Art and Design Students raise money for charity

Students from our Art and Design Department have recently taken part in a charity fundraising event. They made and sold delicious buns and cakes to the students and staff of Barnsley College. As a team they raised a staggering £156.19 which was donated to Safe@Last (a charity which works to help young people who are at risk of running away from home). This is is a fantastic donation which will be greatly appreciated by the charity. Well done!

Students revamp Nursery

Some of our Learning for Living and Work students (pictured above) have had a generous donation from Wickes DIY company which will help them complete work at a nursery in Dodworth. 

The learners have volunteered their time to carry out maintenance work at the Kids at Play Nursery. The store has donated materials which has helped the learners produce decorative ornaments such as wooden animals, birds and insects. These will be displayed outside the nursery which will no doubt catch the eye of people passing by!

Eddie Fitzpatrick (the manager of the Wickes store Barnsley) said "it's an honour to be able to help these students to complete such a worthwhile project" 

This is a fantastic example of the work our students do to make a difference to our local community

Learners have uncovered War Graves!

8 Learners from our Learning for Living and Work department helped to uncover 15 graves at a church in Worsborough. students were of great help to the TWGPP (The War Graves Photographic Project) which is an organisation that helps to uncover graves which have been hidden beneath grass, bushes and foliage. 

Members of the TWGPP, Geoff and Marsha Thorndike said that the "students have done a fantastic job over the two months and that without their help, they wouldnt have had the resources to uncover the war graves."

Well done to the volunteers who have helped out with this project!

Ramp up the Red (14/02/14)

Health and Social Care students Molly Rushforth and Olivia Newton raised money for the British Heart Foundation's "Ramp up the Red" day by selling cakes. 

They have not only raised awareness about the campaign and made delicious snacks... but they have gained knowledge by completing research about the fantastic charity!

Festive Fair (05/12/2013)

The Barnsley College Students all gathered together shortly before the festive break to hold stalls with home made festive goodies such as cards, buns, Christmas crackers, bunting, hampers and labels. Students and staff were able to browse the vast amount of items whilst listening to live performances from FAME students who sung and played festive songs to get everyone in the Christmas spirit!

The money raised from the Festive Fair was used to buy gifts for two local charities which were chosen by the SU committee- Home Start and Age UK.

 Age UK is the country's largest charity dedicated to helping everyone make the most of later life. Age UK is a national charity but local branches in Barnsley and the surrounding area means that donations can be made to people who need it in our local community!

Home-Start helps families with young children deal with whatever life throws at them. Home Start is a charity which support parents as they learn to cope, improve their confidence and build better lives for their children. 

These gifts would join the presents donated by the staff and students for the annual Present drop! This year, 172 presents were donated (a new record!) to the charities, and included things such as hats, scarves, gloves, children's toys, chocolates and books. 

Stella McDermott on behalf of Age UK said “The generosity of students and staff at Barnsley College has been overwhelming and I know that these presents will brighten what can be a difficult time of year for so many.”

Home Start representatives said“On behalf of all the children and young people support by Home-Start Barnsley, we would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to the students at Barnsley College who have generously donated gifts to make sure that the children and young people we support have something to open on Christmas day! We are truly touched and amazed at the community spirit you have shown, not to mention your kindness and generosity. Please join us in extending our gratitude to all involved!”

This is a fantastic achievement... so a huge well done to everyone involved!!

Movember 25/11/2013

Volunteers from the Student Union committee held an event at Old Mill lane for Movember which is a charity that raises awareness for men's health and testicular cancer.

The SU committee had a section in the Atrium which promoted a healthy lifestyle. Students were able to compete with each other on rowing machines to see who could row the furthest in a set time. The winner won a medal and a certificate which was donated from the Student Union

The volunteers also ran a smoothie bar which enabled them to make fresh-fruit smoothies for students to enjoy. The profit of £26.89 made from the smoothies all went to the charity along with the profits from the chuck it in the bucket which was circulated around the college!

Childcare Student Is nominated for High Sheriff award!

Lauren Ogley, is a children's work volunteer at the Exodus Project, a Christian charity, and has been nominated in the young people's volunteering and fundraising category. Lauren, who is studying child care at Barnsley College, runs three after school children's clubs, a Sunday school and gave up three weeks of her college holidays to run holiday clubs.

Lauren said in an interview with Barnsley Chronicle: "I got involved with the Exodus Project because I went there as a child. I've been with them for three years and I do it because I want to and because I enjoy it. We talk about influences on society and try to teach them the right way and to make informed choices. I enjoy meeting the children and watching them grow up."

Jackie Peel, Exodus project manager, has commended her for her commitment, caring nature and the way she has blossomed in self confidence through attending the project, and now mentors others despite heavy caring responsibilities for her siblings at home.

She added: "Lauren is a prime example of what a good volunteer is. When she was younger, Lauren attended the clubs as a member and on reaching 14 was eager to become a volunteer. She has been with us consistently for four years, volunteering her time to help others in the clubs."

Well done Lauren!

Children in Need (15/11/2013)

Learners from around all college sites volunteered their time by running a variety of activities to raise money for children in need which provide grants to projects in the UK which focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged. Activities around the college included:- Hair and Beauty Students doing Hair and Pudsey Bear themed nails to students and staff. Bun Sales from the Student Union, Pyjama Day, Chuck in the bucket where students and staff were able to throw in any loose change, Tombola, face painting and name the bear (The bears name wasn't Pudsey!!) An astonishing £402.75 was raised and donated to the charity! Well done to all students who were involved!

Wear it Pink (25/10/2013)

The Sports department and the Student Union Committee joined forces for the Superhero themed Wear it Pink Day which raises money for breast cancer research. The Students came together and held various stalls and activities throughout the college. Activities included:- face painting, tombola, cake sale, name the bear, make your own masks and guessing "how many sweets are in the jar?". All together, £281 was raised which is a fantastic achievement and will be very much appreciated by the charity!

Mostafa Haydar from the Student Union Running a Chocolate tombola for Wear it Pink

Shoot to Score competition (21/10/13)

Students from Construction planned and ran a penalty shoot out competition within their department. Students were asked to pay 50p to take five shots at the goalie model, where if they shot the ball through the big circle they were awarded 10 points and they were given 20 points if they scored in the small circle.The students and staff raised a fantastic £31, which was donated to the bowel cancer ward at Barnsley Hospital. It just shows that you can raise money for a great cause whilst having fun! Well done, that's a fantastic achievement!

There was a prize for the highest scorer, who was brickwork apprentice Jordan Bray. He scored 80 points with 5 shots and was awarded a Stabila level for his efforts.

Zombie Run (19/10/2013)

Hordes of zombies roamed around Worsborough Mill Country Park on the 19th October to raise money for the Barnsley Hospital Charity. More than 560 took part and raced through the 5K assault course with the blood thirsty zombies close behind. Almost £20,000 was raised in just one day and it couldn't be done without the help of the volunteers. Barnsley College' Level 3 Make-up Artistry learners:- Alice Holmes, Chloe Mason, Stacey Royston, Daniella Sousa and Levi Stokes put their skills to the test as they help to apply zombie make up to more than 150 actors who would take part in the event. Jenna Galley (Tutorial Learning Mentor) said "They did a fabulous job and created some spectacular designs... Their course covers media make-up so the event was great for them to get involved in". Well done!

Electric Theatre Gig October 2013

FAME students planned and took part in a spectacular gig held in October. The gig was in memory of Richard Toulson and the money raised would be donated to Barnsley Hospice. A total of £438 was donated to the hospice which provides specialist palliative care and support to hundreds of local people and their families in our local community each year.