Students at Nelson and Colne College have been rewarded for their efforts in extracurricular activities at a special awards night.

The college’s Extracurricular Awards celebrated the achievements and dedication by students across a range different categories, and prizes were handed out to winners in front of friends and family and staff.

Awards included those who had been Reading Mentors, Young Leaders, and A&E Cadets, for dedication to the programme, high attendance, and those completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The night culminated with the crowning of the overall Extracurricular Champion and the champions from each section of the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’: Connect; Be Active; Keep Learning; Give; Take Notice.

Level 3 Sport and Exercise Sciences student Dominika Bzdon, 18, has taken part in 20 of the activities offered through NCC’s extracurricular programme during her time at College.

The former Marsden Heights Community College student, took home a number awards including being named as the ‘Give Champion’ and the overall ‘Extracurricular Champion’ for the second year running for going above and beyond in committing to the programme. This included volunteering, being a Reading Mentor, a Young Leader, and supporting staff with extracurricular sessions.

Dominika said: “I was surprised and happy to win the awards. I’ve always enjoyed trying new activities and the extracurricular offer at NCC is fantastic.

“I feel I have improved my confidence and developed my social skills and I’ve really enjoyed badminton, table tennis and the board games in particular. I’m also absolutely loving completing Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award.”

Former Park High School student Michael Bromilow, 17, who is studying A Level Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics, took home the overall prize as the ‘Keep Learning Champion’.

He said: “The extracurricular offer at Nelson and Colne College has a great range of activities. I think when you think of extracurricular you think of sports initially but there is so much more than that – I’ve done archery, robotics and Pre-Maths, which is supporting me as I’m thinking of doing a Mathematics-based subject at university.

“Robotics has been really enjoyable and helpful for my Computer Science studies because I’m programming the robot, and putting into practice what I’m learning. It has also been really good for improving my problem-solving skills.”

Wendy Higgin, Vice Principal at Nelson and Colne College, said: “I would like to congratulate all of our extracurricular award-winning students on their outstanding dedication to the programme and the accolades they received are richly deserved.

“We have an extensive and constantly-growing range of extracurricular activities at NCC and the achievements of students, and the extent of their involvement, is much more important than the activity itself. Our aim is to engage 100% of full-time students at Nelson and Colne College in extracurricular activities in this academic year and we are well on our way to achieving that target.

“Employers and universities are always looking for extracurricular activities that dovetail with the desired course and demonstrate important ‘soft skills’, such as teamwork and communication.

“There is a correlation between the involvement in extracurricular activities and achieving individual ambitions and academic success, and this is why we at Nelson and Colne College are so committed to providing a comprehensive range of activities in our extracurricular provision.”

Nelson and Colne College is the number one college in the country for 16-18 learner achievement and 16-18 timely Apprenticeship achievement. The college is also number one in Lancashire for A Levels and vocational courses, based on progress scores, and is the leading FE College in the country for GCSE Mathematics progress and second nationally for English progress.

NCC is also the number one college in Lancashire for both student satisfaction and employer satisfaction, based on the latest FE Choices survey.

For more information about Nelson and Colne College contact 01282 440272 or visit www.nelson.ac.uk.