Today [Wednesday 24 August 2022], CDN is delighted to welcome John Frace MBE as the tenth inductee of the College Hall of Fame.
The College Hall of Fame highlights and recognises the outstanding contribution that college graduates and staff make to society and the economy; and demonstrates the variety of pathways to success from college.
John Frace is the founder and owner of Travelling Tabby and graduate at UHI Argyll.
In 2016 John completed an HND in Administration and IT with UHI Argyll, which led to the securement of a Business Administration Modern Apprenticeship within Argyll & Bute Council.
In 2018 he returned to UHI Argyll to complete an HNC in Digital Design and Web Development, and then a BA (Hons) in Business and Management with Marketing.
During this time he set up the ‘Travelling Tabby’ website; a travel blog turned Covid-19 statistical tracker that gathered national media coverage and acclaim over the course of the pandemic.
At the height of its popularity, the website had over 1,000 people logging on every day for the 3pm update and recently passed 30 million total views.
The website broke down national and regional daily figures into an easy-to-read format, allowing communities across Scotland to learn about the data relevant to them. It received UK-wide press coverage and acclaim from scientific experts, including Professors Devi Shridhar, Jason Leitch, Linda Bauld, and the First Minister.
John’s work was recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours in June 2022, when he was awarded an MBE for services to Public Health Communication during COVID-19.
John said:
“College has been a huge part of my life now. I’ve been studying with Argyll college for about four years and it’s been great, really. It’s a smaller college, but I’ve actually really enjoyed that aspect of it. Technology is utilized really well in the courses and I love the closer connections you can have with the tutors on the course. Plus, location wise, it really can’t be beat.
“There are so many soft skills you pick up in college, which I wouldn’t be able to make the website without; problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, written-communication, research skills. There’s so many really. I wouldn’t have been in a position to create the website if I hadn’t gone to college”
