Comedian Adrian Edmondson goes back to school at Thackley Primary

Young bookworms at Thackley Primary School will now be able to curl up with a book in their new state-of-the-art library.

Bradford-born comedian Adrian Edmondson went back to school last week to officially open their new state-of-the-art library which is set of encourage a love of reading. 

Adrian lived on Highfield Road as a child before achieving fame as a comedy actor, winner of BBC’s MasterChef and is currently playing the role of Malvolio in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Twelfth Night.  He has recently written a very well received children’s book called ‘Tilly and the Time Machine’ which children in KS2 have been reading.

The library, which has the capacity for 3000 books, is three times bigger than the previous library and is now fully accessible to all as it is situated on the ground floor.

Head of School, Annette Patterson said:  “We hope our new school library will become the heart of Thackley Primary School.  It will absolutely improve the children’s learning experiences and we really can’t wait for it to be finally open!

“A well-stocked, well-designed and well-used library will have a lasting affect on generations of children at the school. It will help us to foster a love of reading in all of our children which we know is so vital.”

The new school library will be open during and after school and will be appointing new junior librarians to look after the library and their all-new, broad selection of books.

During his visit to Thackley Primary School he read the children excerpts from his book, Tilly and the Time Machine – released earlier this year, posed for photos, answered questions from pupils and signed books for children, staff and parents.  

He had also brought a number of his favourite children’s books to present to the library.  

Thanks to questions from the school’s inquisitive reading club, the group found out that Mr Edmondson would travel back to the days of Lord Nelson if had a time machine, that he is a fan of TV comedy The Windsors and that he has a pet Whippet.  

His next book will be released in January and it is about a boy who becomes friends with a talking Shetland Pony.

Bradford Council’s Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills, Coun Imran Khan said:

“Congratulations to the staff, pupils, parents and carers at Thackley Primary School who have worked together to make the new library possible and encourage a love for reading.  I am sure all the children will embrace the new area and it will become the heart of the school and full of bookworms.”

Follow Thackley Primary School: @ThackleyPrimary and Ade Edmondson: @AdrianEdmondson

Bradford City Runs invite children to join in!

Bradford City Runs on Sunday 29 October is Bradford’s annual festival of running with a unique choice of three distances: a 5km, a 10km and a half marathon along with a special kids’ mile run, all on closed roads in and around City Park in the city centre.

The one mile run for children, allows them to get involved before the adult races begin.

The race will use the same start and finish as the adults race, using Thornton Road and City Park.

Open to all children, children age 5 and under MUST be accompanied by an adult, whilst children age 6 and over MAY be accompanied by an adult.

The main route which was introduced last year, takes in parts of Little Germany and the Broadway Shopping Centre, as well as the University of Bradford, Bradford College, City Hall and the multi-award winning City Park.

Before the run Ajay L Mahajan, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Director of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit will be presented with a cheque for £7,000 which was raised by the event last year.

Bradford City Runs will once again raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit, based at the University of Bradford. The unit was set up after the tragic Bradford City fire disaster thirty two years ago and continues to explore ground-breaking treatment techniques for burns sufferers.

Hundreds of people including many children and young people have already signed up to take part in this year’s Bradford City Runs, which is designed to welcome everyone from the Bradford district and beyond, no matter how fit and how fast!

The event, which is delivered in a partnership between Bradford Council and Bradford Athletics Network, is also being hugely supported by Bradford City football club and the Bradford Bulls as well as the University of Bradford, Bradford College, St Bede’s School (pupils will oversee the water station) and many of the RunBradford running groups, running clubs and hundreds of participants from across the district.

Mr Ajay L Mahajan, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Director of PSBRU, said: “We are delighted that the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU) at the University of Bradford has once again been chosen as the charity for this year’s Bradford City Runs. Last year, Su Shergill from our unit participated in the run and this year I am pleased to say that our new research fellow, Lucy Trevor will be taking part in it. I want to wish everyone taking part the best of luck whichever distance they’re running and thank them for their support, which is vital in helping us continue our work in the unit.”

