Charity begins at Edinburgh College!

Events Management students raise thousands for charity

Edinburgh College’s Events Management students have raised more than £20,000 for charity this year by holding events around the city and surrounding areas as part of their coursework.

The students worked in 38 teams to arrange an event each in aid of a range of charities. Events included everything from a mini festival and club nights to speed dating and fashion shows.

Events Management lecturers celebrated their success this week by awarding a trophy to the most successful event team.

The winning team, called Festival Events and based at Sighthill Campus, organised a sell-out mini fringe festival at the Voodoo Rooms, where a variety of acts including a magician, DJ, reggae act and flamenco folk band, entertained the audience. To promote the event, the students worked together with dancers from the University of Edinburgh Modern Dance Society to organise a flash mob outside the Usher Hall. They also worked with students from the college’s audio visual courses, who documented the event by recording it for a video that helped them pass their course.

The team raised £1,100 for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, which was match funded by BP to make £2,200, after students contacted the firm.

Other teams organised events including children’s fun afternoons, club nights, fashion shows and an afternoon tea. A runner-up prize was awarded to a Milton Road Campus team, 505 Events, which organised a sports event around the Scotland vs. England Rugby match in aid of the charity Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal (SiMBA). Another Milton Road team received a highly commended award for its work, which included organising a speed dating event in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

Lecturer Iris Aitchison said: “We are immensely proud of all the fantastic work that our students have put into organising all their events, and we were blown away by the amount raised for charities. This is the first time we have awarded a prize for best event, as we felt that these achievements deserved to be recognised.”

In total, 21 charities benefited from the students’ efforts, including Scottish Autism, the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund and the SickKids Foundation.

Pictured: Students from the winning teams with Events Management lecturers. L-R Caroline Patterson, Katrina Pugh, Javier de la Cruz (from the winning Festival Events team), Alana Laidlaw (from the runner up team, 505 Events), Iris Aitchison, Sarah Thomson.

The college offers events courses at NC, HNC, HND and BA (Hons) level in association with Queen Margaret University.

Edinburgh College Open Days this week

Open Day at Granton Campus on Wednesday

Anyone wanting to boost their qualifications, improve their job prospects, get on the career ladder or learn new skills should come along to Edinburgh College’s Course Open Days this week.

The Open Days on Wednesday (17 June) at Granton Campus and Thursday 18 June at Milton Road Campus – from 2-6pm on each day – are an opportunity to take the first steps into further education or learn new career-advancing skills. Expert staff will be on hand to discuss course information, progression routes and funding options.

The Open Days are a chance to learn more about and apply for the college’s new range of part-time, evening and leisure courses, including professional development programmes. These are open for applications now and include Accounting and Finance, Art and Design, Business and Enterprise, Construction, Health and Social Care, Hair and Beauty, Engineering, I.T., Performing Arts, and Sport and Travel.

The Open Days are also an opportunity to find out about full-time courses beginning in August with remaining places, which will open again on the college website this week.

At the Open Days, the college’s advisors will have all the information prospective students need, including funding options. Students on part-time courses may have several funding options available depending on their circumstances, including Individual Learning Accounts. Advisors can help students with funding applications.

Edinburgh College principal Annette Bruton said: “We have top-quality courses across our whole curriculum to suit a range of study needs, and we’d love anyone interested in finding out more to come down to our open days. Whether you want to develop your education or career, or you want to become skilled in a different field, there’s part-time, full-time and evening options to fit into your lifestyle.

“You’ll be taught by dedicated lecturers with real industry experience so you’ll be well prepared for the next steps of your career. Even if you’re not sure what the best option for you is, our advisors will be able to help and guide you to make the best decision possible.”

For more information about available courses, to make an application and to register your interest in a course, go to www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

Kabo boxing event at Granton Campus

Students snap up photography awards

Five in the frame for national Awards

BIPP Student Awards 2015 Photojournalism 1st Place — BIPP Student Awards 2015
Photojournalism 1st Place

Edinburgh College students triumphed in all five student categories at the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) Scottish Region Image Awards. The stash of prizes included the Student Photographer of the Year award.

