CONNECTSpring 2014

Also:University researchers win grant to help

protect snow leopard population

Journalism student launches new Campus magazine

University’s Enterprise Week wins accolade

Performing arts students stage a

production in the gym!

CONTENTS/SPRING 2014 ISSUE

STA

FF

04 Homecoming for university’s new chaplaincy coordinator 05 University lecturer brings in The Trolls06 Top award for Diane07 Help for Headway07 A cake sale with a difference 08 University public lecture addresses the language of religion09 Invitation to attend Harvard leadership programme10 Staff profile—Kath Leigh12 The cost of child poverty discussed at university public lecture13 Staff appointments14 Congratulations!

STU

DEN

TS 15 Amy-Elise’s delight at prize16 Journalism student launches new Campus magazine17 You’ll never guess what!18 Students work with music stars at major regional event20 The tale of the war nurse, an australian soldier, a

Carlisle school—and the university students21 Kindle readers get the drift 22 Student is a winner in RSPB Scotland photo competition24 Nursing students fundraise to travel to the Philippines

UN

IVER

SITY

RESE

ARC

h

25 Calva bar charity party 26 University consults on new student accommodation at Ambleside27 Specialist community public health nursing 28 Dean of Westminster gives university chaplaincy lecture28 University pledges support for the armed forces, veterans and

their families29 Local economic summit in Lancaster focuses on community issues30 University’s enterprise week wins accolade 31 University helps shape learning in India 32 University programme supports company growth 33 New dementia education curriculum launched 34 Reflecting on the achievement of the Change Delivery Board

over the past year

35 Nevada Museum of Art names research fellows 36 Contemporary art project showcased in exhibition at Rheged37 Faculty of Health and Science joins the Lancashire and

Cumbria clinical research hub38 University researchers win grant to help protect snow

leopard population40 Academic’s drawings acquired by the Henry Moore Institute41 The health benefits of Scottish country dancing42 Graduate School research support and staff development

programme 2013-1443 Research round-up44 Noticeboard

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36

If you would like to contribute to the

next issue of Connect, please contact a

member of the communications team:

lynn.clark@cumbria.ac.uk julie.ratcliffe@cumbria.ac.uk

fiona.hughes@cumbria.ac.uk elizabeth.henzell@cumbria.ac.uk

The copy deadline for the next

issue of Connect is 16 May 2014.

3

FOREWORD

The University of Cumbria already has taught degree awarding

powers or TDAP, and of course, the full university title and

accompanying status. However, we still rely on the University of

Lancaster to award our doctorates and other research degrees,

and this is the final area of provision that we need to address

in order to become fully independent. Achieving RDAP would

give us greater academic freedom in deciding the types of

research degrees we can award such as the ‘Cumbria PhD’—

and consequently in establishing ourselves definitively as a

fully-fledged contender within the higher education sector.

In no way is the route to achieving RDAP a straightforward

one. For example, we need to build academic staff

capacity and capability for research, improve the research

environment, and greatly increase research student

numbers in order to successfully apply for the status.

All members of academic staff were invited to complete the

annual RDAP survey in February, covering their work in 2013.

An important distinction to note here is that the RDAP survey is a

much broader exploration of our research activity than the more

familiar research exercise framework (REF which we undertook last year.

The REF gave us a clear idea of current research strengths and

weaknesses, and a good understanding on which to base planning

for RDAP by identifying six disciplines and 29 research active members

of staff that met its very specific and selective requirements.

The RDAP survey, however, values all types of research and

advanced scholarship, and even though staff do not have

measurable outcomes to report in all sections, their input is

still crucial to give a definitive picture of the scope and extent

of programmes of research undertaken at the university.

Not only will it provide proof of the excellent research being

undertaken at the University of Cumbria, such data collection will

drive our strategy in collaboration with departments, research

centres, institutes and research hubs, leading to additional

support, guidance and resources which long term will help

academic staff to develop their research and scholarship.

In this term’s staff forum content, I referred to the university’s long term goal of achieving research degree awarding

powers or RDAP. This four-letter acronym is one we’ll be hearing a lot of in the next months and years and it’s important we all understand and engage with the process required to allow us to award our own research degrees.

Professor Peter StrikeVice Chancellor

Writing this at the beginning of March, 82 per cent* of

possible completed surveys had been returned by research-

active staff. I cannot emphasise strongly enough the

importance of this exercise as the first stage of the process of

achieving RDAP – we must aim for a 100 per cent response

to this and to all future requests for engagement if we are

to have a chance at attaining this vital strategic goal.

On the subject of strategic goals it has been pleasing to witness

the numerous successes overseen by the Change Delivery Board

over the past few months. The data centre project has been a

huge achievement— on time and under budget, and one that

has really made a difference to both staff and students.

We are now occupying refurbished buildings on the

Ambleside campus and the site is recovering a vibrancy

generated by an increasing cohort of students.

Phase 1 of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

system has helped increase student applications, with the

resulting statistics available through CORE on StaffNet. The

Agresso system upgrade has been successfully implemented

while the procurement project is delivering substantial savings.

Good progress is also being made on ongoing developments such

as academic scheduling, video-enhanced teaching, and project

working and reporting, while the Lancaster estates consolidation

programme is heading towards project implementation

stage, and the academic transformation and student journey

programmes are both close to business case completion.

Change is never easy, but with a positive attitude and the

right people in place it can be secured. It goes without

saying that these achievements could only have come

about as a result of the hard work and commitment of

everyone involved – my thanks go to you all for tackling

this complex and crucial work with such effectiveness.

*UPDATEas of 19

March 94% returned

4

Our Staff Tell us about your

achievements ...

GET INVOlVED

hOmECOmING FOR UNIVERSITY’S NEW ChAPlAINCY COORDINATOR

Reverend Alexandra Logan

The Reverend Alexandra (Alex) Logan

originally trained as a youth and community

worker at St Martin’s College in Lancaster,

now the Lancaster campus, which is where

she is based.

She said: “I am delighted to be returning

to the university where I was a student for

a year, and to the Diocese of Blackburn

where I was a curate. For me this is a real

homecoming.”

Alex, who took up her role on 6 January,

will oversee chaplaincy work across all

university sites, but she will have particular

responsibility for the Lancaster campus.

She will work closely with the Reverend

Matthew Firth, chaplain to the Carlisle

campuses, as well as the university’s

honorary chaplains and lay workers.

A licensing ceremony, conducted by the

Bishop of Blackburn, the Right Reverend

Julian Henderson, was held on Friday 17

January at St Martin’s Chapel.

Alex has been in ordained ministry for 11

years and undertook her ministry training at

Ridley Hall in Cambridge.

She has previously worked as a curate at

St Mary’s Church in Penwortham, near

Preston, and for the past seven years she

was a parish priest at St James the Less

Bethnal Green, in the Diocese of London.

Alex added: “I look forward to working

with the staff and students and supporting

them in their work and studies.”

Neil Harris, the university’s Registrar

and Secretary, said: “We are delighted

to welcome Alex to the university and

look forward to working with her and

her colleagues in the chaplaincy team.

“The chaplaincy is an important part of

the life of the university and I am sure

Alex will develop and strengthen further

its support for students and staff.”

The university has welcomed a new chaplaincy coordinator who describes her appointment as a ‘real homecoming’.

5

lecturer Jim Eldridge has launched the first in his latest series of children’s books. Big Rock and the masked Avenger is the first in his new Wrestling Trolls series and follows on the heels of his highly successful Disgusting Dave children’s books.

The main character, Big Rock, is a wrestling troll,

a massive lump of mobile rock on legs with a

gentle sweet soul inside his rough exterior. It

also features his trainer and manager, streetwise,

cheerful 13-year old Milo, and 10-year old

fragile orphan Jack … a boy with a Big Troll

Secret. The fourth member of this ‘family’ is

Robin, the laconic talking horse that pulls their

caravan from wrestling bout to wrestling bout.

Jim has already had 90 books published

which have sold over three million copies,

as well as over 250 TV and 250 radio scripts

broadcast in the UK and across the world.

He left school at 16 and did a variety of jobs,

before training as a teacher. He taught during

the 1970s in disadvantaged areas of Luton,

before becoming a full time writer in 1978. He is

now also an associate lecturer with the film and

TV production department at the university.

UNIVERSITY lECTURER BRINGS IN ThE TROllS

Jim says: “I hope kids of all ages will love

Wrestling Trolls. I also hope it helps my

creative students, both present and past, to

believe that they—as well as me—CAN get

their ideas and creations out there for the

public. If Jim can do it, they can do it!”

The second book in the series, Wrestling

Trolls Match 2: Hunk and Thud, will

be published later this year.

For further information, visit his website

www.jimeldridge.com

Jim Eldridge

6

TOP AWARD FOR DIANE

Professor Diane Cox has been awarded a Fellowship of the College of Occupational Therapists (FCOT) – the highest honour that the college can bestow on its professional members.

Diane, who took up her new role as

Director of Research and Head of the

Graduate School at the beginning of

the year, said she was ‘delighted’

to receive this honour.

She commented: “I am shocked,

delighted and overwhelmed

to be made a FCOT; as the

application and nomination

process is confidential I had no

idea I had been nominated. My initial

reaction was “Wow!” This has added

to an already exciting year following

my new appointment within the university.”

