A video link had to be set up at Askham Bryan College for this year's awards ceremony because there were so many guests to cater for.

Askham Bryan students Aruna Ramkalowon and Julie Benton celebrate their graduation

Parents and students filled the conference hall and the lecture theatre for the event at the college near York, with those in the lecture theatre watching the ceremony via the special video link.

The awards were presented by Martin Havenhand, chief executive of Yorkshire Forward, the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Development Agency.

College principal Dr Roger Bennett said the year had been one of the most successful in the college's history.

The spring had seen two official inspections by the Training Standards Council and the Further Education Funding Council which led to very positive reports and gave the college the highest possible grades for governance and resources.

"Since then we have improved both our teaching resources and leisure facilities even further. We are continuing with the programme of improvements on our farm, and major investment has been made in our horticultural unit, including the construction of a new plant centre," he said.

In June, the college's new £350,000 sports hall was opened by David O'Leary, manager of Leeds United, and more recently, the first stage of the re-development of the East Barrow site had been completed, providing a new craft room and resources for the study of animal care.

Investment in computers and IT facilities continued to be a top priority and the college was part of the Learning Connect collaborative project, which provided information technology links and opportunities across the City of York.

He said: "The achievements of today's award-winning students show the amount of hard work and commitment they too have invested in their future. Some are mature students, returning to education for the first time in several years; most have had to balance the demands of study with family commitments and employment.

"They all deserve to be congratulated on their success. This year the college's accommodation is completely full and I am delighted that so many students are able to benefit from the education and training which we can offer. I am proud to say that Askham Bryan continues to be one of the flagship colleges for the provision of land-based education in this country."

Mr Havenhand told the audience that as a chief executive and active member of an 'Action Learning' programme, involving colleagues from organisations across the region, he was committed to the idea of lifelong learning and recognised the importance of colleges such as Askham Bryan in providing excellence in education and training across the country.

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