Dignitaries from Luton and Bedfordshire made their way through Luton town centre to St Mary’s Church to the sound of the University’s Pipe Band.

They were met by excited students from the University’s Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies & Science (CATS), along with families and friends.

The University’s Chancellor, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, opened proceedings by congratulating the students, saying: “You have taken a huge step towards a successful future and I urge you to celebrate your success, because you have absolutely earned it. You should be proud of your achievements – we are certainly very proud of you.”

Joining the students was Justin Doherty, the proprietor of Luton jazz venue The Bear Club and filmmaker. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts, with Executive Dean for the CATS Faculty Prof Jan Domin saying: “We feel that Justin’s work and dedication to Luton is something to be recognised, especially on a day like today, our civic ceremony, when we can truly celebrate our commitment to our local town.”

Before opening The Bear Club in 2014, Justin worked all over the world as a filmmaker and photographer He has edited current affairs documentaries for the BBC and the Al Jazeera network and produced projects for brands including Heathrow, GSK, Phillips and Morrison’s.

Justin took a moment to address the graduates, saying: “For those of you who are wondering what is going to happen after we leave this place, all I can say is, find your people. You don’t have to know what you’re doing yet, you will find that, but people, you need. Community follows those that give and it finds those that have their eyes open.”

The civic ceremony concluded the University graduation season, which saw hundreds of students graduated over six days.