VALERIE Johnston, commercial manager at Truro Museum, welcomed the delivery of the second batch of fast-selling handcrafted cards by students on the St Kits programme, a community and training enterprise, that is part of the Centre for Foundation Studies at Cornwall College.

The students, who have learning difficulties, are producing high quality products for sale and are encouraged to run their own enterprise. Every aspect of running a business is covered, book-keeping, administration, production, marketing, costing and the acquisition of new retail outlets.

With the help of dedicated staff the St Kits students have managed to secure five different retail outlets locally: Clowance Country Park, Trevaskis Farm Shop, Portreath Newsagents, Hayletowans Holiday Park Shop, and now also Truro Museum.

Valerie Johnson said: "It was lovely to meet the students who are so proud and enthusiastic about their cards, which feature butterflies, seahorses, sun or heart motives. They are lovingly made, and that's obvious. I'm sure they'll enhance the range of cards on offer here and will be really popular!"

Workshop manager at Cornwall College, Liz Abram, pointed out the benefits of the St Kits scheme: "All my students work as part of a team, generating new ideas for new designs and then putting these into practice. It's the icing on the cake for them when they see their product sold in a nice location, such as the Truro Museum. They gain experience of a real working and business environment, which serves as a tremendous boost to their self-esteem."

Janet Broom, a student of the St Kits programme, confirmed her tutor's sentiments: "I have really enjoyed working with the other people on the course, meeting new people and thinking up new designs. Now I can't wait for September to make a start on the Christmas cards!"

Future objectives are new productions, such as porcelain fish cards, and obtaining more shops to sell their products. If you're interested in helping these students, call St Kits on 01209 611611 and ask for extension 3481.