When Weston College bought the Winter Gardens for £1 in 2015, nobody could have guessed they'd do this to it...

We didn't turn the pond into a carpark

We cleaned out the pond on day one, and while the fish were on holiday we repaired the lining and installed new fountains and colour changing lights. We released the fish back in September 2017 and plan to plant the area up in 2018.

We didn't turn the ballroom into a lecture theatre

The ballroom has been refurbished, the floor fixed, and repairs have been carried out to the dome. New technology has been installed to bring the building into the 21st century while retaining its 1920s character. The ballroom is available for public booking, and we are already putting on a range of events for the public.

No more Prince Consort Hall

We have transformed the little-used Prince Consort Hall into a series of classrooms and independent study spaces. 

There's a new entrance (but it isn't four stories tall...)

To keep the education and public side separate, we moved the public entrance back to the front of the building and turned an ugly 1980s concrete block into the new entrance to the education section of the building.

We've restored the iconic seafront facade

We've completely removed some of the 1980s additions to the facade of the building as well as intrusive signage that spoiled the building's aesthetics. We've installed more-subtle outdoor lighting and replaced all of the windows to make sure they match.

The cafe's more cosy

Leather sofas, booths, quality tables and chairs... The Florentine bistro (opened in October 2017) serves a selection of cakes, hot meals, sandwiches and baguettes.

The decor has had a much-needed update

It's more than just a lick of paint too - new lights, a new colour scheme, and new fixtures and fittings were all part of our plan to restore the iconic ballroom.

The restaurant's been moved

Located in the former Tourist Information Centre, Lasseter's Restaurant and Bar interprets the Winter Gardens' 1920s character with a modern twist. Serving a selection of locally-sourced dishes created by Head Chef Dave Newman, Lasseter's at the Winter Gardens brings together top-quality food and service in Weston-super-Mare's most iconic building.

It's got a new identity

On top of all of the upgrades, enhancements and refurbishment, we've updated the Winter Gardens' logo, designed by a former Weston College and University Centre Weston graphic design student.

Weston College's Sevens Squad took to the field for its first tournament of the 2018 circuit against Surrey Schools 7s on Wednesday (7th March). The tournament was a pivotal part of their preparation for Rosslyn Park which takes place on 21st of March.

Weston started the tournament strongly with a convincing win over Gordon’s School in their first group match. Weston’s defensive shape controlled the majority of the game which saw the team score plenty of points from turnovers.

In the second game Weston came up against a strong Cranleigh School team which gave our boys some harsh lessons with their aggressive defence and accurate distribution. Cranleigh came out convincing winners and went on to win the whole tournament, which have our team a good experience to learn off one of the best teams there. The third game was a mixture of both previous games with Weston getting off to a great start, but with mistakes and the players being fatigued the game swung to Berkamstead's favour.

Although the results may not show it, the boys learnt a lot from the day and will now be much better prepared to succeed at the national sevens tournament in two weeks. Outstanding effort from all involved, however special mention to skipper Luke Harrington, playmaker Ethan Thomas and speedster Joe Freake for their contributions during the day.

Football

Weston College Men's 1s v SGS College Men's 2s

Weston College Men’s 1s travelled to SGS Men’s 2 for the South West ECFA cat 2 (south) game.

Weston College started strong, dominated the ball, and created a number of chances. SGS remained strong and defended well and tried to hit Weston on the counter, however Weston defended well and stopped their attacks and competed well. Weston then had the break through, Tom Llewellyn with a well taken finish into the far corner. With Weston Controlling the rest of the half and keep SGS at arm’s length.

The second half started without real chances created. SGS started to grow into the game with Weston giving away cheap possession, however it was Weston which scored next through a good counter attack with Lucas Vowles placing into the far bottom corner. With Weston taking the lead it was SGS who had the aggression to get back into the game. SGS began to throw more bodies forwards and created a number of good opportunities from set pieces. Weston still tried to control the ball and maintain possession. 

SGS scored from a well-taken free kick. Going into the last 15 minutes of the game with the score 2-1 to Weston, SGS threw everything at Weston, but Weston remained strong, defended well, and saw a late break away by Lewis Neal who placed his shot wide of the post which was the last kick of the game.

