Leavers 2023
We would like to wish all of our New Bridge College leavers a ‘Happy Farewell’. We want to thank you for being amazing students. The commitment you have showed throughout your time at New Bridge College has been incredible.
Thank you for all of the wonderful moments that you have blessed us with.
Noah Faraj
“Hi, my name is Noah Faraj. I have been on the Digi course for the last year of College, and it’s been fun learning about computers. We also did an enterprise workshop where we sold tins and several types of products. Also, I have enjoyed this year because I have made loads of friends that I will never forget. My favourite memory is going into Manchester for the trip about different IT companies and to learn new skills in IT. When I leave, I want to go to Oldham College to learn about cars and motor vehicles and problems that come with the cars”.
William Harland
“Hi, My name is William Harland. I have been on the Digi course this year. My favourite memory is helping Mr Lancaster with the eagle holding a mobile phone on the large display at the back of the room. I also enjoyed creating the canvas frames for the enterprise team. When I leave, I want to go to Oldham College. I want to learn about construction and building. In the future I could possibly help my uncle in the building trade and one day I could have my own building firm and work for myself. I have enjoyed making new friends and socialising with the friends I already had from College but I’m looking forward to the new challenge ahead of me.”
Sameh Imraze
“I have enjoyed my year at New Bridge College. When I first came here, I was shy and things seemed hard and new for me. As the months went by, I started to come out of my shell. Business was starting to get easy as pizza pie. I interacted with more people – a lot more. This gave me the confidence to socialise. Maths, English and PSHE gave me three things to remember. ‘LEARN YOUR BLOODY TIMES TABLES’, ‘BRING YOUR IPADS’ and ‘DR AB to which they forgot the C’. What do you expect from transport? They don’t answer. I’m looking forward to the future. Voila,”
Decklan Butler
“Hi my name is Decklan. I have had a great experience at New Bridge College I have made a lot of new friends and had a great time learning there. The teachers were fantastic and I have developed more confidence since doing the Dragons Den. Thank you for such a wonderful experience.”
Callum Pixton
“My journey this year has had both ups and downs. Mostly ups! I have made some good friends and learnt a lot about myself. My journey her has come to an end because I’m going over to Oldham College to study construction. I think my time at New Bridge has prepared me well to be able to go into a new college environment. Last week we went to Blackpool for our end of year trip, it was mega, we went on all the rides and had a laugh with all my mates, this is the best memory.”
Corey Henderson
“Hi, my name is Corey Henderson. I started in 2015 at New Bridge School on the Activ8 pathway. My experience on the Activ8 pathway was great because I was able to try new sports that I had never tried before. Then, when I transitioned up to New Bridge College, we did lots of body workouts. I enjoyed all of the activities like: walking, football and basketball. After that, I joined the Pre-Internship Pathway which is preparing me for the world of work. When I leave the college, I want to get a job. The first placement I went on was the RSPCA. My responsibilities there were cleaning, mopping and brushing. My second placement was David Lloyd. I had lots of different jobs there including: cleaning tables, washing pots, cleaning the gym area, serving food to customers and filling up the ice bucket. In May 2023, I went to Calvert with my friends and teachers from the college. It was such a good trip, I had an amazing time! I took part in a range of activities such as: rock climbing, canoeing, walking, swimming and abseiling. The food was delicious. We had a full English breakfast every morning, mac and cheese and lasagne too! My next step is going into Future Finders.”
