On Tuesday 29th January, Riverside College and Cronton Sixth Form were delighted to welcome visitors from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, the independent public body which ensures high-quality apprenticeship standards.

During the visit, the team took part in a tour of both campuses and met with current apprentices to gain insight on how the College’s apprenticeship programmes perform.

Mary Murphy, College Principal commented, “We welcomed the opportunity to host a visit from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. During the visit they met teachers, students, employers and apprentices allowing them to experience vocational and technical education which will enable them to develop future plans for education.”

Nick Mawhinney, Head of Technical Education Approval at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education said, “It was extremely useful to visit the college to witness how some of the apprenticeships that we have helped to develop are delivered, and to have the apprentices share their experiences. We were really impressed to see the range of training on offer and the facilities used to replicate the workplace, and by the commitment that was evident from both staff and students.”

Level 3 Plumbing Apprentice Mike Cunliffe, who is employed at SC Plumbing & Heating (North West) LTD said, “I feel an apprenticeship is best suited for me as I enjoy learning in a practical, hands-on environment and you also get paid while you learn which is great.”

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Cronton Sixth Form and Riverside College have received a very special and heart-warming thank you from The Royal British Legion for the outstanding commitment demonstrated by the two Colleges during last year’s Poppy collection events.

The Royal British Legion is a British charity that provides support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces. In support of the charity, students and staff got involved in different events such as the Poppy Appeal, to help raise funds for The Royal British Legion.

To show their appreciation of the fantastic effort by our students, The Royal British Legion invited Cronton student Owen Cheetham and a tutor to Halton Stadium, along with representatives from various schools across the Halton region, to be presented with a certificate of remembrance.

Mehrdad Daliri, Programme Manager at Cronton said, “I was so proud of the Colleges when Owen collected the certificates at the presentation, it was great to see how much work was put into the fundraising events.”

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Public Services students at Cronton Sixth Form excursed on a fantastic journey to the glorious French Alps for a week long skiing trip at the Alpe d’Heuz ski resort.

The annual ski trip is a favourite event for students at the College in which they can enjoy many exciting activities and spend time tackling the slopes at the stunning resort.

Upon arrival, the students were kitted out with boots and skis ready to get out onto the slopes. Surrounded by breath taking scenery the students participated in two hours of tuition in the mornings followed by two hours of free time in the afternoon to explore the slopes for themselves.

Some of our more advanced skiers boasted the incredible achievement of tackling Europe’s longest black run, The Sarenne, running for 16 Kilometres!

After returning from a magnificent day of skiing, the students had some time to enjoy other exciting activities such as luge, ice skating, table tennis, pool and games nights. At the end of the trip the skiing instructors held a small ceremony congratulating the students, presenting them with certificates to show the level of skill they had completed for the week.

Hannah Bolton, Sport and Public Services Tutor at Cronton said, “The feedback from every student on the trip has been great, overall they had such an amazing time. We can’t wait for next year’s trip.”

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Cronton Sixth Form’s Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts students have enjoyed a breath-taking visit to one of Europe’s most historic cities, Florence, Italy, to experience the local culture and visit the magnificent Opera Houses.

The four-day excursion allowed the students the chance of an experience that many dream of; backstage passes to a recital at the world famous Teatro della Pergola, Florence’s main Opera House. The students were stunned by the acting on display and can take inspiration from the show into their own upcoming productions, The Phantom of the Opera, which will open the College’s brand new Cronton Playhouse on the 27^th and 28^th of March 2019.

Following the performance, the students were taken on a spellbinding tour of the lower cellars of the Teatro della Pergola, where famous props and items from the theatre’s 350-year-old history were displayed.

The students also got to take in the beautiful Italian city through visiting the Uffizi Gallery, attending a symphony at the Teatro Verdi and visiting the stunning Leonardo da Vinci Museum which holds some of the finest art produced by the world famous artist.

Matt Plant, Programme Area Leader of the Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts said, “Having been backstage at both the Moulin Rouge and the Palais Garnier with the Centre of Excellence, it was a fitting visit that prepares us for our forthcoming productions of The Phantom of the Opera, but it was also quite breath-taking at times, being taken into the cellars of this extraordinary theatre and to share in some of its incredible history.”

