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Foundation's annual awards praise students after a challenging year

The Student Awards, held at the end of the academic year, are an incredibly important and special event in the Foundation’s annual calendar to celebrate the achievements of its students. 

Northampton Saints Foundation uses the values of Northampton Saints RFC and the power of sport to Inspire, Support and Educate young people and their communities. After a difficult year, affecting everyone, due to the pandemic the Foundation are incredibly proud of their students who were able to adapt and thrive in unprecedented circumstances leaving plenty to celebrate. 

The evening began, with compere for the evening Graham McKechnie, presenting the Education programme awards, based on Values and Champions.  The Values programme incorporated both classroom-based and practical multi-sport sessions. A holistic approach is offered to promote wellbeing, aiming to build character in its participants, to improve their interaction and communication skills, and to encourage positive self and social behaviours.   

Award 1 - School of the year - Park Junior School  
Award 2 - Class of the year - Billing Brook sixth form  

Sponsored by Approved Business Finance 

The educational Champions award is inspiring the current generation to learn and to be active and discover their inner champion to help grow their self-esteem, raise their aspirations, and achieve their potential.  

Award 3 – Champions award - Chloe & Zoe – Denfield Park  
Sponsored by Approved Business Finance 

The other programmes, run by the Foundation, presented awards for Values, Student Progression and Student Achievement.  

The Engage programme works with students aged between 10-16 to increase confidence and boost self-esteem. The programme has been running since 2015, giving the Foundation experience of working with a number of students SEMH and complex needs.   

Award 1 - Foundation Values Award - Justin  
Award 2 - Progression Award - Rory  
Award 3 - Student Achievement Award - Eloise  

Sponsored by The Roastery  

Engage+ provides young people (aged 16-18) an opportunity to study within a professional environment and offers superb work experience opportunities to allow them to develop themselves further. The programme uses practical and classroom-based activities to empower students to see the positives in everyday life and achieve their academic qualifications.  

Award 1 - Foundation Values Award - Ester 
Award 2 - Progression Award - Sharon  
Award 3 - Student Achievement Award - Carl 

Sponsored by Northampton College  

HITZ offers a relaxed environment targeted at 16 to 19-year-olds to improve their functional Maths and English, develop valuable life skills and gain important qualifications alongside experience from work placements and employer-led sessions. The programme also offers essential enrichment and sporting activities which supports the development of the individual, though not only improving their mental health but their physical wellbeing.  

Award 1 - Foundation Values Award - Lazim   
Award 2 - Progression Award - Tia
Award 3 - Student Achievement Award - Courtney

Sponsored by SCL  

All nine are incredibly worthy and well-deserved winners, the room was filled with emotional pride and respect for the winners, and we wish them the best of luck as they go on to full time employment or further education.  

Everyone is aligned at the Foundation from the Trustees, their strong hard-working team that make the Foundation function and their generous, supportive sponsors and donors who are invaluable everyone is all about ‘the young people and their families’. 

“After a year of uncertainty, disruption and additional challenges, this was a night filled with celebration and achievements. It was a great night and very welcome distraction from the difficulties we have all faced over the last 18 months. We are very proud of all the winners.”

Foundation Managing Director, Catherine Deans

The last award of the evening saw Jack Fleckney named the winner of the Overall Contribution award, sponsored by Ewing Associates.  Additionally, this year, in recognition of his outstanding commitment and support for the Foundation and his unquestionable ability to champion our work in several ways, Jack joins Harry Mallinder, Tom Wood and James Grayson as the Foundations fourth Ambassador. 

The Foundation is privileged to have Jack on board as an Ambassador.  He will not only help to raise awareness of the work we do, but also to inspire, mentor and be a role model to our young people. 

Jack’s life has been built on challenges and his journey to face them head on and overcome them has made him who he is today. He is now driven to help vulnerable young people by putting himself in vulnerable positions and high risk, physically demanding environments to tell a story and raise money to give these young people a new opportunity. Jack has raised nearly £50,000 for the Foundation to date. Which clearly highlights why he won the Contribution to the Foundation award.

Tom Wood said ‘’His drive, not only to meet his own challenges that puts him in high risk, physically demanding environments but also his ambition to help vulnerable young people to a better life, to have opportunities and a chance means that Jack is the perfect role model for the Foundation’’.