Our students and staff have spent the last few months designing and creating innovative activities and stall plans with their departments and dedicated support staff for the Aspire Fayre that took place yesterday.
The challenge was to work with their colleagues to design a stall that represented their department. All the money raised will be sent to the Ukraine Appeal.
Jackie Rossa, Executive Director of Quality Assurance and Control, tells us about the importance of the event and how she hopes that it will make an impact.
“I think the importance of this is bringing our college community together. Our students, apprentices and staff have worked so hard to develop their skills, knowledge, behaviours and well-being which is the heart of the Aspire Programme, which is based on hope and optimism for the future. It’s been really tough in this Covid world, this event is about bringing people together and letting our students be part of the wider community with staff and other students across the college. We can all celebrate the fantastic work the college community is doing together.
I really hope the impact of the fayre will be that people can see how important it is when we do work together and the fantastic things that can happen when we do all come together. We’ve come together for a common cause, which is the Ukraine appeal, one of the things we know about well-being is when you do come together and do good things to help people you do feel better and improve your wellbeing. We want to create a better world for everybody.”
Michal Mokrzycki, a member of our ICT team has made 300 Ukraine awareness ribbons with his wife for the college to sell to staff and students at the Aspire fayre. Michal is originally from Poland so the appeal is very close to his heart. The ribbons were sold for £1 each at the fayre and will be available after the event from reception for all staff and students.
Michaela, our curriculum lead for our Hair and Beauty department tells us what her department is doing to raise money today.
“We have got our Level 1 Beauty Therapists doing fabulous face paint and a raffle with products donated from Lee Stafford. There are photo frames with props for people after they have had their faces painted with the colours of the Ukraine flag. We have charity leg waxing with 7 male members of staff already volunteered to take part and a number of students paying for their lecturers to have their legs waxed. We have our new Head of Finance here as part of his initiation ceremony, he’s having his legs waxed paid for by the Principal. All our students have come along as part of their work experience hours. Our hairdressing students are also doing a sponsored walk at 12.30pm around Chesterfield with Ukraine flags to show their support.”
Chesterfield Students Against Spiking – Sixth Form Students
One of the students started a campaign in Sixth Form that is open to the whole college to raise awareness of spiking in Chesterfield.
‘‘Spiking is a massive issue everywhere, in Chesterfield, particularly it’s awful. Being an older student able to go out and being spiked myself a couple of months ago, I wanted to do something about it.’’ – Clea
This is a truly important issue that is affecting students and adults nationwide. We are proud of our students for making a stand and starting those important conversations to raise awareness around college and in the local community.
Adam Godber, the Health and Social Care Curriculum lead at the college, told us how his department and students created a stall based around Health and Social Care concepts.
“We have designed a stall based around some Health and Social Care concepts. We have some banners looking at jobs in Health and Social Care and some ‘thank you NHS’ balloons and butting. The team have all the blown-up medical gloves to represent helping hands and the Ukraine flags to show our support. Our concept is that they throw two darts to try and pop one of the medical gloves. If they get an odd number, they don’t win anything, an even number they win some haribo, if the numbers a multiple of ten they win an easter egg and if they get a 50 or 100, they win a big Lindt easter egg. Everyone that gets an easter egg is in the draw to win a £50 amazon voucher.
18 of our students have got involved, these will be rotating throughout the day to run the stall. The students are excited and arrived nice an early, two of which have been there since 8.30am.
The students will be given a cinema ticket from Cineworld to say thanks for their help and a Dominoes lunch.”
The event was a success and we can’t thank our staff and students enough for all getting involved and for raising money for such an important cause.
Keep an eye on our social media accounts! We will be sharing the fundraising amount once we have counted all the donations up.