Widnes is an industrial town
within the borough of Halton in Cheshire. The population of Widnes is
approximately 59,000 and it is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey
where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across
the Mersey is the town of Runcorn, upstream and about 8 miles to the East is
the town of Warrington and downstream to the west is the neighbouring area of
Speke, of the city of Liverpool.
In 1847 the first chemical
factory was established and the town rapidly became a major centre of the
chemical industry and the demand for labour was met by the immigration of large
numbers of workers from Ireland, Poland, Lithuania and Wales. The town
continues to be a major manufacturer of chemicals.
Day 143 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk
and today I was hosted by Cronton 6th Form College which is situated
in Widnes and part of Riverside College http://www.riverside.ac.uk/website/
At Riverside College they believe
in the power of education to enhance and transform people’s lives. They are a
college which strives to be outstanding in everything they do and this ethos is
reflected in their successes which include 100% pass rates in A level and
vocational courses, an excellent Ofsted report and a Matrix Excellence Award
for student support.
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| A great start to Day 143 in Widnes at the Cronton 6th Form College (part of Riverside College) |
At Riverside College they have a
course to suit all levels of ability from basic skills right through to
advanced level courses and beyond. The college is made up of Cronton Sixth Form
College, Riverside College Kingsway Centre, and their Astmoor Construction
Skills Centre based in Runcorn.
I was joined throughout the day
by students and staff from their Sports Courses and their Public Services
Courses;
Sports Courses:
Public Services Courses:
Following the opportunity to talk
to all the students and staff on my arrival and introduce everyone to the BRIT
2012 Challenge and the BRIT vision, I started my first of 10 laps around the 6th
Form campus. I met a new group of students after each lap and I was delighted
to talk to so many young people about their course choice, aspirations,
thoughts on BRIT and their views on future employment and what they would like
to do after they finish their current education.
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| Joined on Day 143 of the BRIT 2012 mile walk by Fire Fighters from Widnes Fire station, Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service |
Throughout the day we were joined
by Fire Fighters from Widnes Fire Station, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service,
and they spent time with many of the young people on the Public Services
Courses who have aspirations to join the Fire & Rescue Service.
It was an uplifting experience
for me to enjoy talking to so many students on such a wide range of topics and
the day was full of complete openness, honesty and a lot of laughter. I am
sincerely grateful to Ben Barton for coordinating the day and for making me
feel so welcome. My thanks to all the students for looking after me,
surrounding me with so much enthusiasm and support, and for all their very kind
words and good wishes for the rest of the BRIT 2012 mile challenge.
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| The finish of my walk at Cronton 6th Form College in Widnes, Cheshire |
This was a great day and I shall
cherish the time I spent with all the staff and students at Cronton 6th
Form College.
I then made my way to The Stobart
Stadium in Halton, which is home of The Widnes Vikings Rugby League Club http://www.widnesvikings.co.uk/
The Widnes Vikings currently play in the Stobart Super League, the top tier
of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the
top-flight Super League from 2012 onward.
Widnes was one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the
Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, making them one of the world's first
rugby league teams. Their traditional nickname is "The Chemics" after
the main industry in Widnes, but the club also uses their more modern nickname
in "The Vikings". They have a strong local rivalry with Warrington
Wolves and resisted the idea of merger with their rivals at the beginning of
Super League in 1995. Before Super League they were one of the strongest teams in
British rugby league and they were dubbed "Cup Kings" after going to
Wembley nearly every year in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By 1989 Widnes
became the first official World Club Champions, by beating the Australian
champions Canberra Raiders.
In November 2007 the club had been purchased by Steve O'Connor, a local
businessman, who had just sold his business to the Stobart Group. He invested a
substantial amount of money into his home town club, with the dream of
returning Widnes RLFC back to the glory days. By 2011, the club had
successfully achieved Super League status bringing this dream one step closer
to reality.
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| Visiting the home of the Widnes Vikings Rugby League Football Club on Day 143 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
Mark Naughton of Widnes Vikings
showed me their new “i-pitch”. Widnes Vikings play and train on the latest
generation of artificial grass pitches known as the 'i-pitch' and it was
installed at the Stobart Stadium in time for the club's pre-season training
last December and will not only be used for its Super League games, but for the
community to use for a wide range of activities.
The Valhalla Foundation - a
registered charitable trust was created in January 2009 in the interests of
social welfare and to help improve the quality of life for the public at large.
Specifically the Valhalla Foundation use Health and Fitness to underpin its
activities utilising the strengths and experience of The Widnes Vikings Rugby
League Club to whom the Valhalla Foundation is closely linked. Their aims
are:
To educate and encourage children
and adults living in Halton and the North West Region, to live healthy active
lifestyles.
Deliver FUNdamental sports
skills.
Encourage children and young
people to invest in their future by learning new skills.
To give children and young people
positive experience and generate confidence to enhance their life.
To encourage female participation
in sport and active lifestyle.
Increase awareness of the effects
of anti-social behaviour and give help and advice to tackle such behaviours
e.g. bullying within schools / looking at knife crime.
·
Increase the awareness of substance abuse and work with young people to develop
reasons and techniques to "Say
No!"
·
To work with young people to drive improvement in attitude and behaviour.
·
Develop strong sustainable links between the club and local schools.
·
Provide teaching and training on coaching methods and practices.
·
Provide an unforgettable Widnes Vikings experience.
·
To encourage participation in Rugby League activities across the borough of
Halton.
·
Provide educational opportunities on the heritage of the Rugby Club.
I was impressed with the courses
provided which include;
·
Vikings Against Bullying (VAB Team).
·
Healthy Eating with Vikings First Team.
·
Drugs Awareness.
·
How Tough Are You (Knife Crime Lesson).
·
Kemik Activity Morning.
·
'Thinking About Your Future'
It was interesting to hear from
many of the students today that they were not only proud of The Vikings as a
team, but also that they felt proud of the courses run at the Stadium to tackle
bullying, for drug awareness and to tackle knife crime and that they believed
these were positive steps to support young people.
I thoroughly enjoyed today and
would like to thank everyone in Widnes for making me feel so welcome. I
am finishing Day 143 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk with 1033 miles to go.
Best wishes,
Phil