48-461: The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust is a British charity that was set up in 2008 by double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes . It supports retired athletes as they transition from sport, and uses their skills and experience to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people through mentoring programmes. The Trust supports people between the ages of 14 and 25 in all regions of the United Kingdom, and
96-427: A sinecure appointment for distinguished generals and members of the royal family or British nobility . Despite an individual only being permitted to hold one colonelcy, it was a profitable position as they were in financial charge of their regiment's allowance from the government. This meant they could hope to make a profit on the funds allocated for equipment, supplies and uniforms. As generals were mostly on half-pay,
144-405: A 3,000 metres and a relay race in a single day. She also won the heptathlon. Holmes watched the 1992 Summer Olympics on television, and on seeing Lisa York in the heats of the 3,000 metres – an athlete whom she had competed against, and beaten – she decided to return to athletics. For several years she combined athletics with employment in the army, until increased funding allowed her to become
192-673: A Class 2 PTI. Although militarily quite young, Holmes's athletic prowess was impressive and she was encouraged to attend the course selection for full-time transfer to the Royal Army Physical Training Corps (RAPTC) at Aldershot . Holmes eventually qualified as a class 1 PTI, although she remained in the Adjutant General's Corps after the disbandment of the WRAC in 1992. She also became British Army judo champion and at an athletics event, she competed in and won an 800 metres,
240-517: A close link to a particular regiment. Non-military personnel, usually for positions within the Army Reserve , may also be appointed to the ceremonial position. When attending functions as "colonel of the regiment", the titleholder wears the regimental uniform with rank insignia of (full) colonel, regardless of their official rank. A member of the Royal Family is known as a royal colonel . A colonel of
288-461: A colonel-in-chief is to maintain a direct link between a given regiment and the British Royal Family . Some of the historic duties associated with the title colonel of the regiment (to distinguish it from the military rank of colonel) continue to be used in the modern British Army. The ceremonial position is often conferred on retired general officers , brigadiers or colonels who have
336-517: A colonelcy was a method of providing them with extra income. Many colonels spent large sums of their own money on their regiments. By the end of the 19th century, the reorganisation of the British Army through the Cardwell and Childers Reforms had established a colonel as a professional rank with senior administrative responsibilities in regiment or brigade. Another title employed by the British Army
384-657: A double gold medal-winning performance at the Athens Olympics , finishing as the 800 m and 1,500 m Olympic Champion . For her achievements she won numerous awards and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2005. She retired from athletics in 2005 and has since been made an honorary colonel with the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment (RACTR). She has become
432-683: A full-time athlete in 1997. Highlights of her early and pre-Athens career included gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and silvers at the World and European Championships. In 2000 she also took a bronze at the Sydney Olympics. In 2017, Holmes revealed that after training in 2003 for the 2004 Summer Olympics at a French training camp where she suffered leg injuries and became depressed, she began cutting herself . "I made one cut for every day that I had been injured", Holmes stated in an interview with
480-794: A global motivational speaker, published five books, her latest being Running Life , and made a number of television appearances. Holmes was born in Pembury , near Tunbridge Wells in Kent, the daughter of Derrick Holmes, a Jamaican -born car mechanic, and an English mother, Pam Norman. Her mother was 17 at the time of her birth, and seven years later married painter and decorator Michael Norris, whom Holmes regards as her father. Holmes grew up in Hildenborough , Kent, where she attended Hildenborough CEP School, and then Hugh Christie Comprehensive School in Tonbridge from
528-622: A number of programmes for disadvantaged young people throughout the UK including Get On Track, AQA Unlocking Potential, Sport For Change and Sporting Champions. Young people have been helped by the trust to gain permanent employment despite various difficulties including criminal records, special needs and lack of school qualifications. Other vulnerable people supported by the Trust in 2016 included those leaving care , and young women at risk of sexual exploitation . In October 2019, skeleton athlete Amy Williams
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#1732854976842576-405: A number of the other competitors, and moved into the lead ahead of Mutola on the final bend, taking the gold on the line ahead of Hasna Benhassi and Čeplak, with Mutola in fourth. Holmes became the seventh British woman to win an athletics gold, and the second after Ann Packer in 1964 to win the 800 metres. In the final of the 1,500 m, again running from the rear of the field, she took
