Run of the Mill, Winter 2014/15

WINTER 2014/15

The Ruskin Mill Trust Magazine Celebrating the Work of

Ruskin Mill College, Glasshouse College, Freeman College,

Brantwood Specialist School, Plas Dwbl Farm College

Clervaux and The Field Centre

RUN OF THE MILL

Integrated Learning and Living for Work

In 1984, Aonghus Gordon, the founder of Ruskin Mill Trust, discovered that when young eo le with learning dif culties and disa ilities, including autistic s ectru disorders

and develo ental delay, worked with crafts eo le in natural environ ents on real life, ur oseful tasks, their ersonal, e otional and social skills and their health i roved

dra atically

Through a holistic, integrated and erson centred curriculu across all our rovision, students e ark on a ourney of Practical Skills Therapeutic Education The outco e is a re arka le re i agining of their otential achieved y eeting their needs through a itious and a ro riate challenges

ach of the Trust s rovision rovides an e citing variety of course su ects delivered y skilled and trained staff ena ling a 94 retention rate Whether in craft worksho s,

classroo s, far s, arts and cultural rogra es, work e erience or in a household, students develo key transfera le skills through ur oseful and directed activities

Maga ine looks at a nu er of learning e eriences and what e erges is a clear continuu of activity fro one eld of the student curriculu to another ach issue highlights a nu er of the su ect areas in the Practical Skills Therapeutic

Education ethod of the Trust with wonderful stories of achieve ent and su stantive testi ony fro students on their ourney to inde endence and e loy ent

Ruskin Mill Trust o erates four colleges for 1 year olds, rantwood ecialist chool, hef eld, for 19 year olds, lervau , arlington, for young eo le and adults ost

education 1 , Transfor Residential, The ield entre and ira ducation and Research Tea who deliver rofessionsal develo ent across the Trust as well as a Master of cience in in 14 1

This issue also introduces a new rovision in ir ingha due to start in e te er 1 and a new artnershi with Lilleha er niversity ollege in orway to deliver an

MA in

For further information on each centre, open days and admissions, see our contact details and our map of provision on pages 74 and 75

@RuskinMillwww.facebook.com/RuskinMill

www.rmt.org

Welcome to the Winter 2014/15 issue of Run of the Mill

Run of the Mill, founded in 1995, is published each term and distributed freely to all those connected with Ruskin Mill Trust. It offers students and staff an opportunity to express their

creativity, work and experiences and to re ect the work and aims of Ruskin Mill Trust. This work draws inspiration from Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris.

Run of the Mill is edited and set by Will Mercer at Ruskin Mill. Email: [email protected]

With thanks to sta students and others for their contribu ons

and to Richard hatcher for word rocessing roofreading addi onal su ort.

Printed by Tewkesbury Printing, using vegetable inks and paper from managed forests - www.tewkesburyprinting.com

Mineral

landscape

farming

horticulture

forestry

craft

arts, drama & aesthetics

independence

enrichment

communication

work experience

the harvest is shared in the home and canteennutrition for body, soul and spirit

transforming raw materials into items of civility through aestheticsgenerating self-worth a new inner identity

Animal

Plant

reconnecting with the landexploring relationship through the cycles of lifecelebrating seasons

restored energy revitalised purposerespect through responsibilitytransition into community

through artistic expression and cultural activity

fostering relationships

connecting with community and belonging through work experience and social enterprise

practical, aesthetic and functional skills

transition, independence, achievement

and work

the craft of homemaking

catering & hospitality

transferable skills

functional skills & accreditation

Practical Skills Therapeutic EducationAfter twenty-eight years of application, Ruskin Mill Trust’s Practical Skills Therapeutic Education method has been shown to be highly effective in the area of personal development, but particularly within the eld of specialist education for young people.

This method is delivered through a unique curriculum at all the Trust’s provision to maximise the independent, social and vocational wellbeing and potential of each pupil and student.

The diagram, below, shows the key areas of activity and engagement through which these goals are delivered and achieved within our day and residential provision that enables our young people to leave with the transferable skills and the con dence to progress further with their lives within their respective communities.

CONTENTSFront Cover Willow Work at Plas Dwbl Farm College

Fundraising & Development

6: New College in Birmingham10: Working Horses Arrive12: Gables Farm Update13: Apple Press for Market Garden14: Merlin Theatre Developments16: Eyam Classroom17: Voices from the Field Centre19: MA in Special Education20: Brantwood Specialist School

Work Experience

24: Plas Dwbl Farm College29: Enamelling30: Work Experience Week32: Fusion Café Relaunched33: High Riggs34: Catering and Gallery Assistant36: Duchy Home Farm38: Skills at the Smokery40: Paid Work in Glass

Craft & Land-Based Operations

42: Green Woodwork44: Weaving and Felting46: Celebrating Clervaux50: Medal Making51: Jewellery52: Willow Wonder54: Serious Basket Makers Crossword55: The Knitting Challenge56: Leatherwork

Social, Cultural & Artistic Activities

59: 6th International Festival of Glass60: Archaeology & Time Capsule62: Young Roots Project 64: Student Council Re ects66: Do Miracles Happen?68: Food and Festivals70: Eurythmy71: Maze and Wordsearch72: The Ex-Files74: Map of Trust Provision75: Trust Contact Details

Back Cover Olivia’s Ability at Glasshouse College

Apple PressStandard WorksMerlin TheatreEyamThe Field Centre

Brantwood Specialist School

Fundraising & Development

Standard WorksWorking HorsesApple PressMerlin TheatreEyamThe Field CentreBrantwood Specialist School

“I have enjoyed learning how to care for the animals .

5

We are delighted to announce that Ruskin Mill Trust has been awarded over £2 million to establish a new FE college for 16-25 year olds with special needs in Birmingham.

The grant was the result of a successful bid to the duca on unding genc in artnershi with ir ingha it ouncil who had been i ressed b

the rogress of students fro their cit at lasshouse ollege The ouncil as ed the college to de elo a

new range of o ortuni es for oung eo le fro the cit and the surrounding areas

e ha e used the funds to urchase and start to renovate the Standard Works in Birmingham’s famous eweller uarter a rominent rade listed building with a handsome curved three-store fa ade The building has a fascina ng histor and was used for man trades including eweller manufacturing electric cars and making hats t was even used as a bomb shelter during the Second World War.

The Standard Works has been em t for over ears and although structurall sound it is in need of

com lete renova on. The rst hase of develo ment will allow us to o en the college in Se tember for the rst grou of students.

We also have e ci ng lans to create a erforming arts s ace caf ar san baker heritage galler eweller and cra worksho s and an inde endence

training at. large o en rst oor area will be redesigned to house a roof-to garden with bee hives. We are bus fundraising for addi onal grants to make these lans a realit .

Janine Christley, Director of Fundraising

The New Standard WorksGlasshouse to Expand into Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter

Standard Works: Community Engagement & Consultation Report

Ruskin Mill Trust requisitioned Dr Suzanne Carter of the Birmingham Conservation Trust to produce a report on the historical context and community perspective of the Standard Works and its future role in the Jewellery Quarter

and wider area. Dr Carter’s excellent work was supported by open days and surveys to sound out local views on the development of Standard Works and plans to develop it by Ruskin Mill Trust. Here are some extracts from the report.

6 The New Standard Works ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Standard Works is in the middle of what is known as the ‘Industrial Middle’ of the Jewellery quarter.

lthough metalworking is rst recorded in Birmingham in the th centur goldsmiths and silversmiths have been working in what we now call the eweller uarter for more than ears. riginall sca ered across Birmingham

the began to congregate in the ockle area from onwards. recious metal-working grew out

of the to ’ trades not children’s la things but buckles bu ons ins ens silverware candle s cks and other small metal trinkets. Brummagem to s’ were roduced in their hundreds and thousands in cut-steel brass and silver. The ranges of roducts roduced there have all contributed to its nicknames The it of a Thousand Trades’ and The Worksho of the World’.

uring the s two ke events led to the further develo ment of the uarter. or the rst me gas was being i ed in which made it ossible for longer working hours and a steadier heat source for smouldering. ou led with the o ening of the sand uarries which rovided the factories with vital ingredients needed for the cas ng

rocess the uarter again e anded. lthough the eweller uarter su ered through mes of hardshi s and unem lo ment things began to ick u a er the s. The industr e anded ra idl and reached its height in when some

eo le were em lo ed in the recious metal trades.

The Standard Works built in - is located at - i oria Street on the corner with egent

lace. There are entrances on both streets. t sits at the heart of the area iden ed as the

7The New Standard Works ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

ndustrial iddle’ of the eweller uarter as well as within the eweller uarter onserva on

rea designated in . n the eweller uarter onserva on rea haracter raisal

and anagement lan i oria Street is described as one of the most com lete streets in the localit in terms of the uniformit of scale and materials although ost-war develo ment along the east side has fragmented the streetsca e.

The building is a een-minute walk from the centre of Birmingham and is within a ve-minute walk of the metro. The bus which runs from Snow ill Sta on in the cit centre through the eweller uarter and Winson reen to

andsworth sto s outside the building. We know that the building’s own stor of trade is a ver interes ng one with a range of metal-working manufacturers and other cra s located at the Standard Works during its histor . sing this informa on we can begin to see an interes ng heritage cra s rogramme emerging which o ers crea ve learning o ortuni es ins ired b the

ast. istorical trades at the Standard Works included

continued overleaf

On The Horizon at the New Standard Works

Ruskin Mill Trust and Glasshouse College are excited to have the o ortunit to bring our innova ve work into the heart of Birmingham through the re-imagina on and restora on of the Standard Works. The project will bring new life into the Jewellery

uarter introducing a vibrant educa onal and cultural centre that will be focussed on integra ng into the local community and working collabora vely with its businesses and organisa ons. We would like the project to celebrate the heritage of the area and provide a bridge from the past to the future.

Drawing on Experience from Glasshouse CollegeThe ew Standard Works will be a satellite provision of Glasshouse College (founded 2000) based in Stourbridge and will use their exper se and experience to ensure that this new provision is of high uality. The development of the site will be done in phases and where possible and appropriate students will be involved in shaping and transforming the site and provision. t will provide a local resource for young people aged 16-25 years with learning di cul es and disabili es in the Birmingham area.

8 The New Standard Works ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

verall there has been a very posi ve response to Ruskin Mill Trust’s plans for the Standard Works. The scheme is seen as ambi ous but well-thought out crea ve and community-focused. The project will bring new life and a sustainable future to one of the ndustrial Middle’s most signi cant buildings along with a new vibrancy to the area the programme of ac vity and new facili es will give people more reasons to visit the Jewellery uarter as well as ful l community needs and to a certain extent increase

uality of life in the area. The local stakeholders residents and businesses we have spoken to welcome the college ini a ve but want to see a joined up approach with exis ng provision in the area. This means working with the local heritage venues to create something new and di erent which is dis nct and adds to the cultural o er of the uarter rather than competes with it. t also means an on-going dialogue with local businesses and residents to link in with other local strategies neighbourhood plans and events programmes. den fying the project’s part in suppor ng the development of the uarter as tourism des na on will also add strength to the proposi on.

Unique Learning ExperienceBased on the Ruskin Mill Trust method of

, the New Standard Works will include a range of prac cal and voca onal ac vi es to help individuals develop self-awareness and con dence as well as transferable skills for life a er college.

The curriculum at the New Standard Works will include a range of tradi onal cra s, hor culture, living skills and voca onal training. Building on the heritage of the site and area, students will be able to choose prac cal cra sessions such as jewellery, enamelling, candle making, leatherwork, tex les, photography, printmaking, and more.

n addi on, they will be able to work on the roof garden, growing vegetables for use in the caf and bakery, undertake work experience in one of the businesses in the building, and par cipate in drama, storytelling and arts. ach student will have an individual metable that they will help to develop, informed by their long term aspira ons.

t Ruskin Mill Trust we understand that it is essen al to work with the whole individual to support them to progress. n addi on to the educa on and voca onal training opportuni es, students will be able to access a range of medical and therapeu c support including transforma ve movement, art therapy and counselling, to ensure that each individual receives the support that they need.

Students will also have opportuni es to develop their independent living skills and social skills through a range of sessions and community ac vi es. Residen al provision will be available in the local community, in small scale family environments or small team homes. Students will also have the opportunity to develop their living skills in an independent living skills training

at.

The focus of the provision at the New Standard Works is to ensure that the young people we work with are best prepared to live more independently and become valued members of their communi es. Through our prac cal skills programme, therapue c interven on, voca onal and living skills training, we believe that we can help each individual to maximise their poten al.

Elisabeth Johnson Assistant Director of Development

Above: Jewellery, carpentry, and music/drama are some of the transferable skills delivered through work experience at Glasshouse College that will form a new curriculum in Birmingham.

9The New Standard Works ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

New Working Horses at Gables Farm

I started working with horses two and a half years ago on a biodynamic farm in Norway. We had thirteen horses working 110 hectares. I heard about Ruskin Mill College as my partner came to do the biodynamic appren ceship scheme. I stayed on in Norway and started looking for work with horses within a therapeu c context. Then I came to Gables arm and found out that there was a job available and I applied for it.

When I arrived, lower had just died, so there was only one working horse, Violet. So we started to look for a new genera on of horses in the with good connec ons, but we drew a blank. Then I thought that we could bring over some horses from Norway where I worked and I went to discuss this with the farmer who breeds them.

