Creating brighter futures

Weston College proudly announces that Ewan, a distinguished student and former bassist for the band The Like-Minded, has been officially recruited as the deputy bassist for Alex Lipinski's celebrated band, The Crown Electric. 

Ewan, whose exceptional bass skills and stage presence have been honed during his time at Weston College, made a remarkable debut with The Crown Electric at Villa Park. His performance left a lasting impression on the audience, underscoring his talent! 

Weston College is immensely proud of Ewan's achievements. Ewan's journey from a student musician to playing with The Crown Electric is a testament to his hard work and the supportive environment we strive to provide at Weston College. We are thrilled to see our students making significant strides in their future careers and contributing to the vibrant music scene!  

The Like-Minded, a project among Weston College students, have a following for their distinctive style and exciting sound. Ewan's transition to The Crown Electric marks a significant step in his musical journey, promising exciting developments for both him and the band. 

For more information about studying music at Weston College, click here!

To find out more about Alex Lipinski and his music, click here! 

June marks Pride Month, a time for celebration, awareness, and continued allyship. We proudly stand with the LGBTQ+ Community, acknowledging both the progress made and the ongoing challenges that need to be addressed. 

Pride Month is a vibrant celebration of love, identity, and diversity. However, it is crucial to recognise that LGBTQ+ lives are still in danger. As highlighted in the research conducted by Libby (our Teaching, Learning and Assessment Manager) in her doctoral research proposal, "During pride month, the UK is bombarded by messages from well-meaning companies and individuals of ‘love is love’ and ‘don’t hide your pride’; yet they fail to address or acknowledge the core issue facing the LGBTQ+ community: LGBTQ+ lives are in danger.” 

At Weston College, we are dedicated to supporting our LGBTQ+ students, staff, and the wider community. We do this by listening, creating safe spaces and constantly re-evaluating our practices and training to ensure it is up to date and progressive. Our strong links with the North Somerset LGBT Forum provide a great place for local meetups, support groups, and coffee drop-ins at their venue on 68 Meadow Street in Weston-Super-Mare. These connections are vital in creating a sense of belonging and support within our community. 

This month, we are raising awareness and showing our allyship through several exciting events. We are proud to present the upcoming queer musical 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie,' a powerful story that champions diversity and acceptance. Additionally, we are hosting a Pride Prom for learners on June 21st at Loxton Campus and a Pride Silent Disco for the entire community on the same day. These events aim to celebrate diversity, encourage inclusivity, and provide a safe and welcoming space for all. 

As we celebrate Pride Month, we stand with our LGBTQ+ community in solidarity and reaffirm our dedication to making Weston College a place of safety, support, and empowerment for all. 

Below are some College and external events you can get involved in this LGBTQ+ Pride Month: 

Our Events: 

LGBTQ+ Prom: 

• Loxton’s Performance Space 
• Friday 21st June 
• 6pm – 8:30pm 
• Get your free tickets here!

Pride Silent Disco:

• Loxton Campus 
• Friday 21st June 
• 8:30pm – 10pm
• Get your free tickets here!

‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’:

• Weston Playhouse 
• June 6th and 7th 
• 7pm 
• Read more here 

Local Events: 

Beautifully Proud Exhibition:

• Weston Museum 
• 25th – 29th June 
• 10am – 4pm 
• Read more here 

Bristol Pride:

• Multiple events running between 29th June and 14th July 
• Read more here 

Broadoak Academy’s Festival of Culture:

• Broadoak Academy playing fields 
• Saturday 15th June 
• 11am – 4pm 

Our very own Tom Collier has been awarded Regional T Level Student of the year at Lloyds Banking Group in the South West and is off to London this July where the national winner will be announced!

Tom is studying one of our Digital T Levels and conducted his 315-hour industry placement at Lloyds Bank, which he says has been the highlight of his T Level experience as he gained real life industry knowledge.

One of Tom’s most accomplishing moments of his placement was presenting his work to data colleagues within Lloyd's bank. Before beginning his placement, Tom says he would never have thought he was capable of doing this. However, with his increased industry confidence and enhanced digital skills in areas like data visualisation, he has been able to do things he never would have imagined being able to.

Following his work placement, Tom has been offered a degree apprenticeship at Lloyds Bank. He says he feels optimistic about the opportunity because he will be working within the team that he has already built up a rapport with and will have the knowledge necessary to complete the tasks assigned to him.

Tom's future aspiration is to progress into a Master's degree for data science - which is his passion. He would love to work with Lloyds Bank for this and will be building strong connections to the data science team and other colleagues beforehand.

Whilst in London this summer, Tom is excited about networking, getting to know other company members, and talking about the work he will be doing next year as a degree apprentice at Lloyds Bank.

The combination of completing an industry work placement and the theory covered in the course has been really helpful in setting Tom in the right direction with his digital career journey – therefore he highly recommends T Levels!