As well as the Student Photographer of the Year award, HND and BA Professional Photography students picked up the top prizes in the Photojournalism, Advertising & Fashion, Social & Portraiture, and Open categories. They also claimed 21 second and third places and merits, with the college taking home all the prizes in some categories!

The results continue a six-year winning streak for Edinburgh College photography students at the BIPP Scottish Region Image Awards. Students and graduates snapped up 30 of the prizes on offer in last year’s competition.

BIPP Student Awards 2015 Advertising & Fashion 1st Place Overall Winner — BIPP Student Awards 2015
Advertising & Fashion 1st Place
Overall Winner

Kinga Kocimska, who is studying for a BA Professional Photography, was named Student Photographer of the Year this year, and also received the prize for Advertising & Fashion (above).

Kinga said: “Receiving such positive feedback on my images has motivated me even more to further develop my skills and to explore subjects I am genuinely interested in. It feels great to be able to produce work that meets professional industry standards within only four years from the start of my photography journey.”

There was also success for Edinburgh College graduates in the professional photographer categories. Lee Howell took first and second place in the Scottish Commercial, Industrial, Advertising and Architecture category and won the Open category. Last year, Lee was named Professional Photographer of the Year 2014. Lee has his own commercial photography business in Edinburgh, specialising in creative advertising and contemporary editorial portraiture.HND Photography student Oliver Henderson, who recently won the Calumet Student Photographer of the Year award, triumphed in the student Open category (above).

Marjory Crooks, curriculum manager for broadcast media, said: “It is fantastic to see our photography students recognised with these well regarded awards. The continued success of our students in these awards is testament to their professionalism and talent. It also highlights the quality of the teaching staff at the college, who do great work preparing our students for the workplace.”

Minister supports Edinburgh College Apprenticeship event

Annabelle Ewing meets Edinburgh College construction apprentices

Edinburgh College threw open its doors for a Construction Apprenticeship Open Day today to give young people the chance to find out about industry career routes and link up with employers and training providers.

And the minister for youth and women’s employment, Annabelle Ewing MSP, called in this afternoon to support the event – and gamely tried her hand at some traditional construction skills too!

The college has teamed up with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Historic Scotland to demonstrate the kinds of apprenticeship opportunities available to potential apprentices, employers and careers advisors, and professional development opportunities for tradespeople.

Around 30 training providers, construction companies, local councils, universities, equipment suppliers, skills organisations and heritage groups were on hand to show how they can support apprentices, employers and professionals to find the careers, employees and skills they need, as well as funding opportunities.

The event was packed with stands, demonstrations, presentations and the chance to try out construction skills, with a focus on traditional construction skills: guests and visitors were invited to try stonemasonry, carpentry and joinery, roofing, plastering, brickwork, painting and decorating and plumbing – and some even tested their skills on mini diggers!

Nostalgia just ain’t what it used to be!

Photo exhibition explores our relationship with treasured childhood items

An Edinburgh College photographer has been asking people to take a trip down memory lane and rummage in their old toy boxes to share their most treasured childhood items for a new exhibition.

Simon Moorhouse’s Nostalgia exhibition features photos of adults with their favourite childhood toys and memorabilia, exploring their attachment and the stories behind the strong bond they feel with these items.

Nostalgia is on at the Creative Exchange in Leith until 5 June.

Simon graduated with distinction from an HND Professional Photography course at Edinburgh College, and now works as a learning assistant in the college’s photography department.

He stumbled across the inspiration for the exhibition when he was looking through old belongings and found the first cuddly toy that his mum had knitted for him, Charlie the monkey.

Simon (above) said: “I thought to myself, I’ve gone through so many moves over the past few years, from Sheffield to Edinburgh, and it has always moved with me for some reason. I never really knew why.

“That intrigued me a little bit, because we live in this sort of throwaway society where we’re quite happy to buy new TVs, new printers and everything like that. Back when I was younger we used to send our TV to the repair man, or have one come round to the house to fix it. Now it is so easy to throw them away and get a brand new one, but we always seem to keep these little trinkets. I wanted to find out why.”

Simon says the most interesting item he has photographed so far was an old chemistry set from the 1960s (above). He said: “Some of the stuff you would get in a chemistry set then would be illegal in a chemistry set today. The owner, Stewart, has stuff missing from the set. But some of the stuff, like the chemical powders, were just very peculiar. Stewart went on to work in science, he had the kit from being about four years old, he loved science and went on to become a science technician and work with children at a science centre. Now he’s an actor, but he still holds on to the chemistry set!”