Performing Arts student Emily Sharples, currently playing the lead in the College’s forthcoming production of The Phantom of the Opera said, “It was wonderful to experience so much in such a short amount of time. The opportunity to see a performance at the Teatro Verdi and then to explore another spectacular Opera House was amazing!”

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Health and Social Care students at Cronton Sixth Form had the fantastic opportunity to hear talks from inspirational speakers and learn about rewarding career pathways during a ‘Futures Week’ event.

Futures Week is an annual event that sees guest speakers from the Health and Social Care sector join the College to inspire students. This year’s guests included midwives, physiotherapists, behaviour analysts, paramedics, children’s nurses and the student nurse team from Liverpool John Moores University. Former Cronton students who have now progressed to job roles within the industry also joined the College to provide advice and share their stories.

The keen students were able to take part in various discussions and workshops with the guests that would help shape their future career paths. They were also able to gain an understanding of life at university and hear tips about applying for jobs.

Karen Cunliffe, Health and Social Care Tutor at the College commented, “Futures Week is a theme that we have promoted in our College for several years and each event has grown from strength to strength. The aim of the week is to bring in professional expertise, up-to-date knowledge and create links for our students in preparing for their chosen career pathways and future career options. This year has once again proved to be a big success.”

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Students from Riverside College and Cronton Sixth Form experienced the magic of Disney when they attended the Computing LIVE! event at Disneyland Paris earlier this month. As well as the inspirational conference, the daring students also had the opportunity to experience the breath-taking rides at the famous theme park.

Computing Live! is an annual event which aims to bring Computing and IT studies to life through talks from high profile industry speakers, examples of successful case studies and also provides information on the many different career pathways IT students can progress to.

The 2019 event was hosted by BBC Click presenter Kate Russel who introduced guest speakers including Rik Ferguson, from cyber security company Trend Micro. Rik discussed topics including the threats of organised cybercrime, potential future cyber security threats and the variety of careers within Cyber Security.

The students also enjoyed a fascinating talk from Tom Nelson who works at The Walt Disney Company. Tom gave an insight into developing a website for major companies such as Disney and discussed the work that goes into maintaining it.

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, co-founder of Stemettes, also delivered a passionate presentation on “A Code Load of Possibility” which demonstrated the future of computing and equality in the industry.

Following the event, the students were able to visit the theme park and enjoy some of the local culture the city of Paris had to offer.

One student who took part in the trip said, “I enjoyed the whole experience. There were lots of great moments, especially Tom’s talk on e-commerce and website development. The rides afterwards were also really fun.”

Ryan Turner, Computing and IT Tutor at Riverside College and Cronton Sixth Form said, “The conference really helped to inspire the students and demonstrated how the skills they have developed on their course can be applied in so many different jobs, even jobs that don’t yet exist!”

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The Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts at Cronton Sixth Form were delighted to welcome West End Stars to the College to inspire the next generation of performers ahead of their upcoming production of The Phantom of the Opera at the brand new Cronton Playhouse.

Zoe Curlett, who is from Widnes and has starred in the West End productions of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, and Carl Sanderson, whose recent credits include The Mikado at The Savoy and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical Stephen Ward, joined the students to run an engaging performance workshop.

The workshop opened with a routine from the classic musical Cats before they put the students through a recreation of the West End audition process. The day ended with a with Q&A session where the students got to ask questions about their impressive careers and hear behind the scenes stories about working on major performances.

A Level Drama and Theatre student Georgia Worrall said, “It was amazing to spend the day with these guys who’ve done so much with their careers already. It is particularly inspiring to meet Zoe who herself is from Widnes.”

Matt Plant said, “As Patron of the Centre of Excellence, Zoe has continued to support us over the years by running these wonderful workshops and introducing us to a variety of professional actors and singers who never fail to inspire our students. We consider ourselves very lucky to have her support and we look forward to her officially opening the Playhouse at the end of this month.”

Cronton Sixth Form will welcome both Zoe and Carl once again for the launch of the brand new Cronton Playhouse; a 320 seat theatre with orchestra pit. They will both be singing at the event which takes place on 28th March.

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Five teams of enthusiastic young scientists from local high schools have been competing against one another at Cronton Sixth Form for the annual Mond Science and Maths trophy.

Talented pupils from four local schools were pitched against each other as they took part in a series of science, maths and engineering based tasks involving experiments and investigations.

