FCHO welcomes young people from MP Elsie Blundell's Fly High Summer School

Earlier this month we welcomed three young people from Heywood and Middleton North MP Elsie Blundell's Fly High Summer School.

Emaan Hassan, Caryn-Ann Sarpong-Kumankomah and Charlie Wilcock – all 16-years-old and from the MP’s constituency - spent two days with us as part of their summer school placement.

The trio were mentored by the Chief Executive Mark Gifford and our executive team, and spent time with a variety of departments, including development, neighbourhood services, sustainability and the customer contact centre.

FCHO also donated £300 to the summer school to help with travel to London when the group visited the Houses of Parliament.

“The main aspect that surprised me was how large First Choice Homes is, I didn’t expect there to be so many employees and departments behind the scenes,” said Emaan.

Caryn-Ann said: “Meeting the chief executive was particularly helpful as he taught us about having a unique selling point to differentiate ourselves from other people and I think this is really useful information that I will need in the future, especially when I am applying for university.”

And Charlie added: “Seeing how many people and departments are behind social housing and how many homes there are and how many communities are actually under this organisation was a surprise.”

Mr Gifford said: "Everyone at FCHO was really pleased to have these impressive young people with us and we were delighted to show them how we work and the important and wide-ranging job we do as a social housing provider.

“It was also important to support a local MP’s summer school. This is a great way for young people to gain access to organisations and to get a good understanding of how our democracy works.

“It is particularly pleasing our donation was used to ensure this group was able to travel to London and see parliament first-hand.”

Mrs Blundell added: "I'm so grateful to everyone at First Choice Homes Oldham for giving Emaan, Caryn-Ann and Charlie such a warm welcome and a genuine insight into the incredible work that goes into providing homes and supporting communities across our area.

"The Fly High Summer School is all about opening doors, building confidence and giving young people opportunities they might not otherwise have.

"I'm also incredibly thankful to FCHO for their generous £300 sponsorship, which helped make our visit to Parliament possible. 

"Partnerships like this show what can be achieved when local organisations invest in the next generation."