A college is celebrating after receiving a donation of 18,000 bricks

West Nottinghamshire College received the donation, which is enough to build two houses, from the national housebuilder and said it would make an “enormous difference.”

Councillor Dale Grounds, Chairman of Ashfield District Council, and Councillor Matthew Relf , Executive Lead Member for Growth, Regeneration and Local Planning, recently joined representatives from Persimmon to welcome the donation.

The donation from the housebuilder’s own in-house brick factory will be used to support the training of learners at the college.

Andrew Cropley, principal and chief executive at West Nottinghamshire College, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Persimmon Homes for this generous donation of 18,000 bricks. Having access to high-quality materials such as these makes an enormous difference to our bricklaying students, giving them the opportunity to develop and practise their skills using the same kinds of materials they will encounter in industry.

“It was also a pleasure to welcome representatives from Persimmon to our Station Park campus and hear more about the company’s approach to apprenticeships and developing its future workforce. What particularly impressed us was the emphasis they place not only on creating apprenticeship opportunities, but on working closely with training providers to ensure apprentices remain supported, engaged and enthusiastic about both their learning and their careers.

“We are therefore very excited about the potential for this relationship to develop further. Creating clear routes from education into high-quality employment is at the heart of what we do, and the prospect of our students being able to progress into apprenticeship opportunities with a major housebuilder such as Persimmon is tremendously positive.

“This generous donation is a wonderful start to what we hope will become a strong and lasting partnership, benefitting our students, the company and the wider construction industry.”

Councillor Dale Grounds said: “It was fantastic to visit West Nottinghamshire College yesterday and see first-hand the impact of Persimmon’s incredible donation of bricks to the College.

“This is about so much more than bricks, it’s an investment in young people, in practical skills and in the future of our construction industry. Having access to real materials gives students the opportunity to learn, practise and develop the skills they need in a real-world environment.

“I want to thank Persimmon for supporting the College and, most importantly, for investing in the next generation. Partnerships like this show what can be achieved when businesses and education work together to create opportunities for local young people.”

Cllr Matthew Relf said: “It is great to see Persimmon Homes supporting West Notts College in this way. Ashfield District Council and partners such as West Notts have been working incredibly hard on transforming local skills facilities and provisions to give local people the best opportunities to find fulfilling and rewarding careers.

“Support like this, from private sector companies like Persimmon Homes, helps supercharge these efforts, not only giving something back to the local community but helping support the next generation of workers for them. It was clear from the feedback from students that this is very much appreciated."

Michael Johnson, Persimmon Homes North East Regional Apprentice Manager, said: “It was a pleasure to visit West Nottinghamshire College to meet staff and pupils.

“We are only too happy to be able to support the college in helping the next generation of construction workers hone their skills as they learn and we hope these materials help do that.”