Activate Learning celebrated Chinese New Year with members of the local Chinese community and welcomed Yuan Yang MP, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley to The Kitchen at Reading College and University Centre for a special banquet recently.
Jon Adams, Chief Strategy Officer at Activate Learning, opened the evening by welcoming everyone to the event before handing over to Michelle Parks, Group Director of Reading College and University Centre, who spoke about the Reading College community.
Yuan Yang MP, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, then spoke about the important role that FE colleges play in the education system and noted how Reading College and University Centre has helped to improve many of her constituents’ lives.
Representatives from the local Chinese community included the new owner of Reading Prison, Mr Channing Bi, representatives from the University of Reading, a headteacher from a local primary school, local businesses and art organisations, attended the two-course event at the on-site restaurant at the King’s Road campus. Alison Webster, Chief Executive at Berkshire LEP, also attended.
The college’s talented Professional Culinary Arts Level 3 students prepared and cooked a range of Chinese dishes, including braised pork belly (Hong Shao Rou), soy and ginger salmon and stir-fried aubergine (Di San Xian) with the mandarin (a mandarin moulded mousse with a liquid centre) for dessert.
Yuan Yang MP, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, said: “It was a lovely occasion. I’m really glad that the college is celebrating the diversity of this community by celebrating Lunar New Year.
“The food has been delicious. I’m really impressed by all the chefs and the wait staff have been really welcoming.
“I’ve really loved talking to Jon Adams, Chief Strategy Officer at Activate Learning, about the role that FE colleges play in the education system. I am particularly interested in the question of how we can improve livelihoods and wages across our regions, and I think adult education and training has to be a big part of that picture.”
Jon Adams, Chief Strategy Officer at Activate Learning, said: “We were delighted to welcome members of the local Chinese community to Reading College and University Centre to celebrate Chinese New Year.
“It was great to see some familiar faces and make new connections to explore what more we could do to support them and members of their community.
“We were delighted that Yuan Yang MP, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, could join us as the first Chinese-born British MP.”
