Help Light a Spark!

“Enterprise means much more than just the ability to become an entrepreneur.  It is that quality that gives an individual a positive outlook, an ability to see the glass as half full rather than half empty, and is a valuable attribute for the whole of life.  It is a quality many bring with them on starting primary school but far too many leave secondary school without.”

Lord Young, Enterprise for All  (June 2014)

 

A new Government initiative to support schools by recruiting business volunteers to help with their enterprise and careers activities is currently being piloted around the country.   The Government have set up the Careers and Enterprise Company (www.careersandenterprise.co.uk) and asked Local Enterprise Partnerships to deliver on this project.  Enterprise M3 (www.enterprisem3.org.uk) covers the M3 corridor.

 

After a tendering exercise, SATRO (in partnership with the Basingstoke Consortium) have secured the contract from Enterprise M3.  In line with the initiative, SATRO have appointed an Enterprise Coordinator whose job it  will be to recruit volunteers from all areas of business. Those volunteers will aim to inspire and help young people, when they are looking at their futures.

 

SATRO are in the process of meeting with schools in Farnham and Waverley to see what they are currently doing and what they need help with - seeing where the gaps are if you like.  The feedback so far has been very positive.

 

The next piece in the jigsaw is to recruit those volunteers from local businesses - Enterprise Advisors (EAs) - to help support the schools' careers and enterprise activities, and that is what we are asking you to consider doing.

 

The model is for one EA to be linked to one school. He or she would be able to draw upon their local connections (and new ones made through the network) to help support individual schools’ specific needs. They would be supported by the Enterprise Coordinators: not just initially, but throughout.

 

What would it involve?  Well, that very much depends upon what would best help the individual schools.

 

Evidence shows that this kind of employer/business engagement produces positive outcomes not only for the young people involved, but also for the local economy. The benefits for business include: the opportunity to make new business contacts; positive local publicity; opportunities for their workforce to learn new skills by engaging with the schools; creating a motivated and able pool from which to recruit employees and meeting their social responsibility targets. 

 

Some of us were lucky enough when we were in school to encounter a person who somehow lit a spark and set us thinking about what we would like to do with our lives, we all remember them. So, if you think that you could help inspire young minds… help light a spark… and would like to know more, please email mo@satro.org.uk . 

 

 

Dr Griffith Pugh by guest blogger John Faulkner

When hiking in Britain's hilly regions you are advised to dress appropriately and always include in your pack, waterproofs and spare dry, warm clothes.  Seemingly obvious but the person who may have saved your life is an unsung hero from the conquest of Everest -  scientist Dr Griffith Pugh - the mountaineer who made it possible.

 

Until Everest was finally climbed, attempts had ended in tragic failure.  There seemed to be an impassable ceiling a thousand feet below it's 29,000' summit.  The Royal Geographical Society decided the 1953 expedition take a scientist, physiologist, Dr Griffith Pugh.  He had studied survival in inhospitable conditions, mostly by experiments on himself and field research. Studying endurance in freezing water he could be found at his lab in a bath of ice water recording body heat loss as he slipped into unconsciousness!  In the extremes of cold, exhaustion and altitude of the Himalayas he found ways to technically and physically prepare the expedition.  As a result, he designed new oxygen equipment, boots, clothing, down jackets, tents, cooking equipment and he insisted the team follow his strict instructions on diet, hydration, oxygen intake and hygiene for the 1953 assault.  His demands did not endear him to the expedition but not a single member suffered injury or ill health following their immense achievement.

 

Before the 1970s, hikers would regularly die in bad weather from 'exposure' in hilly regions. After a particular disaster during the 1964 Derbyshire Four Inns Challenge, where a group of exhausted young people had perished in wet and windy conditions, Griffith Pugh was invited to join the investigation. From having the deceased hikers kit worn and hiked in, he proved accidental hypothermia from their soaking clothes, an unexpected result. His comprehensive report to the Medical Commission contains our modern day advice to hikers.

