Hall of Fame

William Tempest 

Since leaving the College at 18 after receiving a Distinction in Fashion Design and Textiles, William has gone from strength to strength in the fashion industry, with his designs now being worn by the likes of Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Lily Allen and Emma Watson.

Mid Cheshire College gave him the knowledge and skills to gain a place at the London College of Fashion, as well as work placements with House of Jazz, Giles and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

 In February 2009 William won the inaugural 'Vauxhall Fashion Scout' Merit Award allowing him to host his first solo fashion show for Autumn/Winter 2009 at London Fashion Week.

For more information and to see William's Designs please visit http://www.williamtempest.com

Ross Farran

Sport student Ross Farran, who completed the National Diploma Sport & Exercise and the Football Development Programme here at Mid Cheshire has been signed to the highly acclaimed Nike Academy for this season.

Ross’ motivation to become a professional player is easy to measure. Every week, he drives 3.5 hours in each direction to train with the Nike Academy.

The Football Development Programme at Mid Cheshire helped Ross to focus on his key strengths and individual skills.

The Academy is now helping Ross to progress those key skills. “It’s been amazing to be back in a professional set-up. I have total belief in my ability, but it’s great that others do too, especially coaches of this calibre.”

Their belief has been justified too, after Ross scored on his Academy debut. “Scoring was massive, I’d worked so hard for it so that was a really good buzz, it helped me settle down, get into the game and show what I can do.”

Keep watching to see just what this promising striker can do at http://www.facebook.com/NikeAcademy

Thea Braniff

Dance student Thea Braniff managed to fight off stiff competition to secure a place at the prestigious Northern Ballet School.

With only 40 places available, Thea went up against over 250 other young hopefuls at auditions held in December 2008.

Thea began dancing at just two years old. Talking about her course Thea said:

“Other local colleges offer similar courses but I chose Mid Cheshire College as I felt they could support my aspirations to become a professional dancer. I also considered studying an A-Level in Performing Arts but that would have just been for three hours a week where a National Diploma allows me to dedicate all of my studies to dance.”

For more information on the Northern Ballet School please visit http://www.northernballetschool.co.uk/

Meurig Marshall

Meurig Marshall, 18, has recently been offered a place at the esteemed E15 Acting School in Essex after just one year of studying Acting at Mid Cheshire College.

“Sixth Form College wasn’t for me and so I decided to take up the acting course at Mid Cheshire," Explains Meurig. "This meant that I was old enough to apply for further acting places in my first year and the tutors told me I should go for it.”

East15 is one of the country’s most established acting schools and alumni include Alan Ford (Lock Stock, Snatch), Peter Armitage (Coronation Street), Stephen Daldry (Director of Billy Elliot) and John McArdle (Brookside).

Meurig was also recently filmed as the presenter for the new Mid Cheshire College School Leavers and HE promotional DVDs. “Mid Cheshire was a great stepping stone for me,” he said. “It gave me the confidence I needed to apply for further courses which will hopefully lead to a successful career in acting.”

For more information on the E15 acting school please visit http://east15.ac.uk/

Sarah Ireland

Professional Cookery student apprentice, Sarah Ireland, has landed a fantastic new job at Marco Pierre White’s new restaurant, The Steakhouse Bar and Grill, based at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel in Chester.

Sarah joined Mid Cheshire College in 2008 and completed a Level 2 qualification before progressing on to a Level 3 in Professional Cookery. As an apprentice Sarah now receives tuition in the workplace and is visited by her assessor, Jason Palin.

Head Chef at The Steakhouse Bar and Grill, Chris Brown, who interviewed Sarah, said: “Sarah is a lovely girl, very bubbly and enthusiastic.”

“Her eyes lit up as soon as we started talking about food, her passion for food and presentation was very evident” Chris explained.

For more information on The Steakhouse Bar & Grill please visit http://www.mpwsteakhousechester.co.uk/

Danny Baldwin

Photography Student Danny Baldwin has successfully gained a place on the BA Fashion Photography course at the highly acclaimed London College of Fashion.

Danny’s work ethic and perseverance have really paid off for him, not only pursuing his college work but also working on his own projects and working for clients, which has led to him creating his own personal and distinctive style.

