Two Bury College School of Performance students were chosen to entertain hundreds of professionals at one of the UKs top education award ceremonies in London where they won the Gold Award.

Ellie Bennett and Joshua Smart were delighted to be selected to perform at the BTEC Awards 2019, a prestigious award ceremony held at Central Hall Westminster. These annual awards celebrate excellence in vocational education in schools, colleges and universities across the country and internationally.

Each year, the award organisers hold a BTEC Awards Showstopper Challenge where talented performers submit entries. This year’s Showstopper Challenge broke records with the number of high quality entries received.

19 year old Ellie and 17 year old Joshua were proud to perform their routine in front of the large scale audience and wow spectators with their professionalism and unique talent. Both performers believe the training they have received at Bury College has prepared them for their future careers.

Ellie, a former pupil at The Elton High School, who has secured a place at Laine Theatre Arts with a scholarship, was delighted to have been chosen to perform at such a prestige event. Ellie said, “I have loved my time at Bury College, the tutors push you to reach your full potential and we have been given so many fantastic opportunities.”

Former The Derby High School pupil Josh, who will be progressing onto a Masters Performing Arts course in Essex with an 100% scholarship, added, “I was so shocked to receive the news that we had been chosen to perform at the BTEC Awards. To be picked out of thousands of entries is such a great achievement.”

Andy Tomlinson, Head of Bury College School of Performance said, “This is the culmination of an outstanding year for our students across Music and Performing Arts following on from the unprecedented success at the Greater Manchester College Group Skills Competitions. That is a celebration of the talent of the performers and for Ellie and Josh now to be recognised on such a platform is testament to the work they have put in to develop their performance skills to such an exceptional standard. They really are a credit to themselves.”

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