Now that the exhibition has taken shape, Simon wants to expand the project outside of Scotland. First, he wants to go back to Sheffield, his home town, then carry on further down the country to photograph his connections in London and Cambridgeshire.

Simon is also keen for anyone with a nostalgic childhood item to come forward and share their stories through the Edinburgh College Facebook page and Twitter, and is offering a free professional photo shoot at the college for one lucky winner. Post a photo of your own item and tell us in one sentence why it is important to you. Simon will choose his favourite entry.

Nostalgia will be on show at Creative Exchange, 29 Constitution Street, Leith, until 5 June. Creative Exchange is open Monday -Thursday 9am-5.30pm and Friday 9am-4.30pm. Admission is free.

Gremlins and ghouls at Granton Campus

Granton Campus charity event’s not for the faint-hearted!

Gremlins, fantasy warriors and witches will descend on Edinburgh College’s Granton Campus tomorrow as the college’s imaginative make-up students put their talents on display at a showcase event.

Second-year students from the college’s HND Make-Up Artistry course will apply the skills they have learned to produce a variety of jaw-dropping looks on models for the Ministry of Make-Up event. The students will present a range of fashion make-up looks alongside more unusual character and special effects designs that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster.

Following the show there will be a chance to see the models up close and speak to the students about the techniques they used and the inspirations for the looks.

Photography work from first-year HND and VTCT Fashion and Photographic Make-up students will also be on display.

Money raised through a raffle on the night will go towards the charity Look Good Feel Better, the international charity dedicated to improving the wellbeing and self-confidence of people undergoing treatment for cancer.

The Ministry of Make-Up event will take place on Tuesday 26 May at 7pm at the Apprentice Restaurant, Edinburgh College Granton Campus, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE. Tickets are £7 and can be booked from Jakki.jeffery@edinburghcollege.ac.uk. The event is only suitable for over 16s.

Running order:

18.30 Doors open

19.00 Show starts

19.45 Raffle

20.00 Free viewing and interaction with students and models, and photocall

20.20 Show ends

20.30 Doors close

You’re in for a TReat at Granton Campus

Edinburgh College will open its larder and put on a feast for the city and surrounding communities at its second annual Treat food and drink festival on Thursday (28 May).

Treat is a celebration of the talents of the college’s hospitality students, who will show their skills and give guests the chance to sample their work. The festival also celebrates the fantastic food and drink produced in Edinburgh and the Lothians, with local companies coming to show their produce.

Treat will take place at the college’s Granton Campus on 28 May from 4-7pm, with a £5 entry fee. The festival will showcase the college’s students, curriculum and training restaurant facilities, demonstrating how it is developing the top chefs of tomorrow.

Students and lecturing staff will serve food and carry out live cookery demonstrations to show the range of food preparation skills that are taught at the college.

Students will be serving samples of delicious hot dishes for just £1 each, with one sample included in the entry price. There will also be kebabs and burgers prepared by butchery students, fresh smoothies, and confectionary on sale.

More than fifteen local suppliers will be tempting visitors with a range of delightful delicacies including African-inspired cuisine, olive oil and speciality products from Spain, nut- and gluten-free baking, and urban edible garden growing kits. There will even be gourmet dog treats on sale to keep furry friends’ tastebuds tingling!

The Granton Campus training restaurant, The Apprentice, will host a drinks zone, with free tasters of wine and premium Scottish cider.

The event will also be raising money for the college’s charity of the year, the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (EDCH). Representatives from the charity will be at treat to talk with visitors about their work caring for lost and abandoned dogs and cats. There will be a prize draw on the day to raise much-needed funds for the charity.

This is the second year of the treat festival, after last year’s successful event attracted more than 400 hungry people from around Edinburgh and the Lothians to fill their bellies with top-quality food.

Carol Fyfe, head of the Tourism & Hospitality Academy at Edinburgh College, said: “We are delighted to be bringing back treat, Edinburgh College’s food and drink festival, for a second year. The festival is a fantastic opportunity to focus on our talented cookery and hospitality students providing an insight into their exceptional talent and dedication to their craft.

