November 2009

UWE wins BLOODHOUND SSC for Bristol 

thebulletin 

27 November 2009 Issue 90

In this 

month’s issue 

2 World’s fastest car to 

be built in Bristol in 

the shadow of Brunel 

3 Bloodhound SSC test 

rig at Design Museum 

4 UWE ties the knot with 

the BUI to create better 

health solutions 

5 Nowhereisland Cultural 

Olympiad project 

produced by Situations 

6 First robot festival in 

Manchester 

6 Research presented in 

Parliament 

8 Launch of new 

Exhibition and 

Conference Centre 

10 70s film producer 

under the spotlight at 

UWE 

18 UWE Learning and 

Teaching Fellowship 

Scheme 

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ac.uk and Mary.Price@uwe.ac.uk. 

Editor: Jane Kelly 

Editor: Mary Price 

Contributor: Lesley Drake, 

Kate Mooney 

Production: Jayne Andrews, 

Kate Mooney 

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carried. 

Front cover: 

UWE wins BLOODHOUND SSC for 

Bristol 

NEWS 

World’s fastest car to be built in Bristol in 

the shadow of Brunel 

Bristol City Council, UWE 

Bristol and the ss Great 

Britain Trust have won a bid 

to build Bloodhound SSC, a 

car designed to inspire future 

engineers, in Bristol. 

Sites adjacent to the ss 

Great Britain and at UWE 

will become home to one 

of the UK’s most inspiring 

engineering projects. The 

Bloodhound SSC engineering 

team aims to capture the 

imagination of a new 

generation of Brunels by building a car 

that aims to break the land speed record by 

achieving a top speed of 1,000 mph. 

Bristol City Council's deputy leader, Simon 

Cook, said: "Bristol is a city renowned for its 

world-class creativity, design and advanced 

engineering and it makes perfect sense for 

Bloodhound SSC to be based here. We are 

delighted to add Bloodhound SSC to Bristol's 

credentials and know it will be a massive 

boost to the city - attracting national and 

international attention. 

"Its location on Bristol's historic harbourside, 

together with the development of a visitor 

centre and educational facility will bring the 

Bloodhound adventure to the widest possible 

audience." 

The project kicked off by the Science Minister 

Lord Drayson and Richard Noble, former 

world land speed record breaker, is designed 

to inspire future engineers in the same way as 

NASA’s space programme in the 1960s and the 

building of Concorde in Bristol in the 1970s. 

Currently the UK faces an acute shortage 

of skills for future engineering projects, 

particularly environmental engineering 

projects connected to the needs of climate 

change. 

Steve West (VC) said, “Everyone at UWE is 

thrilled at the decision to bring Bloodhound 

SSC to Bristol. This builds on the significant 

technology, science and engineering traditions 

of the greater Bristol region. We are leading 

the innovation in science and technology 

as a Science City. UWE has been committed 

to assisting this project over the past year, 

providing a space for the design team and 

winning the bid to lead the Higher Education 

Engagement programme. We have already 

From left: Dr John Lanham (Head of Design and 

Engineering, BIT) and John Piper (Chief Engineer of 

Bloodhound SSC) 

seen a 37 per cent increase in applications for 

our engineering courses, and some students 

are actually working on the design of aspects 

of the car. The seating rig designed by a team 

of UWE students is currently on view at the 

Design Museum in London. The news that the 

project will be based here is fantastic.” 

For nearly two years a team based at UWE 

Bristol, led by John Piper, Chief Engineer 

of Bloodhound SSC, has been working 

on the design and feasibility of a car that 

can withstand the engineering challenges 

created by speeds of 1,000 mph. These same 

challenges will be presented in classrooms to 

Bristol pupils to work on real life problems. 

They will also have the chance to view the 

making of the car in a special Visitors’ Centre 

near the ss Great Britain. 

John Piper said, “The site, the expertise 

and resources of the region make Bristol an 

obvious place to build the car.” 

Steve West concluded, “Regional employers 

and schools will benefit enormously from 

having such an exciting project on their 

doorstep. Hopefully we will see a few 

‘Brunels’ emerging from the inspiration this 

project provides.” 

The City Council, ss Great Britain Trust and 

UWE Bristol fought off heavy financial 

incentives offered by other locations, by 

offering the right site at the ss Great Britain 

and access to expertise at UWE and Bristol 

City Council. Work on the building of the car 

will begin next spring with a view to test runs 

in Spring 2011. 

2

UWE students’ Bloodhound 

SSC test rig at Design Museum 

Ergonomics – Real Design at the Design Museum 18 November 

2009 to March 2010 

Product Design students from the University who helped to 

design the ergonomics for the cockpit rig that will be used in the 

development of what is planned to be the world’s fastest car, 

Bloodhound SSC, will have their work prominently featured in a 

forthcoming exhibition at the 

Design Museum in London. 

The Bloodhound SSC 

project was initiated by the 

government to encourage 

school children and youngsters 

to study and embark upon 

careers in technology and 

design. The project aims 

to design, build and run a 

car to raise the world land 

speed record – and use the 

challenges this poses to raise 

the enthusiasm, interest and 

engagement of the next 

generation of professional 

designers and engineers. 

The test cockpit rig that will be 

exhibited at the Design Museum 

The exhibition ‘Ergonomics 

– Real Design’ at the Design 

Museum is being organised by 

a team of researchers from the Human Centred Design Institute at 

Brunel University and Loughborough University in association with 

the Ergonomics Society. Funding for the project came from the 

EPSRC under the Partnerships for Public Engagement (PPE) award. 

The exhibition will run from 18 November 2009 until 7 March 2010 

in the top floor and window gallery of the Design Museum. 

The UWE students’ exhibit will include the ergonomic test rig 

and storyboards showing the process behind its development and 

the fitting of the rig to the driver Andy Green. UWE is a founder 

sponsor of the Bloodhound SSC project led by Richard Noble, 

a previous world land speed record holder. UWE is leading the 

university-level engagement with the Bloodhound SSC project 

and is working to develop materials and case studies for use by 

university academics along with partner universities. 

Hywel Vaughan was one of the students on the team who worked 

on the cockpit rig design. He is now working on placement with 

the Bloodhound SSC design team who have been based at UWE 

for over a year. 

Hywel said, “We’re all thrilled that our work for Bloodhound 

SSC will be on show at the Design Museum. The cockpit rig is 

essentially designed to evaluate the driver’s position in a given 

envelope of space; to ensure that all the key components such as 

steering wheel, controls, seating and pedals are in the optimum 

position for driver use and safety. The measurements had to 

fit the driver Andy Green precisely, giving him flexibility within 

the space allocated for the rig. We had to be exceptionally 

accurate in the fitting of the cockpit. As an example, the angle 

needed for maximum driver visibility was exactly four degrees 

from horizontal, so the positioning of each component needed 

to fit in with this requirement. We needed to be sure that he 

could see over the front of the car without interfering with the 

aerodynamics. We had a long consultation process followed by 

making measurements, and used the data to build the test rig. 

The test rig will enable fine adjustments to the position and the 

relationship of all components, ensuring the cockpit functions as it 

should do at such high speeds. 

“Our test rig is actually being used by the Bloodhound SSC design 

team – it’s really exciting to have been given the chance to work 

on the car that is going for the world land speed record. 

“Having the Bloodhound SSC design team at UWE has given all 

of us a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on what has to 

be the most exciting engineering project in the world right now. 

It’s great that the rig will get shown at the exhibition; there are 

few students who have been as lucky as those of us on the UWE 

Product Design course to get such a mind blowing opportunity. 

For me, it has lead on to even better things as I’m now on 

placement with the Bloodhound SSC Design team.” 

David Henshall, Senior Lecturer in Product Design who led the 

Bloodhound SSC test rig project with the students, said, “The 

challenge for the students was to consider the performance 

and ergonomics of the driver's position for a unique event that 

will take the driver across ten miles in 85 seconds. The team of 

students who worked on the Bloodhound test rig have really 

stepped up to the mark and we’re proud of their achievement.” 

Product Design Senior Lecturer, Drew Batchelor, said, “This is a 

fantastic, once in a lifetime opportunity for the students involved, 

both in terms of the excitement surrounding the Bloodhound SSC 

project and exhibiting in the Design Museum. The teaching team 

have been impressed by the student team: their dedication and 

the quality of their work was of a highly professional standard. 

This experience will be very impressive in their portfolios and 

invaluable when they seek employment in relevant fields after 

leaving UWE.”

NEWS 

UWE ties the knot with the BUI to create 

better health solutions 

Agreement between UWE and the BUI being signed by (from left) Brian Allen, Head of Contracts, UWE; John Duffield, Pro Vice-Chancellor, 

UWE; Adele Long, Executive Director, Bristol Urological Institute 

The clinical and scientific expertise of the Bristol Urological 

Institute (BUI) and the academic excellence of UWE have 

been cemented with the signing of a formal agreement to 

work in closer partnership. Clinicians, scientists and engineers 

from both organisations will be addressing some of the key 

health issues of today, such as prostate and bladder cancer, 

robotic surgery, rapid diagnosis of infection and technologies 

for maintaining or achieving continence. 

The agreement covers a portfolio of projects and joint 

appointments worth over £500,000. Mr David Gillatt, Medical 

Director of the BUI, which is based at Southmead Hospital, 

said, “This is a significant milestone in the development of 

the BUI as the UK centre of excellence for urology research, 

and the partnership with UWE will strengthen the focus on 

addressing urological conditions for which there are currently 

few or inadequate solutions.” 

Professor John Duffield, Pro-Vice Chancellor, commented, 

“We are delighted to be partnering with the BUI; this 

represents a significant step in this important local 

partnership that already has a developing international 

dimension in the United States and Malaysia.” 

In June 2009, representatives from the BUI and UWE visited 

the University of Malaya to discuss areas of common interest 

and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. The trip was 

highly successful, with 12 potential collaborative projects 

identified in the areas of prostate cancer, kidney and 

bladder stone disease, breast cancer, gastrointestinal tract 

infection and dengue fever. In particular, these collaborative 

projects provide the opportunity to study why certain 

medical conditions such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and 

infected renal stones have a different incidence in Malaysian 

populations from those in the UK, and to look at implications 

for diagnostics and treatment. Work is now ongoing to 

develop a number of the identified research projects for 

submission to funding bodies. Opportunities for Malaysian 

nurses and doctors to train at UWE and the BUI were also 

identified. 

To further this collaboration, the Department for Innovation, 

Universities and Skills has granted £12,000 in funding for a 

return visit. This is planned for January 2010, and will be an 

opportunity to progress the collaborations with the University 

of Malaya, to hold a conference and to engage with other 

organisations and companies engaged in medical research, 

education and training, and medical technology development 

and manufacture. 

4

Nowhereisland Cultural 

Olympiad project produced 

by Situations 

An Arctic island that will travel the 702 miles of coastline of south 

west England in 2012, a collaboration between artist Alex Hartley 

and the Situations programme at UWE has been chosen for 

‘Artists taking the lead’, one of the major projects for the Cultural 

Olympiad. 

The Cultural Olympiad is four years of cultural celebration 

leading up to the 2012 Games. ‘Artists taking the lead’ is Arts 

Council England’s flagship project for the Cultural Olympiad 

and will feature 12 projects across the country. Alex Hartley’s 

Nowhereisland proposal was the winning project out of a total of 

239 entries for the South West region. 

Alex Hartley will work with Situations, the public art 

commissioning programme at UWE, to produce this project over 

the next three years. Situations helped Alex to put together his 

£500k award winning bid for the Cultural Olympiad and will 

provide the production and public engagement support to make 

his project happen. 

Alex Hartley said, “Nowhereisland will capture people’s 

imagination, engaging local, national and international audiences. 

The island addresses the most significant global issue of our 

time, namely how we can respond to the urgent issue of climate 

change together. This project embodies the spirit of international 

cooperation that is at the heart of the Olympic ideal.” 

Situations Director, Claire Doherty, said, “We are delighted to be 

working with such an outstanding artist on this commission. Alex 

approached us with this extraordinary idea and it has captured the 

imagination of so many people already. As an international public 

art commissioning programme, Situations has long experience of 

realising logistically complex projects outside conventional gallery 

or museum contexts, but this remarkable project will be far the 

most ambitious we have ever produced.” 

Alex Hartley will bring an island he discovered in the High Arctic 

to the south west of England. The island is about the size of a 

football pitch and was revealed from within the melting ice of a 

retreating glacier. Alex was the first person ever to stand on it. 

The island has been recognised by the Norwegian Polar Institute 

and is now included on all maps and charts. The project explores 

issues of climate change, land ownership, national identity and the 

exploitation of the earth's remaining natural resources. 

A portion of the island will be transported to south west England 

through international waters and whilst en route will apply for 

micronation status. The new micronation, Nowhereisland, will 

navigate the entire 702 miles of the coast of the south west 

region, visiting its ports and harbours accompanied by a travelling 

embassy and support vehicle. 

Almost 400 people have already signed up for citizenship of 

the island, and Nowhereisland aims to surpass the population 

total of the Vatican, the smallest country in the world, by Friday 

(23 October). Before 2012, he hopes to exceed 34,000 citizens – 

greater than the populations of Liechtenstein and Monaco, to 

become at least the world’s 8th smallest country and the 186th 

largest country. 