Danny speaks very highly of the education he got at Mid Cheshire and where it has allowed him to go. "The facilities are great as equipment is readily available and the studio space is fantastic. The tutors have a genuine love, knowledge and enthusiasm for what they do and they spend a lot of one on one time with students which I feel has helped me to progress in a more structured way.”

To see more of Danny's work please visit http://www.dannybaldwin.com.

Cyrus Wong

Fashion student, Cyrus Wong landed a place at the most coveted fashion college in the country, namely Central Saint Martins in London, arguably one of the best international Art and Design Colleges and one of 5 colleges that make up the London Institute.

Hong Kong-born, Cyrus, moved to his auntie’s home in Winnington to start a new life when he was sixteen. He joined Mid Cheshire College in 2007 to study the First Diploma in Art and Design, progressing to a National Diploma in Fashion at the College’s London Road Studios.

Twenty-four-year-old Cyrus is inspired by contemporary womenswear designer Hussein Chalayan and explains “My work is about the influence of technology on fashion - I use origami as an influence on my designs too.”

“I hope to have my own label one day” he added.

For more information on Central St. Martins please visit http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk

Lee Renshaw

After studying at Mid Cheshire College for three years, Performing Arts Student Lee Renshaw has been accepted onto a foundation course at Sir Paul McCartney's LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts).

Coming to Mid Cheshire with only one GCSE, Lee has turned his fortunes around with support from his tutors and support staff to be offered one of only twenty places which over 900 candidates applied for.

 Lee also managed to raise the £8,500 fee for the course with huge amounts of willpower and determination.

“I dream of working in London’s West End and LIPA will give me the experience I need to make a name for myself," he said. "It's a lot of money but going to LIPA is the opportunity of a lifetime."

For more information on LIPA please visit http://www.lipa.ac.uk/.

Thomas Hough

Thomas Hough, 18, from Moulton studied as a National Diploma Student in Travel and Tourism at Mid Cheshire College before happily accepting a job at major airline company, Ryanair.

"I always knew I wanted to fly from being very young. The college offered the exact course for me and it came highly recommended by my teachers" said Thomas.

"I really enjoyed the customer service and airline cabin crew section of the course, which certainly helped at the interview" he added.

Thomas is now part of Ryanair's cabin crew, flying to destinations such as Spain and Italy.

For more information on Ryanair please visit http://www.ryanair.com/.

Wayne Riley

Wayne used the College’s Football Development Programme to boost his football skills whilst studying Sports & Exercise Science. Through our previous links with Northwich Victoria (now with Witton Albion FC), Wayne worked his way into the first team with constant training and determination.

Now a full-time Vics player, Wayne scored the winning goal in their recent FA Cup tie against League One’s Charlton Athletic, which led to National Press coverage for both Wayne and the team.

For more information on Northwich Victoria, please visit http://www.northwichvics.co.uk/.

To read Wayne's story please visit the Daily Mail Website.

Raphael Godfrey

Raphael is another of our students now studying at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London.

He has moved down to the Capital to study a BA Hons Degree in Fashion (Menswear).

Raphael comes from a very creative family, his mother is an artist, his brother a painter and his father an architect, so it was clear he would follow a similar path.

Sector Manager for Art and Design, Karen Rough said:

"The competition to get into Saint Martins is fierce; only twenty places are available on this course with only six places open to students in the UK. This is an amazing achievement."

For more information on Central St. Martins please visit http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk/.

Kate Whitmore

Kate came to Mid Cheshire to study Sports and Exercise Science and left a triumphant golf champion.

An avid golfer since the age of 10, Kate was recently crowned Champion in the Cheshire Ladies County Championship.

She has now been all over the British Isles playing golf competitively and has even travelled as far as America to play the game.

She is now studying at the University of Newport where she has secured a Golf scholarship.

For more information on Cheshire Ladies Golf, please visit
http://www.cheshireladiesgolf.org/

Matthew Buckley

Fork lift operator, Matthew Buckley was made redundant several years ago, prompting him to look at a complete career overhaul. After attending an open day here at Mid Cheshire, Matthew enrolled on a two year Intermediate Construction Award course and never looked back.

