can get much-needed experience, training in a new environment,” she says. “Canada has facilities we don’t have in the UK, and there are many trampolinists there who I look up to. I want to see how they train, because it would be a huge learning experience.”

SYDNEY
HUW AND CAROLYN THOMAS

Husband-and-wife team Huw and Carolyn Thomas, both teachers from Cornwall, have won flights to Sydney for one leg of their 10,000-mile tandem bike ride across North America, New Zealand, Australia and Europe. They’re doing it in aid of ShelterBox, a charity delivering emergency aid to disasters all over the world. “Our mission is to tell people about the charity’s work, inspire them and challenge them to do something to support the charity,” says Huw.

Go online to greatbritons.ba.com to apply for round eight, because you, too, could be a Great Briton.