The Sky’s The Limit As Fireworks Launch Our Spectacular New Campus
20th October 16
Abbey College Cambridge celebrated the official opening of its new campus at Homerton Gardens in a ceremony that culminated in a spectacular fireworks display lighting up the Cambridge night.
The ceremony, which took place on the evening of Thursday 13th October, was attended by 450 guests including Abbey College Cambridge staff, current and past students, and invited dignitaries. Staff and guests enjoyed welcome drinks, canapés and music in the college’s main assembly hall, whilst students enjoyed their own party in the college dining room and courtyard with music, games and street food from around the world on offer. There was also a spectacular scale model cake recreation of the main campus building on display.
After the drinks reception guests were treated to tours of some of the college’s 42 classrooms, 12 laboratories, and numerous communal areas. Abbey teachers and staff were on hand to demonstrate with some ‘hands on’ activities the cutting edge teaching and support technology that is available to students within the campus.
After the tours, guests gathered in the main assembly hall to hear from college staff and students past and present who told stories of their favourite memories of working and studying at Abbey College Cambridge, and of what had made the college so special to them.
After speeches from senior college staff and the head of the college’s student council Dariga Zhumanova, students performed the official ribbon cutting with College Principal Dr Julian Davies. The evening concluded with a spectacular celebratory fireworks display, launched from the roof of the campus to a resounding musical score and enjoyed by all who attended.
Speaking of the journey to the new campus, College Principal Dr Julian Davies was justifiably proud:
‘This amazing building has been three years in the planning and building. Tonight we pay testament to the dedication and celebrate hard work to the team of staff, students and contractors who made it all possible. I can now proudly state that we have an outstanding campus to match our already outstanding teaching and boarding provision. The future is bright, both for us as a college and for the generations of students who will pass through here on their way to achieving great things.’