We agreed and found an appropriate pair for the college se ng – Ariel, a 14-year-old gelding, and Montana, an 11-year-old

Above: An iconic photo of student Adam with working horses, that appeared on the front cover

of Run of the Mill nearly ten years ago. Below: A student working the recent team of

Violet and Flower.

the vital manure required for a healthy farm.

10 Ruskin Mill College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Our Thanks to the Nineveh Trust

mare. It took four days to get them here by road and ferry and they have only been here s n e tober so they are s ll se l ng in and calming down.

They will be doing ploughing, harrowing, cul va ng and harves ng. They will also move farm machinery and equipment around the farm and look a er the steeper parts of the farm inaccessible to tractors.

ll the vegetable produc on is horsedrawn and the students get fully engaged, which is a very meaningful and increasingly rare ac vity.

Maria Paz Gordiazbal, Tutor, Working with Horses

Ashni, 2nd-year

I have been working with the new horses, grooming them and cleaning out their hooves by myself. Both horses are se ling in but have had a problem with their hooves, so I have been keeping them clean and bathing their hooves if required. They are ge ng used to working on the farm, which is busy, and being around Violet, our other working horse.

I just love working with horses and want to work with them in the future. I am doing work experience at Heartshore Stables and I would recommend to any student to come and work with the horses if they are interested in this. It is a good thing to do and Ruskin Mill College is a great place to learn.

11Ruskin Mill College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

continued overleaf

Jack H, 3rd-year - I enjoy working with the sheep, cows, pigs and chickens. I like to make their food and give it to them. It’s important to check animals to keep them healthy.

Maddie, 2nd-year - I enjoy working with animals because I love animals in general, this is what I want to do a er college. I like working with red and ack. I think we make a good team and work together well.

I am learning work skills, maths and English and how to become more independent. I think this will help me because I am planning to work for myself one day, so being more independent helps with this and I will need maths and English skills in everyday life.

Freddie, 2nd-year le - Ever since I was young I have enjoyed doing farming. I have enjoyed learning how to care for the animals and comple ng farming quali ca ons. I have been learning maths and English skills as well as farming which will help me in the future with ge ng a job. I have enjoyed working with Maddie and ack we make a great team and get jobs done as quickly as we can.

Jack S, 1st-year

I do lots of di erent jobs on the farm. Every day is di erent but I always do something with the sheep. We moved some sheep to another eld so they have be er grass to eat. The weather has been warm and there are lots of ies around. We had to get the sheep into the barn to check if ies had laid maggots in their eece. This is called y strike. We clean them up and put some medicine on the wound. I’ve worked with the cows, moving them, and feeding them. We also check on their health and bring them indoors for winter.

I’ve been mending fences and driving the tractor, which I learnt to do at home on our farm. I also help with clearing up. It feels good to look a er animals and it feels like I am part of a family.

More News from Gables Farm

Above: Another new arrival: Freddie, left, Jack H and Maddie inspect the new Landrover and, right, take receipt of some home-grown lamb with farm manager, Stuart Cragg.


A familiar sight around the college, late in October, is that of students pushing wheelbarrows lled to the brim with apples as they make their way to the Market Garden workshop. Once there, the students begin the process of slicing and chopping and preparing the apples for pressing. A er preparing, the juicing begins. It takes four students to use the machine to crush and squeeze the apples and this teamwork allows them to complete it during their morning sessions.

The apple juice is then taken to the canteen to be served at lunch so that all of the students have an opportunity to enjoy the freshly pressed juice, of course this is a er these students get the rst taste during their break me a er all the work has been completed.

Market Garden gets New Apple PressThis autumn, students working at Ruskin Mill College were excited about pressing

apples thanks to the appearance of a new press made possible by a donation from the Charles Irving Charitable Trust, which provides services and grants for a range of

causes, including disability. The juice was bottled, served in the college canteens and enjoyed thanks to this generous gift.

Market Garden tutor, Charlotte Walton, summarises this autumnal occupation.

Fred, 2nd-year, remarked, “my favourite bit is tas ng it

Pressing apples support the students in their learning and understanding of where their food comes from. They learn that the small pips that they nd when chopping the apples are the seeds from which the apple trees grow, and from the trees that they care for in the orchard, grow the fruit from its blossoms and from the fruit comes a delicious and nutri ous juice. Alice, 2nd-year, said “it’s amazing juice be er than the shop.

The Ashmeads Kernel apples are one of the students’ favourite, as well as being a Gloucestershire variety, and through their experimen ng they have come to know that mixing varie es of apples changes the taste and colour of the juice. Juicing gives the students and opportunity to work in a group, to co-ordinate tasks and to take turns at each of the processes involved. “It’s a good job to do with a lot of people, said Tom, st-year.

Above: Fred, Tom and Alice hard at the press and, below, Dan pressing with Jack keeping an eye on the juice.


Freeman College will be reopening the beau ful Merlin Theatre in Nether Edge next year thanks to a major grant from the Educa on Funding Agency and addi onal support from The Gar eld Weston Founda on and The Foyle Founda on. The landmark theatre sadly had to close in 2 due to weather damage and old, worn hea ng and wiring systems. Prior to the closure, Freeman College had con nued to use the Merlin as a thriving community theatre and events space as well as a na onal centre for performing arts with young people with special educa onal needs. Scheduled to re-open its doors to the public next autumn, the refurbished theatre will be a focus and showcase

for the college’s leading theatre, music and arts work. The crea ve and therapeu c capaci es of this work can have a transforma ve e ect on young people with behavioural challenges. Even though the theatre has been closed, performing arts work has con nued to develop at Freeman College and students are achieving some remarkable success gaining further and higher educa on places to study stage, drama and music skills with the poten al to go on to careers in these industries.

The capacity of performance to grow con dence and self-esteem also enables many young people with learning di cul es to enhance their life skills and realise aspira ons and opportuni es for independent living. Freeman College is planning

Fundraising: The Merlin Theatre Set to Reopen

Top: The Merlin Theatre

set to re-open in Autumn 2015, and rehearsals taking place in The Arnold Freeman Hall upstairs above the theatre.

of the theatre space when refurbished.

students enjoying the fresh air outside the Merlin Theatre.

14 Freeman College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

to expand its work into a youth and children’s theatre that will open opportuni es to par cipate in the rewards of performance to a wide range of young people from She eld and the North of England.

This will build on the College’s previous strong track record of successful produc ons including plays such as A Poor Re ec on, o We Blame, The Men’s Room and Sterling Silver whose themes explored new perspec ves on equality, gender, di erence, ability, social jus ce and history. Freeman’s previous produc ons were received with popular and cri cal success and performed to packed houses.

The newly renovated Merlin will enable us to consolidate and grow this success. Summer schools to enable knowledge and skills to be shared and exchanged with na onal and interna onal prac oners and teachers are also planned. The theatre will provide facili es for community and youth drama, dance and music groups to use for their own produc ons, fairs and celebra ons. iverse and mixed ability arts from around the world will add a wealth of new opportuni es for the city and the region’s performers and audiences.

, of the just over . million needed has now been raised and funding to complete the building is well in progress. A programme of fundraising performances, auc ons and concerts is being planned, including events for local, regional and na onal businesses. Fundraising ac vi es also include a crowd funding campaign to ensure that anyone with a passion for local theatre, heritage and music can have the opportunity to be part of this much loved She eld gem.

Andi Stamp, Freeman College Fundraiser

For more informa on and opportuni es to get involved

andi.stamp rmt.orgwww.merlintheatre.org

15Freeman College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Brantwood Specialist School’s new outdoor classroom in the Peak District

The new outdoor classroom at Brantwood Specialist School’s Highcli e Farm in Eyam, erbyshire, is nearing comple on. ue to be opened next spring the new outdoor classroom is an ecologically designed building that will directly bene t children and young people with complex learning di cul es by providing them with access to essen al rural, environmental and cra skills. The farm currently has no permanent buildings and this limits its use to periods of mild and warm weather. The classroom will make a place for work, learning, cooking, ea ng, sharing and mee ng in all seasons. This gives young people who have grown up and lived in the city vital opportuni es to experience and learn outdoor cooking, wilderness skills, woodworking, wool and cloth making, agriculture, health and well being, ecological living and caring for the environment.

Eyam Outdoor Classroom will be busy all year round opening up new opportuni es for country lovers and city dwellers alike to enjoy outdoor cra s, discover budding talents, learn new skills and refresh old ones. In addi on to children at Brantwood Specialist School and young people at Freeman College, the outdoor classroom will also provide a countryside-learning centre to children from schools in South orkshire’s urban centres of She eld, Rotherham, oncaster and Barnsley. A recent three-year study completed in 2 by the RSPB suggests that large numbers of children in Britain are missing out on

the natural world and that only 2 of children aged - 2 were “connected to nature . The development of the new outdoor classroom will make a signi cant contribu on to making fun, crea ve ways to improving this situa on.

Outdoor Classroom Nears Completion

The Eyam classroom emerging through the Peak District mists.

16 Brantwood Specialist School ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

The Classroom has been made possible by generous funding and support from:

Wooden Spoon,

Welcome

Since the inaugura on of the Field Centre one year ago a diverse range of events, ac vi es and ini a ves have found a welcome place in and around the building. Here we present a picture of some of those ac vi es in the voices of those who have been engaged with them. We hope this serves to give an image of how the Field Centre is developing, and of the research and prac ce located in the space which reaches out into the Trust, and also beyond out into the world. Since I joined in early September, I have been engaging with the diverse aspects of my role, and doing so with relish. My sincere wish is that the growing warmth element that is now tangible in the space of the Field Centre can con nue to be coupled with a loving light and consciousness. This for me is echoed in the Rose-Gold prepara on that hangs in a central posi on in the rotunda.

Simon Reakes, Administrator for the Field Centre

Arriving

I arrived on what was a lovely July a ernoon, to make my way to the Field Centre for my interview and was slightly intrigued by what it would be like. As instructed, I headed through the gate towards the wind turbine and was rst struck by the peacefulness of the place and the natural open space. I passed a few people who were tending to the elds and nkering with farming equipment and was directed through a eld to a gap in a wall and down the steps towards the Field Centre. Welcomed by wild owers, it appeared that the Field Centre, with its grass roof, was there to warmly welcome those who had made the journey to nd the peaceful place basking in the light of the bright midday summer sun, set overlooking the hill sides and the valleys, like a sen nel guarding place and space.

Warmth and Belonging

Entering di erent spaces engenders a sense for space which our feelings can intui vely discern for instance the di erence between coming into an empty barn or to a barn full of cows and farm ac vity. It feels as if the Field Centre over the last year is slowly gaining a warmth quality, such as that of a life-imbued barn. It is as if it is easier to feel at home here now, than it was a winter ago. Though it may sound strange, it was my aim to help develop a space where there is a feeling to it more like in a barn, with warmth and belonging. I am so happy to have more people coming in on a daily or weekly basis and connec ng to the actual space here. A great help has been a conscious caring of the atmosphere and the work in the inside space as well as the surrounding outside area.

Dr Aksel Hugo, Research coordinator

Voices from the Field Centre

continued overleaf

17

I’ve been working on several aspects of prac cal research with the Field Centre team and my tex les colleagues. We posed the ques on “Is it possible to develop communi es of prac ce working with

eece and share our therapeu c educa onal prac ce The process then involved cra prac oners, sta , students and the wider community in two ini a ves. The rst in 2 2, was an event called The Golden Fleece’, which focused on the importance of sheep and eece to the historical development of community, trade and enterprise. Secondly a ques on posed by Sean, a Ruskin Mill College student: “What would happen if computer manufacturers gave a pair of kni ng needles and wool to each person who bought a computer Wool and needles were duly handed out to our admin sta and the response was remarkable a mini ac on research event developed as sta and students produced completed kni ed items and exhibited at this year’s exhibi on. The second ini a ve is a research process, supervised by Aksel Hugo, called Fleece to Piece’. Started in February 2 with colleagues from around the Trust, it is our inten on to create a document which may become an exemplar of therapeu c educa onal prac ce for tex le cra prac oners across the Trust. A report of our process will appear in a future edi on of InIsis.

Research in the Natural Sciences

Over the last year there has been a variety of collabora ve work in the Natural Science Group, both prac cally crea ve and theore cally explora ve under various headings. Water Work: ast ecember we started on a process to develop a Flowform sculpture for the lower chamber at the Field Centre. Rose Gold Balm: Another crea ve ac vity was conceived and ini ated just a er Christmas by a small group interested in poten sa on processes as used in homeopathy for people, plants and animals, as well as in biodynamic work . We decided to make a balm with poten sed gold, rose oil, beeswax, and Shea bu er. Warmth: A study group has formed, at the ini a ve of Aksel Hugo, to get to know the content of some lectures Rudolf Steiner gave on the subject of warmth to some scien sts in 2 . The original lectures were illustrated by many prac cal demonstra ons of di erent warmth phenomena, and as far as possible we have repeated these.

Shared Lives Providers

The Field Centre has become the venue for a re ec ve prac ce group run by a group of Shared ives Providers. The group has been mee ng for several years now in one of the shared lives households to re ect on the experience of sharing one’s home and one’s life with Ruskin Mill students. The mee ng provides an opportunity to broaden and deepen the understanding of the task of residen al provision and provides a space where shared lives providers can witness and validate the detail and complexity of the work they undertake with the students in their care.