Diane was awarded the fellowship as a

result of her outstanding contribution to

occupational therapy since gaining her

professional qualification in 1983.

She has a strong and growing personal research

profile, and has contributed extensively to research

within her specialist field of chronic fatigue and

long-term conditions through collaborations

with universities, the NHS and the social sector.

As chair of the editorial board of the British

Journal of Occupational Therapy, and member

of the Health Technology Agency (HTA) Mental,

Psychological and Occupational Health Panel,

Diane is very active in a number of external

organisations and is one of only a handful of

professors of occupational therapy in the UK.

Diane will be presented with her fellowship

award in June at the college’s annual

conference in Brighton and, in addition, she will

be added to the list on the Fellowship board

at the college’s headquarters in London.

As Director of Research and Head of the

Graduate School within the university, Diane

is responsible for coordinating the strategic

development of research and scholarship, and

managing the administration and quality of the

postgraduate research student experience.

“This has added to an already exciting year following my new appointment within the university.”

Professor Diane Cox

7

hElP FOR hEADWAYStaff at Fusehill Street campus are accustomed to seeing the members of the headway North Cumbria group arriving for their meeting, held each week in the Blencathra building.

“We really appreciate this kind donation from staff at the university. The money will be used to support a range of activities, from memory improvement to practical life skills”

The group offers help and support

to people affected by brain injury

and around 25 members and six

volunteers meet at the university

every Monday afternoon to enjoy

various activities including baking,

crafts and games – all designed

to help brain injury survivors

learn new skills, regain lost ones

and reintegrate into society.

Headway supports people

with all forms of acquired

brain injuries (brain

injury which has

occurred since

birth) including

those resulting

from tumours,

stroke and brain

haemorrhage

as well as

those caused by

a trauma to the

head such as road traffic accidents,

assaults, falls and accidents.

For the second year running, staff

at Fusehill Street were encouraged

to give a donation to this charity

instead of exchanging Christmas

cards. This year, staff at Brampton

Road also joined in to achieve a

grand total of £62.10 for this very

worthy cause. The money has now

been handed over to the charity to

help continue its excellent work.

Jean Wight, vice chair of

the North Cumbria group,

expressed her thanks, saying:

“We really appreciate this kind

donation from staff at the university.

The money will be used to support

a range of activities, from memory

improvement to practical life

skills, based on the needs of the

individuals attending the group.”

Headway group members ‘Gazza’ Reardon (left) and Simon Murray brush up their cooking skills

A CAkE SAlE WITh A DIFFERENCEProving how generous our colleagues are, kate Bowskill, APl officer with External Relations, organised an unusual cake sale at the lancaster campus in December.

Kate’s three year old had great fun helping her choose this marvellous collection of toys!

Kate invited people to make

a donation, or alternatively

they could exchange a toy for

some cake, with the stipulation

that the toy, which could be

suitable for babies, children or

teenagers up to the age of 16,

had to be new and boxed or

tagged. As a result, toys worth

£160 were delivered to the Big

Storage (Lancaster) Toy Appeal.

The toys were distributed to

disadvantaged children in the

local area, via the Children and

Parent Service, to bring some

smiles for Christmas Day.

8

Religious belief has always been a matter for debate, but perhaps never more so than now. Diversity of beliefs has never been more apparent, repudiation of all religion never more widely publicised.

This topical issue was addressed in the second of a series of public lectures,

all presented by academic staff renowned in their specialist areas.

The lecture was held at the Lancaster campus on 9 December and relayed

live to the Fusehill Street campus.

In his presentation, Emeritus Professor Brian Gates posed the question:

What’s the difference between Father Christmas and God? Religious

language in the thinking of children and adults—a challenge for any

university.

Professor Gates explained:

“No religious institution is exempt from critical, even sceptical scrutiny.

They’re too important to be ignored as irrelevances from yesteryear; we

should take time to check what they’ve been talking about.

“Such beliefs and sentiments are at the heart of society, in the oaths that

are sworn in courts of law and in the celebration rituals of birthing, mating

and dying. From these, as from stories of Guy Fawkes and Father Christmas,

children pick up religious language whether taught it directly or not.”

Drawing on his research with 6–16 year olds and their adult selves, from

a range of very different backgrounds of religious belief and unbelief,

Professor Gates gave examples—both amusing and serious—of the depth

and superficiality of understanding.

He asked whether universities, like schools, academies and colleges, have

any responsibility to their students and staff to be deliberately and explicitly

attentive to the grounds for beliefs and for the making of moral judgements.

UNIVERSITY PUBlIC lECTURE ADDRESSES ThE lANGUAGE OF RElIGION

Professor Brian Gates

“No religious institution is exempt from critical, even sceptical scrutiny. They’re too important to be ignored as irrelevances from yesteryear; we should take time to check what they’ve been talking about”

9

INVITATION TO ATTEND hARVARD lEADERShIP PROGRAmmE

The director of the Institute for leadership and Sustainability (IFlAS) has been selected to join a group of world leaders in business and politics to study the latest leadership approaches at harvard University.

Professor Jem Bendell, named a ‘Young

Global Leader’ by the World Economic

Forum, will attend the Global Leadership

and Public Policy for the 21st Century

programme in Cambridge, USA in March.

Young Global Leaders are chosen by the forum

for having demonstrated leadership for the

common good on a global stage, and include

people such as Kumi Naidoo (Greenpeace

CEO), Hannah Jones (Head of Sustainability

at Nike), and Chuka Umunna MP. The Forum

of Young Global Leaders met in Davos,

Switzerland, ahead of the Davos Summit.

Professor Bendell is the first academic from the

UK to be accepted onto the programme and says:

“Harvard provides elite education to some

of the world’s most influential people, in

a class-based setting. In Cumbria we have

a tradition of experiential learning, and a

liking for taking our executive students into

nature and to local heritage sites, to stimulate

their reflection. I think in future we will see

more combinations of such approaches.”

Through a partnership between the Harvard

Kennedy School, the Center for Public

Leadership and the World Economic Forum,

the programme has been developed to expand

and enhance the leadership skills of Young

Global Leaders, necessary to address the

world’s most serious problems. The curriculum

considers critical global policy areas such

as education, environment, global health,

international development, and security, and is

provided free of charge due to sponsorship.

As the world’s first professor of sustainability

leadership, Dr Bendell recognises the need to

blend insights from leadership development

and the challenge of sustainable development.

“Ultimately we need to better understand how

to lead across borders, for the greater good,

not only for our organisation,” he explains.

“harvard provides elite education to some of the world’s most influential people, in a class-based setting.”

“I am delighted to be accepted on to this

Harvard programme, which gives me the

chance to experience the latest approaches

to leadership education, and also to share

our own approaches in the Lake District.

Jem Bendell

10

Your job title, how did you end up at the University of Cumbria and when did you start?I started at St Martin’s College in

1998 as PA to the Head of Education

and then moved on to be Faculty

Senior Administrator before becoming

Committee Services Officer in 2004.

When the University of Cumbria was

formed I was made Head of Secretariat

and then following the major restructure

in 2010 became Strategic Governance

and Compliance Manager in the VCO.

Describe your job.In my role I oversee a number of

very dedicated staff in the VCO

who support the following areas—

legal services, committee services,

records management and the

executive assistants to the senior

management team. One of the

other main functions of my role is

to look after the University Board.

What brightens your day at work?My

colleagues—

especially

when they

bring cake!

What do you like to do in your spare time?A lot of my spare time is taken up

with church activities—in particular

I am involved in a recovery group,

‘Celebrate Recovery’, working with

people who are struggling with hurts,

habits and hang-ups. Seeing people’s

lives transformed is very inspiring.

I also like to watch football (Manchester

United in particular), read, go walking

and meet up with family and friends,

usually with food involved.

Over the last three years I have also

been on a variety of voluntary trips

abroad working in organisations that

my church sponsors. This has taken me

to Mamallapuram in India to help out

in an orphanage and take food to an

‘untouchable’ village tribe; to Lisbon to

work at a food/clothes bank and most

recently to Kibogora in Rwanda to help out

in a hospital community and palliative care

initiative. I have seen some very harrowing

sights on these trips but also some very

enriching community spirit – people who

have very little being willing to share what

little they have with others who are in

worse need. I have found these to be very

humbling but rewarding experiences.

Name your ideal dinner party guest and whyNelson Mandela to discover the

process that led to his life-changing

transformation from terrorist to

peacemaker, how he learned to exercise

forgiveness and go on to live life with

intention higher than his own needs.

Name your favourite book and whyJane Eyre – I

first read this

at primary

school and

every time

I read it I

discover

something

new, so it’s an old favourite!

Name your favourite film and whyI don‘t really have one favourite – I tend

to go for anything that is either feel-good

or a parody on life. However, I do like

Dirty Dancing – for the music obviously!

And finally, your favourite or dream holiday destination and why!I have recently been to Austria and was

very impressed with its beauty, the range

of things to do and the fast changing

perspectives to the surrounding scenery.

STAFF PROFILE/KATh LEIgh

11

As kath mentioned, during her free time she has worked as a volunteer in lisbon, India, and Africa. Photographs reflecting some of her experiences are shown right (mamallapuram, India) and below (kibogoro, Rwanda).

