Students vote in mock election held at Lowestoft College

James Davie, Mitchell Matthews, Heidi Pittam, Rebecca Jones and Joshua Waters. Pictures: Submitted (Image: Archant)

Mr Blizzard achieved 65 per cent of the vote, with UKIP candidate Simon Tobin finishing second with 19 per cent. Peter Aldous, who held his seat as Waveney MP in the general election, finished third, only achieving 12.5 per cent of the vote.

Graham Elliott, representing the Green Party, secured 3.5 per cent of the vote with Stephen Gordon of the Liberal Democrats receiving no votes.

Over 100 students voted throughout the day in the mock election, organised to give young people the opportunity to gain experience of voting and raise political awareness throughout the college.

Health and social care students created a display in the main foyer of the college which showed each party's candidates and their pledges for Waveney. Many of the students had participated in the recent BBC Radio Suffolk election debate at the college.

A ballot box and mock polling station were set up to allow the students to gain real experience of what it is like to vote.

Mr Blizzard was announced as the winner via posters and social media pages after the votes were both counted and verified by students on the Gateway to Health and Social Care course, which consisted of 12 first-time voters.

Student Rebecca Jones said: 'I enjoyed voting for the first time as I feel like I can be a part of the future of what happens'.

The first-time voters enjoyed their election experience, with James Davie and Chelsie Segust stating that Bob Blizzard was best for the town.

'I voted for the first time and for Bob because he will be the best for us,' Mr Davie said.

'I voted for Labour as I thought Bob had the best things to say,' Miss Segust concluded.