I’m still on a high from a
fantastic day in Warrington. I was hosted on Day 144 of the BRIT 2012 mile walk
by Warrington Collegiate; http://www.warrington.ac.uk/
It is the college's intention to provide a broad and integrated range of
vocational curriculum from introductory to higher education level to ensure
there is an opportunity for all learners to select their individual
programmes and progress according to their own needs and aspirations. Learners
are supported on individual programmes through high quality teaching, learning
facilitation and tutoring. It was clear to me that many of the students I met
today had aspirations and the quality of teachers I met was highly professional
and the rapport between students and teachers was outstanding.
I was delighted to see a strong link between Warrington Collegiate and The
University of Chester (where I walked on Monday);
I was honoured that Paul Hafren, the Principal of Warrington Collegiate,
came out to join the walk around the campus today and I’m sincerely grateful to
Andrew Williams for coordinating my walk.
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| The start of Day 144 of the BRIT 2012 mile walk at Warrington Collegiate |
Learning at Warrington Collegiate is also dispersed throughout the
Warrington area via local learning centres and local learning facilitators,
co-ordinated through the central college hub at Winwick Road. Local learning
centres are sited in schools, community centres and employer premises. The
college is seen as a leading contributor to the economic and social development
of the Warrington area by providing a range of services to communities and
businesses. Warrington Collegiate also shares a strong relationship with the
Peter Jones Foundation and the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy;
Warrington Collegiate is committed to generating opportunities, actively
encouraging and providing practical support for learners to participate in
activities which benefit the community and contribute to the learners’
knowledge and understanding of the community in which they live, work and study.
In addition to charity work and Work Placements, Warrington Collegiate actively
encourages Voluntary Work.
Many Warrington Collegiate students are involved in a range of voluntary
work. Examples of this include sports students working in partnership with the
NSPCC to provide support for young people attending the Peace Centre. The
Public Services department also has strong links with the Fire Service, Police
and Youth Offending Team, providing students with the opportunity to complete
voluntary work within these organisations. It was therefore a tremendous boost
to the day to be joined by Fire Fighters from Warrington Fire Station, Cheshire
Fire and Rescue Service, who joined us for the whole day and spent time talking
to the students from the Public Services Course. I must take this opportunity
to thank Cheshire Fire and Rescue for supporting me throughout this week; the
Fire Fighters from Cheshire have been so very supportive and it’s an honour for
me to share such a special relationship with Fire Fighters throughout Great
Britain and Northern Ireland.
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| Joined once again by the Fire Fighters (Warrington Fire Station) of Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service |
The students who joined me today were a joy to meet and the conversations
we had we educational, very personal (of which I felt honoured to be trusted)
and they underpinned the vital need for me to build the BRIT Centre of
Inspiration. Many of the journeys they shared with me explained just how tough
it is to be a young carer to a parent, to live in deprivation with financial
difficulties or to care for a sibling who is finding life extremely tough
whilst living and worrying about a disability. I was humbled by their positive
attitudes to cope with adversity and I listened carefully so I can understand
fully what the young people felt would be beneficial when I build BRIT.
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| The young people of Warrington Collegiate braving the torrential downpours to keep walking with me on Day 144 of the BRIT 2012 mile walk |
The students stayed out to walk with me despite the torrential downpours
and although we were soaked through, everyone remained enthusiastic, happy and
we finished today’s miles as a team. During the day, one of the young students
talked to me about a charity called “PAPYRUS” who prevents suicide in the
young.
PAPYRUS is a national charity with their offices in Warrington. We decided
to take the opportunity to invite representatives of the charity to join us and
I was delighted that Louisa Walmsley and Alice Newton came up to Warrington
Collegiate and spent time with me explaining the aims of the charity, their
vision and the extraordinary work they carry out to provide a lifeline for
young people contemplating suicide.
It is almost midnight and I have spent this evening researching the charity
at http://www.papyrus-uk.org/
; it is a truly remarkable organisation carrying out vital work. I urge you to
take a look and give consideration to seeing how you may be able to help
PAPYRUS, however, very briefly, this is what they do (which I have taken from
their website);
· Reduce Stigma
associated with suicide – they offer “suicideTALK”
· Increase Awareness
of young suicide and how to help prevent it
· Provide services
(e.g. HOPELineUK: SMS and email support; Training; online
information;
professional advice)
· Campaign as a UK
charity to prevent young suicide
· Listen and Learn –
supporting/disseminating research/knowledge
· Contribute to
local, regional and national suicide prevention strategic action
If you would like to donate to PAPYRUS and help to provide services
preventing suicide in the young, please click here; http://www.papyrus-uk.org/donate
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It was a pleasure to meet Louisa and Alice and I very much look forward to
meeting their Chief Executive, Ged Flynn, and discussing how we can support
each other. From my research of PAPYRUS together with my determination to
ensure BRIT provides a lifeline to young people post-trauma who suffer
depression, self-harm or even contemplate suicide, I can see that PAPYRUS and
BRIT would work very well together.
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| Meeting a tremendous charity called Papyrus - preventing suicide in the young |
My day finished with a visit to
the home of Warrington Wolves Rugby League Football Club at the Halliwell-Jones
Stadium. Warrington is one of the
original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895
and the only one that has played every season in the top flight. They are
nicknamed "The Wire" in reference to the wire-pulling industry in the
town.
Warrington has won 3 League Championships and is the fourth most successful
team in the Challenge Cup with 7 victories. Their most successful season came
in 1953-54 when they completed a Championship and Challenge Cup 'Double' when
they beat Halifax twice in the space of four days. The current club captain is
former Great Britain captain Adrian Morley.
Warrington Wolves have a superb
community ethos which is delivered through their charity; the Warrington Wolves
Charitable Foundation; http://www.wolvesfoundation.com/ They operate within the
local community of Warrington and through the umbrella of sport, work in four
key areas: health, education, young people and social welfare.
Their aims and objectives are:
Health & Social Welfare: Look to enhance the quality of life by promoting healthy lifestyles to all ages, backgrounds and abilities within the community. They tackle key health issues for all, create wider activities for people with disabilities and hold inclusive activities for disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities.
Young People: Inspire the community by providing young people with pathways to participate in positive activity. They work with partners to provide diversionary activities, create sporting and physical activities and engage with young people to strengthen their communities.
Education: Look to create an environment to support learning and to contribute to the improvement of attainment, confidence and employability. They host Sports Leadership Programmes, volunteering opportunities, work placements and are home to a modern and welcoming learning environment.
Health & Social Welfare: Look to enhance the quality of life by promoting healthy lifestyles to all ages, backgrounds and abilities within the community. They tackle key health issues for all, create wider activities for people with disabilities and hold inclusive activities for disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities.
Young People: Inspire the community by providing young people with pathways to participate in positive activity. They work with partners to provide diversionary activities, create sporting and physical activities and engage with young people to strengthen their communities.
Education: Look to create an environment to support learning and to contribute to the improvement of attainment, confidence and employability. They host Sports Leadership Programmes, volunteering opportunities, work placements and are home to a modern and welcoming learning environment.
Thank you to everyone at
Warrington Wolves for showing me such warmth and hospitality on my visit today.
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| Visiting Warrington Wolves |
Throughout Day 144 I have met
some inspirational young people and some inspirational organisations. I am
sincerely grateful to everyone for making my time in Warrington so memorable
and such a positive experience. I am finishing the day with 1029 miles to go.
Best wishes,
Phil