Adorable lambs help students with exam stress at East Sussex College

The idea is to help soothe the students in the run-up to the stressful exam period, and there were smiles all around at the Eastbourne campus on Wednesday (April 24). There were therapy dogs from Raystede and Pets as Therapy as well as lambs, chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits from PetPals Therapy and yoga, mindfulness, and colouring were thrown in the mix. A-level student Amelia Palmer, cuddling up to Lewis the golden retriever, said, "I was having the worst morning and now I have seen dogs and sheep and chickens and my day has just been made." Behind the day was a serious message for young people to look after their mental health. Students were encouraged to use the wellbeing services on campus. Student President Olivia Godden said, "Sometimes students don't know how to balance work, college revision, and other responsibilities they have. It's tough, especially during exam time. People need to put their mental health first. Doing things like breathing exercises and yoga is important, it does make a difference. Exams are getting harder, each year there's higher requirements to get into university. It's important everyone deals with stress."