Teams from Ormiston Chadwick Academy, Sandymoor High School, Saints Peter and Pauls Catholic High School and two teams from Wade Deacon High School demonstrated fantastic teamwork, communication and problem solving skills to complete the scientific tasks, which made for a very competitive competition. Their performances were then scored by tutors and staff from the Centre of Excellence for Science and Maths to decide an overall winning team.

Following the competition, an award ceremony took place where all participants were awarded a certificate by Ben Barton, Head of School and Deputy Head of Cronton Sixth Form. Sandymoor High School were then crowned champions of the event after an outstanding performance.

Ben Barton commented on the evening, “Congratulations to all of the fantastic teams that participated in the event, we run this event every year but this one has definitely been one of the best yet. I am already looking forward to next year’s competition.”

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On Monday 11th March, students who are part of the prestigious Tomorrow’s Scientists Programme at Cronton Sixth Form took part in a highly successful Presentation Evening at which the talented students presented the findings of research projects to a captivated audience.

Tomorrow’s Scientists is a new venture for the College which aims to allow students to collaborate in groups, research and carry our practical investigations in topics which have real world implications outside the laboratory. The Programme helps develop skills such as teamwork, initiative, problem solving and presentation skills; all which will help the students on their way to becoming the scientists of the future.

Working in small groups throughout the year, the students completed medical research projects which discussed topics including; the efficiency of disinfectants, water pollution, plastic alternatives and population.

With the help of Matt Plant, A Level Drama and Theatre Studies tutor, the students worked on their presentation skills before presenting their findings to an audience of guests including The Worshipful the Mayor of Halton Councillor John Bradshaw, Mayoress of Halton Marjorie Bradshaw, parents and College staff members.

Tomorrow’s Scientists Project Supervisor Chris Wright said, “It is amazing for us to share in the students’ passion for knowledge and for science in particular. They have worked with great energy and commitment which really shone through on their presentations.”

Tomorrow’s Scientists Project Supervisor Ruth O’Dea said, “I must congratulate the students for their effort, flair and perseverance. The light and passion for science burns brightly in these young minds and long may it continue!”

Presentation Groups

Jake Keller, Isabel Griffiths, Mia Giles
How do levels of particulates vary with location and population density and how may this effect the health of citizens.

Louise Carter, Esther Snape, Lucy Bolton
Is the ‘5 second rule’ valid?

Tom Loxely, Liam Clarke, Jonathan Worrall, Sam Clayton
How does the density of shrapnel affect its flight path?

Nathan Leadbetter, Holly Winrow, Hannah Southern
Magnetic levitation: How does the weight of a payload effect the magnetic force of permanent magnets?

Frey Gee, Abby Staples
How ocean acidification caused by increased c02 levels affects coral reefs.

Callum McDonald, Wali Khan, Luke Langton
The efficiency of disinfectants.

Emily Mullarkey, Hannah Quirk, Anais O’Connor
How water pollution affects plant growth.

Emma Nickels, Erin McLennan, Megan Wallace
Investigating the effect of toxicity of water pollutants on Daphnia.

Keiran Ray, Katie Hallard
Which products clean the best.

Megan Sumner, Amy Almond, Jessica Jones Cannon
How magnetism affects cellular regeneration.

Steph Day, Claire Kelly, Emily Walls
Can we replace today’s plastics with biodegradable alternatives?

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Students on the Professional Dance Programme at Cronton Sixth Form have been on a memorable trip to the Netherlands, to enjoy visits to world famous landmarks and an astonishing production by the Dutch National Ballet team; all in preparation for their upcoming performances of Azkaban.

The trip began with an unforgettable visit to The Dutch National Ballet and Opera House, where students were blown away by a phenomenal rendition of Requiem, performed by the incredibly talented Dutch National Ballet Team.

The show was the perfect opportunity for the young dancers to take inspiration into their own performance of Azkaban which takes place on 13^th June at the opening of the College’s brand new 320 seat theatre with orchestra pit, the Cronton Playhouse.

One student commented on the performance, “It has been the highlight of my year so far and it has definitely brought us closer together as a class, I can’t wait to perform Azkaban at the brand new theatre.”

Following the production at the Opera House, the students were given time to take a casual canal tour of Amsterdam along the river Amstel, before departing for the famous Anne Frank museum to discover her story.

