Tenants from housing association Riverside visited Discovery Academy in Stoke-on-Trent as part of national business initiative Business in the Community (BITC).

During the school’s Community Week, Riverside residents delivered the Friday morning assembly, talking to the students about the work they do within the Moss Green community.

Riverside community engagement manager Rupa Chandarana said: “It’s really important that we are helping the students at Discovery Academy find out more about their community. We want to impress and inspire young people with the work Riverside does to transform lives and revitalise neighbourhoods.”

Tenant volunteer Pat Roberts said: “It’s important to make connections with young people in the neighbourhood. This can both help them to understand what work is being done in their community, and this engagement also helps to reduce anti-social behaviour.”

Discovery Academy assistant director of humanities and social science David Brandrick said: “Students received an assembly looking at both their local community and the wider community of Stoke. Riverside residents Michael and Pat were on hand to give students a first-hand account of living within a productive, caring community and how this fosters tolerance and respect amongst all residents.”

Also in March, Riverside apprentice manager Holly Nicholson-Wrigley will be visiting the school during ‘Apprenticeship Week’as part of the BITC programme.