Making the leap of faith

An energetic tutor from Priestley really did make a leap of faith when she completed a skydive from 10,000 feet in support of charity.

Carol Chan, who teaches Public Services at the Loushers Lane campus has been in adrenaline overdrive recently having also completed the Liverpool Half Marathon.

The run and jump challenge helped raise £750 to support the College's own Mozambique Appeal which has seen Priestley join forces with Habitat for Humanity to travel to Mozambique in order to build houses for children orphaned by AIDS.

Carol visited Cornwall to complete the jump and took it all in her stride, "The sky dive was an exciting experience and it was great to raise as much money as I did in support of a very worthwhile cause."

Adding, "A lot of planning and preparation has gone into the Mozambique project and I'm sure it will have a resounding impact on our students who will be experiencing a new culture and diverse country much different to our own."

Words by Nat Ashurst

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Priestley trio leave Ghanaian legacy

A trio of students who all travel some distance to complete their studies at Priestley have helped build a lasting education legacy for school children in Ghana.

Sam Fitch, Grant Hartley and Dave Murphy are all 17 and members of the Halton based Canal Boat Adventure Group. The charity is involved in numerous social inclusion projects supporting disadvantaged young people from the local area.

The enthusiastic trio of teenagers recently joined the charity on an African adventure which saw them head for the Ghanaian town of Nkawie. The community had some six schools but had no computers and only basic reading materials prior to their arrival.

The charity with the help of Sam, Grant and Dave made an immediate contribution raising funds that totalled over £18,000 from a range of fund-raising drives back in the UK. They then spent a month in Ghana working with local tradesmen to build a new computer centre and library before shipping over a container packed full of resources including computers and books.

"I didn’t know I had the ability to be a bricklayer" laughed Sam. "The whole experience was just amazing, to be able to play a small part in bringing a much needed building to a poor community was really rewarding."

Grant, added, "I guess when you look at it, not everybody of our age can say they have had an opportunity to travel this far and be involved with something like this, so we all remain very grateful for everything we've seen and done."

Since returning back to England, the students have knuckled down with their studies and are just coming to the end of their first year at Priestley before moving onto A-Level programmes in September.

After that it remains to be seen what lies in store for the intrepid explorers but for Sam at least the option to travel again at the end of his course is something that appeals, "To have visited Ghana at such a young age has really wetted my appetite" he said. "I am seriously considering gap year options following my a-levels as there’s so much of the world to see."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Planting a sustainable future

Students at Priestley were encouraged to get green fingered when the College took delivery of a new raised bed courtesy of the Long Lane Garden Centre.

The Centre made famous by the Channel Four show Secret Millionaire is a local registered charity which provides supported employment and training for adults with learning disabilities.

Simon Hardcastle, Phil Roberts and David Hunter from the organisation visited campus to fit the raised bed and meet with students who will soon be planting a range of herbs and vegetables on the plot.

The new project has been very ecological too, with the compost and fertiliser for the bed being produced by the College's in-house wormery and links in well to Priestley's policy for sustainable projects on campus.

Tutor Cath Stanley who has led on the initiative commented, "We were delighted to work with the Long Lane Garden Centre on this and look forward to taking delivery of more raised beds in the future."

Adding, "Getting students involved in growing their own food will be a rewarding experience as it will give them not only a sense of achievement but also an idea and concept of how they may be able to do the same thing at home."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Art attack at Priestley

Students coming to the end of their courses at Priestley this summer were able to showcase their artistic talents as the College welcomed members of the public to an end of year exhibition.

The Art and Design block and the Mezzanine deck welcomed guests during a one-week run which celebrated the work of students from Art and Design, Creative and Media, 3D Design, Graphic Design, Multimedia Design, Photography and Textiles.

The exhibition gave the students a much craved for opportunity to display their work to an outside audience and also discuss the thoughts, feelings and inspirations that had driven their creative process.

After another highly successful year for the Art and Design curriculum area, many of the students will now be leaving to embark on degree courses in related subjects with a long term goal of pursuing a career as professional artists.

Commenting on the exhibition, Andrea Marren, Head of Art and Design, said, "It was really excellent for the students to be able to showcase their work, which in many cases has taken a year to produce."

Adding, "The standard of work has been outstanding across the board and I congratulate the class of 2010 as they look to embark on their next chapter in life."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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James reaches for the skies

An energetic teenager at Priestley is flying high after receiving news from the Royal Navy that he has been accepted to take part in their prestigious advanced gliding scholarship.

18-year-old James Imrie is one of just a handful in the country to be invited on an annual basis after taking part in a rigorous selection process.

