A delegation of 40 teenagers from North Herts College’s Hitchin campus travelled to Spinello, near Bologna, through their BTEC Sport Level 2 and Level 3 course to learn about fitness, food preparation and nutrition – and even raised money for charity into the process.

A delegation of 40 teenagers from North Herts College’s Hitchin campus travelled to Spinello, near Bologna, through their BTEC Sport Level 2 and Level 3 course to learn about fitness, food preparation and nutrition – and even raised money for charity into the process.

The students, aged 16 and 17, were even taught the right foods to eat by Claudio Silvestri, the chef who fed the Italian national football team during last year’s World Cup in Brazil.

Sports lecturer and former Stevenage footballer Darran Hay, who led the party, said: “It was a unique experience for our pupils who learned so much in terms of what constitutes a good diet and healthy eating.

“It was great they also got to learn from Claudio.

“They were taught to prepare traditional Italian meals which many of them would simply not have been able to prepare at home.

“They were even taught how to slice up vegetables correctly and make simple but healthy pasta dishes.

“The feedback we had from everyone in Italy was very positive.

“Many of our youngsters told me they had a great time, but more importantly it was an excellent opportunity for them to learn so much from sampling another culture – which will help them with their course, too.

“We even raised 285 euros for our hosts to put to local good causes through various fundraising activities.

“I am very proud of our pupils, they were a credit to themselves and to North Herts College.”