Darron said: “Students studying carpentry, bricklaying, plumbing, electrics, and engineering all got involved to make Christmas decorations. We made and sold wooden reindeers, copper Christmas trees, baubles and Christmas lights, and we also held raffles with prizes donated from local businesses.
“I think the students were a bit reluctant at first but they all got really into it, some helped even further by selling raffle tickets with me at our stalls.”
Darron fundraises every year, but this year he chose to raise money for Padua ward, where his son who was aged two at the time, spent some time following epileptic seizures.
He said: “This ward is close to my heart and it really means a lot to me to be able to give back to them. We spent some time there over Christmas once, we even went to one of their Christmas parties and so it feels really good to be able to support them through festive fundraising.
“We managed to do all of our fundraising in two weeks and I couldn’t have done this without the help from my students, and my colleague Chloe O’Brien who was fundamental to helping us stay organised.
“This was our biggest fundraiser yet raising £819, we really enjoyed raising money for the East Kent Hospitals Charity, in fact we’re already thinking about our next fundraiser for them!”
Dee Neligan, head of charity at East Kent Hospitals Charity said: “We’re so grateful to Darron, Chloe and all the students who helped raise money for one of our children’s wards. The wooden reindeers were so brilliant that I even bought one myself! We look forward to working with Darron again and seeing what he’ll next come up with.”