Ben Musa, Professional Dance Programme tutor said, “Our trip to Amsterdam has been incredible. We got to make so many amazing memories with our dancers. A highlight was visiting Anne Frank House, where the students were extremely moved by the story told. But the pinnacle was watching The Dutch national ballet perform Requiem. The students felt to privileged and honoured to witness such amazing talent first hand.”

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Cronton Sixth Form students who are part of the Prestigious Universities Programme had the great opportunity to take part in an educational residential stay at the University of Oxford to explore its facilities, meet teaching staff and students, and gain first-hand experience of what academic life at the University is like.

Cronton’s Prestigious Universities Programme provides support, advice and training to high achieving students who are looking to apply to the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and other prestigious Universities. The annual trip gives the students a realistic idea of what student life is like at one of the top universities in the country.

Across two days, students were given the opportunity to tour of some of the best known colleges in the centre of the city, attend lectures provided by members of the academic staff, meet with current Oxford students,    view the University’s science laboratories, visit the University’s central library and exhibit the world famous Pitt Rivers Museum.

Luke MacMahon, Head of the Prestigious Universities Programme said, “I was so pleased with the College’s trip to Oxford. The students had the opportunity to gain a real sense of what life at the University would be like and to see first-hand what studying for a degree would involve. Most importantly, they worked with current Oxford students who did a brilliant job of demonstrating that the only thing you need to succeed at an elite university is academic ability – something they all already have.”

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Cronton College has been host to the Halton heats of the MerseySTEM Robotics Challenge; an event that pits local schools against each other in a robot building exercise that challenges problem solving skills and tests engineering, science and design principles knowledge.

The challenge saw pupils from local schools take part in a full-day event, building their robots in the morning then fielding them into battle in the afternoon. Teams from Ormiston Chadwick Academy, Wade Deacon High School, The Grange School, Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy and The Heath School combined with MerseySTEM representatives to help with the build of the robots. Once complete, the teams then put their robots into battle against each other in the Robot Wars arena.

After a hard fought afternoon of competing, Ormiston Chadwick Academy beat all competitors to retain the title and earn a place in the Liverpool City Region Grand Final later in the school year, where they will be competing against schools across the Merseyside region.

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Cronton Sixth Form College was delighted to welcome The Right Reverend Jonathan Gibbs, Bishop of Huddersfield, to speak with A Level Philosophy and Religion students and provide an opportunity for the students to ask questions.

Bishop Jonathan Gibbs grew up in Cheshire and was consecrated as Bishop of Huddersfield in York Minster in October 2014. He joined the College to discuss his pathway to becoming Bishop of Huddersfield and also gave the students the opportunity to ask questions about religion and philosophy during a Q&A session.

Luke MacMahon, Philosophy and Religion Tutor at Cronton, said, “It was wonderful to welcome The Right Reverend Jonathan Gibbs at College. Our students were able to ask some great questions about topics they are studying on their courses which will really benefit them.”

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Cronton Sixth Form College is proud to announce that it is now an Arts Award provider.  The Arts Award is a range of unique qualifications that support artists and arts leaders and inspires students to connect with and take part in the wider arts world through Performing Arts challenges.

The award runs alongside the Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts and the brand new Cronton Playhouse theatre and provides students with a variety of opportunities already in place, such as visits to New York University and the Martha Graham Studios, the Netherlands Dance Theatre for workshops and backstage experiences of the Palais Garnier, Moulin Rouge in Paris and, most recently, the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Italy.

Students can now use their expertise in set, lighting, sound and costume design, alongside performance and writing to achieve the award which includes Bronze, Silver and Gold and adds extra UCAS points at the end of the project.

Matt Plant, Head of Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts, said, “We’re so happy to be offering this as the Cronton Playhouse opens.  The Centre of Excellence continues to go from strength to strength and it is fitting to be able to offer our hard-working students awards for their extra-curricular endeavours.”

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Talented performing arts students and staff at Cronton Sixth Form are celebrating the grand opening of the brand new Cronton Playhouse Theatre with an outstanding performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical, The Phantom of the Opera.

The impressive theatre was unveiled to excited students and staff days before the opening of the show to allow them to set the scene for the first production to take place at the fantastic new venue.

The 320 seat theatre is home to the very latest technology, with an advanced technical booth, offering new spectacular effects and high impact sound. The facility is a wonderful addition to the Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts at the College, providing the talented students an opportunity to learn and perform in an outstanding performance space.