Evert Wilbrenninck, Shared Lives Provider

18 The Field Centre ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Outside of the Field Centre is the Biodynamic Landscape, farm and college that I have worked at and orchestrated on a prac cal basis for nearly twenty years. The purpose of that work is growing people an unusual crop for a farmer, but not for an educator. What has emerged for myself is that my engagement with prac cal farm work, with our student body, has opened up a place of re ec on into the subtle and more explicit e ects that biodynamic agricultural prac ce has in helping to develop a more balanced individual. The study I have undertaken in the MSc at the Field Centre has become an experience of bringing my outer world of biodynamic farming and teaching into an inner world of re ec on, understanding and meaning. This will not only bene t my own personal development, but also to help me understand the impact of biodynamics for students in their learning journey about themselves.

Berni Courts, Deputy Principal, Ruskin Mill College

The overall design plan for the landscaping was put together at a weekend workshop in 2 2, and there has been a promising start to what we hope will be a worthy enhancement of this beau ful building. Already there is a warm welcome to visitors from a stone bed planted with annuals and more colour and sea ng will be added. The roof has been sown with owers and herbs and there are plans for a water feature beside the gate and a planetarium orrery in the meadow on the northern axis.There are four spaces around the building, each with their own dynamic, and we will work with this with sensi vity and respect. Toward the northern view over the valley a wild ower meadow is planned, to be sown next autumn. In the sunny south-east will be several large ower beds already built to accompany the social area centred around the bread oven. A stone planter and seat is being constructed to separate this area from the meadow eld.

Michael Atherton, Landscape Gardener

19The Field Centre ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Ruskin Mill Trust in partnership with Lillehammer University College is pleased to offer a new and innovative Masters programme

MA in Special Education:Practical Skills Transformative Learning

Enhancing practice through practice informed research

The MA in explores alterna ve pedagogic approaches to special needs educa on, through the medium of prac cal skills. The use of prac cal skills in learning creates the poten al for transforma on in young people, as learners. The 2-year programme is aimed at individuals with an interest in exploring alterna ve approaches to special needs educa on as delivered throughout Ruskin Mill Trust provision.

Based in the K and Norway, the MA programme will combine theore cal studies and philosophical debate with re ec on through prac cal applica on and experi-en al learning, within the context of cra , land work and biodynamic ecology.

For more informa on visit:or contact r Mandy Nelson on:

This MA is open to staff at Ruskin Mill Trust and the general public. To find out more contact Dr Mandy Nelson

By Callum M (above)

I’m really excited about my new job suppor ng Equality and iversity at Brantwood. I get to help organise the school celebra on on a Wednesday and Thursday a ernoon. I help whichever member of sta ’s celebra on is the following week for example Tom B’s mental health celebra on . I am helping teaching assistant Alex organise the end of half-term school Halloween disco celebra on. This is a major responsibility because I have to make displays, get fact sheets and nd ac vi es to do. Helping me with this major responsibility are teaching assistants Tom B and Lauren.

By Tom B and students

In up keeping our weekly Celebra on’ with topics as diverse as Ethiopian New ear’ to ears Since World War I’, on Friday th October

2 Brantwood sta and students gathered to celebrate, learn about, discuss and re ect upon World Mental Health ay. For the event, we contacted local mental health organisa ons including Mind, Coram Voice and The Becton Centre, who all provided fantas c and informa ve resources and suggested links for further support.

uring the celebra on, I performed a monologue I had wri en, from the perspec ve of a young adult with some anger issues and related his story of an experience involving an up ght neighbour and the young adult’s mother for whom he cares .

News from Brantwood Specialist SchoolThis allowed us to touch upon some poten al mental health issues for all three characters and then encourage a very mature and considered discussion about Mental Health a erwards. The students approached this with incredible re ec on and respec ul input, with some students sharing their very personal examples of experiencing mental health issues. This made the event not only very moving but one which we can be very proud of our students for approaching with great honesty, humility and maturity.

I have spoken at length with some of our young people about sharing their stories which takes great con dence to do and I am delighted to share some examples of what they have wri en:

It is hard for me to keep quiet because

ADHD and anxiety this means I can’t help it.

what people say. I want to be there for my friends and I want to keep secrets but ADHD means it is too hard. This is how you can help me - reminders can help me and being told what’s going on. I don’t like surprises or changes.

I thought I would write something for World Mental Health Day. Since I was about

various other Mental Health Services. I have also


treatment I’ve had and am having, I will be able to stay well.

Speech and Language TherapyRuth Melson (MMedSci)

Speech and Language Therapist

It is common for young people on the au sm spectrum to have di culty understanding the communica on of others and communica ng e ec vely with them. They may also struggle to interpret social behaviour, such as non-verbal communica on such as body language, gesture, eye contact and facial expression.

Speech and language therapy SLT is an integral part of life at Brantwood. All of our students require some degree of support in terms of their communica on skills. This may be managing recep ve comprehension and expressive language di cul es or social communica on di cul es. Many require support with a number of the above.

The ability to communicate ideas, thoughts and feelings to others is paramount to a young person’s sense of self and well-being. It allows them to access educa on in a meaningful way and become involved in ac vi es outside school, but most importantly it enables them to forge meaningful rela onships with family and friends.

Being able to express themselves gives students a new found con dence to par cipate in social interac ons they may have otherwise avoided. Loneliness and isola on is a feeling shared by all of our students at some point during an o en trauma c me at mainstream school. Finding real friends’ is key to our student’s self-esteem and

happiness. It is the most common aim expressed by students during speech and language therapy sessions.

All students at Brantwood are assessed on admission. Our enthusias c and though ul team of sta work hard to embed appropriate speech and language therapy strategies into class and cra sessions, and throughout more unstructured

mes, such as break me. The speech and language therapist provides training for sta , alongside SLT strategies to support student’s individual communica on needs and create a communica on friendly environment. Students who require more speci c SLT support may be seen by the speech and language therapist for 1:1 sessions or in small groups. Currently a number of students a end a weekly func onal skills group and conversa on group.

The conversa on group focuses on why and how we have conversa ons and aims to support students in improving their conversa on skills. Areas of di culty are discussed directly with students so that sessions are guided by speci c student needs. For example: How do I startend a conversa on How do I ask ques ons What can I talk about The func onal skills group helps students to manage their communica on di cul es in the wider world, with the aim to strengthen independent living skills. This term the group are concentra ng on work experience

21Brantwood Specialist School ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

continued overleaf

placements, a ending college and talking to unfamiliar people. The speech and language therapist also runs a communica on slot alongside teachers in class sessions and the drama group. The drama group is a great opportunity for students to work on non-verbal communica on.

Our aim at Brantwood is to arm students with the tools necessary to prepare them for life as happy, con dent and independent young people and suppor ng communica on skills is key to this process of development.

Camping Trip

We arrived at the camp site all excited and prepared for two adrenalin- lled days. We set up camp, pupils and sta both gh ng with canvas and trying to make a home for the next two nights.

A er we set up and got all se led in, we headed down the track to the farm yard, where, as Jemma said, “it’s awesome that we got ice-cream . On the walk, we got to see the cows and calf. We also got to see how they milked them with a high-tech system controlled all the way from the Netherlands.

When we returned to the camp-site, sta and students all helped make dinner while others played games on the at eld. We all sat together to have dinner and then sat round the camp- re kept well going by James. Everyone had lots of laughs and fun telling stories and playing games.

It was then bed me and you would not believe how cold it could get on a July night. All of the pupils gave it a go in the tents outside but some

had to come into the bunkhouse to get warm.We all woke up early around . am.

We slowly got ready, had breakfast and headed o for some outward bound ac vi es. The group was split into groups doing some scrambling and orienteering, with a jet boat ride at the end.

In the a ernoon we all did ra building. The boys got together and then the girls and a mixed team. We all worked hard to make our ra s, strapping planks and barrels together. Then it was me to launch. All sta and students went out on the water, most on the ra s and a few in kayaks.The ra s went well. Ra races were held un l the inevitable happened and they all started falling apart and a few people ge ng a bit wet. Immense fun was had by all, especially the ones that managed to stay dry.

We all went back to camp with stories to tell.When we arrived back we had a BB and sat round the camp- re recoun ng stories of the day. We played a few more camp re games and toasted marshmallows. We all went to bed a li le more

red and ready for another night under the stars.

In the morning we had a full English breakfast cooked on the re and enjoyed our last few hours away from school, which involved dying the site and having our last trip to the ice-cream parlour. We then headed back to school for a Mad Ha ers’ Tea party with parents.


Work Experience

Plas Dwbl Farm CollegeEnamellingMetal WorkCateringCultural AssistantDuchy Home FarmSmokeryGlass Engraving

“We’ve made jam, marmalade, vacuum-packed cheese and sauerkraut. The produce goes into the shop and canteens. This work experience has been awesome and if I get another year at college then I would like to carry on with this.” Connor in the Smokery

News from Plas Dwbl Farm College

Ben, 1st-year Loves Working with his Hands

I am from Tenby and I was doing a Bridge course at Pembrokeshire College. I was mixing with the wrong type of students and got into trouble. I am diagnosed with dyspraxia and au sm and I think that people were taking advantage of me. My parents and social worker found out about Plas Dwbl, so I came and did a three-day assessment.

It is a good place and I am ge ng on well. I have been doing lots of things, including green woodwork, iron age forge, po ery, jewellery and cooking in the kitchen for sta and students. It is brilliant here because I can come out of my shell. I was treated like a kid at my previous placement but here I am treated as a person and as a grown-up.

I love working with my hands and having a challenge. I feel I am a lot calmer. I am a residen al student and the rst few weeks away from home were hard, but now I feel more comfortable and I can relax. I love cooking things like s rfries and curries. Terry, my house manager, helps me to learn what I want to learn and gets me to the gym three or four mes a week. I am here for two years and I will stay for a third if I can get the funding, then I want to go and learn to become a hairdresser.

Above: Ben preparing an order of vegetables with

24

Farming on the 100-acre Farmwith Jonty, 3rd-year

I was at secondary school and my brother went to Ruskin Mill College and also here at Plas Dwbl and he got on all right. I like it here as it’s quiet and the college community is small, but there’s always someone around. I hadn’t done any farming before and I’ve got into it, as I really like animals. My dad is a vet, so I’ve been around animals. We have Welsh Black ca le, one bull, two steers, six heifers and some young stock. We never put the ca le in a eld for too long and then we put the sheep in. The cows roughly cut crop the grass and the sheep come in will nely cut the grass. The ca le come in for winter and it takes a few of us to move them. We have to check the animals for any problems and make sure that they are looked a er. We have Welsh Black mountain sheep and we need to count and check them every day. This year we had a problem with Fly Strike, which has claimed two lives, so it’s very serious and therefore there is a need to constantly check them.

Ben delivering fresh produce, from the biodynamic market garden, to Suzanne’s whole-food shop in nearby Crymych

Above: Jonty out on a trip with farm manager, Sean, looking for new gates. Below: Work going on an overgrown area of the farm.

Plas Dwbl Farm College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Summer 2014 25

continued overleaf

Breadmaking with Joe, 2nd-year I put in a banana basket and a metal leaf at the Eisteddfod and won an award. I couldn’t be there at the presenta on. The basket was made in basket-making and the leaf was made from steel in the forge and is on a car ring. I started baking bread at the end of September for the rst me. I do it at Mynachlog-ddu Village Hall. Luke the baker lives in the village but comes from the Galway area of Ireland. It’s been a fantas c new experience and I like new experiences. I’ve made soda bread, rice bread and my favourite is challah, which is a Jewish bread. I also bake banana bread. It’s nice to do this and seeing happy customers puts a smile on my face.

Basketmaking with tutor Melissa Holloway

Melissa gives some of her background

I grow my own willow and last winter Plas Dwbl planted their own willow from my stock. It takes two to three years to establish willow for working with. I started making baskets ten years ago. I worked at a local Iron Age forge where we did re-enactments for schoolchildren and I was a basket-maker. Then I worked at a local conserva on trust as a Forest Schools leader and storyteller, so I worked with children.

My connec on to Plas Dwbl goes to back to when Nim and Mary ran the farm and I lived here. Jane, Plas Dwbl educa on co-ordinator, lives nearby to me and she invited me to work here. I love teaching people to make baskets. I get a thrill seeing someone make something out of s cks, which, if looked a er, will last a life me,give them a sense of achievement having made something. They are also not only beau ful items but usually func onal as well.

Joe, astonished at the end result

I am making a fruit bowl for the next Eisteddfod and I’m now working on a picnic basket which is a gi for someone. I’ve made a wreath for my father’s father which is at home. I’ve made a cat basket, as I thought that the cat would like to sleep in it (and it does).

I like making these things as I can make them for the family, so it saves money and the ideas come straight out of my head. I am using a French randing weave to make my picnic basket, which is where we weave in pairs of odd and even numbers. We use pegs to mark the pairs. When something is nished, I nd it astonishing.

Joe’s bread made in Work Experience with local baker, Luke.

