After months of planning, arranging venues and working with First Bus to get the bus wrapped and ready to go, the Apollo Roadshow was finally on the road on the 23rd September 2024.
Starting off in Ipswich, the bus arrived at the sunny Cornhill site in the Town Centre outside the grand Town Hall. Suffolk New College were our hosts, inviting many of their stakeholders and partners to come and enjoy the day with them. Students came along to pick up valuable information and Big Nev from Harbour Radio entertained passers-by. The day was busy and created a lovely buzz – it definitely wasn’t a blue Monday!
On Tuesday, the bus, driven by our fabulous driver Caroline, arrived at the Arc Shopping Centre in Bury St. Edmunds. West Suffolk College had arranged a market place of stalls and information, filling the square outside the Apex Centre with the bus acting as a fantastic backdrop. Again, we were joined by many students from the college, including a group of ESOL students who came prepared with questions which they were very keen to ask the different providers.
Day 3 and the bus continued its journey to Kings Lynn where we were situated outside The Dukes Head Hotel on the Tuesday Market Place. The Apollo team were joined by Norfolk Care Careers and the University of Suffolk who are great supporters of the Apollo project. The team from the College of West Anglia were able to talk to members of the public about what they could offer, in particular the Care Start course and being able to support those who were seeking work.
City College Norwich were the hosts on Thursday. The Apollo team set up outside the magnificent Forum building in the City Centre and were joined again by Norfolk Care Careers and the University of Suffolk. The day was really successful and saw some great interest from jobseekers needing extra employment support and those looking for volunteering opportunities. City College students came along to visit and try out the different activities on hand, including, visual impairment glasses, Operation and a spin the wheel game which looked at different roles within health and social care.
The last day of the Roadshow week was spent in Great Yarmouth on the Market Place. Even though the weather was not playing ball, the team didn’t give up and carried on. East Norfolk Sixth Form students joined us along with Health and Social Care students from East Coast College who were on hand to provide information on nutrition and BMI. There was even a visit from Apollo the Astronaut!
It truly was an EPIC week. A big thank you to all of our supporters and partners for going to ‘Infinity and Beyond’ and helping to make the Roadshow a huge success. The bus is still on its travels, so keep a look out in and around Norwich, Wroxham and Harleston. Remember to send us any pictures if you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the bus!
