February is all about Valentine's Day, and we've had fun this week selling cakes on campus to raise more than £200 for our Inspiring Futures Programme. Inspiring Futures supports current students who want to study abroad or compete at an elite level of sport, or graduates who are running their own business - like Lindsey Foley, one of the first recipients of the fund, who runs music management company, Hyde Management.

On Saturday 17 March, there will be a special sports day at Leeds Trinity, welcoming back our alumni to take on our current student teams.

We'll host Netball, Men's Football and Ladies Football matches, on campus between 11.00am and 3.45pm. The Lounge Bar will be open from 1.00pm and we'd love for you to get involved - either in the alumni teams - or as a spectator.

To find out more about the day, and who to contact about taking part, please visit our website.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our first Alumni Community Survey at the end of last year - we were really pleased with the response and delighted with some of the results.

The survey has given us useful feedback on how best we can communicate with you, keep you updated with things you really want to hear about, such as membership benefits, and how we can tailor events to meet your needs. You can read a summary of the findings on our blog.

At Leeds Trinity, we're currently delivering a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, and we're developing a Teacher Apprenticeship, Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship and Senior Leader Apprenticeship at Master's Level - all expected to be delivered from September 2018.

Want to know more? Join us during Apprenticeship Week for:

• Teacher Apprenticeship Information Event – Thursday 1 March, 4.00 – 6.00pm – aimed at Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers, ITE coordinators and Business Development Managers.
• Degree Apprenticeship Open Day – Tuesday 6 March, 9.00 – 11.00am and 3.00 – 5.00pm – aimed at employers interested in finding out more about Apprenticeships and visiting our campus.

Apprenticeships incorporate practical on-the-job training with part-time study for a Higher Education qualification. They can be tailored to train new recruits or upskill existing staff members. Read more.

For University Mental Health Week (26 February - 2 March 2018), we're encouraging students, staff and alumni to get involved in learning more about mental health and maybe trying something new to encourage self-care.

From mindful colouring to guided walks and a darts tournament on Friday 2 March, there’s a full calendar of events to join in with.

Phil Cawley (pictured as a student and now!) studied Economics and graduated in 1979. He recently shared his memories and what he's been up to since graduating:

"I actively took part in sports and at times captained the Rugby and Cricket teams. Myself and a friend were the first students to ever work behind the bar and I was Chair of the Bar Committee when the 'posh' and 'scruffy' bars were re-designed and refurbished by Vaux Brewery. 

"After graduating, I taught Economics in Chester for just over two years. I then left and joined the Lancashire Constabulary, where I served for nearly 30 years. On retiring as a Police Officer, I re-joined the force in a civilian role and eventually became the force Restorative Justice Manager. This saw me taking many victims of crime in to prisons to meet their offenders."