2022 has been an absolute whirlwind for Raising Explorers After-School Club and we mean that in the best way possible! From holding charity events, winning awards and celebrating our 10th anniversary, countless precious memories and accomplishments were experienced by us in the past 12 months. As we begin our journey into 2023, we’d love to share with you our best moments of 2022 – all of which wouldn’t have been achievable without the help of our hardworking staff, supportive parents and extraordinary children!
At the Raising Explorers After-School Club, we aim to raise our explorers to become the next generation of ambitious, yet kind and compassionate individuals. Which is particularly why it is vital for us to include charity-based activities into our busy schedule whenever we have the opportunity to.
Did you know that in 2022, Raising Explorers held a total of 16 charity events! That’s right, we and our kind-hearted community were involved in charity bake sales, charity evenings, food donations and so much more over 16 incredible times! Last year, we roughly raised a mind-blowing £36,300!!! And this is not possible without the Raising Explorers community and family without their generous spirit.
A special thank you to Saima Rehman (one of our many incredible parents) worked diligently to organise some of the charity events that were held in 2022.
May Allah reward every single person that has contributed towards our previous charity events or will contribute to our upcoming events in 2023. May Allah bless them and their families, forgive them of their sins, increase their good deeds and grant them Jannah-tul-Firdaus. Ameen!
Our Awards
Another accomplishment that highlighted our year, with a special thanks and shout out to our community and supporters for is our Excellence awards! In 2022, Raising Explorers won the prestigious ‘Sankore University Award for Excellence in Education’ during the Muslim News award ceremony in London. The award was handed to our co-founders, Abu Mustafa and Tanveer Qamar, in front of Britain’s top influential figures including Central Government’s Sir Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker at the House of Commons), Yvette Cooper (Shadow Home Secretary), Channel 4’s Cathy Newman (Journalist) and so many more!
Amongst hundreds of competitors, Raising Explorers was recognised for our unique services and determined aim to nurture the next generation of young adults. The Muslim News award was shortly followed by the Three Best Rated: Best Business of 2022 award – an achievement we have secured SIX years in a row!
Summer Holiday Trips
It is a tradition of Raising Explorers to hold annual Summer Holiday Trips open for the ENTIRE Bradford community! Last year we visited York Maze, Gulliver’s Valley, Blackpool Beach and Yorkshire Wildlife Park!
Each trip was fully booked within two weeks of their announcement, with our Blackpool trip requiring two 50-seat coaches due to a high demand! Every trip was an absolute success – including the weather which was perfect on the days of our outings. We can’t wait to have as much fun as we did in 2022 during the summer holiday of 2023!
If you missed out on the trips we organised last year, make sure to follow us on our social media to get the latest updates on all of our events and trips. Our coach seats are first come first serve so keep yourself ready!
10 Year Anniversary
Last but not least, the biggest milestone Raising Explorers reached in 2022 was our 10th year anniversary!! There is no better way to end the year without a big blast, celebrating 10 whole years since the launch.
To celebrate the decade of service Raising Explorers has provided the Bradford Community with, we planned an entire month of events for our staff, parents and children – starting with our 10th anniversary tea party! Everyone was invited to our centre for a peaceful and comfortable evening of cakes, custard, samosa chaat and pink tea. Witnessing our lovely parents come in, socialise and have a stress-free time was amazing to see and will always be a special memory to us.
The ‘10th Year Celebration Evening’, in partnership with Penny Appeal, was a bigger event held in honor of our anniversary. Our parents and children were invited to Connaught Rooms, Manningham Lane to have a 3-course meal, experience a 360 photoshoot, get their fill of treats dipped in chocolate from the chocolate fountain and enjoy an evening of nasheeds, small speeches, recitation of the Qur’an and more by our very own talented explorers! On this night, together, we raised £18,000 in donations to build shelters in Pakistan for those who lost their homes and livelihood in the destructive floods. Our sincere thank you is with all those who donated. May Allah reward you abundantly for your kindness and generosity.
And that summarises our 2022 highlights! It’s been an eventful year, hasn’t it? Our motto at RE is to always improve ourselves in every aspect that we can, so we know we will make 2023 an even better year. We’re already kickstarting the new year with a special collaboration with CECOS College to bring the Bradford Community FREE Level 2 courses that give a qualification equivalent to one GCSE!
Currently we are enrolling for the following three courses:
- Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Autism (FULL)
- Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Safeguarding and Prevent (FULL)
- Entry 3 in Essential Digital Skills (ENROLLING)
If you have any queries on these courses and how to enrol, please visit our social media pages for more information or contact Roxy at 07305 058780 or roxy@cecos.ac.uk
Upcoming plans for 2023 also include hosting monthly giveaways featuring exclusive event tickets, toy bundles, and so much more on our Facebook and Instagram social media pages. Make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to win FREE wonderful prizes!