Uniformed public service students have been helping fight crime in Greater Manchester.

Hopwood Hall College students joined police on patrol and gave tips to the community on keeping their houses safe as part of the force’s Dark Knights Campaign to cut down on burglary. The students, who have been studying the effects of crime, also handed out free lights that can be set to a timer to make homes safer.

“This valuable experience has enriched our students’ academic study. It is one thing for me to talk about crime prevention in the classroom but quite another for them to actually do it,” said their lecturer John Hall.

“They all found it rewarding and wanted more. What’s more, the feedback I have received from the police was excellent and we hope that our learners can participate in future initiatives.”

Kent’s top artists will be showing off their work to the public when Canterbury College hosts this year’s John Millest Art Show.

The free exhibition will feature work from current and former students and staff, as well as other local artists. Students will also be competing for their work to win the public vote to pocket £200.

Ex-college student Peter Whittlesea from BBC South East will open the show.

Art tutor Clive Soord, who is also part of the John Millest Trust, said: “This year we’ve opened the competition up to non-Canterbury College artists in order to involve the wider community. It’s a great chance for artists to show their art and gives many students their first experience of selling their work.”

All money raised from selling artwork will go to the John Millest Trust, which funds art studies within the college. The Trust was set up after the death in 1994 of John Millest, a popular and much respected lecturer in art and history of art at the college. It was his wish that any commemoration of him should benefit students.

A West Midlands student has engineered himself a place in the finals of a national photo competition.

Shane Butler is in with a chance of winning £5,000 worth of Canon photography equipment at manufacturing firm EEF’s Made in Britain Photography Awards.

“I have a real interest in photographing anything that’s a bit quirky and slightly different from the norm, so really enjoyed taking part in this competition and I am delighted to have made it through to the final,” said the 19-year-old Walsall College student.

Budding photographers were asked to take a snapshot of a product or component invented in the UK. Shane’s shortlisted photographs were taken at manufacturing firm Chamberlin and Hill, based in Walsall.

“I chose Chamberlin and Hill as they have a great facility that gave me the opportunity to experiment with light, shade and reflections,” he said.

Photography lecturer Ian Male said: “Shane is a very talented photographer with a great future ahead of him and we wish him the best of luck in the competition.”

Business novices at a London college have won over top entrepreneurs at a Dragons’ Den style challenge.

Around 25 Newham College students, some as young as 15, pitched business ideas to improve the community to five judges, including founder of fashion label and social enterprise Caramel Rock, Faith Johnson and chief executive of Social Enterprise UK Peter Holbrook.

“They did well. A little bit of pressure is always good. It was also good to see different people focus on different elements of the business and see their energy and ideas,” said Ms Johnson, who was recently judged to be one of the three best female entrepreneurs of the year by the London Chamber of Commerce.

The winners were team Re-Store, who proposed a service that collected unwanted furniture, refurbished the items and then sold them.

In the winning team was retail student, Angella Mullenger, from Plaistow. “We were a bit scared but they were nicer than the dragons on television,” she said.

“They gave us information we hadn’t thought about. After the presentation, we felt confident and thought our business idea could work.”

Cheshire college students played at being barristers, jurors and court staff for the day as they competed in the regional heat of the Bar Mock Trial.

Warrington College was one of 172 schools and colleges taking part.

“We only had a short time to become familiar with the case. Then we had to battle it out in a real courtroom, in front of a real judge,” said forensic and public service student Louise Wright, 19.

Performances were scored by circuit judges and senior barristers. Warrington College narrowly missed out on a coveted place in the final, winning two of their three trials but losing in the last round to the overall winners, St Nicholas Roman Catholic High school.

“I really enjoyed the competition. We won one case as the defence and one as the prosecution but lost our last prosecution case as the judge let the defendant go,” said Nicole Dillon, 17, who played the prosecution witness.

“The mock trial competition is an ideal opportunity to see a court and experience the court process. Today has really boosted my confidence and will be a great help in my future career.”

A boxing world champion and Olympic medallist traded punches with Greater Manchester students.

Bolton College sporting excellence students were knocked out when Amir Khan dropped in on their training session.

One of the students put through their paces in the ring by the boxer was Luke Wilkinson, 18. “It was fantastic to have the opportunity to meet Amir Khan and ask for his tips on how to get to the top. As a lad from Bolton, who has become such a successful sportsman, Amir is a great inspiration to us,” he said.

Ben Blocksidge, curriculum leader of sport and public services at the college, said: “It was fantastic to see the students so encouraged by someone who is both a local hero and a worldwide champion. The boxing academy is an example of a true sporting legacy, and Amir is an inspiration to others who are looking to follow in his footsteps.”

Bolton College’s boxing academy is run in association with the community boxing gym Gloves, which Amir is a patron of.

Construction students at a Yorkshire college have come up with a novel idea for children at a local primary school.

Brightly coloured storybook themed furniture was handcrafted for Craven Primary pupils by Hull College students — including a full-sized chair shaped like an open book.

Four-year-old Lacey Blackford could not wait to take a turn sitting in the storybook chair. “I love storytime, it’s my favourite bit of the day,” she said. “My favourite thing is the big chair, but I like the little books too. My favourite kinds of stories are ones about princesses, because I really like princesses.”

The seating is the start of a partnership between the school and the college. Students have already been commissioned to create more items, including a pint-sized kitchen and a wooden train.

College student James Tock, 15, said: “I like that fact that we’re making something for little kids to enjoy; you work harder and take pride in your work when you know it’s really going to be used.”

The primary school got in touch with construction tutor Darren Storrer when his department hit the local headlines for creating a state of the art flight simulation room for the college’s travel and tourism students.

A 16-year-old Cheshire student has dedicated more than 500 hours of his time to volunteering in the community.

Tom Albiston has been supporting people with autism, working as a classroom assistant at St Berteline’s School, and helping spruce up his local park.

The Priestley College student, who hopes to become a pre-school teacher, was recently awarded ‘Superstar’ status at his college in recognition of his outstanding contribution to his area.

“I like to keep busy and can’t sit at home doing nothing because I just get bored,” said the health and social care student. “It has helped me to build up my confidence and I enjoy helping other people.”

Tom, whose older brother is autistic, has been working at the Halton Autistic Family Support Group for two years.

Priestley tutor Sarah Jones said Tom has impressed everyone with his efforts.

“He is such a lovely student and the amount of time he has already given to the community is incredible,” she said. “We are supporting him as much as we can because he is putting so much effort into helping others.”

A new women’s football team is on the scene in Yorkshire.

Thanks to Sheffield College principal Heather Smith’s decision to free up Wednesday afternoons on the timetable for sport, students at the Hillsborough campus have been competing against colleges across the country.

The under-19s women’s football team, coached by sports lecturer Leanne Taylor, had their best score to date a couple of weeks ago, beating Bradford College 9-3.

Team captain Rebecca Vickers said: “Playing in the league games is a great opportunity for us to enhance our practical skills. I’m really pleased with the team’s performance so far.

“We were really on form against Bradford, and by putting their heads together and working hard they made the score 9-3 at the final whistle.”

Heather Smith said: “I am delighted that our students now have the opportunity to improve their skills and play to a high standard in competitive sports leagues against regional colleges. This move complements their academic education and enables them to get even more out of our excellent training facilities.”