Newbury College celebrated over 100 years of staff service at their annual long service awards recently. Staff who had been working for the College for over a decade received gifts to thank them for their hard work and commitment.
Awards were presented to staff for various lengths of service ranging from 10 years to 35. Members of staff who received these gifts were Catherine Smith-Holland, Elaine Buckingham, Ruth Flood, Jill Gayton, Caroline Howe, Jacquie Morris, Lynne Nutley, Julia Reveler, Hazel Kirk, Elise Payne, Debbie Watson, Steve Long, Paul Sells and Martin Rice.
Course Leader for HNC/D Mechanical Engineering Graham Shelmerdine has been teaching at the College for 35 years, which was the longest serving member of staff celebrated this year. Graham asked for the money for his gift to be donated to Cancer Research in memory of his late wife and said of his time working at the College, "There have been many changes in FE over the 35 years, it's been a pleasure to work with such knowledgeable and dedicated staff in Engineering and to play a part in producing such excellent courses that are relevant to industry. The best part of the job however is working with the students. It gives me great pride to see what they can achieve at the end of the course; they are a credit to the companies that sponsor them. I also appreciate the foresight that companies have shown especially in these recessionary times to continue to sponsor students on our Engineering courses".
Steve Long Contracts Manager for the College who has been working for the College for 20 years and seen a number of changes said, "I've certainly seen a lot happen at Newbury College over the last 20 years. Probably the biggest occasion was the move to our new building in September 2002, which was a really exciting time for all of us. It has been both challenging and rewarding to be involved in special projects such as the Sports / Construction Skill Centre building, the hair salon, the nail bar and more recently the new restaurant. There have also been various other fun events such as the 60th Anniversary, summer parties and taster days to name just a few."