Facelift for Under 18s Common Room

Our Under 18s Common Room is enjoying a new lease of life thanks to the efforts of a group of resourceful FE students.

Following a suggestion by Safeguarding Officer Stuart Lloyd, Kaitlinn Schaap and her friends decided to encourage their fellow students to spend more time doing communal activities by revamping the common room.

Kaitlinn and Kerri-Anne Williams, who are both 17 and live on campus during term time, organised a weekend student group to tidy and clean the room, then put out a Facebook post asking for furniture donations. Thanks to support from staff and helped by Stuart, the students collected and installed sofas and a new sound system in the common room, and also painted a chalk board for suggestions and news of events.

They also organised funding for a new tv and games console, and staff have donated DVDs and Xbox 360 games. Encouraged by their success so far, the students are now looking for more donations – in particular a Bluetooth docking station and bean bags if anyone has them going spare.

The common room, which is open from 6.30pm to11.30pm, is now a hub of activity and well used and respected  by  our younger, live-in students from all departments.

Principal Meredydd David, who joined Kaitlinn for a game of table football, said: “These students should be congratulated on their initiative, which has been supported by our Student Services team and wider staff.  It is typical of the way everyone at Reaseheath pulls together to provide a great ‘Reaseheath Experience’.”