University Centre Colchester Graduation 2021
After what has been a challenging eighteen months for everyone, graduates at University Centre Colchester, part of Colchester Institute were able to proudly receive their awards in front of family and friends at Colchester Town Hall.
This year’s University Centre Colchester graduation was a bumper affair, with both the class of 2020 and 2021 graduating across six ceremonies at Colchester Town Hall, as a result of the event in 2020 being postponed due to the global pandemic.
The two-day event took place in the Moot Hall on Friday 8th October and Saturday 9th October and was followed by a reception at The Minories art gallery.
The Graduation ceremonies celebrated the hard work and dedication that students had shown throughout their degree courses.
Over the weekend more than three hundred students graduated in a diverse range of subject areas including Visual and Performing Arts, Construction, Engineering, Health and Social Sciences, Education and Accounting.
Amongst those graduating were ten individuals selected from University Centre Colchester’s three academic schools, who each received an award in recognition of their achievements and commitment whilst studying at University Centre Colchester.
Guest of honour during Friday’s ceremonies was Ashley Raynor, a University Centre Colchester fashion and textiles graduate, now a successful Fashion Designer and Company Director.
In 2019, the same year as completing her studies at University Centre Colchester, her graduate collection was picked up by the organisers of New York Fashion Week and she subsequently flew out to show her collection there that September.
Since then she has worked with companies such as Amazon Prime, Nintendo and John Lewis and has had her work featured in over 60 magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle.
Saturday saw Steve Mannix, Executive Director of the Mercury Theatre present the awards. Steve has worked in the arts and cultural sector for more than 35 years, recently overseeing the completion of the £11.3m Mercury Rising project which has transformed the venue.
As part of the Culture and Ceremonies Team for London 2012, Steve was responsible for establishing several of the major projects within the Cultural Olympiad, including The World Shakespeare Festival, Unlimited and Artists Taking the Lead.
Steve currently serves on the Boards of Visit Essex, Colchester LCEP, the Haven Gateway Partnership and One Colchester, and was appointed an Ambassador for Colchester in 2018.
