Today marks the start of LGBTQ+ History Month, an annual celebration and remembrance of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer + others) community.

LGBTQ+ History Month has been an annual celebration in the UK since 2005, however, the month was founded in the US after Rodney Wilson, the first openly gay teacher in Missouri, originated the idea.

The importance of LGBTQ+ History Month 

With a lack of education and awareness, members of the LGBTQ+ community still face prejudice today. The overall aims of this month are to promote equality and diversity for the LGBTQ+ community, to acknowledge and value their contributions to society, and most importantly; to ensure they feel safe and accepted. 

Achievements of the LGTBQ+ community can often be overlooked; it’s important to carry on educating those on the sacrifices made by the community which led to milestones such as the Sexual Offences Act 1967.

Although there have been huge milestones for the LGBTQ+ community there is still a great deal of work to be done to move towards social justice, fairness and inclusion. 

What is the theme for this year? 

This year’s theme is Politics in Art: “The Arc is Long” which is inspired by a Martin Luther King quote: ‘The Arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’ 

Some of the LGBTQ+ artists featured in this year’s theme are Keith Haring with his dancing figures, which were used to draw attention to the growing AIDS crisis of the early 1980s. Graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat was also significant in the ‘80s for his neo-expressionist paintings. 

How you can be an ally

Being an LGBTQ+ ally is about helping to create an inclusive environment where people can feel safe and be themselves around you. 

If you are a straight ally, here are some of the ways you can help improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people everywhere.

Familiarise yourself with the terms 

Educating yourself with the correct terminology and pronouns is a simple but crucial step in becoming an ally. Take note of what words a person uses to describe themselves and their sexual orientation and gender identity, using the correct terms and pronouns is being respectful to those around you.  

Stonewall has created a Stonewall glossary of terms for you to learn and begin to familiarise yourself with.

Expanding your reading and watch list with cultural content is also an easy step but an important way of learning about LGBTQ+ history and LGBTQ+ existence today.

Show your support

A good way to show support is to engage with charities and events in your local community. They might have updates and activities that you can volunteer for or donate to.

Pride in Diversity Harrogate is a local community that aims to encompass life in all its diversity and to encourage all to work and live in a fully inclusive community within the Harrogate district. Take a look at their website here to see how you can support them. 

There are also small LGBTQ+ businesses out there to show support to, this can be done by sharing their social media on your own accounts or if you can afford to, purchasing something from them. 

Celebrating at college

Harrogate College is celebrating LGBTQ+ History month in a variety of ways this year. 

Harrogate College’s LGBTQ+ Society provides a safe space for those who identify as LGBTQ+* to be fully themselves without fear of judgement, criticism or discrimination.

Our LGBTQ+ society is always open to new members: students can drop into AG23 on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons or can click here to sign up for the online group.

The LGBTQ+ society is doing a fundraiser for MESMAC, an organisation that offers a range of mental health services for LGBTQ+ individuals. 

The Students’ Union will also be selling pronoun badges for 50p for staff and students who want to wear one on their lanyard. 

LGBTQ+ support

There is plenty of support available out there for LGBTQ+ members. 

Mindline Trans+ is an emotional and mental health support helpline for anyone identifying as transgender, non-binary, genderfluid. 

​​LGBTQ+ Foundation

The foundation provides a helpline staffed by a team of dedicated staff and volunteer operators who have extensive training.

There are also a range of services on The Go To, which offers support to LGBTQ+ individuals across North Yorkshire.

Aspiring Paralympian Emily Holder is aiming for two ‘gold medals’– in fencing and in business.

The Harrogate College student may  only be 17 but she is already near the very top tier of wheelchair fencing, with National Championship medals – among others – for England to her name.

Emily, who made her debut for Great Britain last November at the IWAS wheelchair fencing World Cup in Pisa, Italy, now has her sporting sights firmly fixed on breaking into the Paralympic team and winning a medal.

She has also been flying high in her Level 3 BTEC National Extended Diploma in Business – despite having to contend with pandemic-related interruptions and a recovery period following surgery – which she will complete this year.

The challenges of chasing ‘two careers’

Juggling the two workloads has been far from easy, especially when having to travel to Milton Keynes regularly for her key training sessions, but it is a challenge she is enjoying.

She said: “This course has been a good choice for me and in terms of the college being flexible to let me continue my fencing and training, it’s been really great.

“The staff have been very helpful and understanding. Although we haven’t been going to too many things, because of covid, when it has come to me having to take time to attend training and fencing competitions they’ve been really good, on the understanding that I just need to make sure I get the work done. Which, to be fair, I always do!

