Sir Geoffrey Leigh

The Trust originated from The Leigh City Technology College which opened in 1990 as one of the original 15 City Technology Colleges, through the generous sponsorship of Sir Geoffrey Leigh. He was at that time Chairman and Managing Director of Allied London Properties PLC, a company engaged in the development of Commercial, Industrial, Office Buildings and House Building. Through his charitable work for many organisations in education, business and health, both in the private and public sectors, he has helped organisations to grow, to become more effective and to raise large sums of money for the benefit of their Communities and their Country.

Sir Geoffrey became the first Chairman of The Leigh City Technology College in 1990 and retired in 2006. He worked tirelessly to help the fledgling CTC develop and took a strong personal interest in its growth, development and success throughout his tenure of office.

The Leigh City Technology College became The Leigh Technology Academy in 2007. In September 2008, Longfield Academy federated with The Leigh Technology Academy and Leigh Academies Trust was created.

Although retired, he is still a member of Leigh Academies Trust and continues to take an interest in all that goes on. There are now thousands of young people in the South-East whose life chances have been transformed by the contributions of Sir Geoffrey to the Leigh Academies Trust.

The photographs below show Sir Geoffrey during the official opening of the Leigh Technology Academy in June 2008 and at the official opening of Longfield Academy in October 2011.

 
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University of Kent

The University of Kent was established at Canterbury in 1965 and has now become known as the UK’s European university, with students in Brussels, Paris, Rome and Athens as well as at its other Kent campuses at Medway and Tonbridge. It has nearly 20,000 students, of which around 17,000 are undergraduates and approaching 3,000 are postgraduates. Its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow, was appointed in 2007.

Kent has consistently been rated by its own students as one of the best universities in the UK for the quality of its teaching and academic provision. In the 2012 National Student Survey, Kent placed third out of all publicly-funded multi-faculty universities in the UK for overall student satisfaction. In the 2013 Guardian University Guide, Kent achieved a ranking of 22nd, and was placed 28th in the Sunday Times League Table 2013.

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, the University was placed 24th out of 159 participating institutions in the UK for its world-leading research, while 97% of its academic staff work in schools or centres where the research is rated as either internationally or nationally excellent. In 2008, the University received The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for the work of its Kent Law Clinic.

Kent’s strong European impact is reinforced by long-standing partnerships with more than 100 universities in Europe. It also has relationships with many leading universities outside Europe and in 2010 launched a new initiative in Hong Kong and China.

The University is a major economic force in the South East, contributing £0.6 billion to the region’s economy. It supports directly or indirectly almost 6,800 jobs in the South East.

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University of Greenwich

The University of Greenwich offers the best of both worlds – city and country. The university occupies locations in London with campuses at Avery Hill, in the district of Eltham, and Greenwich, in the Royal Borough. A third, Medway Campus in Chatham Maritime, Kent completes the university sites.

Greenwich University draws on over 100 years of experience as educators, and on the rich heritage of the local area. For centuries Greenwich has been recognised as an international hub of discovery, exploration and industry. This forms the impressive backdrop and inspiration for forward-looking innovative research and education. Students are expected to aim high, and work hard to develop not just subject knowledge, but intellectual curiosity and the confidence to tackle challenging issues. The university places great store in ensuring that graduates can seek out new opportunities, generate novel ideas, and be effective in the world of work.

Greenwich University undertakes world-leading research, with talented staff working on everything from the development of the River Thames and Kent coastline to combating sleeping sickness in Africa. Excellent facilities are the envy of many in the country. A wide and varied range of programmes covering subjects from architecture and construction to science and pharmacy are offered across the institution. Greenwich is a university for the 21st century and the needs of modern research, education and society in general.

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The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers

A City of London livery company with a very long and prestigious history, The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers is one of the few livery Companies which restricts its membership largely to those with careers in its traditional trades of publishing, printing and bookbinding, and is now occupying the digital publishing space. Nearly half the 70 plus annual events held in this 17th Century Livery Hall are focusing on topics relevant to these trades.  Through its charitable arm  – the Stationers Foundation – the Company has for long been active in the education field and currently funds special weekend schooling for under privileged children and awards bursaries to graduate students who are pursuing studies for a career in one of the Company’s trades. Until the mid-1980s, the Company sponsored a school in Hornsey, North London. That school closed with the reorganisation of the GLC. The Company is ambitious to put funding from its charitable foundation and the commitment of its members into such an organisation, bringing its considerable expertise, contacts, business acumen and financial commitment to bear to improve educational provision in the South East London area.

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Ravensbourne

A FE/HE provider, based on the ‘Digital Peninsula’ in Greenwich. Ravensbourne have repositioned themselves within the HE marketplace, offering high quality courses in outstanding facilities covering a range of areas such as digital media, photography, fashion and film production. Their knowledge and expertise will be invaluable in creating cutting-edge facilities to deliver a unique, leading-edge curriculum.