Diana Award

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Club night raises £500 for charities

We know that our Scoop articles are usually reserved for you, as Award Holders to tell us about your experiences at events, but we were so excited about this event that we had to tell you about it!

The Diana Award were delighted that the charity club night Creatures of the Night selected us as one of their two chosen charities to donate their event profits to.

On Saturday 12th May the infamous Dogstar in Brixton, London opened its VIP rooms for Creatures of the Night presents the Creatures Carnival. With the likes of Massive Attack and Hot Chip having tread their floorboards we knew it was going to be an awesome event. With a set dress theme of ‘curious creatures’ we were excited to hear about the designs that people had come up with, and we weren’t disappointed… everything from lions to dragons and even a body painted panda were present!

As a music venue, the warm up DJ’s got the party started playing a mix of music; something to get the tails, ears and paws of every creature bopping. The culmination of the music was the announcement of XFM DJ Eddy Temple-Morris as the headline act. Known for his remixing skills, he set the floor ablaze with his epic tunes, even at one point blowing the fuse! That didn’t deter these curious creatures though as they partied the night away.

Above all else, the night was a great success. The creatures that came helped to raised £500 for the two charities. They may have now gone into hibernation until the next Creatures of The Night event, but perhaps it’s your turn?

If you’re inspired by this event and think you can run your own club night or themed bash in aid of the Diana Award. Then we want to hear from you (you must be over 18). If you’re at University you could even hold it in your Student Union! If you’re interested then get in touch with us today by emailing Katie on: katie.marple@diana-award.org.uk

Luke visits the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs

I’m Luke Divers, and I got my Diana Award in 2006, for fundraising. I’m currently in my first year of university, studying Law and Business at the University of Warwick.

I decided to go to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs meeting to see how the government planned to extent the apprentice scheme, due to the increase of university tuition fees. I have always felt that too many people are pushed into university when it isn’t the best option for them, but at the same time, alternatives were never advertised.

During the meeting, I found out that the government is trying to change the perception of apprentices and increase the range of apprenticeships available. There are now banking apprenticeships, which I would have found a very interesting alternative to university, if they had been advertised to me. I found John Hayes, the minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, friendly and welcoming, and took all the questions fielded seriously and offered us a lot of advice.

I would encourage anyone who is given the opportunity to go to one of these meetings to go, as you can ask any questions or make any suggestions you have straight to the person who is in charge. I’d like to thank the Diana Network for the opportunity, and thanks Katie for organising it all. Make sure you join the Diana Network and get involved in the opportunities available to you!