Our City p21
25/8/10
15:05
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SEPTEMBER 2010
Ashley overcomes dyslexia to land new job
HISTORIC buildings in Longton are set to get a facelift now that £600,000 in grant aid is available for improvements. Up to 30 significant Edwardian and Victorian buildings, some in need of repair, will benefit from the three-year scheme designed to protect the heritage of the town centre. Owners are now being approached to see if they want to take part in the scheme, which is being run by the city council and English Heritage.
Support from Jobcentre Plus lifts 21-year-old’s confidence Right 2 Write for 10 two-hour sessions, was given job searching support by Remploy and also gained his fork lift truck licences. Susan Budge, a Disability Employment Advisor at Jobcentre Plus, said:“His confidence has soared and I have been very impressed by his commitment to finding work.” Ashley, who works at Central Forest Park, said:“Susan is brilliant. She has helped me so much and I felt my life started to move
forward once I started getting help. “I could hardly read and had no confidence but Susan has really brought me out of myself. I really love my job and I have learned a lot. I enjoy the freedom of being outside and meeting people. Every day is different and my confidence has really lifted.” Anyone who is unemployed, aged 18-24 and needs extra support to get work should talk to their personal adviser at the local Jobcentre.
ALLOTMENTS SHOWCASE PUPILS’
gardening skills GREEN-FINGERED pupils showed off their blossoming talent for gardening as part of the city’s first schools allotment competition. All schools in Stoke-on-Trent are now encouraged to set up an allotment, or gardening plot – however big or small – to help young students learn about healthy eating and assist them in other lessons like maths and science. And to celebrate the scheme, a city-wide school’s allotment competition has been set up to reward their hard work. Entries were judged on several criteria which included creative use of space and materials, horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility, community participation, and next steps. The winner of the first annual competition was St Mary’s C of E Primary in Tunstall who will receive a trophy donated by former Lord Mayor and former city councillor Derek Capey. The runner-up was Forest Park
Primary in Hanley and third prize went to Brownhills Maths and Computing College in Burslem. The Dresden Diggers education project – which helps students with special needs – was highly commended by the judging panel. Allotments Officer Sue Radcliffe said: “The competition highlighted the great work that is being done at many schools to set up an allotment or gardening plot. “We were really delighted by the amount of effort the pupils had put in and the judging criteria meant that whether a school had the room to set up a large or small plot, they had a chance of winning.”
Pupils at St Mary’s C of E Primary who won the first annual schools allotment competition tend the tomato plant in their green house. Pictured, left to right, are Billy Khan, Tyler Beckett and Sam Brook, all aged 10, with former Lord Mayor Derek Capey, who donated the contest trophy and was a member of the judging panel.
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Aid to restore buildings
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Assistant Park Keeper Ashley Kosciekowski at Central Forest Park.
SEVERE dyslexic Ashley Kosciekowski was low on confidence after all but two weeks of a year out of work. The 21-year-old struggled so badly with his reading that he had to get his mum to read his mobile phone texts for him. But he refused to give up and, with the help and support of Hanley Jobcentre Plus, has now landed a job with Stoke-on-Trent City Council as an Assistant Park Keeper. He was referred to an organisation called
Our City
Healthy picnic in the park DOZENS of families turned out for a picnic in Cobridge Park and tucked into nutritious snacks as part of a campaign to promote healthy eating. The event on 22 August was organised through the NHS Stoke on Trent’s Health Matters project in conjunction with the city council’s Western Neighbourhood Area Implementation Team. For more information about advice that can lead to a healthier life log onto www.myhealth matters.org
Board artwork brightens site SCHOOLS and youth groups have painted artwork on large boards to help brighten up the construction site for the new community fire station in Hanley. The eight metre high boards were provided by builders Thomas Vale and the young people painted scenes which reflected their association with the Fire and Rescue Service. Rehana Iqbal, Community Risk Reduction Officer for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This is a fantastic way to engage with our local community. The community groups involved have had some brilliant ideas.”
Key messages from the crew AROUND 1,500 Stoke-on-Trent school children are getting vital safety messages at this year’s Crucial Crew event at the Territorial Army barracks in Burslem. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and a range of partners are delivering fast paced advice sessions aimed at keeping youngsters safe. Year 6 children aged 10-11 are attending over two weeks up to 28 September.