By royal appointment – College students visit the Palace to receive award

A group of staff and students from Bridgwater College were offered the opportunity of a lifetime last week when they travelled to London to collect their highly prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

The prize was awarded to College Principal Mike Robbins and Vice-Principal Andy Berry by Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at an awe-inspiring, official ceremony held in the Buckingham Palace ballroom last Thursday, with Chair of Governors Derek Randall and a number of staff and students also in attendance.

After the ceremony, the Prince of Wales met College students Luke Maidment, Cory Gutteridge-Turner, Will Kitch and Lucy Keirle, congratulating them on their achievements thus far and wishing them every success in their future careers.

The Prizes, which form part of the UK Honours system, are awarded every two years to colleges and universities whose achievements in terms of creativity, innovation and impact are considered to be exceptional.

Speaking after the ceremony, College Principal Mike Robbins said: “It is an absolute privilege to receive this highly prestigious award, which is testament to the commitment, dedication and passion of our students and our staff.

“Their innovative ideas, quickness to respond and total flexibility mean that we are now the training destination of choice for a significant number of blue-chip employers, which can only be good news for the young people and communities we represent.”