KATY Blay is a girl who battled her way back from illness and then went on to triumph this week, by scooping the title of IT Learner of the Year - as well as being a runner-up in the Individual Learner of the Year Award.

Twenty-year-old Katy, from Winklebury, Basingstoke, now has a place at Southampton Institute to study for an IT business degree, but it all started from having the courage to start out on an adult learning course at BCOT.

Her IT exams have brought highly-commended and distinction grades and she has even been an inspiration to her nominator, Simon Lock, who said: "Working with Katy has encouraged me to achieve much more than I have done in the past."

He described Katy as a girl who is "up there with the best" and a "prime example for other people without qualifications to go and do greater things in life".

LIFE is turning around for Lee Clifton - thanks to his courage to enrol for an A-level in information and communication technology at Basingstoke College of Technology.

Not only was he named Student of the Year for passing with a high B Grade, but this week he took another honour by being named a runner-up in the IT Learner of the Year category.

Flushed with his A-level success, 43-year-old Lee, from Hartley Wintney, is now studying for a degree on the Cisco Networking Course.

Mental health problems had added to Lee's difficulties in finding a satisfying job, but now his confidence is topped up. And he has great plans for qualifying on the Cisco course. He said: "This will hopefully lead to full qualifications and permanent employment, which would give me such pride in the fact that I have succeeded against all the odds."

Lee was nominated by Jenny West, from the Adelphi Place clubhouse in Church Square, Basingstoke.

She said: "Other people at the clubhouse have been visibly inspired, leading to several enrolling on various college courses.

"They have seen Lee be successful and believe that they, too, can achieve success for the future with real effort."

ARTISTIC Iris Wait, the winner of the Senior Learner of the Year Award, was back on the platform at Milestones to receive a second honour - this time as runner-up to IT Learner of the Year.