HIP hop has changed the life of an autistic teen from Horrabridge, going from being unable to make eye contact to performing in front of thousands of people.

Fourteen-year-old Ollie Venning was whisked off to London at the weekend to a glittering awards ceremony, after being named one of three finalists for the national Autism Hero Awards.

Although just narrowly missing out, he came home with an certificate for being in the top three in the Creative Arts and Media category.

Ollie has autism and ADHD and after spending two years at Tavistock College — suffering with very low self esteem and shutting himself away — his mum pulled him out.

Pursuing his love of dancing, she researched local dance schools and enrolled him in the Plymouth-based Street Factory, where his confidence has increased dramatically over the last 18 months he has been attending.

Street Factory is a not for profit dance company, run by husband and wife team Toby and Jo Gorniak.

Toby has worked one on one with Ollie over many months, honing his body popping skills and increasing his confidence.

Toby also attended the Autism Hero Awards, winning the Leading Business category for Street Factory’s work with young people.

Toby was also recently awarded an MBE for his work within the community.

Ollie’s nan Ann Jessop said: ‘Ollie was at Tavistock College but after two years it was just too much for him. He had very low self esteem, he thought he was a failure.

‘He used to graffiti all over his body and shut himself away but now his whole life has changed. He is so much happier.

‘We found Street Factory and he had one on one sessions with Toby.

‘He never used to make eye contact or hold conversations, he would just grunt, but Toby worked hard to gain his trust. He’s been incredible, we can’t praise him enough.’

Ann said Ollie had just completed a 12 week programme Hip Hop Hope, funded by the Arts Council England, where he produced a dance piece about bullying and performed it publicly.

‘Dancing has really, really helped Ollie big time. He produced an amazing piece about bullying and performed it in front of hundreds of people.

‘He releases all his built up tension and anger and feels free when he’s dancing and now he has formed true friendships with people at Street Factory — they are all taught to respect each other.

‘He has liked dancing since he was little — he used to watch Diversity on the TV and copy all their moves.

‘Street Factory has definitely changed his life. He wouldn’t even hold a conversation with anybody before and now he will perform in front of thousands of people — he’s not bothered!

‘He’s so much happier now, his family and extended family are happier and his confidence has improved tremendously.

‘He even said to his mum that he wasn’t worried that he hadn’t won the Autism Hero Award because Street Factory had already helped him to come such a long way — and for him to talk like that is incredible.’

Ollie was nominated for the award by his mum Emma Venning who, in the nomination letter, said: ‘Ollie hated life and felt like a failure which was heart-breaking for his family. This all changed when he discovered his love for dancing and started attending one to one sessions at Street Factory. His confidence has grown day by day and he has now gone from a crew member to dancing on his own or within a group in public. Ollie is his mum’s hero and words can’t express how proud she is of him.’

Emma also nominated Toby for his award, saying: ‘Toby has transformed the lives of many, creating a safe place for them all to feel inspired, reduce isolation and be united in their community. He is full of compassion and goes above and beyond for the children he works with. He is more than just a teacher, he is an educator who has provided many opportunities for children and adults to reach their full potentials.’

Toby and the Street Factory team will continue to work with Ollie over the next 12 months to keep progressing with his hip hop theatre and dance training and continuing to improve his confidence, providing him with opportunities to dance locally and regionally, where he can also inspire more young people to do what they love.