Students and staff from public uniformed services (PUS) organised a Christmas party for the Great Dawley Town Dinner Club, a social group organised by Great Dawley Town Council for pensioners to socialise and enjoy a meal together.

Second-year PUS students volunteer at the club, every other Friday, as part of their volunteering unit of their programme. They’ve been volunteering at the club since the end of the third lockdown, where they serve lunches, make hot drinks, clean up and help any attendees with mobility issues.

The Christmas party, held at the Orange Tree restaurant on our Wellington campus, featured food prepared by our catering students and served by our PUS group.

Lecturer Craig Stockman said: “We wanted to do something special for the group this Christmas, so we put together a festive lunch.

“Our students had a great time; the group have had really positive feedback from Dawley Town Council, and they’ve said they already want to do it again next year.

“We understand that it’s important to talk to and look after our attendees, because our Friday sessions might be the only opportunity for some of the elderly community to speak to somebody.

“It’s always a really nice experience; the attendees at the club always take great interest in our students and want to know what they’re doing and where they’re going moving forward, career wise.

“Communication is one of the most important skills for our students to develop. If they want to work in the public service sector, they need to be able to talk to people of all age groups.”

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