624-430: A professional athlete is an extremely difficult thing to do and places the athlete under tremendous amounts of stress. Holmes's honesty quickly won her praise from people on Twitter. 2004 saw Holmes arrive at a major competition, the Athens Olympics , with no injury worries for just about the first time in her career. She had originally planned to compete in just the 1,500 m but a victory over Jolanda Čeplak before
672-581: Is " colonel-in-chief " which is distinct from the ceremonial title "Colonel of the Regiment". The position is usually held by a member of the Royal Family who acts as a patron to the unit, as Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon , did for the Bermuda Regiment . Although they do not have an operational role, they are kept informed of all important activities undertaken by the regiment and pay occasional visits to its operational units. The chief purpose of
720-517: Is funded by a combination of grants, trusts, corporate partners and fundraising. By April 2015, the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust had made an impact on 200,000 young people, and supported over 400 athletes in their transition from sport. It was described as "flourishing" in 2016. The Trust worked directly with 3,198 young people in its long-term programmes in 2016–17, almost three times as many as the previous year. The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust runs
768-689: Is two diamond-shaped pips (properly called "Bath Stars" ) below a crown. The crown has varied in the past with different monarchs; Elizabeth II's reign used St Edward's Crown . The rank is equivalent to captain in the Royal Navy and group captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of colonel was popularised by the tercios that were employed in the Spanish Army during the 16th and 17th centuries. General Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba divided his troops into coronelías (meaning "column of soldiers" from
816-633: The Sunday Mirror , adding that she felt "finally free". She said that she had known she was a lesbian since 1988, when she was in the army; she could not come out then as it was illegal at the time to be gay in the military. After winning two Olympic gold medals at Athens in 2004 and becoming a public figure, she feared there may still be consequences from the army if she came out after leaving, and that she may be shunned within athletics as there were no openly gay sportspeople she knew of. LGBT campaigners celebrated Holmes coming out, saying that it sheds light on
864-603: The British Army at the age of 18, having left school two years earlier to work first as an assistant in a sweet shop and later as a nursing assistant for disabled patients. In the army, she became a HGV driver in the Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC), later becoming a basic physical training instructor (PTI). Holmes then elected in June 1990 to attend the first course to be run under the army's new physical training syllabus, and passed out as
912-603: The Latin , columnella or "small column" ). These units were led by a coronel . This command structure and its titles were soon adopted as colonello in early modern Italian and in Middle French as coronel . The rank title entered the English language from French in the mid-16th century and so the modern English pronunciation of the word is derived from the French variant. The use of
960-468: The News of the World newspaper. At least once, she considered suicide, but she eventually sought help from a doctor and was diagnosed with clinical depression . While she could not use anti-depressants because it would affect her performance, she began using herbal serotonin tablets. In 2005, after her achievements at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Holmes chose to talk about her self-harm to show others that being
1008-459: The standing army of Great Britain were named numerically, although some independent Highland regiments —such as MacLeod's Highlanders —were raised in the name of their colonel for service in West Africa and India . The change from a colonelcy based on patronage was because the British Army's administration had been reformed into three administrative bodies: The reforms meant that
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#17328549768421056-597: The 1,500 m at the Commonwealth Games and took silver at the European Championships . She won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championships , but suffered from various injuries over the following years, failing to gain a medal at her first Olympics in Atlanta 1996 when running with a stress fracture. She won silver in the 1,500 m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and bronze in
1104-540: The 1,500m final set a new British record for the distance. Subsequently, Holmes was given the honour of carrying the British flag at the closing ceremony of the games, on 29 August, the day after her second victory. A homecoming parade was held in her honour through the streets of Hildenborough and Tonbridge on 1 September, which was attended by approximately 40,000 people. Holmes won the BBC Sports Personality of
1152-667: The 800 m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics , her first Olympic medal. Holmes won the 1,500 m at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 800 m bronze at the Munich European Championships that year. The 2003 track season saw her take silver in the 1,500 m at the World Indoor Championships and the 800 m silver medals at the World Championships and first World Athletics Final . She took part in her final major championship in 2004, with