Sophie Judd-Russell
“Hello, my name is Sophie Judd-Russell. I am currently on the Pre-Intern Pathway and I have nearly finished my first year. During my time on this pathway, I have completed placements at: David Lloyd, The Atrium and the RSPCA. My favourite placement has to be the RSPCA because I liked caring for the cats and making sure they had food and a drink. I also liked spending time cuddling them. I have been on two trips this year. One was Calvert and the other was Chicago. Calvert was very fun because I got to do so many activities that I have never done before. My favourite activity was bush craft and I really enjoyed toasting marshmallows. I have just come back from Chicago. I did enjoy it there, but I preferred Calvert. I ate so much pizza that I never want to look at pizza again! My favourite experience whilst in Chicago was the evening boat experience with a three-course meal. I was picked to be the Student Council rep for my form whilst on the Pre-Interns pathway. I have attended meetings and I have had to do surveys for all of the groups in College. The surveys are about improving our college and everyone gets to vote. My plans for next year are to go into Future Finders and hopefully get a job by the end of the year. I have already started my transition at Toby Carvery.”
Adam McQuillan
“Hello, my name is Adam Lee McQuillan. I have been at New Bridge College since 2020. When I first came to New Bridge College, I was on the Lumenus Pathway. When I was in Lumenus, we got the opportunity to visit the Oldham Theatre Workshop! We did amazing things there like acting and having fun. We performed two shows: ‘The Snowman’ and ‘The Greatest Showman’. I really liked doing the performances because it was fun and I was doing it with my friends! I moved onto the Pre-Interns in my 2nd year. Placements that I have worked at are: David Lloyd, the Atrium and the Oldham Library. My favourite placement to date is The Atrium because the staff there are lovely to me and you also get to have your dinner there as a treat. The food is always hot and tasty!I would like to thank all the members of staff for helping me. Firstly, Mrs Preston for running Lumenus like she did when I was there. Secondly, I would like to thank Nicola. She has really helped me to get used to Pre-Interns and I now have lots of friends.”
Imran Hussain
“My name is Imran Hussain. I have been on Pre-Interns for 1 year. I have liked meeting all the new staff and people. I have been on lots of placements this year. I have been to the Library, the Atrium and David Lloyd. My favourite placement has been at the Atrium because I like working in there and I want a job in a café. I like cleaning at the Atrium and restocking the fridge, chocolate shelf and crisp shelf. I have made lots of friends in my class and I have just come back from Chicago. I had the best time of my life! I danced on a boat and I had lots of nice foods. I took dollars with me to Chicago which I used to buy Takis and Prime. When I was in Chicago, we went to a high school called Ridge-Wood. I took part in so many sports whilst I was there and I got a T-shirt! Before I came on to this pathway, I was in Activ8. I was in Activ8 for three years. I played lots of sports like football and basketball. My friends and I have won many football and basketball tournaments. Next year, I am going to go into Future Finders. I will be working on a placement and I will try to get a job.”
Dylan Gentle
“Hi, my name is Dylan Joseph Gentle. I started in 2019 at New Bridge School on the Lumenus pathway. My experience on the Lumenus pathway down at school was quite hard because we had to put on shows which I was very nervous about. Then when I moved to New Bridge College. I was still on the Lumenus pathway every morning; we did some breathing techniques which I enjoyed. After this I joined the Pre-internship pathway which is all about getting ready for the world of work. The placements that I have been on are: David Lloyd and the Atrium Café at First Choice Homes in Oldham. The jobs that I do at David Lloyd are washing the pots, cleaning the tables, filling up the ice, filling up the milk (making sure you carry the milk with two hands not one). My job coach is the fabulous Tish who helps me with anything. The jobs that you do at the Atrium are wrapping the knives and forks and seeing if the floor kitchens need filling up with tea, coffee, sugar and milk.”
