! Parish Office, Frederick Road, Stapleford, Nottingham NG9 8FN [email protected] ! Dear Supporter, ! ! www.stapleford-centre.org !! August 2014 I am writing to you as Chair of Trustees to share with you: • First, the immense progress that has been made to continue and secure the Legacy and the work of the Stapleford Centre and • Second, the current and ongoing practical work the Stapleford Centre has been doing. ! ! ! ! ! ! I hope that after reading this update you will be encouraged to share with us our vision for the future and embrace with enthusiasm the opportunities that our link with CWR (Waverley Abbey College) presents. You will recall that when I last wrote in October 2013 we had agreed with CWR that we should explore a joint future together. Since then both organisations have engaged in a rigorous due diligence process. For our part we have reviewed both the original guiding purposes of the SC Trust and the stated aims of CWR. The Stapleford Centre’s objectives • To advance the Christian religion • To advance education • To promote such other charitable objects as the Trustees may from time to time determine ! ! CWR’s objectives • To benefit the public by promoting the positive teachings and values of the Christian faith. • To bring lasting change for good in the lives of people through our publishing and training programmes. • The aims of the Charity are to encourage people to apply God’s Word to everyday life and relationships. ! ! During this time CWR has begun to establish its own work in Education and we now see the foundation of its own Educational College known as Waverley Abbey College (WAC). We are delighted for them and for all the students who will in due course be able to secure educational training e.g. PGCE within an expressly Christian setting. Coleen Jackson is the Principal of WAC and we have worked closely with her on the transition. It is an enormous credit to CWR that in these financially straightened times it has been able to secure and fund such a project. ! They have gone further than simply securing their own finances as they have also secured the Government approval necessary to allow their students to apply for the "standard" student loans which have now become the gateway for the majority of students seeking to secure a good education. ! This is a powerful endorsement from an essentially secular system - and reinforces the future of the college. WAC will become a separate legal entity as the Education Division of CWR and, within that, the Stapleford Centre “brand” which is well regarded and valued on an inclusive Christian basis will continue to be recognised. The SC will perform a "teaching centre" type function within the College at their base at Pilgrim Hall, East Sussex. It will retain a physical presence there and provide the vehicle for embedding the “thinking and resources" strands alongside the College’s primary "training" strand. ! ! ! Examples of what has been achieved... So what has the Stapleford Centre been doing and what does it take onto the merger? Some examples are: • ! • Another Day Twitter account: Written by John Shortt, our Another Day tweets have gone out on a daily basis. Aimed at young Christians in education, these little snippets serve to kick-start a process of thinking Christianly about their education practice. This work has been very well received, with the Twitter account growing in followers - successfully starting to shape the thinking of a very important demographic that has previously proven hard to reach. New Thinking section on the SC website: In January 2014 we launched a brand new section on the SC website aimed at providing short, thought-provoking articles to young Christian education professionals. The aim behind this section is to deepen and encourage the thinking provoked by our Another Day tweets. Featuring a number of articles and videos, the amount of use this is getting is encouraging. Registered Office: The Parish Office, St Helen’s Church Hall, Frederick Road, Stapleford, Nottingham NG9 8FN A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 3371977 Registered Charity number 1063856 ! ! • ! Think Day: in April 2014, we held a “Think Day” in London. Professor David Cracknell spoke on the topic of "Spot the Difference! Christian Leadership in Education." The day, which was very well received, explored themes such as what, if anything, makes Christians in education distinctive and what Christian leadership in education looks like in practice? • ! RE resources - we are continuing to resource RE professionals with quality resources aimed at the teaching of Christianity in RE. These resources are still very well received. We sell them electronically through the SC website, or as a subscription through www.staplefordresources.co.uk. If you are an RE professional or know somebody who is, we would appreciate it if you could point them in our direction! • ! In the last newsletter, I mentioned project proposals that we wanted to submit. These are ready for submission, but in light of recent developments (CWR embracing SC), it was deemed necessary to wait until the SC is fully settled in its new home with CWR/ WAC , so that the organisational structure is clear to grant-making trusts. We anticipate being able to now submit these proposals in the next term. • ! ! Crossref-it.info - The Crossref-it.info project is firing on all cylinders. Sporting 1.2 million visits just over the last year, the impact this English Literature text guide website is having is phenomenal. While the main focus of the website is the UK, it is also having significant impact around the world, with traffic coming from almost every country in the world. • Exploring which publications can be republished - this is ongoing work which we are undertaking together with CWR. If you have any thoughts on which publications you think there may well be a market for, please get in touch! • Upcoming conference in November 2014: We are holding another National Conference for Christians in Education Leadership in November. Featuring speakers such as Canon Dr Ann Holt, OBE; Rev Canon Douglas Holt, and Graham Kendrick, we are anticipating an exciting and envisioning time. The topic we are focussing on is “A glimpse of the future - How Christian leaders can shape new perspectives in education”. The conference, which runs from Friday lunch to Saturday afternoon, will be held at Waverley Abbey College. If you are interested in coming please book asap in order to take advantage of the early bird rate. To book or find out more please visit the website at http://www.stapleford-centre.org/conferences/a-glimpse-ofthe-future !! Even if you are not intending to come, please help us by praying and by spreading the word! I hope that this update has sparked your own enthusiasm for the future. We have shared our plans and already effected introductions to our longstanding partners - who we are pleased to confirm have also recognised the opportunities and vision. Some partners are already working together, e.g the Bible Society to ensure Crossref-it.info continues to grow from strength to strength. Our invaluable Sue Coyne and team including Robin Staple will be continuing just as before but with the added resource and support that WAC can bring. ! ! ! Let me pause here to express particular thanks on behalf of the Stapleford Centre to The Jerusalem Trust which has supported the work of the Stapleford Centre for many years and has also made the transition possible. Also, the Bible Society and several other other faithful trusts. To the many un-named partners, staff and trustees (that would be a list too long to set out here) please also accept my personal thanks. Meanwhile, the remaining practical steps will be for the Stapleford Centre to become part of the WAC family which in turn is part of the CWR family. Two of the SC Trustees will be joining the new WAC Board (which will contribute the majority of the trustees) to ensure that SC and all that it has represented will continue to maintain its unique space within Christian Engagement in education. ! ! ! Be assured that this transition does not simply speak to preserving the Stapleford Centre’s legacy but also to facilitate the continued development of a voice in Christian Education and to the public square in both the UK culture and worldwide. Finally, please do continue to pray for, support with your time and money and praise God for His willingness to continue to work through SC / WAC. Kind Regards Fiona M J Carter Chair of Trustees of The Stapleford Centre Registered Office: The Parish Office, St Helen’s Church Hall, Frederick Road, Stapleford, Nottingham NG9 8FN A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 3371977 Registered Charity number 1063856
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