SWRAC - Merseyside

A huge congratulations to Michael at our Bootle Centre for an amazing achievement this week 👏

Michael has successfully completed his Mental Health Training alongside the Student Counsellor, developing valuable knowledge and skills that can help support both himself and others 💚

We are incredibly proud of his hard work and willingness to learn more about such an important topic. This achievement is such a fantastic way to build students confidence and awareness.

Well done, Michael, keep up the amazing work! 🌟

What a fantastic turnout for our Bootle and Widnes Open Days this week 💚 We were so pleased to welcome a brilliant mix of professionals, parents/carers and employers into our centres.

Our Open Days are all about giving people the chance to see first-hand what we do, explore our learning environments, meet the team, and learn more about how we support young people to develop skills, confidence and future pathways.

If you missed it, don’t worry, you’re still very welcome to get in touch to arrange a visit and come and look around our centres at a time that suits you 📩

Contact us on 0330 2020383 or visit our website www.swrac.ac.uk

Thank you to everyone who came along and made the days such a success!

Creativity was flowing at our Southport Centre as the Prepare for Life students got hands-on designing their own spray-painted T-shirts for their Enterprise unit 🎨✨

Using recycled cardboard boxes, plain T-shirts and plenty of imagination, the students learned the full creative process from preparation to design. After securing their T-shirts to the cardboard with masking tape, it was time to choose their colours, put on the gloves and start spraying!

By using an old paint can to create circular patterns, the students layered different colours to achieve an amazing moon-effect design, and the results looked incredible!

One of the finished T-shirts was even modelled by the Prepare for Life tutor… and we think you’ll agree it looks absolutely fab 👏

The students loved getting creative with this activity and are already excited to make even more designs!

We’re so proud of Hamilton and Tom, two of our students from Widnes, who are gaining so much confidence and valuable experience through their Supported Internships at Whiston Hospital 🌟

From working in the post room to supporting in the car park, they are taking on real responsibilities, learning new skills and becoming trusted members of the team.

Both students have grown so much in confidence and independence, and it’s been wonderful to see them thriving in a real working environment with the support of staff around them. 💚

A brilliant reminder of what’s possible when the right opportunities are in place 💫

If you would like to find out more about our Supported Internship Programme and opportunities at SWRAC, visit our website at www.swrac.ac.uk or call us today on 0330 2020 383

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re reminding our students and staff that even the smallest acts of kindness, encouragement and positivity can make a big difference 💚🌈

At SWRAC, we believe in creating a safe, supportive environment where everyone feels heard, valued and proud to be themselves. Whether it’s supporting a friend, sharing how you feel or simply making someone smile, every positive moment matters 🫶

Let’s continue to grow positivity together this May and every day 💚✨

✨ A little reminder that our SWRAC Open Days are coming up next week! ✨

If you’re a parent, carer, potential student, SEN professional, employer or simply want to learn more about what we do, we’d love to welcome you. 💚

Come and explore our college, meet our friendly team, ask questions and discover the support, opportunities and community we offer our students.

📍 Widnes Open Day
🗓 Tuesday 26th May
⏰ 10am – 1pm

📍 Bootle Open Day
🗓 Wednesday 27th May
⏰ 10am – 1pm

We can’t wait to meet you! 😊

For Mental Health Awareness Month this May, our students at our Bootle Centre have been taking part in a lovely positivity activity by adding messages to our “Positivitree” 🌳

Students shared things they are grateful for, helping to spread kindness, positivity and appreciation throughout the centre. From family and friends to hobbies, pets and favourite memories, it’s been wonderful to see all the meaningful things that bring our students joy 😊

This activity encourages students to reflect on positive moments, express their feelings and support their emotional wellbeing.

A simple but powerful reminder that even the smallest positives can brighten someone’s day ✨

Something unique about our Southport Centre is our love for music 🎶

We’re lucky to have a fantastic collection of instruments including drums, guitars, violins and tambourines for students to enjoy and explore. Our Prepare for Life tutor, Iain, who loves playing the drums himself, very kindly brought in his own drum kit, which has now become a permanent part of the centre 🥁

One of our students’ favourite lunchtime activities is Music/Band on Tuesdays, where they can express themselves through music, build confidence and have fun together. Iain has been teaching students the basics of drums and other instruments, and we are so proud of how well they are all doing.

Music is such a powerful way for students to communicate, connect and express themselves, and it’s amazing to see the joy and confidence it brings each week 💚

We just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everybody who donated, supported and to our staff who took part in our recent run in aid of Lumiere 💚

Lumiere is an incredible inclusive space for children with SEND and their families, giving children a safe place to play, build confidence, make friendships and feel truly included.

Thanks to the amazing support from our community, we’re so proud to share that together we raised an incredible £6270!! 🎉

This money will go towards creating a brand-new arts and crafts space for SEN children, helping even more young people express themselves creatively, grow in confidence and enjoy new experiences 😊

We had such a fantastic day and couldn’t have done it without every single person who supported us. Thank you for helping make a real difference 💫

A fantastic student-led activity from our Prepare for Life students at our Widnes Centre this week ✨

Using recycled can tabs collected around college and old shoelaces, students got creative making hanging decorations and bracelets.

A special shoutout to Raige, who came up with the idea and confidently taught the rest of the class how to make them. We love seeing students sharing their skills, supporting each other and growing in confidence 💚

A brilliant example of creativity, teamwork and turning everyday items into something amazing!