The Member of European Parliament for the South West of England and Gibraltar gave a talk at Weston College’s new £880,000 Sustainability Centre.

Julie Girling, a former Chief Whip of Conservatives in the European Union, spoke to members of the local Chamber of Commerce on Friday, November 21^st.

Weston and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce President, Gail Parsons, said: “As a Chamber of Commerce we are well aware of the benefits of European collaboration.

“With major projects like French energy giant EDF’s Hinkley Point nuclear reactor build having a significant positive impact on business across Weston and North Somerset.

“It was interesting listening to Julie talk about how this cooperation works at a national level.”

The bespoke community Sustainability Centre Julie visited opened in October on Weston College’s South West Skills Campus where an £11 million revamp is in progress.

The Locking Road-based building is a high-spec environmentally-friendly property built around an oak frame of natural materials with classrooms and lecture theatre.

Renewable technology includes photo-voltaic cells, ground-source heat pump, and rainwater harvesting system. It is designed to teach the next generation of sustainable construction students and show local people how green technology transform living spaces and saves money.

Other site developments include the Lord Baker Innovation Centre, named after a former Home Secretary, and dedicated to vocational education and skills training.

The MEP’s visit was hosted by Training Solutions, providing apprenticeships, training and development for the over 1400 businesses that the College works with across the region.

Training Solutions Account Coordinator Christopher Batt added: “It was a pleasure to welcome our MEP to Weston College and our new Sustainability Centre.

“Julie gave an excellent description of the makeup of the European Union before taking questions on EU finances, regulation, EU-US trade talks and freedom of movement.

“Interestingly, she said that the European Commission has had a change of emphasis to create jobs rather than progressing citizens’ rights.”

A group of Weston College students has spent two weeks volunteering to help renovate the 100-year-old Theatre in the Hut in Milton.

The students, who are all on the autism spectrum, completed the community project as part of a course called ‘Aspirations’, which is taught at the College’s pioneering residential training facility, Weston Bay.

The students planned the project themselves, and chose to help renovate the former World War One army hut as they felt it would benefit the community while also challenging them with a wide variety of jobs to complete.

The project enabled them to learn new skills such as painting, gardening and carpentry.

Adam, 21, said: “Every year people studying Aspirations work as a team to help out local community by refurbishing places that need attention.

“This year we repaired damaged wood on the hut, before sanding it down and giving it three coats of blue paint.

“We worked on the garden by weeding, planting and clearing up the rubbish.”

Weston College carpentry students constructed two wooden picnic benches that were donated to the project.

Heidi Martini, Residential Specialist Support Instructor at Weston College, said: “The students worked really hard to plan, fundraise, and undertake all the hard work ensure this community project a success.

“They demonstrated a wide range of skills including employability, teamwork, leadership, problem solving and reliability.

“We are incredible proud of their achievements individually and as a team.”

The renovations were unveiled at an opening ceremony attended by the students, college staff, members of the Wayfarers Drama Group and the Mayor and Mayoress of Weston-super-Mare.

Aspirations is a programme of study specifically developed for learners on the autism spectrum who are aged between 16-24 years, and is delivered at the Weston Bay residential training facility.

Many of the students on the course already have academic or vocational qualifications, but have found accessing employment, higher education or independent living very difficult. Aspirations gives them the opportunity to develop their skills and progress into independent living, university and employment.

You can find out more about how Weston College supports independent living by visiting www.weston.ac.uk/independent-living

20 students from Weston College’s Health and Social Care and Early Years departments got the opportunity to visit Disneyland Paris last week to attend seminars on food hygiene, health and safety and supporting people with a disability.

The four day visit included free time in the amusement park as a treat for the students, some of which had never left England before.

Emily Parsons, who studies Health and Social Care at Level 3, said: “Disneyland was fantastic, we got the chance to meet students from all across the UK and Europe who are studying the same course.

“The lectures we attended were very informative and we can’t wait to go again next year!”

Sarah-Jane Lewis, Health and Social Care Coordinator at Weston College, said: “The experience was amazing for the students, and they got to learn about what other Colleges in England and France teach about the subjects they themselves are learning.

“It was also helpful for our Health and Social Care students to mix with our Early Years students as these subjects go hand-in-hand and interaction enables them to share ideas and best practices.

“The students were all professional and represented the College and Weston-super-Mare very well and they were a credit to themselves and our faculty. The students felt exhilarated and excited to be part of this experience.”