As we begin the new year, we at the Together Trust are looking forward to many special events and occasions. One of these occasions is celebrating 30 years of service for a very special support worker at our charity. 

To mark Ian Riley’s milestone, we interviewed him to find out what made him leave the engineering industry for the social care sector, even if it meant cycling 26 miles every day, how he was chosen as ‘No 17th Happiest Person in Britain” thanks to his work at the charity and what inspires him to keep working with the Trust after 30 years of service.

Work experience at Bridge College is a great way for students to gain invaluable skills that they can use in the future. There are lots of ways students benefit from work experience. 

Students, Tom and Charles, currently have a placement working at The Bread and Butter Thing. They have been there for 12 weeks since August 2021 and have made such an impression already.

We are incredibly thankful and proud that our Christmas appeal #TogetherForChristmas 2021 raised over £22,000 from cash donations and gifts These have gone to the children, adults and families we support to make their holidays a little brighter. Thank you to everyone who donated, supported, shared and showed us kindness this season.

"Christmas can be an extremely difficult time for our young people, some of whom do not get to see family over the holiday period. Receiving additional presents from people outside of the home provides a sense of belonging to the community and instils the sense of Christmas spirit."

Students from Inscape House School are selling their artwork to raise money for a school trip. The Post 16 students created the art as part of their Enterprise Art Sessions, where they drew inspiration from visiting the Van Gogh exhibition at Media City. The project was led by Lisa Bowyer, an Associate Teacher at the school.

Kyran is 13 years old and has been a student at Ashcroft School since May last year. As well as thriving in his new educational environment, Kyran has also quickly become a strong advocate for the Together Trust outside of school. Last week, Kyran and his mother Kylie spoke at the Together Trust AGM about the difference Ashcroft has made to their lives. In this blog, Kyran shares how Ashcroft has helped him.

Students at one of our specialist schools, Ashcroft College, have worked with the digital agency Creative Concern to produce a short film about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by Claire and Chris from the agency, the students planned, filmed and edited the short piece, experiencing what it is like to work as a professional filmmaker. The young people enjoyed learning new practical skills such as filming, sound recording, post-production, and screening the finished product, but the experience also allowed them to develop their leadership and creative thinking skills.

“Road Safety Week is the UK's biggest road safety event. Every year, thousands of schools, organisations and communities get involved to shout out for our right to make safe and healthy journeys every day.” 

Find out more from the Brake – the road safety charity here.

Bridge College had a fantastic opportunity to work with the Manchester Health and Social care partnership to share students’ experiences of transitioning from school to further education. Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP) is supporting the city region’s pupils through its mental health in an education programme and Bridge College are proud to be part of this great initiative.

Learning to be a DJ is not maybe the first thing you would think of when considering what to do to help young people with their emotional and mental well-being. However, Rebecca Highton, an occupational therapy apprentice at the Together Trust, tells us how she has found common ground between music and supporting young people with autism and mental health needs.