College Celebrates Anniversary in Style!
Staff, students, and invited guests joined together on a slightly rainy Aireville Campus to celebrate 200 years of Craven College by planting a commemorative tree and time capsule.
Local faith leaders, ex-members of staff and governors, and trusted employers came together in The 3 Peaks Café alongside special guests Councillor Winston Feather, Mayor of Skipton and Former Chair of the Board of Governors of Craven College, David Mabbitt in a reception to celebrate the longevity of Craven College.
The tree was chosen by Michael Myers, Lecturer in Horticulture, who picked a Pyrus Calleryana, or “Chanticleer,” a pear tree which will grow in an upright formation to fit the space whilst giving attractive flowers in Spring and a good Autumn colour.
The event started with delicious refreshments, provided by our Catering students. Following a welcome address from Anita Lall, Principal and CEO of Craven College, and speeches from Councillor Winston Feather, Mayor of Skipton and David Mabbitt, assembled guests moved outside The 3 Peaks Café to the site of the new Craven College 200 Years Garden.
Our special guests then proceeded to help embed the tree into the ground, hopefully to root and grow over the next 200 years!
The second part of the proceedings was devoted to the burying of a time capsule. Containing over 200 items to represent life at Craven College, the local area, and wider popular culture in 2025, the time capsule is a cross-College collaboration to provide a living history. Hopefully when the box is opened in 2225, whoever discovers it will find a fascinating insight!
Anita Lall, Principal and CEO of Craven College said, “The 200th anniversary of the College is a yearlong celebration and as a provider of land-based provision, it is fitting that we mark the mid-way point of the celebrations with the planting of a tree which hopefully will still be in 200 years’ time and the burial of a time capsule.
“At Craven College, we are proud to serve our communities by delivering high quality education and training and we have been doing this for the past 200 years. Our heritage as a technical and vocational College has continued to remain at the core of what we do, and this is something that we are very proud of this. So, the idea of a time capsule containing 200 objects that represent the College as it is today seems very apt
“We don’t know what the college will look like in 200 years’ time, an in fact it may not exist in its current physical form, but I hope they have as much fun looking at these objects as we did in collecting them!”
Councillor Winston Feather, Mayor of Skipton added, “Today we plant not just a tree, but a living symbol of growth, resilience, and the enduring power of learning. Just as this tree will continue to grow, and flourish, so too will Craven College and the generations it continues to inspire.
“Alongside this tree, we are also burying a time capsule – 200 items to reflect the life, spirit, and stories of the College and our wider Skipton community. It is a gift to the future, a way of saying “we were here, and we cared deeply about the people, the place, and the purpose of education”.”
David Mabbitt, Former Chair of the Board of Governors at Craven College, commented “The extent of the College’s impact across the region never ceased to amaze me with sites at the Aviation Academy at Leeds Bradford Airport, Evolve in Ripon and the additional apprenticeships and adult learning in Scarborough. Students are enrolled from all over North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and Lancashire.
“The College focus is clearly within the local community and students want to come here. This is where they feel safe.
We plant this tree in the knowledge that it will grow many new branches of students in the years to come “Unlocking Potential and Changing Lives”.”
Further events will take place throughout the second half of the 2025, to continue our celebrations of such a significant milestone.
