Celebrating Partnerships!

After two years of the pandemic we were delighted to finally host our inaugural Partnerships Dinner on Friday 6^th May, recognising the engagement between the whole School community and the wonderful organisations with whom we have worked to make a difference to the world. The occasion offered a chance to celebrate successful outcomes, to discuss future plans and most importantly to allow our partners from different sectors to connect with one another directly.

Guests included representatives from a range of local charities such as Whitley Community Development Association, Launchpad Reading, ABC to Read and Alexander Devine as well as academic institutions such as the University of Reading, local prep, primary and secondary schools including The Foundry PRU and organisations like Ethical Reading, Thomas Franks Ltd and Reading FC Community Trust. The Leighton Park staff and parents from the PSC welcomed our visitors and our talented student musicians, Four in a Bar, and the Senior Jazz Ensemble provided an excellent musical interlude at the drinks reception and the meal respectively.

Having co-founded the UK’s first support and advocacy provision for women trafficked to the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation our guest speaker, Natalia Dawkins MBE, was awarded her ‘gong’ in 2009 for services to vulnerable women in London. Natalia is passionate about addressing gender and ethnic social inequality and her talk was interesting and thought provoking. Natalia is currently a board member at the Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit and mentors young people from challenging backgrounds. Natasha’s talk was accompanied by the premier of the Leighton Park Partnerships video which showcased the work of many of those present at the event. Following a scrumptious meal, generously sponsored by the School’s catering company, Thomas Franks Ltd, a book by Leighton Park’s Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Shaun Dellenty, ‘Celebrating Difference’ was gifted to attending organisations at the end of the evening.

Head, Matthew Judd, commented, “With over 80 guests, it was a fantastic and positive celebration of the outreach and partnership work that we have championed in recent years, as well as an opportunity to join together our various partnership friends for new connections.”  Head of New Christ Church Primary, Mrs Kitching, agreed, “We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were extremely grateful for the opportunity to network …It is very exciting for us to hopefully forge deeper and lasting relationships between our little Primary school family and yourselves.” Kirsti Wilson, Head of Marketing and Fundraising at Launchpad Reading, reflected, “It was just great to be with like-minded people who are passionate about their community and genuinely do want to make a difference.”