RNN’s 5 tips to make 2025 your year
After a restful few weeks off college, January is a great time to get back into a routine and refocus on your health, wellbeing and goals for the year ahead.
That being said, we can all be guilty of losing those good intentions soon after we set them.
If you need some extra help to build better habits, make small changes to your lifestyle, and stay motivated, we can help.
Five ways our College facilities can help you lead a healthier, happier life in 2025:
1. Get active or try a new sport at DVC Sport
Everyone could benefit from more physical activity. Not only is it good for your physical health, exercise boosts the ‘happy chemicals’ in the brain, AKA endorphins, which ultimately improve your mood.
If one of your goals is to move more in 2025, why not join our College gym?
At Dearne Valley College, we have our own sports facility, DVC Sports, which is open seven days a week for both RNN learners and the general public.
There is the Fitness63 gym with 70 stations, featuring high quality cardio machines and free weight areas. The gym team also run various classes throughout the week, from circuits and HIIT classes to spin sessions and yoga or Pilates.
We have student membership options from just £12 a month, and £17.99 a month for non-students.
There are also excellent multi-use sports pitches and indoor courts that can be hired for football, netball, basketball, and badminton.
Students at our North Notts Campus also have access to a free on-site fitness suite that’s open two lunchtimes a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 12pm and 1pm.
Find out more about joining DVC Sports here.
2. Make time for ‘me time’ at our College salons
Taking time to yourself is vital for your mental health to ensure that you don’t feel stressed or run down. And we think one of the best ways to relax and recuperate is by letting someone else take care of you!
In 2025, why not make a pledge to add a hair or beauty treatment into your monthly schedule?
Think that sounds like an expensive resolution to make? You could save a pretty penny with the help of our three College salons.
Our hair and beauty academies offer all your favourite treatments at affordable prices.
Whether you want to improve your skin with a Dermalogica facial, look after your nails with a gel mani or a full set of extensions, enjoy a relaxing massage or holistic treatment, or have a change of hairstyle with a cut and colour, our College salons are there for you.
All three salons, including our brand-new salon at our North Notts Campus, offer a range of hairdressing and beauty treatments using industry-leading brands and products. These are done by our hair and beauty learners under the watchful eye of our experienced teaching staff.
The College salons are open to RNN learners and the public during term time. Each salon has their own individual treatment range and price list.
Find out more about our salons here.
3. Join a hobby group or society at college
Challenge yourself to learn new skills, meet new people and step outside your comfort zone in 2025 by taking part in an enrichment programme at college.
Not only are they fun, but joining a society or hobby group can improve your self-confidence and introduce you to other students who share the same interests
There are so many enrichment opportunities at each of our College campuses, including anime, films, LGBTQ+, and sports clubs. You could also join the student union and student leadership team.
Are you creative? You might like the arts and crafts or film clubs. Love music, singing and dancing? We have clubs for musicians, a karaoke club at Dearne Valley, and even a Just Dance class at Rotherham campus.
Into gaming? There are lunchtime games sessions, an esports team and club, and an online Dungeons and Dragons society.
Having driving lessons? Did you know each campus has a driving theory group for you to brush up on your knowledge of the Highway Code.
Find out what activities and clubs are available on campus.
Learning a new skill is always an impressive resolution, especially if it’s a skill that will benefit you in the future. Did you know you could join our new Skills for Employment programme in 2025? The programme focuses on ten power skills that employers are looking for, such as leadership, resilience and time management. On completion, you’ll receive certification to show your future employers.
4. Look after your mental wellbeing with help from our student support teams
From unhealthy habits to the pressure to achieve good grades, the struggle can be real for college students.
But it can also be hard to recognise or admit that we’re not feeling 100% and need some support to overcome any issues we’re facing.
Try practicing ways of reducing stress. Take some time each week to unwind and reflect on how you’re doing. Have there been any recent changes that may cause stress, depression, or anxiety? And remember to be patient with yourself when you’re not feeling your best.
You can also access free, confidential help from your campus’s mental health service if you feel you need it. Each college campus has its own student support team which offers support with counselling, mentoring and safeguarding.
5. Be a more sustainable student
The global temperature is expected to average out at 1.4 °C in 2025, making it one of the top three warmest years on record. Taking care of our environment is more important than ever as climate change continues to get worse.
Sustainability continues to be one of our main focuses at RNN Group in 2025. We’ve already changed the way we heat and power our buildings, and the way we run our business, to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and to make our campuses a home for nature.
We have a number of solar panels, solar heaters and wind turbines as well as a ground source heat pump at one college to produce clean energy. We capture rainwater for use, have moved to LED lights, and reduced our reliance on paper.
But you too can play your part in reducing your own carbon footprint by making small changes. That might be donating your old unworn clothes to charity or shopping at charity shops or sites like Vinted instead of buying new. We also host regular clothing recycling events on campus.
January is Veganuary, where we’re encouraged to reduce our meat consumption. Animal products are said to exacerbate climate change and drive wild animal populations to extinction. If going fully plant-based is too much of a big change, you could try incorporating two vegan meals into your diet each week.