More than 80 awards were presented to students from across south western Cornwall at the recent University of Exeter Penryn Campus Excellence Awards ceremony.

The evening recognised student accomplishments in a range of categories, including overall academic performance, artistry, sports, and positive contribution to their school and local community. The recipients, who are at various stages of their educational journey, are all from educational institutions in the South Shore Education Partnership—which consists of Falmouth School, Helston Community College, Mullion School, and Penryn College.

Senior members of university staff welcomed several hundred parents, teachers, school representatives, and VIPs, including Mayor of Falmouth John Body, Mayor of Penryn Gill Grant, and Mayor of Helston Michael Thomas, to celebrate the students’ achievements.

This year’s event also featured a musical performance by Helston-based artist Tom Briggs, and a speech by Laura Fusher, an alumnus of the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus who is now a successful project engineer with Wolf Minerals.

The event was hosted by Professor Mark Goodwin, deputy vice chancellor of the University of Exeter, who said: “The University of Exeter is committed to working with students from Cornwall to raise aspirations and support progression. It is my sincere hope that the awards inspire young people, not only to follow a path to higher education, but also to attend some of the very best universities in the country.

“It is an honour to meet so many of the county’s wonderful students this evening. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and value their contributions to school and community life.”

Richard Prest, outreach officer at the University of Exeter Penryn Campus, added: “This is an annual event that provides us an exciting opportunity to recognise the amazing achievements of the young people of Cornwall, showing that both the university and the wider community are proud of their excellence.

“We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the South Shore Partnership in order to encourage the young people of Cornwall to pursue greatness in education, scholarship, and all aspects of life.”