The Mayor of Weston-super-Mare’s twin city in Germany has visited Weston College to see how it has grown in recent years.

Mayor of Hildesheim, Dr Ingo Meyer, and his Civic Officer, Oliver Roesner, visited the College on Wednesday 18th May.

The two German visitors were joined by Weston Town Mayor Raymond Armstrong, Mayoress Joan Dunne, and North Somerset Councillor and College Governor Ian Porter.

The German city of Hildesheim has been twinned with Weston-super-Mare since 1983 and the duo were eager to learn more about the College.

They visited Knightstone Campus to meet with Senior Assistant Principal Linda Burlison and Executive Director for Apprenticeships and Commercial Strategy Liz Redwood.

The German Mayor discovered how the College has grown throughout the past 15 years, about the course offerings, its provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities, and the ongoing building developments.

The group then visited the College’s South West Skills Campus, in Locking Road, to have a tour of engineering facilities from the College’s Executive Director for Professional and Technical Curriculum, Andy Davidson.

Dr Meyer said: “It was a very interesting visit. What I particularly liked is that Weston College has a focus on the needs of businesses it works with and I think this is very, very important, and what I would like to have more of in Hildesheim, it’s the area of focus for me. We need to create good workers for the future.”

This week is New Year New You week, and our team is on hand at all campuses to give free help and guidance towards your health and wellbeing goals for the new year. Click here to find out about the fun and free sessions we're holding, and read on to discover our top tips for a healthy mind...

Eat healthily

The things you consume have a big effect on your mental happiness. Eating a balanced diet will keep your energy levels up throughout the day and make you feel a lot healthier.

Watch what you drink

Drinking water and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine can also improve your mental health, as well as stopping smoking. Drinking water helps your body flush out toxins and is key to healthy skin, preventing spots, making your eyes look brighter and makes you more alert.

Be more active

Exercising every day has both physical and mental benefits. Exercise makes your body release endorphins which can greatly improve your mood. Walking or cycling (instead of driving), dancing, and even doing housework are all easy ways to get the blood pumping. Combine this with eating healthy and you’ll start to look and feel better.

Get a good night’s sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is also essential to relaxing your brain. Get into a good sleep routine and try not to watch television or browse the internet before sleeping - this could disrupt your body's natural sleep process through intrusive blue light.

Talk to others

Feeling connected with other people is an important part of what makes us human and neglecting this part of life can have detrimental effects on your mental health. Many mental health problems can be helped or even prevented by keeping in touch with others and maintaining strong relationships. If you are having difficulties then some of the best help can be given by friends or family, so talk to them about how you feel as well as listening to their thoughts and emotions.

Do something new

This one’s easy – all you have to do is something you’ve never done before, even something as simple as visiting a new place, starting a new hobby or reading a book by an author you’ve never heard of. New experiences challenge your brain to process and store new information and keep it active.

Remember that help is available

It might seem easy to start these changes, but sticking to them is going to challenge you. Our health care assistants are on hand to help you achieve your healthy living goals.

Martin Baker has recently taken the reigns as Head Chef of popular wedding venue, Rookery Manor, Weston-super-Mare.

As a professional chef, working long hours in a busy kitchen, Martin is only too aware of the importance of looking after health and diet. The tasty, calorie-rich dishes a chef cooks for guests at their workplace are often very different from the diet they tend to follow in between shifts and when off duty.

Martin has been working with Weston College through a chefs’ forum academy and has worked with students in the training kitchens on campus to give them a taste of what is expected of them once they make their way into the world of work. Martin is looking forward to welcoming catering students from Weston College into his kitchen for work experience at Rookery Manor.

Load up on fruit

Fruit and veg are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre - Follow this rule and you’re less likely to get high cholesterol high blood pressure and some cancers - Remember your five a day!

Eat better fats

Saturated and trans fats raise bad cholesterol levels and cause heart disease. Cut out bacon, butter, untrimmed meats… also cookies and crackers are a ‘no-no’. Swap full fat milk to semi-skimmed and try a turkey burger next time you fancy its beefy cousin!

Drink lots of water

Cut out carbonated drinks, sports drinks and coffee - six to eight pints of water per day flushes out toxins!

Eat more fibre

t reduces belly fat, gives you greater energy and lowers the chance of type 2 diabetes. Eat whole grain bread and whole meal pasta. Cook with brown rice instead of white.

Cut down portion sizes

Grab a smaller plate for food – the smaller the plate, the smaller the portion – You will still feel the satisfaction of eating a full plate.