News

Last Thursday we ran our first ever Future Chefs Competition with Sodexo! A representative from Springboard as well as the HIT academy were also in attendance. Students from each residential house put themselves forward and then worked together to

Foxes Community Kitchen has been up and running for just over a year now. It has been a fantastic initiative set up by our students and Williton Parish Council to help the community with getting people back out into a social environment where they can enjoy an affordable lunch at Williton Pavillion, socialise with others and support our students with their work skills. Watch our video to see what we get up to on a day at the Foxes Community Kitchen!

James Martin, Oscar-winning star of 'An Irish Goodbye' has made a video message for students at Aurora Foxes, a specialist catering college and training hotel for young people with learning disabilities.

In response to the fantastic news about Northern Irish film 'An Irish Goodbye' receiving an Oscar nomination for the Best Short Film, students at Aurora Foxes have made their own short film, congratulating James Martin - the star himself!

Aurora Foxes has launched The Flying Fox food truck on the Minehead Promenade outside the Foxes Hotel. The truck gives Foxes' students the opportunity to cater for a variety of events, from food fairs to music festivals, boosting their skills and confidence while preparing them for employment in the hospitality industry.

Principal Emma Cobley MBE said the experience will "give our students the skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully shape their own futures." 

The Flying Fox will welcome customers on the promenade three days a week throughout the summer term, serving a selection of paninis and rice boxes. Students will be running the truck, learning outdoor service skills including food preparation, hygiene and storage.

Students named the Flying Fox truck after the Flying Fox café, which was put in place during lockdowns, with menu ideas created by Foxes students, hotel chefs and Stuart Duff, Corporate Chef for the UK and Ireland, Hilton. The truck is funded by a £30,000 grant from the Hilton Global Foundation. Hilton has been a partner of Aurora Foxes since 2015 and has provided work placements for over 30 Foxes' students. They are set to offer a further number of placements later this year. Currently, seven Aurora Foxes graduates are employed in six of Hilton's hotels. 

Over the years Foxes Academy has transformed many lives through hospitality and catering training for young people with learning disabilities, leading to sustainable employment. Now in the face of COVID-19 the Hotel, formerly open to the public, has had to close. But this isn’t the end of the Foxes story. The staff and students are adapting to new ways of working as the situation evolves.