02 June 2020
The Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department has worked in partnership with Jersey Post to help students, who study away from the Island, get their belongings back from student accommodation.
Many students left their possessions behind in the UK when they were forced to leave their accommodation abruptly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. CYPES and Jersey Post have been in discussion to resolve the issue and have come up with the following solutions:
- Students can use Parcel Monkey, a company partially owned by Jersey Post, to arrange a UK to Jersey postal service for pre-packed items up to 30kg. Parcel Monkey is offering a discount to students throughout June entitling them to a 25% discount. This means a 30kg package will cost £13.
- To transport larger items, such as furniture, back to the Island, Jersey Post’s Ship2Me service can be used. Run through their subsidiary company Fraser Freight, Ship2Me deliveries can be booked online with the promotional code STUDENT25 to receive a 25% discount. Students will need to arrange delivery of their items to the Ship2Me depot in Portsmouth.
- Students who were unable to pack their belongings before they returned to Jersey, and are now unable to return to the UK, can use the services of White and Company which has branches across the British Isles. Students can arrange directly with White and Company for them to enter their UK accommodation and pack-up their belongings, which will then be shipped all the way to Jersey via their Portsmouth hub.
The Assistant Minister for Education, Deputy Jeremy Maçon, said: “It must be very concerning for students who were forced to leave their possessions behind when they returned to Jersey following the outbreak of Covid-19. I’m delighted that Jersey Post has worked with its partners on a range of options to help students get their belongings home.”
Tim Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Jersey Post Group, added: “We understand the frustration of students not being able to get their belongings back to the Island easily. With many students forced to leave their belongings behind when returning home earlier in the year, we are pleased that, through our extended network partners Parcel Monkey and Fraser Freight, we are able to offer delivery options at affordable discounted rates throughout June.”
The outbreak has also led to concern among higher education students about issues such as the payment of maintenance grants. CYPES has compiled a
series of questions and answers to help students and families as well as to signpost them to the support available at this time.