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| Super welcome by Blackburn College on Day 147 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
Blackburn is a large town in
Lancashire and lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge
of the Ribble Valley. Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which
it forms the unitary authority area of Blackburn and Darwen. Blackburn is
the administrative centre for Blackburn and Darwen. Blackburn’s population
is about 105,000 and including Darwen is about 141,000.
Blackburn is a former mill town
and textiles have been produced there since the middle of the 13th
century. James Hargreaves, the inventor of the spinning jenny, was a
weaver in Blackburn.
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| The Spinning Jenny-a multi-spool spinning frame invented by James Hargreaves in 1764. The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn, with a worker able to work eight or more spools at once. This grew to 120 as techology advanced. |
Blackburn was a boomtown of the
Industrial Revolution and amongst the first industrialised towns in the world.
The textile sector fell into a
terminal decline from the mid-20th century. Blackburn has subsequently faced
similar challenges to other post-industrial northern towns including
de-industrialisation, economic deprivation and housing issues.
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| Blackburn, Lancashire |
Since the 1950s the town has experienced significant levels of migration,
particularly from India and Pakistan, and consequently has the third highest
proportion of Muslims in England and Wales and the highest in the United
Kingdom outside London.
Today was Day 147 of my BRIT 2012
mile walk and I was hosted today by Blackburn College http://www.blackburn.ac.uk/
Blackburn College offers
Vocational Courses, 6th Form, Apprenticeships, Higher Education,
Full or Part Time Adult Courses, Training Courses and International Student
Courses. Blackburn College has been providing education for over 120 years and
is the second largest provider of higher education for a College in the UK.
Blackburn College has an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted inspection and were one of the
first Colleges in the whole country to be rated as ‘Outstanding’ across the
whole College.
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| Enjoying a great day with young people from Blackburn on Day 147 of the BRIT 2012 mile walk |
They currently have over 15,000
students of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and interests, studying on courses
from Entry Level through to Masters degrees. Today I walked with young people
who are attending the Public Services Courses and the Care and Health Courses.
These are vocational courses and taking a vocational qualification means that
they can study and gain skills in a particular area. These qualifications
follow a course structure and they have an emphasis on developing practical
skills and knowledge. They are usually classroom based with assessment by
written and practical examinations. They are also an ideal qualification for
entrance to university. A triple distinction on a vocational course is the
equivalent to 3 As at A Level. These are just some of the vocational courses
available at Blackburn College;
I had the opportunity to spend
time talking to students who were keen to be Police Officers, Fire Fighters,
Nurses, Paramedics, Soldiers, Youth Workers and Carers. We spoke at length
about their courses and what they aspired to be when they qualified. Many of
the young people I spoke to shared their own journeys and many of them come
from very deprived backgrounds, are young carers themselves, and they all spoke
of the high unemployment figures in the area. Gaining qualifications and
finding employment is the lifeline they need. With so many walls to climb and
difficulties to endure, I was humbled by their positive outlook, their
commitment to finding employment and the attitude they are applying to their
lives to move forward.
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| Talking with young people from Blackburn about their aspirations, unemployment in the area and what they want to do in the future |
I am very lucky to be able to
meet so many young people and feel honoured that they can share their journeys
and experiences with me. Every day I am learning more from young people in
differing communities throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The need
and the justification for building the BRIT Centre of Inspiration continues to
grow stronger and spending time with these remarkable young people fuels my
determination to gain the support of businesses to build a legacy and a
lifeline for young people post-trauma as soon as we possibly can.
My thanks to Ian Clinton, Principal
& Chief Executive of Blackburn College, for hosting the BRIT 2012 mile walk
and to Pete Crump at Blackburn College for looking after me and coordinating
the whole day.
I am finishing Day 147 with 1017
miles to go.
Best wishes,
Phil