Canterbury College was one of the education sector’s leading participants in the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The College received praise and won several awards for giving students as many Olympic opportunities as possible – both in the build-up to, and during, the historic event.

Trips to the Games took place throughout the summer, and earlier in the year students had the unique opportunity to visit the Olympic Park while it was under construction. It was also at the forefront of the city’s celebrations when the Olympic Torch passed through in July.

The College also brought the Olympics from London to Canterbury. British Paralympian Danny Crates visited sports students, and the New Dover Road campus ran stewarding courses that guaranteed those who passed an interview for working at the Games with a number of students directly involved in the London 2012 as performers at the opening ceremony, stewards, and safety officials.

Canterbury College was the UK’s first college to be part of the Get Set Network, a drive to bring colleges, schools and non-mainstream learning providers together in line with the Olympic and Paralympic values, and the only FE College in the UK to win Gold Accreditation from the NUS “Be a Champion” Olympic project.

The Olympic involvement has won the College several awards. The Students’ Union received a bronze medal for Living the Olympic Values at the Podium Awards 2012, and when it was named Best FE Students’ Union at the NUS Awards, the judges cited the Olympic involvement as a factor in the victory.