This Thursday (1st of May) was a night for celebration at the UCW Awards! Hosted at the Winter Gardens, it was a chance to look back on and celebrate the amazing achievements of our students, staff and partners!
The evening began with a speech from our Vice Principal for Higher Education, Sadie Skellon, welcoming everyone to the evening and celebrating some key UCW achievements including the Turing Scheme, AHT Regional Competition for the South West and SpongeBob the Musical.
Following on from this, our Musical Theatre students took the stage, performing an exciting medley of songs including ‘Firework’ by Katy Perry, ‘Mamma Mia’ by Abba and ‘What is this Feeling’ from the hit musical Wicked!
This event wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing sponsors. A big thanks must be given to Bath Spa University, the University of the West of England, the West of England Institute of Technology as well as PACE design agency and Image Signs. Your contribution is appreciated!
Dinner was truly special, with attendees enjoying a hog roast. This was served alongside salad, coleslaw and delicious puddings.
After dinner, the awards began. It was emphasised how all of our nominees stood out from the crowd and showed their skills to get nominated by staff and their fellow students. Then the Student of the Year Awards were announced with the winners as follows:
- Business and Professional Services Student of the Year: Annabelle Kennett studying BSc (Hons) Project Management
- Counselling, Education and Health Student of the Year: Joseph Marcal Ham studying BA (Hons) Early Years Education
- Creative Student of the Year: Bethany Jones studying BA (Hons) Graphic Design
- Digital and Media Student of the Year: Alfie Walsh studying BA (Hons) Film and Media Arts Production
- Engineering and Construction Student of the Year: Curtis Ticktum
- Sciences Student of the Year: Samantha Barnett studying BSc (Hons) Environmental Health Practitioner
Next, the ceremony moved onto the student experience awards. These awards celebrate our students who have helped UCW students and staff through paid and voluntary roles. The winners of these awards are as follows:
- Student Representative of the Year: Beccy Moore
- Outstanding Contribution to Student Community award: Atlas Davies
- Team of the Year: The Early Years Academic Team
The next awards celebrated were the Staff Awards which highlight the brilliant work of our exceptional lecturers. As part of this, we paid tribute to Mark Hardwick, one of our brilliant lecturers from the Public & Environmental Health team who we sadly lost unexpectedly a few weeks ago. The winners of these awards are below:
- Outstanding Lecturer of the Year: Daniel Comerford
- Outstanding Lecturer of the Year: James Summerhayes
- Outstanding Support Staff Member of the Year: Terri Norton
The UCW Awards is a key opportunity to celebrate our partnerships with businesses and organisations. The winners of these awards are as follows:
- Outstanding Contribution to Partnerships award: Keepers Gate Forest School
- Workplace Provider of the Year: Wanted Not Wasted
Our final set of awards was the most special of the evening, celebrating our overall winners of the evening. Congratulations to these students on your incredible achievements!
- Bath Spa University Student of the Year: Joseph Marcal Ham studying BA (Hons) Early Years Education
- Institute of Technology Student of the Year: Jack Lewis studying BEng Mechanical Engineering.
- University of the West of England Student of the Year: Samantha Barnett studying BSc (Hons) Environmental Health Practitioner
With a final big photo on the steps, the awards were finished. Rounding out the evening was a performance from a band created by our Professional Music Performance and Production students, The Session Connection!
Vice Principal for Higher Education, Sadie Skellon reflected on the awards saying: “It was incredible to celebrate the amazing success of our award winners. We’ve heard so many inspiring stories of success and overcoming adversity. Congratulations to all of our nominees and award winners! Your achievements are what make UCW such a special place to be.”
If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available in the Weston College Group here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College Group has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College Group is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.
