Timber from East Riding College’s former Beverley campus has been transformed into bird boxes by enterprising students.
The group of learners on the Level One Diploma in Construction Skills took fence panels from the old Gallows Lane site to provide materials for the project.
Along with kitchen remnants donated by manufacturer Magnet, they were transformed into bird feeders, nest boxes and bug houses at the College’s construction workshops in Priory Road, close to the new main campus in Armstrong Way.
During a busy sale afternoon at the campus, members of the public placed £300 of orders, with some even enquiring about a similar sale next spring.
Tutor Dave Symonds said: “The students have done a great job in turning these materials into bird feeders, nest boxes and bug houses, especially as their key skills are in brickwork and plastering, not joinery.
“They chose to make these items because Spring Watch is televised around this time of year and most people have an interest in British wildlife – even if you have only a small yard you can still enjoy and participate in nurturing birds and insects.
“It was good to be able to make use of materials from our old campus and also thank you to Magnet for their generous donation.”
Student Thomas Lamb: “This gave me really good experience of dealing with the public and helped with my communication skills.
“It also taught me about important issues for self-employed builders, such as profit margins and the cost of time and materials.”
All full-time students at East Riding College take part in an “enterprise project” which aims to develop their entrepreneurial skills in preparation of the world of work.
They are challenged to come up with a proposal using skills they have developed on their course, with the intention of turning a profit.
