Nominations flooded in, the votes were counted and it was finally time to reveal the staff winners in a record-breaking year for the Loughborough College Star Awards.
More than a thousand nominations were received from students and staff with 26 trophies up for grabs – plus five awards marking more than 125 years of service for the College.
A staggering 516 individual staff were nominated for an accolade in Outstanding Teacher, Curriculum Support and Business Support categories with CEO John Doherty and Chair of Governors Audrey Traynor amongst the award announcers and presenters.
As part of the celebrations, a packed staff audience was captivated by a performance of Hallelujah by College Creative Arts tutor Vicki Calvert-Gooch and student Lauren Glasgow, who also delivered a roof-raising This Is Me from The Greatest Showman.
John acknowledged the record-breaking year and particularly the volume of individual staff nominations. “Those are impressive figures – a fantastic tribute to just how much the learners value our teaching staff and to the regard you all have for your colleagues.
“This represents only a fraction of the work you do for our students and for the College every day. Thank you.”
A Governor/Executive Award was presented posthumously to Michelle Armstrong: “A lady who always had a smile on her face and nothing was ever too much trouble for her. Hard working, dedicated, committed and passionate about both her job and Loughborough College. You could always ask her for help, nothing was ever too much trouble for her. Sadly, she lost her battle on 3 January 2018 but she will forever remain in our thoughts.”
Audrey Traynor helped close the event with her whole hearted thanks to staff on behalf of the Board. “As I am nearing the end of my term as Chair of Governors, this is my last year at the Star Awards – so today is particularly poignant for me. It has been fantastic to see so many of you receiving awards for your outstanding achievements and long service. It is all of you who make Loughborough College so successful and we are looking at building on that success as we move forward.”
Outstanding Teacher Awards went to: Aimee Skinner, Susan Bowley, Chris Price, Emma Ledsam, Angela Beale, Shanaz Mirza, Gary Stefanetti, George Owen
Outstanding Business Support Awards went to: Andrea Tucker, Barbara Shaw, Claire Plimmer and Dave Edmunds, Matt Aldred, the Nursery Team and the Security Team
Outstanding Curriculum Support Awards went to: Mat Hobday, Marianna Apicella, Linda Challenger, Chris Tideswell , Rachel Pringle
Governor/Executive Awards went to: The ESOL team, Amanda Hearne for the Supported Internship Programme, The Accommodation and Cleaning Team, The Sales Team
Awards for Long Service of 25 or more years went to: Janette Swain, Chris Tideswell, Donna Jones, Sara Cook and Julie Lee