I was privileged to spend two evenings recently at the graduation ceremony for the Children’s University, held at The Cornelius Vermuyden School.

I was there to celebrate the achievements of children and young people from Canvey. The Children’s University encourages children to try something different and develop confidence. It recognises the activities children and young people take part in outside of school hours.

The choice of activities is vast. Swimming, football, rugby, gymnastics, dancing, karate, majorettes. After school clubs in archery, cooking, cross country, netball, dodge ball and football, to name just a few. Uniformed organisations including Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Girls Brigade. Messy Church, Canvey Community Archive’s history trail, nature trails with the RSPB.

No wonder it is called the University of Fun.

On each of the two nights over one hundred children graduated. The children have invested from thirty hours up to a thousand hours in this scheme. There is so much worth celebrating.

I shared with those at the Graduation ceremony how children flourish when they have the right opportunities, the right environment. Thank you to the many who give their time freely, who go above and beyond to enable our children to have these opportunities.

Thank you the children who graduated at the two ceremonies for reminding me that if we get it right as the adults in your life the world of tomorrow will be safe in your hands.