Did you spot students and staff at Stockton Riverside College on Channel 5’s reboot of the iconic TV show Challenge Anneka tonight?
Our creative students have been putting their skills to the ultimate test!
Presenter Anneka Rice called on the team to lend a hand with the creation of a cookbook to hand out to the community as part of a large-scale project happening over at health and wellbeing charity, Sprouts.
Not one to turn down a challenge, art and design students and staff here at the college knuckled down to help meet the show’s pressing deadline.
“This was an incredible experience for our creative students, most of whom weren’t even born the first time the show aired,” said college principal Lesley Graham.
“For those of us that did tune in back in the late 80s and early 90s it was very exciting to welcome Anneka, Dave the Soundman and the team to the college, and to see them in action.”
Back for a reboot, the show which first aired in 1989 sees Anneka given a project to carry out that will benefit those in local communities. Hitting the ground running, the presenter must call on businesses and residents from the local area to lend a hand.
The latest episode in the four-part series saw the team arrive in Stockton-on-Tees, where they built a giant food hub, kitchen and café.
Provided with recipes from the Sprouts’ community, Stockton Riverside College’s art and design team created the cookbook, complete with illustrations, ready for it to be whisked off to Quoin Publishing in Middlesbrough for printing.
Art and design course lead Liz Dixon said: “This was a complex challenge for our students who are just starting out in their creative careers, but what an experience.
“It put everything they have learned on the course so far into practice, while at the same time quickly mastering new skills.”
On working with Anneka art and design student Alissa, 20, said: “It was a good practical challenge and fun on the day. It was rewarding to see the finished cookbook and appreciate how much work we had done.”
Classmate Alex, 18, said: “It was quite exciting and a bit scary, but it was an experience that really helped build on our skills. It was nice to know that we were making a difference and doing something positive in the community.”
With the clock ticking, the team managed to get the book to the publisher’s just in time to be printed and ready to hand over.
College principal Lesley said: “It was incredible to play our own part in such an exciting project happening right here in Stockton. The students certainly stepped up to the challenge.”
