Students at the City of Bath College have been thanked for their commitment and dedication to voluntary work over the past year.
The College has hosted its annual awards ceremony to ensure that the kind-hearted efforts of students do not go unrecognised.
Students on all courses give up their time to help those in need by taking part in a wide variety of charity work.
This includes clearing allotments, packing Christmas shoeboxes, sharing their skills with the elderly, fancy dress street collections and one-off fundraising events.
A total of 711 students have carried out three hours or more of voluntary work. They completed a grand total of 11, 640 volunteer hours – that’s the equivalent of 6.5 years of full-time working hours.
The annual celebration, which coincided with Volunteer Week, saw students being treated to a buffet lunch before being presented with certificates by Principal Matt Atkinson.
18 students got platinum awards for 75 or more voluntary hours and 43 students were given gold certificates for achieving 50+ voluntary hours. 115 students got silver awards (15 hours) and 535 bronze awards (3 hours) were handed out.
Matt said: “As we approach the end of the year, we like to thank all our students who do an absolutely amazing job with volunteering. We really do appreciate all their efforts.
“The work our volunteers carry out not only positively affects the lives of others; it also helps to promote the college. It shows the outside world just how fantastic we are.
“Voluntary work is also a great way for students to show potential employers what you can do. Everything should be mentioned on CVs and application forms to help them with job-hunting.”
Level 2 Electrical Engineering student Bethany Tavener notched up the most volunteer hours. She has spent 147 hours helping out at Riverside Youth Centre in Bath and working with youth charity Engage4Life.
Bethany, 18, said: “I spend two nights a week helping to organise different activities for the 13 to 18-year-olds at Riverside.
“I just really enjoy it as I see the young people coming out of their shells and growing in confidence.
“Volunteering is very rewarding and it looks great on your CV as it shows you don’t just do what you are told to do, you do that little bit extra.”
Student Engagement Officer Scarlett Mosnier said: “Volunteering should always be enjoyable, and the amount of hours our students have given to charity and their community shows us this is true.
“I am very proud of our students, I hope they will continue volunteering and inspire others to try it too.”
