the reaseheath college student magazine
issue65 Issue
PICTURE THIS Social events photos
RECORD RAG!
Fundraising efforts reach over ÂŁ20,000!
SUMMER BALL 2015
MEET YOUR STUDENT ASSOCIATION
T N E D U T S R U YO N O I T A I C O ASS
introducing
Robert Sparkes
2015
SA President
Fenna Ball Vice President & Academic Board Rep
Katie Gibson RAG Chair
Rhiannon Wolff Press Officer
Josh Bufton Vice RAG
Rosie Swain Secretary
Carl Feeney Sports Secretary
Nicole Duggan College Board Rep HE
Charlotte Gunn College Board Rep FE
Katie Massey Treasurer
Ben Lloyd Social Secretary
James Doodson
Liam Brookes Sustainability Rep
Peter Hobbs Under 18s Rep
Charlotte Bedford
Connor Blake
Health & Safety Rep
Health & Safety Rep
Equality & Diversity Rep
FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED WITH THE STUDENT ASSOCIATION NEXT YEAR! 2
SPEAK TO JARED IN STUDENT SERVICES OR EMAIL JAREDE@REASEHEATH.AC.UK
CONTENTS
6-7
2
Introducing Your Student Association Team
4-5
Picture This Social Events
6-7
RAG 2014/15
10-11 Summer Ball 12-13 Class of 2015 14
Vote of Thanks
15
Sporting Success
10-11 Welcome to the final issue of Coverage for this academic year. It’s been an amazing year for the College and its students, so in this issue we would like to put some of your best bits together to summarise the achievements and great events that were fantastically organised! Thank you all for your help and donations for our Raising and Giving (RAG) charity and other worthy causes throughout the year - let’s be just as enthusiastic next year!
To keep up with all the latest student news follow the Reaseheath Student Association on Facebook. /reaseheathstudentassociation or read the student blog, Coverage Xtra
Finally, thank you for reading Coverage!
reaseheathblog.org/coverage
15
Rhiannon Wolff SA Press Officer
3
This
picture
4
Social ev
ents
5
S
tudents and staff from across the College have raised a record £20,380 this year for Macmillan Cancer Support – with more to come.
M
embers of the Student Association (SA) presented the bumper cheque to representatives of the cancer charity at our student summer ball.
Twenty four RAG Fundraisers!
Macmillan fundraisers have been so impressed at the success of RAG (Raising and Giving) activities this year that they have asked us to write a RAG Guide advising other colleges and universities who are considering supporting the charity.
The Student Association organised 24 fundraising events in RAG week alone, including the wellattended masquerade RAG Ball, a staff versus students football match, a raft race on the college lake, a tractor pull and a Three Peaks Challenge organised by students and staff from the construction department. The public also had the chance to be a zoo keeper for a day.
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of Britain’s largest charities and provides specialist healthcare, information and funding to people living with cancer.
Over the past 27 years students and staff have raised over £215,000 for local charities.
Student Association President Rob Sparkes, RAG Chair Katie Gibson and Vice President Fenna Ball hand over the cheque to Macmillan Fundraising Managers Louisa Walmsely and Mandy West, watched by members of the Student Association.
6
RAG row and
bike teams co
mplete th
journey of eir marathon
Student Association President Rob Sparkes 22, who has just completed his Foundation Degree in Zoo Management, said: “We had a brilliant team of Student Association members who worked really hard to put together activities which everyone could enjoy while raising money for a good cause.
560 miles in
24hrs!
Our RAG mascot Daisy
All departments and academic staff have supported us and I am so proud of what everyone achieved.” In addition to fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support, students and staff raised a further £3,000 for the Poppy Appeal and £1,368.90 for the Epilepsy Society. Further funds remain to be collected and it is hoped that the final total raised this year may reach an impressive £25,000. Our Extended Diploma Agriculture team are crowned winners of the RAG Week Tractor Pull.
An impressive £2,849 raised by Business and Events Management students and staff for this years RAG Charity.