Above: The children from Sinai Orphanage in MamallapuramInset: Two orphaned boys from Mamallapuram

Above: Giving out bags of rice to the untouchable village tribe. Below: Occupational therapy session with children and parents on the paediatric ward

Above: Rosie the goat—that we bought for the orphan girl, Agnes, pictured here with the social worker. Below: Marcelene—a burns patient who we visited during her recovery as she had no family

12

most people think the distribution of wealth in the Uk is far more equal than it actually is. In fact, for over 30 years the gap between rich and poor has widened alarmingly, and shows no sign of easing.

Within these unacceptable levels

of inequality, children are the

highest group at risk of poverty.

Community development,

action research and human

flourishing: The cost of

poor children was the

third in a series of public

lectures at the university.

Tuesday 26 February saw

Emeritus Professor Margaret

Ledwith discuss why little

has been effective in reducing

this high risk to children, as well as

the high cost to society as a whole.

ThE COST OF ChIlD POVERTY DISCUSSED AT UNIVERSITY PUBlIC lECTURE

Emeritus Professor Margaret Ledwith

Child poverty levels in the UK accelerated in the

period 1979-1997 from one in every ten children

to one in three. Despite the Child Poverty Act,

2010, which enshrined in law a commitment to

end child poverty by 2020, the harsh reality is

that, as inequalities rise, child poverty levels in

the UK are expected to increase, not decrease.

Professor Ledwith explains:

“Community development, my area of work,

is a practice committed to social justice and

environmental sustainability, yet we find ourselves

in political times that face us with crises of both.

“My talk focused on child poverty as a

serious social justice concern within the

context of our political times. I drew critical

connections suggesting that child poverty

is a choice rather than a necessity.

“These ideas are relevant to those with a general

interest in child poverty or anyone involved in a

practice that claims a social justice commitment,

from teaching to health promotion to social work.

“My intention was to offer a critical focus that

cuts through the pathological blaming of victims

of structural disadvantage, so prevalent in

today’s society, to present altered perceptions

and, therefore, alternative choices.”

Professor Ledwith’s ideas on this subject are

contained in her latest book, Community

Development Theory in Action, to be

published by Policy Press in 2014

The next public lecture takes place on Friday

9 May. Professor of Sustainable Engineering,

Xiongwei Liu will discuss ‘Building and Community

Microgrid Development’.

More information and booking details can be

found at www.cumbria.ac.uk/publiclectures

“my talk focuses on child poverty as a serious social justice concern within the context of our political times.”

13

(between 14 November 2013 and 14 February 2014)

A warm welcome to all new members of staff,

whether transferring from other areas of the university or brand new

to the organisation.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS STARTEDLucy Gager, international officer 1/20/2014Emma Barritt, strategic marketing manager 11/18/2013Claire Hayman, CRM data administrator 1/6/2014Gillian Haigh, director of marketing and recruitment 1/6/2014

ESTATES AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENTDawne Clark, general assistant (domestic services) 11/27/2013Andrew Senejko, maintenance assistant 1/6/2014Stephen Walshaw, electrician 1/20/2014

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, ARTS AND BUSINESSBarbara Manning, senior lecturer 1/6/2014Sandy Ryder, senior lecturer 1/1/2014Caroline Adams, senior project officer 2/3/2014Pinaki Chakrabarti, senior lecturer in education 1/1/2014Peter Davies, senior project officer business adviser 1/1/2014Chelle Davison, head of department—undergraduate programmes 1/13/2014Vanessa Gloginja, senior lecturer in education 1/1/2014Elizabeth Heyworth, lecturer in marketing 1/1/2014Emma Kerr, retail consortium web developer (KTP) 1/13/2014Barry Lees, lecturer in policing 1/6/2014Dr Jackie Moses, director of the Institute of Education 2/1/2014John Pearson, lecturer in technical theatre 1/1/2014Dr Katie Willocks, lecturer in HR and OB 1/1/2014

FACULTY OF HEALTH & SCIENCECraig Betton, senior lecturer emergency and urgent care 12/2/2013Stephen Walker, lecturer in social work 1/1/2014Dr Diane Fotheringham, head of department—nursing and midwifery 1/20/2014Anthony Murray, senior lecturer in medical physics 11/18/2013Dr Rhona O’Brien, lecturer working with children and families 1/6/2014Dr Sheila Pankhurst, deputy dean 1/27/2014Rosalind Sanders, senior lecturer 1/6/2014

FINANCE AND PLANNINGAlice Davies, payroll manager 1/16/2014

HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICEZoe Hinchliffe, HR assistant 12/9/2013Emma Smith, assistant HR business partner 1/2/2014

LIBRARY AND STUDENT SERVICESAmy Maslivec, LISS steward (Sunday steward) 1/12/2014Matthew Budd, campus assistant 1/31/2014Claire Dempsey, campus assistant 12/4/2013Alison Fishwick, campus assistant 12/16/2013Cecilia Hart, EDI manager 12/18/2013Hannah Hillen, LiSS steward 1/6/2014Andrew Medder, campus assistant 12/30/2013Jennifer O’Keefe, learning enhancement adviser 1/13/2014Daniel Prescott, student money advice manager 1/6/2014Vicky Simpson, LiSS steward 11/25/2013Becca Weir, general assistant 12/2/2013Kate Wenham, support assistant (infrastructure and policy) 1/6/2014

SAMISAntony Bajgar, SITS manager 12/3/2013Joshua Bancroft, administration assistant CIP 1/13/2014Phil Hughes, administrative assistant (CIP) 1/13/2014

STA

FF A

PPO

INTM

ENTS

14

Fergus Tristan Colbear6 December 2013

Olivia Colbear (External Relations)

and husband Trevor welcomed Fergus

Tristan who was born on 6 December

2013, weighing 7lbs 12oz.

Nathaniel Fischer 10 December 2013

Amy Fischer (External Relations) and

husband Karl’s baby boy Nathaniel

arrived on 10 December 2013.

CONGRATUlATIONS!

15

AmY-ElISE’S DElIGhT AT PRIzE

Tell us about your students’

achievements ...

GET INVOlVEDOur

Students

Third-year BA (hons) Photography student Amy-Elise Trantum was awarded the Ede & Ravenscroft prize for ‘highest Achieving Student in the Faculty of Education, Arts & Business’. The cheque for £500 was presented at Brampton Road by Executive Dean Professor Robert hannaford in February.

Photography programme leader Mike England

said: “The whole photography team would

like to congratulate Amy on her success. At

the presentation she spoke to the dean very

positively about the course, and how it had

opened up many opportunities. Amy is a shining

example of what we expect from our students,

demonstrating a high academic standard in both

her photography and in her research. Before

coming to us Amy received offers from other top

art schools, but chose us after a very positive

interview experience. We are delighted to have

such a dedicated student on the course.”

hIGhEST AChIEVING STUDENT

IN ThE FACUlTY OF EDUCATION,

ARTS & BUSINESS

16

Social entrepreneur Jack Stride,

from Sutton Coldfield, was awarded

just under £3000 after successfully

applying for a ‘Do It’ Award to

fund Campus, a project he came up

with in his final year of studies.

“Campus is a way of celebrating the

talent at the University of Cumbria,”

says Jack, 20. “It gives exposure to

the exciting and inspirational work

done by past and present students and

promotes them to future employers.”

Stories for the magazine and website

are sourced and written by a team of

journalism students and will form an

impressive portfolio for those involved.

JOURNAlISm STUDENT lAUNChES NEW CAmPUS mAGAzINEA journalism student who started a magazine and website showcasing student talent has been awarded an Unltd social enterprise grant to further his idea.

Jack Stride

“Campus is a way of celebrating the talent at University of Cumbria.”

“Tony Randall, programme leader for

journalism, was really keen on the

idea from the start,” Jack says. “We

all use skills and techniques we have

learnt from our time at university

and the magazine is the perfect

place to see our work in practice.”

Campus is a social enterprise which

will support graduates who develop

enterprising and entrepreneurial skills

by showcasing their achievements

and will assist in raising their profile to

help with future graduate employment

prospects. Income generated will be

reinvested back into the business to

support the long term sustainability.

The award money will cover the printing

costs of three editions of Campus and

after that Jack hopes the magazine

will sustain itself as he’s keen to create

a Campus legacy and pass it down

to future journalism students.

Jack first heard about social enterprise

support from lecturer Michael Mitchell.

He then contacted student enterprise

coordinator Sylvia Grainger. “Without

the help of Sylvia I never would have

won the funding for Campus. She

really believed in the project and

helped me every step of the way.”

The funding and support is a partnership

between the university and UnLtd

and provides real help and support to

students, staff and graduates who are

looking to set up social enterprises.

17

What’s this… the gym at Fusehill Street closed on a Friday lunchtime? Regular gym-goers and fitness-freaks all standing round watching three students behaving very strangely? Don’t worry, it was all pre-arranged and the gym was soon back to normal.

YOU’ll NEVER GUESS WhAT!

Third-year performing arts

students were at the heart

of the short closure,

staging a production

in the gym as part of

a module assessment.

The short drama, You’ll

never guess what, was

written, produced and

performed by three students

Amy Ibberson, Charlotte

Malley and Emily Southall.

