HSDC is a College that is proud to serve its community through the provision of excellent education across a range of subjects and levels. However, this commitment to the local community doesn’t stop outside of term time.
Whilst most students at HSDC had their textbooks closed for the summer, all three campuses remained vibrant hubs of community activity, opening their doors to hundreds of local residents to a range of events, fundraisers, workshops and programmes. These sessions were all well attended and received, reiterating the College’s role as a centre of both community strength and educational excellence.
To mark the beginning of the new academic year, we’re taking a look back over HSDC’s recent summer of community activities and picking out some real highlights.
CRY Partnership: This summer, HSDC strengthened its longstanding partnership with Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) by facilitating 100 free echocardiogram and electrocardiogram screenings at Havant Campus. These ECG screenings are one of the most effective ways to detect cardiac anomalies including arrhythmias, previous heart attacks and narrow arteries.
All of CRY’s screenings with HSDC are funded by money raised by families who have sadly lost young relatives to sudden cardiac death, with several of the fundraisers being bereaved parents of former HSDC students.
South Central Ambulance Charity Defibrillator Training: Havant Campus also hosted the South Central Ambulance Charity , who visited the College to provide free defibrillator training and awareness courses to members of the HSDC community. This hands-on training was an invaluable way to break down the anxiety that many people feel when assisting someone experiencing cardiac arrest.
South Central Ambulance Charity receives no government funding and is therefore reliant on the generosity of our local communities to fund the equipment used by Community First Responders who volunteer for the ambulance service responding to emergency incidents. Events such as these are very important both in familiarising the public with CPR and in raising funds to support the charity’s volunteer responders.
MPSK8 Partnership: MPSK8 is a Hampshire-based company that specialises in providing roller skate training and events for the local community. HSDC’s partnership with MPSK8 ensures that our students across all three campuses regularly have access to skating sessions and even roller discos!
Over the summer, MPSK8 ran a Skating Camp at Alton College and Havant Campus, allowing members of the local community to show up and learn how to roller skate! These fantastic sessions are a great way for the local community to make use of HSDC’s incredible sports facilities.
Inflataplanet: HSDC often partners with Inflataplanet, a local company that specialises in inflatable activity rental. Fortnightly inflatable sessions are run cross-campus, but the flexibility of summer meant that HSDC was able to host what Inflataplanet has described as their ‘most popular’ event yet!
Over the course of three days, Inflataplanet hosted a massive “Big Bounce Tour” on the grounds of Havant Campus and Alton College, with a range of inflatables including slides, obstacle courses and bouncy castles.
The weather was perfect for the occasion, with thousands of parents and children from Havant, Waterlooville and Alton coming along for three days of sun and fun!
Battle of the Sensei: One of the most impressive and moving community stories from HSDC’s summer comes from South Downs Campus. South Downs Karate Club, led by David Galloway (HSDC’s Head of Teaching, Learning & Quality) hosted a charity karate tournament with the intention of raising funds for Parkinson’s UK.
The target was to raise £1,000 for the charity, but, thanks to the incredible generosity of the local community, participants and supporters, the event smashed this target – raising an absolutely incredible £3,150! This event not only highlighted the martial arts talent on display at South Downs Karate Club, but also showcased the power of HSDC’s community in coming together to support a good cause.
Abi Summers, HSDC’s Community Engagement Manager, is very proud of all the work that the College has done over the summer:
“HSDC is proud to be part of the local community! Outside of our excellent education delivery, we like to open our campus for activities, and are thrilled to have been joined by some truly amazing community groups and charities this summer. We love seeing our students taking a break from their studies, using that time to find their perfect activity. HSDC’s Community Team exists to offer people opportunities for wellbeing, inclusion, and ambition – whether you’re looking to find your ideal activity, or set one up yourself – get in touch with the team and we’d be more than happy to help!”
If you are interested in finding a community activity to enjoy at HSDC, or want to hire out our facilities, please email the Community Engagement Team on: community@hsdc.ac.uk