Creative team at Burton and South Derbyshire College raise funds for the Royal British Legion

A team of staff from the Creative Department at Burton and South Derbyshire College (BSDC) recently used their creative skills to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.

Bill Moorley, Andy Tipper and John Brake collaborated on the project that involved making steel silhouette soldier figures with a red poppy base using a Swifty CNC Plasma Cutter.

After creating an initial batch of 10, the figures went on display as part of an exhibition in the Town Centre Campus reception and Mulberry Bistro, and were then sold for a minimum donation of £7 to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

The figures were so popular with staff, students and Mulberry Bistro customers that an additional 80 orders were created, raising over £700 in total for the charity.

A special large figure was also made by the team to be donated to the Abbots Bromley Royal British Legion by Public Services Lecturer, Rob Stevenson. 

This isn’t the first time the team have used their creative skills for a good cause. Earlier this year, Bill Moorley and Andy Tipper also produced over 2000 face shields in the College’s Sign and Print Academy in partnership with Hardy Signs, which were donated to local care homes, charities and students/staff at the College who were dealing with PPE shortages during the outbreak of the pandemic. 

Bill Moorley, Creative Lecturer at BSDC said: “The popularity of the figures was a pleasant surprise and we’re delighted to have raised so much money for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. The College is always looking for ways we can use our state of the art equipment and technical skills to benefit our local community, and it’s an honour to have been involved in both projects.”