Our Supported Studies learners are always busy getting involved in all sorts of projects, and none more so than our Stevenage NET students. Whether it’s tending to the Community Allotment, creating beautiful public art pieces, representing national sports teams, breaking college fundraising records, or cooking up a storm in the NET kitchen.
Every Thursday, our Supported Studies learners work with our allotment Project Leader, Paul, to tend to the North Hertfordshire College Community Allotment. Our learners love getting stuck in with potting herbs and vegetables and watching their produce grow.
Thomas, one of our Supported Studies’ budding gardeners added:
“I like planting seeds and watching them grow.”
Recently, after working hard to pot some mint and peas, our learners harvested some of their rhubarb to make a home-grown, home-made rhubarb crumble. Yum!
Working on the allotment encourages our learners to engage with the environment, accessing the proven mental and physical health benefits of gardening and having fun while doing so.
Our Supported Studies NET students’ culinary success doesn’t stop there!
Back in February, the department held a bake sale in aid of the Sunshine Appeal, our charity of the year. This fundraising project is run by NHS East and North Herts Hospitals Charity, raising money to build an accessible outside terrace at Lister Hospital, so intensive care patients can be moved outside in their beds to see the sky. The project is also raising money to build a new restaurant deck and garden area for staff, patients, and visitors.
The NET bake sale was a huge success, our learners’ delicious cakes sold out within an hour and a half!
Ruth, Supported Studies Course Team Leader commented:
“Can we have this bake sale every month?”
The event raised a fantastic £275 for the Sunshine Appeal, adding to the college record-breaking number raised at the NET Christmas Fayre. Well done to our Supported Studies team!
We’re not done yet!
In March, our Supported Studies department held yet another fundraising event in aid of the Sunshine Appeal. Our learners were busy in the NET kitchen once again, making ‘fakeaway’ fast-food style burgers and fries for staff and learners.
Their home-made fast-food meal was named the McMutch meal, after course team leader, Rachel Mutch, who also abseiled 11-storeys down Lister Hospital in aid of the Sunshine Appeal.
The McMutch meal went down a storm amongst staff and learners and raised an impressive amount of money for the Sunshine Appeal.
Projects like these allow our Supported Studies learners to learn important health, nutrition and cooking skills to take forward into their future, while having a whole lot of fun!
If you or your young person are interested in getting involved with the wide array of projects happening in our Supported Studies department, explore our Supported Studies programmes here.