Date to and from: 16th Feb - April 22nd

Details: 

Freepop is a student led upcycling and thrifting initiative running from February to April across all campuses, designed to celebrate second hand style and make circular fashion the norm. Students will collaborate with local organisations, sports clubs, and workplaces to source donated sportswear and work ready clothing that can be redistributed within the college community. Alongside this, students are taking the lead in curating a vibrant fashion show for National Careers Week, showcasing re styled and reimagined outfits to highlight the creativity and opportunities within the circular fashion economy. Freepop aims to challenge outdated stigma around second hand clothing, promote sustainable consumer habits, reduce waste, and inspire students to view clothing as a resource to be reused, repaired, and re loved. We will also support this with Make Mend Do sessions to fix items students already have or that are donated but need some love. This project champions the SDGs by supporting healthy wellbeing and confidence through inclusive access to clothing (SDG 3), reducing fashion related carbon impacts through reuse (SDGs 7, 11, 12 & 13), protecting ecosystems through decreased demand for new textiles (SDGs 14 & 15), and strengthening partnerships between students, community groups, and local organisations (SDG 17).

Date to and from: 10th February to 22nd April (Every Wednesday) 

Details: 

Rides with The Bike Shed is our campus wide active travel project, offering guided cycle rides every Wednesday morning and afternoon from 10th February to 22nd April. Each session welcomes up to eight students or staff to explore local cycle paths, gain confidence navigating roads, learn safe route planning, and even try out e bikes. Led by our experienced Active Travel Guide, these rides are all about building friendships, improving physical and mental wellbeing, and helping participants feel safe and empowered when travelling by bike in and around our campuses. Anyone taking part can also apply for a free bike through the project, enabling them to continue their cycling journey long after the challenge ends. This initiative directly supports better health and wellbeing (SDG 3), promotes clean transport and reduced transport related emissions (SDGs 7, 11 & 13), encourages responsible lifestyles (SDG 12), protects the environment by reducing reliance on cars (SDGs 14 & 15), and strengthens partnerships between students, staff, and community cycling networks (SDG 17).

Challenge 3: Cross Campus Bike Challenge 

Date: 5th March

Details: 

The Campus Bike Challenge brings the energy of cycling indoors, with static bikes set up in every campus reception to engage students who might not join outdoor rides or whose timetables prevent them from accessing The Bike Shed. Running as a friendly competition across all four campuses, a live leaderboard will track collective distance and encourage teamwork, motivation, and campus pride. Sports students will act as on site coaches, gaining valuable experience in client interaction, motivation techniques, and health and safety practices as they support participants throughout the challenge. By making cycling accessible, visible, and fun for all students—regardless of experience—this event promotes physical and mental wellbeing (SDG 3), encourages low carbon active travel habits (SDGs 7, 11 & 13), fosters responsible lifestyle choices (SDG 12), reduces indirect environmental impacts from commuting (SDGs 14 & 15), and strengthens collaboration between departments and student communities (SDG 17).

Date: 13th March 

Details: 

Gateshead Games is an exciting new inclusive, team based sporting event taking place on Friday 13 March at Gateshead Stadium, designed and delivered by Gateshead College students in partnership with the Great Run Company, with JLL generously supporting the project by providing free stadium access. Teams of four will take on a fun HYROX style challenge combining 5K of running—completed individually or “chipper style” as a team—and a series of activity stations, with waves running throughout the day, including special corporate and staff waves in the afternoon. As a flagship student led initiative, Gateshead Games promotes health, resilience, confidence and wellbeing through active participation, while also building employability by strengthening links with employers and giving students hands on experience in event management, coaching, logistics, and community engagement. The event will raise money for charity and contribute valuable logged activity for Planet Earth Games, reinforcing its environmental and social purpose. Gateshead Games supports healthier lives and wellbeing (SDG 3), promotes responsible participation and inclusive access to sport (SDG 12) and models partnership working across education, employers, charity partners and the wider community (SDG 17).

Date: 25th March 

Details

In partnership with the Tyne Derwent Way and the Gateshead Riverside Partnership, we will be taking students on an 18 mile cycling trip along the full length of the Tyne Derwent Way and back, stopping at key community hubs such as the Land of Oak and Iron and visiting a local National Trust site for free. The primary purpose of the day is to capture visual content—using student led filming, photography, social media storytelling, and drone footage—to help the Tyne Derwent Way promote its unique green spaces to the wider public. Along the journey, students will learn about the area’s rich biodiversity, why it matters, and how it can be protected and enhanced. The resources created will also support a community volunteer day in May, helping to deepen engagement and build long term stewardship of these natural spaces. This initiative supports health and wellbeing through active travel (SDG 3), encourages low carbon leisure activities for their families (SDGs 7, 11 & 13), promotes responsible enjoyment of the natural environment (SDG 12), highlights and protects local biodiversity and ecosystems (SDGs 14 & 15), and demonstrates strong partnership working across education, heritage sites, environmental organisations and community hubs (SDG 17).

Date: 27th March

Details: 

Our guided walk and orienteering session, led by our sport students, is designed to help participants develop navigation skills, build confidence in the outdoors and enjoy the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature. Through a mix of guided walking, map reading and small team challenges, students will learn how to navigate safely and independently while also improving their spatial awareness and problem solving skills. Sport students will take the lead in planning and delivering the session, gaining valuable experience in leadership, coaching, communication and health and safety.