A Weston College student has been selected for Wessex Water’s Young People’s panel, an enterprise which gives 16-18 year olds the opportunity to experience running a business.

Chris Hutchings, 17, who studies A Level Business Studies, Photography and English at Weston College’s Sixth Form Centre, has been attending meetings at Wessex Water as part of an initiative which enables young people to have a say in how the company is run.

Chris said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to benefit from hands on work which will supplement the theory I’ve learnt in class.

“So far it has been an excellent insight into businesses’ decision making processes, and will be good experience when I apply to university.”

At their first meeting last month, the panel met managers at the company and were taken on a tour of the company’s headquarters in Bath.

At the end of the day, the panel was set the task of creating a presentation about ideas to promote the company’s installation of water metres and improve its customer services.

Chris said: “My presentation will be about the creation of a mobile app that would allow people to monitor their water metre readings and automatically budget their water usage for them, to make sure they are saving money and aren’t wasting water.”

Claire Timmins, Business Studies Tutor at the College, said: “Weston College is all about providing students with the skills and experience they need to progress to work or university.

“This opportunity at Wessex Water is another example of or students benefitting from our strong links with employers across the South West.

“I am confident Chris will prove a credit to himself and the College during this placement.”

A Weston College sponsored racing driver, Roger Orgee Jr, has won a dramatic showdown in the final race of the 2016 Castle Combe Formula Ford Championship.

The race started well with Roger trailing rival Michael Moyers for the first lap until an accident caused a red flag race stoppage and the grid lined up for a restart. To win the championship, Roger needed to either win or finish just behind Michael.

At the restart the front row drivers both made poor starts and Roger was fourth and Michael directly behind in fifth.

Michael tried to pass Roger during the first lap, but misjudged his braking distance and crashed into the back of Roger’s car, spinning him round and damaging his own car so badly that he was out of the race.

Roger dived into the pits to have a damage check, the car was running but looked unsafe to continue when it was confirmed that Michael was out and Roger was champion.

Next year Roger is hoping to move up to racing sports cars, already having had the opportunity to test a works Porsche Carrera and a Ginetta GT4.

Weston College’s motorsport study programme provides students with the opportunity to work with Formula Ford race mechanics in the College workshops and trackside, and helps to get them involved with the local racing circuit.

In 2015, Roger Orgee Racing’s second car, a Van Diemen RF02, was repaired at the College’s South West Skills Campus following a collision at Silverstone race course.

Roger Orgee Racing can also offer our learners unique opportunities to attend racing events and meet industry professionals.

SafeGuard Clothing has donated a bulletproof vest to Weston College’s Uniformed and Public Services students.

The international body armour company’s donation fits in with its mission of educating students about the necessity for safety equipment for front line service operatives.

SafeGuard Clothing has partnered with several regional and national education institutions to assist with materials and information that enrich the students’ learning experience.

Thomas Bowman, speaking on behalf of SafeGuard Armour and Clothing, said: “Under our corporate initiative for social responsibility and involvement, we assist local colleges in developing their Public Services courses.

“We offer our support, expertise and guidance to improve student preparedness for the line of work they have chosen.”

Rebecca Ranson, Curriculum Manager for Sport and Public Services at Weston College, expressed gratitude to SafeGuard for the donation, saying: “It offers our students great advantage in acquiring the knowledge and skills they need in their chosen field.

“Such level of corporate and social responsibility creates vital opportunities and enhances the quality of our educational program.

“We are happy that Weston College is among those that have been selected to receive a donation as we believe it creates a unique advantage for our students to understand the type of body armour they will be using later on in their careers.”

SafeGuard Armour and Clothing is a worldwide manufacturer and distributer of body armour and is involved in research and development for new materials to enhance the wearability of protective body armour for front line services.