Professor Steve West, UWE Vice-Chancellor, said, “This fantastic 

project puts UWE’s artistic collaborations on the international 

map quite literally. It is a coup for Alex Hartley and for Situations 

at UWE to capture the spirit of the Cultural Olympiad and to win 

this prestigious bid to the Arts Council England. As a university 

we are wholly committed to sustainability, and some of the issues 

that the island will bring to the fore resonate with UWE’s research 

strengths around climate change. We’re absolutely thrilled for the 

team.” 

Arts Council England, South West Executive Director Chris 

Humphrey said: 

“Nowhereisland is an extraordinary project. The sight of an island 

approaching the shore will be an amazing spectacle for the people 

who are fortunate enough to experience it. This project has a 

strong connection with the south west region and its coast and 

yet the opportunities it offers extend far beyond our shores. Huge 

numbers of people will be able to get involved with the island and 

the ideas behind it. Nowhereisland will provoke thought, create 

excitement and will help us to fulfil our ambition to make great 

art available for everyone.” 

Nowehereisland will be transported from the Arctic during the 

summer next year and will tour the south west coast in 2012, 

starting in Poole in mid July and ending in Bristol in October 2012. 

The island will be in Weymouth and Portland during the last days 

of July and first weeks of August for all the Olympic sailing events. 

At the end of the Olympic year, the island will return to the Arctic 

to be made whole again. 

(http://www.nowhereisland.org/project.html) 

Summer School success 

The Leap into Health Residential Summer School run by HSC aims 

to raise awareness about the range of health professions available 

to students who have the potential to succeed in HE. The school 

also seeks to raise the aspirations and motivation of young people 

from groups currently under-represented in HE. 

The Leap into Health Summer School provides Year 12 (or 

equivalent) students with the chance to experience a wide range 

of aspects of university life. The students interact with current 

university students, take part in seminars, practical labs and 

interactive workshops with practising professionals. These are 

designed to help them understand more about the realities of 

going to HE and what it has to offer them. The summer school also 

helps students make a fully informed decision about their future. 

This year was UWE’s first ever residential Leap into Health Summer 

School. The main reason for the change was very simple: last 

year’s students on the non-residential course said they would 

have preferred a residential summer school. There was also a lot 

of research into other Aimhigher and UWE supported summer 

schools, residential and non-residential. It became clear that a 

residential experience would give the students a more accurate 

vision of what university life is like. This was proved right, with 32 

out of the 34 students who attended this year’s Leap into Health 

summer school stating that they thought that the course was a 

realistic experience of university. When asked if they would have 

preferred a non-residential summer school, 33 out of 34 said 

they would not. Finally, when asked if they would recommend 

Aimhigher’s residential summer school to other Year 12 students, 

all 34 either strongly agreed or agreed. 

5

NEWS 

UWE leads UK's first robot 

festival in Manchester 

Young visitors at the 

Robot Festival 

Three years ago the UWE-led 

project Walking with Robots started 

out on a journey to engage public 

audiences with current intelligent 

robotics research. Along the way 

the project has delivered over 

200 events attended by close to 

80,000 people. As the project draws 

to a close, Walking with Robots 

@ Manchester Science Festival, 

the UK's first ever robot festival, 

provided a fitting finale for the 

programme. 

Supported by 45 roboticists and 

volunteers from 23 different 

companies and universities, the 

festival delivered 27 events and 

workshops over four days, reaching approximately 6,000 

people. Events included a pub guide to robots; a robot football 

championship; a hack day where visitors could break apart 

just about anything and turn it into a robot, and an exhibition 

called Robomania where visitors could see a Mars Rover, an 

animatronic butterfly, Robothespian (a robot with a song and 

dance habit) and a robotic swarm, to name just a few. 

One visitor commented that she was “thrilled to see real 

robots demonstrated by real roboticists” and added that we 

should “do Robo-mania more often”. 

Professor Alan Winfield, project lead and director of the 

Science Communication Unit at UWE said, 

“We were delighted to be able to team up 

with the Manchester Science Festival. Public 

engagement work is very important for 

those of us doing robotics research. With research pushing at 

the boundaries we need to find out what people think and to 

share new developments widely. 

“Robo-mania at the Museum of Science and Industry was a 

great success in bringing families and children face to face 

with current robotics. Evening events such as 'Robot Scenes', 

focusing on robots in Science Fiction movies, and 'Why has 

robotics and AI failed to deliver on its promises?' provided 

really great opportunities for adults and professionals to 

debate current issues in robotics research, including important 

ethical and societal questions. 

“The festival would not have been a success without the 

generosity of the UK robotics research community in lending 

their robots, time and enthusiasm. But I'm especially grateful 

to Dr Claire Rocks, UWE co-ordinator, and Laura Drane, festival 

director, who between them made it happen.” 

The festival was the culmination of a three year public 

engagement project funded by EPSRC (Engineering and 

Physical Sciences Research Council), which has also seen 

roboticists and their robots visit the 

Houses of Parliament and appear 

on Blue Peter. 

A robot makes a big 

impression at the UK’s 

first Robot Festival 

BERT, one of the robots 

in Bristol Robotics 

Laboratory (BRL) has 

been spotted by staff 

in the latest Bruce 

Willis Hollywood movie 

Surrogates, a sci-fi thriller 

set in a futuristic world 

where humans interact 

through surrogate robots. 

Despite the brevity of 

BERT’s appearance, his 

presence in the film 

is testament to the 

significance and ‘star 

quality’ of the research 

work being done in BRL. 

Bert in another starring role, 

meeting Lord Drayson, Science 

Minister in March 

UWE research presented in 

Parliament 

UWE researchers have produced a report Per Capita Alcohol 

Consumption, Mortality, Morbidity and Drunk Driving: Implications 

for Saving Lives for the national charity, Alcohol Concern. This was 

presented at a reception in Parliament on Monday 19 October. The 

report’s authors, Drs Nikki Coghill, Patrick Miller and Professor Martin 

Plant have concluded that an increase of one litre in the UK’s per 

capita alcohol consumption would be associated with approximately 

928 extra deaths in the UK per annum. 

The researchers have concluded that, “It is strongly recommended 

that reducing mortality should be the top priority for alcohol control 

policy. This is achievable, but requires a reduction in per capita alcohol 

consumption. This could be done by introducing a minimum unit price 

of 50p. This would also cut alcohol-related hospital admissions, crimes 

and days absent from work. This would also save £1 billion per year in 

the costs to taxpayers of alcohol-related harm in England alone.” 

6

SCRATCHbot named as winning innovation by Popular Science 

SCRATCHbot, a new robotic initiative by Bristol Robotics 

Laboratory (BRL) and the University of Sheffield, has been named 

in the ‘Best of What’s New’ list published by Popular Science 

magazine. SCRATCHbot was chosen from thousands of products 

reviewed by the editors of Popular Science to find the top 100 

tech innovations of the year. The winning product or technology 

must represent a significant step forward in its category. 

The SCRATCHbot is an innovative robot rat which can seek out 

and identify objects using its whiskers. The research is being 

developed by BRL, (a partnership between the University of the 

West of England and the University of Bristol) and the Active 

Touch Laboratory at the University of Sheffield under the pan- 

European ICEA project to develop biologically-inspired artificial 

intelligence systems. 

The new technology has been inspired by the use of touch in 

the animal kingdom. For some nocturnal creatures, or some 

that inhabit poorly-lit places, this physical sense is widely 

preferred to vision as a primary means of discovering the world. 

Rats are especially effective at exploring their environments 

using their whiskers. They are able to accurately determine the 

position, shape and texture of objects using precise rhythmic 

sweeping movements of their whiskers, make rapid accurate 

decisions about objects, and then use the information to build 

environmental maps. 

Robot designs often rely on vision to identify objects, but this 

new technology relies solely on sophisticated touch technology, 

enabling the robot to function in spaces such as dark or smokefilled 

rooms, where vision cannot be used. 

Dr Tony Pipe (BRL) says “For a long time, vision has been the 

main biological sense most studied by scientists. But active touch 

sensing is a key focus for those of us looking at biological systems 

which have implications for robotics research. Sensory systems such 

as rats' whiskers have 

particular advantages. In 

humans, where sensors 

are at the fingertips, 

they are more vulnerable 

to damage and injury 

than whiskers. Rats have 

the ability to operate 

with damaged whiskers, 

and broken whiskers 

on robots could be 

easily replaced, without 

affecting the whole 

robot and its expensive 

engineering. This award 

is a welcome recognition 

that our research is a leap 

forward for technology in 

this area.” 

The winners - the Best The SCRATCHbot 

of What's New - are 

included in the December 

issue of Popular Science, 

the world’s largest science and technology magazine with a 

circulation of 1.3 million. SCRATCHbot won the Security category 

of the Best of What’s new awards. 

SCRATCHbot (Spatial Cognition and Representation through 

Active TouCh) has been developed with funding from the 

European Union Framework 6 programme as part of €6.5M ICEA 

(Integrating Cognition Emotion and Autonomy) project (http:// 

www.iceaproject.eu/). The Active Touch Laboratory at Sheffield 

(ATL@S) is part of the Department of Psychology at the University 

of Sheffield. 

History of UWE published 

William Evans has written a history of UWE Bristol, published by 

Redcliffe Press. It delves into the complex family 

tree of UWE and its deep roots in Bristol and 

the community. 

University of the West of England, Bristol – A 

Family History by William Evans is a story of 

religion, politics, public spirit, self-interest 

and struggle. In telling the story, it focuses 

on two issues: how far education should be 

vocational, for example ‘to prepare students 

to become skilled mechanics’ and linked to 

the world of work; and how access to higher 

education has been widened. These are not 

only historical themes, but are reflected in 

current government thinking about the 

‘purpose’ of universities. 

Bill Evans, one-time UWE solicitor and amateur 

local history enthusiast, says, “This story is indivisible from histories 

of Bristol itself - as a community, a commercial city and regional 

capital. The challenges which the University and its predecessor 

institutions have faced mirror aspects of the city’s own history. For 

those who care about Bristol, and the future of education, I hope 

this will be a thought-provoking read. 

“I’ve been writing bits and pieces of this book over several years. 

Most of the work was from archives and secondary sources, 

including some recent events. But it was surprising how little has 

been written about how education developed in Bristol, and what 

influenced it: religious sectarianism, local politics, commercial 

self-interest, cultural aspiration, and a lot of pure accident. 

“What struck me most were the individuals, not many of 

them well-known, who pushed for and brought about 

change – for all sorts of reasons, often nothing to do 

with education – which they were able to do because of a 

complete lack of civic leadership and planning until after 

the 1939-45 war. I never thought I’d come across Henry VIII, 

Charles Dickens, Prince Albert, Florence Nightingale, Brunel, 

Gladstone and a couple of famous modern artists as well as 

the usual local suspects.” 

This is a lively and sometimes acerbic commentary on the 

history of Bristol’s newer, and larger, university, that will be 

both thought-provoking and entertaining. 

Softback: ISBN 978-1-906593-50-6 

Copies cost £20.00 (special offer of £17.50 for UWE staff and 

students). 

For further information or to order a copy contact: The Vice- 

Chancellor’s Office, UWE, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol. BS16 1QY. 

Tel: 0117 32 82456; Fax: 0117 32 82774 or e-mail: 

William.Evans@uwe.ac.uk 

7

NEWS 

UWE launches biggest exhibition space in South West 

Exhibition and Conference Centre 

Frenchay Campus, University of the West 

of England 

Wednesday 9 December 2009 at 12 noon 

Wednesday 9 December will see the opening of a new 

Exhibition and Conference Centre (ECC) at UWE. Situated on 

the land recently purchased from HP the ECC will be the largest 

conference and exhibition space in the south west. 

The official opening will give potential users the opportunity to 

take a good look at the enormous 9,000 square metre indoor 

arena boasting over 25 meeting rooms. 

Professor Steve West (V-C) will give a welcoming address to 

an invited audience to include UWE staff, students, governors 

and trustees, local government representatives, MPs, regional 

businesses, council leaders, regional universities, further 

education colleges and schools and current university customers. 

Peter Cockburn, Head of Hospitality at UWE said, “As well as 

being the largest exhibition and entertainment venue in the 

south west, we are well positioned for all transport links, just 

half a mile away from the M32 and the same distance from 

Bristol Parkway meaning that the venue has the potential to 

attract around 2.5 million visitors who live within an hour’s drive. 

“Until recently UWE was only able to offer conference facilities 

for a few hundred people but now we can accommodate several 

thousand people. The main auditorium has already attracted 

huge interest from the many large local businesses on our 

doorstep and we are hosting the UCAS Fair next March which 

will attract somewhere in the region of 5,000 visitors a day. 

“The ECC is providing a much needed resource for the local 

economy and we have been working to ensure that we provide 

the right kind of facilities to cater for large scale events. 

Conference facilities include an upgrading of all meeting rooms 

with many of the larger rooms including state of the art 

presentation AV equipment. UWE Hospitality has developed 

special menus to suit a range of different events. The facilities 

will at the very least equal those at larger quality hotels 

and event centres but with a bigger capacity and excellent 

transport links. 

“The extent of the interest so far indicates that there has for 

some time been a big need for a sizeable venue in the region. 

We’re very excited that UWE is now in a position to welcome 

a wider range of organisations and businesses and that we can 

now cater for much bigger events and conferences.” 

