Bigger, Louder and More Vibrant than Ever Before: Culture Day at ACM

Students at Abbey College Manchester, the thriving independent college in the heart of Manchester, celebrated diversity, culture and various walks of life for its highly-anticipated Culture Day.

Held every year, Abbey College Manchester’s Culture Day has become synonymous with introducing students to new experiences, and celebrating diverse backgrounds and cultural practices. This year’s Culture Day celebrations not only followed suit from the previous traditions, it raised the bar for years to come, being described as “bigger, louder, and more vibrant than ever before”.

Students enjoyed speciality foods, drinks and a whole host of activities and games including a student-led workshop on traditional Nigerian card game, Whot, a class on creating Kolam out of coloured powders used during Diwali and an insight into Welsh culture, with students learning key phrases and words from the Welsh language, followed by a clay dragon crafting session.

One of the students also created intricate mehndi designs, which were then painted onto the hands of volunteers and in the college’s Common Room, students were invited to paint one another’s faces with symbols and flags that are important to them.

Chloé McLaughlin, Head of Years 10 and 11, commented: “Across the rooms on the first and second floor, students from six regions of the globe shared games, crafts, poetry, music and decorations with each other. In the Learning Centre, our joint Culture Day playlist played party tune after party tune, in a wide array of languages and styles. Food and drink was shared by staff and students, with many an empty bowl and happy face to be seen.

“We’re so proud of the vibrant and diverse catalogue of cultures we have here at Abbey College Manchester and our annual Culture Day celebrations hone in on the desire to be proud of your roots, for our students and staff.”

Abbey College Manchester, part of the Abbey DLD Group of Colleges, is a thriving independent college in the heart of Manchester city centre, with a fast-growing and vibrant community of students aged 15-19.

With a teaching philosophy based on small classes and highly personalised learning in an academically rigorous but informal setting, the college focuses on the transition from school to university, working with students individually to achieve the academic standards and social skills required by their target and world-class universities. Abbey College Manchester also expertly prepares students for challenging courses such as medicine. The flexible programmes and personalised learning, combined with a strong academic ethos, offer a unique alternative to traditional schools.

There are 220 students at the college, comprising a mix of students from the local area and other countries. The college offers A-Level, GCSE, Combined Studies and International Foundation Programmes.