A Derbyshire sign language student who helped kick off the FA’s new national football centre has been honoured with an award in Princess Diana’s memory.

Eighteen-year-old Usman Ahmed received the Diana award for his volunteering efforts after assisting the FA in opening its football centre, in Burton on Trent.

He had helped out at open evenings at his Burton and South Derbyshire College as well as a range of charity events during his travel and tourism studies before taking up sign language.

John Beaty, vice principal, said: “Usman was delighted to receive an award in recognition of his commitment to helping others and supporting the community.

“We are all extremely proud of Usman and hope this award will inspire others to volunteer in their colleges and communities.”

The Diana award was established in 1999 and has celebrated 39,000 young people for their commitment to the community and improving the lives of others.

Young dancers from Hampshire had the chance to be inspired by two dancers who wowed the world in the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony.

The 30 A–level dance students at Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, Hampshire, took part in a day of workshops with Jose Agudo and Andrej Petrovic, from award–winning Akram Khan dance company, which choreographed the section of dance which accompanied Emeli Sandé singing ‘Abide With Me’ at the ceremony.

Student Emma Stansall, 17, said: “I absolutely loved the intensity and pace of the day. In particular the rhythmic section was so clever, challenging and interesting.”

Will Hodson, 18, who has been offered a place at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, added: “The two dancers were brilliant fun. It was an amazing experience to work with such highly respected professionals.”

A Welsh outdoor activity student is scaling new heights to celebrate her 30th birthday and raise money for charity at the same time.

Rather than throwing a party, Coleg Gwent student Kyleigh Hill will complete one challenge for every year of her life so far, raising £4,000 for The Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal, Wales Air Ambulance, Severn Area Rescue Association and the Victoria Cross Trust.

Kyleigh said: “When a friend suggested doing a challenge for each year of my life, I couldn’t say no.”

Kyleigh’s challenges began on her birthday, when she started her task to climb all 24 of the Brecon Beacons — just one of her thirty quests which also include navigating the Wales coastal path, a skydive and a fire walk.

She added: “I’ve chosen a few things well within my capabilities, along with many more that will test me and require willpower and training for.

“My thoughts are that if it is easy to do, it isn’t a challenge.”

Kyleigh, from Ebbw Vale, hopes to become an outdoor activity instructor and work to rehabilitate injured service personnel.

Visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/30-4-30 to sponsor Kyleigh.

Culinary education has never tasted so good for young chefs in Dorset, after the world’s leading chefs recognized their college’s catering department as among the best in the world.

Bournemouth and Poole College is the first FE college and only the third college in Europe to receive the Recognition of Quality award from a global network of top cooks, the World Association of Chefs Societies.

The college currently has students on placements at some of London’s top kitchens, including 12 at The Ritz, four at Claridges and three at Buckingham Palace.

Bournemouth and Poole college head of hospitality Adrian Martin said: “Our catering department has long been considered one of the best in the country and has won multiple awards and acclaim over the years. However this award is very different.

“We are all buzzing here. It is due to a huge amount of hard work on the staff’s part but also to the work students have put in.”

Dulux workers brushed up on their knowledge and put their products into action with an intensive course in painting and decorating.

The 11 Dulux sales representatives and managers learned how to do it themselves on the five-day course delivered by Walsall College, enabling them to offer better customer advice.

Dulux regional sales manager Steve Guice said: “I’ve picked up some great tips on the course and now have a better understanding of our products and how they are used in real situations.

“I really enjoyed the course as it was a mixture of classroom lessons and applying this new knowledge on practical tasks.”

The course covered surface preparation, wallpaper and paint application techniques and choosing the right tools and products for the job, and resulted in a City & Guilds level one qualification.

It may have other benefits, as Mr Guice added: “I’ve also been inspired to do some DIY projects in my own home that I’ve been putting off.”

Intrepid travel students from the West Midlands are jetting off to Goa to study the area’s tourist industry and provide food and care for orphans.

The level three travel and tourism students from Sandwell College, near Birmingham, will stay in the Indian resort for a week, and will spend a day at the Mango Tree orphanage, preparing food parcels to give out in poverty-stricken areas.

Travel lecturer Julie Greenway said: “The students will do the tourist thing to see how the industry works in practice, but then they will be experiencing another side to the resort when they help those less fortunate than themselves, which may be quite a culture shock.”

They will also take 25kg backpacks full of stationary and toiletries, donated by college staff and students, to give to children starting school as part of the Mango Tree’s Bags4School project.

Thomas Cook airlines has allowed the extra luggage to be transported for free.

The learners will get to experience some of Goa’s attractions, including elephant rides, visiting markets and beaches and cruising down the river.

A night of live music, fashion and food organised by travel and tourism management students raised a £364 for armed forces men and women.

Dearne Valley College students organised the event as part of their assessment and donated the proceeds to Help for Heroes, which supports British armed forces personnel.

One of the students, Kaydie Gwiazda, said: “We chose the charity because it is close to many people’s hearts, and we were pleased to not only reach our target of £300, but to exceed it.”

The students encountered a number of setbacks and last minute cancellations, but with some hasty planning managed to fill the empty slots.

“The event ran smoothly on the night and really demonstrated the advantages of working together as a team and having the communication in place to provide a successful event,” added Kaydie.

Tutor Lisa Bramley said: “The evening went really well and the students worked brilliantly together.

“It was a successful night of fun showcasing a whole host of local talents and enterprises, while raising a good sum of money.”

A group of brave young artists found out ghostly inspiration is no dead end when they took a historical walk through Rochdale’s spooky past.

The Hopwood Hall College students were guided through Rochdale town centre by local actor Colin Meredith, who recounted spine-tingling tales of the ghostly Baum Rabbit, a 13th Century boggart — a shape-shifting creature — and houses haunted by a woman begging for her life.

They were looking for inspiration of the supernatural kind for a project investigating myths and legends for their foundation studies in art and design course.

Katie Lennon, 18 and from Milnrow, said: “I know these tales are urban myths but the detailed descriptions Colin gave us really brought the stories to life. I was starting to believe some of them.

“It’s been great for my project and I’m looking forward to using some of the ghostly inspiration in my work.”

Katie and her classmates have all applied to art and design courses at university and are creating work for their portfolios, which their tutors hope will be displayed at a local art gallery.

Young performers made their own kind of stage magic with their production of Caryl Churchill’s Vinegar Tom.

The performing arts BTec students at South Cheshire College used contemporary music, voice, rhythm and dance to bring their first full length production to life.

College staff, students and members of the public were invited to watch the students’ interpretation of this dark play which uses the death and destruction of the 17th Century Salem witch trials to explore fear, hatred and persecution in our own society.

Performing arts lecturer Caroline Fox said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their skills in front of a wider audience at college.

“This was the first full length assessed production for students on their course and they all enjoyed taking part.”