Ronin, a community programme participant from the award-winning Premiership Rugby HITZ education and employment programme, was recently awarded the HITZ Young Achiever Award 2024 at the annual HITZ awards ceremony. Honoured for overcoming a range of challenges and working the hardest to progress on his journey in education, training and developing life skills to increase his chances of employment, Ronin will now be celebrated during Community Weekend Round 7 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby (29th Nov – 1st Dec). For 18 year old Ronin, from Broadclyst, Exeter, it has been a journey of resilience and personal growth, overcoming significant physical and developmental challenges through support and perseverance. Born with a rare genetic syndrome affecting his limbs and eyes, alongside autism, sensory processing disorder, and hypermobility, Ronin faced scepticism from doctors and educators about reaching key milestones. Ronin has surpassed all expectations thanks to the HITZ team at Chiefs who recognised his potential. During his time on the programme Ronin has excelled in academic and physical activities. With encouragement from the team and his family, he tackles challenging goals in Maths and English and smashes his daily targets. Activities like delivering food to the elderly have bolstered his independence and social skills. Ronin’s father’s…

An Exeter-based Help for Heroes nurse has paid tribute to her ‘wonderful’ colleagues after receiving a national nursing award. Janine Whitley, 46 who served in the Navy for 25 years and saw four tours of Afghanistan, has worked as a Veterans Clinical Advisor across Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall, since 2021. Originally from Sidcup, in Kent, she joined the Royal Navy straight from school as a communicator, aged 16. As a Wren she served on both HMS Exeter and HMS Liverpool, before obtaining her qualifications as a nurse, as it was always her ambition to join Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service. She received her Cavell award at an internal Help for Heroes clinical team meeting but was amazed when she realised the award being discussed was being made to her. She smiled: “It was a real shock; I thought it would be for someone else, because our team is wonderful, so it could have been for anybody. But they had nominated me. “The citation was for the governance side of her work. I try to make governance something that’s relevant to everybody rather than it just being something that’s a chore. I really…