Colin, who was a student at Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, Hampshire, joined seven other winners who received AoC Gold Awards in recognition of their status as successful College alumni and as role models for hundreds of thousands of students. The awards illustrate the range and diversity of the work of Further Education Colleges and Sixth Form Colleges and the impact they have on their students’ lives.

Colin Firth and his former English teacher Penny Edwards.

In a local paper interview, Colin once admitted that he had never really enjoyed school until he went to Barton Peveril College. He said his teachers had been fantastic, including Reg Bowyer, the Principal at the time, Alan Mace, Michael Whatmore, his English teacher David Lewes and his drama teachers David Wright. At the presentation Colin Firth said: "I really value what College did for me. Barton Peveril College saved me, I've always felt very grateful for the extraordinary level of faith they managed to maintain in me. It's left me with a belief that everybody deserves a second chance. My two years at Barton Peveril were among the two happiest years of my life. I must have been paying some attention as I can still quote randomly from Thomas Hardy and Lord Byron. Receiving this award gives me an unusual opportunity to thank my College and the person who helped me the most, my extremely fine English teacher Penny Edwards." Penny Edwards, who taught English and Drama, retires from the College this summer as the Head of the Arts Faculty. She was at the award presentation and was reunited with her former star pupil. She said: "He was very sociable and a lot of the girls liked him. Colin was very sensitive to literature and had this stage presence. I wasn't surprised he did so well. Underneath the laddish exterior was quite a shrewd character who knew exactly what he wanted to do."

The full list of this year’s further education alumni are:

·         BAFTA Award-winning actor Colin Firth

·         Bank of England Executive Director and Chief Economist Spencer Dale

·         Paralympian swimmer and cyclist Sarah Storey OBE

·         Businesswoman and BBC ‘Dragons’ Den’ star Deborah Meaden

·         Police Superintendent Leroy Logan MBE

·         Film-maker and adventurer Emma Brumpton

·         Joint winners Simon Needham and James Sommerville, co-founders of global creative agency ATTIK

The Association of Colleges’ Chief Executive, Martin Doel, said: “The AoC Gold Awards draw attention to the superb work done by both students and their Colleges across a variety of sectors and prove that, no matter what your aspirations, further education can make a significant contribution to your future success. I’d like to extend my congratulations to Colin and to all of this year’s winners, who demonstrate just how far students can go when their talent and ambition is both recognised and nurtured.”

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	Colin Firth, a former student of Barton Peveril College, with his AoC Gold Award. Colin Firth making his acceptance speech at the AoC Gold Awards – paying homage to the College that “saved him”.

The 2010 AoC Gold Award winners:

Colin Firth, who won this year’s BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his performance in ‘A Single Man’, was nominated by Barton Peveril College, in recognition of his stellar acting career.

He studied English Literature, Religious Studies and Drama from 1977 to 1979 and his talent for the stage shone through in College productions of Scapino by Moliere and Sweeney Todd. Since then he has received acclaim for his performances in the stage and screen productions of ‘Another Country’, his television portrayal of Fitzwilliam Darcy in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and box office roles in films including ‘Fever Pitch’, ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Mamma Mia’. His stage career has included the ‘Caretaker’, directed by Harold Pinter. He supports campaigns for the rights of asylum seekers and tribal peoples and works with Oxfam on fair trade issues. He is the co-founder of an eco-friendly shop in West London and in October 2009 he launched a film and political activism website, Brightwide.com, alongside his wife, Italian film producer and director, Livia Giuggioli. In 2009 he received the BAFTA/LA Humanitarian Award in Los Angeles.

Spencer Dale, Executive Director and Chief Economist at the Bank of England, was nominated by Exeter College, Devon, in recognition of his success as a student and in his chosen field. Spencer studied A-Levels, including Economics, at the College from 1984-86 and went on to take a BSc and then a Masters degree in Economics before joining the Bank of England. He has given his College credit for first introducing him to the potential power and reach of economics and for developing his enthusiasm for the subject. He maintains strong links with the College; he has visited to speak to current students of the College’s Reach Academy, and has met his former tutor Richard Taylor, who still lectures there. Spencer has also agreed to lend his name to a new award for current economics students.

