Since PIE began, we have been keen supporters of student placements from Manchester Metropolitan University, hosting over 10 students since then. This year's student is Allison, who joined us a few weeks ago and will be with us for a few months - Welcome! She's written us a blog to introduce herself... Hi I am Allison! I am in my Third year at Manchester metropolitan university studying criminology with quantitative evidence. I went down this academic route because my interes

On 26th August, PIE’s Step Up cohort headed off on our annual summer trip to Blackpool! Ten young people joined us for a fun-filled day of adventure, excitement and plenty of memories along the way. We jumped on the train and made our way to Blackpool, ready to explore everything the seaside town had to offer. Our first stop was Blackpool Tower. After arriving at Blackpool North Station, we made our way towards the tower, stopping outside to take some photos before heading in

September is the start of something new, and we certainly have lots of exciting things happening! As young people return to school and college, our programmes are becoming even more important in providing them with continued support. Several of our programmes restarted this month, giving us the opportunity to catch up with the amazing young people who attend and hear what they have been up to. We have also launched some fresh and exciting new programmes and welcomed a new mem

Here at PIE, we do lots of work around transitional points in the lives of young people. One of these is the move to ‘big’ school – going from primary to secondary school. For lots of young people, this is an exciting milestone. But it can also understandably bring uncertainty and anxiety as they adjust to a completely new environment, new routines and new expectations. Sometimes, as adults, we can either underestimate or magnify the scale of this change. Both can have an imp

As the summer holidays drew to a close, the L!STEN group brought young people together for its annual Wellbeing Festival — a day designed to provide inclusive, positive activities and create a welcoming space for young people at what can be a particularly tricky time of year. Taking place towards the end of the six-week summer holidays, and just one day before GCSE results day, the festival provided an opportunity for young people to connect with others, try something new, ha

Two Weeks of Summer HAF – And What a Two Weeks It’s Been! This summer we’ve been lucky enough to deliver our programme from a bigger and better venue, giving the children so much more space to play, explore and enjoy being outdoors. And, thankfully, the British weather has actually been on our side for once! With plenty of dry and sunny days, we’ve been able to make the most of all that amazing outdoor space. Read more here. What we've been up to: L!STEN Our L!STEN group have

Starting secondary school is a big step, so we wanted to help Year 6 pupils at Bridge Hall Primary School feel excited, confident and ready for their next adventure! Funded by the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), the drop-down day was delivered by the AdsBridge Youth Connection. Partners TLC, R-Time, Stockport County Community Trust and PIE worked together to provide a range of fun and practical sessions designed to prepare pupils for life in Year 7. Throughout the day, pupils

What is the project all about? L!STEN Act Change is our newest youth-led project where young people in Stockport come together to speak up, take action and make a difference on the things that matter to them. It’s a space to share ideas, shape projects and help make Stockport even better for young people. Topics will include work and opportunities, health and wellbeing, and activities and safe spaces. Our first phase was all things work and opportunities which has been a majo

What a year for our education strand of PIE! Over the past academic year, we have had the privilege of supporting schools all over the North West; Stockport, Greater Manchester, Leeds and Blackpool. This year has also seen a shift in the way we work with students, moving beyond our structured programmes to offer more bespoke support, tailored to the needs of each school – ensuring we are maximising our time with them. From climate and social action to careers, transition and

– And What a Two Weeks It’s Been! And just like that, our main two weeks of Summer HAF are complete! It’s hard to believe how quickly they’ve flown by, but what a brilliant couple of weeks we’ve had. This summer we’ve been lucky enough to deliver our programme from a bigger and better venue, giving the children so much more space to play, explore and enjoy being outdoors. And, thankfully, the British weather has actually been on our side for once! With plenty of dry and sunny

On Saturday 25th July, PIE took 20 young people to London for an exciting day out at the HYPER JAPAN Festival 2026 at Olympia London. The trip was a fantastic opportunity for the young people to experience something completely different, explore Japanese culture and expand their cultural capital — all while enjoying a fun day out together. Our adventure started with a train journey down to London Euston. Once we arrived in the capital, we jumped onto the air-conditioned Overg

Following the successful pilot of NextGen, PIE’s supported work experience programme, we’re delighted to be continuing the programme through the autumn and into 2027. NextGen gives young people the chance to explore different jobs and workplaces, try practical experiences linked to their interests and build skills, confidence and real-world experience. It may be particularly helpful for young people who feel unsure about what they would like to do next, have had little or no

As we reach the end of the 2025–26 academic year, we're taking a moment to reflect on what has been an incredibly busy and rewarding year! We've been delighted to continue supporting our long-standing partner schools in Blackpool and Leeds, while also working with schools across Stockport and the wider Greater Manchester area. Throughout the year, we've delivered drop-down days, social action projects, careers sessions, Future Ready programmes and work experience opportunitie

As we come to the end of this phase of NextGen it's a great opportunity to reflect on everything that's been achieved so far. While this marks the conclusion of this section of the project, it's certainly not the end of the journey. Over the past few months, we've worked alongside MakeGood to renovate the garden space behind the Cat's Cauldron in Stockport to develop a community garden area for community groups to use. The work completed so far has laid a strong foundation,

For the Tameside Digital Exploration project, we have been working alongside the fantastic Starting Point Community Learning Partnership and Tameside Council to explore young people's experiences of life online. Together, we have been working with two brilliant youth groups – Tameside Youth Council and Tameside's LGBTQ+ Youth Group – to explore the good, the bad and the ugly of being online. From celebrating creativity and connection to discussing online harms and digital saf

Thanks to funding from TransPennine Express through the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU), a group of young people from Fairfield High School for Girls have transformed Fairfield Station while developing valuable skills and exploring exciting career opportunities. The project began with students carrying out a station audit, identifying ways to improve their local station and learning how social action can create positive change. Working within a real project budget, they plan

Our NextGen project has finished its second phase! Over the past few months, PIE has been running the NextGen pilot programme, providing work experience across 5 different organisations for young people in Stockport. We've finished renovating the garden space behind the Cats Cauldron in Stockport. Our cohort completed a range of different DIY projects to create a vibrant and welcoming space which included painting, building furniture and planting lots of different flowers. Bi

Before her maternity break, Beth visited Heaton Chapel Guides to introduce them to social action and how they can make a difference! Today's blog is written by Caroline (Leader) & the Guides to tell us how it went and how it supported them to be a force for good in their community: This term, 1st Heaton Chapel Guides have been exploring Girlguiding’s Take Action theme, looking at how young people can use their voices and ideas to make a positive difference. To help bring the

What have we been up to? NextGen Our NextGen project has finished its second phase! You can find out more on our blog here. Future Ready @ Unity Blackpool Both groups have been busy this month planning their social action campaigns! With the end of term fast approaching they are busy getting their launch events ready and their informative content made! L!STEN ACT CHANGE We are so pleased with how our new programme is going! The group have chosen to focus on the lack of work e

During the May half-term break, we took our fantastic Step Up Peer Mentors to Parrs Wood for a well-deserved celebration of everything they have achieved this year. This group of young people previously took part in our Step Up programme and have now completed their Peer Mentor training, preparing them to take on leadership roles with our new 2026 Step Up cohort. Step Up is our transition programme designed to support young people as they move from Year 6 into Year 7. Startin