We’re Halfway There in our year of 200 Year Celebrations!

The first half of 2025 seems to have flown by as we celebrate this momentous milestone in the history of Craven College.

In June we were delighted to present the first of our showcase events to celebrate our 200th anniversary – the planting of 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 time capsule contains 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!

We celebrated student success at our Further Education Awards and were incredibly grateful to The Skipton Mechanics’ Institute for their generous sponsorship of the prize giving in the form of a donation of £500. It was incredibly fitting that in the year Craven College celebrates 200 years since its inception from Skipton Mechanics’ Institute, Ian Lockwood joined us to help give out the prizes.

We have attended a number of Community Events in June including Skipton Gala and Sheep Day, bringing our 200 year’s decorations to our spaces and vehicles. One of our newest staff members Woolly was centre stage at Sheep Day, keep an eye on Woolly and Whinny and see what they’re getting up to on their adventures and how they’re helping us celebrate 200 years!

Meanwhile, our talented Performing Arts students once again took to the stage to celebrate 200 years of Craven College, by producing a Variety Showcase, a night of entertainment featuring our talented singers, dancers, actors, and a range of other exciting acts! The set list was created by Performing Arts students, with each performer choosing something they enjoyed doing to celebrate our 200^th anniversary.

Proceeds from the event were donated to three charities chosen by the students: The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund, Mind, and the Alzheimer’s Society.

Our Creative Industries celebrated at their End of Year Show. Entitled ‘Through the Ages’, the evening and the ongoing exhibition not only celebrated the incredible achievements of our students but also marked a historic milestone – 200 years of Craven College!

Over the past two centuries, Craven College has grown, adapted and evolved, much like the creative industries our students are preparing to enter. The End of Year Show is a powerful reflection of that legacy, brought to life through work from our students in Film, Photography, Fine Art, 3D Design, Media Make-up, Performing Arts, Creative Media, and Digital Technologies.

Evolve is celebrating a very special milestone of its own – both 10 years of being part of the Craven College family and the 200-year anniversary of Craven College itself. Students came together to celebrate these occasions to form a giant “10” and “200” captured by the drone from above!

Exams Officer Jenny Cox has been raising money towards developing the College Sensory Garden at the Aireville Campus. Foundation Learning students in their horticultural sessions and our Gardening Club have been replanting and they would like to further enhance the space with a solar powered water feature which will commemorate the College’s 200-year anniversary. The funds will also be used towards purchasing storage for garden tools and materials.

The garden is an inclusive space which is accessible for all students and will benefit the user’s wellbeing, physical, and mental health. It will be a welcoming area, which will attract wildlife that allows all students and staff to celebrate nature and enjoy its calming mindfulness.

Over two days, Jenny swam an amazing 200 lengths of Craven Leisure pool, one length for every year of Craven College and has raised a whopping £1460 towards the project. There’s still time to donate to this amazing cause, and a huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far!”

Alongside all these wonderful events, we have celebrated the end of the academic year in a truly wonderful way. Our Creative Industries students displayed their work in the wonderful End of Year Show entitled “Through the Ages”, Fashion students took to the catwalk to demonstrate their skills, we celebrated staff success as Diane Ward received a “Highly Commended” in the Quality Improvement Professional of the Year category at the Quality Professional Awards in Leeds, and our Horse Management students took the reins in an Interhouse Dressage Competition.