Events planned include exhibitions (e.g. employer fairs, medical 

presentations, educational displays, and robotics demonstrations) 

conferences, meetings, product launches, annual general 

meetings, sporting events, public/commercial sector events, 

award ceremonies, training programmes and examinations. 

Steve West said, “This launch marks an important milestone in 

the 25 year masterplan that will see UWE double in size and 

stature. We aim to become one of the top 50 universities in the 

UK in the next three years. The new Exhibition and Conference 

Centre, coupled with state of the art residential facilities, is 

another feather in UWE’s cap that will make the University a 

central hub for key events across the region.” 

UWE academic shortlisted for 

Wellcome Trust Book Prize 

Dr Havi Carel, a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, has been shortlisted for 

the first ever Wellcome Trust Book Prize. 

Her book, Illness: The Cry of the Flesh, was one of six books to be 

shortlisted for this prestigious award, created by the Wellcome Trust 

to bring together the traditionally diverse fields of medicine and 

literature. 

Dr Carel said, “It’s a great honour to be shortlisted for this award. 

It’s an encouraging sign that the Wellcome Trust have shortlisted 

a philosophy book. This demonstrates the growing interest in the 

philosophy of medicine, a relatively new field in this country.” 

The book addresses the nature of illness and the changes it brings 

to the world of the ill person. It explores how illness should be 

understood as more than a merely physiological dysfunction. 

Havi adds, “I hope that health care 

practitioners as well as patients will read 

the book, that it challenges their perception 

of illness and that it provokes further 

discussion about how we understand 

illness.” 

Comedian and former psychiatric nurse Jo 

Brand chaired the judging panel for the 

shortlist and was joined by BBC science 

journalist Quentin Cooper, Welsh poet and 

non-fiction writer Gwyneth Lewis, physician 

and author Raymond Tallis, and Richard 

Barnett, expert in the history of modern 

medicine. 

Havi Carel and her book 

Illness: The Cry of the Flesh 

The winning entry announced at an awards 

reception on 4 November, was Keeper by 

Andrea Gillies. For more information on Dr 

Carel’s research, see: www.uwe.ac.uk/hlss/politics/staff_hcarel.shtml 

8

UWE animates ss Great Britain’s 

homecoming 

Memories of people involved in salvaging the ss Great Britain are 

to be immortalised 40 years on using animation and oral history. 

The Visualising Voices project, a collaboration between the SCA 

and the ss Great Britain Trust, will help ensure the story of the 

ship’s rescue reaches a new generation. 

Visualising Voices is part of The Incredible Journey, a project 

marking the 40th anniversary of the great ship’s homecoming 

to Bristol in 2010. Visualising Voices is funded by an Arts and 

Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Knowledge Catalyst award 

and the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

Using animation, the project will bring to life the oral histories of 

those who experienced the rescue of this iconic vessel, including 

Bristolians who witnessed the return of the rusting iron hulk, 

Falkland Islanders who recall its previous resting place on the 

other side of the world, and divers, technicians and engineers 

involved in the rescue. 

Project leader Gill Sandford (SCA) said, “This project is unique - 

this is the first time that a museum has worked with an animation 

production team in this way. The project will involve several 

interdisciplinary teams of staff and students from the School of 

Creative Arts. 

“We will be using material from the oral history interviews carried 

out by ss Great Britain Trust as a source of inspiration. The way the 

material will be presented will vary, but some of the voices will be 

taken directly from the oral histories and used as a soundtrack. 

The ss Great Britain being towed through 

Bristol on its return. 

Copyright: The ss Great Britain Trust 

“The work will be suitable for a number of different platforms 

so as to be as widely accessible as possible - for example online, 

on-site at the museum, and broadcast.” 

Rhian Tritton, Director of Museum and Educational Services, 

added: “The Visualising Voices project is a first for the ss Great 

Britain Trust and is an exciting development for the museum 

sector. 

“It will employ cutting-edge animation, it will be exciting visually 

and will be a highly imaginative way of representing the 20th 

century salvage to audiences in the 21st century.” 

The ss Great Britain was the world’s first propeller-driven, ironhulled, 

ocean-going ship, designed by Isambard Brunel and built 

in Bristol in 1845. She had been in The Falklands since 1886 after 

being damaged in a severe storm. In the 1930s the ship was 

scuttled having been used by the Falkland Islands Company as a 

storage hulk. 

The hulk was rescued and towed all the way from the South 

Atlantic, returning to the same dock where she was built, 127 

years to the day after she had left it. 

UWE students help prepare the 

ground for a forest garden 

Student volunteers from UWE Bristol helped to create a forest 

garden with the team at Eastside Roots at Stapleton Road 

Station on Saturday 31 October as part of a Community Action 

Day event. 

A group of around 12 students spent the day helping to clear the 

site in preparation for the creation of a forest garden on an area 

of derelict land. 

Nick Ward, Project Co-ordinator at Eastside Roots said, “Eastside 

Roots is a not-for profit workers’ co-operative which evolved out 

of the Bristol Permaculture Group. The forest garden is the latest 

stage in our renovation of the derelict land next to Stapleton 

Road Station that we aim to transform into a thriving green 

space and community resource for the people in East Bristol. 

“It’s great that the students are getting involved. We’ve 

developed a good relationship with the UWE Community 

Volunteer Programme and it’s a fantastic chance for the students 

to get some grassroots experience of permaculture.” 

Jo Earl from UWE’s Community Volunteer Programme said, 

“We organised this action day to raise students' awareness 

of sustainability issues. They got a great insight into growing 

food, permaculture, and community regeneration projects. 

The gardening hub at Stapleton Road is an inspiring model of 

skills sharing in the community, and what can be achieved by 

volunteers.” 

The UWE volunteers were involved in building steps and a path 

to allow good access to the site and prepare for the planting of 

the forest garden. 

UWE student Danny Parr unearths an original set of steps on the slope. 

The garden will replicate nature, and be based on the principles 

of the permaculture movement. The idea is that a forest is 

abundant without care or intervention from people, and the 

forest will incorporate plants that are beneficial to humans such 

as fruit trees and medicinal herbs. 

For more information about Eastside Roots see www. 

eastsideroots.org.uk 

For more information about the Community Volunteer Unit at 

UWE please see www.uwe.ac.uk/volunteer/index.shtml 

9

NEWS 

Mandy Rose 

70s film producer under the 

spotlight at UWE 

Dr Andrew Spicer (SCA) is to lead an Arts and Humanities Research 

Council (AHRC) funded project on Michael Klinger, a prolific British 

film producer of the 60s and 70s. 

The project will analyse and catalogue an extensive collection of 

his papers which has been donated to UWE and the research will 

shed light on the producer’s career and the film industry of the 

period. 

The documents donated to the University by Tony Klinger, the 

producer’s son, fill six filing cabinets and include bound scripts 

for well known films such as Get Carter (1971) and Gold (1974) 

and as well as draft screenplays, contracts, distribution rights and 

production deals. The material will be catalogued and housed in a 

purposely converted archive room. 

The two year AHRC project (worth nearly £200,000) will build up a 

picture of how Michael Klinger succeeded in producing a number 

of successful films, in a period in which the British film industry 

was in decline. 

Andrew Spicer, who is a cultural historian, explains, “During the 

1970s, a period of economic decline, admissions to cinemas were 

down, there was a lack of public investment in the film industry 

and the Hollywood studios had pulled out of investing in British 

films. Despite this, Michael Klinger made 13 successful films - he 

was the only consistently profitable indigenous producer in this 

decade - yet very little critical acclaim has been given to him. 

Film studies tends to focus on the director as having the main 

creative role, yet in the case of Michael Klinger, he was involved 

in all aspects of film-making, including casting, the writing of the 

screenplay and editing. 

“As well as archiving the documents, we hope to carry out 

interviews with those who worked with Michael Klinger. The 

project will show not only the important part he played in the 

British film industry, but also give us a better understanding of the 

period and the producer’s role.” 

Andrew Spicer working with a Research Assistant will produce 

a monograph on Michael Klinger, and arrange a symposium on 

Dr Andrew Spicer is pictured with some of the Michael Klinger archive 

material. 

his work. Once the material has been archived and catalogued 

with the help of IT Services and with advice from Janet Moat, 

former head of the British Film Institute Special Collections, and 

from Matthew Partington, who curates the NEVAC archive for the 

University, it will be made accessible for other researchers. 

Michael Klinger (1920–1989) was a highly significant figure in 

British cinema over a twenty-year period (1960-1980) during which 

he made 32 films. He straddled the normally separate spheres of 

the internationalist action-adventure film (notably Gold, 1974), the 

medium-budget crime thriller (eg Get Carter, 1971), exploitation 

cinema (from Naked as Nature Intended, 1961 through to the 

‘Confessions Of’ series, 1974-76), and the art-house film: Klinger 

produced two of Polanski’s British films, Repulsion (1965) and Culde-sac 

(1966), and Chabrol’s Les Liens de Sang (Blood Relatives, 

1975). 

Andrew Spicer has written several books including a study of 

Sydney Box a successful film producer in the 40s and 50s, which 

was published in the British Film Makers series in 2006. 

The project is carried out in partnership with Professor Sue Harper 

and Dr Justin Smith (University of Portsmouth). It will complement 

their AHRC-funded research on British film culture in the 1970s, 

further details of which are available at: www.1970sproject.co.uk. 

BBS Professor visits Sweden 

Professor David Knights (BBS) recently visited the School of Business 

at Stockholm University in Sweden to give a presentation about the 

recent global financial crisis. 

David Knights says, “My presentation was about the recent global 

financial crisis and involved a critical reflection on the mode of 

regulation. It suggested that crisis had been the product of a 

wide range of conditions - the neo-liberal faith in the efficiency 

of markets, light touch regulation, the bonus culture stimulated 

by principal-agency theory and financial innovation in the form of 

structured investment products and the securitisation of mortgages. 

All are important but the paper is concerned to argue that ethical 

failures that derive from individual 

economic self-interest and the masculine 

preoccupation with securing identity 

through comparative material and symbolic 

superiority are equally important in 

understanding the events.” 

David Knights is a part-time lecturer in 

BBS and is also a visiting professor in 

Gothenburg and Stockholm. 

David Knights 

(third from right) 

with colleagues at 

Stockholm University 

10

Bristol Academies come to 

UWE for Blitz Day 

Staff and students who took part in the Blitz Day in the UWE Dig for 

Victory allotment 

Around 50 school pupils from the City Academy and the Bristol 

Metropolitan Academy came to Frenchay Campus on Thursday 5 

November to learn more about life during the Blitz. 

History, Design and Technology, and Maths PGCE secondary 

students worked with the schools pupils presenting an exciting cross 

curricular experience. 

Sally Bassett, Design and Technology lecturer and one of the Blitz 

Day organisers, said, “Responding to new key stage three national 

curriculum directives that require a cross curriculum offering, we 

chose the Blitz theme to immerse the school students in a diverse 

experience encompassing history, D&T and maths. 

“We have a rich range of resources including a Dig for Victory Veg 

patch, an Anderson Shelter and a warden’s hut situated outside 

the New Redland Building. The PGCE students worked with the 

school students on activities including making do and mending, 

code ciphering, designing posters, cooking using rations, the Bristol 

Blitz and discussing films about evacuees supported by an extensive 

display of original artefacts in S Block. 

“The students dressed in 1940s costume but we added in a theme 

of forwards/backwards to make the learning experience relevant 

today. For example students in the make do and mend workshop 

used modern fleece fabrics made out of recycled coca cola bottles. 

Posters designed using limited resources likely to be available 

during the war time period addressed current day issues like 

drugs awareness. Visual techniques concentrated on montage and 

silhouettes and limited colour ranges. Cookery lessons used the 

limited rations but bread was made using a bread maker.” 

UWE student Alice Pattinson, a mature student who completed 

a Fashion Degree two years ago 

decided to retrain as a D&T teacher 

after working as a croupier. Alice 

designed her own hat using the 

backwards/forwards idea. Alice 

said, “I’ve taken the idea for my 

hat from a 1940s pattern but 

decorated it with a laser cut plastic 

flower and flowers made from 

recycled materials. I’ve always been 

interested in teaching and it’s quite 

a change from my previous work 

as a croupier but there are some 

similarities in that you have to be 

organised at putting on events like 

this. The Blitz Day has been a great 

way of showing us how we can 

Alice Pattinson in her 1940s 

hat designed using recycled 

material flowers and a plastic 

laser cut flower 

develop learning experiences for children that encompass a broad 

range of subjects.” 

The Blitz Day was launched last year but this is the first time 

that school pupils have been invited to take part. Sally Bassett 

concludes, “This day was a fantastic success and one that we will 

be developing for future years. The collaboration between the 

different subject teams worked really well and I think the students 

and the school pupils all benefited from a multi layered learning 

opportunity. 

“The event also gave PGCE students the chance to expand their 

own personal practice, D&T students made their own war time 

cross-over pinnies, the history and maths students developed their 

subject knowledge and all the students developed the ideas for the 

day using their specific areas of expertise. This day succeeded as a 

learning experience for the school pupils, a training exercise for the 

PGCE students and a chance for students to develop practice – all in 

all a winning combination.” 

