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!

One of our talented A-Level students, recently had the incredible opportunity to interview singer/songwriter and musician Alex Lipinski on the Wave Community Radio.  

Phoebe, who studies A-Levels in English Literature/Language, Sociology, and History, has always had a passion for writing and a strong interest in journalism. "I have always wanted to go into journalism. I love to write and so was looking to go into some sort of field to do with this, but I ended up falling into the Broadcasting Journalism sector and am absolutely loving it," she shared. 

Her involvement with Wave Community Radio began when she saw an opportunity to interview key industry figures at the CareersFest at the Winter Gardens. "I saw a message on Teams about Wave Radio offering an opportunity for students to interview key industries at the CareersFest... It felt like something I shouldn’t miss as I wanted to go into Journalism, so I put myself forward," Phoebe explained. Following the success of her initial interviews, she eagerly sought more opportunities with the station and has been hosting her own show since the start of May. 

The interview with Alex Lipinski was a highlight for Phoebe, as she has known him both as an artist and a family friend. "The whole interview with Alex was incredible... The highlight would have to be hearing his soon-to-be-released song ‘The Ballad of The Boy,’ which he played for the first time ever exclusively on the show," Phoebe recounted. She was also impressed by Lipinski's cover of The Killers' ‘Read My Mind’ and was intrigued to learn about his musical upbringing. 

Phoebe’s show, part of the Student Takeover on Wave Community Radio, features a music guest every other week for performances and interviews. Her dedication to giving small artists a spotlight and discovering new music is evident in her programming choices. "Being able to give small artists a spotlight is what I am also aiming to keep on my shows, and I love discovering new music," she noted. 

Phoebe’s experience on Wave Community Radio has solidified her desire to pursue a career in broadcasting journalism. "This is what I want to do now, so I am going to continue working hard and hopefully make it into BBC one day," she expressed. 

She also shared some valuable advice for aspiring journalists: "Ask the questions, do some digging, take all the opportunities given to you and communicate effectively. Be brave also... It was extremely out of my comfort zone to do those interviews, but I am so grateful to myself that I did it anyway." 

Listeners can tune in to Phoebe’s show every other Monday from 7-8 PM on Wave Community Radio. Her next show is scheduled for June 10th, where she will continue to feature new and experienced artists, providing them with a platform to share their music and stories. 

You can also listen back to shows on Mixcloud, by searching 'Wave Community Radio' and look for The Student Takeover. 
Phoebe also has an Instagram account, updated with her upcoming shows and her music favourites - @one.phoeberculley

If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.