Student Music/ I’m in a job I love

Big-hearted students put on a music concert to raise funds and donated presents to bring some festive cheer to disadvantaged children this Christmas.

Students at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) organised the show to support The TOY Project and encouraged staff and students to donate toys.

The TOY Project recycles unwanted toys for children in the UK, India, Africa and the Caribbean, and also runs Lego, art and storytelling workshops.

The Islington-based charity was co-founded by Angela Malloch, the wife of former Neighbours star and 1980s pop icon Jason Donovan who is the charity’s patron.

Most of the songs were performed by students completing Music Performance and Production Diplomas at Level 1 and Level 2 at the college’s Tottenham Centre.

Lheyla Esono Engo, 18, and Emil Vasilev, 20, sang a duet of James Smith’s Tell Me That You Love Me, and Sarah Delobette, 19, performed Jess Glynne’s cover of seasonal soul classic This Christmas.

There was also a DJ set by Ramon Pazos, 47, a poem read by Hairdressing student Blessing Anyaegbunam, 28, and a performance by guest singer Maalik Robinson. There were also performances by Isabel Palma Gomes, 17, and Cathleen Farrell, 38, which included the Christmas carol O Holy Night.

Cathleen said: “Children all around the world are directly affected by social and economic issues and circumstances that bring about poverty. Sadly, many experience a Christmas each year without the gifts and toys that bring us all joy in the festive season. “We hope that by putting on this concert and making donations to The TOY Project many of them will have a happier Christmas.”

The concert’s finale featured all the singers performing Puerto Rican singer José Feliciano’s 1970 festive hit Feliz Navidad.

The TOY Project helps children in schools, nurseries, hospitals and hospices, those in care or with complex needs, migrants and refugees as well as homeless and other underprivileged families. Jane Garfield, who founded the charity with Angela in 2013, said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in this fabulous concert raising funds and donating toys to those most in need this Christmas.

“After such difficult times more families than ever are struggling to provide for their children, and being able to give toys to the children lifts the worry and stress over the festive period.

“We are so grateful to have been part of your celebration of music and wish everyone a very merry Christmas.”

Sharon Wallace, Curriculum Manager for Creative Media and Music, said: “It was wonderful seeing and hearing our talented students perform for such a good cause to make Christmas that extra bit special for so many children.”

Apply now for Music Production and Performance courses at CONEL.

STUDENTS’ MUSIC SHOW BRINGS FESTIVE CHEER AND PRESENTS TO DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN

‘I’M IN A JOB I LOVE’ – FORMER TRAVEL AND TOURISM STUDENT’S CAREER TAKES OFF WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS

Richard Coelho-McErlean, 24, studied a Travel and Tourism diploma at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) in 2014-16 before landing a job with the country’s flagship airline. While at college he flew to France after winning a competition run by Global Travel and Tourism Partnership (GTTP), a charity which helps young people get skills and experience to work in the sector.

Richard, who lives in Enfield, said: “I’d always felt I wanted to work for an airline cabin crew from the moment I left school, even though I had never flown in my life at that point.

“I won a creative writing competition with another student at college about sustainable adventure tourism and they flew us to Nice. That flight really sealed the deal for me. I thought this is what I want to do and I’m not going to let anything stand in my way.”

Richard works for BA CityFlyer, a subsidiary of British Airways operating domestic and European flights from London City Airport, although he sometimes flies from other airports. He said: “I applied on a whim thinking I probably wasn’t going to get it, but three months later I was employed. Most of the time I will do day trips, out in the morning and coming back in the evening, but I do get a few stay overs in some countries.”

Richard, who is originally from Glasgow, moved to Enfield when he was seven. After leaving school he studied an air cabin crew course at another college before completing his diploma at CONEL.

Richard started at British Airways in March 2020 but was placed on furlough a week into his training because of COVID and did not fly with the airline until June this year. The training consisted of a six-week intensive course with exams followed by five familiarisation flights shadowing cabin crew.

“During training you get taught about the worst possible things that could happen, you get trained to help a person having a cardiac arrest or how to manage a fire or decompression in the cabin. I’d worked in customer service roles and dealt with stressful situations, so it came quite naturally to me,” said Richard.

Richard will usually make up to four short domestic flights a day but has had the opportunity to stop over on longer journeys to destinations across Europe.

He said: “It doesn’t feel like a job, it feels like a lifestyle. You’ve got the perks of travelling to places for free and meeting new people every day. Every flight I’ve had so far has had different crew members, which has given me new perspectives on how they work, so every day I’m perfecting myself and learning new things.”

Richard hopes to eventually become an onboard Customer Service Manager, but for the time-being he is happy in his current role.

He said: “I don’t want to be promoted too quickly because I want to enjoy it. I feel I’m in a good place. I’m in a job I love and want to take my time with it. Who knows what may happen in the future? I’m a ‘go with the flow’ type of person.”

Richard has fond memories of his time at CONEL and recently returned to the college to share his experiences of working in the industry with the college’s current Travel and Tourism students.