Steven left ‘rich legacy’

STEVEN Lowe played an instrumental part in three initiatives which have transformed educational opportunities for young people in Oldham.

He helped to open Oldham Sixth Form College in 1992, its Regional Science Centre in 2011 and bring higher education to the town.

Now, the former banker has been nominated for a Pride in Oldham Award by the college’s senior leadership team.

Steven (64) wanted to get involved in the community after several top jobs across the country and abroad with NatWest. He had returned to work for the bank in Oldham and has been a governor at the college throughout its history.

It proved its critics wrong by becoming one of the borough’s biggest success stories, transforming the number of young people who stayed in education.

Steven was vice-chairman of governors before taking over as chairman following the death of Gloria Oates in 2010. He stepped down in August.

College principal Jayne Clarke said: “We are stronger as a result of Steven’s involvement and he leaves us with a rich legacy as a result of his input. He has been brilliant and will be much missed by us all.”

Steven, who lives in Royton, is also a director of the charity Groundwork, and is on the steering group of the Oldham Business Awards, Oldham Sports Awards and Rochdale Business Awards.

He said: “I was with the college since it started and I am proud of the work we did in terms of education within the town. It is nice to be recognised for that.”