DOZENS of students from West Malvern’s Regents Theological College, celebrated graduation in traditional style at a ceremony at Great Malvern Priory.
Nearly a quarter of the full time undergraduates achieved first class honours this year and celebrated their success on Saturday with family and friends.
The college is one of the leading Pentecostal Bible Colleges in Europe and offers a three year Bachelors of Arts with Honours degree in Applied Theology which is validated by the University of Chester.
Student Kevin Surridge who lives in Ledbury, was one of the students to celebrate graduation.
He said: “I run my own caravan park business, but I decided to start the degree because I wanted a do something a bit different. My wife took over the running of the business while I took time out to do a BA Honours Degree in Applied Theology.
“It was all about taking on a challenge I didn’t think I could do, and realising that you can do anything you put your mind to. I would say any kind of learning isn’t going to be wasted and Regents offers a tremendous opportunity on the doorstep.
“As a mature student I would say it is never too late to study, but really important to have support from family and friends. I was struck by the passion and sacrifice the young people were prepared to make to go there and how much they were willing to give up to do things for others in the community.”
Also attending the ceremony were Reverend Chris Cartwright, General Superintendent for the Elim Movement, and Reverend Dave Newton, Principal and Head of Training at Regents Theological College.
Reverend Newton added: “We are thrilled that the hard work, application and dedication of our students has yielded such fantastic results. So many are now using what they have learned to make a valuable contribution to their own communities and beyond.”
And Malvern Mayor Cynthia Palmer said: “What a pleasure it was to be invited to this great occasion and see the students celebrating their success after such a lot of hard work. Regents Theological College makes a great contribution to the local community in West Malvern.”
