Students, staff and partners gathered this week to celebrate achievement and excellence at the University Centre Weston (UCW) Awards 2026, marking both an outstanding year of success and ten years of higher education at UCW.
The annual awards recognised exceptional academic performance, personal resilience and outstanding contributions to the UCW community, alongside national accolades achieved by UCW students over the past year.
The ceremony opened with welcome addresses from Deputy CEO Janet Stephens and Vice Principal for Higher Education Sadie Skellon, who highlighted a year of remarkable achievements, including degree apprentice Jack Lewis winning the Association of College’s Apprentice of the Year Award and Prithvi Ramesh winning in the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards!
Guests were treated to performances by UCW’s BA (Hons) Musical Theatre students, who delivered a set including, Wings by Little Mix, On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons, and an ABBA medley finale.
This year we are also celebrating ten years of UCW. As part of this, many UCW alumni were invited to this year’s awards, including those who are now staff at UCW. These alumni were applauded as part of the ceremony in a heartwarming moment.
The UCW Awards were made possible with the generous support of event sponsors DPL Partnership Limited and Parkside House, alongside publication sponsor PACE. UCW also extends its thanks to award sponsors Bath Spa University, UWE Bristol, the West of England Institute of Technology, and Image Sign, whose continued support plays a vital role in celebrating student success.
The dinner was special with delicious food and impeccable service provided by Weston College Hospitality and Catering learners.
After dinner, we were delighted to welcome back one of our most exciting alumni, Marvin Muoneké. After graduating from UCW he has performed nationally and gained recognition as one of the UK’s leading young jazz vocalists. Marvin’s performance wowed the audience.
Then the evening moved on to the awards. First up were the Student of the Year Awards, celebrating students who managed outstanding academic achievements, overcame personal challenges and stood out from the crowd! The winners are as follows:
- Construction and Engineering Student of the Year, from BEng (Hons) Aeronautical Engineering: Robert Hardy
- Creative Student of the Year, from BA (Hons) Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics for Production: Heather Murray
- Performance Student of the Year, from BA (Hons) Professional Music, Performance and Production: Freddie Turner
- Counselling and Education Student of the Year, from BA (Hons) Early Years Education: Darcey Robbins
- Digital and Media Student of the Year, from the BSc (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions degree apprenticeship: Isabella McGrath
- Professional Services Student of the Year, from the BSc (Hons) Environmental Health Practitioner course: Wesley Smith
- Healthcare and Sciences Student of the Year, from the FdSc Assistant Practitioner course: Amber Thrush
The next set of awards celebrated those who have gone above and beyond to enhancing the overall student experience and improving life at UCW for everyone! The winners are as follows:
- Student Ambassador of the Year, from BA (Hons) Dance for Commercial Performance: Amy Catto
- Student Reprentative of the Year, from BA (Hons) Uniformed and Public Services: Moronfoluwa Olusesi
- Outstanding Contribution to Student Community, from BA (Hons) Musical Theatre: Ember Eldergill
- Team of the Year, from the BSc (Hons) in Project Management: Diana Varvariha and Max Rice
Then it was time for the Partnership Awards. These recognised the work of our placement providers and colleagues from our partner organisations who make such an important contribution to the overall success of UCW.
- Outstanding Contribution to Partnerships: Mark Gillett, from the University of Worcester
- Workplace Provider of the Year: Talk to the Rainbow
Finally, it was time for the most important awards of the night, our UCW Gold Awards. These awards consider all the winners and nominees from this evening, with the overall winners being carefully selected. Congratulations to these incredible winners:
- Institute of Technology Student of the Year, from the BSc (Hons) Environmental Health Practitioner course: Wesley Smith
- Bath Spa University Student of the Year, from BA (Hons) Early Years Education: Darcey Robbins
- University of the West of England Student of the Year, from the BSc (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions degree apprenticeship: Isabella McGrath
The evening concluded with special recognition of Anthony Murray, whose leadership as Vice Principal for Higher Education played a pivotal role in transforming UCW’s provision over the past decade.
As University Centre Weston celebrates ten years of higher education excellence, the UCW Awards continue to showcase the talent, ambition and community spirit that define the institution.
Congratulations to all nominees and winners.