26 Plas Dwbl Farm College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Summer 2014

Front Cover Story

Joe working with Melissa on his latest project

Rebecca, 2nd-year, on her sculpture (above)

I went to basket-making with Melissa and started to make loads of sh out of willow, and copper stars with Jonathan in Jewellery. I like sh and I wanted to do a big project. I had a chat with Jonathan and George, my Student Journey Manager, and we came up with the idea of making waves. I made the waves with Jonathan and we soldered them together. I then decided that the sh would end up in a shark, so I made a shark’s head and jaws out of willow and its eye out of copper. Then we had to decide where to put it and the dining room wall was the best place. I am really pleased with how it turned out and it is the best work I’ve done. I would like to do another big project. I will take this with me when I leave and there’s room for it at my mum’s house.

Jonathan Wendon, Forge and Jewellery Tutor

I spent about een years in an ques, concentra ng on arts and cra s, so I decided to learn how to make things myself. I went to West Dean College, then spent seven years restoring an ques before moving back to Wales with the family. Carrying on travelling to London was ring and I saw an advert for a forge tutor with an organisa on inspired by the Arts Cra s movement and William Morris. p un l then, my work was commercially driven, so this job is an opportunity to give something back. It has been good and a er spending years working by myself, being in a team is enjoyable.

Every year, we cast something in bronze for the Michaelmas fes val (2 th Sept). The rst year we cast a cow’s horn, then a piece of maize and this year we moved onto a root vegetable, a carrot. We had crea ve discussions with our students and Rhys, Woodland

27Plas Dwbl Farm College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Summer 2014

continued overleaf

The Michaelmas carrot sculpture

tutor, about what we could make and how to make a useful and symbolic item. We came up with the idea of turning it into a candleholder.

The candle was cast on Michaelmas Day as part of the celebra ons. It was cast in two parts and we drilled a hole for beeswax to burn in for the light. The beeswax comes from our own bees and the wooden box is from an ash tree.

Ben, 1st-year, on

sculpture

The sun ower project started because we needed something to go up in the kitchen. Joe, I and various members of sta sat down together and we came up with an idea to make a picture of sun owers out of copper. To make these sun owers we inscribed the outline of the ower onto the copper sheet using metal snips and a piercing saw. Then we hammered out the shapes and chased the decora on using various punches and a repouss hammer (which is used to work the reverse of the metal to form a raised design on the front). To make the stems, we got two pieces of wire and used a

clamp and hand vice to twist the two strands together. The copper was cleaned in an acid solu on and polished. I had the idea to mount the piece onto slate when we all sat down looking at ideas. We tried the copper on some broken pieces of slate and they looked good. We tried wooden boards, but they didn’t look good. I found a piece of slate just nearby. We tried out di erent designs by laying out the pieces un l it looked good and then we glued them on. This project has been fun, but challenging. It needed pa ence and it was brilliant working with new people and ge ng to know them be er.

Ma y used a variety of cra s in the Plas Dwbl workshops to make his very own Bob Marley. Ma y said: Bob is the King, who made awesome chilled music’. Ma y says that listening to Bob’s music helps him to relax.

In the forge Ma y made the frame, which includes a sh BB that he plans to use when he goes shing. Ma y made a willow basket with Melissa that he is going to ll with coconuts. Bob Marley has felted dreads and a woven hat in the colours of Jamaica red, yellow and green. Ma y made these in the tex le workshop.

28 Plas Dwbl Farm College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Summer 2014

Sophie from Glasshouse College

“Working with Carol has been a new experience which is always good. She is helping me to learn new things. I didn’t know about enamelling, and thought it was just glass being made in Ruskin Glass Centre. Unusual to see glass used with copper. I enjoy helping out doing di erent things. We measured and counted panel backs for stock, sorted out cards in racks and put some in cellophane with envelopes. Cleaned copper blanks, helped Carol & Georgia with se ng up the exhibi on and took photos.”

Work Experience with Carol Griffin

The art of fusing glass to metalI was a teacher for years in secondary school for cra design technology. I started to do my own work, run a workshop with a studio at home. There were so many changes in the educa on system and in Design and Technology, so I gave up teaching completely and worked from home as an enamel ar st. It went well, and knowing that I would miss my colleagues at school, I used to pop into Ruskin Glass Centre, as I liked the place and knew Sue, who was here before me. She asked if I would take over her workshop and then she le and I moved in permanently in September. Sophie started doing Work Experience as she likes art and being crea ve.

We are preparing to do a range for her to sell but in the mean me Sophie has helped with se ng up the current exhibi on. has a lot to do with the glass industry amongst other industries in the area. Sophie helped prepare the panels and took photos for our own records. When the press came she worked alongside the photographer (below right) at Ruskin Glass Centre. Sophie helps me with preparing materials for workshops, stock taking and ge ng a taste for running a small business.

h p: www.carolgri nenamels.com

29

Freeman College joined in celebra ons for this year’s Work Experience Week, which ran from 13th – 17th October 2 1 , by celebra ng the achievements of learners in She eld through hos ng an exhibi on of student work experience placements and celebra ng Fusion Caf as a social enterprise and work experience provider.

Work Experience Week highlights the value of work experience in helping young people get the skills they need to nd paid employment. Run by Fair Train, creators of the na onal Work Experience

uality Standard, Work Experience Week this year formed part of a na onal o er of quality work experience placements – an ini a ve that will o er hundreds of opportuni es for young people to learn transferable work skills.

Employers o en say young people aren’t work-ready, but only one in four employers o er any type of work experience. Freeman College are helping to change this by giving young people a chance.

Work Experience at Freeman College

Work Experience Week by Carole Baugh,

Curator of the Butcher Works Gallery & Arts Co-ordinator for Freeman College

a spun helmet made to commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War.

30

Freeman College seeks and supports both internal and external work experience placements for our students. During specialist work experience sessions in cra workshops students design and manufacture a series of commercial items commissioned b partners in he eld. selec on of these high ualit gi s are exhibited in utcher Works Gallery.

Fusion Café is a main provider of internal work experience for Freeman College students who prepare and serve food to the public. Much of this organic/biodynamic fresh produce is grown on the college s city site igh iggs whilst the fresh daily bread on sale to the public is made by students in the Sterling Works bakery. These newly created social enterprises provide our students with valuable work experience.

The skills gained in work experience develop valuable training in transferable skills and build self esteem suppor ng students with their transi on into paid work and the voluntary sector.

Cllr eter ippon ord Mayor of She eld visi ng the social enterprise pro ects said am highly delighted with the work happening at Freeman College and wish them every success for the future. The ady Mayoress and are happy to help promote the college in any way during our year in o ce.

obert Coombs eonatal Consultant at essop Wing She eld Teaching ospital one of our city partners said We thank the fantas c Freeman College students for their beau fully designed and made Christmas presents for the essop eonatal

nit babies a real win win collabora on. We look forward to seeing you all soon to create this year s

Chris arrison commercial manager at Fusion Café Sterling Works akery said am delighted to be involved in providing an authen c work experience for students within the support of Freeman College. n both Fusion Café and Sterling Works akery Freeman College students experience rst steps in the world of work.


Relaunched asSocial Enterprise

Fusion Café was relaunched as a social enterprise fully integrated into Freeman College s educa on programme. The café provides a framework for learning, growth and development and successfully combines a deep commitment to biodynamic, organic and sustainable food with our prac cal therapeu c educa on programme. Fusion Café links our commercial ac vi es in the heritage sites of

utcher Works and Sterling Works to the cra curriculum, re ec ng the cultural integra on of this innova ve educa onal programme and social enterprise.

On Friday 12th September, the Lord Mayor & Lady Mayoress, Cllr Peter Rippon and Mrs Susan Rippon, visited Freeman College to formally launch Fusion Café as a social enterprise. Following a delicious lunch in the café, they oined sta and students in Butcher Works Gallery, where they saw an exhibi on of fruit and vegetable grown at Stannington, the College’s biodynamic/organic hor cultural site at the edge of She eld.

The exhibi on also included some of the e uipment, both tradi onal and modern, used by students when they work on the site with tutors and our or cultural


Manager, Pieter van liet. The r san Bakery tutor, Mike uinn, also visited the gallery and O s, a nal year student, presented the Lord Mayor with a Freeman College ar san loaf. Fusion is an integral element in the curriculum and students gain hands on experience of the whole cycle of food produc on and service from seed to table’.

So, when you are in She eld, come and en oy the high uality food at Fusion Café. ou will be suppor ng vital work with young people and we all appreciate it. Students don’t ust work in Fusion, they also work on the land at igh Riggs and in Freeman College’s bakery providing the daily fresh produce used in the café. Fresh bread is now on sale from Monday to Friday in Fusion.

More good news for our enterprising college is that we have achieved Finalist’ status in the 2 1 Soil ssocia on Organic wards in the organic ea ng out’ category. The Soil ssocia on wards udges

said ngaging with the community and crea ng a pla orm for anyone to learn how to grow and cook organic food is invaluable.

Carol Baugh

High Riggs Supporting Fusion Café

Peter van Vliet, High Riggs manager, explains.

The rst phase of developing the garden has been established far be er than expected. t is very good soil here and the tutors and management have been very suppor ve.

The polytunnels are now growing food all year round and supplying the college and Fusion Café. We prac se biodynamic hor culture and we also supply other outlets such as the local fruit and veg shop in Stannington, which is very important to help build local rela onships. We supply a business at the Moor Market in the city and have local schools visi ng us. We also have a public footpath on the land and we are very posi ve with the walkers who come through.

We intend to expand this to supply our residen al provision. We buy some produce in from Clervaux and deliver to a few other outlets in She eld. Students are well engaged here and par cipate in a range of ac vi es from propaga on to maintaining and harves ng our produce.

High Riggs in full bloom with some produce from the


My father was from She eld and we came across Freeman College and liked the idea of all the cra s that were available. ’ve en oyed doing work experience in Fusion Café

and have been there for nearly a year. ow ’ve been working with di erent sta at the weekends dong paid work. t is good to be part of a team. help with the prepara on of the food such as

chopping and preparing the vegetables, making pastry and cakes and working front of house. This involves serving customers, taking orders, making hot and cold drinks, clearing and cleaning tables and helping with evening func ons. work on Saturdays and it can get very busy. have been for a course of interviews to work in

another She eld café and have been accepted. would like the experience of working in another

public se ng. am also working as the Gallery ssistant to Carole

Baugh. We install exhibi ons and stock the shop. Recently, we hosted the eritage Open Day and the Fusion Café relaunch, where we displayed vegetables and farming e uipment from our

Work Experience in Fusion Café and The Gallery

biodynamic garden. We also displayed photos of students working there and also of the college bakery which supplies Fusion Café. ’ve been sor ng out items le over from the end

of year student exhibi on which helped to set up, label and take down. use dicta on so ware for helping to make text panels from interviews had with students and use my iPad to do this. We also give talks and show visitors around the Gallery, send emails, answer the phone and keep the webmaster informed. Freeman College has been good for me, especially with all the work experience ’ve had, mee ng new people, being in a city and improving my maths and nglish.


Yavanah, 2nd-year I started working at Fusion Café this term and I am doing a BTEC in Catering. I have been helping at the front of house, making hot and cold drinks, ge ng stock down from storage upstairs and serving customers. I also help clear and clean the tables and wash and dry the pots and pans. I help with the cooking, such as cu ng up the vegetables for soup and making cakes for the bakery sec on, such as brownies and ap acks. I also help make the main meals. Today we are making a garlic, mushroom, spinach, olive, feta, pine nut and basil strudel. I en oy working in the café making food and being in a team. I would like to have my own café in the future.

Ed, 3rd-year I am doing a basic bread-making BTEC which includes making one’s own loaf and ingredients. I have made my own loaves twice: one was a treacle bread and the other was a plan white French loaf. Making bread is a good skill to have and it is actually easier than people think. Soon I hope to make my loaves from memory. Flour, salt, yeast and water are the key ingredients. You can then add other things, such as chocolate, treacle, honey or olives. As I increase in con dence, I’ll make more. I’ve made batches of savoury double cheese scones, using blue cheese and cheddar with paprika and thyme. I might start making treacle bread for the café as it adds a nice sweetness to a loaf. I’ve done loads of catering working with Hannah in the Sterling Works canteen. When I leave, I have a place at Bristol

niversity doing a founda on year in the Arts and Humani es. It has been very useful being at Freeman College. It’s therapeu c, gets me up in the morning, has given me lots of skills and I’ve made friends here.

Above: Yavanah making a savoury

Below, Ed with some loaves for sale


Fred Bonestroo, farm worker The Duchy Home Farm consists of a number of farms around Tetbury. Ruskin Mill College students work mostly at Close Farm on the outskirts of Tetbury, which consists of about 200 acres. The vegetable growing area amounts to ve acres and we have orchards alongside the market gardens. Everything is farmed organically with eld-scale vegetable areas and polytunnels. The farm is constantly evolving and we supply pubs, restaurants and local people. We used to run a vegetable box scheme but now we have an honesty box where people can drive up to the farm entrance and buy produce. We have had students from Ruskin Mill College for uite a long me now and they get involved in every aspect of the farm. Depending on the me of year, they will take part in plan ng, maintaining, and harves ng the produce and preparing it for sale.

