STUDENTS and community members held a protest outside of Evesham College on Wednesday afternoon to fight cuts to courses.

Warwickshire College Group (WCG) announced in December plans to close Malvern Hills College and shift across students to Evesham.

Hair and beauty, engineering, construction, motor vehicle and digital courses will run from Evesham but access to higher education – courses designed to prepare adults to progress to the next level of education, including university study – and supported learning is set to be transferred to Pershore seven miles away.

Early years will no longer be offered in Worcestershire campuses.

Protestors gathered outside of the campus on at 12pm and will do the same today.

UCU's Teresa Corr said: "UCU branch, staff, students and local community activists are coming together to fight to save local provision at the college site by holding a series of lunchtime protests.

"During a well-attended and vibrant public meeting, on May 4, it was agreed to campaign and fight against the cuts.

"The protest went well, students are very interested and concerned with what is happening to the college and what will happen to the site.

Many students said that losing the college just shows 'how out of touch everyone is with what young people need'.

"Following proposals announced by last year Warwickshire College group is imminently proposed to close its Malvern campus in August. Over the last couple of years vocational learners and staff have been forced to move to the Evesham campus, more than 20 miles by public transport.

"Moving courses to other sites will limits the options for 16-19-year-olds and adults in local communities who wish to up and re-skill, especially now following the economic fall-out due to the pandemic.

"There has been a marked lack of investment in the site, and leading to a decline ein college courses and student numbers.

"The reality is there are unmet promises to secure educational opportunities and growth for both Malvern and Evesham towns. Evesham is a town expanding with significant new housing development; shrinking a college site will limit educational opportunity, stifle communities and limit individual potential."

Responding to the protest, in a statement on Twitter, a WCG spokesperson said: Like every business across the UK, we have had to make difficult decisions due to the impact of Covid on the economy and education funding.

"That has involved an in-depth look at what we deliver to our students and local employers and also how we deliver it in the most effective and cost-efficient way.

"We are having to rationalise costs across our sites which unfortunately will mean a reduction of staff numbers in the region of 36 full-time equivalent posts - we have entered a period of collective consultation with staff and unions as we look to make the changes ahead of the new academic year.

"WCG is taking this step reluctantly but a combination of a drop in income due to Covid, a reduction of government funding and apprenticeship income leave us with no choice in order to secure the long-term security of the group and the future prospects of our learners."