Coventry students hoping to raise funds for local hospitals by launching health awareness campaigns

A group of health students in Coventry have launched awareness campaigns in a bid to tackle important health issues while raising funds for a major local charity.

More than 30 Access to Higher Education students at Coventry College have teamed up to raise awareness around the country’s biggest health issues such as diabetes, mental health and breast cancer in support of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW).

The Level 3 Health Professionals students, who are delivering the campaigns in small groups as part of their final assessment, are hoping to raise funds for UHCW while raising awareness of their chosen topic among fellow students when they share their campaigns on campus on Tuesday, May 24, and Friday, May 27.

The campaigns will also address sexual health, healthy eating, the dangers of smoking, information about cervical screenings, and the importance of regular exercise.

The one-year course is designed to give students a pathway to study a variety of different health-related subjects including mental health nursing, midwifery, and paramedic science by providing the equivalent of three A-Levels through a combination of classroom and independent study.

Idrees Rasheed, Social Science Lecturer at Coventry College, said: “We cover a huge amount of content with our Access to HE students in the year they are with us, and it’s great that the students can have this opportunity to share their work and enthusiasm for their subject with the rest of the college, all while raising funds for UHCW.

“This sort of project work with their peers prepares them for similar ways of working at university which is not always available at sixth form, and we see it as a vital part of their study.

“We aim to run these campaigns every year, though it’s been difficult to do so in person in the last two years because of Covid-19, so it will be great to get back out there.

“We can see from their work across the year how much independence and self-motivation Access to HE courses can foster in our students and we can’t wait to share this year’s student campaigns with the rest of the college.”

For more information about Coventry College’s Access Healthcare courses, visit www.coventrycollege.ac.uk/courses/level-3-access-to-higher-education-health-professionals