There is no doubt it has been a tough time for students looking to complete college classes by online means, but there has been added difficulty and frustration, for those taking sports coaching courses. So what better way to be recognised for the work they have done than to have their efforts recognised by some of the best in the sports world.

Suffolk New College students were hailed, virtually, by a who's who of sporting stars, including Olympic gold medal winning hurdler Sally Gunnel, Rugby World Cup winner Will Greenwood, Great Britain strongwoman (and Suffolk Sports Personalty of the Year) Andrea Thompson, Cayman Island football head coach Ben Pugh, England and Burnley keeper Nick Pope, Ipswich Town legends Matt Holland, Jason Dozzell and Simon Milton and presenter Gabby Logan.

Putting all this together was Shotley Peninsula's Lee Mandley and Nub News went to meet him:

The year started well for Lee who was rewarded for his efforts as Head of Sport during a restructure at Suffolk New College following a merger with Otley College with a promotion, as he was given greater responsibilities within the expanded department.

Now Head of Sport, Public Services, Health & Social Care, and Childcare at Suffolk New, Lee is ambitious and would like to become a college director and even run his own college one day.

"Hopefully that will be at Suffolk New College, said Lee. "It has done wonders for me I have had to work hard but they have let me progress."

The Mandley family, including brothers Jason and Kieron, moved to Shotley in 1995, when Lee was aged eight when dad Peter was in the RAF.

Lee recalls it being an idyllic childhood growing up in a village where he made lifelong friends.

"I still play football and cricket with friends I went to school with, guys that used to go to the Annexe field (Ganges) and the park every night after school. It is really nice that we can still do that, in our 30s and have fun doing it."

Lee believes that bond has been a huge factor in Shotley's sporting success over the years.

"Many of the Shotley Rose team grew up together, won and lost together, but mainly won.

"There is a real fighting spirit and tenacity ingrained in sports teams on the Shotley peninsula and that goes along way.

"We would regularly winning Sunday top division, county cups, we were very successful in the Noughties. The club has really evolved. Some of us moved on to Saturday football and had more success but for some of us that ended a bit earlier than we would have liked."

Although Lee still enjoys his football, and has not let his move into coaching stop him playing when he can, cricket has started to dominate and has given him both his saddest and most satisfying moments of his sporting life.

With dad Peter at the helm Shotley Peninsula Cricket Cub was formed and grown existentially with a strong family feel and sportsmanship and endeavour at his heart.  

It was watching a Test match that first inspired Peter and his sons to get the Shotley cricket club.

"The inception of the cricket club came some seven years ago now, we are still trying to find our level but we have pretty much everything we have entered into," said Lee. "We started with the Inter Firm, won division three, then division two, back to back promotions then Division one three seasons running."

SPCC won the Inter Firm cup against last season, then the Wheatsheaf Cup beating a Camra team. Lee said: "As the Wheatsheaf is an award winning Camra pub, it was really good to be able to support them and real ale pubs."

For all the fun, there was profound sadness when Peter passed away.

Lee said: "It was an emotional year as we lost our father in April. Peter was chair up until death so it made the season very bitter sweet. It was like we were playing every game for him, even though he wasn't here."

That loss made a certain game even more poignant as Lee recalled: "I remember a third of the way into the season, we were playing Cornard and I had the most incredible game.

"I took eight wickets from the 10, it was actually eight for 20 in 10 overs, it was epic.

"It did not really hit me until I went to fine leg to field and the emotion came over me I really felt he was there with me."

Before Covid struck, the club, nicknamed the Squirrels, were looking to grow and is it goes into the eighth season, and with the growth in numbers, including women and young players that is still the aim.

"It is about remembering what my dad did for the cub, he built the ethos, emphasising the importance of friends and family first."

With two children aged eight and six, and married to Charlotte, Lee's own family is still a high priority and he has stepped down as club chair to become Honorary President, with Malcolm Windsor now chair with his son Joel Windsor as club captain.

Lee said: "For me it is now a more about that work, life, family balance and I feel I need to give more time to my family instead of just me and the other guys.

"It has worked out well. We are still close knit lots of family and that helps our success and makes the committee meeting open and frank, so we can get things done."

Like most of us the pandemic has played havoc with his work life at Suffolk New , although as the

Despite being a successful educator, Lee admits it was not his first choice of career.

"I never planned to work in education, I always wanted to be a footballer but I wasn't as good as I needed to be," he confessed.

"From sixth form, I worked out I wanted to do something in sport so went to Nottingham Trent University, where he studied for Masters and while doing that he did an internship in strength and conditioner but it got in the way of playing.

Lee was offered a job at West Suffolk then did pre-season with their 15-18 and loved it. His academic background, enthusiasm, natural coaching ability and all round knowledge got him noticed and he was asked he was not delivering anything on their sports course.

"That is how I got into teaching, alongside the coaching and playing. And it has gone from there really."

Lee remains driven but experience has helped him to keep his edge and stay motivated even in the most challenging of times.

He said: "I have always been very competitive but nowadays it is more internally. I can now accept I can't always be the best at something but I I like to challenge myself to be better than I was yesterday,

"I apply that to my work as well and that means I progress along with the job."

Success for Lee is now about seeing and helping youngsters succeed. One of his biggest achievement was helping Bury U18s reach the third round of the FA Youth Cup, and setting a certain young keeper on his way to playing in the Premier League and for England.

He fondly recalls: "Getting a small club Bury to that stage was very special. We beat Walsall and Macclesfield to reach the third round and drew Nottingham Forest away, which was special for me because I used live within sight of the ground when I was at university.

"To go back there with team of lads we coached was extra special.

"One of the success from that team was Nick Pope. He was exceptional because we did not have a goalkeeping coach as such but he just learned the game, watched and bettered himself. He was one of the most outstanding people I have worked with.

"He was always challenging himself to be better, for example we would have five-aside-on a Friday afternoon and if he let a goal in he would be fuming- he was so passionate."

"Seeing people like him progress is a massive high."

And that professionally is where Lee measures continues striving to succeed.

"To see students come to us, maybe they start off with low self-esteem, not god academically, but by the time they leave and go off to university they change," said Lee. "Then you hear back that they have their dream job.

"There are not many more things more satisfying than that."

Getting the peninsula's cricket club off the ground and seeing it grown exponentially is another proud milestone and that legacy to his dad Peter is something else Lee is proud off and how it could see another ambition fulfilled.

"We have around 50 members now and bringing in young people on the peninsula to be involved is what it is all about," said Lee. "For example, we have a 12-year-old who has played his first game with his dad in the side and I would love to see my children come on and play for the club, with me still playing hopefully."

With a challenging time still to come at Suffolk New College, with fresh intake to manage, Lee strives to carry on his own self-improvement, but more importantly continuing to make every student better and ready to take that next big step in their career path.

Sport wise – the target driven Lee is looking to better the

200 wickets he has already taken and has targeted 250, 500, 1,000. "It is all about milestones," concluded Lee.

Watch Stars present Suffolk New College sports awards on You Tube.