RUN OF THE MILL - Ruskin Mill Trust

workshops, but they wouldn’t let us in to the plating
areas to let us see how they do it as apparently it is a
trade secret. When the spoons come back, we polish
them with silver polish and put them in plastic bags.
I enjoy doing this work as it is relaxing and I feel that I
have achieved something. Each spoon is stamped with a
different number and we make a note in a book, as well
as which student made it.
Naomi, 3rd-year
Freeman College has been fantastic and I’ve enjoyed
jewellery with tutors Gill and Nick. I’ve made a ring
and a bracelet and I’ve also enjoyed spoon-forging and
getting the hang of using the hammer. I’ve done some
Whittle Tang and made some knives and teaspoons. I’ve
helped with the stamping, cutting and polishing, as well
as bowling. It feels good to make things.
I’ve also found the choir quite superb as I get to sing
songs that I like. We are learning Christmas songs at the
moment and sang for the college at Michaelmas.
Freeman College
Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2010
Life On or By the Ocean Waves
with Angie Iversen and Andy Whitehouse
Student Journey Managers, Freeman College
The third year is all about transition for students and group
activities are designed to encourage them to think as a team
as well as a source of support for each other. At the end of
the last term we took the leaving students raft building at
Carsington Water and they enjoyed it. Building on that, we
thought it would a good idea to introduce it at the beginning
of the academic year and encourage team-building from the
start. We took three groups for one session and had diverse
experiences. Whilst a number of students approached it
with anxiety, they universally had a strong sense of achievement
in completing the activity and has set them up well as
teams. The experience was also very enjoyable.
Andy & Angie showing the way to enforced volunteering
The third years are also doing voluntary work in conjunction
with the River Stewardship Company on the Tinsley canal.
Work includes litter picking, clearing the briar and overgrowth
and generally maintaining the borders and pathways.
As a progression, we have asked the River Stewardship
Company if we can be given responsibility of a section of
the canal not only to keep it tidy but to plant wild flowers.
We would also like to introduce bird boxes that would be
made at our new site High Riggs. This work is really about
third-year students learning to give something back into the
community and reinforcing the sense of being able to ‘give
away’. Helen Hornby from the River Stewardship Company
joins us for each session to oversee the work safely and we
all are kitted out with life jackets and they have also undertaken
thorough risk assessments. Though still in the early
stages, we are very excited about this project.
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