A moody seascape has earned a Weston College student two coveted awards in a national photographic competition.

Ed French, 16, entered the National Historic Ships Photography Competition with a picture he took by Marine Lake, Weston, and was presented with the awards at a ceremony on board HMS Belfast in London.

Ed, of Devonshire Road, Weston, scooped the First Prize in his category, ‘Young Photographer Historic Ship or Seascape’, and was overall winner of the competition’s ‘Young Photographer UK’ class.

He was handed his awards by BBC TV presenter Julia Bradbury following a celebration lunch aboard the historic warship.

Now studying a Level Three BTEC Extended Diploma in Photography at Weston College, Ed was a pupil of Broadoak School when the photo was taken. On the day he took it the rain had cleared, leaving a cloudy sky. Ed cycled down to the Marine Lake, by Knightstone Island, and took the picture with a compact digital camera.

He said: “I was very surprised and delighted to win the awards. Mine was the last category to be announced so it was a very tense wait.”

Ed won a £400 digital camera for Broadoak School and a group visit to the SS Great Britain ship in Bristol.

Weston College Photography lecturer Jamie Dormer-Durling said: “I am really pleased for Ed’s success. We like to encourage our students to enter photography competitions; it’s highly motivational and gives a great boost to their confidence. Ed is thinking of continuing to the FdA Photography Course at Weston College where I’m sure he will continue to flourish as a photographer.”

A multi-million pound plan to create a brighter future for Weston-super-Mare's Winter Gardens has been approved by North Somerset Council.

Weston College will create a new Law and Professional Services Academy at the seafront site, while restoring the iconic ballroom to its former glory.

It is hoped this project will be the catalyst for bringing significantly more students to the town, and will play a key role in the council's bold plans for a prosperous, modern and vibrant town centre, in which learning plays a pivotal part.

In 2015, councillors agreed to transfer the landmark building to Weston College as part of the council's continued support and match funding for the delivery of the new Academy.

The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership has earmarked nearly £15 million for the project.

Redevelopment and modernisation of the building will include replacing part of it with a new two-storey extension containing lecture theatres, seminar rooms, meeting and conference spaces, offices and associated facilities.

The historic 1920s pavilion, ballroom and other parts of the Winter Gardens will be repaired and refurbished, and will remain available for wider community use.

Dr Paul Phillips OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: "I am delighted that North Somerset councillors have granted planning permission for this exciting development.

"We were approached by legal companies who wanted to establish a law and professional services academy in the area.

"This facility will meet the needs of employers and continue to raise Weston-super-Mare's reputation nationally as a centre of excellence for education and training.

"I also hope it will make a significant contribution towards the regeneration of the town centre, and also secures a brighter future for this prominent building which will once again become a jewel in Weston's crown."

North Somerset Council Leader, Cllr Nigel Ashton, said: "The expansion of further and higher education is central to our ambitious vision for the future of the town as a centre for the best of urban living, learning and lifestyle.

"This flagship project is a unique opportunity to inject vitality into the town centre through attracting new talent and a greater diversity of people to live in Weston, while addressing local skills gaps and creating new jobs at the same time.

"We really welcome the College's proposals to give a new lease of life to one of Weston's landmark buildings which will continue to be an important facility for the local community."

The Winter Gardens is due to be formally transferred to Weston College in spring 2016.

Once the funding from the West of England LEP is confirmed, work will begin in the hope of opening the new academy later in 2016.

Personal Statement Basics

The personal statement is the most important part of your application. If you are applying for a course that does not require an interview, the admissions team will be making a decision mostly based on your statement. If you are applying for a course that does have an interview, then the admissions team will decide whether to put you through to interview based on the statement, so either way it is really important. But don’t see it as a threat – it’s a great chance for you to let the university know why you are so motivated to study that subject and how you have developed that interest.

The maximum length is 4000 characters including spaces, which is around 500-700 words depending on how long your words are. Make sure you aren’t over the character count as UCAS will cut you off once it reaches 4000. If you’re struggling to keep within the character count, ask ASPECT to take a look and try and cut it down for you. It should be in paragraphs and have a clear introduction and conclusion; it should be written as an essay rather than a letter. 75% of your statement should be about your motivation to study the subject and how you have developed this interest and your relevant skills through college and work experience, and then 25% is about your extra activities.

What goes in the personal statement?

Make sure you keep your statement content really relevant to the subject you are applying for. You should write about your current course and any other courses you have done that are relevant, and mention your work experience. If you have done extra reading around the subject you are applying for or have attended lectures that have added to your interest, the university would love to know how these have inspired you.

Remember not to just explain what you did, but also make it clear to the university what knowledge and skills you have gained from each experience. Which modules on your course have been really good preparation for the degree you’re applying for? Did you get so inspired by a lesson you then researched into the subject in your own time? How have you developed your teamwork and leadership skills in your part time job? Really let the university know how these experiences have prepared you for university study.

Using the ABC Method will help you check that you are expanding enough on the points you are making.

A – Activity (e.g. module on your course, work experience, Duke Edinburgh award)
B – Benefit (e.g. the skills or knowledge you gained from the experience)
C – Course (e.g. how has this prepared you for the degree you’re applying for?)

C is the really important part for the university, so make sure you always relate back to the degree you’re applying for.

Top Tips

Here are some top tips for writing your personal statement that will hopefully help refine your statement:

Write a plan first – do a mind map with different sections for each paragraph and then use the ABC method to expand your points
Read examples, but don’t copy – there are loads of example personal statement on the internet which can be great for ideas, but don’t copy as UCAS have a plagiarism filter
Use the documents on SharePoint to help you – there are guides and presentations on SharePoint to help you with your statement so make sure you are making the most of them
You don’t need to write it in order – if you’re struggling with the introduction write another paragraph first and come back to the introduction later
Be specific – rather than listing every single thing you’ve done, it’s more important to let the university know what skills and knowledge you have gained from your experience
Be positive – the universities want to know you are passionate about the subject you’re applying for, so use positive words and show how much you love this subject!
Ask for help if you’re struggling – remember that the ASPECT team are here to help