Southern Regional College (SRC) held a memorable evening on Tuesday night at the Graduate Restaurant at Newry East Campus to commemorate a successful year in Hospitality and Tourism.

The department’s staff and students have secured a multitude of awards and accomplishments which include gold, silver, and bronze medals at IFEX, finalist recognition in the FutureChef Competition, Lecturer of the Year and Student Management Potential Award at the Institute of Hospitality (IoH) Awards, and success at the NI Travel and Tourism Awards. The ceremony saw each recipient being recognised and honoured for their achievements.

Michelle Moore, Curriculum Area Manager for Hospitality and Tourism at SRC, served as the master of ceremonies, welcoming esteemed guests Aaron Logan, Northern Ireland Regional Chair of the Institute of Hospitality, Stephen Brothers, Executive Chef, Ballyedmond Castle & Corby Castle, Dean Coppard, Executive Chef, Omniplex Ireland and Eugene Rooney, the Conference & Banqueting Manager from Killeavy Castle Estate. During the ceremony, Eugene delivered an inspiring address to guests, encouraging students to take pride in their accomplishments and embrace opportunities for growth by exploring the vast landscape of hospitality.

Achievements include:

Student

Achievement

Awarding Body

Annabelle Hughes

Gold Medal - Risotto Chef of the Year NI & Bronze Medal in Culinary Arts at WorldSkills

IFEX

TJ Cashel O’Farrell

Gold Medal- Culinary Ability Award

IFEX

Ross Smyth

Silver Medal- Junior Duck

IFEX

Darragh Byrne

Silver Medal- Young Seafood Chef of the Year/ Best in Class

IFEX

Sophie Keenan

Silver Medal- Contemporary Hot Starter

IFEX

Rory Kavanagh

Silver Medal- Junior Poultry

IFEX

Ben Webber

Bronze Medal- Junior Duck

IFEX

Thomas McCrink

Bronze Medal- Contemporary Dessert

IFEX

Sam Thompson

Bronze Medal- Junior Poultry

IFEX

Lubo Mulkerns

Finalist at the FutureChef Competition

Future Chef

Claire Ward

Student Management Potential Award

Institute of Hospitality

Sinead Larkin

Finalist in the NI Travel & Tourism Student of the Year Awards

NI Travel and Tourism Awards

Staff

Achievement

Keith Campbell

Lecturer of the Year Award

Institute of Hospitality

Sinead Boyle

Runner up for the Lecturer of the Year Award

Institute of Hospitality

Caroline Chambers

Institute of Hospitality “Hearts in Hospitality” Award

Institute of Hospitality

Matt Turner, Head of Faculty for Professional Services at Southern Regional College commented:

"I'm thrilled to celebrate the College's exceptional achievements in Hospitality and Tourism this year. The dedication and commitment shown by both our staff and students has been truly remarkable. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists; it's incredibly rewarding to see all their efforts being recognised”.