College of Further Education students James Piprell and Heidi Belshaw with programme manager for hospitality and catering Steve Bacon, far right, and Chris Blin of Cater Quest, which among other organisations has offered to help budding chefs enter a seafood competition in the UK. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0799626)

COLLEGE OF FURTHER EDUCATION students’ dreams of competing in the UK’s biggest seafood competition have been restored.

The catering course received several generous offers of sponsorship after the Guernsey Press reported that students would not be able to compete in next year’s seafood championship in Grimsby because of a lack of cash.

Programme manager for hospitality and catering Steve Bacon had several phone calls from companies and individuals offering help.

Sandpiper chief executive Tony O’Neill offered to pay for the cost of the competition by donating £1,000.

He also said the students would be able to fund-raise in the company’s stores.

‘I saw the story and wanted to help. It seemed such a shame that such talented students wouldn’t be able to enter this prestigious competition – they don’t just represent the college, they represent Guernsey.

‘Sandpiper are a large firm and we see it as our role to help where we can with community projects,’ he said.

This year Heidi Belshaw and James Piprell, both 18-year-old full-time students on the NVQ level-two professional cookery course, came fourth in the competition.

Students from the college have reached the final for the past five years and in their first year of entering won it outright.