Truro Cathedral was full of smiles and laughter on Saturday as hundreds of students from Cornwall College, Duchy College and Falmouth Marine School celebrated their successes and graduated in front of friends, family and former lecturers.

The traditional ceremony, which see students donning a cap and gown and receiving a scroll marks, the end point of their hard work and dedication in achieving a university qualification.

Principal and CEO of the Cornwall College Group, Amarjit Basi, said: “It’s a real honour to be involved in the graduation ceremony, celebrating the success of our students, along with their friends and family. We are one of the largest providers of higher education in Cornwall, second only to Falmouth University and this year over 850 people have graduated with us; a tremendous achievement.”

The ceremony marked 37 years of the Cornwall College Group delivering higher education in Cornwall. With undergraduate degrees awarded by Plymouth University and the University of St Mark and St John, students graduated from a diverse choice of foundation and bachelor degrees, in subjects ranging from business to marine science, teaching to horticulture, music performance to zoological conservation.

Kieran Blunden, 33, from Truro, graduated with a degree in applied zoology at Newquay: “When I started the course, I didn’t know how far I was going to go, I started out doing a diploma in animal management before progressing onto the degree, but I’ve really enjoyed it and that’s what kept me going. I’m now looking at my options whilst I earn some money, but I would like to do a research project, but only time will tell.”

Over their time at Cornwall College these students have taken part in international research projects, informed industry and helped shape business in Cornwall through training and events; they’ve also taken part in field trips and studies in places like Borneo, Greece and Egypt.

Rose Johnston, of Redruth, graduated from the FdSc Sport, Health and Fitness, which is based at Camborne. “This is my first experience of a graduation ceremony, my parents are really excited and are constantly taking photos, I’m feeling really proud," she said. "I moved to Cornwall from Bath and the support I’ve received has been amazing, not only from the lecturers, but my friends and family who have helped me through the course. I’m now planning on finishing my degree and eventually going into teaching, but I want to get some real world experience first.”

There were also Student of the Year awards from Plymouth University presented to Ben Lowe (FdSc Marine Science), Rhiann Mitchell-Holland (FdSc Wildlife Education and Media) and Christopher Tomlinson (FdSc Computing, Networking and Software Development). Falmouth-based Trudy Ward was also recognised by the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, for her hard work and dedication, achieving a first in BA (Hons) Business Enterprise.

Eden Waters, from Camborne who graduated with a foundation degree in event management, said: “I enjoyed the course so much that I decided to go and do the top up in business at Cornwall College Camborne, but my eventual aim is to become a primary school teacher. Becoming a teacher is something I’ve always wanted to do, I learnt and grew so much from my teachers that I wanted to give something back to other people.”

Mr Basi, concluded: “This is one of the highlights of the year for the Cornwall College Group and, indeed, for the county of Cornwall. Over 850 people graduated with us this year and almost 400 of them were conferred at Truro Cathedral this weekend. The development of higher education is going to be key to the future economic success of Cornwall and the wider South West region.”

Each ceremony ended in style with graduates processing down the central aisle of Truro Cathedral to a medley of inspiring music and rousing applause from their loved ones, staff and fellow students.