Widening Participation Awards

Nationally and Internationally Recognised

In the five short years that the WP Unit has been in existence, the work of individuals and the team has been recognised with well respected awards for excellence and innovation:

• 2004 Child Safety Campaign Award — Promotion of health and first aid awareness
• 2004 Heist Award — Widening Participation in HE
• 2005 Child Safety Education Foundation — Campaign Certificate
• 2005 AAUA Nikolai Khaladjan International Award — Innovation in HE
• 2005 AUA Award for Excellence — Outstanding achievement in HE
• 2007 London Education Partnership Award — Innovation and outstanding achievement
• 2007 Higher Education Volunteering Award - Outstanding Project Awards
  
  

  From left: London Schools Minister Lord Adonis, Jenny Elliott, Ayoola Awopetu, Miriam Dias, Kenton Lewis, Anthony Cochrane, Wisam Alwan and Mateen Jiwani.

  Widening Participation Unit scoops education award

  St George’s Widening Participation Unit scooped the Innovation and Outstanding Achievement award at a glittering gala dinner in the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club in June 2007. They were honoured for their efforts in tackling obstacles that can stand in the way of access to Higher Education at the inaugural London Education Partnership Awards. St George’s were also finalists in two other categories — Kenton Lewis, Assistant Registrar (Fair Access), was a shortlisted finalist for Individual Professional Contribution To Higher Education Progression and the team narrowly missed out in the Individual Organisational Impact category. Former MP and awards cohost, Oona King, said: “Widening participation at St George’s is now very well established, having grown significantly in scope and influence since its early days. Its programme of activities has never been less than innovative and dynamic. And it works.” Kenton Lewis, who heads up the WP Unit, described the award as “a wonderful recognition of the efforts that staff and students have put in over a number of years to ensure fair access to St George’s. This award recognizes our leading position in widening access to medical and healthcare education and is a clear indication that our commitment to developing innovative programmes and policies is working. When presented with the award, Kenton was able to make a special mention of Matt O’Donnell, who died in a fatal traffic accident in May 2007. During his time as a Medicine Graduate Entry Programme student at St George’s, Matt had a wide and committed involvement in the work of the Widening Participation Unit. The award itself is a specially commissioned piece of modern art by Mai Yoshida entitled Butterfly Tree. Guest speakers at the awards, which were held on 19 June 2007, included the Minister for State for Further, Higher and Lifelong Learning, Bill Rammell MP, who said: “These awards are a testament to the ongoing partnership work that many of London’s higher education institutions are involved with and I’m delighted that we are able to recognise their achievements in this way.”