Being autumn, we have been harves ng all kinds of pumpkins and apples and, due to the mild season, we are s ll picking tomatoes grown in the polytunnels. Those students who come for a whole year experience the whole process and bene t from working outside and being physically ac ve. It is a safe environment as we use very li le mechanical e uipment and it is self-contained in one loca on. We also socialise in work and in tea breaks talking about food and health issues, which is important as these young people are the future.

David, 3rd-year

My mum and dad heard about Ruskin Mill College and we were shown around on a visit and they thought it would be good for me. I liked it too with all the ac vi es and being outdoors. I chose to do farming and have also worked on the sh farm and

Work Experience at Duchy Home Farm


on the college farm with the animals and growing vegetables.

It has been exci ng working on this farm and preparing the pumpkins for sale, which means gathering them in, bringing them down to the shop and weighing and storing them. I’ve enjoyed being here, as well as the ac vi es at the college.

Chelsea, 3rd-year

We’ve harvested potatoes and Katherine went on the digger which got all the potatoes out of the ground and we picked them up. We kept the earth on them so as not to damage the skins. We picked winter s uashes like gourds, pumpkins and bu ernut s uash and stored them for the winter. We worked on the packing machine pu ng potatoes into large -kg paper bags. The tomatoes are grown in the polytunnels and we pick them o the stems. In the tunnel, the s uash are on one side and there are two rows of tomatoes. We have to be careful not to damage the cells of the fruit and bruise them. Fred drives the tractor around the farm carrying the produce. We’ve harvested apples and found that earwigs love to live in them. Some are ea ng apples and some are cooking. I like the dark red apples. Fred o en has to go o and leave us to get on with it. We get over from college at about . 0 am, have something to drink and get on with the work and leave around 12. 0 pm. We judge the pumpkins by size and colour and their individual characters. They are then priced up from 50p to £5 and we

weigh and clean the vegetables.

I work in the market garden at college and I am doing a uali ca on where we do similar things so it crosses over well with work experience here. I’ve kept growing like the vegetables since I’ve been at Ruskin Mill College and I’ve learnt a lot of skills. I’ve been in the independence at three

mes, twice with a friend and once on my own. I like coming to the Duchy Farm and taking back some vegetables to cook in my household. If I had some land, I would grow my own food and it would have no travel miles.


Above: Chelsea at the entrance to the farm where customers pay in an honesty box. Chelsea with a 5kg bag of potatoes with the royal seal of approval.

The Smokery

Andy Crombie, Tutor and Smokery Butcher

We have been opera ng the Smokery for two years, during which me we have been building up the facili es and business so that we can o er students work experience in a real working environment. The key ingredients that we work with are produced on the college’s biodynamic farm and anything bought in is organic.

For work experience we start with less demanding ac vi es, such as making preserves and sauerkraut, before working with meat and butchery. The key skills are essen ally working

with health and hygiene and safely using sharp knives, as there’s no process that doesn’t involve both of these. Therefore they need to be able to follow instruc ons closely, at which Connor is very good which is why he is now working at this level. It helps to be calm with a mature outlook and not par cularly s ueamish.

Although this takes a certain type of person, students can learn both the a tude and skills. We also use a lot of general transferable skills such as using weights and measures and all the re uired recording procedures. There is a certain amount of paperwork needed with each product such as ingredients used, and any packaging re uirements. This therefore o ers a high level of development in a real working environment.

Stuart, 3rd-year, enjoying learning new skills

I am doing work experience at Ruskin Mill Smokery. I’ve done work experience previously at the farm shop and at Green Spirit in ailsworth, as well as my local Tesco’s when I am at home.

In the smokery we’ve been butchering a pig carcass and learning about the di erent parts of the animal and what they are used for. We get na ve brown trout from the Ruskin Mill College

sh farm. They are also organic and they nurtured and farmed humanely.

They come straight up here where we gut them, top and tail and then llet. Then they are vacuum packed, weighed, priced and labelled with the Ruskin Mill brand. We sell them to the farm shop,

38 Ruskin Mill College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Summer 2014

Processing Produce from the Farm

our canteens and local retail outlets.

We also make jams from fruits from the farm and sauerkraut from our cabbage. I do enjoy it here and am learning a great deal as it is preparing me for actual work and is on my CV. The more experience I get here, the more chance I will get a job say in a delicatessen or some other similar work placement.

Connor, 2nd-year,

It’s going well at college and I’m doing well in Forestry and with Andy in the Smokery. I’ve been cleaning and lle ng trout from the college sh farm. They can be slippery so it can be di cult

lle ng. I’ve been working with pig from the college farm. They come back from the aba oir cut in half lengthways. We break the carcass into sec ons. The back leg is turned into ham, then the middle sec on is made into bacon and the shoulder is made into sausages, which are made in a mincer with salt, pepper, thyme, and sage.

We’ve also made jam, marmalade, vacuum-packed cheese and sauerkraut. The produce goes into the shop and the canteens. This work experience has been awesome and if I get another year at college then I would like to carry on with this.

From top:

to the basic reality of preparing meat

up a pig, using the

39Ruskin Mill College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Summer 2014

Kevin, owner of Kevin Barry Crystal, on Marcus and the Ice Range Marcus spent three years at Glasshouse College and then asked to do a ‘pathway to work’ with me, in which he excelled. I asked if he wanted to stay on and work for me 16 hours a week. It is going really well and we are preparing for Christmas. Marcus is currently glass decora ng using the ice range and making an excellent job of this. He arrives at am and works un l pm with breaks. The ice range sells well and is the best range we do, so Marcus is up to the job. The newer genera on also want something di erent and the ice range o ers this. Marcus loves doing this work and his mum says he gets home and can’t wait to get back to work. I feel great about passing on my skills and experience to students in the hope that they will learn and carry on the tradi on. Marcus is the only one who taken this up as a job for over 20 years in my experience, so this is a very special situa on.

Marcus, ex-student, in Paid Work

Top: A collection in the ‘Ice Range’ decorated by Marcus. Below Marcus at work and with Kevin

40 Glasshouse College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Craft & Land-Based Operations

Green Woodwork, Pewter, Textiles, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry Jewellery, Willow, Knitting, Leather, ,

“I can see the light at the end of the tunnel”

Green Woodworkat Freeman College

at Freeman College

“You have to learn to believe in yourself ”

Graham Aldred, tutor

I’ve moved workshops a few mes and I am just about to move again from Tintagel to High Riggs. Tintagel has been a good site to be in as it is a small community, but my workshop is at the back of the Merlin Theatre, which is about to be refurbished, so I need to move.

I nd the most important part of working with our students is to build up a trus ng rela onship whilst familiarising them with the cra . If that rela onship isn’t built up, it makes the learning more di cult. Hannah for example was so resistant at rst but gradually worked with the reasons for learning a cra and how it is connected to many other ac vi es in life. As Hannah pointed out: ‘You have to learn to help and believe in yourself.’ As I move the workshop again, the challenge is to for me and the students to start again.

Hannah and Graham at the workshop behind

the Merlin Theatre

Hannah, 3rd-year

I started green woodwork in my rst year and made two rolling pins. I didn’t like the side axing, but the drawkni ng was all right.

I really enjoy using the pole lathe and it only took me a couple of weeks to get used to using it. The lathe is powered by your feet and I use my right foot mostly but you can use either. I can use the chisels with both my right and le hands.

I then made a wooden spoon and a set of salad servers and now I am making a stool. The hardest part is the maths and the geometry. I struggle with maths, especially as I am dyslexic, but I like working with wood, even when the weather is cold.

I wasn’t keen to come to Freeman College at rst but I am used to it now and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I managed to get through the problems in my rst year, and se le in my second, thanks to Graham who has helped me through a lot of things.

Social Enterprise for the Sword Dancers’ UnionAs part of the social enterprise ac vi es for students in their learning through their work metable, Freeman College students with Danny Rowen (pewter tutor) manufactured six commissioned lapel bu ons.

These bu ons were commissioned by the Sword Dancers’ Union as awards for outstanding contribu on.

We look forward to a regular order each year.


Weaving and Felting at Freeman College

Stuart Groom, Weaving tutor, on why there’s never a dull moment

Daniel has been a ending my weaving sessions for two terms now and has shown week-on-week progress, not only in his weaving but also in his personal and social skills. He used to be as uiet as a mouse but now, when we have our one to one short sessions, it is Daniel that leads nearly all the conversa ons. He has a great sense of humour and regularly tells me jokes: I think he has a big book of jokes hidden away somewhere because he knows so many. Daniel made the circular weaving working on a round loom which he warped up himself and has, over the weeks, selected dozens of di erent textured and coloured yarns from our stash and completed the piece this week by sewing it onto a black-covered display frame to show it o to its best.

Daniel, 2nd-year,

I started weaving in my rst year and am now doing a circular weave, using one colourful thread at a me, which I select at random. I found it di cult to weave at rst, but it has got easier over me. I nd

this work to be very relaxing as I am a bit random in my head at mes.

In fel ng, I’ve made a hard bag and am currently making some tabby cat slippers, so I play with her

Daniel sewing on his circular weaving with, right, the expert guidance of weaving tutor Stuart Groom.


a lot and she is cuddly like a teddy bear. I need to do some more work on the slippers. I got the pa ern for the handbag from a book. It took a lot of work and I am very proud of it as fel ng is one of those things I had never done un l I came to Freeman College. Fel ng is very relaxing.

It was a bit scary coming to college at rst, but it is ne now as I have se led

in. I get on well with my house-parents, Mike and anine, and their children, and I live with students Callum and Will.

On Tuesdays, we go out for dinner, and on Wednesdays, we some mes go out to listen to music. On Thursdays, we have a games night with some other households who come and join us. Some mes we go to the theatre at Grubble, the Lyceum in town or maybe to the cinema. I am ge ng on ne at the moment.

I like to felt characters and I’ve made my rst one, which is a female raccoon called osie. It is a character I’ve made up and I’ve drawn it out. I’ve used plain white wool and added the colour needle fel ng. Fel ng is not too hard and I’ve enjoyed doing it.

I am making another character called Oscar. I do my drawing in breaks and other spare me. To make a gure, I make the head rst, then the body, arms and legs and x them together by needle fel ng.


Much to Celebrate at Clervaux

Mark Snowball, Clervaux Manager

A er a long transi on Clervaux is once again working with local authori es and delivering educa on. In partnership with Freeman College, Clervaux is o ering a range of post-16 educa onal packages. The uali ca ons o er developing work skills and social and independence skills. To facilitate this we o er catering, woodland management, animal husbandry, po ery, tex les and green woodwork, as well as a range of work skills opportuni es on our 100-acre biodynamic farm.

The farm produces seasonal fruit and vegetables for our own use and for supplying external businesses such as the Clervaux Ar san Bakery, Olivia’s Bakery and Crosslanes Organics. We also keep bees and work with the Darlington Bee Keepers Associa on, one of whom is a volunteer. We have a number of volunteers who not only give of their me but are a rich source of social interac on. We also have two biodynamic farm appren ces whose input into the produc on and maintenance of the land is invaluable.

We have been looking a er the animals on the farm and feeding them and making sure that they are healthy and well. We have to take care of pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens. We look a er two donkeys, Marbles and Mr. Ted, and get them to interact more with people by brushing their coats. We have a Hungarian Mangalitsa pig called Tilly and she is my favourite. I’m not scared of pigs when I go into feed them. Tilly’s son, who I call Bob, is also one of my favourites and I can get him to lie down.

Some mes, I help with harves ng the vegetables. I do woodwork with Chris and have made a stool and turned some wooden pigs. I am helping to build his

Above: Land Co-ordinator, Robert, with Kirsty on their rounds to check the animals. Below: Kirsty with her favourite, Bob, despite the muddy circumstances.

new workshop. I volunteer at the Dogs Trust in Darlington and help out in a local bed & breakfast. I like working here and it is just di erent. I like the whole Ruskin Mill Trust thing.

Robert Romano, Land Co-ordinator

In the garden, from late winter to early spring, we sow our biodynamic seeds, propagate the plants and then maintain and harvest them, so the students are introduced to the full cycle of ‘seed to table’. They like working on our vegetable stalls and doing deliveries. We make jams from our so fruits, pickles and chutneys and some sauerkraut.

Basic animal care includes feeding and watering the animals, which includes weighing out the correct amount of food. The straw bedding needs changing regularly and the animals’ health needs monitoring. We move the sheep around every few weeks and they need checking daily, whereas the pigs are hardier and lower maintenance.

All these ac vi es provide a healthy therapeu c environment through which students can be held and they have an opportunity to express themselves. This is essen ally work experience with educa onal and commercial elements. It is also a very social

environment, helped by our regular volunteers and many visitors to our open days where the students have the opportunity to represent Clervaux to the public.

I was at Glasshouse College and have been at Clervaux for nearly three years. I have done stained glass, po ery, catering, tex les, green woodwork, woodland management and working on the farm.

I help with the fairs and events, such as with the car parking and helping Lone with lea ets and pu ng them through people’s doors. I’ve also made things to sell including wooden Christmas trees, rolling pins, les with Christmas trees on and one year I even made a Wolves football patch, as I am a Wolves fan.

In the garden, I do plan ng and harves ng and help feed the pigs and look a er the animals. We’ve been making a new woodworking shelter with Chris, so I’ve been measuring, cu ng and hammering up planks of wood. I like doing woodwork, tex les and po ery and even the gardening, though it can get a bit cold.

