Nescot Beauty students launch Christmas appeal

Nescot’s Beauty students are working with a domestic violence charity on a Christmas appeal.

The Cassandra Centre is offering free hot meals to vulnerable older people, and the college’s Beauty department is supplementing this by making up ‘pamper packages’ for each visitor.

The packages will include chocolates, a Christmas card, and a selection of cosmetics, and teachers are asking students, staff and visitors to donate items to help the team to make up the parcels.

“The Cassandra Centre is a wonderful charity, and we’re really proud to be supporting them with their Christmas appeal,” said Andry Waters, Beauty Team Manager at Nescot.

“Christmas is a really difficult time for a lot of people, and we hope this project will help to make it a little brighter for anyone who is struggling.”

The department is asking for donations of individually-wrapped chocolates, such as boxes of Quality Street or similar, as well as small Christmas cards and small gift bags in a good condition.

The team would also like donations of cosmetic products such as hand and nail cream, body lotion, foot cream, bath salts or scented soap.

Staff, students and visitors can donate items to the college’s main reception in the Skills Park, or to the security office next to the Foundation Learning hub.

The Cassandra Centre is based in Norbury and provides one-to-one counselling and group support to people across London who have been affected by domestic abuse, including perpetrators.

The charity also works with schools and community groups to empower healthy relationships, as well as raising awareness of what can lead to domestic abuse.

Some of the centre’s work is targeted at specific at-risk groups, including people at risk of criminal exploitation and violence, new mothers, people with additional needs, and older people.

The Cassandra Centre was set up in 2007 after the murder of 19-year-old Cassandra McDermott by her ex-boyfriend. You can read more about the charity on their website here.