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Computing students have raised more than £800 for charity with their annual Christmas card sale and raffle – the highest total yet.

The Level 1 students made cards by hand and sold them around Nescot, including at the college open day in November, as well as organising a raffle for hampers full of treats.

They had set themselves an ambitious target of raising £750 for Tadworth-based charity The Children’s Trust, but they surpassed their own expectations by reaching a total of £842.60.

“The students have worked so hard, and I’m so proud of what they’ve achieved,” said tutor Denise Portman, who runs the project each year.

“They’ve approached the tasks with lots of energy, enthusiasm and ideas, and I’m really pleased with how well they’ve worked together and how much support they’ve had from the rest of the college.”

The students launched their fundraising project in October. They did market research to identify their customers, planned their products, set a pricing structure and planned their promotion.

They researched The Children’s Trust extensively, including viewing videos made by the college’s Media students, and then prepared a presentation and pitched to potential investors.

On Monday (December 9) Deputy Principal Cliff Shaw visited the students to speak to the class and to draw the winning raffle tickets. Prizes were won by a learning support assistant and a student.

“I’ve bought a number of the Christmas cards, and I’ve been really impressed with the quality of them – it’s obvious how seriously you’ve taken the project,” Cliff told the students.

“No doubt the money that you’ve raised for The Children’s Trust will be put to good use, and the families who the charity supports will be really grateful.”

The annual project is aimed at supporting the students in developing their computing skills, such as using spreadsheets to do calculations, as well as broader skills including communication and attention to detail.

During the project some students uncover abilities they didn’t know they had, such as in sales or logistics, which in turn helps them to plan their future careers accordingly.

This year, as well as holding the most successful Christmas project in the department’s history, the students also focused on sustainability, making their cards from reused or recycled materials.

The Children’s Trust supports young people with brain injury. It provides expert nursing care and rehabilitation, as well as supporting families and working in research and policy development.

During their research the Computing students watched lots of case study videos and said they had been struck by how suddenly brain injury can happen, and how much it affects young people and their families.

Nescot students have raised thousands of pounds for The Children’s Trust. Last year, Level 1 Computing students raised more than £700 for the charity in three weeks, Business students have also supported the cause and a Performing Arts student has even shaved his beard for donations to the charity.

Charity fundraising at Nescot this Christmas ranges from Hairdressing students volunteering their time at East Surrey Hospital to Foundation Learning supporting Epsom and Ewell Foodbank, Animal Studies supporting Sutton Night Watch, and students from Uniformed Public Services and Beauty raising funds for The Royal Marsden.