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Stunning show for a very good cause

A stunning and glamorous catwalk show was held at Priestley with all proceeds heading to the Tim Parry and Jonathan Ball Foundation for Peace.

The College community united to support the event which showcased outfits designed by students studying Textiles and Art and Design at Priestley.

The cross section of fashions on display were inspired by a range of themes from natural forms to the urban environment, childhood memories to the issue of recycling.

Fellow students studying BTEC Business helped organise the event which was six months in the making and took place twice in one-day with an afternoon show more geared to the Priestley community and the night time one for the general public with Colin and Wendy Parry both in attendance.

A range of local Warrington businesses supported the show including MC2 Hair Design who provided hair and make-up for the models whilst a range of others donated gifts to the raffle.

Commenting prior to the show, Colin Parry said, "We were delighted to collaborate with Priestley again as the Foundation for Peace and the College enjoy a really strong relationship."

Adding, "Recently the College provided artwork to our Peace Art Exhibition, so the Fashion Show was just the latest example of when we have been able to work together. The flourishing link is very special to us in that one of our main focuses is concerned with engaging with young people."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Anthony and Jodie dance their way South

Two highly talented dance students at Priestley have been offered the opportunity of a lifetime having been accepted at the prestigious Dance School, LABAN in London.

Anthony Lomas and Jodie Standish will take up their places on the BA Honours programme after being among a group of eighty to make the cut from some one thousand applications worldwide.

The news is all the more remarkable for the pair who hadn't had any formal dance training until enrolling at Priestley. Both have gone onto excel in A-Level Dance and on the BTEC National Performing Arts programme as well as taking leading roles in a string of hit College productions.

A beaming Anthony, commented, "Since coming to Priestley, I've been able to experience all things Dance and really hone my skills as a performer. I was delighted to be accepted by LABAN because they obviously enjoy a really strong reputation for excellence."

A similarly enthused, Jodie, added, "It is great news, Priestley have really backed me and helped me develop as a performer."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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A little sporting relief

Staff and students at Priestley united to run a specially devised one-mile course around the Loushers Lane campus in aid of both Sports Relief and the College's own Mozambique Appeal.

On a colourful day, running hot dogs, a dancing gorilla and extras from the 118 advert were all spotted doing their bit for charity as £550 was raised.

The College's run ended with a fun assault course whilst those students who wanted to continue exercising were able to do so through a high impact aerobics session.

Commenting on the event, College Marketing Officer, Nat Ashurst, said, "It was great to see the entire community unite for this very special cause. Everybody dug deep in both senses of the word and it was really pleasing that so much money was raised on an enjoyable and active afternoon."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Dragons Den meets the Apprentice

Students studying the Advanced Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance at Priestley got a real taste of the reality of working at the sharp end of business when they were challenged to pitch a feasible proposal to leaders of industry from the town.

A nine strong group, who were all dressed to impress were chauffer driven from Priestley to the North West Development Agency's Renaissance House where they faced a panel including Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive – NWDA, Sandra Busby - Chief Executive of Cheshire and Warrington Business Venture and Dave Hutchinson - Director of Commercial Development at Warrington Wolves.

After weeks of preparation and an early morning breakfast meeting, the Priestley team were understandably nervous but pitched their business proposals to the "Dragons" and secured not only a cash investment from them but also an order for products.

The students had pitched their Personalised Printz business which they had setup as part of their course and the Young Enterprise scheme which has seen them produce a range of unique gifts for their customers including t-shirts and mugs.

The panel offered the students a £250 cash injection for their continuing work, which will be used to develop a better website, whilst Warrington Wolves placed an order for the group to deck out programme sellers at the Halliwell-Jones stadium with high visibility printed jackets.

Commenting on the process, Jessica Wilkinson from Personalised Printz, said, "The presentation went really well and we were all confident in what we said and how it was received by the panel."

