I finished the day at the University of Leeds Volunteering Awards 2009...

I had been asked by the University's Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Arthur to present the Education Award.The awards have been going for three years and each year I have had the privilidge to present this award to a student who has made a significant difference in one of our schools.

This year the nominees were Will Sadler, who has been working in Hollybush Primary School; Laura Fairfax who has been working at Iveson Primary School; Frances Moore who has been working at Farnley Park Maths and Computing College and Nicola Kober who as been working at Ralph Thoresby High School.

And the winner was Nicola Kober whose project R:Edit with Year 7 in an after school clubinvolved the group editing an unpublished short story for Barrington Stoke, who specialise n producing books for reluctant and struggling readers. Each child involved will be named on the book's inside sleeve and receive a copy of the book.

We also had a 'Hairspray' Dance Performance by children from Spring Bank Primary School which was great and '1 Knife, 1 Life' a brilliant theatre and dance production by young people from City of Leeds School which my colleague Sheila Howarth had produced.

Volunteering at the University of Leeds through 'vinvolved Leeds' is part of the nation's biggest ever youth volunteering programme and aims to provide interesting volunteering opportunities for young people aged 16 to 25 years old.
The project is run in partnership with Learning Partnerships and Children Leeds.

This was another brilliant evening celebrating young people a the University of Leeds who through their volunteering are making a real difference here in Leeds.
Chris