New College Swindon Collaborates with Local Charity

New College Swindon (NCS) is collaborating with local charity Shine, offering support sessions run by Early Years T Level students.

The T Level students will be planning all of the activities with the early years lecturers on hand to oversee the sessions. The first session planned is a Mother’s Day special where the mums and children will have an afternoon tea alongside themed activities. Clare Ashley, Photography Lecturer at the college and her photography students will be offering a free Mother’s Day photo shoot.

Lynette Buebird, Lecturer in HE Early Years and HND Public Services at New College Swindon has been a volunteer at Shine since her friend, Sarah, founded the Swindon branch 6 years ago. She says, “we have been trying to set up stay and play sessions over the past few years at our Little Stars Nursery, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to support the local community and also give our learners the chance to show off the amazing skills they have learned through the Early Years T Level course and work experience in nursery/school settings”.

Shine is a local charity offering a vast range of support to mothers dealing with anxiety and post-natal depression. Currently overseen by Project Manager Rachael Stone, Shine has recently lost its local funding and has had to cut the number of venues in which it hosts drop-in sessions.

Rachael says, “We were so sad to have to cut the number of drop ins we offer a week, due to our funding being pulled. We are always hopeful and working towards gaining funding again so we can reopen the other venues”. She continues, “Offering a safe space for mums to connect with other mums going through similar experiences and working with them to feel like themselves again is so important”.
Whilst these specialist sessions are for existing visitors to Shine drop ins, there is a weekly drop in in Abbey Meads.

About Early Years courses at New College Swindon:
Childcare, Early Years and Teaching subjects are taught by highly qualified lecturers with industry experience and strong links to nurseries and schools allowing students to put theory in to practice via work placements. The facilities on site at the Queens Drive campus include the state-of the-art Little Stars Nursery and sensory room.

About Shine:
Shine Drop-in sessions are informal, welcoming and supportive stay and play sessions for mother’s wanting to reach out, to find and give support to others experiencing similar emotional feelings such as anxiety, postnatal and antenatal depression (with or without a formal diagnosis), feelings of isolation and loneliness, and those hoping to make some supportive and meaningful connections and/or build a support network.

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