CELEBRATING students at York St John College were joined by York residents at their summer ball in an effort to build bridges.

Organisers of the annual summer ball invited hundreds of residents living near the college in The Groves area of York to join in with their end-of-year bash.

The move followed the success of the Silent Students Happy Homes (SSHH) campaign, launched after the college received regular complaints from residents of late-night noise and nuisance caused by rowdy students.

Ball organisers also arranged for environmental health officers to visit the site before and during the ball to monitor noise.

George Brichieri, Students' Union president, said many residents took up the invitation to attend a wine reception and buffet, before enjoying the ball, which lasted until 4am.

Attractions included a performance by Eurovision-failure pop duo Jemini, music from Minster FM, and fairground rides.

Mr Brichieri said: "The college summer balls are always a fantastic opportunity for students

to celebrate the end of the year on a high. To help ensure that disturbances were kept to a minimum on the night, the Students' Union spent a lot of time developing a comprehensive sound management plan which had a great impact on the event.

"Since Friday we have received some very helpful feedback from residents about where isolated issues did arise, which we can now use to make things even better for the future."

St John Street resident Alec Richardson said that while he did not take up the invitation himself, he applauded the college's recent hard work.

He said: "The college is taking a lot of steps to address the issues, but there are still a lot of residents in The Groves area being disturbed up to seven nights a week.

"However, the organisers of the ball always let us know it is happening well in advance and it is a very well organised event."

Updated: 08:39 Friday, June 20, 2003