A night of star-studded success was celebrated on Tuesday (Jan 24) as hundreds turned out for Weston College's annual student awards evening.

The town's Winter Gardens was packed with staff, employers, Governors, sponsors, family and friends who enjoyed a three-course meal and entertainment from the College's Performing Arts department before watching the winning students receive their awards. There were success stories from all walks of College life, including many students who had fought against the odds to achieve great things.

One of the evening's brightest stars was Vaida Mushipe, a Zimbabwean now living in Weston who studied on the Access to Higher Education course where she went on to become student of the year. A mother-of-three, Vaida was determined to succeed and often worked night shifts at her job and came straight into College the following day. She is now studying for a degree in Nursing at the University of the West of England (UWE).

She said: “I left school 32 years ago and never thought I'd be able to study for a degree. Getting this award is wonderful, and it is the best night of my life. I can only thank Weston College for giving me an opportunity that has changed my life.”

Vaida's three daughters Tafadzwa (30), Thulani (25) and Thabani (23) attended the ceremony with their mother. Tafadzwa said: “Our mother gave up a lot so we could all go to university and to see her achieve this success is the most tremendous thing a child could want from a parent.”

Ricky-Joe Wheatley, 26, of Banwell, also attended with his family to pick up the construction and engineering student of the year award. Ricky struggled with severe dyslexia and also helped out at home with his sister Kayleigh, who has special needs. However, his determination and support from college staff saw him through and he passed his Electrical Installation Level 2 and 3 courses.

He said: “It wasn't easy and I was pushed to my limits but the tutors on my course were so helpful. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, and if I can do it with my level of dyslexia, anyone can. I'm now working voluntarily to get experience and I'm thinking of doing more courses.”

One of the evening's highest fliers was Emma Hopkins, 21, of Congresbury, who scooped the Higher Education student of the year award from Bath Spa University. Emma is taking a BA Honours degree in Graphic Design and was recently headhunted by a New York magazine to help them with article illustrations. She has also been asked to design T-shirts for Caggie Dunlop, of TV's 'Made in Chelsea' fame and is due to take up an internship with a Madrid-based design agency.

Emma's tutor Vicky Norcross said: “Her diligence and determination have been overwhelming. She is not just satisfied with achieving one thing – she has a real drive to keep going to the next opportunity. I've been teaching 13 years and she is definitely one of the most outstanding students I've ever had. She is a very worthy winner.”

Haydn Bailey, from Weston-super-Mare, won the College’s award for sport and public services student of the year for his outstanding accomplishments during his BTEC National Diploma Level 3 in Sport and Exercise Science. Aside from his academic achievements, Haydn has also excelled in his extracurricular activities.

In one of his incredible feats, Haydn, aged 20, was sponsored by Weston College in 2010 to cycle from John O'Groats to Lands End to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Last year, he completed an “ultramarathon” contest in Dorset, where he ran three marathons in a single day, becoming one of the youngest people to have ever completed the challenge.

“Winning this award has been amazing and it lets us know how much the College appreciates us,” Haydn said. “It was great fun doing the ultramarathon. Of the 100 who started, only 25 finished. I was totally fatigued after it. I couldn’t even stand up straight, my feet and knees were damaged and I couldn’t eat or drink. But I felt a huge sense of achievement.”

Guest speaker for the evening was Steve Cunningham, who went completely blind at the age of 12 but went on to captain the England blind football team and set land speed and power-boating records. He is also the world's first blind pilot, qualifying in 2004.

He told the audience: “People say I've done some mad things in my life, but if 'mad' means going all out to make a difference, then go ‘mad’. This is a great College with fantastic staff and students, and you should all go out, do what you want to do, and Make A Difference.”

Part of the Celebration of Success evening was devoted to the Principal's Scholarship, which honoured staff and students who have excelled at Weston College. One of those was Daniel Haliburton, who is studying a Foundation Degree in Uniformed Public services.

Daniel, aged 19, who attended Clevedon School, has been very successful in his extracurricular activities as well as his academic ones. While working for the Portishead and Bristol Lifeboat at the age of 17, he became the youngest ever lifeboat crew member in the UK. Daniel is also a member of the sailing team for the University of the West of England, which delivers his course in partnership with Weston College. He is aiming to continue on to a BA Honours Degree at UWE before joining the army or the police.

He said: “I was very surprised to find out that I’d won the scholarship. It’s fantastic and I feel like I have achieved something great. It’s been amazing studying at Weston College. The staff are so supportive and many of them have industry experience, which means you can get a great insight into your chosen field.”

The Employer Awards category saw local businesses including New Generation Training and Consultancy, PB Design and Development and DoubleTree by Hilton Cadbury House take a variety of awards for commitment to training and outstanding business partnerships with the College.

Dr Paul Phillips, Weston College Principal, said: “This has been a fantastic night and every single winner has been a worthy one. We have celebrated the hard work, dedication and talent of our students across all areas of the College and we aim to continue and expand the excellent partnerships we've developed with local businesses and organisations.”

For more details on courses at Weston College use the course search on the homepage of this website or call 01934 411 411.

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