PUDSEY AHOY!!!

Pirates and Pudsey Bear were the fancy dress themes for one of the many groups of students from faculties across Exeter College raising money for Children In Need today.
Three classes of BTEC Level 2 Health And Social Care students – around 50 in total – were among those touring the College campuses and city centre with collection buckets, many of them in T-shirts they had spent hours designing especially for the occasion.
Lucy Northcote, aged 16, of Crediton, had decided to turn herself into a Pirate Pudsey for the day and said of her costume: “My mum bought the pirate’s patch, I bought the waistcoat, I have borrowed the Pudsey Bear from my little brother James, and the neckerchief is actually one of my Grandad Norman’s handkerchiefs.”
“Raising money for Children in Need is really important because of the children it will help,” she continued. “At the same time, it’s good fun.”
Melissa Marks, aged 18, of Exmouth, added: “I watched Children In Need on television last year. It was sad in parts and I got quite emotional when I saw some of the footage of the children who need help. But at the same time they always make sure the day is a lot of fun.
“It’s good to know that I’ll be helping some children like them with the money raised today. I’ve never done this before, so it’s all very exciting. We are going to raise as much money as possible and we are going to ask everybody we see.”
Dressed head-to-toe in pirate attire, Heather Saunders, aged 16, of Feniton, continued: “I watch Children In Need every year on the television and I love it. You get to see all the different pop stars and actors performing for charity. It’s nice to think that all those famous people are really wanting to help raise money for children who need it too.
“Today, we’re all going to go around town looking like Pirates and Pudseys and we are going to raise as much money as possible. I’m really looking forward to it – it’s not every day you get to dress as a pirate!”
Lauren Fox, aged 16, of Bovey Tracey, had opted to dress as Pudsey Bear. Adding the finishing touches to her bright yellow face paint, she said: “It’s such an important day every year, because by helping Children In Need you are helping children who have all sorts of problems. It makes me feel good to know that I’m helping by doing this, particularly as some of the children are my own age.”
Health And Social Care tutor Helen Brant was delighted with her students’ enthusiasm. She said: “Today, as part of their coursework, they are learning the skills of planning and preparation and teamwork that they will need when they go into their chosen careers. They are also learning more about both themselves and others through.
“In addition to enjoying and achieving, they are making a very positive contribution to the wider community, and my colleagues and I are very proud of how much effort they have gone to to make this day a success.”
Among the many other students studying on courses across the College hoping to raise as much money as possible for the famous children’s charity were those currently taking their Level 1 NVQs in Hair and Beauty and Catering at the College.
They had made their own cakes and Pudsey Bear cookies and were selling them to customers from a number of cake stalls dotted around the campus all day.
Laura Dellar, aged 18, of Exeter, was manning one of them along with Abi Freeman, aged 16, of Exeter, and Karla Ward, also aged 16 and from Exeter.
She said: “I think it’s good because we have all worked together preparing for today, making the cakes and getting things ready. It is great being able to dress up and have fun knowing that all the money you are raising is for a really good cause.”