Caring college staff receive ‘lockdown hero’ accolade for pandemic support

CARING lecturers and staff at Coleg Cambria received a Lockdown Hero accolade for supporting students through the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Health and Social Care department at Cambria’s Yale site in Wrexham is among the finalists vying for a prestigious Pearson National Teaching Award.

Nominated by Lowri Jarvis, 17, and fellow learners on the Level 3 course, the team – including Claire Williams, Amy Campbell, Kate Davies, Wendy Fowler, Greg Rae and Stefanie Matthews – were praised for their “outstanding student and wellbeing support during lockdown”.

Lowri, from Wrexham, said their enthusiasm and energy helped the cohort tackle the challenges of COVID-19 over the past 12 months.

A former pupil at The Maelor School in Penley, she added: “They have done so much for us throughout the pandemic, especially when in lockdown and being forced to learn online at home.

“They always show their support, and we know if we ever need help, we can ask, and they will do whatever they can.

“The team works so hard to make sure that we stay up to date with our work and they do whatever possible to help us fully understand.

“The tutors make our lessons fun and nominating them for this award seemed a good way to show how much we appreciate them.”

Lowri, who plans to study Nursing at university in the future, added: “It has been tough learning online, we’ve had to adapt quickly to a new way of working.

“The tutors have made it bearable for us; we can’t thank them enough and look forward to returning to face-to-face lessons at the college when it’s safe to do so.”

The Teaching Awards Trust was established in 1998 by Lord David Puttnam as a means of recognising and celebrating excellence in education.

The charity’s mission is to raise the profile of the profession, highlight the positive impact teachers and school leaders have in society – with pupils, parents, and the wider community – and show teachers how much they are valued.

Claire Williams, Cambria’s Curriculum Director of Health, Social Care and Childcare, praised staff and tutors for their resilience and compassion during the pandemic.

“This has been a challenging and unprecedented time for everyone, especially young people who have gone from the classroom to learning at home online,” said Claire.

“The department met those challenges head-on and, as always, put the students’ academic and social welfare at the heart of everything we do.

“On behalf of all the team, I thank Lowri and her fellow students for nominating Health and Social Care – this is a huge honour.”

For more on Coleg Cambria, visit the website: www.cambria.ac.uk