UWE at Farnborough Sixth 

Form College 

Drs Kent Fedorowich and John Fisher (Department of History), 

along with UWE student ambassadors Charlotte Groves, and 

Holly Francis (both single honours history students), recently 

represented UWE at Farnborough Sixth Form College’s ‘Moving 

On Day’. Their stand, one of 120, represented all the University’s 

programmes. This is the second year the History Department has 

represented UWE at this event. 

Farnborough College is one of the top three sixth form colleges 

in the UK. Each year they invite universities, the military and 

leading public and private sector employers to talk to students 

about future employment, career development and further study. 

With a total of 3,100 students - 600 of whom take history at AS 

and A-level - this annual event is an important forum for student 

recruitment to UWE. 

Martin Thomas, a UWE History graduate (1999) is now Deputy 

Curriculum Manager for History at Farnborough College. He is 

keen to promote UWE and since 2008 has helped UWE become 

a major player during the college’s ‘Moving On Day’, as well as 

throughout the academic year. 

Kent Fedorowich says, “Having an enthusiastic UWE alumnus 

at the College has been a great help to us as a Department 

and as a University. At this year’s event there were also Student 

Life Experience sessions, designed to give would-be students 

an opportunity to ask questions about student activities, 

accommodation, finance, and more generally, what it is to be a 

university student. 

“We took part in three of these sessions and this is where our 

student ambassadors really shone. Most institutions send only 

career advisers or student recruitment officers. However, the 

Farnborough pupils really appreciated the informative but candid 

insights given to them by Charlotte and Holly.” 

As well as visiting the stands, students also had the opportunity to 

meet academics in discipline-specific workshops to discuss what it 

is like to take their chosen subject at university. 

Farnborough is one of the first four sixth form colleges in the 

country to be awarded Learning and Skills Beacon status. 

11

NEWS 

Impact of Severn Arts project 

confirmed by CCRI 

A summer-long arts project in Gloucestershire, celebrating the River 

Severn and the people who live and work along its course, was a 

great success according to an evaluation by Dr Owain Jones from 

the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI). CCRI is a 

collaboration between UWE and the University of Gloucestershire. 

The Severn Project free summer festival offered four months of 

creative opportunities for adults and children alike. The main 

performances took place at Tewkesbury Festival on June 20 and 

Lydney Festival on June 27. 

The project also saw the commissioning of a major new work, 

A Sleepwalk on the Severn, by poet Alice Oswald. This was the 

centrepiece of the artistic programme, adapted into a number 

of performances and interpretations through music, stage/street 

theatre, dance, sculpture, writing and heritage workshops. 

The project was funded by the National Lottery through the Arts 

Council of England and led by Gloucestershire County Council with 

partners. 

Dr Jones’s report to Gloucestershire County Council published this 

month gave the project an enthusiastic seal of approval. 

“The Severn Project 2009 was a great success in terms of artistic 

content, participant experience, audience experience, and, for 

the participating artists, creative and professional development 

opportunities,” he said. 

“It is estimated that the project 

reached more than 10,000 

people as audiences and 

participants. Up to 150 people 

participated in the staging of 

each festival, including artists, 

musicians, performers, youth 

theatre groups, community 

choirs, other participant 

performers, crew and back-up 

support. 

Image from the front cover of 

Owain Jones’ Severn Arts project 

evaluation. Photo by Lauri Walker 

of CCRI. 

“The Severn Project leaves 

a considerable legacy in terms of community impact, skills 

development and artistic development. The staging of the festivals 

entailed procuring a significant amount of goods and services 

from local suppliers, thus helping them at what was possibly the 

low point of the current economic recession.” 

Helen Owen, Arts Development Officer for Gloucestershire County 

Council: “This is terrific endorsement of all the hard work and 

sheer talent that went into the whole series of events. 

“It was such an exciting and innovative project that I think it really 

put Gloucestershire on the cultural map of the UK in a new way 

and brought so many people into contact with the arts.” 

Chris Humphrey, Executive Director for Arts Council England, South 

West, said: “We were delighted to fund the River Severn Project. 

Villages and towns along the River Severn were able to experience 

great art in different spaces and places, which we believe is a 

wonderful example of how communities can come together to 

enjoy and participate in performances and events.” 

UWE wins Happold Brilliant 

Award for new engineering 

course 

Lecturers from the School of the Built Environment have been 

awarded the Happold Brilliant Award 2009/2010. The award 

recognises excellence in the teaching of building services 

engineering and is sponsored by The Happold 

Trust in memory of the late Ted Happold. 

The Happold Trust and the Chartered Institute 

of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) made the 

award for the new BEng course in Architecture 

and Environmental Engineering. 

By combining architecture and engineering in an 

innovative way this new course aims to produce 

graduates who can confidently work within both 

disciplines and so be uniquely well placed to 

address their common challenges. 

Programme leader, Paul Kirby said “We’re 

delighted to have won this award; and being a 

joint degree this really is a team effort. One of 

UWE’s strengths is that it brings different disciplines together 

and this course is an excellent example of that philosophy as 

many different disciplines within the School come together to 

create the degree. 

“Since buildings are responsible for nearly half of CO2 emissions 

in the UK, we also believe it is a degree that will prepare 

students to engage meaningfully with the wider challenges of 

climate change. 

“Designing a new generation of environmentally responsible 

buildings will require new approaches to 

design and we believe these will come from 

designers able to work across the traditional 

boundaries of the disciplines, finding new ways 

to fuse inventiveness with rigorous analysis.” 

The team were presented with a prize of 

£1,000 and an engraved crystal chalice at the 

CIBSE President’s Awards Dinner held on Friday 

16 October at the HM Tower of London. 

The Happold Trust is a charity set up to 

promote education, training and research 

in the construction industry fields of 

engineering, design, technology and 

architecture. 

Paul Kirby 

12

SOLAR supports learning for 

sustainability in Mexico 

Professor Danny Burns (SOLAR, HSC) has been working with 

Universidad del Medio Ambiente (UMA) in Mexico to support 

the development of a University for the environment in Valle de 

Bravo,close to Mexico City. 

The aim of UMA is to promote and develop ‘radical 

sustainability’ in a way which enables transformation with 

a speed and urgency of intention that current sustainable 

development practices are unable to meet. 

Danny Burns and the SOLAR action research team have 

developed ‘Systemic Action Research’, an approach to leadership 

and transformational change, which will underpin the 

institutional and network structure of UMA. 

UMA currently has three main environmental programmes: a 

programme for environmental entrepreneurs; a programme to 

support local sustainable businesses; and a generic programme 

for people who have a sustainability interest. UMA is 

supported by two large corporations in Mexico, Water Capital 

and Ecolo Systems. 

Danny says, “In September 

I co-facilitated a fiveday 

workshop, in Valle 

de Bravo, for core staff, 

collaborators (from 

Mexico, USA and Canada) 

and sponsors. This 

included work on the 

core mission and vision; 

programme development 

for 2010, new leadership 

programmes and most 

significantly the development 

of an underpinning learning 

architecture to drive 

The natural environment of Valle de 

Bravo near Mexico city. 

the activities of the organisation and to support learning for 

sustainability across Mexico and beyond.” 

Danny is also working closely with the Institute for Sustainability, 

Health and the Environment on a range of sustainability focused 

projects. See: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/ishe/index.shtml 

SOLAR is the Centre for Action Research and Participatory 

Development. 

For more information see: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/solar/ 

New book on Pentecostalism is 

praised by fellow academics 

Dr Stephen Hunt (Reader in the Sociology of Religion, Department 

of Sociology and Criminology, HLSS) has recently published a 

significant work of 850 pages which explores the Charismatic 

movement in Britain and the US. Dr Hunt is a long established 

scholar in the area of Pentecostalism. 

A History of the Charismatic Movement in Britain and the United 

States of America: The Pentecostal Transformation of Christianity 

is a two-volume work published by Edwin Mellen. It presents a 

comparative historical overview and sociological analysis of the 

fastest growing religious phenomena in the world through the 

context of Britain and the USA. The publication is built upon 

detailed archival work, as well as Dr Hunt’s own extensive fieldwork 

through ethnographic studies conducted over a number of years. 

The volume begins by exploring the roots of the Charismatic 

movement in the earlier Pentecostal movement and proceeds to 

trace its impact through the mainline denominations in Britain and 

the USA. The cultural changes that have shaped the charismatics’ 

various ‘strands’ are explored before detailing those such as the 

Jesus movement of the 1960s, the prosperity gospel, and the ‘Third 

Wave’. Other chapters in the volume are given over to the themes 

of the prophetic and revivalist movements in the 1990s and early 

twenty-first century, the Charismatic movement and the Christian 

Right, and black expressions of charismatic Christianity. 

The book has been published to critical acclaim: “This is an 

extraordinarily comprehensive book that fills a real gap…. (and) 

will set a standard for years to come.” (Allan Anderson, Professor of 

Global Pentecostal Studies, University of Birmingham, UK) 

“Every serious student 

of Pentecostalism 

should have it on his/ 

her bookshelf. It is a rich 

resource for scholars and 

general readers alike. I 

highly recommend it.” 

(Vinson Synan, Professor 

of Church History, Regent 

University/School of 

Divinity, USA) 

“[This] work in the field 

of Revivalism offers a 

compelling range of 

studies – fieldwork, 

reflective studies, 

ethnographic sketches 

and sociological analysis 

– that illuminates the 

varieties and vagaries of Dr Stephen Hunt 

an intensely interesting and 

demanding subject. It will 

be a vital companion for all 

those who want to gain some understanding of how an emerging 

and fresh religious ‘tradition’ is faring within the twenty-first 

century.” (Professor Martyn Percy, Ripon College, Oxford, UK). 

Dr Hunt remarks that, ‘The volume marks the culmination of 16 

years of research and I am delighted that it has received a warm 

reception. I truly hope that it makes a contribution to the area. 

I would like to take the opportunity to thank those that helped 

in its fruition and those national and international scholars who 

encouraged me in the enterprise’. 

13

NEWS 

Keynote 

speaker Karen 

Chouhan 

addresses 

the Inclusive 

University 

Conference 

New Race Equality 

Scheme launched 

UWE’s first Inclusive University Conference with keynote speakers who 

are leaders in the field was held on 4 November to mark the launch of 

UWE’s second Race Equality Scheme. 

Over 130 delegates from UWE staff, students, higher education 

institutions and local partners came together to be inspired and 

encouraged to be involved in the University’s equality work. 

Vice-Chancellor Steve West launched UWE’s Race Equality Scheme 

during the lunch time part of the conference and said, “We can 

all inspire change. I’m sure you will all agree that events like today 

certainly inspire us all to be inclusive. We must continue to work hard 

to promote equality and diversity, building on our successes to date.” 

Keynote speakers included: 

• Professor Chris Brink, Vice-Chancellor, Newcastle University and 

Board member of Equality Challenge Unit. Previously Rector and 

Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University in post-apartheid South 

Africa leading the transformation to an inclusive university. 

• Karen Chouhan, Founder and Director of Equanomics-UK. Over 

three decades of leadership in social movements to eradicate 

poverty and inspire race equality and economic justice. 

• Royston John, Director of the National Coalition Building 

Institute (NCBI), an international non-profit leadership-training 

organisation, working throughout the world to create productive 

teams and communities through eliminating discrimination, raising 

awareness and mutual respect. 

• Chris Croudace, UWE’s Head of Widening Participation and 

Director of the Outreach Centre. Chris works closely with 

colleagues inside and outside to open up opportunities for people 

from under-represented backgrounds, families, groups and 

communities, and positively enable such people to succeed. 

In the afternoon, colleagues from Glamorgan, Leeds and Roehampton 

Universities joined NCBI and UWE staff to offer workshops on: 

Supporting cultural and religious diversity in higher education; Living 

with Equalities; Sharing Good Practice at UWE; Journey to Success - 

understanding more about the factors which aid black and minority 

ethnic students to succeed on undergraduate programmes, and 

Inclusive Curriculum Design. 

A full transcription of the conference and workshop findings will be 

available shortly online at http://www.uwe.ac.uk/equalityanddiversity 

Caia Francis (Senior Lecturer, HSC) has been appointed to the Appointments 

Board at the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC). She is a respiratory nurse 

specialist, chair of the RCN respiratory forum and the author of respiratory 

textbooks. The NMC is the regulatory authority of both nurses and midwives, at 

present it has over 660 000 registrants. Her new role is focused on the strategic 

and forward planning of the NMC and has significant public protection as 

part of its remit. One of its primary roles is to ensure that appointments within 

the NMC are of the most suitable candidates, who will be developed and 

supported throughout their tenureship. This is an exciting opportunity that will 

be of importance to both UWE and the NMC. 

Caia Francis, (in yellow in the front row) pictured with the 

Appointments Board members in the council room at NMC 

Headquarters, 23 Portland Place London. 

14

New! Employability Case 

Studies 

UWE Careers have just launched their new Case Studies website 

containing lots of interesting stories from UWE students and graduates 

about their work experience, placements, further study, volunteering 

or graduate job. The case studies are intended to inspire other UWE 

students to get involved and achieve their potential. 

The case studies contain advice from students and graduates about 

getting into their area of work and speak about how their work 

experience has benefited them. 

