Opt-In Lanyard Scheme for Students and Staff at SERC

The Students’ Union team at South Eastern Regional College have organised an opt-in lanyard scheme to relieve some of the anxiety around wearing face masks for both students and staff the College. 

The College is thankful to all students and staff for supporting safety measures in the College regarding covid-19 and that includes wearing of face masks which  is mandatory in certain places like shops or on public transport and within all SERC public places such as corridors and stairwells to help control the spread of the virus. 

Catherine Shipman, Student Engagement Manager, said, “Masks are not straightforward for everyone. Some people are exempt from wearing facemasks and we ask everyone to please be patient and understanding. Some people may find covering their face very difficult, or even impossible to cope with, and for anyone with existing mental health problems, impairment, or a disability, it can be especially challenging.     

She added, “With this in mind, SERC’s Students’ Union led the initiative for a College-wide opt-in lanyard scheme to help identify students and staff who are exempt from wearing a face mask and, hopefully, help relieve some of the anxiety many of us are experiencing during these unprecedented times. 

She concluded, “The team chose the colour grey for the lanyards so they would be more subtle, but students and staff know what it means for the wearer here in SERC.”  

Anyone in SERC who wishes to make use of the lanyard scheme should contact the SU team:   

Lisburn Campus – Catherine Shipman – cshipman@serc.ac.uk  

Downpatrick or Newcastle Campus - Anna Leahy – aleahy@serc.ac.uk  

Bangor, Newtownards or Holywood Campus – Ross Currie – rcurrie@serc.ac.uk    

Caption: The Students’ Union team at South Eastern Regional College have organised have led an initiative for a College-wide opt-in lanyard scheme to help identify students and staff who are exempt from wearing a face mask and, hopefully, help relieve some of the anxiety around wearing face masks for both students and staff the College. Helping promote the scheme are (l-r) Level 3 Professional Cookery students Brandon Devlin (Bangor), Joe Ellesmere (Ballywalter) with Hospitality and Catering Lecturer, Heather Dunn.