A Salford student has shone on the national stage after winning a student of the year award, thanks to her work helping teach children about conservation.

NEON celebrated their annual awards ceremony in Westminster, honouring the successes and accomplishments of those involved in higher education.

The professional organisation aims to support those involved in widening access to higher education, for which they recognised Salford BA Wildlife Conservation and Zoo Biology student Charlotte Stevenson as Student of the Year.

Despite holding an undergraduate and postgraduate degree she decided to return to university to find an intersection between her two favourite things – education and conservation. Spending the last few years helping to run the Saturday Club at the University of Salford, which aims to deliver an accessible form of education in conservation to children, she saw this as an opportunity to not only support her mission, but to encourage children from a range of diverse backgrounds to be active and curious about the subject.

Designing the 15-week curriculum herself, the club is held every Saturday morning at the Salford University campus and is open to children all over Greater Manchester, from years 7-11 students. Consistently gaining more attraction, the club’s first cohort consisted of eight children, whereas it has received over 20 applications for the 2025 cohort. Speaking with Charlotte about this success, she insisted it was all due to the club’s hardworking outreach team.

Charlotte said: “I went in there thinking there’s no way I’m going to win this. I couldn’t remember a single word of my speech.”

Another key benefit of The Saturday Club, Charlotte explained, is not only was the club intended to educate the children, but to also provide them with valuable skills of which they can apply for various awards, such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, the Crest awards, and the John Muir awards, and even helping their CV’s stand out from the crowd.

Charlotte, who is a Salford local originally from Swinton, explained why she feels so passionately towards the club and the conservation sphere: “There was just not enough being done from a conservation perspective and I wanted to help however I could. That fuelled me to do this for younger people because I know I would’ve loved to have something like this at their age. I know it can be difficult to find the same level of extra curriculars as London or other cities, so I wanted to make sure the same was available here.

“I want to make sure I stay in education. I don’t know in which way that will be yet, but I’d like to help other people make changes that are needed for the planet. As long as I’m doing that, I’ll be happy.”

Hannah Wilson, Widening Participation Manager at Salford, said: “Charlotte is quite simply a wonderful human being. She works and studies incredibly hard, taking on many roles and responsibilities to improve the outcomes for young people who face barriers to accessing higher education.

“Charlotte is lovely to work with, as a team we feel privileged to be working alongside her, and watch her bring the Saturday Club project to life with her fun, inspiring and engaging workshops.

“I am so thrilled she has won the NEON Student of the Year award, she truly embodies the value of widening participation work, and cares deeply about animal conservation and environmental biodiversity. It’s lovely to see the impact she makes with the learners, building their confidence and subject passion along the way.”