Petchey Foundation awards for local pupils

Ninety three students from 15 Secondary schools in Ealing have received prestigious Jack Petchey Foundation Achievement Awards.

The ceremony held at Greenford Assembly Hall on Tuesday 3rd February honoured Achievement Award winners aged 11-25 who received medallions to go with their framed certificate and a cheque for £200, already presented

The Jack Petchey Foundation has provided funding of £482,000 to youth organisations in Ealing since funding started in 2006.

Winners included Wiktor Trofolmiuk aged 15 from Northolt High School. Wiktor was nominated for his exemplary behaviour during an emergency in school when a teacher had an accident.

JPF Coordinator Carol Verity said “Everyone was panicking and two students managed to retain their full composure. Wiktor along with another student, protected the area, managed to put the staff member in the right position and was talking in a calm, friendly and concerned way. He was part of a team which controlled a situation to the point where staff were virtually obsolete, despite the gravity of the situation. It’s good to see him develop as a citizen as well as a learner.

The grant award was spent on a first aid resuscitation training dummy (to be used in PE).

Another winner was Akashpreet Brar, aged 14, from Featherstone High School.

Akashpreet has volunteered for a number of charity events such as sponsored walks to raise awareness of people in third world countries; helped bake cakes for cake sales, and done a sponsored silence.

JPF Coordinator Sarah Horton said “This is before we even start to discuss her sporting efforts at inter-form and other clubs. She has accumulated over 1500 positive points at school which is more than any student I have seen before. She really is outstanding and I cannot think of a more deserving student.''

The grant award was spent on developing the Macmillan cake sale last September and new library books bought using student feedback on the kinds of titles they would like to see.

Zeenat Azeem, aged 14 from Brentside High School also won for her hard work and resilience. When she joined in Year 7 she had to overcome a number of challenges, particularly as a young carer.

JPF Coordinator Anthony Barnett said “Zeenat participated in the Magistrate Mock Trials and she was our court reporter in the local heats, and then for the regional finals she stepped in and became a magistrate when the team lost a team member. She really rose to the task and represented the school extremely well.”

The grant award was spent on a trip to Thorpe Park for Young Carers.

VIPs attending the event included Steve Pound MP for Ealing North. He said

“Once again the Jack Petchey Foundation has highlighted the true face of young people in Ealing! Congratulations to all of the winners! I’ve had a fantastic evening celebrating with you all.”

The Deputy Mayor of Ealing, Cllr. Harbhajan Kaur-Dheer said “What a great evening – amazing young people, well organised and I feel really inspired – I hope the young people do too!”

Chief Supt. Paul Martin said “Yet again I am in awe of the achievements of these young people. When I look at the group of achievers we have seen this evening, in spite of adversity or disadvantage, I feel assured that the future is bright because these young people will carry us forward.”

Now celebrating its 15th year the Jack Petchey Foundation was established in 1999 to recognise the positive contributions young people make to society and to support them in achieving their potential. Since then it has invested £85 million to a wide range of 2,000 youth initiatives across London and Essex.

Founder, Jack Petchey CBE, aged 89, said “I am passionate about our awards scheme which enables young people to be recognised, valued and rewarded for their achievements and positive contributions to society.”

11th February 2015