James originally completed the standard gliding scholarship at Culdrose in Cornwall and so impressed were his tutors that he was subsequently invited back to complete the advanced programme this summer at HMS Collingwood near Portsmouth.

The future certainly looks promising for the teenager who is currently completing A-Levels in Physics, Electronics and Design Technology. At the end of his stay at Priestley he will then be moving onto the University of Central Lancashire to read Motor Sport Engineering.

"I'm was really pleased to be selected for the advanced scholarship" commented James. "I can't wait to get back in the air and this summer is really looking like a fun one."

Adding, "I am very much looking at pursuing a career in aviation and I hope to reapply for a position with the Royal Navy whilst I'm taking my degree."

Words by Nat Ashurst

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Dressed to impress at Priestley

Fund raising at Priestley in support of a very worthwhile cause is continuing to reap rewards for the College's own Mozambique Appeal.

This summer a party from Priestley will join forces with the Habitat for Humanity Charity and head to the African country in order to help build houses for children orphaned by Aids.

The campus has been a hive of activity in recent weeks, in preparation for the expedition with all manner of fund raising initiatives taking place. The College held a Uniform Day in which students were asked to wear some form of related clothing and pay £1 for the privilege, whilst the usual cake stalls were also present.

Meanwhile expedition leader, Peter Butterfield, went the extra step by putting himself forward for a week of torture that saw him have his head shaved and bleached, alongside having his legs waxed.

Overall £750 was raised to put forward to the overall total, which is now in the region of £8,000 since the fund-raising frolics began.

Commenting on the latest initiatives, Peter himself, said, "Since we put forward the idea of visiting Mozambique, the College community has really got behind the project."

Adding, "We are all now very much looking forward to the expedition and doing all we can whilst we are there to help with this very worthwhile humanitarian project."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Priestley goes Motown

A talented an enthusiastic group of young musicians at Priestley held a night time gig that celebrated the Motown era and included performances by students of music from such famous artists as Stevie Wonder and The Jackson Five.

As part of their BTEC Music course, the students had to form their own production company and put on the gig, coming up with the name "Nevermind Productions" and have been given responsibility for all aspects of planning, public relations, ticket sales and event management.

The night was marketed to an under 18s audience with an authentic bar scene from the era and waitresses serving non alcoholic drinks.

Commenting on the night, Tutor Michael Grainger, said, "All year the students have put their efforts into the course and have produced some excellent gigs throughout including a performance at The Cavern Club in Liverpool."

Adding, "Differing from the other gigs the group have performed in, the Motown event added something new and more creative, as the students will planned it all themselves."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Spring is awoken at Priestley

Performing Arts students from Priestley produced their latest hit production to a sold out audience which dealt with dark and controversial subjects such as depression and suicide.

Spring Awakening, was a break away from the widely held belief that musical theatre should be light and happy with its narrative focussing on issues affecting teenagers that are often not widely publicised.

The play takes its inspiration from one of literature's most controversial works that was originally written in 1891 with many of the issues portrayed as relevant today as they were over 100 years ago.

The cast for the production were made up from second year Performing Arts students who were taking part in the production for their final assessment.

Commenting on the three-night run, Sarah Graham, Head of Performing Arts, said, "Spring Awakening was a unique production which challenged a number of firmly held beliefs about what Musical Theatre is or should be."

Adding, "The narrative was very dark to say the least, but was dealt with maturely and with the highest of respect by this particular year group who have been amongst the most talented ever to pass through the College system."

Words by Nat Ashurst

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A matter of evolution

Students studying Biology at Priestley got hands on with the subject of their own evolution when they made a trip off campus to the Nowgen Centre in Manchester.

The one-day educational workshop allowed the students to work with their own DNA and classify themselves into one of three common genotype groups. They were then able to compare their own sequence with that of chimpanzees to understand the process of evolution.

The day of practical activities linked closely to the specification being studied and gave the students a further opportunity to bring Biology to life in a unique way and setting.

As well as extracting their own DNA, the students also looked at Polymerase Chain Reaction, Restriction digestion and Gel electrophoresis.

Commenting on day, Emma Foster who is studying Biology alongside Chemistry, Maths and History at Priestley, said, "Visiting the Nowgen Centre was a really interesting experience and thankfully I was able to complete all the tasks successfully, hopefully I will have the opportunity to visit again."

Words by Nat Ashurst

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Sporting success rewarded at Priestley

Over eighty trophies were awarded to a whole host of sporting talent at Priestley during the College's annual awards ceremony.

