People, purpose and possibility: A summer to remember for acornITy

From July to September, acornITy worked across coaching and mentoring, STEM education, cyber security, community engagement and charitable giving. The thread running through the quarter was simple: use experience, time and connections to help people recognise what

they can do, explore what might come next and take a practical first step.

Here’s what we got up to.

Coaching and mentoring

Much of the quarter centred on creating generous, supportive spaces where people could ask better questions about their future. The emphasis was never on presenting a single prescribed route. It was on listening, sharing experience and helping each person build the confidence to identify their own purposeful next steps.

That people-first approach takes many forms — sometimes a structured session, sometimes a single conversation that opens a door.

One of the highlights was chairing the apprentice panel at the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE) apprentice workshop. The session sparked an open, honest conversation about career journeys, development, and the realities of the apprentice experience.The room benefited from both sides of that conversation, apprentices speaking honestly about their experience and employers hearing directly what support, opportunity and encouragement can mean at the start of a career.

STEM & Space

Work continued with schools, colleges and universities throughout the summer, including the ESERO-funded project using Earth-orbit data to explore sustainability. The collaboration brought together RTC North, Space Hub Yorkshire, STEM Learning UK, The Greetland Academy and The Halifax Academy Trust, connecting classroom learning with some of the most important questions facing our planet and the role space technology plays in understanding them.

A significant moment in the quarter came when acornITy was nominated as an industry partner for ESERO Space Inspirations. The nomination reflected our growing role in helping young people see space not as something distant or abstract, but as a route into science, engineering, technology, and careers they may not have previously considered.

Community involvement remained equally important. At HUTFest, a community day built around trail races for people of all ages and abilities, acornITy was able to listen, make connections and develop conversations with the Heights Federation schools: Wellhouses, Wilberlee and Clough Head. Discussions are underway about a potential programme spanning materials science, digital technology, sustainability and space exploration. It was a reminder that being present in the community creates relationships that can grow into lasting educational opportunities.

Cyber security

The quarter also included an important cyber strand. acornITy joined a visit to GCHQ, giving students the chance to connect their learning with the real world of cyber security and explore the breadth of roles available in the sector. The programme concluded with a celebration event that recognised what had been learned, the confidence built along the way and the achievements of everyone involved.

Bringing educators, learners and industry closer together in this way is at the heart of what acornITy aims to do, widening access to opportunity and helping people see a future they might not yet have imagined for themselves.

Running book and giving back

The launch of Don’t Be Silly, You Don’t Run on social media, followed by a book signing at Dean Clough, was one of the defining moments of the summer. More than the publication of a book, these occasions gave the acornITy ethos a human voice, a personal story of resilience, self-belief, curiosity and the courage to begin before everything feels perfectly in place.

The message at the heart of the book, that progress grows from small, consistent actions, opened new conversations with individuals and organisations who recognised those values in their own work and communities.

That message connected naturally with the quarter’s charitable fundraising. The York 10K and London Vitality 10K raised money and awareness for Headway, the brain injury association, in memory of Amy Haskew. Each run was a reflection of what acornITy believes: that choosing a meaningful goal, accepting the challenge and taking one step at a time can achieve more than we think, and can be used to support others along the way. A highlight of the summer was learning that Steve’s story would be featured in Headway’s autumn magazine, a recognition of the connection between personal endeavour and the charity’s wider mission.

Charitable giving also extended to Mission Aviation Fellowship. Building on Steve’s longstanding interest in aviation, developed through gaining his pilot’s licence, acornITy joined a day of celebration and reflection with the MAF community. Continued contributions help the charity bring practical support and hope to people in remote and inaccessible locations around the world, a reminder that community, for acornITy, is both local and global.

Looking ahead

Across everything this quarter, the values that run through acornITy, growth, collaboration, empowerment, integrity and giving, remained consistent. Whether the setting was a school, a university workshop, a cyber visit, a book signing, a running event or a charity gathering, the aim was always the same: to help people see possibility and turn it into action.

Looking ahead, acornITy plans to introduce an Aspiration Tree at future events. People will be invited to write down an ambition and identify the first step towards it, creating a shared display of hopes, ideas and possibilities. One person’s aspiration may encourage another. Every contribution helps build a stronger collective picture.

It is a simple, visible expression of everything acornITy stands for. Planting an idea, nurturing confidence and helping aspiration grow into action.

From small acorns, great oaks grow.