Pedal power for the homeless
Generous young people put others first to raise money for charity.
A group of East Durham College Foundation students raised more then £200 for Youth Homeless North East.
The students from East Durham College’s foundation department in Peterlee took part in a cycle ride to Lapland on exercise bikes in a bid to raise the money.
The students cycled a total of over 2,000 miles, with several students taking part in the sponsored bike ride.
Laura Richardson, Lecturer in Foundation Studies at East Durham College, said she was filled with pride at the students’ achievement.
She said: “This is an absolutely fantastic achievement for our students.
“They were very excited to take part in the project and to raise money for such a great cause.
“The money will go towards improving the lives of young people from our area – we are all extremely proud of the efforts of our students.”
Sharon Brown, director of Youth Homeless North East visited the college to collect the money in person, where she was presented with a huge cheque which had also been made by the foundation students.
Sharon said: “Cycling to Lapland has been an amazing activity that will help a lot of young people in the region.
“The donations collected will be used to continue our work with young people through our YouthHubs in Newcastle and Middlesbrough where we are embarking on our new project ‘About the Space’ to tackle youth loneliness and isolation. “We encourage all young people to join us and work together to find solutions to these issues.
“We would like to thank all students from East Durham College for their input and outstanding work during this activity to help their peers.”
East Durham College’s Foundation programmes support young people with a wide range of support needs, learning difficulties and disabilities.
The entry level course provides a tailored course for each individual learner, offering a combination of subjects including art, cookery, craft design, horticulture, independent living skills, IT, sport and travel training.
Youth Homeless North East was established in 2007. The aim was to provide a regional focus, resources and facilitates addressing youth homelessness through policy and strategy but crucially putting young people at the centre.
With Education Reporter Sue Kirby sue.kirby@northeast-press.co.uk “This is an absolutely fantastic achievement for our students”