Baking skills for life!

This year I was fortunate enough to make it in to the Great North Run through the general ballot and whilst I run and compete regularly, the distance is still a challenge. Despite this, I wanted to make the most of the opportunity to do something for a local cause and run for Ashgate Croft School, raising money for the Baking Skills for Life initiative.

My little brother has severe mental disabilities and attends the brilliantly vibrant school - Ashgate Croft - whose curriculum works to enable disabled children to become as independent as possible for when they enter the big wide world. Carlos has come on leaps and bounds in the 7 years he has been here, far exceeding what any of us thought possible.

The School are fundraising to refurbish the Food Technology room. This is used by all pupils to help understand the food cycle, allowing them to use the home grown crops from the poly tunnel and help them prepare and create meals, ensuring they are building those skills for life. As with any other person in the world, one of the essential life skills is to ensure you can provide for yourself, which includes fuelling your body. The pupils learn to prepare, cook, serve and share meals with colleagues and staff, which also allows them to touch on the social aspect of eating with friends and family.

Unfortunately the room itself has previously not been designed to accommodate all pupils with special needs. The current layout is not wheelchair friendly and does not promote the sharing aspect required while preparing food with staff and colleagues. The space could be utilised better to provide shared, rise and fall worktops, also having adequate space to allow ease of moving around a kitchen area making it safer and easier to teach and cook.

Many children require wheelchair or one-to-one support so please, donate generously to help make it a safer, easier environment.

Thank you.

http://ashgatecroft.derbyshire.sch.uk/information/fundraising.php