In this midst of a heatwave, we held our School of Arts, School of Conservation and School of Design graduations over the weekend. Congratulations to the students finishing their studies, it was wonderful to celebrate the hard work and achievements at both graduation ceremonies.

Our School of Design celebrated on Friday 11 July at Senate House, just a stone’s throw from our London campus. We welcomed students, family, friends, tutors and design industry professionals to celebrate the achievements, success and hard work of our garden design and interior design graduates.

2025 Honorary Fellow Oliver Heath gave a virtual address, sharing his insights and advice for our graduating students. A plethora of prizes were handed out by members of the industry, including the United in Design Award for Inclusivity, Homes & Gardens Award for Contemporary and Creative Design, RIBA Award for Design Drawing, and Hampton Court Palace Award for Plants & Planting.

Member of the Board of Trustees, Yen-Yen Teh presented the Trustees’ Prize for the School of Design, which was won by Carolyn McLauchlan, Diploma HE Applied Interior Design graduate, and Alexandra Crozier, BA (Hons) Interior Design graduate.

On Saturday 12 July, our School of Arts and School of Conservation graduates celebrated against the beautiful backdrop of the South Downs National Park. We were delighted to welcome 2025 Honorary Fellow Dr Dean Sully who gave an illuminating keynote address, before the presentation of awards.

A speech by Student Association President and Vice-President Lucie Howitt and Melina Kachrimani, was followed by the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize, awarded by Prof Michael Luck, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, University of Sussex.

Prizes included the Antiquarian Horological Society (AHS) – Southern Section Prize, The Arts Society Chichester Research Prize and the Historic England/John Ashurst Prize.

Chair of the Board of Trustees, Prof Paul O’Prey presented the Trustees’ Prize for the School of Arts, which was awarded to MFA graduate Twinky Lau and for the School of Conservation, which was awarded to Graduate Diploma Books Conservation graduate Aimee Wragg, and Graduate Diploma Furniture Conservation graduate Layla La Monde.

Congratulations again to all!

As a graduate of the College, we would like to welcome everyone to the West Dean Alumni, a global community spanning all seven continents of the world!