For more information and to sign up to take part visit: www.bradfordcityruns.co.uk and follow @RunBradford on Twitter or Bradford City Runs on Facebook.

Lord Mayor launches Children’s Safety Initiative

A ground-breaking children’s safety initiative was launched at the weekend.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Abid Hussain, unveiled the scheme which involves three schools taking part in the Children’s Year of Safety, which has the support of a wide range of organisations and agencies.

The schools involved are Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary, Merlin Top Primary Academy and Laycock Primary.  Each term during the academic year they will cover different topics around safeguarding and safety.

It is hoped that if the scheme is a success, it will be rolled out to other parts of Keighley and the wider Bradford district.

Coun Abid Hussain said:  “When we work together we can give our children every chance to thrive and fulfil their potential – which is what every one of them deserves,” he said.

“The Children’s Year of Safety is a new idea and I am delighted that we in Keighley are leading the way on such an important piece of work.

“There’s an old saying, ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’. It may be an old saying, but it’s as true now as it ever was and it means we are all responsible for keeping our children safe.

“The Children’s Year of Safety will make it clear what that actually means for everyone.”

The gala – staged by the Braithwaite and Guard House Partnership, which brings together a host of organisations and agencies – has been hailed a success and was attended by hundreds of people.

There was a lot going on, on the day and attractions included a fancy dress contest, cave bus, bouncy castle, games, team sports, face painting, under-fives messy play, crafts, food and stalls.

The police and fire service were there, Keighley Healthy Living was represented and White Rose Energy distributed information.

Mae Wilkinson, five, and Tia-Rose Curry, six, help the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Abid Hussain, brush-up on road safety at Braithwaite and Guard House Gala

Tim Peake’s spacecraft to land in Bradford

The spacecraft which transported Tim Peake, the UK’s first European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, to and from the International Space Station, will be landing at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford for public viewing from Wednesday, 27 September 2017.

The Soyuz TMA-19M capsule, complete with equipped interior and char marks on its outer body from its re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere, will displayed along with its 25m diameter parachute.

The display of the iconic craft will be accompanied by an inspiring and immersive range of activities, including the Space Descent VR experience, narrated by Tim Peake himself.  Space Descent VR uses Samsung Gear VR headsets to recreate the experience of travelling over the International Space Station (ISS) and the incredible 250-mile journey back down to earth inside the Soyuz TMA-19M.

The VR imagery has been created by the award-winning Alchemy VR studio for the Science Museum Group, and is experienced with the latest Samsung Gear VR headsets in a bespoke VR lounge inside the museum.

The museum’s October half-term activities (21 – 29 October) will also be dedicated to Tim Peake’s Principia mission, featuring out-of-this-world experiences such as astronaut-training, taking the helm at mission control and launching self-designed rockets. And the museum’s popular series of Lates events for adults returns on 28 September with an evening of interactive space-themed entertainment.

Museum director, Jo Quinton-Tulloch, said: “The Science Museum Group acquired the Soyuz TMA-19M capsule last year, and we’re the first venue to display it outside the capital. It’s hard to express how excited we are to be bringing it to Bradford. The Soyuz capsule represents one of history’s most incredible technological feats, and this is an unmissable opportunity for visitors young and old to see the craft that took Tim Peake all the way to the Space Station and back.”

Soyuz TMA-19M carried Peake and crewmates Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra in ESA Expedition 46/47 to the ISS on 15 December 2015, returning on 18 June 2016. It was acquired last year by the Science Museum Group.

Commenting on the acquisition, ESA astronaut Tim Peake said: “You do become very attached to your spacecraft because it definitely does save your life. I’m absolutely delighted that my Soyuz spacecraft, the TMA-19M, is going to be returning here to the UK and may serve, hopefully, as inspiration for our next generation of scientists and engineers.”

Details of visiting arrangements and special events, including the Space Descent VR experience and half-term activities at the National Science and Media Museum will be announced at a later date.

