Lakes College Wins Prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize

Lakes College has been awarded a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize, the highest national honour in higher and further education.

The college has been recognised for its outstanding work in developing highly skilled technicians for the UK’s nuclear and low carbon energy sectors.

The work, developed collaboratively with industry experts and accredited by the National College for Nuclear, plays a crucial role in shaping site-ready professionals for vital UK industries.

First awarded in 1994, the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are granted every two years by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister following a rigorous and independent process of review carried out by The Royal Anniversary Trust, an independent charity.

The winners of the fifteenth round were announced at St James’s Palace in London on Thursday evening, with the Prizes to be presented at a formal Honours ceremony in February.

Three of the college’s senior members travelled to London for the announcement – Chris Nattress (Principal), Michael Priestley (Chair of Governors) and Paul Fairclough (Dean of Higher Education).

Mr Nattress said: “On behalf of everyone at Lakes College I am immensely proud of our Queen’s Anniversary Prize Award.

“This award is testimony to the hard work, creativity, dedication and talent of my colleagues and our learners. A huge amount of work undertaken by so many people goes into developing and delivering the nationally recognised high quality education and training underpinning our award.

“I would like to thank all of my amazing colleagues, our learners, employers and partners who continue to support us in our first class endeavours.”

Sir Damon Buffini, Chair of The Royal Anniversary Trust, said: “The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are an integral part of our national Honours system, shining a light on the groundbreaking work taking place in universities and colleges across the UK.

“All 22 Prize-winners demonstrate excellence, innovation and impact, with many tackling some of the toughest problems we as a society face today.

“They are to be commended for reaching this pinnacle of achievement in the tertiary education sector. Congratulations!”

Seven colleges were honoured in the awards, alongside 15 universities.