Tools of the trade now on order at Uxbridge College thanks to local charity

A hairdresser and a motor vehicle apprentice completing their qualifications through Uxbridge College are both shopping for new tools thanks to grants from Iver United Charities.

Cheques for £125 each were presented to Nicole Lonsdale and Scott Westgarth by the charity’s treasurer Rob Penn, who also shared the history behind the grants. The money is part of income from bequests made in the 18th and 19th centuries to support the apprentices of the time. The charity now makes grants to apprentices and for other purposes to people who live in Iver, Iver Heath and Richings Park Buckinghamshire.

Scott, who lives in Iver, works at Smallbills Garage in Acton, and Nicole, from Iver Heath, at Horsepower Hairdressing in Uxbridge. Scott was accompanied by motor mechanics Course Team Leader Tony Pool, and Nicole by Kirsty Lawson, Course Team Leader for Hairdressing and Barbering Apprentices. Both trainees are studying at Level 2 and expecting to progress to Level 3.

Jo Withers, Director of Employment and Skills at Uxbridge College, said: “Over the last five years, Iver United Charities has supported apprentices at Uxbridge College from a range of trades to help them towards completing their qualifications. I’d like to say a big thank you to the charity for helping our apprentices on their journeys.”