1200-523: The British government was now financially responsible for the pay, clothing and equipment of the troops in the service of the British Crown . Colonels were also no longer permitted to profit directly from the sale of officer commissions in their regiments. A lieutenant-colonel commanded the regiment in battle. By the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars , the title "colonel of the regiment" had become
1248-594: The ITV Loose Women talk show. In 2014 Holmes opened a cafe and community hub in Hildenborough named Cafe 1809 after her 2004 Olympics bib number. She opened a sister branch of the cafe in Gravesend in 2017, but this closed after a few months. In October 2018 Holmes announced the cafe would close the following month, before re-opening as The 1809 Hub: "a space for events, pop-ups, and community gatherings". In June 2022, Holmes came out as gay in an interview with
1296-556: The ITV game show The Cube . In October 2011, she appeared live on Dubai One lifestyle show Studio One where she talked about her life and career after athletics. In 2013 Holmes became the face of MoneyForce , a programme run by the Royal British Legion to deliver money advice to the UK armed forces . In early 2015, she took part in the ITV series Bear Grylls: Mission Survive and
1344-780: The LGBTQ+ world." In 2012, Holmes was one of five Olympians chosen for a series of body-casting artworks by Louise Giblin , exhibited in London with copies being sold in aid of the charity Headfirst. In 2017 a statue of Holmes by sculptor Guy Portelli was erected in Tonbridge. Colonel (United Kingdom)#Honorary Colonel Colonel ( Col ) is a rank of the British Army and Royal Marines , ranking below brigadier , and above lieutenant colonel . British colonels are not usually field commanders; typically they serve as staff officers between field commands at battalion and brigade level. The insignia
1392-687: The P&;O Cruise ship MS Arcadia . On 21 August, she competed in her final race in the UK, the 800 m at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix meeting in Sheffield . Her training schedule during the summer of 2005 had been disrupted by a recurrent Achilles tendon injury, and she finished the race in eighth place, limping across the finish line and completing a lap of honour on a buggy. On 6 December 2005, Holmes announced her retirement from athletics, saying she had reassessed her future after
1440-655: The Royal Air Force maintained the rank of colonel. During this period, groups were often commanded by RAF colonels. The rank of colonel was superseded by that of group captain on 1 August 1919. When badges of rank were introduced for field officers in 1810, full colonels were designated with a crown and star worn on shoulder epaulettes . In 1855, after the Crimean War , new dress regulations were published which specified changes where rank would be worn. Thereafter full colonels wore half-inch regimental pattern laces on upper and lower collar, with one crown and one star. In 1880
1488-602: The UK. As part of her pledge to the charity, she participated in the Powerman UK duathlon in 2014, one of several fundraising events she took part in. Since 2004, Holmes has taken part in "On Camp with Kelly" athletics camps which train junior athletes, sponsored by insurance company Aviva (formerly Norwich Union). In 2005, she won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year . The same year, she named
Dame Kelly Holmes Trust - Misplaced Pages Continue
1536-586: The Year in 2004, saying she achieved her goals after "20 years of dreaming". She also asserted the award was "the biggest sporting honour your country can give you". The tributes to her at the BBC awards ceremony were led by the six British female athletes who had previously won gold at the Olympic Games in a " Magnificent Seven "-style feature – those six being Mary Rand , Ann Packer , Mary Peters , Tessa Sanderson , Sally Gunnell and Denise Lewis . In 2007, she
1584-467: The age of 12. She started training for athletics at the age of 12, joining Tonbridge Athletics Club, where she was coached by David Arnold and went on to win the English Schools 1,500 metres in her second season in 1983. Her hero was British middle-distance runner Steve Ovett , and she was inspired by his success at the 1980 Summer Olympics . However, Holmes later turned away from athletics, joining
1632-416: The death of a friend, as well as citing a lack of motivation to continue. In May 2009, Holmes was named as the president of Commonwealth Games England , succeeding Sir Chris Chataway , who had held the post since 1994. The organisation's chairman Sir Andrew Foster said: "Dame Kelly has been an outstanding athlete both for Team England and Great Britain. She is a truly inspirational and respected figure in
1680-413: The games had many saying she should take her chance in the 800 m as well. Holmes did not announce her decision to race in both events until five days before the 800 m finals. Along with three time World Champion Maria de Lurdes Mutola and Čeplak, Holmes was considered one of the favourites for the gold medal in the 800 m. In the final, Holmes ran a well-paced race, ignoring a fast start by
