THE sun shone on next year’s intake of school leavers who will be starting in September as they visited Alton College on July 4 for the annual WelcomeFest.

They were on campus to meet up with staff and current students in a festive atmosphere, to familiarise themselves with the environment, meet their teachers, make new friends, and better understand the transition from school to college.

The morning was designed to enable students to explore their subject areas through talks and practical hands-on workshops, while the afternoon allowed for more of a relaxed experience watching former student and X Factor contestant Joe Waller, who hails from Bordon, perform on stage with his band – Rob Purkiss and current Alton College student Jamie Petersen – followed by talented current music students who are bidding for the chance to play on the Introducing Stage at Butserfest in September.

There was also an opportunity to try out for college sports teams and to take part in additional talks and lectures with subjects ranging from ‘What’s so good about Shakespeare?’ to ‘Why History is the only subject everyone should study’ and from ‘The weird and wonderful world of maths’ to ‘Brewing: Not to be sniffed at’ and ‘Engineering in STEM: Filling the Gap’.

Current students were also on hand to talk about the extended project qualification and life@altoncollege, a talk about extra-curricular activities and trips available at college.

The battle of the bands was on the final event of the day featuring participants from the Alton College music department. The competition was judged Students’ Union president Fawziyyah Hamid (previously at Mill Chase Academy), Mike Goncalves from ButserFest, Joe Waller, and Eastbrooke ward councillor Dean Phillips.

The first band was called Back Up Plan and was made up of Camilla Coulson and Sam Grant, both previously of Eggar’s School in Alton, and Merryn Heels (The Costello School), who performed a series of covers.

The second group on stage were the Alton College Jazz Collective comprising several talented musicians, some of whom have been offered places at the country’s leading music conservatoires. They performed a selection of jazz standards before the last act, Lloyd, took to the stage. This rock band was made up of Cameron Walker (previously of Perins School), Tom Pocock (Bohunt), Alfie Stickler (Weydon) and Tim Stokkereit (More House School, Farnham).

Lloyd won to secure a slot at Butserfest on the Introducing Stage.

College principal Sara Russell said: “We look forward to the event all year. It’s such an amazing way to welcome our new students starting here in September. Our specialist staff and brilliant students provide a brilliant taste of life@altoncollge from studying to social life.

“This year it was fantastic to welcome our former student, Joe Waller, and his band back to campus to perform on stage. It really was an incredible day and we wish all our current and new students a great summer!”