<p>The new students include a former Formula 1 photographer for McLaren, a former nurse, and a former mounted police officer.</p> <p>Extended Degree Senior Lecturer Helen Markes said: “This year’s students have already proved to be an engaging and passionate collection of individuals who bring a vast amount of knowledge and personal experience to a new learning environment. They are supportive of each other and of the staff and hungry for the knowledge about art and design that we are offering. It's great to see them get their hands dirty, work hard and give something to the ever-supportive Looe community, and I’m sure the new students will go from strength to strength and build on activities such as this to make significant progress in their work and understanding of the arts.”</p> <p><br /></p>

<p>The East Looe Town Trust awarded a £50 prize to the team of students who created the best sculpture, in a competition judged by local contemporary glass artist, Sandy Horton, and local abstract painter, James Howe, who worked on the films Blade Runner and Local Hero. The winning team comprised students Lionel Grimwade, Hazel Hon, Sophie Michell, Kerry Valentine, Liam Blair, and Sandy Stevens.</p> <p>Presenting a cheque on behalf of the East Looe Town Trust to the winning team, John Warne CB, a longstanding supporter of Plymouth College of Art’s annual beach sculpture competition and Trustee of the East Looe Town Trust, said: "It is always a pleasure to make our lovely beach available to Plymouth College of Art, whose students have again demonstrated great artistic talent in response to very tough challenges. You have also helped us to show what Looe can offer and have been excellent ambassadors for the college itself."</p>

<p>A member of the winning team, Hazel Hon said: "I loved watching the sculptures develop from scratches in the sand to works of art.”</p> <p>Photos of the sand sculpture competition were captured by Plymouth College of Art <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-commercial-photography-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BA (Hons) Commercial Photography</a> student Luke Frost, who has just started degree-level study after completing a two-year <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/pre-degree/ual-level-3-extended-diploma-in-art-design-photography" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art &amp; Design (Photography)</a> at our Palace Court campus for pre-degree students.</p>

<p>Our four-year BA (Hons) Extended Degrees are an extended pathway for students wanting to pursue a creative undergraduate degree who have limited experience of hands-on making, or who might lack the relevant academic qualifications for a creative degree. They are also ideal for anybody looking for a change in career, or for anyone that finished their school or college education but has been out of formal education for a while.</p> <p>The first year of an Extended Degree is an intensive period in which students are given the freedom to take risks, generate ideas, experiment, and develop a breadth of approaches to problem-solving. This is an exploratory year, in which students experiment with materials, processes, methodologies and practices to discover their own individual creative specialism within the arts. Extended Degrees prepare students for success at BA (Hons) degree level and as such a high proportion of students go on to gain high grades.</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/level-0-extended-degrees" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read more about our Extended Degrees to find out whether they're right for you</a></li><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/in-pictures-ma-show-2018">In pictures – see work from a variety of disciplines at our 2018 MA Show</a></li></ul>