Celebrations, including a time capsule burial, have taken place at Lakes College as the Lillyhall campus turns 20.

And because of the present times, the capsule contains an unused Coivd-19 test and face mask.

The pandemic did not, however,impact on the celebrations of a college which, since opening its doors to students back in 2001, has done continued to expand.

Both staff and students took part in the celebrations last week.

The time capsule was buried on the site to commemorate the anniversary with items inside including a letter from the Principal and a timeline of Further Education in West Cumbria going back 100 years,from when the original West Cumbria College was spread across the three sites at Park Lane in Workington, Flatt Walks in Whitehaven, and the old Lillyhall School.

Other items included, a video of staff who have been at the college for over 20 years sharing memories of their time at the institution so far, and and facts from 2021.

Chris Nattress, Lakes College Principal said: “I have been with the college for 12 of the last 20 years and knew from the moment I arrived I was in absolutely the right place.

“We have a fabulous facility, and community, here at Lillyhall and the people who were involved in moving the college up here 20 years ago did a fantastic job in developing a college fit for the future.

“Thousands of learners have benefitted from what we do here over the last 20 years and have gone onto achieve really great things, here’s to another successful 20 years serving our West Cumbrian communities.”

Displays of old photos have been put together in the college to show staff and students just how far Lakes College has come since September 2001. Some of these achievements including; the opening of the National College for Nuclear in 2018, allowing Cumbrian’s to study nuclear and civil engineering degrees right on their door steps, opening of the Construction Skills Training Centre in 2013, the soon to be open Civil Engineering Training Centre in October 2021, and not forgetting achieving a ‘Good’ result from Ofsted in 2017.

Irene Farragher, Learner Support Manager, has been at the college for 25 years and said: “Over the last 20 years at Lillyhall, I have seen many highs and lows but overall, seeing how learners have progressed and achieved and how the college has evolved has been the most exciting part of a journey that I have enjoyed being a part of, and hope to be a part of for many more years.”