News and Updates
Read our latest Newsletter
We're excited to share our latest updates and opportunities with you.
Inside, you'll find updates about our:
- Engage Programme
- Aspire Programme
- Discover tutoring
- Connect Mentoring
- Boost updates and King's Trust successes!
- Upcoming events
- How you can support and inspire our young people
Previous Events
Local businesses support Crowdys Hill School with specialist sessions
Pupils at Crowdys Hill School in Swindon have been learning about graphic design, website development and content creation thanks to a partnership with a regional marketing agency.
Sara Witham, Non Executive Director at The Platform Project and Founder of Evil Empire Marketing Agency organised the event. The aim was to provide a series of specialist sessions for pupils aged 16-19 with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND), offering them an opportunity to develop skills and confidence for the future.
Crowdys Hill School aims to break down barriers and does not limit its ambition for pupils’ achievement. From Reception Year to the sixth form, staff have high expectations of pupils who experience a coherent curriculum that builds the life skills they need to succeed in adulthood.
Pupils benefit from a wealth of activities outside the classroom that help expand their interests and develop independence, and the sessions organised by Evil Empire have helped to further enhance the school’s offering.
The sessions were hosted at The Platform Project, another Swindon-based initiative which works alongside local authorities, education institutions and employers to bridge the gap between education and employment, supporting young people struggling in mainstream learning environments.
The programme gave Crowdys Hill School pupils experience of a different working environment and the opportunity to connect with another organisation supporting the town’s young people.
Laurie Kyle from design agency Giddy Octopus and Richard Macarthur from website agency Stackful, delivered sessions for the students alongside New College Swindon’s Esports Faculty.
Richard delivered a workshop covering web design, coding and apps and pupils also helped to him build a live website.
Laurie ran a fun quiz on design and brand recognition and the pupils got to design their own event poster.
Hannah Thandi and Kate Colman from New College Swindon Esports Faculty showcased the professional roles behind the competitive gaming industry. From coaching and team management to event operations, branding, and social media marketing. The session highlighted some core skills such as teamwork, strategic thinking, communication, and project planning. The team also brought in some consoles for a Mario Kart grand prix.
Sara said, “Working with young people in our communities should be in the DNA of every business. We firmly believe that every successful business should be helping to teach, inspire and motivate future generations, helping them to reach their full potential, regardless of circumstances.
“We’re delighted to have run these sessions for Crowdys Hill School and I can’t thank Richard, Laurie, Hannah and Kate enough for giving up their time supporting Swindon and Wiltshire’s young people to achieve great things.”
Amanda Hancock, SEN Job Coach at Crowdys Hill School, added, “We’re extremely grateful to New College, Giddy Octopus and Stackful for facilitating these brilliant sessions for our pupils Evil Empire for organising and the Platform Project for the space.
“Every young person needs opportunities to develop new skills and learn about a diverse range of topics, and this is a great example of a community partnership coming together to offer our pupils more. It was a superbly planned morning, each workshop had the students fully engaged throughout and the talks and the activities suited the students needs perfectly.”
If you would like a session like this for Year 10 & 11 pupils at your school – or if you are a local business that would like to provide a workshop, please do get in touch with The Platform Project or Evil Empire Marketing.
Students serve up Christmas Dinner at The Platform Project - December 2025
Young people on the ENGAGE programme at The Platform Project served up a lovely two course Christmas dinner on Monday 15th of December, after planning, budgeting, preparing and cooking all elements of the meal themselves.
The meal, for approximately 20 people, included many traditional favourites such as stuffing, pigs in blankets and roast potatoes, but also some less traditional items to cover dietary needs such as meringue and strawberries.
The meal gave the young people opportunities to consider what was needed from a variety of angles start to finish, helping them to develop, budgeting, meal planning, preparation, carving, use of kitchen equipment and safe preparation skills (i.e. checking meat temperatures, safe handling of raw meats, handling hot foods etc).
The young people involved also made and decorated their own crackers and table covering, showing that Christmas can be affordable and personalised at a low cost financially and to the environment.
Gemma, Programme Lead for Engage said, 'The meal was an outstanding success with very positive feedback from all those who had the opportunity to enjoy it. It is a lovely experience to share with our young people at this festive time of year and great to see them develop their skills and confidence throughout the process.'
Mayor opens new Youth Workspace at The Platform Project - December 2025
The Mayor of Swindon has officially opened a new youth workspace at The Platform Project, based in Swindon’s Edison Park.
Councillor Fay Howard visited the not-for-profit organisation’s Christmas Enterprise Fayre on Tuesday 9th of December, during which the new space was unveiled.
The Platform Project’s Christmas Enterprise Fayre also included stands showcasing the business initiatives created by The Platform Project’s students as part of its ENGAGE programme. The programme provides access to vocational experiences, digital skills, project management skills and self-employment support.
Steps4Kenya - Step Into September Fundraiser - September '21
This September we are hosting the ultimate mile challenge to raise funds for Younite Foundation who support Melon Mission, Silverbells Children Welfare, and Little Kings. Three charity run schools that support hundreds of vulnerable children from some of the most deprived areas within Nakuru, Kenya.
Click the link below to Learn More, and take part in the Fundraiser!
Kit Tarka Foundation Fundraiser - May '21
Printed Goods - August '18
Charity Promotional Video - February '18
For our second video challenge a group of 6 young people aged 15-24 got together to act as a film crew to plan, shoot and edit a short promotional video for a local homelessness charity - The Swindon Night Shelter. During the week they planned were they would shoot footage, interviewed staff and service users, and edited footage to provide the Charity with its first promotional video, helping them highlight the good work that they do and improve their exposure.
Diary of a Social Conscience: Homelessness Video
This project was kindly funded by the #iwill Youth Social Action fund from Wiltshire Community Foundation
