LEDBURY man Kevin Surridge joined a bumper crop of 50 graduates from Regents Theological College for a procession and graduation ceremony at Great Malvern Priory.

Nearly a quarter of the full-time undergraduates at the West Malvern-based college achieved first-class honours this year.

Special guest 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.”

Mr Surridge said: "I run my own caravan park business, but I decided to start the degree because I wanted to 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.

“Regents Theological College was on the radar because it was local. The first six weeks of studying after running my own business were a huge challenge, trying to get back into academia, but once I got over that hump I loved it. The interaction, content of teaching and lectures was great.

“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 they were willing to give up to do things for others in the community.”

Rev Dave Newton, the college principal, said: “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.”