The case studies website is linked from www.uwe.ac.uk/careers/students under ‘Careers Case Studies’ 

We are very keen to continue to collect more case studies. If any staff members know of any current or former students who would make a good 

additional case study or you would like to link a particular case study to your web pages please contact Sarah.Proudfoot@uwe.ac.uk 

BBS launches initiative to support family business 

Bristol Business School, Veale Wasbrough and the International 

Centre for Families in Business have launched a new initiative 

dedicated to helping family businesses flourish. 

The Bristol Family Business Community, launched at the 

International Familiarity conference on 2 October, brings together 

experts in family business in a supportive and dynamic community. 

It is the first multi disciplinary alliance that is solely dedicated to 

helping family businesses. 

The Community will provide thought leadership in family business 

professional practice and will facilitate the sharing of good 

practice, knowledge, skills and expertise between family businesses 

and practitioners. It will also lead advancements in training and 

development practices and provide research leadership in applied 

family business studies. 

Dr Lorna Collins, Principal Lecturer in Strategy (Enterprise 

and Creativity) in BBS said: “We are delighted to launch the 

Community in collaboration with Veale Wasbrough and the 

International Centre for Families in Business. From our research 

we appreciated that there was a need to create such a community 

to facilitate strategic growth in family businesses through expert 

advice, support and by sharing best practice. With so many 

family businesses operating in the South West we know that the 

Community will be welcomed and we are sure that it will go from 

strength to strength.” 

As well as providing access to academic experts in family business 

the Community has set up a number of key talks and workshops 

including an event held on 18 November ‘An afternoon with Peter 

Thornton’, former CEO of £120m chocolate-shop chain Thorntons, 

who spent nearly 30 years in the family's factories. 

Membership of the Community is free to all family businesses. The 

benefits of membership also include: 

• access to leading family businesses that have successfully 

overcome challenges presented by growing a family business in 

a chaotic business environment 

From left: Professor Nicholas O’Regan, BBS, Dr Sonia Davis, Director, 

International Centre for Families in Business, Nicholas Smith, Partner, 

Veale Wasbrough Lawyers, John Tucker, Director, International Centre for 

Families in Business and Dr Lorna Collins, Bristol Business School. 

• input from professionals who work daily to solve these 

challenges 

• leading edge thinking in family business growth and 

development especially around the key topics of governance, 

succession and family dynamics 

• access to leading research in family business management 2009- 

2010 Community Calendar 

Further information about becoming part of this unique 

community can be found via www.vwl.co.uk/site/bfbf. 

15

NEWS 

UWE Symphony Orchestra 

and Singers present A Feast 

for Winter 

The University of the West of England Symphony Orchestra and 

Singers (now 150 voices) will present A Feast for Winter at Bristol 

Cathedral on Saturday 5 December at 19.30. 

The performers will welcome the return of two of the University’s 

talented musical alumni as professional soloists in an exciting 

winter feast of music, featuring three masters from the world of 

musical composition; Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. 

Luke D Williams (bass), Adult Nursing 2004-2007, and Christopher 

Hann (tenor), Music Systems Engineering 2001-2004, were music 

scholars with the Centre for Performing Arts and have recently 

completed their postgraduate singing studies at the Royal 

College of Music and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama 

respectively. Whilst at UWE, Luke was a fine drummer with the 

University’s Big Band; he recently made his operatic debut to 

unanimous critical acclaim and has since performed with Opera de 

Baugé and Suffolk Opera. 

Chris has performed as a soloist in such works as Bach’s St John 

Passion and Handel’s Messiah; operatic roles include working 

with Scottish Opera in performances of Eugene Onegin and The 

Love of Three Oranges. They will be joined in a performance of 

Beethoven’s Mass in C (described in the Penguin Guide to Compact 

Discs 2004 edition as a ‘long-underrated masterpiece’) by soprano 

Belinda Evans, finalist in the BBC’s How Do You Solve A Problem 

Like Maria and Bristol’s renowned alto, Pamela Rudge. 

UWE Symphony Orchestra and Singers performing at Bristol Cathedral 

The festive first half of the concert will feature Brahms’ Academic 

Festival Overture and Tchaikovsky’s ever popular fairytale 

Christmas suite, The Nutcracker. The Academic Festival Overture 

was written as a musical ‘thank you’ to the University of Breslau, 

who had conferred upon Brahms an honorary doctorate; the 

composer, often the joker, included several student drinking songs 

in this beautiful and intricately orchestrated work. Tchaikovsky’s 

enduring Nutcracker Suite includes well-known favourites such as 

the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, Russian Dance (Trepak) and The 

Dance of the Reed Flutes and has become particularly popular due 

to its inclusion in Walt Disney’s Fantasia. 

Tickets for this exciting evening are available via the UWE online ticket 

store: https://store.uwe.ac.uk or contact MusicBox on 01275 349010. A 

limited number of tickets will also be available on the door. 

UWE Independent Theatre 

Company celebrates award 

success in Minsk 

After a successful run at The Redgrave Theatre in Bristol, UWE 

Independent Theatre Company (UWE ITC) has won two awards for its 

inaugural production – Tis Pity She’s a Whore at the Teatralny Koufar 

International Student Theatre Festival (28 September – 3 October) in 

Minsk, Belarus. 

The company performed in front of an audience of 650 people 

on Thursday 1 October at The Trade Union Palace Theatre, Minsk 

and were the only UK entry to perform out of 24 theatre groups 

competing from all other the world including Belarus, Mexico, Iran, 

Algeria, Russia and Estonia. 

The play was written by John Ford and was first performed in 1633. 

It is a brutal and bloody tale of incestuous love between siblings 

Giovanni and Annabella. This interpretation of the original five act 

revenge tragedy combines the traditional text with an experimental, 

multi-media dimension. 

The group won the awards of Best Actress for UWE Drama graduate, 

Jessica Bayly for her role as Annabella and Best Supporting Actress for 

UWE Drama graduate, Victoria Aubrey-Rees for her role as Putana. 

Caroline Hadley (UWE 

ITC Director and Drama 

Lecturer) said, “We’re 

thrilled with the success of 

our inaugural production, 

the International Jury 

praised us for our 

professionalism and 

outstanding ensemble 

playing. We’re looking Jessica Bayly as Annabella performs with 

forward to touring the Sam Wood as Giovanni on stage in Minsk 

show internationally over 

the next year, once again 

representing the UK and UWE on the international stage.” 

UWE ITC will be performing the play at Salisbury Playhouse on Friday 

26 and Saturday 27 March 2010, as part of a partnership with Salisbury 

Playhouse and the Drama Department which will also include work 

experience and theatre-in-education. 

They have also been invited to take their production to the 

International Student Theatre Festivals of Valleyfield University, 

Quebec, Canada in April 2010 (invitation by Jean-Marc Larrue) and 

Moscow State University in November 2010 (invitation by Irina 

Bolshakova). They are also hoping to play Edinburgh Festival in August 

2010. The company will continue to fundraise for these future projects 

abroad and are also seeking business sponsorship. 

16

The Octagon Wellbeing Centre 

www.uwe.ac.uk 

Carols for Christmas 

A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols 

UWE Singers, Chamber Choir 

and Orchestra 

Thursday 17 December 20.00 

FREE entry by tickets from 

the Octagon 

email: octagon@uwe.ac.uk 

Bristol Cathedral 

College Green 

BS1 5TJ 

Followed by light refreshments 

Collection for local, national and international charities

NEWS 

UWE undergraduate wins 

Spark 09 competition 

Layne Gibbs Communications 

have won this year’s Spark 

competition against tough 

competition. Spark is run by 

the University of Bristol and 

takes the form of a 4-day 

crash-course in taking an 

idea to market. 

Adriene Layne and Lorraine 

Gibbs, founders of Layne Gibbs 

Communications, with Elaine Flint 

of Social Enterprise Works (centre). 

Layne Gibbs Communications 

was set up by Adriene 

Layne and UWE Business 

Enterprise Student, Lorraine 

Gibbs. Their idea, a voice 

recordable letter (VRL), was runner-up in UWE’s theBizidea’s 

social enterprise category in May 2009. The invention uses 

existing technology in a new and innovative way and can 

improve communication for people for whom the written word 

or technology is not their primary means of communication. 

Lorraine Gibbs said, “The VRL is a global product which 

transcends age, culture, gender, languages and most disabilities. 

It helps to maintain and strengthen communication lines 

between family, friends and colleagues. The added bonus is that 

it is very quick and easy to use and is perfect for any occasion, in 

addition to the positive sentimental value it brings to both the 

user and receiver. 

“The product truly allows any user to communicate verbally on 

a new level. It will make a difference to the lives of people with 

learning difficulties, people who have family in other countries, 

schools, colleges, university, people serving in the military forces 

overseas and people with disabilities just to name a few.” 

To find out more about the voice recordable letter or how to 

purchase it please e-mail us at Laynegibbs@yahoo.co.uk or call 

0117 32 81488. 

UWE Enterprise Projects Manager Kim Brookes said, “I would 

like to congratulate Adriene and Lorraine on their success and 

wish them the best of luck on future developments of the brand 

and the product.” 

To contact Kim at the Ideas Factory for Bower Ashton, St 

Matthias or Glenside e-mail Kim.Brookes@uwe.ac.uk 

Introducing the UWE Learning and Teaching 

Fellowship Scheme 

A new scheme that recognises and celebrates staff contributions 

to the enhancement of student learning, the UWE Learning and 

Teaching Fellowship Scheme (LTFS), was launched by the Vice- 

Chancellor in October. 

The Learning and Teaching Fellowship Scheme will showcase good 

practice at UWE and within the wider HE community and supports 

the implementation of the University’s Learning, Teaching and 

Assessment Strategy. 

Colleagues may apply for recognition as Learning and Teaching 

Fellows or Learning and Teaching Associate Fellows. The Fellowship 

Scheme provides funding for individual projects and professional 

development activity well as supporting collaborative teams. 

It is anticipated that up to 15 new Learning and Teaching 

Fellowships and Associate Fellowships (up to £7,000 for individuals 

and up to £10,000 for team projects) will be awarded each year. 

Geoffrey Channon, Pro Vice-Chancellor, said, “The Learning and 

Teaching Fellowships present an exciting opportunity that all staff 

are positively encouraged to consider applying for. The scheme is 

open to all staff directly employed by the University and those at 

the Associate Faculty Hartpury College who are engaged in learning 

support and/or the teaching of UWE students. 

“We have introduced this scheme in recognition of the evidence 

from national surveys showing that within UK higher education, 

teaching and the support of learning is still generally perceived to 

be undervalued and recognised too little, both in formal HR policies 

and in the dominant culture of institutions. 

“A distinguishing feature of the 

scheme is the recognition that 

technical and professional staff 

play a very important role in 

modern-day learning and teaching. 

Therefore the scheme is open to all 

staff who contribute to the student 

learning experience irrespective of 

their job title. 

“A number of additional steps will 

be taken in the next few months 

to ensure that recognition of the 

importance of teaching and the 

Professor Geoffrey 

Channon 

support of learning is deeply embedded in our HR policies, practices 

and institutional culture. As such the new Learning and Teaching 

Fellowship Scheme is integral to the University's approach." 

There will be a range of support available to people who wish 

to apply. The LTFS web pages give clear guidelines about the 

application process and criteria for the Scheme. In addition to this 

a workshop covering the nature of the scheme and preparation for 

application will be held in December. 

Individuals wishing to apply for fellowship should submit a scheme 

application form and CV electronically to FellowshipScheme@uwe. 

ac.uk by 12.00 Monday 4 January 2010. 

Further information on the scheme and application process can be 

found at: UWE Learning and Teaching Fellowship Scheme pages 

(www.uwe.ac.uk/ltfs) or by e-mailing FellowshipScheme@uwe.ac.uk. 

18

Funding, facilities and support 

for social entrepreneurs in the 

South West 

Social entrepreneurs had a new opportunity to find out how to 

access funding aimed at supporting organisations that, like them, 

want to make a difference first and a profit second. A free session 

for people wanting to set up or develop a social enterprise was 

held in Bush House in central Bristol in November. 

Social enterprise is a growing sector in the South West and is 

made up of innovative organisations and inspiring people who 

have found new and ethical ways to trade. Like all businesses, 

social enterprises face tough challenges. Access to working capital, 

to facilities where they can meet like-minded people, and support 

from advisers and mentors can be hard to find. 

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009, UWE Ventures 

and The Hub held a Question and Answer session for both new 

social enterprise start-ups and existing organisations facing the 

challenges of growth and expansion. The Hub is a place for 

meeting, working, innovating and inspiring enterprises for a 

better world. UWE Ventures is UWE’s business incubator, offering 

individuals and budding businesses a flexible and cost effective 

package of space, facilities, support and resources, with access to 

meeting space and mentoring from business experts. 

The key speaker was Annabel Sampson from UnLtd, which 

is custodian of a £100m endowment from the Millennium 

Commission. UnLtd is a pioneering organisation that provides 

funding and support 

for social enterprise. 

The talk was followed 

by a question and 

answer session 

facilitated by Ken 

Peel, director of Box 

Arrow, an ethical 

business providing 

project management 

advice, expertise 

and support based 

in UWE Ventures. 

The panel included 

representatives of 

UnLtd, UWE Ventures, 

The Hub and key 

partner organisations. 

Already The Hub and 

UWE Ventures are 

home to several social 

enterprises ranging 

from ethical trading 

and the Bristol Festival 

to a micro-finance 

company. 