Amy explained: “The module explores staging

performances in different venues. Because

we spend most of our time at the Brampton

Road campus, we thought it would be good

to stage our performance at Fusehill Street, to

join up the two campuses in Carlisle.” Their

play focused on stereotypical characters from

everyday life, and how they might behave in

a gym situation. In the picture Charlotte (left)

and Amy are portraying two elderly gentlemen

working out on rowing machines while Emily

is a bored teenager on the exercise bike.

“We thought it would be good to stage our performance at Fusehill Street, to join up the two campuses in Carlisle.”

18

Students rubbed shoulders with acts such as

Disclosure and The 1975, while gaining valuable work

experience at Blackpool Rocks—the North West’s

biggest winter indoor music festival.

The group was made up of students based at the

Brampton Road campus, who are studying BA (Hons)

Events Management, BA (Hons) Film and Television

Production and BA (Hons) Photography.

The high-profile event, held at Blackpool’s Winter

Gardens in December, attracted 8,000 festival-goers

and was hailed a huge success by organisers.

Other acts at the festival included Swim Deep, Little

Comets and Wretch 32, as well as Radio 1 DJs Danny

Howard, Pete Tong and Trevor Nelson.

Students shadowed festival staff and were assigned

a range of roles, both front and backstage, including

customer service, artist liaison, events assistant and

events runner, which gave them the chance to learn

new skills and to find out more about working in

these fields.

Ben Swift, is in his third year of BA (Hons) Event

Management, and described his experience as

‘incredible’.

The 22-year-old student, who is originally from

Southampton, worked alongside the special events

manager and box office manager, and was also

tasked with managing the artists’ entrance.

He said: “The experience itself was non-stop and fast

paced, but I wouldn’t change it for the world—it was

incredible. It made the career I wanted more visible.

STUDENTS WORk WITh mUSIC STARS AT mAJOR REGIONAl EVENT

A group of our students worked alongside experts in the music festival industry at a major regional event which featured a host of famous stars.

Above: Images from Blackpool Rocks.

19

“There were so many highlights, I just couldn’t

keep up with them. I was introduced to all the

bands in the live arena including The 1975 and

Swim Deep, and actually had a full ten-minute

conversation with Matthew Hall from Little

Comets. I had a dance with Wretch 32 and his

friends, and also Trevor Nelson in the Urban Arena

side stage. I was standing next to Vernon Kay

for ages, and watched Disclosure from five yards

away.”

A group of BA (Hons) Film and Television students

were appointed as the event’s media team and

were given the opportunity to capture a variety

of footage at the festival, which they will use to

create promotional videos.

Max Evans-Kirkman, 27, a third-year student, led

the team. He said: “It was a good experience to

be in charge of a crew. With the combination of

age and experience on my side, I enjoyed offering

advice and feedback to the other students in the

group.

“I hope we made a good impression and that the

Blackpool Rocks organisers will call on University

of Cumbria students again next year.”

Team member Sam Boyd, 21, from California

and in his second year, said: “Filming at Blackpool

Rocks was a wonderful experience that allowed

me to enjoy two of my favourite things at once:

filming and music.

“Our small team worked very well together, and

I think we ultimately figured out how to get the

best coverage of everything that was going on at

the festival. I definitely think this work will help

me in my future career. This was my first time

filming at a music festival, and hopefully not the

last time.”

Daniel Cuffe, of event organisers Cuffe and

Taylor, said: “It was great to have the University

of Cumbria students involved in Blackpool

Rocks. Students were from a variety of different

courses and year groups but all contributed to

making Blackpool Rocks a great success. Students

were often liaising directly with the artists and

their management teams during which they

demonstrated great event management skills with

a professional attitude.

“Students were enthusiastic, eager to showcase

their talents and most importantly gained

great live music event experience. We look

forward to working with students from the

University of Cumbria again in the future.”

All photographs taken by BA (Hons) Photography student Adam Bradbury at Blackpool Rocks.

“The experience itself was non-stop and fast paced, but I wouldn’t change it for the world – it was incredible.”

Above: University of Cumbria student Ben Swift with Disclosure.

20

There will no doubt be many commemorations this year to mark the centenary of the start of World War 1, but some of our BA (hons) Film and TV Production students have already been involved in filming an event designed to bring it to life for children at one Carlisle primary school.

Former Border TV chairman and

university honorary fellow Jim Graham

serves on the board of governors at

Newtown Community School and had

the idea to name their new library

after a nurse who worked there during

the Great War. At that time, the main

hospital in Carlisle was at Fusehill Street

—now our university campus—but the

school premises in Newtown were also

used to nurse wounded servicemen.

Nurse Josephine Cherry was sent

there in September 1918 to care for a

seriously injured 23-year-old Australian

soldier – Corporal Leonard Chase.

Their story was unearthed and

researched by another governor at

the school, Julie Bowman, who is also

a nurse at the nearby Cumberland

Infirmary. The connecting threads

of this fascinating story came

together on Friday 10 January with

a dedication and naming ceremony

at the school, attended by all the

children and filmed by our students.

The story of Nurse Cherry and the

Australian soldier was written by Jim

ThE TAlE OF ThE WAR NURSE, AN AUSTRAlIAN SOlDIER, A CARlISlE SChOOl—AND ThE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Graham and told with the help of

Julie Bowman and former Newtown

school pupil Matt Hilton, who is now

a well-known author. The atmospheric

tale told of Nurse Cherry’s devotion

to duty and to her patients.

Corporal Chase was very ill with trench

fever when he learned he was to be

moved from the Fusehill Street hospital

to Newtown. He asked if Nurse Cherry

could come with him and special

permission had to be obtained from

the matron to allow her to do so.

She stayed with him, watching over

him day and night, until he died. She

wrote to his family in Australia: “… he

gently and peacefully fell asleep. His

end was without struggle or moan.

His memory will forever remain sweet

in the heart of his Night Sister, or Irish

Mother, as he loved to call me.”

Above: left to right: Students Sam Boyd and Charley Stamp with Eric Scott-Parker (former Border TV location cameraman)

The ceremony also included WW1

songs from the school choir and the

whole event was filmed by our students

in order to produce a DVD to record

for future generations the story of

the school’s ‘Nurse Cherry Library’.

Students involved in the project were

Beth Smith (year one), Charley Stamp

(year two), Adam Leach (year three),

Max Evans-Kirkman (year three) and

Sam Boyd, an exchange student from

USA. The students worked alongside

award-winning former Border TV

producer Ian Fisher and cameraman

Eric Scott-Parker. Beth commented: “It

was really nice to go and make a film

within the Carlisle community with

experienced TV professionals. It was

a good experience and I feel I learnt a

lot. They were really approachable and

listened to our ideas, which was great.”

21

drift brings together a great selection of

short stories and poems by our students

and is the brainchild of graduate student

James Riddick, who felt there should

be a platform for the group’s talented

writers to showcase their work.

Course leader Alizon Brunning also has

a poem included in the anthology. She

says: “Students here are encouraged

to experiment across a range of genres

and styles and drift reflects the creativity

of both our current students and

recent graduates. An important part

of the degree programme in English

and creative writing is understanding

the publication process; a final-year

kINDlE READERS GET ThE DRIFTStudents on the English and creative writing degree course have launched a new anthology of their writing called drift – now available to download as an ebook. For the first time, writing by the university’s students can be downloaded to be read on kindle e-readers, as well as tablets and smartphones.

module on ‘publishing and performance’

gives students an insight into this

and preparing work for submission

provides valuable real experience.”

There are plans to produce a print edition

of drift later in 2014, and the students

aim to publish the anthology twice a year.

Students Anna Bowman, Emily Butt, Beth

Fraser, Kirsten Glen, Matt Poynton, Amy

Shaw, Roz Stimpson, Jake Turner, Hannah

Tosh, and Laura Wenzlaw formed the

editorial team for the first edition of the

magazine. The cover was designed by

graphic design student Matt Swales.

To download a copy of drift, visit

www.cumbria.ac.uk/drift

Above: (left to right) Editorial team

members: Matthew Poynton, Roz

Stimpson, Hannah Tosh, Anna

Bowman and Jake Turner.

22

Dom (22), from Carlisle, came out top with

his image of a fiery sunrise over Cairngorm

Mountain, taken on a week-long expedition

in Scotland as part of his degree course.

He explains: “We were there mainly to look

for Scottish wildlife as part of the expedition

module of our course. It was a fantastic

trip. We went up Cairngorm and several

surrounding valleys to look for mountain hares

and that’s when I took the winning shot.

“I decided to enter the RSPB Scotland competition

because I wanted to showcase as many of my

expedition photographs as possible. We had

visited many RSPB reserves while in Scotland,

so it was one way to show my appreciation.

“I entered wildlife photos

in the other categories

as well. Luckily we

did find some

accommodating

mountain hares

and got some very

intimate shots.

STUDENT IS A WINNER IN RSPB SCOTlAND PhOTO COmPETITIONDominic Boulding, a third-year wildlife and media student, has scooped the top prize in the ‘Wildscapes’ category of the RSPB Scotland photo competition.

“A highlight for me was the ptarmigans

that we saw on the mountain - it was

something I will never forget.”

With over 200 entries in the competition, the

judges had their work cut out to choose the

winners. A judge commented on Dom’s photo:

“The wildness of a place is hard to sum up. It’s

not just about the landscape and the animals,

or even the minimal impact of people; it’s

also about the mood of a place, the light,

the weather—and those things change in an

instant. I love this picture for the atmosphere

it conjures of an ancient place with its ancient

trees at the day’s start or end. It’s a moment the

earliest people to settle Scotland would have

recognised. It sends a shiver up my spine.”