Final score: SGS College 1 – Weston College 2

Weston College Men's 2s v Wiltshire College

Weston College 2nds team travelled to Wiltshire Football Academy for their AoC fixture against top of the league Wiltshire College. Weston totally controlled the tempo of the first half of the game, dominating possession and creating many chances which saw 1st year sport student Jakub Kartasinski open the scoring to make it 1-0. Toby Jones finished from close range to make it 2-0 before Wiltshire scored from a double-deflected shot. Weston looked to switch play well and this saw space open up for Jakub Kartasinski to deliver a cross for Aden Criddle to head home. A questionable offside led to Wiltshire’s 2nd goal to make it 3-2 going into half time. 
 
Having conceded late in the first half to make it 3-2, Wiltshire seemed galvanised by this and came out in the second half with an attacking intent. Weston struggled to deal with this and it soon become 3-3 after a defensive mistake. Wiltshire were then awarded a penalty when Andy Sinclair brought down the attacker in the area. Charlie Woodards came to the rescue with a superb save to keep the scores level and give Weston the lift they needed. However, disaster soon struck when a Wiltshire attacker found himself free in the area and his header was superbly saved by Woodards, however the striker managed to get to the rebound first and slot the ball home to complete the comeback. Criddle had a great opportunity late on to equalise, however his effort went wide of the target.

Despite the result and obvious disappointment of letting a two-goal lead slip, the squad can be pleased with how they performed against the top of the table. 

Final score: Wiltshire College 4 - Weston College 3 
MOM: Toby Jones & Harry Crowley 

Netball

Weston College v Exeter College
 
Weston was excited to replay Exeter on their home ground and knew it was not going to be an easy match. Weston started the first quarter with speed and confidence, we knew we had a versatile squad and were eager to showcase our potential. Weston had been working on its centre set plays and used these to its advantage by not losing any centre passes in the first quarter. End of first quarter was 6-6. 
 
The second quarter was very much goal-for-goal. Weston managed to create some turnovers from some magnificent interceptions and great defensive play. The College team persevered against an extremely tall Exeter defence but managed to keep within 1 goal of Exeter, finishing the second quarter 13-14 to Exeter. 
 
Third quarter Weston changed things around to put some more height into its attacking circle. This proved to be a success from the first whistle, creating confidence within the team's attacking and defensive play. The play was goal-for-goal with Weston pulling ahead and then Exeter pulling it back. It was Weston College's most intensive quarter, showing some amazing teamwork and great back up play. Third quarter ended 22-23 to Exeter. 
 
In the fourth quarter, the Weston College team knew it had nothing to lose and went out at 100%, a few mistakes were made and Exeter managed to get ahead by a couple of goals. Weston got their heads down and managed to get one for one goals but it proved to be too late. Weston played an amazing game and it was one of our closest matches. Each Academy player played so magnificently and it was a tough call for Players' Player.

Well done to Exeter and look forward to re-playing you next season. 

Final score: Exeter 36 - Weston 31
Players' Player: Ella

Weston College launched an Aspiring Managers Programme at Avon Fire and Rescue training centre in Bath last week (10th May 2018). The Aspiring Managers Programme was created in partnership with Avon Fire and Rescue following Weston College’s success in the tender process to deliver a Team Leading Level 3 Apprenticeship.

The programme will develop 22 Team Leaders from different departments within Avon Fire and Rescue, and is due to last 18 months. At the end of the programme the 22 learners will have gained greater management knowledge and also a Level 3 qualification.

Liz Marchant, Learning and Development Manager at Avon Fire and Rescue, said: “We are so pleased to have secured Weston College as a training provider for our new management programme. This will provide vital development for our first-line managers, across Operational, Control room and Support staff areas.

“It is an exciting time for us and we are proud to forge a partnership with the College both in recruitment of apprentices and developing our existing staff.”

Tracie Leahy, Head of Apprenticeship Sales and Recruitment at Weston College, added: “We are delighted to be working with Avon Fire and Rescue and building a partnership with them to deliver this Aspiring Managers Programme.

“We have worked together to produce a bespoke training programme that will inspire the next generation of leaders within Avon Fire and Rescue. We are excited for the programme to get underway and wish the learners the best of luck.”