“Treat also gives visiting food lovers the chance to pick up top tips from our lecturing staff, while giving those who may be considering studying a hospitality and professional cookery course at the college a taste of what to expect. We are also pleased to be supporting the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.”

Treat takes place at Edinburgh College Granton Campus, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE on Thursday 28 May at 4-7pm. Tickets £5 and are available on the door.

The festival is focused on celebrating and showcasing the college’s hardworking, skilled students, while promoting the curriculum, the college’s training restaurants and the college itself as a destination for success.

Students take Stardust to Romania

Edinburgh College acting students are stars in Romania

Edinburgh College acting students brought a sprinkling of stardust to Romania as they performed to a sell-out crowd at one of the country’s prestigious national theatres.

Twenty-one students from the HND Acting and Performance course travelled to Romania to perform a show and take part in workshops and theatre tours, and watch performances by their Romanian contemporaries.

The students were visiting the country to present their show We are Made of Stardust at the National Theatre in Târgu Mureș, where they played to a full house and received a five-minute standing ovation. The students previously performed this show at the college’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland in Granton.

We are Made of Stardust was originally developed in Romania by college lecturer Scott Johnston, who has been travelling to the country for 22 years. Scott worked with the first youth theatre based at the National Theatre Târgu Mureș to develop the show, before developing a new version with his Edinburgh College students.

He said: “This was a hugely exciting opportunity for our students to perform on a prestigious stage and share their experience with Romanian actors. The students organised a Scottish theme night, attended Romanian and Hungarian nights and saw five productions at the national theatre and other venues.”

To help his students put their own stamp on the production, Scott used a technique he developed called bookends devising. He said: “Simply put, this means that I have written and designed the beginning and end 10 minutes of the production. The cast along with me devise and write the piece in between. The show I will take to Romania has exactly the same beginning and ending as the one I made here at college.”

In 2010 the University of the Arts in Târgu Mureș awarded Scott the university medal for developing artistic and academic work at the university – the first Briton to be awarded this honour. Last year, supported by the college, he completed a Masters in Stage Directing at the University. He has worked throughout Romania and done workshops and directed plays in many of the major theatres. He has also directed international professional co-productions for Romanian and Scottish companies including Stellar Quines and Cumbernauld theatre.

Students from the college’s performing arts courses will be taking part in performances as part of the college’s Let’s Glow festival throughout May and June. Let’s Glow is a celebration of the college’s creative students, featuring performance and exhibitions covering everything from music, theatre and dance to photography, film, art animation, textiles and design. The full programme of events can be found at www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/letsglow

To find out more about performing arts courses at Edinburgh College, which include dance, musical theatre, acting, technical theatre, textiles and make-up courses visitwww.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/courses

Free haircuts at Granton Campus

Come on, chaps: get your barnets coiffured by college students!

Students from Edinburgh College barbering courses are offering free men’s haircuts at the Granton Campus Hair and Beauty Academy.

The Hair and Beauty department at the college is looking for clients to come along and get their hair cut and styled by the gents barbering classes at the training salon. For a limited time only these men’s haircuts and styling are free!

Frances Bain, curriculum manager for hair, beauty and complementary therapy, said: “Clients will not only be receiving a free haircut, they will be helping the students work towards their assessments and qualifications. This a vital part of these students’ studies, as they work in a salon environment to provide top-quality service and cuts to clients.”

Men’s haircut appointments are available on Tuesdays from 10-11am and 4.30-6.30pm, and Wednesday to Friday from 9-11am until 12 June. To book an appointment please call the Hair and Beauty reception on 0131 559 4050.

The barbering classes are just one of many hairdressing and beauty services available at Edinburgh College. A range of treatments are available at the Hair and Beauty Academies at Milton Road, Sighthill and Granton Campuses. Students offer the latest industry treatments and styles using Elemis, Dermalogica and Wella products.

For opening hours and the list of available treatments and prices visithttp://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/welcome/leisure/salons/training_academies.aspx

To find out more about Edinburgh College’s hair and beauty therapy courses, and the many more courses available over the college’s varied curriculum and four campuses, visit www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/courses