“I also use a little bit of sport psychology, in terms of setting goals and deadlines, envisioning positive outcomes and that sort of thing, to help with my studies.”

Emily has cerebral palsy and the level of her mobility varies depending on how much chronic pain she’s experiencing and her spasticity (muscle tightness) and dystonic (involuntary muscle contraction) levels. She often uses a crutch but on good days can manage without it, and also has an electric wheelchair.

For her fencing she uses a specialist sports wheelchair which costs £4,000, and which the athletes have to pay for themselves, as the female GB team receives virtually no funding support. 

Her fencing gear – including two different blades, a foil and an épée, a mask, gloves and more – is also expensive so her participation has required a major investment in money, and time, from her family.

A model student – and an inspirational dad

The dedication she has shown to both her studies and fencing has led tutors at Harrogate College to hail her as a ‘fantastic role model’. Course leader David Gaunt added: “Emily is very conscientious and always prioritises her grades.”

Her love of business was inspired by the example of her father, who has proven to be very useful when it comes to her fine-tuning her coursework.

She said: “He’s been a great help as I can run things by him to see if they make sense in the real world too, because theory’s often very different from practice.

“I’ve always been aware that I need to commit myself to both things, my fencing and my studies. Some of my teammates, the Paralympians, only fence but they’ve always said to me ‘don’t just rely on it, you have to try to have two careers rather than one’.”

Emily’s interest in competitive sport began in 2013, when she was just nine, after attending a disability sports festival and deciding to pursue swimming and fencing.

She eventually chose to focus on fencing as that would give her a better chance of one day becoming a Paralympian.

Focused on competing at the highest level

She said: “Fencing is a really niche sport anyway, and when you add disability to the mix it’s tiny. There are only four competitive female GB wheelchair fencers in the entire country!

“Paris, in 2024, may be my first chance to compete in the Paralympics in a team event, but LA in 2028 is maybe a bit of a more realistic goal.”

Emily, who lives in North Rigton, started off at Harrogate Fencing Club but now does the majority of her training in Milton Keynes while also using online coaching plus facilities at Durham, York and Bath.

As for her studies, she is aiming to take up a Business Management or Human Resources course at university later this year, and has already had three offers. She has also been gaining some valuable work experience at Portakabin’s York base.

Anyone who would like to support Emily’s fencing by sponsoring her can do so by sending an e-mail to emilyholder43@yahoo.com.

For more information about wheelchair fencing visit britishdisabilityfencing.co.uk/.

Harrogate College students have enjoyed a tasty start to 2022 – by tucking into pizza at an ideas sharing event.

The Students’ Union organised a Student Voice Pizza Party on Wednesday 12 January as a fun way of encouraging students to air their views on college life. The party was also a way of thanking class representatives for the previous work they have done to collect and share feedback.

The Student Voice system ensures that students at Harrogate can influence their experience at college.

Here are some recent examples of measures the college has introduced in response to students’ feedback:

Students said: “Could we have a peer support system so it’s easier to find out about mental health services?”

The college responded: Great Idea! Students can sign up to be a wellbeing champion now.

Students said: “How can we make sure student achievement is recognised?”

The college responded: We’ll be making sure there are student awards every term.

Students said: “Some students aren’t sure if they are eligible for funding.”

The college responded: We’ve arranged drop-in sessions where students can speak to someone about their eligibility.

Students said: “I want to join the LGBTQ+ space but would prefer it to be online.”

The college responded: There’s an online LGBTQ+ space for students now.

Students said: “We’d like somewhere we are able to play our music without being disruptive.”

The college responded: We added a music space to the enrichment timetable.

Students can share feedback or ideas for college events by emailing hcsu@harrogate.ac.uk or speaking to their class rep, who can pass it on.

Harrogate College has been putting sustainability at the top of its agenda, making it a firm priority for years to come. 

In recent months, the college has made a sustainability pledge and hopes to soon become a Centre of Green Excellence.

To mark its commitment to climate issues, the college recently hosted the launch of the first ever Harrogate Climate Action Festival, which saw hundreds of people come together to hear from sustainability-focused exhibitors.  

COP26

Last month, Harrogate College’s environmental champion, Holly Hansen-Maughan, headed to Glasgow to represent the college at the COP26 conference.