47Clervaux ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

continued overleaf

Tony, volunteer & beekeeper

Although we are beginner beekeepers, two other volunteers and I look a er the beehives here. We started with two hives and now we have ten. This year we produced 160 jars of honey and we have sold them at various local fairs in Darlington and to local people. As volunteers, we do a bit of everything, including dipping sheep in a bath. We are outdoor people and they do look a er us here at Clervaux.

John, volunteer

Clervaux had an open day three years ago and I had heard of the café in Darlington, so I came down to see what the farm was about. The Friends of Clervaux were looking for volunteers to help with the land. I came when they were harves ng carrots, so I decided to come one day a week and I really enjoy it, so I’ve become an expert carrot polisher.

Rod, volunteer

Tony told me about Clervaux and I thought that it sounded like a good thing to do. It is something about the community that you miss when you re re from work. It’s also about being a member of a team as I was a team leader in my work. Working with these young people is a pleasure.

48 Clervaux ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Chris, the Green Woodwork tutor, with Aaron who is helping to build the new workshop on the banks of the Clow Beck. Below: Volunteers John and Rod delivering

From left: John, Rachel (BD Apprentice), Tony and Rod enjoying another glorious day at the Clow Beck site.

We do two main events: the Summer Fes val and the Christmas Fair. We invite people to come and look at the farm and see what we do. The cra tutors do demonstra ons and we have cra stalls, which can include local ar sts as well. We also have local produce, such as jams, cheeses and other farm produce, including honey from our bees and bread from Clervaux Ar san Bakery.

At the Summer Fair, we pay our rent to Bill Chaytor, which is a single loaf of bread, which Bill then cuts up and shares with everyone. This year we were also visited by the Sheep Show from orfolk. We o ered him two days of wool prepara on and processing in return for three shows a day. This is agood contact and Ginger, who does the show, will return next year and shear the sheep. Christmas is similar, but with mostly stalls and demonstra ons, including a chainsaw demonstra on, horse logging, juggling, family ac vi es and children’s storytelling. We decorate the whole site and the ambiance is terri c.

We did a young mothers summer camp for 16 mums and their children. They all camped on site and they helped to make the food for everyone. The focal point was to make something as a team, which was to make a clay sculpture. The nal piece will be placed in the pond.

We a ended the educa onal day at the Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, as well as the Countryside Life event. We also a ended the local Fes val of Thri and Hurworth Country Fair. All in all, it was a busy but very frui ul me.

Below: Young mums felting (left), with some of their decorated pots for a sculpture (right) that was recently installed in the pond at Clervaux. Above: The reindeer enjoying a break, having transported the executives to a trustees’ meeting.

49Clervaux ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

‘Real Work’ with Mark Higgins, Jewellery Tutor at Glasshouse College

Around three years ago the Glasshouse Student Council was approached by Dudley Community Volunteer Service to design a medal that could be awarded to local people nominated for their outstanding voluntary work in the local community. This was done and our students then produced a number of these to be awarded at a ceremony which we a ended.

In uly we were asked to produce another twelve medals for presenta on this year. The medals were cast and when the students returned in September a group of three were tasked with producing them. Each medal needed to have the sprues removed (the bits le over when the item was cast) and all the bronze cleaned up with emery paper, ready for polishing. Once polished, they were all engraved with the names of the award and the person receiving the award.

The students worked in a produc on line to make the medals, with one sawing and ling, another bu ng and polishing while the third was engraving. They alternated this so that everyone had a go at each part of the process.

Through this, the students gained real work experience. They were constantly aware of the me scales and of the importance of the need for the medals to be produced to a high standard, as well as learning many new prac cal skills.

The medals were completed and delivered on me and the students were invited to the presenta on evening. All three were rewarded with a cer cate and a voucher for their hard work.

Medal Celebrating Volunteers

Back: Students Ellen and Jake with Eileen Fielding (centre), who received a CVS medal. Front: Tutor Mark Higgins (left) with student Marcus.


Above: Ellen, Marcus and Jake in the Jewellery workshop at Glasshouse College. Marcus, 2nd-year, reported: everyone had a di erent job to do. I was the polisher and Ellie did some

ling. I also did ling and sawing and bu ng. One of the medals was for the mayor and others were for volunteers. I was invited to the presenta on but I couldn’t go. It was challenging, as we had to make the same thing twelve mes, but the work was done by everyone and we are proud of it.

I like doing jewellery, willow, carpentry, and working on the farm. I’ve done gardening with Majiec, plan ng vegetables and harves ng. I like the food at the farm canteen. I’ve been working with the goats, chickens and the cows and I’ve milked and fed the goats. It was di cult to milk the goats but it got easier.

I’ve made a twisted wire ring in copper, which was fairly easy, then I made a dog tag for Majiec for his dog, called Hatchy. It was made from brass and I drew its shape on the brass, cut it out with a saw and used a le to make it smooth. It was polished and I put the le ers on it with the engraving machine. I am making a ring with a love heart. I got the idea from a catalogue. I might give it to someone.

I want to work with animals, do some travelling and get my own at. I am living with my house-parents and I’ve learnt cooking, doing my own washing and using money. I can live more independently now.

Life at College including ewellery with Daisy, rd-year

Above: Daisy with tutor Mark and below with her ring and dog tag.

51Glasshouse College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

The Willow Workshop

Working in the basket making workshop is very rewarding as it allows you to put your hands to a crea ve use and your mind to the task of learning and remembering all of the di erent weaves used.

Basket making can take a lot of prac ce and concentra on to get it right having a li le pa ence can also help for when the willow rods snap or when learning or doing some of the more advanced weaves.

Willow is an interes ng material to work with as it becomes very bri le and can snap when it’s dry, but becomes very exible when le in water for an extended amount of me.

On our trip to Somerset we saw many lovely baskets and it gave us all, including me, a few new ideas on what baskets we could make in the future.

The workshop itself is a warm and pleasant environment where you can learn at your own pace and have a nice chat doing so all the tea and biscuits aren’t bad either.

By Dayle, 3rd-year

The Wonder of Willow

Top: In the Willow workshop at Gables Farm with tutor, Lucy Miekle, Dylan and Dayle.

Right: Dayle working on a more complex weaving


Visit to the Somerset levels

The Visitor Centre is in the Somerset levels where willow has been grown for two centuries. It provides perfect condi ons for willow growing as there is plenty of water and light. It also provides a unique habitat for wildlife and plants. The Coate family have been willow growers and merchants since 1 1 and s ll are today.

On the way there, the road was blocked by dredgers clearing silt from the river, which we hope will help stop ooding this winter. I enjoyed the trip and loved watching them make baskets. They worked very fast as they have lots of experience. We spoke to a lady named Mary who has been making baskets for 37 years.

By George, 1st-year

BTEC in Producing a Product

We went on a tour around the willow farm and I saw:

The basket museumThe basket shop

Fields of willow growingWillow drying

A wildlife exhibi onProfessional basket makers working

A willow stripping machineA willow furniture show room

I am doing a BTEC/Edexcel quali ca on called ‘Producing a Product’ in basket making. I have made a dog basket, a waste paper bin and a fruit basket for my grandfather so far. I might make a basket to keep chocolate in next or an Easter egg basket. What I like about this session is si ng

comfortably whilst weaving and I have enjoyed doing my work folder. It is also nice to meet other students and sta and talk about things. We have got on well as a group. I found the weave pa ern di cult to start with but now I can do a lot of the weaving on my own. I have learnt how to use the secateurs, rapping iron and a bodkin.

By Dylan, 1st-year

Top and below: The visit to the willow visitor centre in


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Across

2. ame of the weave used on the bo om and near the top of the sides of a basket beginning with the le er ‘W’.3. Name of the thin end of a piece of willow.6. The name of the raw material we grow and weave our baskets from.10. Name of the tool used to cut the willow.11. Name of the at piece of wood you rest your basket on your lap when making it.13. Name of one piece of willow which we use up the sides.14. Name of the outer skin of the willow rod which we some mes strip o beginning with the le er ‘B’.16. Name of the top of the basket when you have laid down the side stakes.18. The name of an animal which likes to sleep in a basket some mes.19. Name of a pointed tool used to split the bot-tom s cks.

Down

1. Technique used to make rods suppler by pu ng them under a blanket.4. Name of the weave used on a round base using two rods.5. Name of a variety of willow which is a lovely reddish brown colour.7. Name of a colour when the willow has had the bark stripped o a er it was le in water and the sap had risen.8. Name of a basket which you put dirty washing in.9. Name of a technique when you put the willow in water.10. Name of the colour of willow when it has been boiled for two hours and the bark le on.12. The nished product is a b-----.14. Name of a large bundle of willow when bought from Somerset.15. Name of a basket you might use if you were having lunch outside in a eld.16. Name of a colour of willow which has just been dried and had no other processes done to it.17. Name of a single piece of willow.19. Name of the colour willow a er it has been boiled for 8 hours and had the bark stripped o .20. The name of another animal which likes to sleep in a basket.

by Dylan Jones, 1st-yearRuskin Mill College


The Basket Making Enthusiasts’ Crossword

The Knitting Challenge to Ruskin Mill Trust Staff

The Story with Sean, 2nd-year

I actually learnt to knit before I came to Ruskin Mill College at a Steiner School in the USA. In my rst year here, I was in the crea ve kni ng group with Naomi. I enjoyed this group and it inspired my imagina on to come up with the idea that di erent sta members who work in front of a computer should receive a ball of wool and kni ng needles so that they could knit whenever they want. This would give them something di erent to do with their hands and allow them to take a break from the screen, which would give their brain a rest and ac vely use both hands.

Sue Reed, who taught me how to knit a hat with a circular needle, took this idea and le over 70 pairs of needles and balls of wool on sta members’ desks. I feel really impressed with what the sta were able to bring to this exhibi on.

Wendy, Accounts: “I started with a square and came up with the idea

for ages but it all came back quite easily.”

Tammy, Fundraising: “It was nice to take a break and do something

it took three people to show me. It did take me away from the screen

Will, Publishing: “I have a distant memory of learning to knit and it

idea going.”


Sarah Rogaly, Leatherwork tutor

I used to teach Func onal Skills at Ruskin Mill College for many years, but then I made a satchel for my son at a summer camp and found it so sa sfying that I decided to train in leatherwork in my own me. I took many courses in tradi onal English leatherwork and when the opportunity arose to teach at Ruskin Mill College, I took it as I enjoy teaching very much.

We use quality materials and students can achieve beau ful and o en useful items in quite a short me. The design side of more complex projects is the most challenging aspect and students have to learn to modify their desires to make a realis c design. This is usually a new material to work with and my students are surprised by what they can achieve and make. Leatherwork uses endless ne motor skills and many students seem to like the more medita ve side, such as s tching.

at Ruskin Mill

College

Leatherwork

Ashni, 2nd-year, on making a leather bag

I started leatherwork last winter term. I didn’t know there was leatherwork so I asked my Student ourney ana er to ha e it on my meta le and I lo e it. o uy a a like the one I am makin

would ost a om ut I an make one and kee it or the rest o my li e. It will remind me a out the worksho s and Sarah who hel ed me make it. akin a a is an intensi e ro e t and uite di ult.

I desi ned the a mysel and showed the desi n to Sarah. I drew it out on a er and made a a er tem late and marked the sha es onto the leather usin an awl. I then ut it out. o make the usset we used water a one older and a ra e. I am luin on the ’ rin s that the stra will a a h onto. hen there will e a lot o s t hin .

In leatherwork I’ e made a oaster whi h we all start with. I made a wallet whi h I ha e i en away a elt and a row and or iolet the workin horse on the arm. I would re ommend leatherwork to anyone. It’s un ut also tri ky or hallen in and you will e roud with what you’ e made and it will last a lon me.

Top: Close-up of Ashni burnishing a D-ring with gum and the tools of the trade.Above: Preparing to glue on a D-ring onto an end panel of her bag.Right: With Violet, a working horse at the college’s farm with a brow band Ashni made for the halter in leatherwork.


Social, Cultural and Artistic Activities

6th International Festival of GlassArchaeology, Time and Young Roots ProjectStudent CouncilSt Peter’s ChurchMichaelmasEurythmy

“It was really good to work with these young people, especially as I am a youth leader at a local youth club” Josh, Glasshouse College student.

International Festival of Glass and British Glass Biennalen e a ain lasshouse olle e is oin to e hi hly in ol ed in or anisin the si th Interna onal es al

o lass and the ri sh lass iennale. his year the es al and iennale will e held durin the ay hal term so that more students are a le to e in ol ed. he es al is an o ortunity to ele rate the lass industry and lass ar sts rom all o er the world as well as show asin the talent within

lasshouse It will in lude e hi i ons herita e walks er orman es uest s eakers demonstra ons antas ood rom ory and his aterin team and un amily a i es. he steerin rou are already

thinkin rea ely a out how to ensure the es al on nues to e a su ess. e are also or anisin a ran e o aster lasses with interna onal ar sts that will e held rom th th ay.

e are workin losely with lo al artners su h as the ed ouse one ri sh lass edera on road eld ouse ol erham ton ni ersity and he orshi ul om any o lass Sellers to ensure

that the es al is a ommunity e ent or all o Stour rid e. he u li as e t o the es al runs rom th st ay. e will e lookin or students and sta to hel and we wel ome ideas and eed a k

a out how to make the es al a su ess.

he ri sh lass iennale is a key art o the es al and is the ’s remiere sellin e hi i on o ontem orary lass. he iennale urrently has e ri es to e awarded in asso ia on with the orshi ul om any o lass Sellers o ondon and has rowin interna onal status as the leadin

show ase or ri sh ased makers. he o enin o the iennale will e on th ay and it will e o en to the u li rom th ay to th une etween am and m.

