SERC Excellence Awards 2024
Students, staff, friends and family alongside special guests and local dignitaries gathered at SERC Lisburn, Bangor, and Downpatrick campuses in April, to celebrate the best of the college community at the SERC Excellence Awards 2024.
Guests were welcomed with a drinks reception and canapes, offering the opportunity to mingle and for photographs before the award presentations began. Each ceremony featured a guest speaker who congratulated the award nominees and winners and inspired the audience to continue achieving.
Following the presentations, the Vote of Thanks at each ceremony was given by Vikki Pinkerton, SERC Student Governor.
Lisburn and Ballynahinch
Sponsored by The White Horse Inn
Watch On YouTubeThe event at Lisburn Campus on 11 April was the first of three Excellence Awards celebrations. Master of Ceremonies was Deborah O’Hare, SERC Governor and the evening celebrated achievements in Lisburn and Ballynahinch Campuses.
This year, the College was delighted to have headline sponsorship support from The White Horse Inn in Saintfield, who also sponsored the Apprentice of the Year category. Other categories were generously sponsored by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (Entrepreneur of the Year); Draynes Farm (Community Champion of the Year) and UK Healthcare (Champion of Health and Wellbeing Award).
Around a hundred certificates and awards were presented by guest speaker, Dave Linton, founder and managing director of Madlug. Before establishing the hugely successful and award-winning community interest company, Dave was a youth worker for more than 20 years, and more recently has become heavily involved in mentoring and raising awareness of social enterprises including working in partnership with SERC’s Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Environment Team.
Bangor, Newtownards and Holywood
Sponsored by SSE Airtricity
Watch On YouTubeMore than a hundred awards for students and staff based at Bangor, Holywood and Newtownards Campuses were presented at SERC Bangor Campus on 16 April by guest speaker, Pete Snodden, the highly respected broadcaster and DJ, who has hosted the breakfast show on Cool FM for 19 years.
SERC Governor Michael McQuillan took on the Master of Ceremonies role.
SERC was delighted to have headline sponsorship support from SSE Airtricity, who also sponsored the Apprentice of the Year award, while other sponsorship came from Ards and North Down Borough Council for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award and UK Healthcare for the Champion of Health and Wellbeing Award.
Downpatrick and Newcastle
Sponsored by Newry Mourne and Down District Labour Market Partnership
Watch On YouTubeThe Excellence Awards ceremony for SERC Downpatrick and Newcastle Campuses saw more than 100 certificates and awards presented at SERC Downpatrick Campus on 18 April.
The College was delighted that Newry Mourne and Down District Labour Market Partnership sponsored the event; thanks are also due to category sponsors UK Healthcare.
Awards were presented by guest speaker, Jenny Greer, a past student of the Access course at SERC’s Newcastle Campus who has just completed a degree in psychology at Queen’s University, Belfast. Jenny gave a lively presentation about her journey to SERC and how it helped her fulfil her ambition of going to university.
The Master of Ceremonies was Chair of the SERC Governing Body, John Nugent.