City of Bristol College has had a busy month celebrating its students and staff with three big award ceremonies.
The College hosted its Staff Awards and Student Awards last week, both virtually, and recognised the hard work and dedication of the students and staff, especially those who had overcome great feats over the past year.
Student Awards 2021
Staff were invited to nominate their students in one of more than 15 categories and a panel of judges reviewed the nominations before choosing the winner of each category.
Director of Curriculum and Quality, Paul James, said: “We know it has been another tough year for students and we hope next academic year we will be able to return to normality. All of our students have done so well in managing and responding to the changes and we would like to say thank you for continuing to work so hard, supporting your tutors and supporting the College as a whole.
“I would like to thank all of our staff who have nominated students and for everyone’s hard work in teaching and supporting our students this year. It is always difficult for the judging panel to select winners as everyone is so deserving!”
We would like to thank our sponsors who are generous in supporting the awards. Many thanks to Dovetail and Slate (Talentia), Latcham, bespoke Cleaning Services, Bristol Sport Foundation and BBS Plumbing and Heating Supplies Ltd.
If you missed the premiere of the awards last week, you can watch all the action below. The winners were:
| Award | Winner |
| Star Award and Principal’s Award | Mitchell Davies |
| Contribution during Covid-19 pandemic (team) | Prince’s Trust Team 275 |
| Outstanding Achievement Award – Under 19s | Malwina Midura |
| Progress in English and Maths Award – Adults | Freya Symons |
| Effort and Determination Award – Under 19s | Rebekah King |
| Effort and Determination Award – Under 19s | Mitchell Rawlings |
| Contribution to College Life Award – Adults | Catharine Cooksley and Dhiren Thangarajah |
| Contribution to College Life Award – Under 19s | Martisse Thompson |
| Apprentice of the Year Award – Under 19s | Jayda Brown |
| Progression Award – Adults | Hubert Toczydlowski |
| Early College Award | Jody Tasker Poland |
| Effort and Determination Award – Adults | Loredana Bucaciuc |
| The Lee Sheriton Award for Endeavour | Chloe Sharp |
| Early College Award | Leah Archer |
| Effort and Determination Award – Adults | ESOL E3c Class, College Green |
| Outstanding Achievement Award – Adults | Danielle Harwood |
| Progress in English and Maths Award – Under 19s | Courtney Mauro |
| Apprentice of the Year Award – Adults | Daniella Shields |
| Community Partner of the Year Award | Whit-It Valeting |
| Contribution during the Covid-19 Pandemic Under 19s | Seoud Mohammed |
| Contribution to the Community Award – Adults | Halimo Ibrahim |
Staff Awards 2021
The annual Staff Awards were held on the College’s final Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Day, with various members of the College Leadership Team announcing the winners.
The Staff Awards are held each year, with colleagues nominating each other in the categories. The winners were:
| Award | Winner | Job titles |
| Staff Recognition Award for Enhancing the Student Experience | Kirsty Cross Shamis Farah Mike Crocker Lewis Blenkin | Designated Lead for Children in Care and Care Leavers Early College Student Advisor Lecturer Curriculum Administrator |
| Staff Recognition Award for Excellent Customer Service | Adam Metcalfe Paul Jones Vicki Bowd Annette Spear | Residential Training Manager Customer Liaison Officer Hub Leader Learning Support Team Leader |
| Staff Recognition Award for Supporting Colleagues | Tim Livingston Chloe Povey Becky Birleson Charlotte Condon | Head of Department – Academic Studies Lecturer and Study Coach Hub Leader Programme Manager |
| Staff Recognition Award for Innovation or Improvement | Martin Wilmott Sarah Pigott Rosy Farmer Emma Richer | Programme Manager Senior HE Registrar ALS Systems and Funding Coordinator Learning and Development Coach |
| Staff Recognition Award for Apprentice of the Year | Oliver Loveridge | Finance Apprentice |
| Rising Star Award | Kirsten Toghill Jonathan Scanlon Helen Ceo David Rookes | Work Placement Officer Programme Manager Apprenticeship Trainer Programme Manager |
| Team Recognition Award for Excellence | Estates and Infrastructure | |
| Staff Recognition Award for Excellence | Rachel Bateman Jenny Hudson Arsha Nishant Celeste Indge | Lecturer Lecturer Programme Manager Careers and Employability Co-Ordinator |
| Staff Recognition Award for Above and Beyond | Jennie Douthwaite Richard Feltham Ryan Fernandes | Programme Manager Lecturer Lecturer |
| Principal’s Award | Ester Simmons | Facilities Supervisor |
Principal and Chief Executive, Andy Forbes, said: “All of our staff have worked hard to ensure our students, employers and stakeholders are supported throughout the pandemic. They have had to adapt to sudden changes in Covid-19 restrictions by taking their teaching online during each lockdown, and in between they’ve had to take on the challenge of changing and adapting their in-class teaching methods to accommodate social distancing measures.
“All who was nominated were worthy winners and the sheer number of nominations we received highlights what a brilliant team of teaching, support and professional services staff we have at the College.”
Principal’s Award winner, Ester Simmons, was described as being an ‘outstanding member of staff’ by her nominators, receiving four separate nominations.
Chris Gwynne, Facilities Manager, nominated Ester for the biggest award on the docket. In his nomination, he said: “Ester goes above and beyond on a daily basis to ensure the Centre she supervises is up to scratch. She has motivated her team to sometimes complete seemingly impossible deadlines.
“Ester’s part in converting the College to a Covid-safe environment was incredible, her commitment to detail meant we were able to open where we needed without any issues.”
DAF Awards – Class of 2020
The College also celebrated its DAF Apprentices early in June, when the annual DAF Awards were held online.
Always one of the most important dates in the DAF calendar, after a difficult and uncertain time, it was even more special to celebrate the fantastic achievements and reveal results of the Apprentice of the Year competition.
City of Bristol College student and DAF Apprentice, Thomas Wills, took home the gold award in the competition. He said: “It has been an amazing experience and I would not have been able to achieve this award without the training and guidance from the great technicians at Chassis-Cab in Bury St Edmunds and my tutors at the College.”
The DAF Apprentices work for businesses across the UK and attend lessons once a week at City of Bristol College’s Motor Vehicle Centre at Parkway.
For the Apprentice of the Year competition, students were tested on electrical, theory and practical elements of their course and were scored for their performance. The winners were:
| Placement | Name | DAF Centre |
| Gold | Thomas Wills | Chassis-Cab Truck Centre, Bury St Edmunds |
| Silver | Liam Deas | Norscot Truck and Van, Dundee |
| Bronze | Thomas Sykes | HTC Oxford DAF |
Congratulations to all the award nominees and winners.