For more information on the event visit 

http://www.boxarrow.co.uk/events 

For more information on UWE Ventures visit 

www.uwe.ac.uk/ventures 

Poppy Stephenson of the Bristol Community 

Festival Group which is based at UWE Ventures 

Young Black Business event 

aims to inspire change 

through enterprise 

Young Black Business 2009, a groundbreaking business initiative 

for Bristol’s young black entrepreneurs, was launched as part of 

Global Entrepreneurship Week by African and Caribbean Young 

Enterprise (ACYE). ACYE is co-founded by UWE student Karl 

Belizaire. The free event, which was held at the Pierian Centre 

in Bristol on 18 November, was an opportunity for aspiring 

entrepreneurs to network and find out about business support, 

work experience and social networking. 

Special guests included Yana Johnston MBE, founder of Yana 

Cosmetics, Tim Bosworth, founder of Think Big Be Big and local 

Bristol entrepreneur Clayton Planter. 

Yana Johnson started her own cosmetics business in 1992 at a 

department store in Brixton. She quickly built up a loyal following 

and is one of the most inspiring black businesswomen in the 

UK. She was awarded the MBE in 2009 to acknowledge her 

achievements, innovation and entrepreneurship. 

Think Big Be Big is the brainchild of London-based serial 

entrepreneur, Timothy Bosworth. Timothy is a well-known social 

commentator with over 10 years’ experience in sales and media. 

Clayton Clyde 

Planter is a 

freelance 

project manager 

and events 

coordinator with 

expertise in the 

creative, arts and 

media sectors. His successful projects include St Paul’s Carnival, Arts 

Council, Youth Music Zone, Remix, Mobo Orgainsation, Ashton 

Court Festival, Basement Studio, Def Jam Records and MTV Base. 

ACYE is dedicated to supporting, inspiring and empowering 

more sustainable young black businesses. Founder members Karl 

Belizaire and Carol Quaye said, “Young Black Business 2009 was 

an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the ways in which ACYE 

can inspire, empower and support young would-be entrepreneurs, 

particularly from African and Caribbean backgrounds. 

“ACYE will play a key role in developing the skills and abilities of 

young aspiring business people to encourage social stability and 

economic growth.” 

Karl has already founded the UWE Enterprise Club for UWE 

students who aim to establish their own profitable as well as notfor-profit 

business enterprises. 

For more information on the event visit 

www.youngblackbusiness.ning.com 

19

NEWS 

theBizIdea launch inspires new UWE 

entrepreneurs 

Now entering its ninth year, theBizIdea 2009/10 is UWE's inspirational business plan competition 

for students, staff and alumni. The competition encourages budding entrepreneurs to make 

their business or social enterprise ideas a reality, with a wide range of practical assistance 

including free workshops and access to expert advice. 

theBizIdea 

2009/10 

At the recent launch Jill Burnett, Enterprise Manager for Research, Business and Innovation (RBI) said, “This evening is just the start – 

throughout the year we will be hosting a range of events to get entrepreneurs involved, including workshops which provide advice 

on financial, legal and intellectual property issues. The winners will be announced at a grand awards ceremony in April 2010.” 

A panel of previous prizewinners and finalists including Laura Boyle and Louise Halswell from Sew that Jazz and Lorraine Gibbs from 

Layne Gibbs Communications Ltd was on hand at the launch to offer top tips to potential entrants. 

“Participating in theBizIdea was a really beneficial experience,” said Laura Boyle of Sew That Jazz, who spoke at the launch about 

being a runner-up in the competition last year. “The process of creating a business plan was really helpful and forced us to consider 

afresh many aspects of our business idea. And obviously the prizes are a great help for any fledgling enterprise.” 

During the year, entrants will receive help and advice as they progress from the development of an initial idea through to the 

submission of a full business plan. Finalists are shortlisted and pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. With three different categories - 

Business, Social Enterprise and Creative Design – and an additional Marketing prize, there is something for everyone. 

theBizIdea is open to all UWE students and staff, alumni who have graduated in the last five years, or to teams including external 

people led by a UWE student, recent graduate or staff member. 

Winners receive a combination of cash prizes, a free seat for a year in the UWE Ventures Bristol business incubation centre and a 

range of in-kind benefits from generous sponsors and supporters. 

Supporters include Lloyds TSB Commercial, Business Link, Bristol City Council, Haseltine Lake, Chartered Institute of Marketing, 

Jordans, Glasses Direct, Kinneir Dufort, Bookcheck, SXS Events, Up+Running and ISG Pearce. 

For more information visit www.uwe.ac.uk/thebizidea 

BizIdea 2009/10 dates announced! 

Locations for theBizIdea workshops are still to be confirmed. Please note anyone is welcome to attend these free events, regardless of 

whether or not they intend to enter the competition. 

Wednesday 9 December 2009 

Workshop: Market Analysis 

Wednesday 16 December 2009 

Workshop: Intellectual Property 

Wednesday 27 January 2010 

Workshop: Products and Services 

Thursday 28 January 2010 

BizIdea Party! (Bower Ashton Campus) 

Friday 29 January 2010 

BizIdea Party! (Frenchay Campus) 

Wednesday 3 February 2010 

Workshop: Go To Market 


Workshop: Cash Flow / Finance 


Workshop: Resources and Teams 


Workshop: Pitching and Presenting 

Wednesday 3 March 2010 

Workshop: Business Plan Reviews 

Monday 15 March 2010 

Business plan submission deadline 

Thursday 18 - Monday 29 March 2010 

Judging of business plans 

Tuesday 30 March 2010 

Finalists announced 

w/c Monday 12 April 2010 

Finalist filming 

Tuesday 27 April 2010 

Finalist pitch to judges 

Thursday 29 April 2010 

Presentation Evening 

To register for any of these workshops or events, or to find out more about theBizIdea competition visit: 

www.uwe.ac.uk/thebizidea e-mail: enterprise@uwe.ac.uk Tel: 0117 32 81986 

21

Ede and Ravenscroft 

2008/09 prizewinners 

Alicia Griffiths (BBS) has won the £1,000 prize 

for Outstanding Personal Achievement and 

Mazida Khan (SSH) has won the £250 prize for 

Services to the Local Community in this year’s 

Ede and Ravenscroft prizes. 

There were several nominations for the 

Outstanding Personal Achievement award and 

the eventual winner was Alicia Griffiths. Alicia 

is now studying for a Business Studies degree 

as she was unable to continue her Business 

and Equestrian degree due to her loss of sight. 

Alicia has also suffered a life threatening illness 

whilst studying for her current degree. She has 

refused to let her health problems prevent her 

from working incredibly hard on her academic 

studies and on her work placement. She was 

nominated for her determination, optimistic 

outlook, outstanding communication skills and 

commitment to achievement in spite of all the 

challenges she has faced. The judges said that 

she was an inspiration to others and showed 

commitment, motivation and focus. 

Winner of the Ede and Ravenscroft 

award for Service to the Local 

Community Mazida Khan 

Alicia has also been nominated for a BBC 

West Sports Award as a hopeful for the 2012 

Paralympic Games. 

The Service to the Local Community Award was 

closely contested and the eventual winner was 

Mazida Khan. Aside from her postgraduate 

studies on Human Rights, Mazida has been heavily 

involved in the area of community cohesion 

between Muslims and non-Muslims in Bristol with 

the short-term goal of achieving tolerance and 

with a long-term vision of acceptance. 

Mazida has been involved in a wide range of 

inter-connected projects including volunteering 

at dialogue workshops where the aim is to end 

stereotyping, oppression and racism; participating 

in the Bristol Muslim Women’s Network which 

supports and empowers Muslim women and 

making presentations to schools and colleges to 

inspire young people to undertake peace-making 

work. The judges thought that her work was very 

timely in the context of religious extremism and 

that Mazida was a passionate and committed 

person who was helping to change communities. 

UWE student in line for BBC 

West Sports Award 

Alicia Griffiths, who is in her final year of a BA(Hons) Business 

Studies course at UWE, has been nominated by UWE for a BBC 

West Sports Award 2009. 

Alicia is a UWE Elite Athlete whose fantastic achievements in 

equestrian events include competing in dressage at international 

level, despite losing 95 per cent of her sight at the age of 19. She 

has been nominated as a hopeful for the 2012 Paralympic Games. 

UWE’s Centre for Sport has provided her with a bursary to help 

her continue her passion for dressage while studying. According 

to Alicia, she felt instantly at home thanks to the supportive 

atmosphere at UWE. 

Elliot Lyons (Centre for Sport) said, “In February 2009 she won the 

British Dressage Paralympic talent spotting competition for under 

25 year olds, finishing with a score of 90.2 per cent - a score which 

is almost impossible to get. 

“Alicia was then invited to take part in international equestrian 

events in Germany and Austria. The event in Mannheim was the 

most prestigious riding event on the German calendar and Alicia 

was the only British rider to compete. Her horse went lame prior to 

the event and she needed to hire a horse, having only 20 minutes 

to get used to it. Despite this major setback, and coupled with her 

visual impairment Alicia won a fantastic fifth place in the event. 

“She is now in with a chance of representing Great Britain at the 

Paralympics in 2012 - we wish her the very best of luck.” 

Alicia said, “When the 

announcer in Germany read 

out my name and then ‘Great 

Britain’, it filled me with 

immense pride and satisfaction, 

knowing I was representing my 

country. 

“I am really thankful to my 

parents for supporting me in my 

passion for this sport – it gives 

me the energy to get up in the 

morning!” 

Alicia was born in Chipping 

Sodbury and her interest in 

horses stemmed from the age 

of five. Since getting her first 

pony at the age of ten, she has 

been involved in most disciplines 

including show jumping, 

dressage and showing. 

Alicia Griffiths is winner of the 

Ede and Ravenscroft award 

for Outstanding Personal 

Achievement and a hopeful for 

the 2012 Paralympic Games. 

There are 12 categories in 

the BBC West Sports Awards 

including Sports Personality, 

Coach of the Year and Team of the Year. All nominees must 

have achieved a high standard of performance at local, 

national or international level between 1 November 2008 and 

30 October 2009. 

Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Bath University on 6 

December 2009. 

21

NEWS 

World Junior Squash 

Champion chooses UWE 

Free academic resources: 

too good to be TRUE? 

Economists Professor Derek Braddon and Paul Dowdall, Head 

of the Economics Department, have just launched UWE’s 

contribution to the TRUE project, a national initiative by the 

Economics Network to provide open-access Teaching Resources 

for Undergraduate Economics (TRUE). Derek and Paul were part 

of a successful £214,000 bid to HEFCE with 13 other Economics 

Departments in UK universities. The aim of the TRUE project is to 

create a wiki-based online repository for economics lecturers to 

share, search for and download a vast range of teaching materials 

to support their lectures, seminars and workshops. 

World Junior Squash champion Mohamed El Shorbagy 

Reigning World Junior Squash Champion Mohamed El Shorbagy 

has just joined UWE to begin a degree in Mechanical Engineering. 

Mohamed, who is 18 and from Egypt, beat second seed Ivan Yuen 

of Malaysia in straight games 11/9, 12/10, 11/2 in Chennai, India, 

in August retaining the World Junior Title that he also won in 

Zurich in 2008. Mohamed is only the second player in history to 

win the Junior World title twice. 

Mohamed, who was at school in Somerset, has also held the 

British Junior title since he was 15. He will be defending this title 

as an under-19 for the third time in January in Sheffield – if he 

wins three times in a row, this will create a new record. 

Already well established on the professional squash circuit, he 

will travel to matches in Qatar, India and Saudi Arabia alongside 

continuing his studies. 

He said, “Mechanical Engineering is a tough course and I will have 

to study hard for my exams in January – the key thing is for me to 

organise my time well so I can do both. 

“Many universities contacted me, but UWE understood my sport 

best, my need to go to tournaments. People at UWE have really 

helped me, especially Sports Performance Manager Richard 

Bennett and my course tutor. 

“UWE has given me a full scholarship through the EliteUWE 

programme – no other university could match this, so it is really 

special. I use the gym facilities here too – it has the machines I 

need as a squash player, and I can play squash either at the Centre 

for Sport or at Wallscourt.” 

Richard Bennett said, “The opportunity for UWE to host a player 

of Mohamed’s talent is a direct reflection of the recent investment 

in sport and I am very glad that the Directorate were keen to 

assist us in bringing Mohammed to UWE and appreciative of the 

exposure that Mohamed will generate for UWE in the world of 

Elite sport. As well as playing for UWE in the British Universities 

Championships, Mohamed will be acting as a sporting ambassador 

for UWE within the community.” 

Materials such as lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations, 

video clips, links to websites and .exe programmes will be freely 

available for staff to download and adapt for their own teaching 

and lecturing purposes. While the bid has been funded by 

HEFCE, the project is part of the wider UK OER (Open Education 

Resources) Initiative funded by JISC. The role Derek and Paul 

will play in the project is to lead the development of the wiki in 

International Economics over the next year. The wiki – now in its 

initial stages of development – can be accessed at: 

www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/international 

Other wikis will cover: development economics; environmental 

economics; labour economics; experimental economics; monetary 

economics; regional and local economics; econometrics; European 

economics; heterodox economics; law and economics; industrial 

economics; public sector economics; and risk and uncertainty. 

