Coleg Menai Student Transforms Volunteering Project into £1,400 Charity Success
Level 3 Health and Social Care student Cerys Williams recently raised £1,400 for mental health charity Mind by organising a community fundraising event for her local area, including bingo games and a raffle.
17-year-old Cerys was able to hand over a cheque to Income Generation Lead for Mind, Bethan, who came to Coleg Menai to meet Cerys and have a photo with her.
Cerys organised the event as part of her Welsh Baccalaureate volunteering project. “The response of the community was incredible,” said Cerys. “It genuinely brought people together of all ages.”
Cerys worked hard to secure donations, contacting businesses and explaining her cause. It all paid off when local businesses generously donated prizes for the raffle and bingo.
“The experience showed me how powerful fundraising can be when people understand the cause and the effort being put into organising,” added Cerys.
As well as helping her complete the volunteering element of her course, Cerys found the experience incredibly rewarding. “I chose Mind Conwy because I wanted to support mental health services for older people in the community, as I feel this is often an area that gets overlooked.”
Cerys was grateful for the support and guidance she received from tutors at Coleg Menai throughout her project. “Their advice helped me stay organised and focused on my goals,” she said.
Cerys isn’t the only Coleg Menai Health and Social Care student raising funds for Mind. Level 1 learners from Llangefni campus also raised £309.72 for the charity by organising a number of events over the past two years. The students, who have now progressed on to the Level 2 course, also got to meet Bethan and hand over their cheque in person.
A big well done to all of our students, what a great achievement! And thank you to all of the local businesses who donated prizes for Cerys’ event, showing the strength of a community coming together.
If you think a career in health and social care could be for you, it’s not too late to start your story with us this September. Head over to our website and find out more about the range of courses available across the Grŵp: https://www.gllm.ac.uk/courses/health-and-social-care