By his second year of study, Matthew was looking to support his studies with part-time work within the industry. He approached Northwich based T8 Construction, who subsequently offered him a placement.

After finishing his Advanced Carpentry and Joinery award, Matthew Now works for T8 Construction on a full-time basis.

He said, "Getting made redundant really made me re-think my future career. I decided that having a trade is invaluable and Mid Cheshire made retraining easy."

For more information on T8 Construction please visit http://www.t8dtc.co.uk/

Ross McNamara

Through the College's Football Development Programme, Ross has now become a Midfielder for Avarett University's Avarett Cougars football team.

Ross joins the Virginia based University, which has football players from all over the world who had to compete to gain a place in the team.

Tutor Joel Roberts said, "Ross was a phenomenal player and we had no doubt in our mind that he would be more than capable of playing international football."

For more information on the Avarett Cougars, please visit http://www.averettcougars.com

Maggie Stewart

After studying at Mid Cheshire Maggie landed a coveted place at Goldsmith's University in London, which has been home to many famous artists such as Damien Hirst.

Maggie studied the Diploma in Foundation Studies in Art and Design here, which helped her land the place at one of the most prestigious universities in the UK for arts and design.

"When I visited Mid Cheshire, there was no contest. I felt so lucky to have the best college right on my doorstep" Maggie commented.

Maggie also attributed her success to the help she received from the college's grade one student development centre. The college team very quickly diagnosed dyslexia, despite Maggie having problems with literacy since primary school. 

For more information on Goldsmiths please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/

Becky Sue Rathjen

Becky completed the Science National Diploma achieving Distinction, Merit, Merit. Since taking part in the Primary Colleges Week two years in a row, she was inspired to become a teacher and is currently studying Primary School Teaching at Chester University.

Lois Norman

Moving on from studying Design Styles, Life Drawing, Stained Glass and Art & Design, Lois went to Buckingham New University to study for a Degree in Textiles & Surface Design.

She has now gone on to win a top award from the ‘New Designers’ organisation. The judges liked her “perfect marriage of original artwork with innovation, resulting in several unique and stunningly beautiful pieces.”

For more information on the New Designers Award please visit http://www.newdesigners.com/page.cfm/link=165

Leigh-Anne Gibbons

After studying Health & Social Care, Leigh-Anne became the first student from Mid Cheshire College to go on and study Podiatry at Degree level.

Podiatry deals with the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of foot and lower limb disorders. Leigh-Anne is studying Podiatry at Salford University.

Alex Ikin

Alex received a triple distinction grading in Public Services and was named the Best Student in the year. He achieved a distinction in all 18 units of the course, receiving the highest grade you can possibly get.

“My Grandad was in the Navy and my Dad was in the French Foreign Legion, so the services have always been a part of my family history.”

“I am now doing a Foundation Degree in Community and Public Services which I hope to top up to a full degree. After that I’m hoping to join the Royal Marines.”

Aaron McCombie

Arron has been placed in the top three bricklaying students in the region after competing in the Guild of Bricklayers Skills Competition on the Wirral.

“Once fully qualified I hope to get full-time employment, or maybe start my own business in the future.” 

 Craig McDean

Craig initially worked on cars before embarking on a photography course and is now a celebrated photographer and filmmaker, renowned for his striking fashion imagery and portraiture.

He currently lives in New York, and has photographed campaigns for Dior, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Armani, Estée Lauder and Calvin Klein. He regularly contributes to a range of international fashion publications including W, American, French, British and Italian Vogue.

Colin Wood

Fine Art student Colin received a commission for his work from the Greyhound Rescue Society.

After samples of Colin’s work were sent to the Greyhound Rescue Society; they were so impressed that they immediately exhibited the work on their website and cards are being produced for sale, which will help raise funds for the charity.

Colin is one of only three artists producing work for the Society; illustrations of his work will also be used for a series of books aimed at children, introducing the greyhound to a younger audience.

Daniel Young

Golf Development student Daniel led his team to victory representing Cheshire in a recent Four Counties Tournament.

“His ability is second to none, he is definitely destined for bigger and better things” said Paul Spearritt, Sports Tutor.