These may be accessed from the main Economics Network 

webpage: www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/projects/oer 

Links are available from this page to all 14 wikis. 

Specialist input comes from Matthew David (BBS, LARTU) and 

Julian Green and Glenn Duckworth (BBS e-Learning Development 

Unit) and they will be providing support to Derek and Paul with 

the technical development of the wiki. For further information, 

please contact Derek.Braddon@uwe.ac.uk 

(l to r) Professor Derek Braddon, Matthew David and Paul Dowdall with 

the TRUE wiki on-screen. 

22

Association of University 

Administrators (AUA) 

Join AUA now and benefit from: 

• support for your career development 

• networking opportunities 

• information on current HE issues 

• a world of new opportunities within the sector 

• the opportunity to travel (through application for 

travel awards) 

Association of University 

Administrators (AUA) update 

Congratulations to Alice Greenland (Admissions and International 

Development) who has successfully applied to the UWE AUA 

Branch for sponsorship for registration onto the Postgraduate 

Certificate in Professional Practice. Alice was commended for 

her commitment to her own development and professional 

administration within Higher Education. 

The award will be presented to Alice at the next AUA 

Branch meeting. 

This is the second year of this award. Details of the 2010 

application process will appear in a future edition of the Bulletin. 

The UWE Bristol Branch of the AUA contributes to 

the professionalisation of the UWE Administrator by 

promoting the work of the Association and by working 

with the University to embed the Code of Professional 

Standards in a more high profile manner. 

For more information on the benefits of being a member 

of the AUA, please contact either Pat Hughes, Patricia. 

Hughes@uwe.ac.uk or Teresa Stephens, Teresa2.Stephens@ 

uwe.ac.uk, UWE Joint AUA Branch Co-ordinators. 

Royal College of Speech and 

Language Therapists award 

for former HLS student 

Centre for Performing Arts 

Concert Series 

www.uwe.ac.uk/cpa 

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists Fellowships are 

given to members who have given distinguished service to the 

profession in the context of research, publishing and teaching. Dr 

Rosemarie Hayhow has been bestowed this award in recognition 

of her outstanding scholarship, leadership and clinical expertise 

in stuttering. 

Rosemarie qualified as a speech and language therapist in 1969, 

undertook her Master’s degree in 1975 and completed her PhD 

at UWE in 2008. 

Throughout her career, sound scholarship has underpinned 

her work. In the last three years she has published five reports 

of her research in international peer review journals, written 

two book chapters (one published in Australia) and has had at 

least four presentations published in conference proceedings. 

Her consideration of parents’ perspectives has been recognised 

internationally in invitations to provide keynote presentations 

at the Oxford Dysfluency Conference and at the Fifth World 

Congress on Fluency Disorders in Dublin, 2006. 

Rosemarie is a Research Speech and Language Therapist at 

the Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit at Frenchay 

Hospital. 

A Feast for Winter 

The UWE Symphony Orchestra and Singers’ Winter Concert 

Academic Festival Overture Op 80 Brahms 

The Nutcracker Suite (excerpts) Op 71a Tchaikovsky 

Mass in C Op 86 Beethoven 

Ian Holmes and Roger Huckle - Conductors 

Belinda Evans - Soprano, Pamela Rudge - Alto 

Christopher Hann - Tenor, Luke D Williams - Bass 

Bristol Cathedral 

Saturday 5 December 2009, 19.30 

Tickets £5-£10 (£4-£6 concs), 

£1 children 12 years and under (excludes £10 seats) 

UWE Online Store https://store.uwe.ac.uk 

MusicBox 01275 349010 

Centre for Performing Arts 0117 32 82067 

For more information visit www.speech-therapy.org.uk 

23

NEWS 

UWE academic to join 

Canadian Stem Cell Network 

Professor Julie Kent from the Department of Sociology and 

Criminology (SSH) has recently been invited to join the Scientific 

Advisory Board of the Canadian Stem Cell Network. 

Drawing on her expertise in the regulation and governance of 

emerging health technologies, the Board felt that Professor Kent's 

skills would greatly complement their existing expertise after she 

recently acted as an external reviewer for funding applications 

under their ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Issues) initiative. Professor 

Kent will provide guidance on the development and evaluation of 

the network's research programme. She said, “I am delighted to be 

invited to join the Board and look forward to learning more about 

the work of the Network. I also hope that my visits to Canada might 

lead to enhanced links with academics working there.” 

The Stem Cell Network is 

one of Canada's Networks of 

Centres of Excellence, part 

of Canada's flagship science 

and technology programme. 

Established in 2001, the 

Network now brings together 

more than 100 leading 

scientists, clinicians, engineers, 

and ethicists from universities 

and hospitals across Canada. 

Over the next six years, 

the Stem Cell Network will 

continue to be a catalyst for 

enabling translation of stem 

cell research into clinical 

applications, commercial 

products and public policy. 

Professor Julie Kent 

UWE professor gets good 

review in THE for recent 

publication 

Kierkegaard, Metaphysics and Political Theory Unfinished Selves 

by ProfessorAlison Assiter recently received a very positive 

review in the Times Higher Education (THE). 

'A fresh way of thinking about ethics and human rights ... many 

lines of argument are examined ... a thoughtful and original 

work.' - Times Higher Education. 

In her book Alison Assiter argues that the notion of the person 

that lies at the heart of the liberal tradition is derived from a 

Kantian and Cartesian metaphysic. This metaphysic, according 

to her, is flawed and it permeates a number of aspects of the 

tradition. Significantly it excludes certain individuals, those who 

are labelled ‘mad’ or ‘evil’. Instead she offers an alternative 

metaphysical image of the person that is derived largely from 

the work of Kierkegaard. Assiter argues that there is a strand 

of Kierkegaard’s writing that offers a metaphysical picture 

that recognises the dependence of people upon one another. 

He offers a moral outlook, derived from this, that encourages 

people to ‘love’ one another. Inspired by Kierkegaard, Assiter 

goes on to argue that it is useful to focus on needs rather 

than rights in moral and political thinking and to defend the 

view that it is important to care about others who may be far 

removed from each one of us. Furthermore, she argues, it is 

important that we treat those who are close to us, well. 

UWE economists investigate 

international cricket 

Andrew Mearman (BBS), Anthony Plumridge (BBS) and PhD 

student Michelle Edwards were contracted by Gloucestershire 

County Cricket Club to investigate the economic impact of 

international cricket on Bristol. The economists looked at the 

potential effect on local income of test matches, and one-day 

internationals, with a view to cricket’s World Twenty20 and 

World Cups to be hosted in England. They interviewed key staff 

at Gloucestershire CCC to draw up their estimates. Potential 

economic impact depends crucially on the opponents, on the 

proportion of spectators from outside Bristol, and the behaviour 

of those spectators. The economists estimated that a Test match 

could generate around £5m for the local economy. 

Pictured (l to r) are Andrew Mearman (BBS), Tom Richardson (Chief 

Executive, Gloucestershire CCC) and Rex Body (Vice Chairman, 

Gloucestershire CCC). (Photo Anthony Plumridge). 

24

The future of organic farming 

The Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI)* 

co-authored a major report, which has provided new evidence on 

the problems and prospects for organic farming. 

The research, which was commissioned by the Department 

for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), involved an 

integrated analysis of organic farming focusing on all three areas 

of marketing, consumer behaviour and production. 

The Countryside and Community Research Institute, worked with 

the University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research, who led 

the project. 

The report found that the socio-economic impact of organic 

farming on rural areas has its limitations, and despite impressive 

growth in recent years, food production by organic farmers is 

still relatively small compared to other sectors of agriculture in 

England and Wales. As a result, the report suggests that organic 

production does not offer policy makers a broad enough platform 

to launch rural development polices. However, it does argue 

that organic production involving large numbers of small locally 

embedded producers is, nonetheless likely to be beneficial to rural 

economies, albeit in geographically uneven ways. 

The report identified a number of concerns voiced by organic 

producers. 

Professor Brian Ilbery of the CCRI explained, “Many of the organic 

farmers we spoke to in England and Wales were concerned about 

the cost and availability of primary organic inputs such as feed 

and seed. Not only were these inputs often not available locally, 

but the necessary proteins and soya needed by organic livestock 

were in short supply both nationally and internationally.” 

He went on to say that “There are problems with direct marketing 

and/or adding value activities. These include competition in box 

schemes from supermarket chains and national suppliers, combined 

with the difficulty of adding value locally in regions with limited 

demand for organic food. There is also a shortage of processing 

capacity, which means that for some producers the future seemed 

to be about producing more for the main organic commodity 

markets, with a national rather than local sphere of influence.” 

The report does however provide evidence of a healthy future for 

organic farming, identifying a general trend towards increasing 

areas farmed over the coming years, adding more marketing 

channels and increasing on-farm processing. As a consequence of 

this, employment is likely to increase in some rural areas through 

adding value to their output through retailing, packaging or 

distributing their produce. Farmers that add value to their 

produce have a more diverse marketing approach to selling their 

organic produce and are typically more local in market focus. 

More information on the work of the CCRI can be found at 

www.ccri.ac.uk 

The future of the countryside 

“Rural areas are coming into a new time of importance as the 

combined pressures of the shortage of resources and climate 

change make questions of land use and food production pressing 

in a way that they have not been for many years.” 

These were the sentiments of Sir Don Curry, former Chair of the 

Sustainable Farming and Food Delivery Group and author of the 

influential 2002 Curry Report, as he opened a major rural policy 

conference at the Queens Hotel in Cheltenham on 21 October. 

The Rural Policy and Local Assets conference was organised by the 

Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI). 

Professor Nigel Curry, Director,CCRI, said “The policy conference 

provided an ideal opportunity to present contemporary rural 

topics based on evidence from CCRI’s latest research, and to open 

them up for discussion and debate by national and local policy 

makers, NGOs, researchers and academics.” 

Copies of the Powerpoint presentations and information on the 

work and activities of the CCRI can be found on the CCRI website 

www.ccri.ac.uk 

*The Countryside and Community Research Institute is a 

collaboration between UWE, Hartpury College, University of 

Gloucestershire and the Royal Agricultural College. 

25

NEWS 

Extended Project 

Qualification launch in its 

second year at UWE 

UWE hosted the second annual launch event for the innovative 

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) with four local sixth forms on 

16 October. Over 300 Year 12 students from Hanham High School, 

Sir Bernard Lovell School, The Grange and Kingsfield School came 

to Frenchay Campus to find out about the EPQ. To get this new 

qualification students will be asked to research and produce either 

a 5,000 word dissertation, a report, an artefact, a design or a 

performance on a subject of their choice. 

Heralded as a qualification that will help students to bridge the 

gap between A-levels and university-level study, young people 

are being given the opportunity to develop personalised learning 

and enrich their thinking and learning skills. Claire Savickas, 

Head of Applicant Services at UWE said, “The Extended Project 

Qualification offers students the opportunity to develop a range 

of transferable skills, including research, writing and critical 

thinking; all of which are essential for success both in Higher 

Education and their future careers.” The EPQ has been tariffed at 

a maximum of 70 UCAS points for 2010 entry. 

Students enjoying the activities at the launch event. 

Key to the success of the days were Kingswood Partnership’s 

Assistant 14-19 Co-ordinator, Ben Rose, Partnerships Officer at 

UWE, Susan Welsh and UWE’s Faculty Librarian, Geoff Cole. Special 

thanks goes to our Student Researchers Ricardo Demarchi, Emma 

James, Charlotte Illing and Laura Frances. 

New project in reconciliation 

and peace economics in 

Cyprus 

Dr Kate Flynn (Politics, HLSS) has been awarded a European Union 

/ Europe Aid grant of €213,030 to act as Principal Investigator 

for the 18 month project Reconciliation and Peace Economics 

in Cyprus starting in 2010 as part of the Cypriot Civil Society in 

Action II programme. The project team consists of Professor Derek 

Braddon (BBS), Dr Christian Dadomo (Law) and Dr Tony King 

(Politics). 

The team will undertake activities exploring the practical 

implications of reconciliation and peace economics in Cyprus. 

This is intended to contribute to and inform dialogue, as well 

as political and economic decision-making, and lead to a better 

understanding of issues affecting trust between the Turkish and 

Greek Cypriot communities. In addition to quantitative surveys, 

focus groups, in-depth interviews and stakeholders’ symposia, 

there will be a conference and written dissemination of findings 

in Cyprus. The project complements the new MA in Peace and 

Conflict Studies, started in 2009/10 and established by Dr Flynn. 

Project methodology was developed from prior work undertaken 

by Drs Flynn and King on Post-Conflict Settlement, Heritage and 

Urban Regeneration in South Africa and Northern Ireland: The 

Redevelopment of the Old Fort and Long Kesh/Maze Prisons 

(2007/8) funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Those findings 

provided the material for a half-hour documentary broadcast on 

28 September 2009 throughout southern Africa by Radio Today, 

Johannesburg. (The programme can be accessed as a podcast from 

the Radio Today website: www.1485.org.za) This is in addition to a 

range of forthcoming journal articles. 

