Discover some extraordinary characters with 100% Character Uncovered

Now, more than ever, we need people to inspire us. Universal Channel is doing just that by shining a light on individuals who are spurring on others through their determination and extraordinary character. The channel’s initiative/campaign, 100% Character Uncovered, seeks out these bright and heartening individuals, who range from entrepreneurs to gym owners to a single mother getting back in the gymnasticts game. These are people with big dreams and a steadfast ambition with which to pursue them.

One such inspiring talent, or as Universal Channel puts it, 100% Character is Amir Miah. As he explains in the video below, Amir is using his good fortune and entrepreneurial skills to give something back to the rough hewn community where he spent his formative years.

As Amir says, he grew up on a rough estate, and this has made him see the world differently. He's been particularly struck by the lack of opportunities available for the kids who grew up on the estate alongside him. “More young people went into prisons than on to continued education,” he says. “I wanted to help change this.”

Amir struck on an idea that involved the ill-gotten method he had for raising funds for himself as a teen on the estate. “I used to buy and sell stolen bicycles when I was younger,” he explains, “just to put money in my pocket. I didn’t realise, when you steal someone’s bike, it’s more than just a piece of metal; it’s got value.”

From this epiphany he set up Your Bike, which he describes as “a project that works with young people: it gives them training a employment opportunities.

“The young people that have worked with me, I think they’re amazing. They’ve got talents that need to be found.

“I’m not really money motivated. When people come back to you and say, ‘Amir, you’ve changed my life,’ it makes me genuinely happy.”

Amir is well aware that there are few from his estate who have been as lucky as he was. For him, the Your Bike project is “like throwing a stepladder back to where I’ve come from so that they can get a step up too.”

You can find many other inspirational 100% Characters over at the Universal Channel website or on the Universal Channel’s Facebook page. Characters like Lorraine Galvin, who was inspired to become a Lifeboat crew member after she capsized at sea in an area with no rescue services when she was just 16 years old. Or Lisa Mason, a former gymnast who returned to the sport professionally after 13 years out – this time, as a single mother. There’s also Kenny Imafidon, a young black man who was wrongfully sent to prison at the age of 18, and emerged from that experience to become an influential political commentator and author.

Head to universalchannel.co.uk to discover more 100% Characters and be inspired.