Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall officially opens Callywith College

The Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE, was joined by two of the College’s first student ambassadors to pull the ribbon and unveil the plaque to officially open Callywith College on Thursday, November 30.

The trio was joined by dignitaries from across Cornwall to mark the special occasion including representatives from Cornwall Council, Bodmin town councillors, Scott Mann MP for North Cornwall, senior representatives, Governors and Trustees from Truro and Penwith College and Callywith College, Kier construction and local community groups.

Welcoming the 45 guests to the College, Callywith Principal Mark Wardle said: “The opening of the College is a significant moment in the lives of young people living in North and East Cornwall and the opening ceremony has given us the opportunity to thank all of the people involved in making the College come to life and to celebrate this fantastic new facility. We are all very proud of what has been achieved so far and look forward to making a real contribution to the community.”

The Chair of Callywith College, David Walrond, told the assembled guests: “The need for outstanding comprehensive post-16 education has never been greater. It is at the heart of all the debates about life chances, better skills for productivity, delivering high achievement to match the created aspiration, the reform of technical education to give it real parity of esteem.

“That is why Truro and Penwith College has collectively worked so hard to deliver a new campus at Callywith. There is huge potential here to build on this great beginning and to grow something exceptional for learners and businesses across North and East Cornwall.”   

Talking directly to staff and the many students who had gathered to witness the proceedings, The Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE, said: “I am thrilled to be here today and delighted to be able to officially open Callywith College.

“I’d like to congratulate the staff and students at Callywith this year, because you have already carved out your name as pioneers as the first in what I am sure will be a long and extremely distinguished history of this fantastic college. It has been really great to talk to students today who are incredibly positive and are clearly enjoying being here.

“It is so important that young people have the best possible education available to them, because if they have that, the chances of them making a real success in life and of them achieving more - meaning they are able to do more - is greater, and I think Callywith College produces that in North and East Cornwall.”

North Cornwall MP Scott Mann, who also attended the ceremony, said: “It’s incredible to see that some of the students from North and East Cornwall have such an up-to-date facility.

“I was a supporter of Callywith College at the planning application stage and now get to see the realisation and the vision that they have for this area. I think in terms of life chances for our young people in North and East Cornwall, this is a huge step to putting them on the journey that they’re going to lead for the rest of their lives.

“One of the most significant challenges to young people accessing college education is transportation and a lot of the younger people from Bude were having to travel 3-4 hours a day to access Truro College, so to take that journey time off them releases some of the pressure, but also gives them more time to study when they are at college.”

Kier Construction Project Manager Steve Lee, who has led the project from start to finish, said: “We are delighted to celebrate the official opening ceremony of Callywith College. The College campus sits so comfortably within the surroundings and offers such impressive views over Cornwall from many of its teaching rooms.

“The project has been delivered by a Cornish Construction team who are immensely proud to have been involved in the scheme and it has been a tremendous privilege to have been involved in such a phenomenal landmark project, the facilities are first class and are an inspiration to all the students that come here.”

Applications are now open for students looking to join Callywith College in September 2018 with over 400 applications already received from students in St Austell, Liskeard, Bodmin, Bude, Callington, Fowey and Launceston all eager to secure one of the 660 places available.

Find out more or apply at www.callywith.ac.uk or alternatively call 01208 224000 or email enquiry@callywith.ac.uk