Portland College, Mansfield is set in the heart of the stunning Sherwood Forest.
Portland College was originally Founded in 1949 by the Duchess of Portland. Following her work undertaken with establishing Harlow Wood Orthopaedic Hospital in 1929 for injured & recovering veterans & miners; the original focus was to create an environment whereby injured men could retrain & have skills to enable them to re-join the world of work.
With the 1944 Disabled Persons (Employment) Act being established & with a gift of land from the Duke of Portland; Portland College was born.
Portland College is now one of the leading colleges in the UK catering for the needs of a wide range of disabilities. The colleges focuses on enabling young people, through a rich & diverse curriculum, to access education, independent living & employability skills. In addition, the college also supports employers identifying alternative employment pathways & the benefits of employing someone with a disability or additional needs.
One of the ways in which Portland College support activity lead independence, is through their newly opened Woodland Adventure Zone.
The new Adventure area is a fully inclusive area for all ages & abilities & has full wheelchair access. From the 9 metre zip wire, to bush crafts or the impressive 7 metre climbing wall; Portland College has the facilities to create a fully inclusive experience for all.
This last Sunday, 1st December, Portland College held it’s annual Christmas Fair & Helena Parrott – Director of Virtually Smart Ltd spent her day volunteering. Helena’s Husband Phil, is one of the climbing instructors at Portland College.
This is what Helena has to say about her volunteering experience at Portland College.
“What a fantastic day Sunday was! The Christmas Fair at Portland College was wonderful & such fun for everyone who attended. From the very impressive Christmas Market, where many wonderful gifts were available to purchase, to live music, Santa’s Grotto, festive food & drink & even a performance from some Disney Princesses; the entire day was a true celebration of festive cheer.
When I arrived I helped the College team to put up signage & set up the event. I was also tasked with taking photo’s of the event for the college to use on it’s social media & website.
My main duties for the day were to run the booking desk for taster sessions on the climbing wall in the Woodland Adventure Zone. We spent the morning engaging with attendees to drum up interest, giving out flyers & letting everyone know about the taster sessions. Once people began arriving at our desk, we helped them complete the necessary paperwork & then they had a brief introduction & safety talk by the amazing climbing team.
There was a great uptake with about 12 people having a go at either climbing or abseiling. The response was amazing, everyone who climbed or abseiled came back with huge smiles on their faces, with promises of return visits & many of them saying they would most definitely be telling their friends.
What an incredible day & such a marvellous way for so very many people to enjoy a fantastic festive experience, whilst also engaging with the great work the college undertakes. The staff & students are all so very very welcoming & the college facilities are simply wonderful. I felt so lucky to be part of the day & look forward to supporting Portland College in the future” Helena Parrott – Director of Virtually Smart Ltd
Written by Katy Jane for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