 

Nowadays how to prepare for hiking and mountaineering is well documented but the science of Dr. Griffith Pugh, unsung hero of Mount Everest, is behind it.

 

You can see some more of his amazing life as a scientist from a Royal Society lecture given by his daughter Harriet Tuckey who uncovered and published untold his story almost lost to the history of science. See below.

 

 

http://royalsociety.tv/rsPlayer.aspx?presentationid=1150

The High Sheriff of Surrey 2016-17

Richard Whittington was installed as The High Sheriff of Surrey 2016-17 on Friday at Guildford Cathedral, with a commitment to helping young people into work.

 

Making his declaration of allegiance to the Queen to a congregation of civic dignitaries at the close of choral evensong, Richard Whittington of Chobham assumed an office that is at least 1,000 years old with its roots in Saxon England. It is the oldest continuous secular office under the crown.

 

Mr Whittington takes over from the 2015-16 High Sheriff, Elizabeth Kennedy. High Sheriffs are appointed by the Queen, and she pricked his name with a brass bodkin from a shortlist of three candidates.

 

His role is The Queen’s representative of the judiciary, and the office is unpaid, with each Sheriff covering his own expenses. Mr Whittington will support organisations that uphold law and order, including the courts, police, prisons, emergency service and voluntary bodies.

 

He is keenly interested in youth opportunities and will be working to promote openings to bring them into work through apprenticeships, internships and work experience, with particular focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

 

Mr Whittington previously worked for KPMG, where he was Partner-in-Charge of the Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare group and simultaneously Global Head of Building and Construction, based in London. He has lived in Surrey for over 30 years and is involved with the community in a number of areas including being a Governor of Gordon's School and non-executive director of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Richard is Honorary Treasurer of the Community Foundation for Surrey and sits on the Finance and Investment Group.

‘Give it Away’ celebrates 10 years of fundraising with star-studded charity auction

Fourteen ‘money can’t buy’ lots up for grabs to support good causes across the UK


Lots include a tennis lesson from world number one doubles champion Jamie Murray, and a skiing experience with Olympic superstar Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards


An online auction aiming to raise funds in support of six small charities across the UK launches today (18^th April 2016), to celebrate a decade of Give it Away, the unique fundraising brainchild of property developer and philanthropist Charlotte Grobien OBE.


Give it Away benefits children and young people by donating the profits of property developments to good causes. Through this work, and in just 10 years, Charlotte has raised and given away more than £1.6 million to 19 different charities.


To mark this fantastic milestone, Charlotte and Give it Away are aiming to raise more than £15,000 through a ‘money can’t buy’ online auction, the proceeds of which will be divided equally between the six charities she currently supports: Ambitious about Autism, Back Up, Eikon, SATRO, Small Steps and Whizz-Kidz.


With lots including two VIP tickets for a Chairman’s Club experience at a Manchester City home match, to a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes at Asprey in London, these once-in-a-lifetime experiences not only promise something for everyone, they also promise to make a huge difference to beneficiaries of the six charities across the UK.
                                                        
A great believer in building personal relationships with the causes she supports, Charlotte has always taken the time to get to know the charities, their teams and their beneficiaries personally to have the confidence of knowing that her donations will be spent in the right way, and encourages others to take a more active role in giving to charity.


Launching the auction, Charlotte Grobien OBE said “I see first-hand the incredible work my six chosen charities do to make a difference to people’s lives. Small charities in particular have limited resources and their impact to help change lives is often under threat because of funding “I feel very fortunate to have been given opportunities in my career that now enable me to support young people with physical and mental conditions by distributing the profits from my new property developments to these causes. “I regularly visit the charities I support and meet the young people and their families who benefit directly. It is incredibly inspiring and I am so glad that the hard work involved in building new houses actually results in changing other people’s lives for the better. “I believe we all have philanthropic instincts and I hope that this auction will help inspire everyone to go online and bid for an auction lot that money can’t buy – their bid really will help change a life!” 


