Fluffy, the creature that has helped inspire ambitions of further and higher education among numerous school pupils who have visited Weston College, has been in action at a new location this year.

The furry purple visual aid, complete with a black mortar board, has been at North Somerset Enterprise and Technology College (NSETC) to greet around 400 local Year 5 and Year 6 pupils visiting the specialist Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) school.

Ben Cocks, Progression and IAG Coordinator at Weston College said that this is the ninth year in which the College has used Professor Fluffy to engage with pupils, but the first time the project has been located at NSETC, which is part of the Weston College Group.

“It has been a really successful programme that children enjoy and we now see secondary students and some current Weston College students who remember their Professor Fluffy visit,” he said.

“This is the second year we have run Professor Fluffy in collaboration with EDF Energy and this partnership continues to be a great way to push the STEM agenda to young people in North Somerset.

“This year we decided to facilitate Professor Fluffy at the NSETC, which forms part of the Weston College Group, as it offers the students first-hand experience of a STEM school and the facilities are jaw dropping.”

During their visits to NSETC, pupils explored career opportunities and educational opportunities and were supported by student mentors and current learners.

They also toured the NSETC, interviewed current college students, and built a prototype ‘green’ car for the future using recycled materials in a project designed by EDF Energy.

At their end of their visits, the pupils ‘graduated’ in caps and gowns with certificates – and with Professor Fluffy in attendance.

Ben Cocks added:  “It’s been really great to work again with Weston Excellence on this project, and yet again we have seen the students create some amazing things as part of their visit and they are all a credit to their individual schools. With the support of Weston College’s Student Mentors and Care and Early Years students this year has again been a real success.”

Professor Fluffy was originally created under the Government’s national Aim Higer initiative, but funding was stopped in 2009.

However, Dr Paul Phillips, the principal of Weston College, which was rated ‘outstanding’ at its latest Ofsted inspection, decided it was important to keep Professor Fluffy and has found sponsorship to ensure the engagement work with local schools continues.

A University Centre Weston (UCW) student will graduate this weekend despite having suffered from throat cancer for much of the academic year.

John Byrne kept up with his studies while receiving treatment for the disease and has now earned a BSc (Hons) degree in Counselling.

Along with more than 500 other UCW graduates, he will receive his degree at a ceremony at the Conference Centre in Weston on Saturday (24th September).  

The 51-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in November and immediately underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and complications made him so unwell that he was put on a life support machine for ten days.

Thankfully, John is now well on the road to recovery having been in remission since March.

He said: “I was doing my reading for the course and working on a laptop in hospital because I didn’t want the cancer to take my degree away from me.

“At times it seemed like an impossible task, but I received so much support from my family and friends and everyone at UCW that I was determined to keep going.

“I’m so pleased that I will be able to graduate as planned with everyone else on my course.”

John was unable to attend lectures due to stays in the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Weston General Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

So his lecturers on the degree, which is delivered in partnership with Bath Spa University, provided course materials and feedback to help him persevere.

UCW Counselling lecturer Barbara Feldtkeller said: “John has been such an inspiration to the tutor team at UCW and his peers on the course, I hope he has a really enjoyable and memorable day on Saturday.

“His diagnosis a few weeks into the beginning of the programme came as a shock to all of us, but he was determined to carry on, so we just kept supporting him.”

John, who grew up in London, earned further education qualifications from Weston College before enrolling on a two-year higher education Foundation Degree with UCW in 2013.

He now plans to study for a Master’s degree in Counselling after completing the one-year top-up to earn full Honours.

24% of UCW students graduating with full Honours have earned First Class degrees, and the overall pass rate is 94%.

Of the students on the BSc (Hons) Applied Computing course, which is delivered in partnership with UWE Bristol, 47% will graduate with First Class Honours.

Stress affects everyone, particularly in the build up to exams, job interviews and when pressure mounts at work.

At Weston College, our expert Welfare Team is on hand to help you if you are worried about your stress levels or other mental health issues.

Here are some of the top tips our Welfare Team give to combat stress…

Start a diary

Writing about your day will help you to identify things that make you feel stressed. You’ll probably be surprised to find that a pattern soon emerges; and this may be linked to time pressure, personality clashes, inappropriate demands or simply trying to do too many things at once. Keeping a diary will help you to blow off steam in a productive way.

Talk to someone

Talk through your diary with a good friend or someone at College - even the act of discussing things often makes you feel better. The College’s Welfare Team is on hand to help our students and offers impartial advice to ease the problems that you’ve discovered.

Learn how to relax

Practise deep-breathing techniques. Breathe in while counting to five; hold your breath for five seconds then breathe out slowly. Repeat this 10 times when feeling stressed, concentrating on nothing but your breathing. You can relax your neck muscles by keeping your shoulders level and trying to touch each shoulder with your ear.

Take time out

For five minutes every hour try to chill out and think of nothing but your perfect situation. This could be a dream holiday, ideal partner or simply thinking about doing nothing at all. You will be surprised at how effectively this can lower stress levels.

Exercise regularly

You do not have to be a gym freak to get the stress-beating benefits of exercise. Even 20 minutes of brisk walking three times a week will help to reduce stress as well as promoting restful sleep.

Plan breaks in your day

The aim here is to allow time for the unexpected. Get up 15 minutes earlier than you think you need to and prepare for the day without rushing. Even better, get things ready the night before. Try to have 20 minutes in which you can do whatever you want, even if it is simply sitting doing nothing.

Things to avoid

Smoking and drinking alcohol may appear to help you deal with the effects of stress in the short term, but in the long run they both lead to more tension and anxiety, and can easily lead to dependence. When smokers say that smoking helps them relax, it is because it alleviates the effects of their smoking addiction.