1728-432: The historic homophobia that can still serve as a barrier to older people coming out. Later that month, on 26 June, ITV broadcast a 55-minute documentary Kelly Holmes: Being Me in which she describes her fears of her sexuality being exposed, and meets two people who were discharged from the military for being gay. Holmes wrote: "The documentary taught me so much about generational and social advancements when it comes to
1776-420: The honorific title "Colonel of Marines" to post-captains as a reward for highly distinguished service. It was a salaried sinecure position with no additional obligations outside a captain's normal naval duties. He would lose this title and its additional pay upon reaching flag rank . Horatio Nelson was given such a colonelcy in 1795, two years before he reached flag rank. From 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919,
1824-428: The insignia was moved to the shoulder boards when in full dress , and full colonels were given an extra star. The pattern of a crown above two stars has remained the identifying insignia from 1880 to the present day although it has variously been worn on the shoulder, cuff and chest. During World War I, colonels wore the following cuff badges: The insignia is two diamond-shaped pips (properly called "Bath Stars") below
1872-475: The lead in the final straight, holding off World Champion Tatyana Tomashova of Russia. She thus became only the third woman in history to do the 800 m and 1,500 m double (after Tatyana Kazankina of the Soviet Union in 1976 and Svetlana Masterkova of Russia in 1996 ), and Britain's first double gold medallist at the same games since Albert Hill in 1920 . Her time of 3 minutes 57.90 seconds in
1920-510: The rank of colonel pre-dates the establishment of the United Kingdom. In the mid-17th century, the regiments of the New Model Army were commanded by colonels. The British Army has historically been organized around the regiment, with each regiment being raised, uniformed, and equipped either directly by the crown or by a nobleman. The colonels nominally commanding these regiments (usually the noblemen who raised them) often had little to do with
1968-435: The records over the 600 , and 1,000 metre distances. She held the British 800 metre record until 2021. Inspired by a number of successful British middle-distance runners in the early 1980s, Holmes began competing in middle-distance events in her youth. She joined the British Army , but continued to compete at the organisation's athletics events. She turned to the professional athletics circuit in 1993 and in 1994 she won
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2016-484: The regiment is expected to work closely with a regiment and its regimental association . Regiments or units may have an honorary colonel , which is solely a ceremonial rank, that can also be held by a civilian, with no military service. If the appointment is held by a member of the Royal Family it is known as royal honorary colonel . Certain units may have one or more deputy colonels . The Royal Navy once conveyed
2064-494: The regiment's actual activities, either because they contemporaneously served as general officers or because they were essentially mere financiers. The day to day command of the regiment was left to a lieutenant colonel or major. By the end of the 17th century in Great Britain, the "colonel of a regiment" was often a titled person who had been given royal permission to raise it for service and command it in battle. As such, he
2112-538: The sporting world and will be a wonderful ambassador for Commonwealth Games England." On 18 March 2019, Holmes, along with Paula Radcliffe and Sharron Davies , announced they would be writing a letter to the International Olympic Committee targeting trans women who compete in women's sports categories. Holmes is known for her advocacy on various health-related topics, particularly mental health and menopause. In November 2010, Holmes took part in
2160-469: Was appointed as the Trust's first Ambassador. Dame Kelly Holmes Dame Kelly Holmes (born 19 April 1970) is a retired British middle distance athlete , TV presenter and television personality. Holmes specialised in the 800 metres and 1,500 metres events and won gold medals for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens . She set British records in numerous events and still holds
2208-465: Was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Loughborough University . In 2010, Holmes was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame . In 2018, she was made honorary colonel of the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment. In 2008, Holmes founded the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, a registered charity , to support young athletes and help the lives of young people facing disadvantage across
2256-473: Was required to cover all costs of the regiment's equipment, uniforms and wages as well as select its officers. Until the late 18th century most British regiments were commonly known by the name of the colonelcy, for example Lord Churchill's Dragoons (1683–1685) or Elliot's Light Horse (1759–66). By the start of the American Revolutionary War most English and Welsh regiments in
2304-509: Was the runner-up after a 12-day survival mission. In 2017, Holmes presented episode five of the BBC One television series Women at War: 100 Years of Service . In December 2017, Holmes spoke about her 2003 mental health issues in an episode of All in the Mind on BBC Radio 4 and in 2018 was one of the judges of the programme's awards. Since September 2022, Holmes has been a regular panelist on
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