Space Descent VR with Tim Peake and the presentation of Tim Peake’s spacecraft have been made possible with support from Samsung and the generous co-operation of Tim Peake and the European Space Agency.

Malaika’s Story…

 

When you first meet seven-year-old Malaika Azeem from Bradford, she appears to be a healthy little girl. But at only a few weeks old, Malaika was diagnosed with life-limiting Congenital Heart Disease, a condition that causes increased heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain and mobility problems. Malaika is in need of round the clock care that often leaves mum Sanam struggling to cope.

Malaika also suffers from frequent cyanosis, which causes poor oxygenation of the blood, otherwise known as ‘blue episodes’, for which she requires immediate hospitalisation. For mum Sanam, the past six years have been a constant battle to find support for the family.

She explains:

“The last 12 months have been really stressful for us all. In January last year, Malaika underwent open-heart surgery and doctors were unsure as to whether she’d pull through. After the operation, I cared for Malaika myself, changing her tracheotomy at home, as well as managing her physiotherapy. Since then, she has had several severe blue episodes and endured repeated hospital stays.

“I’m lucky to have the support of my parents and sister, who live close by, but there are very few people I would trust with Malaika’s care. Although I’ve previously tried to access different services in Bradford, there are few who really understand Malaika’s condition. Because she looks normal, people don’t understand.”

The challenge of caring for Malaika 24 hours a day, seven days a week is made more difficult as Sanam must juggle Malaika’s needs with those of her three sisters. Nimrah 13, Romesa 10, and Saira 3. For them, family life revolves around Malaika’s medical care, meaning that weekend activities and time out together are almost impossible.

Sanam explains further.

“Planning outings is a huge struggle. In the past, when we’ve been out and about, Malaika has fallen or become ill, so when I’m looking at places to go I have to consider where is suitable for her, and what might happen if she is ill away from home.

“I often feel guilty not being able to spend time with the other children. They sometimes get upset at the amount of attention I give Malaika, but when she falls ill, they understand why she needs me so much. My eldest, Nimrah, acts as a mother, sister and friend. She will help to wash and change Malaika and is a huge support to me. I’ve always tried to be honest with them all about the reality of Malaika’s condition and we take each day as it comes.”

Sanam self-referred Malaika to Martin House in the summer of 2015, and was overjoyed when the family were invited to a special tour prior to their first stay: After their first stay at Martin House in November last year, the Bradford family are hopeful that, with the right support, life can become a little more manageable.

“Malaika loved her first visit to the hospice. When we got there she didn’t know where to look first, and was so excited saying, “look at this, look at that”. She didn’t want to come home at all! Before our first proper stay in November, Malaika had been very ill and I was barely sleeping. The stay came at just the right time for both of us.”

“The time we spent at Martin House was an extraordinary experience. It was so good to get away from everything. Going to the hospice gives me the chance to talk to other parents and realise I’m not alone – their children might have different needs but we are all in the same boat. I don’t need sympathy; it’s so wonderful to be able to speak to people who understand.”

“When I talk to people about the hospice, they assume it’s all about end of life care. But Martin House do everything. Malaika loves to sing, and when she last stayed, she made a CD of her singing nursery rhymes and other songs. When I listened to it, I was in tears! It’s building up these memories that’s so special, all the little things that we do together that mean so much.”

 

Thackley Primary School’s ‘Save a Heart Day’ campaign welcomes installation of lifesaving Defibrillator

Thackley Primary School has welcomed the arrival of a new life-saving piece of equipment.

Staff at the school received training to use the automated external defibrillator from Yorkshire Ambulance Service last week.

Head of School, Annette Patterson said:

“We are delighted to launch our school and local community defibrillator. This was paid for through our ‘Save a Heart Day’ fundraising event organised and led by the school.

“We recognised the importance of having a defibrillator in school and were driven to succeed in raising enough money to make it happen. We are thrilled and incredibly proud of our achievements.”

The school was also assisted by donations from the local community and businesses and was keen to get a defibrillator on their premises as they understand how important it is to provide early defibrillation when a person suffers a cardiac arrest.