7
Catching up with... Matt Beesley Level 3 Extended Diploma Horticulture, 2012 Owner, Beesley’s Landscapes Talented landscape gardener Matt Beesley is to represent Britain in the WorldSkills finals in São Paulo, Brazil. Matt joins the GB squad to contest the global, Olympics style final, which runs from 11 – 16 August. WorldSkills runs the competition bi-annually for students aged 23 and under to showcase the skills and value of young professionals across a host of industries. Matt completed his horticulture diploma in 2012 and now runs his own successful business, Beesley’s Landscapes, in Winsford. He first competed in the British selection rounds for WorldSkills while a Reaseheath student and has continued to train intensively as a potential squad member, narrowly missing selection for the world finals in Germany in 2013.
“Competing and training on the WorldSkills programme has been a fantastic experience for me. I have learned so much and gained such a lot of confidence. I’d particularly like to thank my hard landscape instructor at Reaseheath, Jason Hinks, for his support. I’m now totally focused on the world finals. It would be awesome to bring back a medal.”
In São Paulo he will be one of two British landscapers who will test their skills and stamina in hard landscaping, plant knowledge and management against the world’s best. The former Hartford High School pupil said: Find out more about Beesley’s Landscapes at: www.beesleysgardeningandlandscaping.info
Is this your final year at college? Stay connected to Reaseheath by joining our alumni* network. *alumni is just a fancy term for ‘former student’
8
Sign up at: www.reaseheath.ac.uk/leavers /reaseheathalumni @RHC_Alumni
A word from
Meredydd Dear students, With summer now in full swing, I sincerely hope you have enjoyed and benefited from your time studying at Reaseheath.
Some of you will move on to other higher education institutions to continue your studies or will be moving directly into careers of your choice.
This year has been one of exceptional success for our 7,000 students who come from right across the UK and beyond.
Those of you who are moving to pastures new, I wish you all the very best for the future and hope you will keep us updated with your progress in the world of work by joining Reaseheath Alumni Association – our ever growing network of former students and staff.
I am incredibly proud of you all, in particular the work of the Student Association whose fundraising efforts and hard work has exceeded all expectations for our nominated RAG charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.
Life is full of challenges and opportunities. Embrace every challenge as it will enrich your life, it will stretch and fulfil you.
It’s a really exciting time to be a student at Reaseheath, we’re currently investing around £10m to develop a National Centre for Horticulture, Environmental Management and Sustainability. This centre will play an important role in training and educating our new cohorts of young people, adults and those of you returning to Reaseheath next year. You may be returning to the College in September on one of our further or higher education programmes, including our foundation degrees and degrees.
Have a fantastic summer! Best wishes
Meredydd David Principal
9
Reaseheath
Summer Ball 2015
10
11 Photo Credits: Carys Jones
Class of 2015
#RHCla
W
e recently celebrated the success of 1334 of our further education (FE) students at the College’s annual Presentation of Awards events on
campus. It was a fantastic two days congratulating our 2015 cohort on achieving their industry recognised qualifications. Six outstanding students, including our very own Student President Rob Sparkes and the whole Student Association received special college awards. It’s been a brilliant year with students excelling in all sorts of spheres…from scholarship winners to top apprentices, we’re incredibly proud - a huge well
Prize winning bricklayers are joined by their Course Manager Andy Gould
done to everyone!
