Freshers’ Fayres may now seem a distant memory, but excitement continues at Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC) as students attune to the vibrant college experience BTC offers.

While the fayres – held across Bridgwater, Taunton and Cannington campuses – marked the start of the academic year, students have now settled into their courses, also making the time to explore a wide range of clubs, societies and support services designed to enrich their time at college.

Bethan Foweraker, Director of Student Experience, said,

It has been brilliant to meet so many of our students over the past few weeks. Freshers’ Fayres have given students an opportunity to see just what wider support and enrichment is available to them, both in external communities and right here at the College.

During their first few weeks, students were introduced to a plethora of services, including:

• BTC Student Support: providing essential academic and personal guidance to ensure students are thriving.
• Swish Services: offering confidential sexual health advice and resources, empowering students to make informed choices.
• Integrated Care Board (ICB): connecting students with local healthcare services, promoting physical and mental wellbeing.
• Somerset Domestic Abuse Services: raising awareness about domestic abuse and providing crucial support to those affected.
• In Charley’s Memory: providing 1:1 and group support for anyone over the age of 11.
• 2BU: offering support services for LGBTQ+ young people in Somerset.
• Hollie Gazzard Trust: empowering students to stay safe by providing personal safety resources and information, including a mobile app.
• Somerset Road Safety: educating students on road safety awareness, promoting responsible driving and pedestrian habits.
• Allstars Sports Bowl: providing a fun social space for students to connect with their peers.
• Good News for Everyone: providing spiritual support and guidance to students of all faiths and backgrounds.
• Citizens Advice: offering free and confidential advice on a range of issues, including housing, finance and legal matters.
• Somerset Drug and Alcohol Services (SDAS): promoting healthy choices with support and education around substance use.
• Safe Link: providing sexual health services and information, ensuring students have access to confidential support.
• Ellisons’ School of Motoring: helping students gain driving independence, opening up new opportunities for work and leisure.
• University of Bristol: providing information about research opportunities and promoting healthy sleep habits.
• Young Carers: offering support and resources to students with caring responsibilities, ensuring they can balance their studies and personal commitments.
• Young Somerset: providing a range of services to young people, including mental health support, housing advice and employability skills.
• University Centre Somerset (UCS): inspiring future career paths through empowering learners with degree level qualifications in Somerset.

By providing access to such a diverse range of services and opportunities, BTC is committed to foster a supportive and enriching environment where every student can thrive.

Bethan continued,

These first few weeks have also given our students the opportunity to sign up for our Academies and enrichment offerings, such as Team BTC and the Students’ Union. A personal highlight for me was our FE President, Sarah Shaw, being able to meet with the National Union of Students and the National Vice President for FE, Qasim Hussain.

BTC is proud to offer a diverse range of Academies, enrichment opportunities, and clubs for students to join during their time at College. If you haven’t yet signed up, don’t worry – there’s still time! Sign up here. Our Academies include:

• 999 Academy: If you dream of pursuing criminals, triaging medical emergencies or rescuing people from smoke-filled buildings, this is the academy for you.
• Combined Cadet Force (CCF): Becoming a cadet within the CCF can be a life-changing experience. Being a cadet will give you the opportunity to take part in a huge range of exciting and adventurous, military-themed activities.
• eSports Academy: eSports is open to all BTC students, and is a hugely popular recreational activity that also offers many job and career opportunities around the world.
• Dance Academy: Find out first-hand what it’s like to be a professional dancer working in a dance troupe. Technique classes help strengthen your performance and your choreography skills are improved through creating innovative performance pieces.
• Honours Academy: If you’re a high-flying academic or vocational student who is ambitious, motivated and hardworking, this Academy is designed to stretch and challenge you through additional tuition and coaching.
• Music Academy: This Academy offers you the chance to get involved with exciting modern music projects, regardless of your main course. The focus is working alongside other students and staff helping to run the College record labels.
• Photography Academy: Develop and expand your photographic skills in our professional studio. Create personal projects through which you can learn professional and experimental techniques with the camera.
• Show Choir: Show Choir gives all talented singers in the College a chance to develop their musicianship and performance skills. The auditions are open to all. If you love to sing solo and perform intricate harmonies along with choreography, Show Choir is for you.
• Student Digital Ambassador Academy: Employers have expressed that candidates often don’t know how to articulate the digital skills they possess, so we designed the SDA programme to enable evidencing of awareness/attainment through certificates and digital badges.
• The Students’ Union: Run by an elected committee who organise exciting social and fundraising events as well as making sure learners have a voice and that it is heard, the Students’ Union encourages all students to participate in these activities and raises money every year for local and international charities.
• Team BTC: Team BTC is our over-arching term for our Sports Academy. It is open to all students, regardless of your chosen course or campus. Whether you are an elite sporting performer, or just like to participate to stay mentally and physically healthy, you can do so alongside your academic ambitions as part of our TASS-accredited dual-career athlete support programme.

With a plethora of extra-curricular options to choose from, BTC demonstrates a pastoral approach to further your knowledge, skills and abilities – while also looking fantastic on your future CV. Find out more about each Academy here.

Reflecting on the Freshers’ Fayre at Taunton, John Jenkins, UCS Students’ Union President, said,

The Freshers’ Fayres are a great way for students to settle in and learn about the different building blocks that make-up UCS and BTC.

Sarah Shaw, BTC Students’ Union President, commented,

I loved being at Freshers’ and getting to meet new friendly faces. It was so lovely chatting to other students, finding out their opinions on our Students’ Union, and how we can best support their social time and studies.

I enjoyed learning about all the diverse courses, social activities and hobbies that people do, and how they can be integrated into clubs and the Union. I hope to see some of them at an event soon, or even better – as a part of the Students’ Union!

Find a selection of photography from students’ first weeks at College below:

For more information on future events and BTC’s multitude of educational offerings and enrichment opportunities, please visit www.btc.ac.uk or get in touch with the Information & Advice team by emailing info@btc.ac.uk.