Best of British Events Gatwick meets Colin Jackson CBE

Colin Jackson CBE joined Best of British Events to share his story of reaching for gold and becoming a world champion.

More than 230 business leaders were present at the Crowne Plaza Felbridge Hotel in East Grinstead to meet the athletics legend, courtesy of Best of British Events.

Colin Jackson is a former sprint and hurdling athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles.

Colin represented Great Britain and Wales at some of the world’s biggest athletic competitions. He won an Olympic silver medal, became world champion and commonwealth champion twice, and was undefeated at the European Championships for 12 years.

Colin is currently a mentor and coach for young and aspiring athletes. During his career, he mentored Usain Bolt, who always aspired to be a legend and achieve the unachieved. During the event, Colin shared insight into the importance of legacy and what it means to be successful.

Colin said: “Success to me meant that if I could leave a positive legacy and be a role model, then I could claim to be a successful athlete.”

He told guests that, from his own experiences, the journey to becoming a legend required one to have a dream. When we start to imagine ourselves achieving goals, we naturally begin to work towards this. Colin took inspiration from the world’s best British Olympic Athletes, Daley Thompson and Linford Christie. Surrounding himself around winners encouraged him to dream big and set his goals for gold. Despite a range of injuries and losses, Colin never gave up on his dream of becoming the best in the world.

Guests included British Olympic champions Daley Thompson CBE and Robin Cousins MBE. They were accompanied by leaders from a range of local businesses, including Creative Pod, Rubix VT, Seico Insurance & Mortgages, Webtrends Optimize, Dev Assist and EMW Law.

This prestigious networking event was in aid of the Starr Trust – a local charity which is dedicated to helping remove roadblocks for young people so they can succeed and thrive in whatever they put their minds to. This is achieved by funding individuals and groups with financial grants, mentoring schemes, and sharing connections.

With the support and generosity of guests and sponsors, this event raised over £14,000 on the day.

Ryan Heal, CEO of Best of British Events, said: “Colin’s story was truly inspiring. It was an honour to meet Colin and learn more about how he became a household name and one of Britain’s best athletes. We really appreciate his time and presence, which has helped us to achieve our charitable objectives in support of the Starr Trust charity.”

Rob Starr, Chairman and Founder of the Starr Trust, said: “A thoroughly enjoyable event and incredible fundraising total. Well done, Ryan and team! All funds raised will go directly towards helping young people who are reaching out to the Starr Trust for support. Huge personal thanks to all the generous individuals and businesses who helped make it the success it was.”

The annual Best of British Gatwick lunch will return on Friday 8th November 2024! To book your table, please contact: gatwick@bestofbritish.org.uk.

Best of British Events hosts a range of leading business networking events and fundraisers across Sussex and London. For more information please visit: https://bestofbritish.org.uk