The defibrillator works to restore the heart rhythm if a person goes into cardiac arrest and the earlier a defibrillator is used the better the chance of survival.

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s Strategic Director for Children’s Services said:

“Congratulations to both the staff and pupils and parents and carers at Thackley Primary School who helped to organise and raise funds for this wonderful, life-saving Defibrillator.”

“Not only will the school benefit from having a defibrillator, but also people in the local community and we hope it will save lives.”

Using Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) alone provides a five per cent chance of survival but early use of the defibrillator as well increases the chance of survival to over 50 per cent.

The machine could provide lifesaving care for people throughout Thackley and Idle.

Pictured: Headteacher, Trevor Patterson, Head of School, Annette Patterson, Teacher, Kate Bainbridge and Linda Milsom from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Follow Thackley Primary School on Twitter: @ThackleyPrimary

Summer Holiday Minecraft Meets

Are you looking for a fun activity to keep your primary age pupils entertained during the Summer holidays?

The Curriculum Innovation team are running two exciting activities over two weeks this Summer at The Innovation Centre, in Bradford.

The sessions are aimed at 6 to 11 year olds and are £9.50 per child.

 

Week 1 – 26th & 27th July

The first activity is a journey into the Toy Story world where you will embark on a quest with Buzz and Woody. In the second you will fight waves of mobs to win emeralds in an epic dungeon quest.

Visit: tinyurl.com/MMBfdSumW1 to book your place

 

Week 2 – 31st July & 1st Aug

First you will discover what its like to be a mouse in an exciting chase the cheese adventure. The choice of 4 worlds awaits you in the second quest – will you decide on creative, crafting, redstone or robot.

Visit: tinyurl.com/MMBfdSumW2 to book your place

Congratulations to the winners of the Foster Carer Awards 2017

Bradford foster carers have been recognised and awarded for the selfless work they do looking after some of the city’s most vulnerable children, at a special awards ceremony organised by Bradford Council.

The awards are the Fostering Service’s opportunity to thank its carers and celebrate their achievements in supporting Bradford’s most vulnerable children. The ceremony was held on Monday 10 July 2017 in City Hall and celebrated the long service, commitment and dedication of Bradford’s foster carers.

Three inspirational fostering families in Bradford were also celebrated as exceptional carers at the Awards ceremony, alongside recognition and commendation of all the fostering families who have achieved long service milestones of between 10 and 35 years.

Cllr Val Smith said:

“Bradford’s foster carers dedication and commitment to the most vulnerable children in our city is amazing. It has been humbling and very moving to hear all their wonderful stories of love and care. It was fantastic to see them receive their awards from the Lord Mayor and to share this special moment with them.”

Michael Jameson, Strategic Director Children’s Services opened the ceremony with a speech about the importance of the work that carers do in keeping making a fantastic difference to  our children’s lives.

Jim Hopkinson, Deputy Director Children’s Services, announced each carer receiving a long service award. The Lord Mayor, Cllr Abid Hussain, presented each carer with a certificate of appreciation. Carers who had reached 15 years or more also received a bouquet of flowers and those carers who had achieved 20, 25, 30 and 35 years also received an engraved crystal award in recognition of their long service.

For the new Exceptional Carer Award, social workers in the fostering service were asked to nominate carers who had shown exceptional service over the past year – 21 carers were put forward, which reflects the scale of the number of Bradford’s foster carers who will go above and beyond what is required of them to support and care for a child in need.

The winners and runners up of the Exceptional Carer of the Year Award were selected by a panel made up of the fostering team managers.

Gareth Flemyng, Fostering Service Manager for Bradford Council, invited the three nominees’ champions to explain to the audience of foster carers, social workers, and senior Children’s Services staff, why their carers had been nominated. All three nominees were presented with awards and certificates in recognition of the service they had provided.

The winning foster carers for Exceptional Carer Award of 2017 were:

Evelyn and Raymond Harrison – Mainstream Foster Carers

Evelyn and Raymond’s commitment and dedication to Natty throughout his short life was exceptional. Natty came to them when he was 9 weeks old and he was 12 years old when he passed away. From the very beginning of his life with them, Evelyn and Raymond fully embraced his complexities and loved him like he was their own son. Their whole family life orbited around Natty and his needs.

