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Community Welcomed for Christmas Dinner on Campus

Culinary Arts students in whites and aprons in SERC's College Kitchen

South Eastern Regional College (SERC) welcomed 150 people to the College’s Bangor Campus on Thursday 12 December to enjoy a community Christmas dinner and festive treats.  

The guests, referred by Bangor Foodbank and Community Support (BFCS), gathered to enjoy a three-course traditional Christmas dinner, prepared, cooked and served by hospitality and culinary arts students from Level 2 Traineeship Professional Chef; Level 2 Traineeship Bakery; Level Traineeship Hospitality & Tourism Team Member; and Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Hospitality with Events, alongside SERC staff and volunteers. Guests enjoyed a vegetable broth starter, followed by turkey and ham with all the trimmings, with apple pie for dessert and finished with mince pies, shortbread, tea, and coffee.  

The hospitality and culinary arts students also prepared100 frozen meals for the Foodbank, which BFCS will distribute to people who would otherwise not have anything to eat on Christmas day or in the hard few weeks following Christmas.   

  

Paul Mercer, Principal Lecturer, Hospitality, Management and Catering at SERC, said, “The community Christmas dinner was a win for everyone involved. Our students consolidated their learning and gained experience in hosting large-scale events – essential for progressing to further studies and employment – and local people were able to enjoy a lovely meal and a party.

“This project is part of continuing collaboration with BFCS to tackle food poverty in our local areas and the fourth community Christmas dinner SERC has hosted with them.” 

Ken Scott, Project Manager at BFCS, added, “Since we established the Bangor Foodbank over eleven years ago, we have given hundreds of thousands of meals and food parcels, and we recognise that at this time of year many people in our area may also be in need of company and community.  Teaming with SERC to host a festive get-together with food and fun means we can help people who may be feeling isolated to participate in Christmas celebrations. The students at SERC pulled out all the stops to provide a special meal which was perfectly presented and served, to the delight of everyone who came along.”


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