Granduands attend the Salisbury Graduation ceremony.FROM building-site management to beauty, and psychodynamic counselling to photography, Salisbury College students have graduated in an enormous variety of subjects.

The successful graduands gathered in Salisbury's City Hall on Thursday to receive their diplomas and certificates.

Helping the celebrations go with a bang was TV presenter Johnny Ball, who congratulated each of the students on their achievement.

Salisbury mayor Bobby Chettleburgh and other invited dignitaries also attended the ceremony, which saw the hall filled with proud families and the college's many supporters.

In his speech, college principal Howard O'Keeffe praised the higher education students for their hard work.

He said: "Many congratulations to you all - today is a day when you can feel justifiably proud of what you have achieved.

"No one can take this success away from you and, in one way or another, it will have an effect on the whole of the rest of your life.

"Enjoy this moment - there are few enough moments in life when you can say with complete confidence, 'Yes, I've done it.'

Mr O'Keeffe mentioned some of the financial hardship and other problems facing students, praising the teaching staff and students' friends and families who had helped them through the difficult times.

"Behind every good student, there is a good supporter," he said.

In the past two years, the college has undergone major refurbishment work, with improved access for disabled students and the completion of a 90-bedroom accommodation block.

As new students benefit from the facilities, Mr O'Keeffe wished the graduates all the best for their futures.

"I hope, as you look back over your studies, you realise how much you have learned, not only about the subject you have studied but about the world and particularly about yourself," he said.

"Your education has changed you for the better and I hope you are looking forward with optimism and anticipation to what lies ahead."