The sold out audiences attending The Phantom of the Opera were not only wowed by the stunning new theatre, but were also captivated by the outstanding cast who have been working hard in preparation for the special first production. The whole cast and crew produced three breath-taking performances lead by the incredibly talented Emily Sharples as Christine Daae, Christopher Grave as The Phantom and Ethan Turton as Raoul.

The official opening was then honoured by two stunning performances from West End stars Carl Sanderson; who appeared as the Phantom in the West End, and the Patron of the Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts, Zoe Curlett, who has performed as Christine in the famous musical. Zoe then went on to officially open the new Cronton Playhouse with a ceremonial unveiling of the plaque.

Matt Plant, Head of the Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts said, “The Cronton Playhouse is the product of a great deal of team work with students and staff over the years. We are hugely grateful to all of our talented past students whose time and dedication to our projects went some way in enabling us to have this wonderful venue.

“The Phantom of the Opera production was an enormous success and a fitting beginning to our new performing arts journey in our brand new theatre. We are now looking forward to start work on our next major production of A Chorus Line which will take place at the Cronton Playhouse on 26th and 27th June.”

The audience feedback from the first show has been exceptional, with one spectator commenting, “Amazingly talented students. Fabulous stage presence and performances all around. The band did a superb job; huge congratulations to everyone involved, LOVED the new theatre too.”

Another audience member said, “The show was fantastic. Totally jaw dropping performance, absolutely stunning honestly. All involved should be so proud, the opening performance of The Phantom of the Opera at the Cronton Playhouse Theatre was totally amazing.”

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Science students at Cronton Sixth Form College had a fascinating learning experience during a visit to CERN in Geneva, the biggest physics laboratory in the world.

CERN is home to the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider, the Hadron Collider and employs around 10,000 physicists, engineers and computer scientists. Cronton’s young scientists travelled to Switzerland for the three-day excursion to experience the facility first hand.

The group enjoyed a grand tour of the site, including a 360-degree multimedia experience which traced the history of the universe. They then enjoyed an expert talk from a CERN research scientist, saw some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers and got to see the Antiproton Decelerator, a unique machine which allows for studies of antimatter.

The students also received valuable information of possible career paths that they can progress onto after College and were given the opportunity to question some of the CERN scientists to find out about their career journeys.

The group also had the chance to take in the Swiss culture; enjoying an evening of Swiss music in a nearby restaurant where they dined on fondue. They also spent time doing fun activities such as curling and visits to Geneva’s two science museums.

Cronton Physics tutor David Petticrew said, “This trip was a great opportunity for our students to observe this outstanding research facility and get a closer look at the fascinating everyday life of a scientist. We have had nothing but positive feedback from the students on the trip and they returned to College extremely motivated for their upcoming exams.”

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Students from Cronton Sixth Form’s A Level Humanities department have been on an amazing visit to one of the most cultural cities in the world, New York.

The annual trip gives students a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit one of the world’s most stunning cities. During their time at The Big Apple, students had plenty of opportunities to experience the local culture and enjoy New York’s greatest landmarks.

Over an eventful weekend, the students had the chance to take in the beauty of The Empire State Building and The Statue of Liberty before embarking on a tour of the Natural History Museum. They also got to enjoy a walk across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

During the evenings, students were able to visit the world famous night life of Time Square and try local dishes in the restaurants.

One student commented on the trip, “My favourite part was going up the Empire State Building with the amazing views over the whole on New York.”

Another said, “I loved when we did the boat ride to the Statute of Liberty. It was a bit windy but we could see New York. The afternoon in Central park was brilliant, I loved walking around the park and even having a go in the rowing boats in the lake.”

Dan Adams, Head of Languages and Social Sciences at Cronton said, “New York was absolutely fantastic. The students loved experiencing one of the greatest cities in the world. We are already looking forward to running the trip again in the future.”

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Students and staff from Riverside College and Cronton Sixth Form came together on Friday 3rd May for the annual College Race for Life event at Victoria Park in Widnes, all to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

For the fourth year running, hundreds of students, staff and members of the public took part in the exciting race to raise money for the charity. Previous events have been hugely successful, with over £12,000 raised. This year’s efforts have raised the total even higher, adding an impressive £2,500 so far, with donations still coming in.

