Hesley Group students are constantly amazing staff, parents and friends with their artistic abilities. The latest to do so are the students at The Forum School, who have stunned local people with their talents during a successful exhibition at a local art centre.

Examples of line drawing, painting, photography, weaving and pottery produced by pupils at The Forum School have been exhibited for a fortnight at the Shaftesbury Art Centre and produced an array of encouraging comments from visitors.

The work, which was produced during the course of last year, ranged from paintings inspired by the masters such as Van Gogh and Monet to more modern media including photographs of play dough models and computer based art work.

The project was spearheaded by creative arts teacher Rachel Alner, with the help of teaching assistant Barbara Arnold. As well as local people, the exhibition attracted attention from parents, friends of the school and friends and family of staff. All the children at The Forum visited the exhibition and a group of students from The Wing Centre received a warm welcome when they made the trip.

Head Gay Waters says: “All the subjects were amazing in their own right. Art often enables our pupils to express themselves. The old adage that children with autism are not creative just isn’t true and you can see from this exhibition that there is a lot of talent in these youngsters.

“If you take each child on their own and work with them to find a medium that suits them then their individuality will show through. Some may need a model to help them work like Van Gogh’s Sunflowers but others can complete a piece of art work on their own.

“The best memory of this exhibition for me will be the pleasure on the faces of the children. The children looked so proud when they walked into the exhibition to see their own work displayed. Every single child’s face lit up and beamed when they realised that their work was being appreciated.”

The school has applied for a national Artsmark from the Arts Council and is waiting to hear whether it has been successful in gaining either a gold, silver or bronze award. The mark includes the school’s work in music, as well as visual art and could set The Forum School apart from other schools in their field.

Happy 30th Birthday to the Hesley Group

Stephen Lloyd

The Hesley Group celebrated its 30th birthday on 1st February this year. In 1975 Stephen Lloyd, now Managing Director and Chairman, and the late Sam Wrigley started The Hesley Group when six boys were admitted to Hesley Hall School in Doncaster. A generation on, the Group runs ten schools and colleges educating and caring for 390 children, young people and adults, and employs nearly 2,000 staff.

None of this could have been achieved without our staff: the Group would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff, past and present, who have contributed to the company’s steady growth and success, and who have helped the many Hesley Group students with special needs move on to mainstream or further education, supported homes in their own community, or independent living. Thank you: your efforts, patience and dedication are very much appreciated.

Just prior to their 30th Anniversary, The Hesley Group were successful in gaining two awards at the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce Awards Presentation Evening held at The Dome, Doncaster on Thursday 16th December 2004.

Tom O’Connor, who hosted the evening, presented the Group’s representative Dennis Rigg (Operations Director), with the winner’s award for ‘Success Through People’ (over 25 employees). This is an award which reflects the efforts of all staff throughout the Group, and one which we are delighted to have won.

Later, The Hesley Group were announced ‘Runner Up’ in the prestigious ‘Business of the Year Award 2004’. A most successful evening and end to 2004 for the Group.

Education, Education, Education

 

A new state-of-the-art education and vocational centre has opened for business at Hesley Village & College to coincide with the 30th anniversary of both the Group and the college, in its former guise as a school for boys with EBD (Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties).

The new purpose built centre has been specially designed with autistic residents in mind. For instance, it maximises the use of natural lighting from the roof to help minimise distraction.

The centre will house equipment for the many arts and crafts which have bolstered the reputation of the college, including paper and card making, pottery, sculpture and woodwork. But there is also a generous amount of space allocated for cookery, study and a brand new ICT suite within the complex. Everything is purpose built and teaching staff have had a big input in the design of the building as a whole and the layout of each room.

Head Sue Ekins said: “The wide range of educational activities which take place within the college give our residents a sense of worth and help improve their self esteem. We successfully market a range of products produced here in the village in our own shops which gives both staff and students immense satisfaction.

“This new centre will enable residents to enjoy a range of educational activities in a pleasant, purpose built environment. It has been carefully designed to create a safe environment where residents can focus on study.

“This sort of first class facility will provide educational input and pleasure for decades to come and will greatly assist staff in enabling all residents to reach their full potential.”

Adjacent to the new development, renovation work is underway on an old barn which when finished will house a cinema and café style restaurant. It is hoped that this new project will be completed by the summer.

Hesley Village & College was the first Hesley establishment to be opened 30 years ago as Hesley Hall, near Tickhill, South Yorkshire. Over the years it has developed from a school into the Group’s flagship establishment caring for 60 residents over the age of 16 years. Hesley Village & College has maximised the use of additional land surrounding the original site when it has become available and is currently coming to the end of a huge programme of rebuilding and development.