The auction will run online at http://fundraising.bid/giveitaway/ from Monday 18^th April, and closes on Tuesday 3^rd May at 12 noon. 

#GiveItAwayAuction

  

 

Festival of Tulips - Dunsborough Park, Ripley

The Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Nikki Nelson-Smith invites you to afternoon tea and cakes at Dunsborough Park on Thursday 21st April, the second day of the Festival of Tulips, from 2pm-7pm.

This is a spectacular event and is not to be missed! 20,000 new bulbs have been planted and over 20,000 1 year-old bulbs replanted in grass to create a wild meadow.

Refreshments will be provided by Ockham Women's Institute in aid of the Mayor's chosen charity, SATRO.

Admission to gardens: adults £6, children FREE.

Dunsborough Park, Ripley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6AL

www.dunsboroughpark.com

email: office@sweerts.com

Twitter: @DunsboroughPark

Choosing your ‘A’ Levels? Here are 6 things you should know:

1. Certain university courses will be looking for specific A-levels

You won’t be able to apply to some courses without having taken some specific A-levels (and scored the right grades in them too, of course).

 

For more info, see this list of uni subjects and their typical A-level requirements. If you already know what you want to study, check out the full entry requirement details for a handful of courses at different unis to make sure you’re ticking all the boxes with your subject choices.
 

2. Taking certain A-levels will open up more university course options

Think you probably want to go to uni but don’t know what you want to study yet? You won’t be the only one! You can keep your options wide open when choosing your A-levels by selecting a smart mix of the most commonly asked-for subjects in university entry requirements, known as ‘facilitating’ subjects. Take your pick from:

• biology
• chemistry
• english
• geography
• history
• maths
• modern and classical languages
• physics

The more of these you choose, the more courses at university will be open to you. Additionally, if you have a talent for art, design or music and think it could be an avenue you’ll pursue, taking the relevant A-levels will help that to happen.

Some universities openly discourage students from taking certain combinations of A-level subjects, particularly when subjects are very similar like business studies and economics, so bear this in mind when you're making your choices.
 

3. A-levels are a lot tougher than GCSEs

The reason you take a particular subject is usually one (or more) of these three scenarios: you need it to pursue a particular career; it’s a subject you enjoy and are good at; or it’s a subject you’ve not studied before but you think will suit you.

Either way, be prepared for a big jump in the level of difficulty when you transition from GCSE to A-level. You’ll also see differences in the way you’re taught and in what is expected of you.
 

4. Some courses and unis have lists of subjects they don’t accept

Particular courses – take, for instance, an architecture course at the University of Bath – will view certain A-levels as less effective preparation for university studies than others. Similarly, some universities – such as the University of Sheffield – list which A-level subjects they prefer. Others, like the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), have ‘non-preferred’ subject lists.

If your subject choices don’t match up, you shouldn’t necessarily discount the course, or be put off from taking a creative or vocational A-level subject you’re really interested in.

 

5. Know myth from reality

Don’t take everything you hear at face value – the reality might be quite different.

Say you’ve heard that you have no chance of getting on to an ultra-competitive law course at the University of Durham because it doesn’t accept psychology A-level. Is that really the case? A university may view you differently from another candidate based on other factors such as extra-curricular interests or your portfolio. It’s best not to rely on pre-conceived assumptions or what you hear through someone else from their experience - there are ways to double check your facts.

6. Many unis and courses will consider you whatever you choose

Question: Accountancy, anthropology, archaeology, banking, business studies, classical civilisations, hospitality, information science, law, management, marketing, media studies, philosophy, politics, psychology, public relations, religious studies/theology, retail management, social work, sociology, surveying, television, travel and tourism… What do these subjects have in common?

Answer: They will all consider a very wide range of A-level choices and do not normally have essential subject requirements!

 

If you already know what you want to study at University, take a look at this list of A Level requirements:

 

http://university.which.co.uk/advice/a-level-choices/what-a-levels-do-you-need-for-the-degree-you-want-to-study