The sun shines on proud graduates

ALL SMILES . . Jaimie Sammon, Michael Cleasby and Rebecca Higgins

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THE sun shone on the borough's annual graduation parade.

More than 130 University Campus Oldham graduates were led through the town centre by the New Orleans-style street band Mr Wilson's Second Liners, who belted out Nineties classics decked out in Sgt Pepper outfits.

Family, friends and shoppers took photographs of the procession from the High Street to Oldham Parish Church, where students graduated in courses covering performing arts, business management, early years, health and community studies, psychological studies, digital arts practice, construction, creative media production and leadership and management.

They received degrees, foundation degrees, higher education diplomas, higher national certificates and higher level apprenticeships.

Honorary fellowships were also awarded to former councillor Arooj Shah, former UCO head Debbie Bridge and Dr Ian Wilkinson, head of NHS Oldham clinical commissioning group. The three were honoured for their contributions to the community, higher education and health and wellbeing.

The graduates at Friday's ceremony included many mature students who fitted their studies around their family commitments.

Among them were friends Jaimie Sammon, Rebecca Higgins and Michael Cleasby, who all did BSc (Hons) degrees in health and community studies.

Mother-of-two Jaimie (39), from Fitton Hill, will now do a masters in social work at Manchester Metropolitan University. She said: "It's really exciting. I am the first person in my family to get a degree, so it's a massive deal.

Supportive

"I was a stay-at-home mum. I had a really limited educational background and I split up with my partner, so I decided that I wanted to do something really worthwhile for me and my children. At times I felt like there wasn't enough hours in the day - there were late nights."

Rebecca Higgins originally trained as a hairdresser and had various jobs before joining UCO. The 27-year-old, from Huddersfield, also starts in September at MMU, where she will do a masters in forensic psychology. She said: "I had a little girl, so I thought I'd better sort my life out and grow up!"

Former soldier Michael (29) joined the Army at 16 and did tours of Iraq and Afghanistan before taking redundancy. The father-of-three will study adult nursing at Salford University, adding: "My family and extended family have been very supportive looking after the kids when I had deadlines."

Blessing Posi worked in a care home before starting her health and community studies degree and is looking forward to doing a masters in dementia care at Bradford University. She posed for photos with beaming daughter Christiana (nine) who said: "I am very proud of her - she has become a lot more confident."

But it wasn't just mature students who were graduating. Rachael McLoughlin (21) joined UCO from Oldham Sixth From College and said that she had enjoyed attending a smaller university.

"You get the one-to-one time with the lecturers and the classes are smaller," she said.

Accompanied by her proud parents, Michael and Julie, and partner Lee Thompson, Rachael will now do a masters at Huddersfield University and wants to follow this with a doctorate.

But she will also be returning to UCO as a teaching assistant and is hoping to have her dissertation on the rehabilitation of offenders published.

Successful

Among those applauding the parade was shopper Gordon Pollitt (74), from Stalybridge, who was with his great-grandson James (four) - who had his own nursery graduation on Thursday.

He said: "It's nice to have this in the town centre. It's so nice to see youngsters being successful and starting their lives."

Donna Gorey (42), from Moorside, who did a BA (Hons) in early years, said: "I feel proud, especially when strangers come up and say 'well done'. It is quite emotional."

Katherine Griffiths, director of higher education development and learning at Oldham College, which runs UCO, said: "It's a really exciting day, the culmination of a lot of effort.

"This is when we appreciate what UCO does for the individuals, their families and Oldham."

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