Elisabeth Johnson, Assistant Director of Development at Ruskin Mill Trust

ey atesaster lasses: 25th – 28th May

Biennale Opening and Award Ceremony: th ay; Biennale: th ay th une am mInterna onal es al o lass u li es al: 28th – 31st May

[email protected]

th st ay www.i .or .ukin o i .or .uk

ay th une th www. iennale.or .ukin o iennale.or .uk

[email protected]


Archaeology, Time, Young Roots and the Student Council at Glasshouse College

The Dig with Ian Dury,

and drawn ma s da n to and show that there were two lass ones on this site so an ar haeolo i al di was art o the hase reno a on o the site. he di s ha e shown this to

e orre t. here is also e iden e that a one ell down in and a mini di in the s on rmed that there had een one in the ourtyard.

he di at the ar ark known as ad ury rook re ealed a one uilt in the s whi h was

uilt on the oor o the s’ one. his di also re ealed the site o oal ourne ill ouse owned y e or e whi h was demolished in the s. he manor house was e entually on erted into ats or workers. I ha e also re ei ed some antas arte a ts and in orma on durin the erita e eekend rom the eneral u li . hey

rou ht in what amounted to a me a sule o ri sh lassmakin in Stour rid e. his in luded window lass made

in the lar e urna es uelled y oal mined near y. lass o les were i usiness in ludin o alt lue whi h ame

in rom ermany ia ristol u the i er Se ern to ewdley then a ross to Stour rid e y anal.

he oal urn rook di re ealed that an arm o the anal o ened in ame into the a tory. yster shells were ound whi h when round were used to de orate lass

stems and u ons and re ords show that ross o u ons were e han ed or a la k mare.

wo ty es o window lass were made rown lass

whi h was s un out with a ulls eye entre and road lass whi h was lown and a ened. e also

ound e iden e o lenses or mari me e ui ment lanterns and a ran e o lam s. om any was makin lass u un l the late s.

The Time Capsule

e asked the Student oun il to re are a me a sule to e uried when the di at the ourtyard



is lled in. e will in lude the work o the students su h as lass u n en ra in and

lowin leatherwork elt makin et . I’ e also in luded the m le ote istory So iety’s newsle ers as the se retary has ut all their issues onto a .

Josh, 3rd-year and member of the Student Council

e meet e ery onday to talk a out any im ro ements we think we need to ha en and we re resent all students at olle e. re ent ro e t was to hel or anise a me a sule or the ar haeolo i al di . It was

really interes n ndin ie es o lass rom the ast lassworks here su h as de anters

o les and lasses. I made a lay ot radley made a lass ead annah a in h ot and

le a hot lass a erwei ht.

e’ll ut the me a sule in the round when they ll in the holes or eo le in the uture to di u and see what we did at this olle e.


he oun oots ro e t is a erita e o ery unded ommunity ased ro e t.

e in ited lo al s hools to o a k in me to the s to e erien e what li e was like or hildren

workin on a narrow oat. he ro e t in ol ed students rom lasshouse olle e hel in the hildren in re ena n the deli ery o lass y anal to lo al lassmakers. arren lake illy rad ury osh arr and onnor a kson uided

the narrow oat throu h our lo ks to the ed ouse lass one ordsley while ohn artwri ht

tau ht the tradi onal ain n o analware.

hey returned to olle e tra ellin y horse drawn

arria es ro ided y i torian arria es imited o Sandwell. aniel andsaker and osh ay with ohn hell had hands on e erien e o hel in

to harness and re are the horses to ull the arria es and assisted the hildren in oardin the arria es. hey showed the hildren the way round

the olle e where they had their hoto taken y hoto ra her ndy illiams usin a inhole amera.

In the urna e uditorium o the theatre with i o heatre o. they dressed u and re ena ted ames that hildren would ha e layed a k in

the s and how to s eak in the la k ountry diale t. hey were also introdu ed to the way

Young Roots Project 2014funded by

the Heritage Lottery

at Glasshouse College

Children of the Canals

children would have stolen vegetables and fruit from farmers’ elds to be able to have food on the table. astly the children were given a demonstra on of glass

mould-blowing in the college workshops, making glasses like those they had delivered by narrowboat.

Sam reen assisted printer Chris ay in prin ng educa onal packs and other material for the pro ect

Josh, Young Roots Project

I helped at the horse and cart. e had local schools involved and the idea was that we had to dress up in old-fashioned clothes and show what life was like. Some students went on the horse and cart, whilst others went on the narrowboat to the glass cone up the canal and we brought them back on the horse and cart to show them an old form of travel.The day showed how people used to live and work around here. It was really good to work with these young people, especially as I am a youth leader at a local youth club.


Back Page Special

“We did some pictures in the Student Council around Equality & Diversity and I drew two hands with one hand covering the dis’ of disability. The message is to see people’s abili es because they tend to

nd it easier to see the other. I’ve had people pu ng me down and telling me what I can’t do, rather than what I can do. Since I’ve been here, I am more con dent, less shy and I can say how I feel because I know that people will help me out, both sta and students. When I leave, I want to go to another college to do Art & Design and Fay is helping me out with this. I am looking at doing work experience.

Being at Glasshouse College is massive and I know that it is OK to be yourself.”

Equality and Diversity Drawing with Olivia, 3rd-year

Hannah, 2nd-year

I enjoy wool processing at the farm and I made a beau ful authen c place mat using di erent colours. I’ve also done some bron e cas ng and made a fork, trowel and metal leaf. I’ve also done land work at the farm and helped with plan ng and harves ng.

One of my favourite sessions has to be hot glass, as I enjoy making bright vibrantly coloured glass items, such as a bowl and a ball.

Student Council has been useful and I am glad that I gave it a go.


Nicola, 3rd-year, on Being Elected

To get onto the Student Council, we had to write a speech and get up and tell the students and sta about ourselves to be elected. Everyone was able to vote. Being elected gave me some con dence and we started in February of . We had to do a six-week induc on, including devising terms of reference, and we had to agree a contract and rules and know Ruskin Mill Trust’s vision and values.

We looked at equality and diversity and that we should give people respect. We talked about safeguarding and problems around rela onships and to tell other students where to get help from if thaey have an issue. Then we did enrichment fundraising and quality improvement, as well as how to get informa on out around the college.

Bradley, 2nd-year, On the Loom (right)

I am making a rug in weaving and I will give it to my mum for Christmas. I like it in weaving because it is relaxing and therapeu c. I chose the pa ern and colours and it wasn’t too di cult. I found it easier as I went along. I wove it on a oor loom and the weavery at Vale Head Farm and my tutor is really nice and always wants to help me.

Ed, 2nd-year, On Ollie’s Leaving Present

At the end of last year, our principal, Ollie Cheney, le and we made him a glass piece, a vase, and had it engraved with Re-imagining oten al’. The Student Council presented it to him le , as we had all taken part in making it and this was our rst project together as a student council. We were really happy with the vase. Ollie le to start a new college in California, USA.


Do miracles happen? Well let me tell you a story!

Over a number of years various members of St Peter’s Church P.C.C. had tried to source matching glass light shades to replace broken or damaged ones in our church. To no avail! Then about three years ago, Alan, a member of my extended family a ended a wedding in the church and announced he may be able to help us in our quest. Alan works at “Glasshouse College” in Stourbridge a part of the Ruskin Mill Trust which provides an “Integrated earning and iving for Work Educa on” for people with learning di cul es or disabili es including au s c spectrum disorders.

The college operates for - year olds and covers a wide range of learning skills and courses not just purely working with glass. Part of the broader educa on scheme is for the students to “give something back to the community” and this was where St. Peter’s Church featured. Replacements could not be located which meant they had to be made and at a cost of each, this was quite a considerable sum for the church to nd. It was presented to the student council as a possible project for them to take on at rst they made the decision to defer as they had other projects to which they had commi ed, but when re-presented, they adjudged it to be a worthwhile venture.

Dominic led on raising the money by baking cakes in his work placement and selling them at Stourbridge market, the money went to the church who returned to the local businesses who made the shades some of which had students on work placement. Students gained experience in considera on and making judgements through the council, understanding how funding can go to the local economy bene ng them and others.

Then came the problem of actually making the shades, apparently quite a di cult task. This problem was solved when Malcolm, a re red master glass blower now in his s and a volunteer at the college, who proudly announced when shown a shade that he used to make them when he worked years ago. He agreed to help with our project and make the shades and Sophie, another student, helped sand blast them to give them their opaque nish. So, this has been a two year project silently going on in Stourbridge with an occasional update between Alan and myself.

On uly th this year, a gloriously sunny day, Charles Ma hews, Susan Megson, im and I went to the college to be presented with the nished product. We had a

“Do Miracles Happen?” This question was raised in a newsletter from St Peter’s Church, Pedmore,

following a prayer that was answered with the help of Glasshouse College.

Here is the text of that very newsletter.


wonderful day, mee ng with Dominic and Sophie together with the Head of the College and others who gave us a guided tour. The following day was Gradua on Day so everyone was busily employed in se ng up displays of the work of all the students. We were privileged to be shown around and chat to some of the young people. The atmosphere, enthusiasm and ea ng ethos of everyone, students, tutors and administrators was both heart warming and humbling. Dominic was gradua ng and was presented with his academic achievement award. He is now taking up an appren ceship as a carpenter. Sophie s ll has another year at the College. The four of us returned home a er a very upli ing and happy day.

Well did we get our ten shades? O! We were presented with fourteen! What an achievement and such a wonderful gi to our Church. We cannot thank everyone who has been involved enough. We are hoping that some representa ves, together with the two students, will be able to join us at St. Peter’s Church on Sunday October th when the light shades will be Dedicated. I hope you agree with me that in this instance a miracle happened.

Jenny Maher


I’ve done a lot of catering as I’ve had a burning interest in cooking. I’ve worked at Horsley Mill canteen, the Woodland Kitchen and Ruskin Mill café. The café is busy and I do restocking, cleaning and working on the ll. I don’t nd it boring as I have a real interest in con nuing.

Before I came to Ruskin Mill College, I was constantly in 1:1 support at a weekly boarding school and I found it di cult being monitored night and day. Ruskin Mill College has given me more independence. Sta and students are not so pushy, but more suppor ve, so I have more freedom to do what I need to do. If I need to talk to someone, I can, and I feel I can come out of my box.

I can now travel independently and used to be nervous of public transport because of a fear of the unknown. I overcame this with persistence and support from the sta . When I was living with house-parents near Cirencester, I went into town and asked if there was a youth club and I started to go on a Tuesday. I met Clare who organises the club and found out that she was organising the Phoenix Fes val and that they needed volunteers.

I joined them a week before the fes val to help with pu ng up the metal fencing, securing the site and le ng in the traders and staging people. During the fes val, there was a lot of running around and I collected money from the public,

as the fes val is a charity. It was really good and I overcame a lot of things like crowds and my con dence around the public. I thought that the whole team did an amazing job. This event taught me a lot and that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. I have also been working in O ce Skills at the college recep on, where I have been working with the general public, making and receiving phone calls, delivering messages and signing-in visitors. I love helping people!

I am on the Student Council, which supports the students’ voices, so they know what they are saying is ge ng heard. We meet once a week and with the College’s Senior Management Team once a half-term. We raise awareness around issues such as homophobia, smoking, energy drinks, bullying and internet safety.


Work Experience with Food and Festivals

Ben doing work experience at Ruskin Mill Café

Michaelmas, celebrated on 29th September,

Ali, 2nd-year: “Working in the drama group is nice and it’s fun as we can be silly and not take things seriously. It is hard work prac cing our parts and if someone is o ill, we have to show them what they have missed when they get back. It is a good way to go over our lines though. At fes vals, it is nice to perform and show everyone what we do in drama.”

. “This is my fourth produc on at Ruskin Mill College. I did drama at school but this group is much bigger. We have to be commi ed and take the challenges. The biggest challenge I had was being the archer in my rst year’s performance at the Spring fes val. I had so many lines to learn and it was a big part. Once I get on stage though, the nerves disappear and I enjoy it. A erwards I get a lot of encouragement from students


Fighting the Dragon at Michaelmas

and sta . Fes vals are special with drama and the performances make them special for me.”

George, 2nd-year. “I played the dragon in the Michaelmas fes val and it’s about a hero who tries to

nd the dragon who is a li le bit evil. Ben played the hero. It was good playing the dragon because I had to give an amazing roar and at the end of the play I got to show everyone who was under the mask! I like being in this group, it’s exci ng and gives me a good feeling in my heart. I enjoyed the phoenix in the May Day fes val and watched the show about the rebird. I helped to make the costume for the phoenix.”

