A total of £665 has been raised for King’s Mill Hospital’s children’s ward, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Autism East Midlands, Make a Wish Foundation UK, and When You Wish Upon a Star by almost 40 students on the Level 3 Extended Diploma for the Children’s and Young People’s Workforce course.
It came after they undertook a challenge in the style of hit television series The Apprentice. Dividing into five teams, each led by a project manager, students were tasked with devising imaginative ways of raising money for their chosen charities.
The project formed part of the course’s leadership and management unit, aimed at developing students’ teamwork, organisational and communication skills, while putting their English and maths to the test.
Nineteen-year-olds Georgia Whitaker and Alice Allwood took on the roles of Lord Sugar’s adviser Karren Brady and former sidekick Nick Hewer, with the team that raised the most being declared the winner.
The three-week challenge culminated in a fundraising day at the Derby Road campus featuring a table tennis tournament, sponsored silence, guess the name of the teddy bear competition, raffle, bingo, sales of cakes, biscuits and sweets, non-alcoholic cocktails served in college restaurant Refined, plus collection buckets.
Winning team was ‘Believe’ – made up of Melissa Haynes, Kursty Tait, Shannon Pickering, Charlotte Hough, Andrew Morrison, Ellena Ashley and Gemma Tilley – which raised £213 for Nottingham-based When You Wish Upon a Star, which grants the wishes of terminally-ill children.
Students handed bumper cheques to representatives of some of the charities last Friday (15 May, 2015) after giving a presentation about what they had learned from the project. Each student received a certificate of achievement from deputy principal Patricia Harman.
Georgia, from Warsop, said: “Leading the project was challenging but really enjoyable. It feels amazing to know the money could help change somebody’s life for the better.”
Alice, from Hucknall, said: “Everyone has worked so hard, which is reflected in the amount raised. It’s surpassed all of our expectations.”
Pictured are Georgia and Alice (second row, first and second right) with fellow fundraising students holding their bumper cheques, joined by Liz Credgington, East Midlands regional fundraiser for When You Wish Upon a Star (front row, first right) and Simon Cross, volunteer at Make a Wish Foundation UK (first left)