SAM BRAND. JACKSONS AMBASSADOR

We are delighted to announce our first Brand Ambassador, professional Manx born cyclist Sam Brand.

Following recent discussions, Head of Business Darren Moore was delighted to confirm Jacksons sponsorship and support of inspirational local sportsman, Sam Brand.

“For those who know Sam and his story, you can’t help but be truly inspired. As well as supporting Sam with a car whenever he is on island, we are looking to help him in his ambitions to engage with and inspire future generations to overcome adversity and make the most of their lives and goals.

Most top sportspeople have that extra something special, but Sam has even more. Yes, his burning ambition and dedication to maximise his personal performance for both himself and his UCI ProTeam Team Novo Nordisk is obvious, but he is equally passionate about helping and giving back to the community, and for us, this is what made Sam really stand out as an exceptional Ambassador to Jacksons. We are all really looking forward to working closer with Sam and building a long-standing relationship.”

For those who don’t know Sam’s story, we’ll let him tell it himself, although we will be doing regular updates with Sam over the coming weeks and months.

“As a young boy growing up on our wonderful island, all I ever wanted to do was play sport. Running, football, rugby, cricket – anything and everything. Then, when I was 10, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. The day I was diagnosed, the 14^th November 2001, was actually World Diabetes Day, which at the time wasn’t something that really struck home to me as I was having to face other challenges, but now it does feel almost like a sign, and something that drives me every day to help raise the profile of Diabetes and help inspire others to live their best lives.

I get a lot of shocked faces when I say that diabetes is the best thing that ever happened to me, but when I explain why I say that, you can see how much it helps people, young and old, who are facing the same trials and tribulations that I have faced, and still do. Diabetes has given me an extended family and community. It has given me a team where we all work to raise the profile of diabetes. But mainly, it has given me a purpose – not only to constantly better myself but also to help everyone I can realise they too can achieve their dreams.

When I was growing up there wasn’t anyone I knew with diabetes my age so I didn’t have anyone to look up to or help me understand how I could not only live with it, but also use it to make me a better person. Of course, the support I had from my parents, and the diabetes support team on the island was the critical first step in living with diabetes and I will never forget the efforts put in to help me understand my situation. This is another reason I want to give back to my community, a way of thanking those who invested their time in a scrawny Manx youngster who just wanted to play sport!

And now I’m part of this amazing team here at Jacksons. I’ve been talking with Darren over the last couple of months and when he approached me with a potential sponsorship proposal I really couldn’t believe it. Having heard my story, and how much I wanted to help not just our local community but people around the world, it was obvious we shared the same values. Even if it was just having the use of a car (currently an electric VW ID.3 which I absolutely love!), this would be the best thing ever, but it’s so much more than that.

Darren and the Jacksons team are fully behind my personal goals to help inspire others to overcome adversity and live their best lives and we are already working on ways on sharing my experiences to a much wider audience. Their support is incredibly humbling and has given me even more reason to do the best I can both on and off the bike.”

We will be sharing more of Sam’s story along with regular updates over the coming months. When on island, Sam would love the opportunity to talk at events, schools, organisations and local businesses. If you are interested in arranging a session with Sam, please email our Head of Business Darren Moore at: darrenmoore@jacksons.im.