A former student of Newhouse Academy in Heywood has become a national martial arts champion just two years after struggling with challenges in and out of school.
Divine Aikbekean, now 17, was named British Muay Thai Nai Khanom Tom Heavyweight Champion in December 2025. His journey from disengaged pupil to elite athlete was recently featured by the BBC as an example of how Greater Manchester’s crime reduction programmes can change young lives.
Staff at Newhouse Academy say Divine’s success is rooted in early pastoral and safeguarding support, along with the opportunities provided by Your Trust, the borough’s leisure and culture provider. Two years ago, staff identified that Divine needed direction and helped introduce him to Muay Thai, a martial art that would give him structure, purpose and discipline.
After taking up the sport at Middleton Martial Arts Academy, Divine committed to daily training. Alongside his sport, he achieved good GCSE grades including in English and maths in summer 2025.
Now, Divine is not only competing at a national level, but is also giving back by coaching younger students at the same academy that helped turn his life around. He has even been invited to train in Thailand with the England Muay Thai squad.
Newhouse Academy’s designated safeguarding lead, Vicky Wilde, praised Divine’s dedication and described his success as “a powerful reminder of what happens when young people are supported to thrive”.
“Every young person deserves someone who won’t give up on them,” she said. “At Newhouse Academy, we explore every avenue to help our students discover their strengths, their purpose, and their belief in a better future.”
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