Dom’s win secured him an impressive array

of prizes ranging from ‘Endurance’ binoculars

to a £250 voucher from a photographic

retailer. However, he is most excited about the

opportunity to have his image featured in the

RSPB Scotland photography competition calendar

2015 as well as in Scotland News magazine.

He says: “It is so difficult to get pictures into

magazines, so to win as well as feature in two

publications—it’s the best of both worlds.”

Although Dom comes from Kent originally,

he intends to stay in Cumbria when he

completes his degree – at least until he

saves up enough money to go travelling

to take more amazing photographs!

“It is so difficult to get pictures into magazines, so to win as well as feature in two publications—it’s the best of both worlds.”

23

“The wildness of a place is hard to sum up. It’s not just

about the landscape and the animals, or even the minimal

impact of people; it’s also about the mood of a place, the light, the weather—and those

things change in an instant.”

24

Two adult nursing students will travel to the Philippines during the summer to work in a hospital after raising hundreds of pounds to fund their trip.

Bethany Brockbank* and

Katie Chapman, both 19, have

organised a variety of fund-

raising activities including cake

sales and bag packing events to

help pay for their travel costs.

They have also received donations

from the Rotary Club of Carlisle,

and three of the Freemasons’

Carlisle Lodges, and were awarded

funding from UCSU through

the Eleanor Peel Trust and from

Carlisle Overseas Aid Trust.

The students, who are based at

the Fusehill Street campus and

are both in their second year of

study, will stay in Iloilo in the

Philippines for three weeks in

June and July where they will gain

valuable work experience on a

variety of wards in a city hospital.

As part of their course, the

students were given the

opportunity to complete an

elective placement and they

decided on the Philippines due to

its advanced health care system.

NURSING STUDENTS FUNDRAISE TO TRAVEl TO ThE PhIlIPPINES

Shortly after making their

decision, Typhoon Haiyan struck

the Southeast Asian country

killing thousands of people

and displacing millions.

Bethany, who is from Kirkby-

in-Furness, said: “I’m glad

I’m going to the Philippines

because after what has

happened out there I think they

will be crying out for help.

“I’m not sure if I will be going

anywhere that was hit by the

typhoon, but even if people

haven’t been physically affected

there will be many who have

been affected emotionally and

mentally and I would be happy

to provide support to them.”

Katie, who is from Newcastle,

said: “I cannot wait to go to

the Philippines. I think that the

experience will change my life in

a positive way, allowing me to

appreciate the NHS healthcare

system that we have in the UK. We

are likely to come across conditions

in the Philippines that we do not

see within the UK and therefore

it will allow me to be exposed to

a different experience of care.”

Bethany and Katie, who both work

shifts at the Cumberland Infirmary

in Carlisle, have raised more than

£1,000 but they are working hard

to raise even more cash to cover

their travel and accommodation

costs which total £2,300.*Bethany was shortlisted for the 2014 Cavell Nurses’ Trust Outstanding Student Nurse award.

They also want to take extra

money with them which they will

use to buy medical equipment.

Bethany added: “I would love to

be able to buy them something

like a bladder scanner or a couple

of BM machines and some

blood pressure monitors.”

The students will be holding

another bag-packing fund-raiser

in Asda superstore in Kingstown,

Carlisle on Saturday 19 April.

Anybody who

would like to donate

to the students’ trip

can call Bethany on

07766 197017.

Bethany Brockbank (right) and Katie Chapman.

25

The Calva Bar held a Charity Christmas Party on Friday 6 December, in aid of the Eden Valley hospice.

CAlVA BARChARITY PARTY

One of our students, Ed Clark, is a member of a band and

offered their services free of charge. The 70 staff members,

students and friends were in for a treat with Carlisle’s

Ukulele Orchestra “The Ukulele All Stars” playing two

45-minute sets, getting everyone up dancing and singing

along. During the interval, hot turkey rolls and chips were

served to keep the revellers going, and a raffle was drawn

with 20 prizes donated by local businesses and staff.

A DJ rounded off the evening and everyone was delighted

when it was announced that £385 had been raised.

Due to demand a staff summer party is being held on Friday

16 May. There will be a barbecue at 6pm followed by live

music from The Blue Feeling, a local band playing blues, soul

and rock ’n’ roll! Tickets are on sale at Calva Bar for only £5.

Above: Left to right; Loren Ttakoushis, Heather Robertshaw, Jack Davies, Ellie Slack, Katie Johnston.

Below: Carlisle’s Ukulele Orchestra

Tell us about news and developments

in your area …

GET INVOlVEDOur

University

26

The university was keen to gather feedback and

understand the thoughts of its staff, students and

the local community. The event, held in the Barn at

the Ambleside campus in February, allowed people to

view different options for the creation of the student

accommodation, make comments and share ideas

towards this first stage of the project. Representatives of

the university were also present to answer questions.

Chief Operating Officer Janet Whitworth said:

“This event was part of an ongoing consultation

process for the redevelopment of our Ambleside

campus and we are grateful to hear the views of all our

stakeholders. We have continued to listen to our staff

and stakeholders throughout the redevelopment

process, and adjusted plans to incorporate feedback

received from all other consultation exercises.

Understanding ongoing views, particularly of those

living in the local area, is extremely important to

us to ensure any future development has positive

outcomes for both community and our students.”

After the workshop event, the exhibition boards

were moved to the local Ambleside library

where people can continue to provide feedback.

The material can also be view online at

www.cumbria.ac.uk/ambleside.

UNIVERSITY CONSUlTS ON NEW STUDENT ACCOmmODATION AT AmBlESIDE

A public exhibition has been held to look at possible options for the provision of new student accommodation within our existing estate at Ambleside.

Above: Images of the redeveloped Barn.

27

The university has helped two nurses from Bermuda to become the first in their country to qualify as health visitors through studying on a Uk Nursing & midwifery Council approved programme.

SPECIAlIST COmmUNITY PUBlIC hEAlTh NURSING

Jennifer Robinson, 44, and Isabell Jervis, 49,

undertook the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist

Community Public Health Nursing – Health Visiting.

This course, led by Sam Whittle, is based on the

UK Nursing & Midwifery Council standards of

proficiency and focuses on contemporary policy

and practice guidelines for health visiting.

The distance learning course was divided into two

parts—the students spent half their time learning the

practical nature of health visiting, supported by their

practice teacher Carmel Baxter-Wilkes, and spent

the other half dedicated to their academic studies

using the virtual learning environment Blackboard.

They studied modules including health

visiting, public health practice, leadership,

evidence-based practice and research.

In addition, Jennifer and Isabell opted to spend

two weeks at the university’s Lancaster campus,

where they had dedicated tutorial time and

also worked with UK health visitor teams to

observe, discuss and compare practice.

Head of Department of Lifelong and Interprofessional

Learning, Jo Blake said: “Jennifer and Isabell have

been exemplary students—very enthusiastic and

dedicated to their learning and development

of specialist health visiting practice.

“The model of combining a professionally approved

UK online university course with a programme of

professional development for public health nursing

in Bermuda has worked well, as Jennifer and Isabell

have been able to explore and implement changes

Above: Nurses Jennifer

Robinson and Isabell Jervis.

Photo courtesy of Nicola

Muirhead/Bermuda Sun.

in practice, as they have progressed through their

course, working in close collaboration with colleagues.

“Key individuals in Bermuda, including Gaylia

Llandry, Gaynell Hayward-Caesar, Lynn Jackson

and Carmel Baxter-Wilkes had the initial vision

and have been inspirational leaders in making

this project work in Bermuda. It has been a

pleasure to work with individuals so committed

to improving public health and health outcomes

for children, young people and families.”

Jo and her team are now exploring the

possibility of offering a model that combines

an education programme with a service

improvement plan, within an area of practice

such as health visiting, to other countries.

28

The Dean of Westminster delivered this year’s University of Cumbria Chaplaincy Annual lecture.

lancaster City Council brought together a broad range of organisations from across the public sector and community in February to sign up to the Armed Forces Community Covenant.

DEAN OF WESTmINSTER GIVES UNIVERSITY ChAPlAINCY lECTURE

Each year the lecture is given by a

prominent Christian from the worlds

of church, politics or culture.

This year’s lecture was given by The Very

Reverend Dr John Hall, the Dean of Westminster.

University chaplain, the Reverend Matthew Firth,

said he was thrilled that the dean had accepted

the invitation. He commented: “It’s wonderful

to have such a notable Christian speaker

agree to travel to Carlisle for our lecture.”

In this year’s lecture the dean explored ‘The

Christian Faith at the Heart of the Nation’.

The University of Cumbria Chaplaincy

Annual Lecture is an opportunity for the

university, local church and local community

to engage with ideas about the place of

the Christian faith in today’s society.

Director of HR, Geoffrey Etule signed the covenant on behalf of

the university at a special event at Lancaster City Museum.

The Community Covenant is a voluntary statement of mutual support

between civilian communities and their local armed forces community.

It aims to reinforce the principles of the national Armed Forces

Covenant made by central government, which recognises the sacrifices

made by those who serve in the armed forces and seeks to ensure

that there are no disadvantages as a result of service in the armed

forces, and that special consideration is given where justified.