Jack Wootton, Wildlife Conservation and Ecology degree student wins £1,600 scholarship to explore fish behaviour Floristry award winners Sophie Garratt and Carol Edgington
Entry and Level 1 top students
12
12
assof15
Forestry and Arboriculture’s ‘Best Practical Student’ Scott Smithull
Agriculture’s Irene Lea Cup winner Charlie Yewer and Staff Prize for Endeavour and Progress Matthew Gilbert
Louise Jackson wins the food department’s Most Outstanding Student of the Year award
Chris Shore bag’s Best Horticulture Student’s award and is one of our WorldSkills UK semi-finalists
Motor vehicle’s Level 3 Best Practical Student Fraser Williamson
Adventure Sports Student of the Year David Glover
The Student Association wins The Beacon Trophy, celebrating excellence
Tweet us your pictures to @RHC_Alumni
Agricultural Engineering apprentice Paige Carter is crowned the ‘Apprentice of the Year’ by the Construction Plant Association
13
#RHClassof15 13
s k n a h T f eo
Vot
s e k r a p S b ent - Ro
id s e r P n o i t t Associa
Studen
I would like to congratulate you all. I have got to know many of you throughout the year. From the highs, lows and all those doubts, worries and issues you have faced, you should feel proud to finish the year not only collecting your qualification, but with the confidence that you can achieve anything - well done guys!
- use it to accomplish great things, and if you fail, learn and adapt from it. Life has its bad times so I ask you to keep your motivation, and pass it on to others. You aren’t saying goodbye to Reaseheath, as I’m sure you will continue to carry your fond memories of college with you for the rest of your life.
A big thank you to our Principal Mr Meredydd David for your constant support to all students and staff over this academic year, and a personal thank you for your advice and guidance with the Student Association. A special thank you to parents for supporting us throughout our time at Reaseheath. I would also like to give a massive thank you to the Student Association for their massive contribution to the fantastic fundraising events throughout the year, which have raised over £25,000 for a number of very worthy causes. A special thank you to business and bakery students for their contribution to this record breaking total.
Thank you again and all the best!
Rob Sparkes
Student Association President Take a look at our video round-up of the year at http://bit.ly/SA_video15
It has been a challenging year being Student Association President, but I have loved every minute and look forward to carrying on my role next year. One of the year’s most rewarding events was our Summer Ball, over 800 of you attended, it was good to see how well you all scrubbed up, myself included. Like all events throughout the year, I hope you all had a great time. So a further thank you from myself and the Student Association for making this highly successful year a worthwhile one!! I wish you all the luck you deserve in your future studies and careers. Take this advice from me; time is precious, don’t waste it hurting others
14
14
SP RTING SUCCESS Sports award evening On Thursday 11th June we held a sports award evening to celebrate the success of the men’s rugby team and recreational football team who were both crowned winners of the Northern Counties league. The men’s football team were undefeated throughout their campaign and the rugby team only lost once. It is hoped this success can continue next year!
Right: Reaseheath rugby and football teams joined by rugby coach Andy
Women’s football Our women’s football team had a great season finishing second in a very competitive league. They finished 1 point behind the winners so will look to be crowned champions next season. The sports teams have appreciated all of the support they have received this year and it is hoped this support will grow next year. Look out for more sports information in September!!
Left: Reaseheath College women’s football team
Sarah Ruff College Sport Maker @RHC_SportMaker Football team captain Connor McMillan with rugby team captain Freddie Morgan
15
15
2 01 5 FREE LEAVERS ning
STARTING IN SEPTEMBER
HO O D I E Buy your hoodie online via the Reaseheath College online store
i l o p m a r T
taster s n o i s s e s
http://bit.ly/reaseheath_15
Find out more by emailing sarahr@reaseheath.ac.uk or speak to Sarah in the Gym Office
What’s your
Stay
Next step? in touch
If you’re leaving us this summer, stay connected to the college by joining our *alumni network. *alumni is just a fancy term for ‘former student’ Sign up at:
www.reaseheath.ac.uk/leavers www.facebook.com/reaseheathalumni Why not consider staying on to study for a degree at Reaseheath? -- Adventure Sports -- Agriculture -- Animal Management -- Countryside -- Engineering -- Equine
16
--
Events Management (Rural) -- Floristry -- Food industry -- Horticulture Visit www.reaseheath. ac.uk/higher-education or see your course tutor for more details.
@RHC_Alumni
Raising Standards Inspiring Achievement
If you would like to advertise here in the next issue please email: sa.pressofficer@gmail.com
16