Hundreds of people showed their full support for the cause by dressing in pink and wearing pink glitter makeup which was provided by Riverside College’s makeup team. Almost everyone has been affected by cancer in one way, and this was demonstrated by the many heartfelt messages of support and encouragement that the runners proudly pinned to their outfits.

Following performances by Cronton music students and a warmup session by Fitness Instructor Tanya Johnson from Halton Borough Council, the racers lined up. Councillor Eddie Jones and Widnes Vikings players Jack Owens and Joe Lyons then signalled the start of the race.

After a five kilometre run around the park, Scottish Power Apprentice Dominic Thomas crossed the line first with an impressive winning time of under 14 minutes. A Level student Anais O’Connor then crossed the line as the fastest female runner while Digital Marketing Apprentice Lewis Greenway was fastest College staff member on the day.

The participants then headed back to Riverside College’s Centre Stage Theatre to be presented with a medal by special guests including; The Mayor and Mayoress of Halton Councillors John and Marjorie Bradshaw, Widnes Vikings players Brad Walker and Jordan Johnstone, England and St Helen’s Rugby star Mark Percival and local boxing legend Michael “Rocky” Fielding.

David Ash, who represented Cancer Research UK, also took to the stage to provide an inspirational speech to the audience of proud participants.

This year’s Race for Life was sponsored by local charity Young Addaction Halton and local businesses including Cronton Lane Bakery, Asda Widnes Store and Morrisons Widnes Store who kindly donated food and bottled water for the day. The Rapid Relief Team, a global charitable organisation with teams all over the world, generously catered the event providing a BBQ and hot drinks for participants to enjoy.

Event co-organiser Helen Maddison said, “Our fourth Race for Life has been the best yet! It was incredible to see so many people taking part to raise money for such a wonderful cause. Thank you to everyone who got involved to make this event a big success.”

Event co-organiser Keith Barker said, “This is such an important event in the College calendar. Almost everybody has been affected by Cancer in one way or another so it was amazing to see so many people taking part. A big thank you to everyone who made a donation!”

If you would like to make a donation towards this wonderful cause, you can do so via the College Race for Life JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/raceforlife-2019

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Graphic Design and Photography students at Cronton Sixth Form College have partnered with charity organisation Age UK to take part in a heart-warming project to raise awareness of people becoming isolated and feeling invisible as they grow older. 

The campaign hopes to raise awareness through posters and photobooks displaying real life stories of older people affected by loneliness. The College was contacted by Milorad Vasic from Halton Borough Council and Clare Lightfoot from Age UK with the possibility of including Creative Arts students in the project. Graphic Design and Photography students Alisha Kirby, Charlotte Lake and Katie Mealing were delighted to take part and use the talents they have developed so far on their course.  

Age UK organised for five people to come into the College to be highlighted in the campaign. The talented students put together a series of photoshoots with the group and used the pictures taken to create the poster campaign and photobook.

The campaign will go live in the local area soon, with the possibility of the work becoming involved in a national campaign.

David Lenderyou, Programme Area Leader for Creative arts and Graphic Design Tutor commented, “It has been a fantastic experience for our learners. They have been given the opportunity to work on a ‘real life’ project and to get the chance to participate in a project with Age UK has made the experience all the more special. In addition to the experience of working on a client led brief, they have also had the opportunity to meet a wonderful bunch of people.”

Katie Mealing said, “Working with Age UK allowed me to open my mind and connect with the older generation, we have more in common than you realise.”

Alisha Kirby said, “I have really enjoyed working on the project and meeting so many lovely people along the way that have shared their stories with us. It has been a pleasure to have been able to take part in such a fantastic project.”

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Talented students studying the Professional Music Programme at Cronton Sixth Form have impressed a packed out audience at the world-famous Cavern Club for their fourth and final gig of the year.

The Cavern gig is an annual event, as part of the PMP course at Cronton. It represents the culmination of students work from throughout the year, while allowing them to follow in the footsteps of Cavern Club legends such as The Beatles and Oasis.  

The two-and-a-half-hour gig is the perfect chance for the students to put all the hard work from their class into practice, and flaunt the wide variety of songs and styles they have developed during their time on the course. Ranging from Queen and The Eagles, to Abba and The Beatles, the students put on a show to remember.

Chris Burridge, Tutor on the Professional Music Programme said, “This event in particular was a resounding success, with several outstanding performances from students with a wide range of musical backgrounds. The students came off stage buzzing, and are already looking forward to next year!”

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