Natty was born with drugs in his bloodstream and he struggled with a wide range of disabilities and complex health needs due to his mother’s drug addictions during her pregnancy and his difficult birth. These had profound effects on Natty for his whole life – he had significant global developmental delay, severe irritability, microcephaly, severe birth asphyxia and neonatal abstinence syndrome. He was gastrostomy fed and had an ileostomy.

Little Natty was always uncomfortable laying down and would have frequent epileptic fits, which would twist his little body in to painful shapes, so Evelyn spent a lot of his life holding him and carrying him in her arms to give him the comfort and support he needed.

Caring for Natty on a day-to-day basis would have been a huge challenge for any carer, yet throughout the 12 years of his life, Evelyn and Raymond were constant in their commitment and love for him and are slowly coming to terms with his death. They are sensitive and compassionate people who gave Natty an exceptionally good life.

The runners up were:

Mark Smith – Support Care

Mark was nominated because of the support and dedication he has shown since 2015 to a teenage boy. The young man has been through several massive upheavals in his personal life but Mark has remained steadfast providing a trusting, supportive relationship and a safe space for the teenager to be himself and have time away from his stressful home environment and the uncertainties surrounding his future.

As a support carer, Mark provides planned short respite breaks for children after school and a couple of overnight stays over the weekends twice a month, but during this young man’s most stressful period of life when he had nowhere to stay, Mark offered for him to come and stay full time until a permanent home could be found. Mark continues to provide a respite placement for the child and remains the only consistent male role model in his life.

Mary Thompson Lister – Connected Person (Family & Friends Carer)

Mary was nominated for her devotion and commitment to providing a loving and stable family home for her grandchildren. Mary currently looks after her two youngest grandchildren, but she also cared for their older brother and sister, who are now adults. The two younger children have complex needs including ADHD and FASD, along with autistic traits so, through no fault of their own, can be a handful to care for and are constantly on the go from the moment they wake until they fall asleep at night.

Mary has attended lots of training over the years to help her better understand and meet the children’s needs. She is also an outstanding advocate for the children at their school, working with the school to make sure their individual needs are met. She has engaged the children in their wider community and has helped them become involved in the local Royal Legion. Mary has helped the children experience the wider world by taking them on holidays both home and abroad – they are regular visitors at Butlins and have their own red coats.

Trailblazing girls’ cricket team launches academy for younger players

A video about their training academy can be found

A Bradford school’s girls’ cricket team who were crowned Yorkshire champions in their first year together have now launched their own academy to help younger pupils to follow in their footsteps.

The girls’ cricket team at Carlton Bolling, in Bradford, have been on a rollercoaster ride since coming together just three years ago.

In their first tournament the newly formed team won seven out of seven matches against some of the best school sides in Yorkshire to be crowned county champions and they have not looked back.

They have now won three Yorkshire titles, have just been crowned North of England champions and have also been recognised with a string of awards for their achievements.

Last week the team won four out of four matches in a regional competition, beating Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and Northumberland sides, to emerge as North of England Champions. Their next stop will be Lord’s for the National Finals in September.

Now the team of players who achieved this stunning success on the field are looking to pass on what they have learned to new generations of pupils at the school in Undercliffe.

Each week the under 15s team, led by the school’s PE teacher Zaheer Jaffary, host a training session for younger pupils at the school who are trying the sport for the first time.

Around 20 pupils are now learning to play the sport each week.

One of the original team members Zainab Goreja said they had started an academy to ensure that girls’ cricket can continue to grow at the school.

She said: “I definitely hope that the success of the team carries on because this is our legacy. We have started this academy, we have so many girls who are coming through and so many talents who are here. At the end of the day this is what we have started and when we leave next year we want this team to carry on. I hope the new players do well, carry on this legacy and hopefully it can keep on growing because we are going to change so many social barriers.”