Areas that have a community covenant in place are eligible

to access the Community Covenant Grant Scheme.

This is open to local groups, organisations and individuals, and its aim

is to provide financial support for local projects which provide benefits

to both the armed forces community and the wider community.

The government has made £3m available for the period from 2011-15.

UNIVERSITY PlEDGES SUPPORT FOR ThE ARmED FORCES, VETERANS AND ThEIR FAmIlIES

Above: Geoffrey Etule with Lancaster Mayor June Ashworth

Above: Dr John Hall in discussion with the vice chancellor

29

lOCAl ECONOmIC SUmmIT IN lANCASTER FOCUSES ON COmmUNITY ISSUES

Above: Jem Bendell, Below: Michael Hallam

Ethical entrepreneurs and community organisations from the lancaster region gathered at the university in early February for a local economic summit, hosted by the Institute for leadership and Sustainability (IFlAS).

Lancaster Ethical Small Traders Association

(ESTA) has formed a new partnership with

IFLAS aimed at helping the city’s enterprise

community to network, develop new ideas

and collaborate on sustainability projects.

ESTA chairman Michael Hallam told the 50

delegates that the objective for the summit

was to find ways to spread the ‘think

globally, act locally’ philosophy. He said:

“We live on a finite planet and we’re

starting to see things folding in on

themselves. Politicians and governments

can’t do everything. It’s up to everyone to

create a sustainable world and we need

to empower communities to come up

with their own sustainable initiatives.”

Delegates discussed ideas around

the themes of encouraging lifelong

learning, developing a strong community

fabric, protecting the environment and

creating a thriving local economy.

Professor Jem Bendell hopes the partnership

with ESTA will help to bring the innovative

work being done at IFLAS – including use

of local currencies - to a wider audience.

He said: “Small business is the heartbeat

of the community. The University of

Cumbria has to engage in ways that

make sense to the community. We hope

our partnership with ESTA grows.”

Delegates were enthusiastic about the

aims of the summit. Tony Haslam runs

Banking on Carbon Ltd, a Lancaster firm

working to create a local currency for

Lancaster with the added benefit of helping

users offset their carbon footprint.

He commented: “I came to the summit

to raise the profile of the REALM local

currency. It’s really useful to connect

with people who don’t know what

we’re doing. There’s a lot going on in

Lancaster, but we need to find ways

of getting through to people.”

Delegate Ian Aspin owns a TV

company and is currently a PhD

student writing a book about creating

shared values within communities.

He said: “What people here are doing,

is looking at ways to create shared

value and look at ways that we can

work together. It starts at local level like

this, but it’s completely scaleable.”

The next ESTA summit will take place at

our Lancaster campus during the summer.

30

UNIVERSITY’S ENTERPRISE WEEk WINS ACCOlADE

The university has been presented with an award highlighting the support it gave to businesses and entrepreneurs during Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Trade experts gave free workshops

and advice sessions to budding

entrepreneurs and fledgling

businesses during the university’s

Enterprise Week in November.

The successful programme,

which was held at the

new Carlisle Business

Interaction Centre, was

organised to celebrate

Global Entrepreneurship

Week (GEW)—the

international campaign

set up to develop the next

generation of business leaders.

A range of people attended the events

including students from the university, sixth

form pupils from William Howard School,

and Year 10 and 11 pupils from Caldew

School, as well as business owners and those

interested in setting up their own businesses.

In recognition of the support given to

entrepreneurs in the region, GEW has

handed the university a High Impact award

– an accolade given to ‘highlight the very

best events’ held during the week.

The university’s student enterprise coordinator

Sylvia Grainger said: “We are thrilled to be

presented with a High Impact award, and

for GEW to commend the events we held

during Enterprise Week in this way.

“The university has an ongoing commitment

to support businesses and entrepreneurs,

and our dedicated enterprise team is always

on hand to offer advice and guidance.”

Enterprise Week was run by the university in

partnership with Carlisle College, Cumbria

Chamber of Commerce, Carlisle City

Council and Cumbria County Council.

Sylvia added: “We are proud to have strong

links with a range of organisations in the

region and we will continue to work together

to help our business community flourish.

“We are looking forward to organising another

Enterprise Week in 2014 which will build on

the success of this year’s programme.”

To find out more about the work the university

does around business support and enterprise,

visit www.cumbria.ac.uk/Enterprise.

Sylvia Grainger

“We are proud to have strong links with a range of organisations in the region and we will continue to work together to help our business community flourish.”

31

Six members of the Government of Gujarat and

Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat, along with

a representative of British Council India, visited

the Fusehill Street campus in early December.

The event was organised by the Higher

Education Academy (HEA) and formed part

of a week-long programme for the Indian

delegates, who also visited Leeds University

and Sheffield Hallam University.

The purpose of the visit was to explain to the

visitors how the university uses the UK Professional

Standards Framework (UKPSF)—a set of

guidelines which reflect best practice in the higher

education environment—to support teaching

and learning across its campuses, and how it

supports staff to ensure standards are kept high.

The government officials will be sharing

this knowledge with their colleagues when

they return to Gujarat, with the aim of

introducing certain aspects of the framework

to their own higher education policy.

As part of the visit, the government officials

met with a range of university staff, including

Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Sandra

Jowett, members of the Academic Quality and

Development (AQD) service and lecturers.

Senior lecturer in AQD, Caroline Marcangelo,

hosted the visit and was supported by

principal lecturer Jeremy Benson and

administrative assistant Emma Wilson.

Caroline said: “It was a great privilege to

be chosen by the HEA to host this event,

and shows the high regard in which we

are held with respect to the UKPSF.

“Our visitors were really interested in how the

standards influence strategic decisions, underpin

teaching and assessment methods, and ultimately

impact on student learning and success.

UNIVERSITY hElPS ShAPE lEARNING IN INDIA

A group of Indian government officials visited the university to find out more about higher education in the Uk in a bid to improve teaching in their home country.

Above: The Indian delegates with Professor Sandra Jowett (fifth from left), Christine Marcangelo and Jeremy Benson (both far right.)

32

UNIVERSITY PROGRAmmE SUPPORTS COmPANY GROWTh

A university business support programme is already making a real difference. The scheme, ‘knowledge Action Network’, brings together business owners and managers to share knowledge and experience whilst supporting them with business coaching, workshops and technical support.

The programme is new to the North West

and the university is already working with

over 40 local businesses to improve the

economic impact they have in the region.

Newly qualified architect Georgie Cray, from

Carlisle, feels she packed 10 years of learning

into just six months on the programme.

The programme provided Georgie and her

colleagues with both evidence and reassurance

that businesses face similar challenges and that

many of her employer Johnston and Wright’s

activities are already very successful. By using

these creative thinking solutions she has become

a much more valuable member of the team.

Georgie explains: “In addition to the group

sessions, the coaching has been a fantastic

resource and is something I would like to

continue; it provides a real opportunity for self-

evaluation—where you are, where you want to

be and where you want to be in the future. It’s

also been great to establish goals and realise

that without them we really would just coast.

“The last few months are only a very short

period of time in the context of the business,

and many of the things I’ve learned I won’t

have the chance to put into action for some

time, however, there is no question that they

have been, and will come to be, invaluable.”

John Berry, programme manager for the Knowledge

Action Network, based at Energus in Workington,

says: “The programme brings business owners and

managers together to learn from one another. As

we have a wide range of people involved, everyone

learns things that are unique and individual to them.

In Georgie’s case she was able to bring more up-

to-date practices to the group whilst fast-tracking

her own knowledge of business management.”

For further information about the Knowledge

Action Network, visit www.cumbria.ac.uk/KAN or www.knowledge-action.co.uk

Georgie Clay outside Carlisle Old Town Hall.

33

NEW DEmENTIA EDUCATION CURRICUlUm lAUNChED

The university is one of a group of Uk universities in the higher Education for Dementia Network (hEDN) that has developed a new curriculum to improve dementia education in the Uk.

The curriculum has been designed as a guide to

universities for developing the content of higher

education programmes for health and social

care professionals such as nursing, occupational

therapy, physiotherapy and social work.

This will help universities to ensure their courses

address the knowledge and skills health and social

care staff need to care for people with dementia.

HEDN, which is coordinated by charity Dementia

UK, has developed the curriculum over a number

of years through consultation with people

living with dementia, their families, dementia

care practitioners and network members.

This followed from research conducted by HEDN

which identified that coverage of dementia

in most UK university health and social care

courses was inadequate

and inconsistent.

Linda Morrison is

programme lead

for the Foundation

Degree in Health

and Social Care.

“Dementia needs to be integral to education for all health and social care professionals but also needs to be delivered in a consistent and systematic way.”

She said: “We are excited to be involved in

the launch of this curriculum. As the first

university in the UK to deliver a foundation

degree with a named pathway in dementia

care, the curriculum for dementia education

(CfDE) will also be embedded in all our

health and social care programmes.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for those

who provide services to people with dementia,

as education specialising in dementia care is

now gaining the recognition that it deserves.

These standards will ensure that the university

will provide a high quality curriculum that

is meaningful and contemporary.”

HEDN hopes the curriculum will eventually

be adopted by all UK universities, resulting in

coverage of dementia in all health and social

care courses, as well as consistency in the

depth and content of what students learn.

