A plumbing lecturer from Suffolk New College has travelled to one of Europe’s poorest countries to help install toilets at a primary school.

Forty-six-year-old Richard Steward was among a team of volunteers who travelled to Moldova to carry out major refurbishment on a local school, which teaches 200 pupils.

Situated in the village of Ivancea, where temperatures plunge well below zero during winter, the school’s outside toilets needed replacing with more suitable indoor facilities.

The volunteers built four toilet blocks in just a week, fitting lavatories, basins, urinals, hot-water cylinders and a septic tank outside. They also distributed shoes and clothes to local families.

There were no hotels in the village so Richard and his fellow volunteers slept in classrooms on blow-up beds, and used a camping shower to wash.

Richard, who has been a plumber for 20 years, said: “Our efforts mean the children now have indoor toilet facilities before the very cold Moldovan winter sets in.

“The school was really grateful with the work and provided us with a show by the children to say thank you. It was hugely rewarding to be able to use my plumbing skills for such a worthy cause.”

Featured picture: Plumbing lecturer Richard in his element

Green-fingered students from Bridgwater and Taunton College have assisted in planting 33,000 tulip bulbs at the historic Forde Abbey in Dorset.

A group of level three horticulture students planted the bulbs, which will form the spring display at the Abbey’s formal gardens.

As well as planting, students also received a tour of the rest of the grounds which span 30 acres, from head gardener Danny Burlingham.

Mr Burlingham said: “We are very grateful for the assistance that the horticulture students offered with the mass bulb planting. We have designed a new scheme within the formal gardens and it will be a fantastic spring display.”

Forde Abbey dates back 900 years, with the gardens originally used by monks to grow large quantities of vegetables, before being taken over by Sir Francis Gwyn during the early 18th century, who created the beginnings of the garden that remains now.

Tom Cunningham, course leader for horticulture at the college, said: “It was a pleasure to be able to assist Forde Abbey gardens with the project, and it offered good practical experience for the students. We are always keen to get involved in the local community projects.”

Featured picture: Forde Abbey in Dorset

Two students from Doncaster college have taken first and second place at the 20th annual Paperhanging Apprentice of the Year competition.

Painting and decorating apprentices Mitchell Scott and Thomas Mills took home the top awards in the competition, which was open to all registered apprentices in the UK.

Applicants were assessed on their wallpaper-hanging skills, and the finalists were decided after a series of heats which concluded at the college’s Hub campus in October.

Seventeen-year-old Mitchell Scott, who currently works for G Heaton Painting and Decorating, was named Junior Apprentice Paperhanger of the Year, with Thomas Mills taking second place in the senior category, receiving a £150 prize and a trophy.

The competition has been a long-standing fixture on the industry calendar, and it was the first time there have been separate categories for juniors and seniors, with the winners announced during a gala dinner.

Speaking of his award, Mr Mitchell said: “It feels amazing to have won the competition and to be named the Junior Apprentice Paperhanger of the Year”.

Featured picture: Paper boys: Thomas Mills, left, and Mitchell Scott

The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) has appeared in a BBC documentary presented by a former student who attended the college 30 years ago. Samantha King reports.

When alumni return to college, it’s unusual for them to bring a BBC documentary crew with them, but that was exactly what happened when Ian Hamilton approached his former college in Hereford about a documentary he was making on inclusive education for children with disabilities.

First aired on BBC Scotland on December 21, and still available on the BBC’s iPlayer, the film ‘Am I Included?’ explores the difference between mainstream and specialist education, and looks at the debate on whether young people with disabilities should be taught in mainstream schools, or if specialist schools are the way forward.

Recalling his own experience of the college, presenter Hamilton used the RNC as an example of specialist support that had a lasting and positive impact on his life, and caught up with current students to see how much things had changed.

One of the pupils interviewed, Thomas, has reportedly had requests for autographs since his appearance on the show, which he has been more than happy to oblige.

Speaking of the college’s debut on BBC Scotland, principal Mark Fisher said “The benefit for us is to really remind people what specialist education is about. We get frustrated sometimes when it’s seen as outdated, when it’s actually very modern, and very much part of providing learning solutions for people who have barriers.”

Mr Fisher who has been principal at the college since December 2015, worked for disability charity Scope for 15 years, before joining the RNC as a deputy residential manager in 2002.

His views in favour of specialist education were aired during a segment of the documentary, when he was interviewed by Mr Hamilton.

“Young people need to be independent learners and where it goes wrong in mainstream is where people sometimes are over-supported and they become dependent on others. We need to make sure that we address that,” Mr Fisher explained.

“Ian’s experience is the same we find now, in that a lot of our students need confidence more than anything else. They need to have community participation and feel included beyond the class – it’s not just what happens in the classroom, it’s a 24-hour provision”.

The Royal National College for the Blind was established in 1871, and currently has 85 students who are blind or partially-sighted. With a maximum capacity for 90, Mr Fisher insists that the college is “exactly where it needs to be”.

“The thing to bear in mind is the only thing our students have in common is visual impairment,” he added. “We have the most diverse range of students you can imagine for a small college.”

Four cows at Chichester College have been presented with awards by agriculture students for over 10 years of service.

Three dairy shorthorn cows, named Brinsbury Margot, Digitalis and Symphony, have each spent 10 years at the college, while Rantonhall Baroness has completed 12 years of service, producing a grand total of 68,092 litres of milk between them.

The four cows, who are the matriarchs of the herd, with daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters all at the college, were recognised during end-of-term celebrations at the Brinsbury campus.

Dan Stamper, the farm manager at Chichester College, said: “We felt it was important to mark the achievement of these four cows and to highlight how seriously we take animal health and welfare on the farm.

“It is absolutely vital to get this right to ensure our cows enjoy healthy, happy and long lives.”

The college is home to 150 dairy cows, and students are involved in all aspects of dairy farming, from measuring grass to milking the cows twice daily.

Featured picture: Agriculture students with Brinsbury Margot