Today (Thursday 12th May) Weston-super-Mare hosted the third leg of the Somerset Jubilee Jaunt; the Jaunt sees the Lord Lieutenant (the Queen’s representative in Somerset Mrs Annie Maw) take part in a 70-mile trek from Clevedon to Exmoor split into seven, ten-mile sections to celebrate the region as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, in partnership with Duke of Edinburgh leaders and students.

Whilst the other sections of the Jaunt are more rural in their approach, the Weston-super-Mare section, hosted by Weston College, saw their Duke of Edinburgh students and wider college students escort the Lord Lieutenant across a vibrant and diverse urban leg – which was designed to ensure it weaved its way through the heart of the town’s community.

The College’s Musical Theatre students sang their way around the town, with songs from the decades, the musicals and Abba on the 10-mile stretch, all with the aim of giving residents of the town a much-needed pick me up just in time for the Jubilee. 

The route was also crafted to ensure the Lord Lieutenant could stop enroute to meet key organisations and their staff such as Weston Hospital, Weston Hospice Care, For All Active Living Centre, Avon Fire and Rescue Service and the Community Policing Teams, so she could pay a personal thank you in recognition of going above and beyond during the pandemic.

The Lord Lieutenant also visited teaching staff at several primary schools including Uphill, Westhaven, Windwhistle, Bournville and Ashcombe Schools as the jaunt passed by, giving children a chance to learn more about the Platinum Jubilee, ahead of the main celebrations.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, the College Principal said, ‘We were delighted to host this walk for the Lord Lieutenant, who was really keen for this part of the Jaunt to be a chance to celebrate Weston and engage with its community’.

Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Annie Maw commented: “My ambition is to celebrate the Queen’s 70 glorious years as our monarch and to dedicate this as a Somerset tribute to her on her Platinum Jubilee.

“It was so exciting to do the third leg of this jaunt in Weston-super-Mare’s the young people who joined me, were full of enthusiasm and a delight to have accompany me. It was also great to see some of whom are participating in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme which was so close to the heart of Her Majesty’ dear late husband.”

A new Employment Centre to give hundreds of jobseekers better access to employment skills and training programmes, has opened opposite College’s Knightstone Campus in central Weston.

The new site - Weston Employment Centre - has been delivered in collaboration with Weston College, and Seetec Pluss who are delivering the government’s Restart scheme to help long-term unemployed people to find new opportunities.

The Restart Scheme is helping people who have been out of work for nine months or longer to pick up the skills they need for the modern workforce and helping them with tailored support to find suitable, sustainable jobs.

John Penrose MP marked the launch of Weston Employment Centre in an official opening attended by guests and stakeholders.

Alongside John Penrose, they were shown around the new state-of-the-art Centre to discover more about its unique partnership and talked to some the participants already benefitting its employment support.

Drew Smith, Restart Scheme Operations Director commented: “Our Restart Scheme team in Weston is currently supporting 400 individuals on their journey back into employment which is really fantastic. Even better than that, we’re working with the College to develop bespoke courses specifically for our participants.”

He continued, “The South West is predominantly one of the lowest paid areas in the country and we feel that the skills side of things is a real opportunity for us to change some of that.”

A Seetec Pluss participant on the Restart Scheme, who is also benefitting from the collaboration with Weston College, attended the opening to share her story of how she was plummeted into unemployment as a result of the pandemic. 41-year-old Jenny from Milton shared, “I’ve been unemployed for around 18 months now. I had a good job in Project Co-ordination, and I was by all means like everybody else.

“Like many people during the pandemic, I lost my job as a result of childcare problems and the financial impact of that was massive and caused me to sell a lot of my things to keep my family going. As time went on, I was increasingly isolated, and it bedded a sense of hopelessness that destroys your hope for the future.

“Seetec Pluss were a breath of fresh air; they were so welcoming, friendly and they really understood me. One of the most significant things they were able to do for me was provide me with a laptop which allowed me to reconnect with employment opportunities and create a professional job application.

“They also encouraged me to enrol with Weston College,” she continued, “so I’m now doing a Leadership and Management course to upskill and hopefully find even better employment than I was in before.

“I’m truly grateful; thank you isn’t a word that even begins to explain how grateful I am for what they’ve been able to do for me.”

Jo Watson, Weston College Group Deputy Principal said: “Seetec Pluss is a leading provider of work and wellbeing services that inspires thousands of people to find and progress in work each year, so for us this is a perfect partner, as they align with the College’s mission to create brighter futures. I would really encourage anyone who has found themselves out of work, to come and visit the new Weston Employment Centre, where I have seen first-hand how it can help individuals boost their confidence, learn and develop skills and get people back into work.”

John Penrose MP added: “The whole reason why Seetec Pluss is here and why this partnership is so important is not just because we’re coming out of a pandemic, it’s because we’d still always want organisations like this in partnership with local colleges doing what is happening here.

“It’s absolutely essential for people’s self-respect, for our overall economy, but also for the success and long-term sustainability of a community like Weston-super-Mare, that we take people who through no fault of their own just got a bit far away from the employment market and need a couple of very practical things done with them in order to get that back. The people of Weston [super-Mare] are showing the way to the rest of the country about how it could be done and how it should be done.”

Seetec Pluss supports over 40,000 people every year with a wide range of barriers, disabilities and health conditions to move towards and into work. To find out more, visit Work, Wellbeing & Employment Services - Seetec Pluss