Rachel Thompson, chair of HEDN, said: “Dementia

needs to be integral to education for all health

and social care professionals but also needs to

be delivered in a consistent and systematic way.

“We hope that the CfDE will provide a

framework to ensure that this happens

effectively and across all education providers.”

34

REFlECTING ON ThE AChIEVEmENT OF ChANGE DElIVERY BOARD OVER ThE PAST YEAR

Chief Operating Officer Janet Whitworth chairs the Change Delivery Board. here, she gives an update on progress made in the past twelve months.

“Reflecting on the achievement

of Change Delivery Board over the

last year, the successful projects

delivered are foremost in

my mind. The data centre

project has been a huge

achievement—on time and

under budget. Although

we don’t see it on a day-

to-day basis, it has made

a massive difference to

the resilience of our IT.

Also, in a busy year, we have overseen the delivery

of Ambleside Phase 1, the Carlisle Business

Interaction Centre and the move of our campus

in Tower Hamlets to East India Dock Road.

The first phase of the Customer Relationship

Management (CRM) system is up and

running and has made a positive contribution

to our increased student applications.

Finance has successfully delivered the

upgrade to the Agresso system, and our

management information reporting through

CORE is now available on StaffNet.

Progress towards a new timetable delivery

process is moving on and the video enhanced

teaching project is nearing completion.

The procurement project is delivering substantial

savings in areas such as non-essential subscriptions

and the renegotiation of our Blackberry contract.

We have seen a massive improvement in

working with projects and reporting regularly

through highlight reports. Hopefully this

learning will be applied when we accept

the big transformation programmes from

planning and resources committee.

The Lancaster estates consolidation

programme is now being progressed to

project implementation stage, and academic

transformation and student journey programmes

are both close to business case completion.

Thanks to everyone involved for their hard

work. It is really having a positive effect

on our ability to deliver projects.“

Janet Whitworth

“Thanks to everyone involved for their hard work. It is really having a positive effect on our ability to deliver projects.”

35

NEVADA mUSEUm OF ART NAmES RESEARCh FEllOWS

Tell us about your research...

GET INVOlVEDOur

Research

Each year the Centre for Art + Environment (CA+E), based at the Nevada museum of Art, names a limited number of research fellows for two-year appointments.

The fellowships are not open to applications but are

awarded in recognition of existing or proposed projects

that will contribute to understanding how humans

interact with their natural, built and virtual environments.

The Centre awarded one of the 2013–2015 fellowships

to the art partnership of (University of Cumbria

lecturer) Mark Wilson and Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir.

Their art practice is research based and socially engaged,

exploring issues of history, culture and environment in

both humans and non-human animals. Through their

practice they challenge and deconstruct various notions

and degrees of ‘wilderness’. They conduct their practice

from bases in Iceland, the north of England and Sweden

and are currently engaged in tracing the waters of the

Colorado River from the Grand Canyon to Phoenix.

Above: Mark Wilson and Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir.

36

CONTEmPORARY ART PROJECT ShOWCASED IN ExhIBITION AT RhEGED

A new art exhibition has opened in a special projects gallery space at the Rheged Centre, Penrith. Cumbrian Alchemy is an ambitious contemporary art project hosted by the university and supported by Arts Council England.

The exhibition of drawings, photographs and artefacts is the

result of a research project by American artist Brian McGovern

Wilson and British artist and the university’s Professor of Fine

Art, Robert Williams. The project, which unfolded over a

number of years, looks at Cumbria and Lancashire’s Energy

Coast, a string of industrial facilities including nuclear power

plants, renewable energy facilities and mines. The artists explore

the connection between these industrial elements and the

archaeology, monuments and oral traditions of the region.

To coincide with the opening of the exhibition, a lavishly

illustrated book has also been launched. Designed by

the artist James Brook, it brings together material from

the Cumbrian Alchemy project with essays by eminent

professionals in the field in an enquiry into the place, the

spaces, the people and the monuments of the region.

Essayists include the archaeologist David Barrowclough

from the University of Cambridge, an expert on the

prehistory of Lancashire and Cumbria, who considers the

concept of deep-time in Cumbria and the future archaeology

of long term storage of nuclear waste. Nuclear specialist

Paul Abraitis investigates the natural history of radiation in

the region, whilst Cumbrian journalist Alan Cleaver provides

insights into the folklore of ‘places of power’ in Cumbria.

The Cumbrian Alchemy exhibition at Rheged, Penrith is open

daily 10.30am–4.30pm until 13 April 2014 and admission is free.

For more information about this exhibition or the

book about the project then please visit:

www.cumbria.ac.uk/Courses/SubjectAreas/CreativeArts/Research/FineArt/CumbrianAlchemyBookPublication

For more information about the Rheged Centre please visit:

www.rheged.com

The Cumbrian Alchemy exhibition at Rheged, Penrith is open daily 10.30am – 4.30pm

until 13 April 2014 and admission is free

37

FACUlTY OF hEAlTh AND SCIENCE JOINS ThE lANCAShIRE AND CUmBRIA ClINICAl RESEARCh hUB

www.lancaster.ac.uk/shm/work/clinical_

research_hub/about

The faculty has become a partner in the Clinical Research hub/lancaster health hub hosted by lancaster University. The purpose of the hub is to establish a cross-sectoral research platform to drive forward world-leading innovation in healthcare research and stimulate regional economic growth.

The objectives are to:

• engage public and private

sector colleagues in collaborative

research initiatives

• translate innovative healthcare research

into genuine benefits for patients

• enable research capability and

skill acquisition through continuing

professional development and training.

The other partners in the hub are:

• Blackpool Teaching hospitals NhS Foundation Trust Highly research active and has more than doubled

its patient recruitment into clinical trials since 2007

allowing the residents of Blackpool and the Fylde coast

and beyond to have access to the latest treatments.

• Calderstones Partnership NhS Foundation Trust Based in the Ribble valley and provides a specialist

service for people with learning disabilities.

• Lancashire Care NhS Foundation Trust A health and wellbeing trust specialising in inpatient

and community mental health services.

• Lancashire Teaching hospitals NhS Foundation Trust A large acute teaching trust based in Preston

that supports a broad range of research across

a large number of healthcare conditions.

• North Cumbria University hospitals NhS Trust An acute trust, based in Carlisle and Whitehaven,

committed to supporting research and

development as a means of maintaining and

enabling delivery of high quality healthcare.

• University hospitals of Morecambe Bay NhS

Foundation trust committed to providing opportunities

for clinical research and development.

38

UNIVERSITY RESEARChERS WIN GRANT TO hElP PROTECT SNOW lEOPARD POPUlATION

The future of the snow leopard may seem far removed from life in rainy Britain, but university researchers have secured a grant for research to help preserve the species in southern kazakhstan.

A Snow Leopard Conservation

Grant has been awarded by the

Snow Leopard Network for a

project to be undertaken in

partnership with Almaty State

Nature Reserve, Kazakhstan,

Kazakh National University

and Central Queensland

University, Australia.

During 2014-15, a team of five experienced

scientists and conservationists from the

University of Cumbria will be using ‘trailcams’

or camera traps to carry out a population

survey of snow leopard numbers in the nature

reserve. They will also model the potential

impacts of climate change in the reserve,

mainly in relation to changes in the treeline.

Principal investigator Dr Ian Convery, from the

university’s Centre for Wildlife Conservation explains:

“The snow leopard is one of the most charismatic

species on the planet. Climate change represents

one of the biggest challenges to its survival,

and this research will enable us to make some

predictions about the future for snow leopard

numbers in an important area of its range,

the Tian Shen mountains in Central Asia.

“This research builds on existing good working

relationships that the university has forged with

institutions in Kazakhstan. There are currently

no reliable estimates of snow leopard numbers

in the nature reserve, one of only two stable

populations of snow leopards in the country.

“We have already used these cameras for research

in a range of different environments, such as the

high Rocky Mountains in Alberta and temperate

rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. Trailcam

technology has improved dramatically over the

last few years. Cameras can function down to

extremely low temperatures and can be left in the

field for up to 12 months on one set of batteries.”

Dr Ian Convery

“The snow leopard is one of the most charismatic species on the planet. Climate change represents one of the biggest challenges to its survival.”

39

Dr. Charudutt Mishra, executive director of

the Snow Leopard Network comments:

“We are dealing with highly endangered,

yet the least studied, of all large cats. So

far, not a single study in Kazakhstan has

undertaken a robust population estimation

of the snow leopard, let alone population

monitoring. The work of Dr. Convery’s team

and their Kazakh collaborators is a very

important first step in population monitoring

and understanding the impacts of climate

change on the snow leopard in Kazakhstan.”

In the long term, the researchers plan to

establish a permanent network of trailcams in

Almaty State Nature Reserve to monitor both

snow leopard and prey species population

numbers. Reserve staff will be trained in

the management and maintenance of the

camera traps, allowing the project to continue

long after the grant funding has ceased,

strengthening the capacity to monitor and

protect snow leopard populations for the future.

Other researchers from the university involved

in the project include Billy Sinclair, Volker Deeke,

Naomi Van de Velden and Viktor Kouloumpis.