Over two days, Holly heard from panellists on a range of pressing issues, including the adjustment to off-grid energy production and consumption, driving green change and transitioning to the green economy. There were also key discussions concerning education, highlighting the part colleges need to play in adapting courses and skills to match the green revolution. 

Holly, who works at the college as a Partnerships and Development Lead, said: “During the event, the government vowed to put climate change at the heart of education as we prepare for the green industrial revolution. Therefore, colleges have a responsibility in preparing young people entering the workforce for the first time. 

“In order to adapt to this, we must teach sustainability and environmental awareness within our curriculum. At Harrogate College, we are dedicated to empowering young people by enhancing students’ understanding of environmental issues, which will be done through our Carbon Literacy Training. We also encourage learners to participate with environmental campaigns and activities through our enrichment programme.”

Local businesses lead the way

“Discussions at COP26 highlighted the importance of working collaboratively with local businesses to ensure young people are trained with the skills they need to join the workforce. The college works closely with a range of industries to deliver an employer-led curriculum which prepares learners for future jobs in the green economy.

“Our recently launched Employers’ Network gives employers the opportunity to influence the content of our courses, so that both students and employers are provided with what they need to succeed. This involves participating in quarterly discussion groups, allowing us to shape the skills and training of the future workforce. The Employers’ Network is now open for new members to join who receive multiple benefits in return. We also have upcoming networking and feedback events in February and June – you can take a look at the full range of events here.

“We aim to live our core values, including being a progressive institution, which we do by supporting students to develop the skills and knowledge to flourish in the changing world we live in.”

Read Harrogate College’s Sustainability Pledge here.

Harrogate College prides itself on working hand in hand with local businesses and organisations to provide the skills and training they need to ensure that our economy grows and thrives. Our monthly newsletter is a handy way of keeping our partners informed of developments at the college.

Business Newsletter – December, 2021 Dear Partners, Welcome, as we start a new year full of exciting fresh opportunities, to our monthly newsletter. Harrogate College prides itself on working closely with businesses to provide an employer-led curriculum, and on helping to provide the green skills training that will be so crucial to our economy as we transition to a more environmentally supportive model. So we are proud to focus, in this month’s edition, on a new course that we are launching this month, which is focused on what is becoming an ever more important part of the sustainability toolkit – retrofitting. Our securing of Department for Education funding to run a retrofit course follows on from our key role in helping the Harrogate district stage its first ever Climate Action Festival last year, and reflects our commitment to both the green skills agenda and the local construction industry. We also have a number of Harrogate College Employers’ Network events to look forward to as we progress into the new year, and seek to consolidate our ties with our local business partners while exploring new opportunities. I hope you enjoy the read and look forward to working with you throughout 2022. Danny Wild Principal Harrogate College —————————– Leading the way on green skills with our Retrofit course We are delighted to be launching a specialist new course, Foundations of Eco-Retrofit, that is designed to give local construction industry members a route into the ever-growing energy efficient homes market. Run by experienced retrofit contractors and experts from not-for-profit organisation, People Powered Retrofit, the two-day course is focused on helping small businesses and sole traders build on their existing knowledge and skills so they can carry out eco-renovation works. Those taking part will also benefit from meeting other local businesses, gain insights into how to stay up-to-date with the latest green building techniques, and learn how to find new retrofit opportunities. Harrogate College’s Partnerships and Development Lead, Holly Hansen-Maughan, said: “We are proud to be launching such a progressive course, and one that has been tailored to help those working in our local construction industry get ahead of the curve and be part of the green recovery. “This is a great example of how all of the excitement and networking which arose from last year’s Harrogate Climate Action Festival is translating into concrete action and movements towards positive change.” The first course takes place in January over two days, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29, and runs from 10am to 4pm. A second course will then be held in March, on Saturday 12 and Saturday 19. Places can be booked here. An £80 discount will be available to the first 15 course applicants – who should use the code ZEROCARBON80 – courtesy of Zero Carbon Harrogate. The college will also be hosting a retrofit awareness event in February, after staging a successful initial awareness evening, in partnership with Zero Carbon Harrogate, last November. It takes place on Thursday 17 February. Click here for more details. —————————– . Bringing local businesses and the college closer together Representatives from a wide variety of businesses turned out for the launch of Harrogate College Employers’ Network in 2021, and there are plenty of forthcoming opportunities for more firms to get involved as the network (HCEN) heads into 2022. First up will be a series of industry-specific sub-group meetings that will be held at the college between Monday 14 and Friday 18 February. Designed to encourage fruitful dialogue between employers in similar fields, the sessions will cover Energy & Construction, Health & Social Care, Hospitality & Retail, Digital, Education & Training and Business & Finance. Each will also feature an open table discussion plus a chance to network while enjoying complimentary tea and cake. Then on Thursday June 16, existing and new members will be invited to meet to review the network’s progress to date, explain what kinds of courses and skills they would like the college to provide, and discuss future activities. Harrogate College launched the network as part of its ongoing work to deliver a truly employer-led curriculum, and participating businesses can help shape the courses, and skills, that are on offer. HCEN members take part in quarterly discussion groups and enjoy a range of benefits including course discounts, plus free advertising and promotion across the college’s media platforms. For more details about upcoming network events, and booking links, click here. —————————– We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of our Business Newsletter – we’ll be back with more next month!

