July 2010
Famous Restaurant Beckons for Canvey Island Pupil
Kieren Bayly, a pupil at the Continuum Group School Canvey Island has recently been given
the opportunity to fulfill his dream of being a master chef. Kieren, 15, travelled to London with
his teacher, Sarah Brown, in order to visit Jamie Oliver’s famous flagship ‘Fifteen’ restaurant.
Meeting with Fifteen’s outreach officer, Caesar Cruz, Kieren was given a full tour of the
restaurant and the opportunity to discuss future plans to apply for the restaurant’s chef
apprenticeship training scheme. Fifteen, run by the Jamie Oliver Foundation, was a television
hit when it opened in East London in 2002, and is now a global success story with young
people at its heart. With another three restaurants worldwide – Amsterdam, Cornwall and
Melbourne, the foundation operates an apprenticeship scheme for vulnerable young people,
between the ages of 18 and 24, and often in need of ‘a break in life’, the experience of learning
to work in the restaurant business.
Canvey Island teacher Sarah Brown said “Kieren has shown a keen interest in cooking since
he joined the school in September and so I wanted to find a place for him to visit where
he could gain real experience and have a taste of what he could achieve in the future.
We go out of our way at the school to source experiences that the pupils can really benefit
from and opportunities to assist encourage lifelong education and training. The trip to Fifteen
took a lot of organising, but was well worth it – a once in a lifetime experience!”.
Showing a great interest in food, Kieren also assists in lunch preparation at the independent
school in Canvey Island which facilitates education for pupils with social, behavioral and
emotional difficulties (EBD). So impressed were the team at Fifteen London for Kieren’s
enthusiasm in a career as a chef, they have now extended an invitation for Kieran to
complete a full day of work experience under the restaurant’s executive chef on August 27.
Left to Right: Sarah Brown, Keiren Bayly & Caesar Cruz (Fifteen's Outreach Officer).
June 2010
Continuum Group Carers Nominated for Outstanding Contribution to Social Care
Eight Staff from the Continuum Care and Education Group, have been honored for an outstanding contribution to
social care, and named as regional nominees in Reed’s ‘Carer of the Year’ Awards. North West finalists will be
recognised in an award ceremony in Manchester this week. Nominated by staff and service users of the Continuum
Group’s specialist care homes and schools, each nominee was singled out as an ‘exceptional individual’ who delivers
outstanding care and support that continuously improves the quality of life for those young people they work with.
Trisha Matthews, Care Manager, the Continuum Group nominated Patrick Pratt, a registered care worker with
young people at a solo ‘complex needs’ home in Rochdale and said: “I nominated Patrick because of his dedication
to his role, the exceptional work he has done with the young people as well as the extra work he does with our
Family Support Service.Aside from his work with Continuum, Patrick also did a considerable amount of fund raising
recently for an orphanage in Kenya andarranged a trip over to work as a volunteer for a month. I am delighted that the
good work he does is to be acknowledged and rewarded”.
Also nominated was Wayne Cooper is a PE Tutor at the Rochdale and Warrington Schools for his dedication to
teaching pupils about sport, health and fitness.Five other staff from the Continuum Group across the country have also
been nominated in their respective regions. Managing Director of the Continuum Group, Bob Hall said, “I am really
pleased to see so many of our team nominated for recognition in this special way. These individuals are unique
amongst the 850 exceptional members of our staff. We wish them well and hope they go all the way to the final”.
Regional Winners will be announced on Thursday 17 June and will each receive a prize hamper, certificate and
progress to the national final of the Carer of the Year 2010 Awards. The national event takes place on 2nd September
2010 in London at The Waldorf Hotel.
Left to Right: Patrick Pratt, Bob Hall, Nikki Davenport, Wayne Cooper & Angela Glynn at the Northern Regional Final for 'Carer of the Year'.
January 2010