Businesswoman and the lone female star of BBC’s ‘Dragons’ Den’, Deborah Meaden was nominated by City College Brighton and Hove in Sussex, as an inspiration to further education business students throughout the country. Deborah studied business at the College in 1976-77. Following a recent visit to her former College, she said that the formative experiences and the ‘solid knowledge’ she had gained during her course has stayed with her throughout her career. It is a career that has spanned a number of business enterprises, including the launch of her own glass and ceramics import company straight out of College and several successful ventures in leisure and retail. She also took over as the Managing Director of Weststar Holidays, a company set up by her family, which she later sold in a £33million deal.

Paralympic swimmer and cyclist Sarah Storey OBE was nominated by Cheadle & Marple Sixth Form College in Stockport, Cheshire, as an inspiration and excellent role model for their students. Sarah is one of Britain’s most decorated female Paralympians with 18 medals, including seven gold medals, to her name.

She studied A-Levels, including PE, English language and literature and French, at the College from 1994-96.

To her credit, and with the College’s support, she successfully juggled her intensive training and competitive events with her academic studies, never missing an assignment deadline. She went on to study for a BSc (Hons) in Sports Science at university and has travelled the world as an ambassador for disability sport. This year she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Manchester Metropolitan University and named the 2009 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.

Leroy Logan MBE was nominated by Hackney Community College, London, for his impressive achievements both as a former scientist working in clinical medical research and   now as a leading senior police officer with London’s Met. Leroy studied A-Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics at the College and went on to gain a degree in Applied Biology. He joined the police service in 1983 and rose through the ranks to his current position as Superintendent. He is currently a member of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games’ Policing Co-ordination Team, where he is involved in the planning for a safe and secure event. He has been the chair of the Black Police Association and, in this role, was involved in the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and the Victoria Climbie Inquiry. He also took a lead role in the Damilola Taylor investigation. He is behind numerous award-winning programmes, including the thriving young peoples’ forum Young Black Positive Advocates. In 2000 he received an MBE for his contribution to policing.

Emma Brumpton received a nomination from Aberdeen College, Scotland, for her success as a film-maker and global adventurer. She completed an HND in Television Operations and Production at the College in 2005. During her time there she produced a short video based on her experiences at an AIDS orphanage in Africa, which raised funds for the orphanage and won a number of awards. Her projects since then have included films about FIFA’s international football projects, the Jamaican Olympic gold-medallist Usain Bolt, and a feature on witch-hunting in Burkina Faso. The list of her interviewees includes former US President Bill Clinton, Hollywood legend Tony Curtis and Richard Branson.

Joint winners Simon Needham and James Sommerville were nominated by Kirklees College, West Yorkshire, for their ongoing contribution to design. They first met at the College where they both studied the National Diploma in Typography, Photography and Graphic Composition at the Batley School of Art, now part of Kirklees College. In 1987, after receiving a £2,000 Prince’s Trust grant, they joined forces to launch their design studio. They now run the renowned global creative agency, ATTIK, with offices in Leeds, London, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 2004 they were invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace in recognition of ATTIK’s contribution to design.

"Mini Mes"

The AoC Charitable Trust presents the Gold Awards to a select number of former College students each year in recognition of the vital role further education plays in their careers and their continuing achievements in their chosen fields. To highlight the important role further education continues to play for today’s students the AoC Charitable Trust runs a ‘mini me’ campaign alongside the Gold Awards with the Colleges each selecting a current student who shows promise in a similar field to their Gold Award winner.

These ‘mini mes’ also attended the House of Commons event and had the opportunity to meet this year’s inspirational winners and to find out more about how they achieved their success and the role that their College played in their careers.

Colin Firth’s ‘mini me’ is Mike Parker, 17, from Southampton, who is currently studying Drama, Media Studies and Film A-Levels and a BTEC National Award in Performing Arts: Acting. Mike hopes to pursue acting as a career and is inspired by Colin's success, particularly the range of characters he has played, and his work in the theatre.

The knowledge that Colin attended Barton Peveril College has encouraged Mike to apply to top drama schools such as LAMDA, Central and RADA. Mike has had recalls at all three schools and is waiting to hear the results. What sets Mike apart is his versatility as a performer - covering a number of very different performance styles, his maturity and the diligence with which he approaches a role and develops detailed and interesting characters with immense depth.

* The Association of Colleges’ Gold Awards are in their 11th consecutive year and are presented by the AoC Charitable Trust to celebrate success through further education. Colleges from around the country are given the opportunity to nominate former students who have excelled in their chosen field, having benefited greatly from their experience of further education. This is to acknowledge the importance of further education, either as a gateway to higher education, or as a platform from which students can begin their careers.