Sara Bayman, an English international on the netball court was the guest of honour and handed out the trophies to those who had been successful both on the sporting field and also academically in the classroom.

The main two awards for the Sports Personality of the Year went to Brian Gallagher and Jodie Cunningham.

Brian is currently representing the North West in a Youth Ambassador role and as well as being an accomplished runner was also involved in numerous volunteering projects including those associated with the Wolves Foundation.

Jodie, meanwhile continued to excel on the rugby league field making some stand out performances for Warrington Wolves Ladies and England.

The two main awards were all the more special as they were voted for by the College community using an on-line poll on Priestley's virtual learning environment.

Speaking with regard to the ceremony, Curriculum Manager, Nige Howells, commented, "Once again it was really great to unite all of the people involved in such a fantastic year for Sport Priestley under one roof."

Adding, "I'd like to relay my own words of praise to all the award winners as we look forward to another year of success and the completion of our new all weather pitch facilities, which will allow our students to develop yet further."

Words and Pictures by Nat Ashurst

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Second learning award for Warrington Mum

Adult learner Julie Davies has gained a 1st Class Honours BSc in Applied Psychology and has won a British Psychological Society Prize, after taking up learning when a progressive heart disease forced her to leave her job.

Her dedication and commitment to learning was recognised with the Outstanding Individual Learner in the North West Award as part of Adult Learners' Week.

When progressive heart disease, forced her out of her job with Royal Mail, she decided, aged 30, to get her life back on track by signing-up for an adult learner programme at Priestley which has led her on a journey to winning a British Psychological Society Prize.

Ten years on from the initial Level 2 literacy, numeracy and CLAIT courses, Julie has gained a 1st Class Honours BSc in Applied Psychology from Liverpool John Moores University – studying part-time while bringing up two children – and aims to become a clinical psychologist.

Glennis Hassall, her nominator and first tutor at Priestley, all those years ago, said: "Julie felt she was on the scrapheap. She has a huge personality, which I believe to some extent masked her lack of self-confidence." But the keys to success were her have a go mentality. "She also has a generosity to contribute time and effort both to others who find themselves in the same boat as herself and to the local community."

Julie said hard work and determination helped her excel at her studies and win the British Psychological Society Prize as the outstanding graduate at her university. "My learning journey has made an incredible difference to my life and, as an advocate of lifelong learning; I expect it will continue to do so."

Picture by Nat Ashurst

• Link to story on ALW website (external)

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Priestley victorious in penalty shoot-out drama

An exhausting campaign on the football field had a fitting end for Priestley's first string football team who were crowned Play-Off Champions for the entire Northern region with a 3-1 penalty shoot out win over Aquinas College.

After a gruelling regular season, the league entered a play-off format with Priestley who had finished the North West season in third, making it to the final to play Aquinas from Stockport at Salford City's Moor Lane Stadium.

Priestley found themselves under pressure in the first-half in the big match but were still able to hold the interval advantage with Josh Smith despatching a penalty for a 1-0 lead.

Aquinas went onto equalise in the second period and were then unlucky not to take the spoils as they struck the woodwork in the closing moments. With both teams tiring, extra time followed but still the deadlock couldn't be broken.

And so the contest moved into a penalty shoot-out with Joel Brownhill, Mike Wilson and Mike Southern all scoring for Priestley and goalkeeper Tom Coyne proving to be the hero of the hour with a string of fine saves to secure the 3-1 victory on penalties.

Commenting on the success, Coach Rich Donnelly, said, "The season has been a huge success with the lads also reaching the last eight in the national cup but to be crowned northern champions was a great way to end things. Penalty shoot-outs are always a lottery and so it was obviously great that we were on the right end of it. My commiserations go to our opponents who performed well throughout the two hour epic."

Words and Pictures by Nat Ashurst

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Students meet the Priestley Challenge

A College wide quiz at Priestley tested students to their limits in a fun and competitive environment.

The 2010 Priestley Challenge saw a total of sixty tutor groups enter the competition in a knockout style quiz, with each team of four answering a wide range of questions set by tutors.

The competition was loosely based around University Challenge with the quartet of Rhian Bardsley, Sarah Mckinley Brown, Robert Savage and Matthew Lambert proving victorious.

The winning team did fantastically well and faced a number of severe challenges along the way. As a reward they then went onto face a team of tutors in a special challenge match, which again they were able to win, to complete a clean sweep.

Commenting on the success of the competition, Tutor, Mark Salmon, said, "The students have really enjoyed the contest and this has brought out their competitive spirit."

Adding, "The Priestley Challenge is just one of many College wide initiatives aimed at enriching the student experience, yet further."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst