News

Former Newbury College Performing Arts student Nick Strong and his band mate Stephen Millyard are hoping for Christmas success with the launch of their new holiday hit The Big Red Guy.

The duo, who go by the band name Juliette, usually perform cover songs at local gigs but wrote The Big Red Guy a few years ago as part of a competition for former local radio station, Newbury Sound.

I had this Christmas song for a couple of years, but never really did anything with it said Nick, a former Newbury College student who now runs the popular Air Hair Co salon in Newbury town centre.

All of the money made from the sale of the single will go to Friends of PICU in Southampton, a charity that supports children and their families by providing vital equipment and services that are not always provided by the statutory authorities at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton University Hospital. The charity is close to Nick's heart after they provided care for the son of a close friend and the band has previously raised about £70,000 for the cause.

Every year we said we will put it out this year', but this year we said we'll go for it with this charity in mind.

The Big Red Guy was recorded by Sam Winfield and engineered by Tom Millar at Studio 91 and it features local singer songwriter Joe Hicks on guitar. The album can be downloaded on Spotify, iTunes and Amazon Music.

To find out more about Juliette, visit their Facebook page and for more information on Performing Arts courses at Newbury College, a joint venture with Kingsclere Performing Arts College, visit www.newbury-college.ac.uk/performance

A-Level and GSCE Design and Technology students from Trinity School have been visiting Newbury College over the past few weeks to explore the exciting world of engineering.

The Engineering Workshops and Solutions Lab at Newbury College forms part of the development of the University Centre (UCN) which launches in September 2020 and will focus on inspiring new generations of engineers through higher education programmes and degrees.

Mr Carl Thompson, Design & Technology Technician (D&T), Trinity School, commented This is an incredible opportunity for our students to see the choices of learning available to them. Hearing about current Newbury College students that are applying their learning while achieving their Degree for well known companies is really aspirational.

Led by the College's highly-skilled and experienced tutors, the Trinity students were enthralled and engaged in the exciting range of hands-on activities that form the practical basis of vocational education programmes. Proudly producing machined pieces and stamped nameplates, the students left Newbury College with more than just memories and aspirations for their future careers.

Lily Canning, Year 8 D&T Student, said We learnt how to use the machines and there were lots of new and different things for us to see and learn. It was really fun!

Newbury College has been providing engineering courses for over 70 years, including a wide range of apprenticeship programmes that support local employers to develop new talent and more recently a degree programme in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University. The College is working with its university partners, local employers and local schools to increase the career opportunities available in engineering and other subject areas through the launch of UCN (University Centre Newbury).

Jo Houghton, Director of Business and Partnerships, said We are delighted to be welcoming Trinity School and their students to explore the technical and professional options available to them. It is fantastic to be able to work together at every level of education, ensuring that all students get to explore the career pathways available to them.

To arrange a workshop for your school group email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Engineering Apprentices, studying for their degree at Newbury College, in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University, have scooped outstanding results with six attaining first-class honours and four attaining upper second-class Degrees.

This is the second year that the College has been offering Degree level qualification and the second year of 100% achievement. The outstanding achievement is a great reflection of the hard work and dedication of the students and staff and provides a strong foundation for the degree standard provision available within the University Centre Newbury (UCN) from September 2020.

Tim Coole, Course Leader, commented "This year has shown the second cohort of students who have achieved outstanding results and shows the quality and the range of projects completed by the students throughout the year and excellent dedication they have to their studies" he continued This success follows on from the very successful first year of the degree run at Newbury College and is encouraging the development of the University Centre opening in September 2020. This year has seen a significant increase in the student numbers in the final year of the Engineering degree programme and adds to the success of this programme moving forward."

Jo Houghton, Director of Business and Partnerships, added We are delighted with the standard of work reflected in these excellent results for the degree students. As UCN progresses, we are confident that this standard will continue to provide the community with highly skilled, highly qualified professionals.

The University Centre Newbury will provide degrees and higher-level qualifications in the key sectors of digital technology, business & finance, engineering, health & social care and construction.

The first students of the University Centre will begin their studies in dedicated facilities within the College building in September 2020, before moving into the iconic new building once it is completed.

To find out more about higher-level study options, visit www.newbury-college.ac.uk/higher

The Newbury College professional catering team are due to welcome 15 students from the Julius Wegeler School, Koblenz, Germany, for the week on the 4th November, to share experiences and dazzle dishes, as the Restaurant lunch service themes its menu to reflect the German inspiration on hand.

This is the third year that the school has visited, and the College will escort the visitors throughout the week. On Monday the group will visit Havant & South Downs College and then take a trip to Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth, Tuesday students will be exchanging experiences and ideas as they prep for Wednesday's lunch service, which is already fully booked! Wednesday will be a shared day of cooking and hospitality. On Thursday the students will be escorted to The Vineyard for a perfectly British, afternoon tea.

Malcolm Baggot, Course Leader, Professional Catering, commented This is a great opportunity for our students to experience working with chefs from other countries and preparing a themed menu with new and exciting ingredients. We are delighted to be able to support the Julius Wegeler School and look forward to the exchange visit.

The Restaurant at Newbury College provides a lunch service on Wednesday and Friday between 12:30 ' 1:30 during term time, throughout the year, allowing the professional catering students to hone their preparation, cooking and hospitality skills in a real working environment, overseen by Malcolm Baggot and Anthony Millon.

There are still spaces available for the German-themed menu of Friday 8th November to book for this event or a future lunch, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

German Themed Menu