Care Staff at Henshaws College are celebrating after passing their Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care. Our independent specialist college in Harrogate employs a multidisciplinary team of experienced staff, from education staff and care staff to rehabilitation officers and therapists to help each student learn independence skills for the future they choose.
Many of our care staff already have NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care, and this new award means that additional staff can benefit from the very latest training and best practice across the Health and Social Care sector.
Liz Sugden, Head of Student Support and Residential Care, explains why staff have completed the award:
“This diploma is a really valuable qualification for our staff. It involves learning about the latest developments in communication, personal development, equality and duty of care in young people’s settings. These skills are a great asset to our staff and they also learn about person centred approaches which help us to deliver an individual service for every one of our students. We plan for more staff to complete the qualification to ensure that we continue to provide the best possible standards of care for our students during their time at College.”
Henshaws College students have just finished work on their latest film project, an interpretation of the Lambton Worm folk tale. Set in County Durham, the poem tells the story of a local man’s battle with a giant worm or dragon and you can watch the trailer below.
Tutor Rob Atkin explains why the students chose to focus on this story:
“We wanted to choose a project which was big, creative and could involve everyone! I read the poem out to the students who liked the story and the fact that it rhymed. The words describe the action taking place so there’s no need for audio description which is great for our visually impaired students. It is also a local folk tale so it seemed like a good opportunity to teach students about some local cultural history.”
Students were involved in every aspect of the production, whether it was behind the scenes researching costumes online, or acting in front of the cameras. They designed the set and costumes and their interpretation of the giant blue worm with terrible teeth was brought to life from an initial drawing to a fully finished paper mache costume. After cutting out and gluing on individual scales and dragon teeth, students went for a dragon walk in the costume around college. This was a great chance for fellow students to come face to face with their scary creation!
On set, students took the lead with directing and deciding how scenes should be set up, as Rob explains:
“We started out by doing several test shots to see what worked best. For example, there’s one scene where students wanted to show the fast moving river so we experimented with different fabrics and movements. We also wrote and recorded our own piece of music to accompany the film, practising singing in the round and using lots of different instruments.”
Francesca told us what she enjoyed about the filming: “I liked singing and recording the song best. I liked being in the dragon costume although it got very hot!”
Dan played the main character in the production and said “I enjoyed playing the part of John Lambton and making the fight scenes. I enjoyed watching the film, it felt really good to see myself on screen. It was exciting and I would like my family to see it.”
Staff and students have already been treated to a sneak preview of the finished product and everyone involved will be taking home a DVD for their families.
Tutors have seen students grow in confidence since they started work on the film. “Students have been supported to take part in a way which they felt comfortable with but also one which challenges them” said Rob. “For many of our students, any initial nerves about being in front of the camera faded after having the chance to experiment in a safe environment. They’ve also learnt to work as a team and to make different choices about activities.”
Expressive arts is just one of the sessions on offer to our students, who take part in individual learning programmes to increase their confidence and independence. For more information, please visit our programmes pages.
We are looking for volunteers to help train with the Henshaws Triathlon team in preparation for the Skipton 2, Late Summer Triathlon this September.
Back in April, six residents who live in Henshaws Community Houses competed in the first Skipton triathlon of the year. The team, who all have visual impairments and additional disabilities, were part of a record breaking 930 competitors from all over the North of England to take part in the UK’s biggest pool based triathlon
Jennie, Karen, Samuel, Shelley, Tracey and Michael were cheered on by family, friends, staff and volunteers as they completed the 400 m swim, 20 km bike ride and 5 km run.
We are now starting to prepare for the next Skipton triathlon which will take place on Sunday 1 September. The existing team are determined to improve on their April times and we have several new residents who would like to join the team. We are urgently looking for volunteers who can either swim, run or tandem cycle. You could get involved by helping with training prior to the event and/or through supporting the team during the event itself. Volunteers don’t need to be Olympic standard, just committed to encouraging and supporting the team!
If you think you could help, please contact John Fox, Volunteer Coordinator on 01423 799612 or email john.fox@henshaws.org.uk
Leading on from the success of our festive Christmas auction, the upcoming Henshaws Clothes Auction sees quality and designer evening wear go under the hammer. We’re also featuring occasional wear, an array of accessories, and quality items donated by local businesses.
The auction starts at 7pm on Thursday 27th June. Doors open at 6pm for pre-auction viewing. We’ll have drinks and refreshments available, and a licensed bar. Onsite parking too, at Henshaws Arts & Crafts Centre, 50 Bond End, Knaresborough, HG5 9AL.
Our preview catalogue is out now, featuring a selection of items available at the auction. Join us on Twitter @HenshawsYorks for daily updates on the lots.
We are delighted to announce that Henshaws won the 2013 Community Hero award at the Stray FM Local Hero Awards Ceremony sponsored by Engage Mutual in Harrogate this month!
The annual awards ceremony was held on Friday 10th May to recognise local heroes who have contributed to life in Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales by going above and beyond and achieving something extraordinary.
Nicki Eyre, Henshaws Managing Director for Education and Training, and Wendy Harrison, Housing and Support Manager attended the event to collect our award.
Nicki said; “The awards ceremony was a really positive occasion to celebrate the achievements of a whole range of local organisations, charities and individuals. Henshaws provides a variety of services to support people to become more independent and to lead the life they choose, and for the work that we do to be recognised with a local award is just fantastic.”
As part of the project a film crew from SiRA Studio came up to College and the Arts & Crafts Centre to interview staff, students and service users and you can watch the film here:
We’d like to say a big thank you to Engage Mutual for selecting Henshaws for the award and thanks to the team at Stray FM and SiRA Studio for all their support.
