News and events

Weston-Super-Mare came alive last week as the town hosted its second annual Black History Month Forum, bringing together community members, local businesses, and allies to celebrate, reflect, and engage in meaningful discussions. This year’s theme, Reclaiming Narratives, echoed throughout the event, as 13 speakers, half of whom were local, shared their insights and experiences with a packed room of over 130 attendees at Weston College Conference Centre. 

The forum was a space where the global majority and allies gathered to see themselves reflected, to learn, and to engage in deep discussions about identity, health, education, and anti-racism. Our speakers came from diverse backgrounds, representing heritage from countries like Nigeria, Jamaica, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. The conversations were powerful, often challenging, but ultimately inspiring. From the rich tapestry of heritage to the sharp focus on issues affecting our communities today, this forum was about more than just celebration—it was about building bridges and understanding. 

Korede Adedoyin, who travelled from Essex on the day, took us on a journey through education, highlighting how we are often living decisions made for us long before we were born. Yet, as she reminded us, we hold the power to shape the future for the generations to come. Her call to action was felt deeply throughout the room. 

Chipo’s discussion on rest provided a powerful moment of reflection. After a first half filled with hard-hitting truths and intense discussions, Chipo, embodying the voice we all needed to hear, called out to everyone: Now rest. This powerful reminder reinforced the value of recuperation and taking time to care for ourselves. 

One of the key panels of the day was led by Louise, who facilitated a critical discussion on health and wellbeing. Vanessa, Sheridan, and Janneka joined her, with Vanessa captivating the audience with her passionate talk on health disparities and the unique challenges Black women face in the UK. Vanessa, a champion for Black women’s health, shared crucial data highlighting that our health experiences are not the same as others in this country. Her words sparked a rich discussion about the intersection of race and gender and why we must prioritise our health and wellbeing. 

The audience’s engagement was palpable during the Q&A sessions, where questions dug deep into the core of anti-racism as a humanitarian issue. One attendee asked about mending the broken trust between the Black community and the NHS, a conversation that many agreed was long overdue. Another question explored the power of narrative and the role of AI in shaping our health stories, leading to a vibrant discussion on decolonising archives and reclaiming our data and history. 

Kayode shared a particularly powerful story about his experience with discrimination in a hotel—a moment that left the room audibly gasping. His encounter was a stark reminder that anti-racism isn’t just about combating overt acts of racism; it’s about dismantling an ideology that affects all of us, including those within our own communities. 

One of the most beautiful aspects of the forum was the multi-generational attendance. Elders sat with open ears and hearts, listening intently to the conversations around them, while young children, as young as one, played, listened, and engaged in their own ways. Health and Social Care students helped create a welcoming space for the children, donating books and games with anti-discrimination themes, which created a nurturing environment for learning and play. These learners worked tirelessly as volunteers to serve their community, and the event simply could not have happened without their incredible support. 

Special thanks go to Weston College for providing the venue and Weston Health for their generous support. Our volunteers, particularly the media students led by their teachers, documented the event and engaged with the community, while the Health and Social Care students helped ensure that the children were well cared for. This event truly embodied the spirit of community, with the town of Weston-super-Mare coming together to support this important cause. 

We were also honoured to welcome the Mayor of Weston, who shared a few words of support, acknowledging the importance of this forum in bringing the community together and in promoting inclusivity. 

The overwhelming feedback from attendees was that they wanted more: more stories, more networking, and more tickets. The event sold out within weeks, leaving many people disappointed. Next year, we plan to host the forum at The Winter Gardens, with a capacity of 500—more than double this year’s venue. We’re already planning for it to be bigger, better, and even more impactful. 

This year’s event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors, including Weston College, Race Equality North Somerset, and Weston Health. Race Equality North Somerset played a key role in covering the expenses of bringing speakers from across the UK and ensuring reasonable adaptations for parents. The Global Majority Inclusion Group at Weston was instrumental in providing support throughout the event, and our Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly. 

Weston-Super-Mare, we did it. And we’ll continue to do it—together. Here’s to next year’s forum, to reclaiming our narratives, and to celebrating Black excellence in all its forms.