Above: Photos courtesy of Snow Leopard Trust/Nature Conservation Foundation

40

ACADEmIC’S DRAWINGS ACqUIRED BY ThE hENRY mOORE INSTITUTE

The henry moore Institute at leeds has acquired a series of drawings by the Professor of Fine Art, Robert Williams as part of an archive documenting American artist mark Dion’s Tasting Garden project (1998) at the Storey Gallery in lancaster.

Part of a major collaborative project,

the drawings were made as designs for

21 oversized bronze representations of

various fruit types made by Robert for the

installation in the hidden gardens of The

Storey Institute that explored issues of

diversity, ecology and global agribusiness.

The project was a major part of the

ArtransPennine98 event curated by the late

Robert Hopper of The Henry Moore Sculpture

Trust and Director of Tate Liverpool Lewis

Biggs. The archive, which has already been

exhibited in the UK, the Netherlands, and

New York, was collected by former Storey

Gallery Director Dr John Angus and is made

up of drawings by Dion and Williams with

documentary photographs by Don Burnett.

The archive will be permanently held

at the Henry Moore Institute at Leeds,

where Robert was a postgraduate Henry

Moore Scholar in the 1990s. Tragically

the Tasting Garden was destroyed by

vandals and metal thieves in 2008.

41

The university’s Active Ageing Research

Group (AARG) has featured widely in the

Scottish press after publishing findings about

the health benefits gained by older women

through Scottish country dancing in the

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.

The researchers found that this type of

physical activity can delay the ageing process

on locomotion-related activities of older

women and benefit their functional ability.

AARG, in partnership with the University of

Strathclyde, analysed data from women aged

60-80, who had taken part in Scottish country

dancing for at least ten years, and their ability

to perform day-to-day tasks in comparison

to non-dancers of the same age group.

The 26 Scottish country dancers and 34 non-

dancers, who were all healthy and participated

in the same amount of physical activity each

week, were assessed on a variety of tasks, such

as how far they could walk in six minutes, how

fast they could cover six metres, or how far they

could reach towards their toes while seated.

While the results showed dancers and non-

dancers aged 60-70 had similar functional

abilities, the analysis revealed dancers aged

70-80 performed better than their non-

dancer counterparts in the various tasks.

The researchers believe that the effect

of the ageing process on locomotor-

related activities in Scottish country

dancers can potentially be delayed

due to the routines which combine

forwards and sideways movements

with side-skipping, turning and hopping

elements – all of which combat the

deterioration of the nervous system.

ThE hEAlTh BENEFITS OF SCOTTISh COUNTRY DANCING

The study, which was published earlier this year,

states: “These findings advocate the participation

in Scottish country dance in combating the

inevitable degenerative effects of ageing in

the performance of functional ability tasks

when compared with age-matched individuals

participating in other forms of physical activity.”

Dr Susan Dewhurst, lead researcher and senior

lecturer in sport and exercise physiology,

said: “With the ageing population being a

major concern due to the impact on public

services and particularly the NHS, promoting

active ageing that will result in independent

and healthy living is crucial, both for the

NHS and the individuals concerned.”

“The present study shows that Scottish country

dancing can be an appealing form of exercise

to achieve that, as it not only brings the social

and mental wellbeing of group dancing but

it also helps to maintain functional ability.”

Age-related physical degeneration severely affects

people’s quality of life and puts a large amount

of strain on the NHS. With the number of people

aged 65 or over projected to rise to more than 16

million (nearly 50%) in the next 20 years, AARG is

committed to finding ways which can lessen the

effects of ageing, by identifying the most effective

interventions of age-related degeneration and

promoting them into future health schemes,

as well as developing scientific research which

can be translated into practical applications.

Anyone who is

interested in AARG’s

work can email

activeageing@cumbria.ac.uk

“The present study shows that Scottish country dancing can be an appealing form of exercise to achieve that, as it not only brings the social and mental wellbeing of group dancing but it also helps to maintain functional ability.”

42

GRADUATE SChOOlRESEARCh SUPPORT AND STAFF DEVElOPmENT PROGRAmmE 2013-14

These sessions will be informal meetings for mutual support, encouragement and development of research degree candidates (registered with University of Cumbria or elsewhere) and supervisors. Each session will include guidance on some aspect of the research degree process.

L lancaster

AXB Alexandra Building

C Fusehill Street, Carlisle

Lg learning Gateway (lG)

All sessions are 5.00pm–7.00pm

location Date Topic, Presenter, Room

Thursday 3 April

Thursday 10 AprilMixed method enquiries, Dr Chris Loynes

Room: L AXB014 C LG003

Thursday 8 May

Thursday 22 MayData security: Being a safe researcher, Dr Ian Convery

Room: L AXB014 C LG003

Thursday 5 June

Thursday 19 JuneQuestioning and interviewing techniques, Dr Paul Cammack

Room: L AXB014 C LG003

CL

CL

CL

Please join us for all or part of any of these. It will be helpful

to know if you are coming. Please contact Sonia Mason on

01524 384221 or email sonia.mason@cumbria.ac.uk

43

Stephen Longstaffe was an invited speaker on

'Marlowe's Radio Play: Dido Queen of Carthage',

at the Arts and Humanities Research Council

(AHRC)/British Academy (BA) funded conference

‘Performing Dido’ at Oxford University.

Sally Elton-Chalcraft presented a paper at ECER

(European Council for Educational Research)

in Istanbul in September with colleagues from

Chester and Liverpool John Moores (Esme

Fairbairn funded Creativity project). They

reported on findings from their collaborative

three-year project in a paper entitled 'Creativity

in a Policy Vacuum: ‘An Investigation into the

Understanding and Implementation of State

Guidance and Policy on Creativity in Education

by Intending and Newly Qualified Teachers’.

A selection of some of our

staff research outputs from the past few months

RESEARCh ROUND-UP

Adrian Copping, Sally Elton-Chalcraft and

Kären Mills (PG primary QTS team) presented

a paper at UCET (Universities' Council for the

Education of Teachers) in November 2013

'Enabling student teachers to facilitate creative

teaching and learning in primary schools.’ This

University of Cumbria funded research reported

on findings from their three-phase collaborative

project (the research team also included Ian Todd

and Dennis Howlett, also PG primary QTS team).

Against the backdrop of School Direct

developments, Alison Jackson and James Burch

have been researching the concept of ‘Third Space’

activity and over the course of the last year have

produced a series of publications and presented

at conferences including The space between:

opportunities to explore new pathways in the

context of policy change, UCET; The teacher

as researcher: Driving improvement in schools,

Research Institute for Professional Learning in

Education (RIPLE); and Strengthening Teacher

Education, Teacher Education Advancement

Network (TEAN)/Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Colum Cronin is joint author of Sport,

Education and Society (2013):

Lived experience and community sport

coaching: A phenomenological

investigation, Sport, Education and Society,

DOI:10.1080/13573322.2013.858625

Paul Miller’s article Depression, sense

and sensitivity: On pre-diagnostic

questioning about self-harm and suicidal inclination

in the primary care consultation was published

in Communication and Medicine. 10(1), 39-51.

WILLIAMSON

FAMILY FUN RUN

The fourth Williamson Park 3km/5km Family Fun Run is

on Sunday 13 April 2014. Registration is from 10am, the

3km run starts at 11am, and the 5km event at 12 noon.

Organised by final year sports students in partnership

with Lancaster City Council, entry is £3 per adult, £8 per

family/team in advance, or £4 per runner and £10 family/

team on the day. Entertainment and other activities.

Registration at Ashton Memorial; entry forms from

the Sports Centre Complex and the Park Café.SPORT RELIEF FUN RUN

Five students have organised a fun run in aid of Sport Relief, with support from Carlisle Leisure Limited, in Bitts Park on Sunday 23 March. One, three or six miles routes.

Sponsorship form and fundraising kit available.

Register Staff and students are also being asked to volunteer

on the day - email Chris Banks chrisbanks80@aol.com.

If you would like to contribute to the next issue of Connect, please contact a member of the communications team:

lynn.clark@cumbria.ac.uk julie.ratcliffe@cumbria.ac.uk

fiona.hughes@cumbria.ac.uk elizabeth.henzell@cumbria.ac.uk

The copy deadline for the next issue of Connect is 16 May 2014.

Interested in volunteering with Lancashire Constabulary?Special constables have the same powers, equipment, and receive similar training to a regular officer. Candidates must be over 18 years old, have no convictions within the last five years, not be involved with the sale or supply of alcohol and must have resided in the UK for the last 36 months. Specials are asked to perform at least 16 duty hours per month.

More details can be found on the Lancashire Constabulary website www.lancashire.police.uk/recruitment/special-constable

Josh Bancroft (Lancaster CIP admin assistant) has first-hand experience as a special constable. Email him at Joshua.bancroft@cumbria.ac.uk for more information, or the local contact for Northern Division, Jen Seal on 01524 596659 Jen.Seal@lancashire.pnn.police.uk

AQD Learning and Teaching FEST 20143 July 2014 - LancasterTheme of SUSTAINABILITY CALL FOR PAPERS The corporate theme of Sustainability has been chosen as the focus of this years’ award. Click for more information.

If you would like to submit a paper detailing a practice exchange session, or a poster, please complete this online form.

Closing date: 22 April 2014.All sessions will be 35 minutes long and posters will be on public display for the full day.Please contact Caroline Marcangelo if you have any queries x6228.

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