Queen Alexandra College students invite businesses to a coffee morning with a difference!

Twelve representatives from Ricoh Europe, Crown Paint, MSV Consultancy and Asda all attended the Queen Alexandra College in Harborne, Birmingham on 24 April to take part in a SporTea Session. The SporTea Session started with an hour of different sports in the college sports hall, all led by students who are studying various sports and coaching qualifications.

Activities included wheelchair volleyball, badminton and a game designed by one of the students which involves trying to score a goal against your opponent with both opponents being masked with a ball containing a bell challenging the player to use different senses and learn new skills. The second part of the event was a much welcomed afternoon tea run by the college’s hospitality students who put the whole thing together from planning the food to setting up the room, making the sandwiches, tea and coffee and serving.

As well as the event being a great opportunity for businesses to gain a greater understanding of the work of the charity, it also supported the students’ learning, offering them the experience of running an event and leading groups of people through sporting activities and offering hands on experience in a real hospitality setting. 

One of the guests, Vanessa Anness from Ricoh Europe commented “SporTea gave us a chance to meet and learn new skills and perspectives from the students through sports we’ve never participated in, using new tools like wheelchairs, and changing how we interact with our surroundings by being blindfolded and throwing a ball at each other! The afternoon tea was the perfect end, with a selection of delicious sandwiches and hot drinks, served with such a warm welcome. The students brought such passion, energy, and enthusiasm to each of the sports and the tea service that we were all smiling from start to finish and the time flew by, and I was sorry to leave. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the students and staff that made the event possible, and I hope I get the chance to do it again.”

To learn more about our work visit https://www.qac.ac.uk/support-us.htm  and if you're a local business interested in attending a similar event in the future we'd love to hear from you.

QAC is a registered charity that runs a college, supported living and community services for young adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.