Daniel’s journey from Congleton has certainly paid off as he has now been offered the opportunity of taking up a golf scholarship in the USA in 2012.

 Joe Hasnoui

After Completing his Dance course, Joe successfully secured a place at Phil Winston’s Theatreworks College in Blackpool.

The 18 year-old is delighted to have landed one of the coveted places. “I would like to focus on jazz style dance and would love to work on cruise ships. The course at Mid Cheshire has given me so much confidence and the facilities are excellent.”

 Jessica Lord & Sian Edis

Jessica and Sian both completed the National Diploma in Performing Arts (Dance). After auditioning with 900 students they were both offered one of the 100 highly coveted places at the prestigious Phil Winston’s Theatreworks College in Blackpool, where they will study for three years. They both want to be professional dancers, specialising in the commercial genre.

 Jonathan Singh

After completing the Public Services course at Mid Cheshire, Jonathan went on to Manchester Metropolitan University to further his knowledge of the services. 

In his first year he was selected to participate in the Transatlantic Mobility Scheme, spending a term at SUNY Cortland University (State University of New York).

Here, he did an internship with the University Police and worked work with Cortland City Police Department. He also got the chance to go to Albany and be an intern in the New York State Assembly. For the internship as a whole he achieved an A+ grade.

 Karolis Svirskas

Karolis studied mechanical and electrical engineering at Mid Cheshire, gaining a triple distinction and is now moving on to London South Bank University to study product design.

“Achieving triple distinction certainly helped me to get into South Bank University,” said Karolis. “I will be studying product design, innovation and technologies, which will allow me to design products such as mobiles.”

 Keith Southern

Completing a BTEC National Diploma in Music Technology, Keith now has a job teaching children guitar and is studying for a Foundation Degree in Commercial Music Technology and an Award in Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector.

In July 2011 he was voted ‘Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year’ at the first ever National BTEC Awards held by Pearson, the international education company.

“It’s been a whirlwind recently but I feel that if I can do it, anyone can. Don’t let anything put you off.”

 Ken Smart

After gaining a triple distinction in his Media course, Ken has now gone on to Salford University to study a degree in TV and Radio.

“I have really enjoyed the research and assignments at College, but in addition to this I’ve worked on many exciting projects including a wedding at Manchester Art Gallery and a music video for a local band. I have also worked on a horror movie for an up-and-coming director.”

Ken’s talents have also been put to good use by the college’s marketing department; he has filmed the students’ fashion show, drama productions and Vox-Pops for the website.

 Laura Sparkes

Laura Sparkes, 19, from Runcorn has landed a job with British Airways after successfully completing the National Diploma in Travel and Tourism as well as the Airline Cabin Crew Certificate here at Mid Cheshire College.

 Rosie Astbury

Rosie is so enthusiastic about fashion design she has created her own blog and speaks passionately, particularly about fashion for plus size women.

Her blog has garnered so much attention from the press, other bloggers and retailers that she is now reviewing clothes for ‘Yours Clothing’ and ‘Phat Frocks’.

She said, “I would like to go to university, hopefully to De Montfort in Leicester to study retail buying with design or continue at Mid Cheshire to study the foundation degree. Ultimately I want to specialise in fashion for plus size women.”
 
Take a look at Rosie’s blog at http://aroselikethis.blogspot.com/

 Richard Green

Richard was extremely happy with his triple distinction which has enabled him to study Media Production at the University of Glamorgan in Cardiff.

“My time at Mid Cheshire has really helped me get the grades I needed to study at University,” he said. “The style of the course is extremely beneficial for independent learning, the industry experience has been vital and the facilities are second to none.”

 Tom Stockdale

After studying Art & Design, Tom was offered a place at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), being selected for one of only 20 coveted positions.

Tom believes that Mid Cheshire really helped him to achieve this place. “The facilities at the college are the best in the area and there is a great atmosphere on the campus. The course has given me a great start and the confidence to move forward in the performance world.”

As Tom has dyslexia, he also received help from the additional learning support team at the college. With the support of tutor, Gill Snowball, Tom has achieved GCSE Maths and English as well as completing his art studies.