Rain fails to dampen Shrewsbury College graduation day

But the threat of bad weather almost scuppered the Shrewsbury College graduation procession from the town's Square to St Chad's Church.

The decision was left until the last minute as to whether more than 100 students were able to take part in Friday's parade before the awards ceremony.

This year 142 students graduated in a range of degree-level courses.

Fortunately the rain held off and the parade made its way from the Square at 2.30pm led by the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Beverley Baker.

The ceremony in St Chad's started at 3pm and Professor Michael Gunn, Vice-Chancellor of Staffordshire University, one of the college's affiliate universities, was the guest speaker.

Before the ceremony, students from Performing Arts joined together in song to celebrate the year's successes and to bid farewell to those graduating.

Steve Wain, principal of Shrewsbury College, said: "The parade is a real rite of passage before they go on into their future careers."

Gillian Jepson, 52, from Telford, is graduating from her Fashion HND, and said: "

I have worked for the civil service for 31 years so this was a big change for me. But I have always been creative so being able to study the HE course at Shrewsbury College has given me an enormous amount of self-satisfaction, by being able to do what I enjoy doing.

"It has been challenging at times, but for me, the only failure would be not trying."