Students in the Kingsley Care Academy have been presented with £250 bursary cheques to mark the start of their care home work placements.

The 10 students who are undertaking a year-long course in health and social care at East Coast College were praised for the impact they have already made during a ceremony at Kingsley Healthcare's Lowestoft headquarters, Kingsley House.

The youngsters are mixing classroom study with work experience at Lilac Lodge and Kirkley Manor care homes in Lowestoft and Brooke House, near Loddon.

Kingsley Healthcare director Wasantha Darshana, who handed over the cheques, said: 'The feedback we have had from the homes has been very good and everyone has noticed their confidence growing all the time.'

The youngsters, who have also received a laptop, will be presented with a further £250 at a later stage of their course; all successful graduates will be offered a job by Kingsley.

Deborah Yaxley, health and social care placement coordinator at East Coast College, said: 'They all seem to be really enjoying it and they can see the way their studies in health and social care relate to what they are doing in the homes.'

Kingsley training manager Kerry Martin said: 'This is the first intake of our care academy and we are pleased how it is progressing.

'In future years, we hope to forge relationships with colleges in both Dorset and the North-West to extend the reach of the academy to all our homes.'