Students enrolled on the Health and Social Care course at Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form have been fundraising for two local charities.

Students at Nelson and Colne College have a history of engaging in fundraising and volunteering for various charities, both locally and nationally. The College is always happy to support them in their charitable endeavours; this support may come in the form of permitting student use of the College time and environment, raising awareness via staff emails or in the weekly staff briefings, or by mentions on the College’s social media platforms.

Health and Social Care students have a particular tradition of supporting various charitable organisations and causes. This year, Level 3 students have already begun fiercely raising money and awareness for two different charities.

Students have recently conducted a Help the Homeless project for Colne Open Door Centre, a charity which endeavours to help people cope with the mental and emotional pressures of life by providing a non-discriminatory and non-judgemental atmosphere to enable individuals to develop their potential talents. The Help the Homeless project took place throughout October, with students asking for donations of coats, hats, gloves and scarves – which were then collected on Thursday 23rd October.

Earlier in the month, the students raised money for Safe Space, a charity which aims to provide accessible accommodation to homeless young people in the Pendle area, and to provide support and advice to enable a speedy move to independence and training opportunities through resettlement. Money was raised for the local charity through a sweet and savoury stall, held at the College Refectory on 13th October, with a variety of foods on offer including samosas, pakoras, kebabs, cakes and crisps. Students also visited staffrooms and classrooms in their pyjamas with collection buckets.

Jacqueline Ashton, Health and Social Care tutor, said, “Students have embraced their Personal Professional Development unit with enthusiasm. They have been given autonomy to choose a local charity to support, and they are either fundraising or promoting awareness. The idea is to gain essential social care experience by examining why these charities are in need of support and to also develop their own personal progress and employability skills. As the tutor of this unit, I cannot express how immensely proud I am of the students and their motivation, professionalism and commitment to their campaigns.“