Member Article

TyneMet College Students Send Football Shirts to Thailand Orphanage

Students from TyneMet College upheld their promise to children in a Thailand orphanage by sending them football shirts to wear when playing sports.

The students visited the Baan Nok Kamin Foundation Orphanage last July and stayed for five days working at the orphanage. During their visit the students, helped construct new buildings, provide support in English lessons and engaged the children in various sports activities – the most popular being football.

On returning to the UK the students decided that they would like to collect football shirts to send to the children at the orphanage, they sent out an appeal and were delighted with the donations that they received from staff at TyneMet, their family and friends.

Various fundraising activities were then planned by the students to raise the money to post the shirts and in January, enough money had been raised to send the shirts to Thailand.

As well as working in the orphanage the students took a three day hiking trip through a Thai national park.

The trip to Thailand was a project organised by World Challenge an organisation which has been offering educational expeditions to developing countries for over 20 years. Trips like this enable the students who take part to enhance their life skills and expand their minds outside of the classroom.

Matthew Leadbeatter, Pastoral Tutor, TyneMet College, said:

“The trip to Thailand was amazing; the students really enjoyed their time there, especially at the orphanage. The staff and children were so friendly and once home the students were determined to do more to help the children – which is when they came up with the idea of sending the football shirts for them to wear when playing sports.

“The students had already organised quite a few fundraising events before they went to Thailand to help cover the cost of each student’s place which was £1,699, so they had to come up with new ideas to raise money for the postage. Eventually, enough money was raised to post two x 2kg packages containing the shirts.

“Educational expeditions such as this trip to Thailand, give the students a fantastic experience which will see them develop their personal and social skills, enhance their cultural awareness, expand their geographical knowledge and give them memories that they will never forget!”

For more information about courses at TyneMet College, call and speak to a student advisor on 0191 229 5000, email enquiries@tynemet.ac.uk or visit www.tynemet.ac.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lisa Dawson .