Bridge Cheese Family Fun Day raises awareness for young people in care

A local cheese manufacturer brought sunshine and smiles to the community last weekend with its annual Family Fun Day, held in partnership of Smash Life in support of Telford & Wrekin Virtual School and Shropshire Virtual School.

Bridge Cheese, which supplies cheese and dairy products to the food industry, is proud to be working with these three organisations, all of which are doing vital work with young people who have experience of the care system.

Held at The Pavilion in Draycott, the event welcomed Bridge Cheese staff and their families, alongside representatives from Smash Life and both Virtual Schools, including many of the children they support. The day was packed with food, music, games, entertainment, and a lively football match featuring young people from all organisations. Bridge Cheese was also grateful for the support of Polonia Telford F.C. Youth – Eagles, who kindly lent football equipment for the match. Deputy Mayor of Telford, Nathalie Page, and Councillor Paul Davis also attended, showing their support for the initiative and highlighting the importance of community-led efforts to uplift young people in care.

“This is more than just a fun day,” said Michael Harte, Managing Director at Bridge Cheese. “It’s about bringing our community together. From a company perspective, we are incredibly grateful to our staff who continue to support the business, and as a business we are privileged to support the wider community by shining a light on the incredible work The Virtual Schools and Smash Life do to champion, empower, and inspire local young people.”

Smash Life, founded by brothers Matt and Andy Smith, who grew up in care themselves, provides mentoring, training, and inspirational talks for young people and businesses.

Telford & Shropshire Virtual School and Shropshire Virtual School works to improve educational outcomes and opportunities for children in care across the region.

Attendees enjoyed delicious food, music, bouncy castles, and a brilliant magician – with the highlight of the day being the football match, enthusiastically cheered on by families and supporters.

“Events like this show young people that they are supported and that their future is theirs to build,” said Andy Smith, co-founder of Smash Life.

Matt Smith, also co-founder, added: “It is an opportunity every year for young people who may have had traumatic starts in life to make some lovely positive memories doing something they love and connecting with other young people so they don’t feel so alone”

Bridge Cheese hopes the event will inspire other local businesses to get involved with both organisations and think about how they can make a difference in their own communities.