Carpentry Students Build Storage Area for Children’s Hospices’ Charity Shop

Published on: 6 May, 2024
Updated on: 7 May, 2024

In a collaboration between Guildford College and Beard Construction, three carpentry students have lent their skills to construct a lean-to storage area for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

Beard Construction provided the Level 2 site carpentry students with some invaluable work experience.

Carpentry students Jack, Ollie and James building the storage shelter for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices’ charity shop.

The students eagerly took on the task of building the lean-to storage area at the hospices’ fund-raising shop in Guildford.

Students Jack Macmillan, 18, James Lock, 17, and Oliver Sheehan, 18, worked tirelessly over two days under the supervision of carpentry supervisor Andy Jeram.

He praised the students for their enthusiasm and maturity in tackling the build tasks.

A peek inside the storage area the students have built.

Tom Jenkinson, a Guildford College alumnus and director at Beard Construction, expressed pride in supporting such a worthwhile charity while nurturing the future of the construction industry.

He emphasised his firm’s commitment to creating spaces for people and purpose, highlighting the dual benefit of aiding the charity and providing valuable learning experiences for the students.

The head of estates and sustainability for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, Andy Sivyer, said: “This project demonstrates the power of collaboration between local industry and our community college, the impact has been powerful and multi-faceted.

“As most of our stock is stored at a unit in Knaphill, not only has the new lean-to made for a better working and more convenient environment for the staff at the Guildford shop, but it’s also had the knock-on effect of helping with our sustainability drive, reducing transport costs and our carbon footprint.

“James, Jack and Ollie were really proactive, got stuck in and showed really good promise. The shop staff were very complimentary not only about their standard of work but of their overall positive can-do attitude. We couldn’t be happier and hope to carry on this amazing collaboration on other projects in the future.”