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Lindon Layton-Best: Roundhay High student follows in family footsteps
Determination is helping Roundhay High student Lindon Layton-Best follow in some rather large family footprints.
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The 18-year-old, who has dyslexia and dyspraxia, can only write a dozen words a minute and struggles to hold a pen.
And yet he has just gained four top A-level grades and is preparing to study politics at Manchester University.
The student, whose grandfather is Labour's former, long-serving Leeds North West MP Harold Best, achieved A grades in politics, history, English literature and general studies when results were published last Thursday.
"I was expecting to do well in politics but to get straight As is fantastic," he said.
"I have worked very hard but it was still unexpected."
Lindon revealed that his learning difficulty also meant he could not join his classmates in the main hall when they were sitting their exams.
"Because I write so slowly, I use a laptop instead because I can type much quicker. The problem is, I type really loudly so I had to sit the exams on my own, in a soundproof room away from the rest of the students.
"It works both ways though, because I have the attention span of a flea and any noise distracts me, so it would have been difficult doing exams in the main hall anyway."
His love of politics, he said, was inspired by his grandfather when he was a young boy.
In the past, he has also been a member of Leeds Youth Council and contributed to projects such as the city's Breeze festival and healthy living schemes, and was particularly keen on the Manchester course because it also enables him to study international relations.
"When I was seven I went to the House of Parliament and ever since I have had a fascination with politics," said Lindon. I don't want to be a career politician though – I'm just happy to be on the course and then take it from there."
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Weather for Leeds
Monday 21 May 2012
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Temperature: 7 C to 15 C
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