Above: Ben being stalked by George, the dragon,

We are delighted to announce the crea on of a new eurythmy constella on at the Glasshouse, near Stourbridge, West Midlands, one of a number of sites in the UK operated by Ruskin Mill Trust. Camphill Village Trust decided that, a er years, the Camphill Eurythmy School was no longer viable and had to close. Although the decision was not unexpected, it was sudden and nal.

Over several years Eurythmy West Midlands and the Camphill Eurythmy School have been working together sharing the curriculum, teaching exchange, and so on looking towards a possible “Eurythmy UK”. As it worked out, the idea of the merger between the two came to pass at the beginning of term in September 1 . We therefore welcome colleagues and students from Camphill Village Trust into the West Midlands Eurythmy Associa on at its Stourbridge headquarters.

Most of the eurythmy students in Bo on Village were happy to be able to con nue or, as applicants, to start their training at the Glasshouse. Eurythmy West Midlands and former Camphill Eurythmy training can now o er a full four-year training course in “Eurythmy in Educa on and “Eurythmy as a Performing Art”, an accredited BA equivalent which is Pearson Assured by Cross elds Ins tute and based at the Glasshouse Arts Centre.

Rita Kort from Camphill Eurythmy has moved to Stourbridge to join eurythmists Maren Sto and Shaina Stoehr, along with Brenda Ratcli e speech , Alan Sto , Bob & Anita Davey music and onathan Reid & Karla Prates teaching eurythmy in blocks .

It is most encouraging to experience how the management, sta and students at Glasshouse College a specialist Further Educa on College for young people with special learning needs have embraced this expansion of West Midlands Eurythmy with warmth, interest and assistance. At the Glasshouse, eurythmy will have the use of four new spaces, including the Furnace Theatre. We feel well integrated and are looking forward, in par cular, to further drama produc ons with college students.

For more informa on visit our website atwww.eurythmy-wm.org

Contact Maren: eurythmywm gmail.com

Eurythmy Centred at Glasshouse College70 Glasshouse College ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Can Chichi get back to his basket?Dylan Jones, 1st-year, not only devised this fun game, but also wove the basket below in Willow Work.

S E P N J P C K R K G J X Y T F A R F CL O O Q D V U O R E V N K F A R M M O WA V T D M J B E N S H D I R P E A O W OV Y T I L A U Q E C A T M H P J R H O RI N E S H E R O N S E S A C S D D S O KT D R P M H J G O T H N M E I I G I D AS U Y Q K R N Z I O G F T N L W F L L FE L O D O I O R P K Q M A R P B B G A HF M R R T M C F M S H T A M A I J N N OC N A L T D S Z W H I O T D F T G E D RY O E G R E E N W O O D W O R K I S O TD F M W E A V I N G L K Z R N G O O C IW B H M F Y W E N X C F S V R U W O N CB Z A O U G N I K A M R E P A P O T S UN A R K A N N G N I K L A W J K W C A LY G S R I E I J T Z M B G A I O I E F TE Z T K D N U T R I T I O N L S X P E UW A R R E V G A Y T E R G L U R L S T RM A A J M T E L R G F Y I M V A H E Y ER G R M G Z S Q H A K W I T K G Z R B P

ArtBakingBaskets

CommunityConcentra on

CookingCoordina on

DramaEnglishEquality

FarmFarm shop

Fel ngFes valsFishing

FlowformsForge

GardeningGreen woodwork

Herons

Hor cultureLeatherMathsMusicutri on


PapermakingPigs

Po eryRespectSafety

Activities at Ruskin Mill College Wordsearch by Dylan Jones

TroutWalkingWeavingWillow

Woodland

James Allington is planning on moving college to study motor vehicles after his catering course. He is still studying his driving theory and hopes to pass in the autumn. He wants to get a job in the food industry and is currently learning to play an electric guitar.

Tom Armstrong has moved house to a new place in Newport, Gwent, where he attends Coleg Gwent and is part of a drama group. He says that he found working in Gables Farm Shop to be very useful and sends his greetings to the shop’s staff.

Harley Ashley lives in Chalford, Gloucestershire, with two other people. He loves using public transport and has apparently visited all 66 piers in the country using public transport. He does gardening and works with the local canal trust, each twice a week, and says that he wished he could have worked at Ruskin Mill, which he loved attending. In his spare time, he likes walking cycling and travelling on open-top buses and steam trains particularly.

Peter Atkins is still living in the same house in Coventry that he has been for 6-7 years and has now found a nice local market, where he helps out by watching people’s stores and cleaning tables. He continues to do gardening or riding his bike to keep fit and says that he tells a lot of people about Ruskin Mill.

Debbie Carter lives near Witney in Oxfordshire, where she attends a day centre four days a week, spends one or two days a week with her mother and sees her father and stepmother once a fortnight. She attends Christian meetings three times a month and likes going swimming and watching videos and DVDs. In April, she went on a cruise to the Mediterranean.

Kit Farrell now lives in a flat in Bickley, Kent, with a really good housing scheme that offers him lots of support, as well as his own kitchen, bathroom and front door! He says that he has friends who live in the housing scheme’s other flats nearby.

Mark Hafner lives by himself in Exeter, Devon, in supported independence. He has been spending lots of time with his three-year-old daughter, as well as playing darts, walking, free running and using his Xbox. He sends his regards to all the staff at the Mill and says that he is looking forward to moving in with and marrying his

girlfriend.Sara Handzlik lives on her own in shared

accommodation in Gloucester. She does voluntary work in the community and helps out at her local church. She says that she misses all the staff and would like to get her own flat in the future.

Rosie Hely-Hutchinson lives in Edenbridge, Kent, where she works at a local primary school one day a week and has various animal and horticulture tasks at the farm where she works two days a week. She is really excited to announce that she is going to Australia for over four weeks in the New Year!

Daniel Hood phoned in to see how things were going at Ruskin Mill College and reported that he had been on a couple of supported holidays and bought a large TV. He says Hi to both Rich and Richard, and Bernie.

Sam Johnson lives independently in Bournemouth. Since he left the Mill, he attended Stroud College for two years on a carpentry/joinery course, travelled in Europe, got married and moved to Bournemouth. After all that, he wants to build a business, starting with manual labouring and then moving up to the installation of boilers and heaters.

Daniel Larcombe lives in a shared house with two other people in Exeter, Devon. He has done a farm course in Ide, which involved cooking and American folktale narration and says that he would like to hear news from Peter Fitzgerald.

Robert Lock lives in Essex with his parents where he does voluntary work for City of Chelmsford Mencap. He is currently looking into obtaining paid work, doing some more courses (particularly in mechanics) and undertaking his minibus and HGV licence. He still attends (and helps out at) a Wednesday evening group for people who are less fortunate than others.

Rebecca (Bex) Maynard lives in Hove, East Sussex, where she volunteers in a local charity shop. She likes to go swimming, running, and nightclubbing and wants to learn how to drive and to get a paid job.

Callum Morgan lives on his own in Yate, Bristol, where he has been for the past two years. He sees his family regularly and is looking for a girlfriend. He does voluntary work in a charity shop, goes to a club for people

Welcome to edited highlights of news from ex-students. It is always exciting to hear from you and it is a great way of passing your news onto staff. Please keep in touch and we will put your news in the next edition.

Will Mercer. [email protected]

72 The Colleges ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

with learning difficulties and is doing a cooking course at college. He says ‘hello’ to his former house-parents.

David Peterson lives with his parents in Cashes Green, near Stroud. He attends Stroud College, doing a music technology course, and intends to do more of this in the future. He says that he most liked the hands-on, outdoor learning of skills, but complained that it was really cold in the winter!

Katy Ponting lives by herself in a one-bedroom flat in Kingswood, Bristol. She has a paid job as an Avon sales leader and also helps out at a local group. She would like to move in with her fiancé and start a family.

Anna Robertson is still living in Botton Village, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, with her boyfriend and her best friend. She works in the local doll shop and on the farm and she likes playing football with her friends. She says she’d like to bring her boyfriend to see the Mill

at some point.Paul Shippobotham has a supported living flat

in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, which he has been in for two years now. He attends a drop-in centre twice a week and once a week goes to an over-20s social club for people with learning difficulties.

Lee Tidball has moved to a shared house (with independent cooking and cleaning facilities) in Exeter, Devon. He recently completed a level 1 NVQ, plays football twice a week and travels around to various places to watch football. He would like to contact Andy Chatt and Raphael Perry and says ‘hello’ to David & Elly Austin, Barbara Hall, Richard Pirie and (of course) Aonghus.

Jessica van Riet-Low lives in Byfield, Northamptonshire, where she has live-in help and attends a day centre. She says that she enjoyed being outside the most whilst at the Mill, but it was a bit cold.

73The Colleges ~ Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2014

Cliff in Full-Time EmploymentSince leaving Ruskin Mill College in July 2014 I have been working at the Wharf Buttery in Stroud. Nigel (the owner) also runs a canteen in the Stroud District Council building and I’ve stood in for him there.

My new life has been amazing and I enjoy working here. I live with my parents and girlfriend in Cirencester but we are on the council list for housing.

I’ve now got more independence and I feel like I’m living by doing the job I love and making money. I love cooking food and here I make a range of snacks from sandwiches, potato in their jackets, bacon butties and sauces including prawn and coronation sauce. I serve customers, make teas and coffees and see that the stock is kept up. I write down what needs ordering and give the list to Nigel.

Then there’s the cleaning such as all the surfaces, the cooker, fridges, sink and the rest. I check that the fridges and freezers are at the right temperature. Inspectors can turn up at any time and when they did I answered all the questions correctly. I open up the Buttery at 9am having driven over.

I’ve just been on holiday with my girlfriend to Spain. The pleasure of working hard and getting the reward of the wages is to then be able to go on holiday and now I can do this. Although I have worked part-time before, I am now working full-time and enjoying it.

Cliff very happy to be fully employed and doing a job he loves. If you are ever in Stroud, the Wharf Buttery is on a new housing development opposite the Stroud District

Ruskin Mill Trust Provision in England and Wales74

Plas Dwbl Farm CollegeClunderwen, Pembrokeshire

• 16-25 years• Residential & day students• Up to 52 weeks per year

Freeman College




ClervauxDarlington, Co Durham

• 16+ and Adults

• Residential & day students

• Up to 52 weeks per year

Glasshouse CollegeStourbridge, West Midlands


Ruskin Mill CollegeNailsworth, Gloucestershire


The Field CentreNailsworth, Gloucestershire

• Centre for situated educational action research

• MSc Practical Skills Therapeutic Education

New Standard WorksBirmingham


The Field Centre Tiltups End, Bath Road, Nailsworth GL6 0QEDr Aksel Hugo, Associate Professor & Research CoordinatorEmail: Tel: 01453 836378 Working in collaboration with Hiram Education and Research TeamSenior Hiram Administrator: Sophie Creed: Tel: 01453 837609. Email: [email protected]

(opening september 2015)

Ruskin Mill Trust

www.rmt.org

Ruskin Mill CollegeThe Fisheries, Horsley, Gloucestershire, GL6 0PLTel: 01453 837500 Fax: 01453 837506Email: [email protected]

Age range of pupils: 16-25Principal: Dan AlipazAdmissions: Ann ShutteTel: 01453 837501Email: [email protected]

Glasshouse CollegeWollaston Road, Amblecote, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 4HFTel: 01384 399400 Fax: 01384 399401Email: [email protected]

Age range of pupils: 16-25Principal: Paul GawdanAdmissions: Elizabeth WoodTel: 01384 399467 Email: [email protected]

Plas Dwbl Farm CollegeMynachlog-ddu, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, SA66 7SETel: 01994 419420Email: [email protected]

Age range of pupils: 16-25Principal: Dan AlipazAdmissions: Elke TurnerTel: 01994 419420Email: [email protected]

Freeman CollegeSterling Works, 88 Arundel Street,

Tel: 0114 252 5940 Fax: 0114 252 5996Email: [email protected]

Age range of pupils: 16-25Principal: Bonny Etchell-AndersonAdmissions: Ruth BrightTel: 0114 252 5953 Email: [email protected]


Tel: 0114 258 9062 Fax: 0114 259 0036Email: [email protected]

Age range of pupils: 7-19Headteacher: Constantin CourtAdmissions: Karen Chester Tel: 0114 258 9062 Email: [email protected]

South West: Tel: 01453 837627 Midlands: Tel: 01384 399441

Wales: Tel: 01994 419420

ClervauxClow Beck Eco Centre, Jolby Lane, Croft-on-Tees, near Darlington, DL2 2TFTel: 01325 729860 Email: [email protected]

Strategic Lead: Bonny Etchell-Anderson0114 252 5956 (PA to Bonny)www.clervaux.org.uk

Tel: 01453 837500 Fax: 01453 837531

Contacts

Transform ResidentialResidential Care and Respite servicesEmail: [email protected]

75

New Standard Works (Opening September 2015)A Satellite of Glasshouse CollegeTel: 01384 399400 Fax: 01384 399401Email: [email protected]

Age range of pupils: 16-25Principal: Paul GawdanAdmissions: Elizabeth WoodTel: 01384 399467 Email: [email protected]

Detail from a drawing by Olivia, 3rd-year, at Glasshouse College.For the story behind the drawing go to page 64

he essage is to see peop e s abi i es be a se they tend to nd it easier to see the other ” Olivia

Run of the Mill, Winter 2014/15

Documents

Transcript of Run of the Mill, Winter 2014/15