A student nurse at Kingston and St George's universities won a prestigious Student Nursing Times Award.

The ceremony for the Student Nursing Times Awards was held on April 26 at the Grovenor House Hotel in London.

Among the winners were Gary Cutmore, a nursing associate student at Kingston and St George’s Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, who picked up the award for Most Inspirational Student Nurse of the Year.

Mr Cutmore is hard of hearing and was hailed as an inspiration to both peers and patients by course director Lucie Llewellyn.

On receiving the award, Mr Cutmore said that overcoming the challenge of juggling his studies with full-time work, while using interpreters and note takers, only strengthened his determination.

"It can be frustrating at times but this has just made me more determined to work harder to become a qualified nurse," he said.

"I’m thankful to the University for providing all the support I need and this has enabled me to continue learning and enjoying the course without any barriers," Mr Cutmore added.

Meanwhile, Kingston and St George's were linked with two more awards handed out on the night.

The faculty’s Healthcare Practice Foundation Degree (Nursing Associate) won the award for the Nursing Associate Training Programme Provider of the Year, while the Teaching Innovation of the Year was awarded to Kingston University Associate Professor Theresa Nash's Nana-Xmas buddy-actor project.

The project was based on work Ms Nash did with St Philip’s Special School in Chessington.

It allowed the students to develop interpersonal skills that can be crucial for nurses working with young people who have learning disabilities, while the school pupils increase their self-confidence and creativity as well as building a greater trust in nurses.

Ms Nash said: "The award was a testament to the passion and commitment of the whole team, in particular the pupils from St Philips Special Needs School, their teacher Neil Mears, Director of StoryAID Eli Anderson and Buddy Student Nurses."

Head of the School of Nursing Dr Julia Gale said the three awards topped off an amazing year for Kingston and St George’s. "The awards really highlight the individual and collective talent within the School of Nursing and it is fantastic to see our staff and students’ brilliance acknowledged at a national level," she said.