A range of Christmas activities have brought the festive spirit early to College, as we get ready to finish the Autumn Term.
Rudolph’s Run
Craven College joined with over 200 other festively decorated tractors and farm vehicles to participate in this year’s Rudoph’s Run – an illuminated tractor procession running from Otley and making its way through Addingham, Silsden, Steeton, Sutton, Kildwick, Bradley and ending its journey on Skipton High Street.
Our College vehicles – expertly decorated and driven by Tom Midgely and Susannah Morrish – were part of the cavalcade welcomed throughout the district by hundreds of eager spectators, whilst raising funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice.
Danielle Fox, Head of Land-based Provision said, “Rudolph’s Run 2024 was FANTASTIC!!! A huge thank you to Susannah and Tom for dressing up our beloved College tractors and raising money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice. This is what farming community spirit looks like – you are all amazing humans!”
Tea by the Tree
A festively decorated fireplace, Christmas tree and beautifully set table provided the perfect Christmas Grotto, the setting for the annual “Tea by the Tree” in the construction department.
Guests enjoyed a delicious tea, served on the finest China, consisting of festive drinks and treats and the opportunity to chat away from the office!
A big thank you to Kevin Wilcock and the team for arranging this lovely event!
Partridge on a Par 3
The construction workshops became a hive of festive fun as they were turned into a 12 hole crazy golf course!
With a range of putting challenges of varying difficulty, the course has provided a festive challenge for students and staff alike and received rave reviews.
Ian Maltby, Lecturer in Bricklaying said, “Groups of students have planned the course very carefully, drawing diagrams of potential courses then getting together to construct the course themselves. The students have absolutely loved in and have had a lot of fun playing the course, with some being more competitive than others!”
By the end of term, over 100 students and staff will have enjoyed a round of golf!
Decorating for Christmas!
Painting and Decorating students brought the Christmas spirit to the department, by using their skills to create some Christmas themed art, which one is your favourite?!
Festive Fun
Health & Social Care students visited Anchor Mill House to spread festive cheer to the residents.
Mill House provides College students with regular work placement opportunities, and it was great to be able to have such a lovely Friday afternoon full of snowball fights, games and lots of festive fun!
Lucy Woodhead, Lecturer in Health & Social Care said, “The students worked hard to spread festive cheer by organising and engaging residents in fun activities, bringing a wonderful sense of joy to the home.
A select group of students also visited the Dementia Unit, where they demonstrated excellent professionalism and empathy while interacting with the residents. Throughout the afternoon, all students displayed exceptional behaviour, fully embodying the Health and Social Care values of respect, dignity, and compassion.
This visit was a wonderful opportunity for our students to put their learning into practice, and they did so with great care and understanding. Well done to everyone involved – your efforts truly made a difference!”
Cultural Fair
Staff and students at College were treated to a whistlestop tour of world cultures with the Craven College Cultural Fair, all to the soundtrack of the Performing Arts department singing Christmas songs!
Organised by the Student Union, and with many departments coming together, this fantastic event gave everyone the chance to sample a diverse range of cultures, whilst also successfully raising money for a very worthwhile local cause, The Skipton Food Bank.
Beth Snowdon, EdTech Lead attended the event to showcase our VR headsets and commented, “Why not fly around the world, visit capital cities like Toronto or Tokyo, go on a wildlife safari, or practice mindfulness breathing; these are some of the activities that students engaged in when using our Metaquest 2 Virtual Reality headsets during our Cultural Fair and it was big hit with students.
Victoria Alderson, Enrichment Officer added, “Our Cultural Fair was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the diversity and heritage of our students. On arrival in the hall, visitors collected a passport and “travelled around the World” collecting stamps from the countries they visited at each stall. There were 9 countries to visit. The student’s firsthand knowledge of the countries they presented meant we learnt authentic information about everyday life.
“The atmosphere at the fair was wonderful and it was great to see all the different departments involved with students coming together to celebrate diversity of culture, interests and hobbies they enjoy.”
The College will close on Thursday 19 December to the majority of its students and reopen on Monday 6 January 2025. Teaching and assessments will still take place on Friday 20 December for Apprenticeships and Tyro Training and will close by 3pm on Friday 20 December.
We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas break and a Happy New Year.
