News 22/6/09

College students win awards

This month saw the annual Robert Bennie Awards ceremony take place at John Wheatley College’s East End campus.

Nominated by tutors

Each year, tutors nominate students who have achieved their goals in the face of great challenges and this year’s eight award winners were no exception.  Each student had overcome some difficulty in order to continue their studies, and many had provided support for fellow-students into the bargain.

The Awards are sponsored by the Robert Bennie Trust, set up after young Robert Bennie’s tragic death eight years ago as the result of a road accident.  The funds are intended to assist young people in the community and encourage participation.  Mr Duncan McLean from the Robert Bennie Trust attended the ceremony, as did friends and relatives of Robert.

Certificate and gift token

Each of the eight Robert Bennie Awards winners received a certificate and gift token with their proud family and friends cheering them on.  College Board Members were also there as were the staff who had encouraged and supported the students throughout the year.

Some of this year’s award-winning students had initially come to the College through one of the many partnership arrangements which the College encourages. This highlights the importance of collaborative working to provide strong support networks for many students during their learning journey.

Winners and officials

The delighted students and official party are, from left to right on the image above:  Andy Woolley (Chair of the College Board of Management), Danielle McLachlan, Jamie Fraser, Carol Clark, Kendall Porter with Karen, her key-worker, Ian Graham (College Principal), Paul Henderson, Jason Porter, Joseph Morning and Duncan McLean (Trustee of the Robert Bennie Trust).