Louise Hill-Davis

An exciting new programme, ‘Ignite’ was launched for the first time this month, in partnership with Avon Fire and Rescue. This two-week dynamic, hands-on course was designed to boost confidence and equip our learners for their next steps, whether that be entering employment, pursuing further training, or focusing on personal development.

The learners engaged in various activities including:

• Team building 
• Building self confidence 
• Goal setting 
• Communication skills 
• Visits to fire stations 
• Outdoor activities 
• Health and wellbeing
• Cooking skills 
• Interview skills 
• Presentation skills

The learners made significant progress during the programme and worked together incredibly to achieve all tasks they were given.

On the final day of the programme, the learners participated in a live demo in front of spectators, where they were asked to create a water dam which would then be used to spray water out of a hosepipe. After the live demo, the learners presented in front of the spectators, discussing what they had been up to for the last few weeks, what they had learnt, and how the experience impacted them. Each learner spoke clearly and professionally, leaving a strong impression on all spectators.

Finally, the learners were presented with certificates to congratulate them on completing the programme!

Following the programme, learners had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one sessions with a tutor to discuss their next steps and explore how to achieve their goals. The Ignite programme was immensely rewarding for both the learners who participated and the team who helped bring it to life!

A huge thank you to all Weston College staff involved, and to Avon Fire and Rescue for partnering with us to make this incredible opportunity possible!

To kick off the new academic year, Animal Management hosted an Employment and Conservation Day where all new students got the chance to meet employers, explore the Puxton Park campus, take part in activities and investigate different prospective career paths.

The day began with a tractor ride around Puxton Park to familiarise the students with campus, where they also explored one of the dairy farms outside of Puxton that they will be involved with later in the year to see how it is run differently to the one onsite.

After the learners were more familiar with their surroundings, they headed to Puxton’s theatre where they received talks from both lecturers and employers, and students got the chance to hear different pathways open to them, both after they complete their course and for their work experience hours.

The lecturers outlined their previous experiences including working at Bristol Zoo with a range of different animals, training sea lions, and even saving species of birds that were on the brink of extinction. By sharing their career history, the students got a wider understanding of the possibilities available to them and the different animals they could work with.

Following this, the learners heard from employers from Harmonious Dogs, Noah’s Ark, and Reptile Zone, where they introduced themselves and what they do. Harmonious Dogs brought in two dogs to show the students how they train them and provided a meet and greet for the students to interact with the dogs. Reptile Zone also made their talk interactive by bringing in an African dwarf crocodile and a panther chameleon which the students could hold at the end.

Reptile Zone also brought in one of Weston College’s Year 2 Level 3 students who volunteers with them to show that these careers are achievable and realistic to all the learners in attendance.

By providing the students with real-life experiences from both lecturers and employers, it allows them to consider different pathways depending on the kinds of animals they want to work. They also got to see the types of employers that Weston College works with so they can make connections themselves and start thinking about their futures.

After lunch, the Conservation Day commenced and was made possible by organisations called RoAM (Records of the Avalon Marshes), where volunteers who specialise in recording wildlife of the Somerset Wetlands came in to outline what RoAM is, discuss the importance of it, and how students can help, as well as setting up activities to help the students understand and get them involved.

The students were split into 5 groups and set up near the pond on different stations. These stations included plants; media; aquatic life; dragonflies and damselflies; butterflies, moths, and crickets, and all had different members of RoAM who specialise in the different species.

At these stations, learners had 15 minutes to learn about their station specie that they may not have been previously exposed to with activities like plant identification, moth trapping, and pond dipping – where they got the chance to use a microscope and look closely at animals, algae and microbes and view all the intricate details of the small little beasties.

This type of wildlife and species would not always be considered by the learners when contemplating working with animals but is a rewarding professional that, thanks to the volunteers at RoAM, has now been brought to the attention of the students.

Joseph, the Technical Demonstrator for Animal Management, said “overall this day was a success and hopefully opened up a new interest for students that haven’t had the experience with people who work with our native wildlife”.

Thank you to the employers and organisation members who took the time to visit our students and share their knowledge and experiences. This has broadened the learners’ mindsets and career opportunities.

If you're interested in joining one of our Animal Management Courses in September, click here.