Danny Bowden
“Hi, my name is Danny Bowden. I’m on the BTG Pathway. This year has been interesting because I have been out on 2 placements for work experience. I have been to Springboard kitchen working as a kitchen assistant where I help to cook and serve the food for the students. I am now working at Nando’s as a floor assistant, welcoming and serving food to the customers. I am really enjoying this placement for work experience. I have been gaining new skills such as: becoming more confident speaking to new people, packing delivery orders and using the till. I want to try out the grills and the co ord sometime in the near future. Hopefully in a few months, I will get a paid employment. Next year, I will be joining Future Finders which is the next step after BTG. Hopefully, I will either get a job or get a paid employment at Nando’s. The highlights of this year have been having fun with my friends, but to a certain extent, it has been a challenging one. I have had a great time with my friends; some are leaving and some are staying. I have boosted my independence by travelling on public transport and trying out new work placements that I didn’t think I would attend in my lifetime. Other highlights have been going to the Manchester Backyard Cinema in December, going to Calvert in May and trying out all the activities and making new friends. However, the reason it has been a challenging year is because of the college work and the exams I have been preparing for (trying to get my level 2 English and maybe get my level 2 maths). I have enjoyed my year on the BTG pathway and for anyone who is coming to BTG, this is my advice: give everything a try, even if you don’t like the placement and you may have a chance of getting a job.”
Tayla-Leigh Senior
“This year I have been working at the Oldham Integrated Care Centre in an admin style job role within the children’s community nursing team. As it was a job role within the NHS, I was required to do basic training first such as first aid, manual handling, kitchen safety and fire training. Whilst working with the children’s team, I was trusted with some very important jobs such as booking appointments, updating children’s records with letters, uploading referrals for sick children so they could be seen by the community nurses, and I was also trusted with putting together medical supplies for families to collect. During my time at the ICC, I grew close to the team I was working within and was invited to their works Christmas lunch and a small party to celebrate retirements. I was put forward for employee of the month. I also received a Christmas card and present and a box of chocolates on National Admin Day to say thank you for my work. Some of my best memories during BTG were gaining closer relationships with other pupils and feeling comfortable enough to speak to them daily. I also enjoyed our Christmas trip to the Backyard Cinema in Manchester where we travelled down on the tram and watched Elf while enjoying pizza, popcorn and other snacks on comfortable sofas and beanbags. Not only have I enjoyed time at College but I have also enjoyed being on placement. Some of my best moments at placement where simply just feeling appreciated and respected. I was treated like a member of staff and not just a volunteer and I loved the relationships I built over there. My next step for my college experience is to stay at New Bridge College and hopefully continue my work with the children’s community nursing team. I am hoping a possible job will come from my work at the ICC, whether that is at the Oldham Integrated Care Centre or a possible job within the same line of work.”
Joshua Jones
“I’ve been doing a placement at Royal Oldham Hospital since October 2022 and I’ve worked in the post room from October till February and now I’m working in the cafeteria and I’m going to be working there until the college year ends and with all the hard work I’ve been doing in the hospital I’ve been able to get a part time job at the Royal Oldham Hospital in the cafeteria. I’ve had some great times in BTG we have had some great trips we have been to a cinema called Backyard Cinema. We have also been to a few job events to meet different people in different kind of jobs. My next step is getting a full-time job and just helping family out.”
Shaun Harris
“This year on BTG I have been doing a work placement at The Royal Oldham Hospital. My first placement was in the laundry room and the kitchens. This year I have really enjoyed my time on BTG. It has been wonderful; I have made lots of friends at college and at the hospital. I didn’t like the laundry at first, but I did it. I do enjoy working in the kitchens but what makes it tough is that it is absolutely boiling hot near the oven. Laundry jobs that I did include folding towels, folding gowns, folding police blankets (those were heavy-no need to go gym). I even sorted out the uniforms and folded them. Now in the kitchen I have been making beans, naan breads, mashed pots, cheese pots and cakes . I also help making the soup, going around the wagons and putting stuff on and in the wagons and helping with the snacks trolley. My best memories are when I when to Disneyland Paris, going to see ‘We Will Rock You,’ making music in Lumenus, being a host at the Governors, Trustees and Directors Conference, doing the inter-school festival at Oldham Coliseum Theatre, seeing ‘Lion King’ , going to the Backyard Cinema at Mayfield Depot and getting rewards for my work in the kitchens at Royal Oldham Hospital. The next step for me is staying on at Future Finders.”
