Hospitality Lecturer Greg Cheeseman from Eastleigh College, part of South Hampshire College Group, has been recognised with a Silver Award for Further Education Lecturer of the Year in the Pearson National Teaching Awards. Selected from thousands of nominees, the win highlights the remarkable impact he has had on shaping the lives of young aspiring chefs.
Greg’s daily contribution goes far beyond his standard teaching responsibilities, frequently giving up valuable evening and weekend time to network with industry contacts to secure new educational opportunities for students, travelling across the country to support students in competitions and managing the East Avenue Restaurant digital channels to promote the restaurant to the public. Greg has been with Eastleigh College for over a decade and has guided the student-run restaurant to become the most reputed eatery in the Eastleigh area, with an exceptional five-star rating on Trip Advisor.
Greg is one of 102 teachers, lecturers, leaders, support staff and institutions, from across the education sector, named as silver winners in this year’s awards. He will now be in the running for the coveted Gold Award, which will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony later in the year.
Andrew Kaye, Chief Executive of South Hampshire College Group, presented Greg with the award. He said: “I’m very pleased to congratulate Greg on this fantastic achievement. The lovely testimonials I’ve read from his students shows the respect they have for him as a teacher and they are evidently very lucky to have a teacher like Greg. Our hospitality students can enjoy an amazing variety of opportunities as a result of the passionate efforts of Greg and the team.”
Delighted with the award, Greg Cheeseman commented: “I’m honoured to receive this Silver Award in the Pearson National Teaching Awards. As teachers we do what we do because we want our students to succeed. This can often mean going above and beyond the standard responsibilities of our jobs and the students don’t always realise this but hopefully one day they will.”
The announcement comes as celebrities, students and schools across the UK yesterday paid tribute to all those who work in education to mark National Thank a Teacher Day, which celebrates the whole education community and shines a light on the exceptional impact they have on shaping young lives.
National Thank a Teacher Day and the Pearson National Teaching Awards are run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity established over 25 years ago to celebrate the transformative impact of education, shining a spotlight on the pivotal roles teachers, support staff, colleges, schools and early years educators play in inspiring young people, every single day.
Michael Morpurgo, author, former Children’s Laureate, and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, says: “The work and devotion of all of those who play a role in educating young people is phenomenal. Not only do they play a vital role in shaping minds inside the classroom, often they continue to encourage, support, motivate and inspire beyond. That’s why it is important for us to take a moment on National Thank a Teacher Day to recognise their efforts.”