Harrogate College is working with Healthwatch North Yorkshire to hear from young people about their experiences of local health services.

The aim is to help influence services provided and understand how they can be improved to make them better for young people across the county.

Students are being asked about their experiences of mental health and wellbeing and how they’re being impacted, particularly as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions.

A survey has been launched this month and discussions will be taking place in February to better understand what young people are facing and what could help them.

Feedback gathered will be shared with a range of organisations, including Tees Esk Wear Valleys NHS Trust, the local mental health service provider which is keen to hear young people’s views.

Any students or young people who would like to submit their feedback can do so here Your mental health and wellbeing Survey (surveymonkey.co.uk)

Harrogate College is proving it’s a cut above the rest by offering free haircuts and manicures to jobseekers.

The college, which prides itself on supporting its local community and economy, is providing the services to anyone who has secured a job interview.

Haircuts, which will be carried out in our fully equipped, professional standard training salons, can be booked now between 3pm and 7pm on Wednesdays. Manicures, meanwhile, will be available on Thursdays – starting on Thursday 27 January – from 10am.

Principal Danny Wild said he was delighted to see the college starting the new year with such a generous gesture, which he hopes will boost the participants’ prospects.

He said: “We are proud to show that we are living our values by being nurturing towards our community, and giving people the best chance to progress into a positive 2022 with a new job.”

Programme Manager for Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, Steph Keedy, added: “We really enjoy working with the local community and initiatives like this are very rewarding for our students – while also helping them complete their qualifications.

“We hope that by offering someone a new haircut and manicure it will give them a confidence boost that may help them on their way to finding a new job.

“It’s another great example of the college and local community really working together.”

Places must be booked in advance, and applicants should be able to show proof of their upcoming interview. To book a place in the salons, which close during half-term and national holidays, email katie.sharman@harrogate.ac.uk or call the college’s reception on 01423 879466.

Hospitality students at Harrogate have rounded off the year by serving up a European inspired Christmas feast to members of the public.

The Christmas around Europe gourmet evening took place at Harrogate College on Thursday 9 December when guests were treated to a three course meal featuring dishes based on festive continental classics.

The event attracted nearly 60 people and saw the college’s regular canteen area transformed into a fully operational restaurant.

An invaluable learning experience

Harrogate College’s Cultural, Contemporary and Heritage Studies Programme Manager, Jason Parry, said: “The evening put the learners through their paces, catering to over 50 with a three course meal.

“The students had the opportunity to experience how it felt working as part of a team and in a busy restaurant environment.

“They battled through confidence issues and worked really hard to perform well, and this was reflected in the customer feedback. The evening was a great success.”

The college’s hospitality students also recently enjoyed a fact-finding tour of the Grand Hotel, in York, as part of an enrichment day that included a walk along the city’s historic walls.

A grand day out in York

Mr Parry added: “The hotel tour was really well put together by the staff.

“We had some talks from key employees and learnt how the business, which runs its own amazing cookery school, diversified after Covid-19 as well as how it is performing now.

“Following a tour of the suites and key features of the hotel we had a mocktail master class, which was a lot of fun for the students.

“We then went for a walk on the wall until we got to the centre of York, where the students had some free time to explore the Christmas market, before all going for a meal at Bella Italia – which linked in to the students’ previous unit on pasta.”

The first event of 2022 for Harrogate College’s restaurant will be a food and wine pairing evening, which representatives from the wine industry are being encouraged to attend, on Thursday 10 February.

The hospitality students will produce five light courses for the event, which is designed to teach students and guests about how the right combinations of food and wine can enhance the dining experience. The evening will include tasting notes, a tasting menu, and specialist speakers.

For more details about hospitality and catering courses at the college visit harrogate-college.ac.uk/courses/.