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Bath College has held the College Soundwave Festival to showcase music from Bath College bands, alumni and local acts, as well as performing arts, wellbeing tips and relaxation techniques such as street food and massage tutorials.

The festival was arranged by the newly elected Students’ Union for academic year 2020/21. The panel of students, led by returning Students’ Union President, Dan Ball, thought that the lockdown was no reason not to ensure that everyone got to celebrate the end of term.

The new Students’ Union members are Amy Curtis, Higher Education Officer; Emily Styles, Equality & Diversity Officer; and Gemma Valentine and Eloise Lane, Events & Activities Officers. They hope to add more officers to their team with new students in September.

The Soundwave Festival gave students the chance to share their favourite college memories and enter festival-themed competitions, including sharing images of what ‘festival’ meant to them.

Also invited to the virtual event were all students starting in September, who got the opportunity to ‘hang out’ online with the new Students’ Union and ask questions about student life at Bath College.

The online event was attended by 150 students, providing a very reassuring afternoon after what has been an uncertain time for young people.

“I’m really pleased to have been voted in as SU President for a second year,” said Dan Ball, Students’ Union President. “It’s great to have a new team of officers and together we put on an event that was really beneficial to the students, who have been very anxious studying from home.

“I really enjoyed meeting all the new students who are starting in September and hope we gave them a taste of college life.”

The event was such a success the new SU plan to re-run the event on GCSE results day to bring celebration to a cohort of students who have had their exams so disrupted.