A GROUP of students received a fund for their academic and personal achievements in an annual prize award.

Barrow Sixth Form College welcomed back the face-to-face return of their Prize Fund awards ceremony after a 3-year absence due to Covid-19.

35 students were rewarded for their efforts and success sharing prizes worth more than £10,000.

The students were recognised for academic and personal achievement during their time at the Rating Lane campus in the annual prize fund awards.

The fund was set up to celebrate the very best in education and support students with cash prizes as they go on to university, higher apprenticeships and employment.

The Mail: Prize fund ceremony.Prize fund ceremony. (Image: Furness College)

Director of Curriculum, Helen Gibson said: "The students who achieved outstanding qualifications in the summer of 2022 showed exceptional resilience as they had never sat formal examinations before, so to do this for the first time in the levels of qualifications we offer is absolutely brilliant."

Awards were given as monetary prizes ranging from £100 to £1,000 for the top student. Many have progressed on to study at university or start higher apprenticeships.

Principal and Chair's Student of the Year was Toby Wilson who joined the college from St. Bernard’s Catholic High School and is now at the University of Cambridge studying a degree in medicine after achieving the maximum 4 A* grades in biology, chemistry, maths and physics.

During his time at college Toby set up the Furness Future Medics Forum to overcome the boundaries of work experience in a pandemic and help him and other students to get a head start in their career in medicine.

The Mail: Adam Boyd.Adam Boyd. (Image: Furness College)

Former Dowdales student Adam Boyd won a Head of Sixth Form award for his academic achievements with A*s in business and accounting and an A in maths. He is now studying business, management and finance at Durham University.

"I feel happy to have received this award today, the prize will be invested in my savings. The best part of my sixth form journey was the relationships I had with my tutors/lecturers and the support I received from them."

Other Head of Sixth Form prizes for students who were the top academic performers went to Daniel Jewell, Phoebe Postlethwaite, Benjamin Patel, Lydia Hetherington, Jamie Kelly, Alisha Windle and Glenn Toal.

Principal and Chief Executive of Furness College, Andrew Wren said: "I have never failed to be impressed by the maturity the students bring and I am genuinely proud of you all."