The success of the Carlton Bolling girls’ cricket team has seen them receive many accolades in recent months. In November last year they traveled to Lord’s to receive a national Chance to Shine Special Recognition Award for their work supporting grassroots cricket which they were given by England cricketer Jason Roy.

The team have also won the student sport award category at this year’s Bradford Sports Awards and Mr Jaffary was named Secondary School Teacher of the Year award at the Bradford and District Teaching awards.

Vice-Captain of the team, Zainab Goreja, was recently presented with the 2017 International Rising Star award in London for her contribution to sport; in acknowledgement of her dedication and commitment to women’s cricket, and Captain Jasmin Akter was nominated for a 2017 Yorkshire Women of Achievement Award.

However for Mr Jaffary one of the team’s biggest achievements has been overcoming cultural barriers which saw many families express concerns about their daughters taking part in the sport.

He said: “It is something we have come up against, there has been some reluctance from families for their daughters to stay behind after school to play cricket. However we hope that our community can see what these girls have achieved together. What they have been able to bring to the team and what being a part of this team has done for them. It is brilliant that our girls’ cricket team are now carrying out coaching themselves at our academy.

“We want their success to inspire the younger pupils to follow their example. The future of the team relies upon the academy the girls have set up for future cricketers. The girls are extremely dedicated in sharing their story with others to help them see all that can be achieved through perseverance and dedication.”

Carlton Bolling College’s Headteacher Adrian Kneeshaw said: “The success of the girls’ cricket team has been inspirational for everyone at the school. At Carlton Bolling we recognise the important role sport can have in giving our pupils self-confidence and in showing them the rewards of hard work and of dedicating yourself to being the best you can be. This helps students on the sports field and in the classroom and I hope our cricket academy will inspire many more of our students to take up cricket and give it their all.”

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “The success of the girls’ cricket team at Carlton Bolling College is a story which we can all take inspiration from. They have achieved so much in such a short space of time.

“It is a great credit to the players involved that they are now committed to helping younger pupils at the school to follow in their footsteps.

“We know that participating in sport can be very rewarding for young people and have a positive effect on the rest of their education.”
Notes to editors

Follow Carlton Bolling on Twitter: @CarltonBolling

Drive to find and support people who ‘privately foster’

Bradford Council is marking Private Fostering Week, which runs from 3 to 7 July, by reminding people to get in touch if they think a child is living with someone other than their parents or a close relative.

Private fostering is where a child lives with someone who is not their parent or a close relative, for longer than 28 days. This can be for a number of reasons including if the child’s parents are abroad or unwell, or if there are difficulties in the family.

Private foster care can be a very positive experience; however, the council needs to know about children and young people in these types of arrangements as they are potentially vulnerable as they are not living with their parents.

Bradford Council is particularly asking people who work with children to be aware of private fostering and to notify the council.

The council has produced a short film about private fostering that can be viewed here.  Messages are also being sent out in to the Polish, Slovakian and Czech communities through social media posts.

Coun Val Slater, Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “If you look after someone else’s child, or know of someone who does, we’re encouraging you to contact us.

“Ensuring all children are safe is a priority. Everyone should know what private fostering is and what you need to do if you think a child is living in this arrangement.”

People can contact Children’s Services on 01274 437500 or find out more at:

http://www.bradford.gov.uk/children-young-people-and-families/private-fostering/private-fostering/

More information about the national campaign is available at:

http://www.privatefostering.org.uk/

Notes

A private fostering arrangement is essentially one that is made without the direct involvement of a Local Authority for the care of a child under the age of 16 (or 18 if disabled) by someone other than a parent or close relative for 28 days or more.

A close relative is defined as “a grandparent, brother, sister, aunt or uncle (whether a full or half relative or by marriage or civil partnership) or step-parent.

Privately fostered children are a diverse and sometimes vulnerable group, which includes:

• children sent from abroad to stay with another family, usually to improve their educational opportunities

• teenagers who, having fallen out with their parents, are staying in short-term arrangements with friends or other non-relatives

• language students living with host families