Adding, "It really did give us all an idea though of what is expected in the business world and in the end we were delighted to gain an investment from what was an enjoyable day."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Serial fundraiser turns heads in her wheels

A self confessed petrol head who has used her eye catching car as a fund raising magnet is about to embark on her latest charity project.

Priestley student Jenny Hughes is currently working with the Marina Dalglish Appeal who are discussing the best ways in which to use both Jenny and her car as part of a fundraising mission aimed at raising £5 million towards a new purpose built Cancer facility at University Hospital Aintree.

The 18-year-old who is currently studying BTEC Business at Priestley has used her eye catching ride, a modified classic mini to raise money for a whole host of charities in the past by taking the car on rallies, to shows and events and holding raffles.

Already the remarkable teenager has raised over £2,000 in support of Macmillan Nurses after she completed a drive from Maghull to Lytham on an organised rally that she gained sponsorship for.

Commenting on what drives her, Jenny said, "I'm sure, I'm not the only one to get emotional when seeing various adverts on television for appeals, so I came up with the idea to use my car to try and help."

Adding, "Wherever I go in it, people ask questions and are generally curious, so I thought it would be good to use this in a positive way and fundraise."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Blossoming Languages links across town

School pupils from across Warrington who are studying a range of modern foreign languages were treated to a special day out at the Pyramid Centre to watch plays, devised and performed by the Onatti Theatre group.

The touring company are regular visitors to Warrington and most recently performed both the French play "La Chambre de Jean-Paul" and the Spanish play "Mi padre no me entiende" during a week of shows arranged by Priestley and funded by the 14-19 Pathfinder Project.

School pupils from Culcheth, Birchwood, Sir Thomas Boteler, Lymm, Newman and Great Sankey, all attended, and some got more than they bargained for being regularly invited on stage to interact with the professional actors.

The performances were aimed at broadening the horizons of the youngsters and related to their current GCSE studies.

Commenting on the links between organisations in the promotion of modern foreign languages, Priestley's International Baccalaureate Coordinator, Carol Mtitimila, said, "There can by no better way for students to increase their knowledge and oral skills in new languages than on such occasions as this."

Adding, "Once again I was really pleased with the level of support from the high schools whose pupils left the Pyramid enriched and with a keener interest in languages."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Adult performance group have a "Voice"

A group of adults with learning difficulties from the Oaks Day Centre in Warrington recently visited Priestley to put on a comedy performance for students based on the fictitious disappearance of the town's treasured Challenge Cup.

The group called the Voice were formed some eight years ago allowing a vital outlet for the adults to perform through dance and drama promoting their own empowerment and independence.

Although the performance was a comedy, it did have a strong and clear message based on the issues faced daily by people with learning disabilities.

The link up between Priestley and the Voice was just the latest in a range of community programmes as Curriculum Head, Bev Devlin, explained, "The Health and Education Department engage actively with services all over Warrington and these mutually beneficial partnerships are great for both providers and students."

Adding, "The adults left buzzing after their show, as did our students who had a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining afternoon which also gave them a further indication of an area they may wish to pursue a future career in."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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Priestley students go greek

Students studying Performing Arts at Priestley went greek with a rendition of Oedipus as part of the assessment process for their course.

The dark piece was performed using ancient greek acting skills in a modern way for a contemporary audience. The story told the tale of Oedipus who is asked to lift a terribe curse from the people of Thebes but in his quest, it isn't long before his own fate is sealed as his life unravels before him.

The performance saw each actor take on a character as well as playing a member of the chorus with the piece linking in well to the student's recent study of Greek theatre.

Emma Clarke, who took the part of a Sheppard, commented, "Performing Oedipus was great in that it enabled us to experience a completely different style of theatre. It was a hard subject to grasp and we were conscious of being respectful and doing it justice."

Adding, "Overall it went really well and gave us all a good opportunity to tackle a very challenging script."

Words and Picture by Nat Ashurst

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