A college initiative to transform lives and support the communities of Trafford and Stockport has won a prestigious award.
The ‘Empower Communities: Bridging Gaps and Building Futures’ project, set up by the Trafford and Stockport College Group, scooped the 2024 Educate North Community Engagement Award; an event celebrating the best of the best in the UK education sector.
Reflecting on the initiative’s launch, Student Experience Manager, Michelle McLaughlin MBE, said: “We initially set up a Community College Kitchen amid the pandemic when we recognised that students, who usually have access to bursaries and free meals, were facing months of little or no support.
“What started as an approach to delivering care packages for those in need, including food and toiletry bags, grew into an amazing partnership between the Trafford and Stockport College Group and the wider Greater Manchester community.”
The Community College Kitchen continues to offer an invaluable “just ask” service, providing food staples, personal hygiene products, meal vouchers and other one-off items, which have, to date, ranged from a much-needed winter coat to UCAS application fee support.
Over the past year, however, the group has focused on growing its community partnership model to deliver a coordinated, multi-agency approach to community cohesion and student improvement.
Michelle added: “We currently work with 50 voluntary sector partners to share skills, create social value opportunities and add value to our college offer. The Community Partnership continues to go from strength to strength and we continue to expand area specific projects for the good of our students’ personal and social development.”
One of these area specific projects has been the introduction of Welcome Wednesday, in partnership with Age UK, which supports over 40 isolated elderly residents with a range of soft skill development, digital skills and activities, all provided by students.
Similarly, the colleges recently partnered with Time Out Group, a small charity that works with adults with learning difficulties, offering student led sessions in carpentry and joinery, where bird boxes were created for the charity to sell.
Assistant Principal, Tracey Wood, concluded: “Our college team are thrilled to win this year’s Community Engagement Award. It is testament to the group’s dedication to local community learning, local partnerships, and the team’s unwavering commitment to make a positive impact with initiatives that create more inclusive and equitable communities.”