Prizegiving 2010

West Suffolk College’s Annual Prizegiving took place at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in June.

 

On a glorious summer evening, more than fifty prize winners met their sponsors before the ceremony in a marquee alongside the Cathedral Refectory. Many of the prizes are sponsored by local businesses and organisations, including Bury In Bloom, Suffolk Youth & Connexions Service and Partnership In Care.

 

Others are awarded by individuals who have some connection with the College, like Paul and Jennifer Hewes who sponsor an award in memory of their daughter Penelope.

Fifty seven prizes were awarded to students who have excelled in a range of achievements. Prize winners were supported and applauded by around 200 guests, made up of family, friends, College staff and employers.

 

Betty Milburn MBE welcomed everyone to the event. She said it was a particularly poignant occasion for her because, after 10 years, it would be her last as a Chair of College Governors.

 

Principal Dr Ann Williams gave an introductory address in which she explained how difficult it was for staff to choose a winner for these prizes. She said that each of the winners will have made a significant impression on their tutors.

 

She said that visitors often commented on the ‘buzz’ around College, which is vibrant with students of all ages, eager to learn. Prize winners cover a wide range of ages, reflecting the diversity of the College’s students. Of 19,000 students, 12,000 are over 19 years of age and 850 are 14-16 year old school students.

 

Dr Andy Wood, Managing Director of Adnams Brewery and Chairman of Choose Suffolk Tourism Partnership, was the keynote speaker. After congratulating the prize winners, Mr Wood admitted that he himself had not done well at school, although he passed the 11+ and went to grammar school.

 

He said he was “a football-loving rebel”.

 

His upbringing in a multicultural area of London was the foundation for his pluralism and belief in people’s potential. A family move to rural Norfolk in the 1970s was a culture shock, and Mr Wood left school with few qualifications.

 

However once he started work, at Norwich Union, his ability to get the best out of others and help develop their potential was recognised and he was quickly given a management role. He believes that encouragement and praise are better managerial tools than criticism and disapproval and this approach has paid off.

 

Norwich Union supported Mr Wood in training and he was “bitten by the bug of education and learning” going on to attain a doctorate.

 

He said: “This learning has obviously been good for me and, for all of you here, I hope the learning you have undertaken has awakened something in you, the way that it did for me. For me, it awakened an inquisitiveness that, quite clearly, is the most important gift learning has given me.”

 

He said that Adnams is a ‘terrific’ business that is replete with stories of organisational and individual success. Mr Wood believes that talent and human potential are abundant within organisations, if only they are given the right conditions and circumstances to flourish.

 

He said: “Encouraging personal growth of this kind is my principal role as Chief Executive of Adnams.

 

“Some of you are reaching the end of a chapter – I do hope you see it as the end of a chapter, not the end of the whole book. The opportunities presented to you through your learning will be immense.”

 

After the ceremony, there was a reception with drinks and canapés for winners, sponsors, guests and College staff, a celebratory end to a delightful evening.