CEO Blog

• Great Get Together 2023

  Mon 26 Jun 2023

  The Batley Buzz has been evident across our town this weekend with so many different activities taking place for the 2023 Great Get Together campaign.

   

  On Friday across our family of schools we had the Batley Bake Off at Upper Batley High School, and the Intergenerational Afternoon Tea at Healey School. Saturday saw the Great Health and Wellbeing Get Together in Wilton Park, and Sunday the Run for Jo at Oakwell Hall. It has been magnificent to see so many of our young people, their parents/carers, our staff team and governors, trustees and members attend these community events. Thank you to everyone who gave up their time so generously to support this community work all across Batley. Batley Poets also performed at Batley Library on Saturday followed by a lovely outdoor picnic in the park.

   

  The Great Get Together began as a coffee morning in Batley back in 2017 and has now become a movement, with Great Get Together events taking place all across the UK. Events commenced a few weeks ago at the Batley BullDogs with free entry to the match and family fun day. The day also had a focus on men’s mental health. The Great Get Together is all about bringing people together and celebrating what unites us, and the positive power of human connection which is so important for wellbeing. As we say often in Batley, Community Makes Us, and it is the unity in community that’s key. The Jo Cox Way starts on 26 July, and then we will have a short rest before we begin planning our 2024 events, we can't wait to get started!

  

• The Great Get Together

  Mon 19 Jun 2023
  The Great Get Together week is here and we have so many exciting activities taking place across our family of schools. Events began on Friday at Field Lane School where dads joined their children around a campfire, both to bring people together and showcase the great work the young people have been undertaking in school, but also to raise awareness about male mental health with men and boys.

   

  The Great Get Together is all about bringing people together, to build stronger communities and make new connections in order to help tackle loneliness.

   

  Upper Batley High School are hosting the Batley Bake Off on Friday morning at 11am, where talented bakers enter their own creation with prizes for first, second and third place, and special certificates for every entry. Staff and young people from across our Trust family of schools are involved in this event, along with members of the local community and Jo Cox's family come along to judge the entries. 

   

  Everyone is welcome to Healey School's Great Get Together at 2pm on Friday. Their intergenerational event is open to everyone and, it has to be said, they have the best scones in town!

   

  The Great Wellbeing event is taking place in Batley Park on Saturday, followed by the Run for Jo on Sunday at Oakwell Hall where staff from across our family of schools are taking part in the 6.5k trail run in a wonderful setting. We hope to see you there! Community Makes Us and it is the unity in community that is key; as Jo Cox herself said, "We have far more in common that that which divides us."

  

• Community Makes us

  Mon 12 Jun 2023
  June is the month of the Great Get Together which is all about bringing people together from across our community to celebrate our rich and diverse cultural history, and the wonderful people who live and work in Batley. The Great Get Together also helps to tackle loneliness through one connection at a time!

   

  The young people and staff of Healey School are fantastic ambassadors for this sentiment and have been hard at work to provide a brilliant community resource in the heart of Batley, next to the library. Two telephone boxes are now wonderful display spaces showcasing the great work that takes place by the local More In Common group, and the 21 local schools who are part of BBEST Community Hub. Healey School has made this space better still, by planting up a huge 'cut and come again' planter where local people can come and take herbs they may wish to use at home in their cooking. It is a free community resource and is open to everyone. Community Makes Us.

  

• Batley Bulldogs

  Mon 05 Jun 2023

  Welcome back to the last half term of this academic year. What better way to start the new term, and kick start June (the month of The Great Get Together campaign) with the Jo Cox memorial match, and fantastic community family fun day, at Batley Bulldogs in the glorious Batley sunshine.

   

  The world famous rugby club opened its gates for free, for two exciting matches, and loads of great family activities. The crowds came in their droves, and The Fox's Biscuits Stadium was packed. The event was supported by our local MP, local councillors and local community groups, such as More In Common. As well as supporting bringing people together, and tackling loneliness in our local community, the purpose of this event was to raise awareness for people living with a colostomy. Team Colostomy UK played the British Asian Rugby Association, then Batley Bulldogs took on York Knights.

   

  It was wonderful to see so many of our young people attending this community event, some of whom were helping and supporting the organisation and running of the event. Many of our young people are part of the local Scouts Groups who put on a wonderful BBQ for everyone. We were able to capture a great photo of one of our current learners with one of our alumni, who is now studying engineering and raising awareness of women into engineering as a career. They are also Gold and Bronze World Champions in Karate - what an inspirational group of young  people!