Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ in Norfolk have teamed up with the Learning And Skills Council to create The Big Skill Awards, and they had a star name on hand to help launch the project on Monday, 11 February, 2008.

Kenny Logan was a Scottish international rugby union player, but is perhaps better known to thousands of new fans thanks to his appearance in the hit Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ1 series Strictly Come Dancing.

A firm believer in becoming more accomplished through learning new skills, Kenny Logan learned to read as an adult after struggling with dyslexia for many years. He only addressed the problem in his thirties.

He's also now a keen dancer following his impressive stint on Strictly, another new string to his bow.

Kenny is now be helping The Big Skill project - designed to reward people in Norfolk who have picked up a new skill, or helped others to do the same.

Nominations for The Big Skill Awards are invited up until Monday, 31 March, 2008.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Norfolk's Andy Archer and Karen Buchanan talked to Kenny Logan about The Big Skill Awards and the fact he's now known as the ballroom dancing rugby player.

AA: Were you a dance-floor virgin before the show?

KL: I was a massive virgin - on the dance floor! I danced at my wedding but I said to Gabby after it, 'No more,' now I go to dinners and there's queues of people asking, 'Can you do the pasa doble? Can you do the lift?', but it's not that easy.

KB: Was it a different kind of fitness you needed from your rugby training?

KL: The training didn't bother me - what was hard was picking up new steps, it was all about losing the muscle and trying to look a bit refined.

KB: Learning new skills has played an important part in your life.

KL: I left school and I couldn't read or write, I couldn't write my address until I was 30, I went through a program called the Dore Program which changed my life.

Just by doing exercises, stimulating a certain part of the brain it opened the neurological pathways, it also helped me in my sport and helped me pick up other skills.

Kenny Logan tries his hand at floristry

Being involved in the Big Skill Awards is something that's important to me because you should always push yourself to learn something new.

You can get so much self-esteem and respect from it, people can see you developing as a person from it and that's very important.

Listen to the full interview with Kenny Logan:

The closing date for nominations is Monday, 31 March, 2008.