PERSHORE College has been celebrating its first year since merging with Warwickshire College and is looking forward to the new developments proposed for the coming year.

College governors, staff, councillors, representatives from the Learning Skills Council, representatives of other local groups and MP Peter Luff went along to a garden party at the Avonbank campus to mark the first anniversary.

Ian Pickford, former chair of the governors of Pershore Group of Colleges and a governor of the Warwickshire College, said the governors had been faced with a difficult financial situation at Pershore and had little choice but to go for a merger if they were to put students first.

He said: “The merger was a brave move and without doubt has its risks but it was the best chance to improve the outcomes we desired for our students.

“Staff have worked tirelessly with a single target and that target was delivering excellence for our students.”

Warwickshire College principal Ioan Morgan said one of the aims of the merger was that “local people still have a local college and have a sustainable college that will be here for a long time”.

He said they had developed a very good relationship with Wychavon District Council and felt the college could be at the heart of economic development in the region and provide very effective skills support for the area.

The college is now in talks with Pershore High School about joint sixth form activities and there is also a commitment to developing and growing its national reputation in horticulture.

A project at Avonbank to replace the outdated glass-houses and redundant heating system with 800 sq metres of new glasshouses heated by a green bio-mass boiler should be completed by October.

Ofsted inspectors gave the Warwickshire College campuses an “outstanding” rating earlier in the year.

Mr Morgan said: “In 12 months I think we have achieved quite a lot.”

Pershore College merged with Warwickshire College last summer after several years of financial problems. Holme Lacy College near Hereford – which was part of the Pershore group – merged with Herefordshire College of Technology.