Professor Nichola Rumsey, Director of the Centre for Appearance Research 

(CAR), was invited to speak at Colston’s Girls School’s annual prize giving service 

on 17 September at the Wills Memorial Building. She gave an inspirational 

speech to parents, pupils, staff and governors about appearance matters, 

focusing on the importance of a positive outlook and good communication 

skills over physical appearance. The Centre received some good coverage in the 

Bristol Evening Post who attended the event. Professor Rumsey is pictured with 

pupils from Colston’s Girls School at the Wills Memorial Building. 

Dr Emma Halliwell and a team from CAR are currently working with Colston’s 

Girls School to deliver interventions designed to tackle body image concerns. 

Professor Nichola Rumsey with pupils of Colston’s Girls 

School at the event. Photo provided by Bristol Evening Post 

26

Alternative Formats and 

Assistive Technology service 

launched 

An alternative formats and assistive technology service has 

been created at UWE, based in Library Services. Matt Chapman, 

Alternative Formats Officer and Martyn Hoskins, Assistive 

Technologies Co-ordinator have been given the responsibility of 

establishing the service. 

In the past, the availability of assistive technology at UWE has 

tended to be fragmented and only available in a few locations. In 

addition, no centralised service was available to provide disabled 

students with printed learning resources in alternative formats. 

Matt has been successfully piloting the alternative formats service with 

a number of faculties since January. With the pilot stage completed the 

service is now open to students from all faculties. Books and journals 

can be reproduced in a variety of formats including large print, audio, 

Word document, Braille and DAISY book. 

For more information on how the service can help please contact 

Matt by e-mailing af@uwe.ac.uk or by visiting: http://www.uwe. 

ac.uk/library/info/sds/alt-formats/ 

In the meantime, Martyn has been working with ITS and Student 

Services to network assistive software across the University. As a 

result, Inspiration mind mapping (PC/Mac) and Read and Write 

(PC) and ClaroRead (Mac) text to speech programs are available on 

the majority of UWE student and staff computers. 

Martyn Hoskins (left) and Matt Chapman 

Although these first programs are primarily aimed at assisting 

dyslexic students and staff, the software can prove useful to 

everyone. Amongst other things, Inspiration can help plan, 

organise and collate research. Read and Write and ClaroRead 

provide valuable proof reading support. 

For more information on the assistive software contact Martyn by 

e-mailing assistivetech@uwe.ac.uk and visit: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/ 

its/assistivetechnology 

Obituary 

Dr Michael Stanford, 1923-2009 

Michael Stanford was an intelligent, articulate and sensitive 

man who devoted his professional life to education. 

He joined Bristol Polytechnic in 1978 as a result of the merger 

with the two training colleges in Bristol, Redland and St 

Matthias. He was a member of the History Department at 

Redland before becoming a member of the History Section 

within the Humanities Department at the Polytechnic. Always 

a committed and dedicated teacher who challenged and 

inspired his students Michael taught European History on the 

BEd(Hons) and BA(Hons) Humanities degrees as well as the 

theory, practice and philosophy of History. Indeed, it was the 

Philosophy of History in which he excelled as a researcher, 

having obtained his doctorate at the University of Bristol 

in 1977 on the subject of Knowledge and Structure: Some 

Problems. His philosophical background made Michael the 

ideal person to teach the Philosophy of History part of the 

MA in Historical Studies which in 1981 was the first Master’s 

degree in the Polytechnic to receive the approval of the 

Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA). 

He retired from the Polytechnic in 1983 and then began his 

publishing career as a Philosopher of History. His first book, 

published by Basil Blackwell, appeared in 1988 on The Nature 

of Historical Knowledge, followed in 1994 by his Companion 

to the Study of History also published by Blackwell. In 1998 he 

published his third book with Blackwell, An Introduction to 

the Philosophy of History. In addition to his publications, he 

was also for a number of years a co-editor of the Philosophy 

journal, Cogito. Michael was imbued with a sense of optimism 

and a belief in human progress which is admirably summed 

up in the Companion volume and serves as an insight into his 

generous mind: “There has always been for me one overriding 

single history that winds down through the ages from 

Palaeolithic hunters…to you and me today and our children 

and grandchildren and on and on…We have such a long 

ancestry, so many cousins and, we hope, many descendants 

who will be, perhaps, brighter and happier than we. History 

gives one a sense of family.” 

27

News in Brief 

NEWS 

Staff in the media 

Professor Martin Plant, (HSC) took part in a 

BBC Radio Wales programme on 29 October 

on the dangers of alcohol and other drugs. He 

was also interviewed on the World at One, BBC 

Radio 4 on 2 November about David Nutt, the 

government scientific adviser who was fired. 

Professor Robert Parker one of the keynote 

speakers at the Youth, Alcohol and Crime 

conference (organised by the Alcohol and Health 

Research Unit) was interviewed by BBC Radio 

Bristol on Wednesday 11 November about his 

work and the conference which was held at the 

Watershed on Friday 13 November. 

Martin Plant (HSC) also gave interviews to 

Original and Heart Radio on the 12 November 

for the conference. 

Anthony Fraher (HSC), Senior Lecturer, 

Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Mental 

Health and Maria Wilson, BSc(Hons)Mental 

Health (Year 3), were both interviewed on Radio 

Ujiima on 11 October 2009. The nature of the 

radio interview was to promote awareness of the 

profile of UWE with respect to recruitment of 

students for the pre-registration mental health 

nursing programme, with a particular emphasis 

on welcoming students from BME communities. 

John Rushforth (DVC) was interviewed on 

Monday 12 October about the new campus 

development plans on BBC Radio Bristol’s 

breakfast show. 

Dr Caroline Brown (LS) took part in recording 

the heart rate of a girl with selective mutism for 

a BBC1 documentary. 

Alan Winfield (BIT) was interviewed for a 

half-hour science documentary which aired (on 

Sunday 11 October) on Spanish TV, featuring his 

work. The whole programme is online in Spanish 

at: www.smartplanet.es/redesblog/?p=553 

Dr Matt Reed (CCRI) spoke on the Vernon 

Harwood programme on Radio Gloucestershire 

on the subject of rural policies on 11 October. 

Dr Damian Maye and Dr James Kirwan (CCRI) 

were interviewed on Tipperary FM on the Jim 

Finn Show on 25 September regarding a CCRI 

project (RuDi) which is assessing the impact of rural 

development policies. Drs Maye and Kirwan were 

in Kildare at the National Ploughing Championships 

undertaking some fieldwork for a case study in 

Ireland which forms part of the project. 

Dr Tim Chatterton (BNE) appeared on BBC 2’s 

regional programme Inside Out on Monday 3 

November. The programme contained a feature 

on air pollution which focused in particular 

on Bedford. Tim Chatterton from Air Quality 

Management Resource Centre was interviewed 

for the programme, along with Ed Dearnley of 

Environmental Protection UK and Barry Williams 

from Bedford Borough Council. 

Di Harcourt (Centre for Appearance 

Research, LS) met the Prime Minister at a 

reception at 10 Downing Street in October to 

mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Professor Paul Gough (Pro Vice-Chancellor) 

was interviewed on Sunday 8 November by 

PG Radio New Zealand about the iconography 

of commemoration. Professor Gough was in 

Aotearoa, New Zealand where he was giving 

an invited paper and a lecture as part of his one 

man show which is part of Massey University's 

creative art festival, Blow '09. 

Publications 

Mark Bould (CA) has recently published two 

co-edited collections. Fifty Key Figures in Science 

Fiction (Routledge), co-edited with Andrew M 

Butler (Canterbury Christ Church), Adam Roberts 

(Royal Holloway) and Sherryl Vint (Brock), 

contains critical essays on novelists, filmmakers, 

television producers, comic book writers and 

one fictional character who have been central 

to the shaping of the genre, ranging from Gerry 

Anderson to HG Wells, Mary Shelley to Nalo 

Hopkinson. He has also published Red Planets: 

Marxism and Science Fiction (Pluto/Wesleyan), 

co-edited with novelist China Miéville, which 

contains a dozen essays which take the longstanding 

tradition of Marxist theory and criticism 

in new directions in response to historical and 

theoretical developments. 

Jan Chianese and Fiona Chamberlain (both 

HSC) wrote a chapter entitled Radiation 

Dosimetry in Practical Radiotherapy Physics and 

Equipment, published in June 2009 by Wiley- 

Blackwell. 

Emma Weitkamp, Senior Lecturer in Science 

Communication (HLS) and Mark L Brake, 

Professor of Science Communication at the 

University of Glamorgan, have edited Introducing 

Science Communication: A Practical Guide 

published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book aims 

to demonstrate how to communicate complex 

scientific issues to the public, from climate 

change to stem-cell research. 

Ward, R, Glogowska, M, Pollard, K, Moule, 

P (2009) Developing and testing attitude scales 

around IT, Nurse Researcher 17, 1 68-78 

Jenny Hall, Senior Lecturer, Midwifery (HLS) 

has co-authored and edited four new student 

books. The Midwifery Essentials series are key 

books for student midwives, originally published 

in the Practising Midwife journal and based on 

the popular Basics series. Jenny has worked 

with Helen Baston, previously based at the 

University of York to update the series and add 

new chapters. Alyson Henley-Einion, previously a 

midwifery lecturer at UWE also assisted with the 

first book. The series covers basic skills, antenatal 

care, labour and postnatal care and uses an 

innovative Jigsaw model to help the student 

understand the concepts of holistic womancentred 

care. The texts are already proving 

popular both in the UK and overseas. 

Jamie White's PhD, The Development of 

Negative Body Image and Disordered Eating 

in Adolescence, has just been awarded the 

Seymour Fisher Outstanding Body Image 

Dissertation Award for 2009 by Body Image: 

An International Journal of Research. This PhD 

28 

was supported by a UWE bursary, the research 

was conducted in the Centre for Appearance 

Research and supervised by Dr Emma Halliwell, 

Dr Tim Moss and Dr Nicky Rumsey. 

Dr Cyril Hershon (HLSS) has been published 

twice recently: Sédition et complot au XIV e 

siècle has appeared in the Bulletin de la Société 

Archéologique de Béziers and an edition of the 

Occitan version of Las Meravillas de Ybernia, 

a description of mediaeval Ireland by Giraldus 

Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales), published in La 

France Latine by the University of Rennes. 

Appointments 

Dr Stephen Hunt (Department of Sociology 

and Criminology) has accepted an invitation 

to join the editorial board of the international 

journal Religion and Gender (Utrecht University). 

Professor Saville Kushner (EDU) was recently 

elected President-Elect of the UK Evaluation 

Society. The Council of the Society nominated 

Saville for the award of Academician of the 

Academy of Social Sciences on the basis of his 

work in developing and promoting Democratic 

Evaluation and case study methodology. This 

work has also recently led to an invitation 

to work for UNICEF. These nominations are 

reviewed by expert panels of social scientists and 

are a mark of peer esteem. 

Professor Peter Malpass (BNE) was a 

founder member, executive committee 

member and sometime chair of the Housing 

Studies Association. He was nominated by the 

Association to be elected as an Academician 

of the Academy of Social Sciences for his 

contribution to housing studies over more than 

30 years. 

Dr Timothy Moss (Psychology) has been 

invited to join the Advisory Board of the 

Psychology Network. One of 24 discipline-based 

centres within the Higher Education Academy, 

the Psychology Network supports the teaching 

and learning of psychology across the UK. The 

Higher Education Academy Psychology Network 

is funded by the UK HE Funding Councils to 

support UK departments in HE institutions 

and FE institutions delivering HE programmes 

in Psychology. The Psychology Network also 

supports a wider network of expertise within 

the psychology academic community through 

funding for specialist networks, small and large 

scale projects, and other activities. 

Andrew Mathieson (LS) was recently elected 

as a Fellow of the Institute for Food Science and 

Technology (IFST). Fellowship is the senior grade 

of membership of the IFST and is awarded to 

those who have made a substantial contribution 

to food science and technology or who have 

reached a position of seniority and authority in 

the profession. 

Professor Nicky Rumsey (CAR, LS) has taken 

up an invitation to become an Honorary Member 

of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic 

Surgeons.

Conferences 

Professor Rob Cuthbert (EDU) gave the 

opening keynote speech Professional Standards 

and Academic Values: what does it mean to 

be a professional academic in a 21st century 

higher education institution? for the Inaugural 

Symposium of the Dublin Centre for Academic 

Development (www.drhea.ie/dcad.php) at 

Dublin City University on 6 November 2009. The 

Dublin Centre for Academic Development is a 

collaborative venture by the four universities, 

four Institutes of Technology and their linked 

colleges in the Dublin Region Higher Education 

Alliance. The text of the speech can be found at 

www.uwe.ac.uk/groups/campus/index.shtml 

Professor Ron Ritchie (EDU) and Guy Keith- 

Miller (AID) delivered a workshop with the 

Executive Principal of the Cabot Learning 

Federation, David Carter, at the Specialist Schools 

Academy Trust Learning Journey Conference 

on 3 November. The session detailed UWE's 

commitment to working in partnership with 

Schools and Colleges with particular focus on 

activity with Academy and Trust schools. The 

Cabot Learning Federation was used as an 

example and highlighted a new model in school 

leadership. 

Marc Griffiths (HSC) delivered the first Patient 

Pathway Series Study Day on Saturday 17 

October at Glenside Campus together with 

Edward Proctor, Deputy Training Manager 

at Alliance Medical (AML). The Study Day 

incorporated the patient pathway for lung 

and colorectal cancer and was aimed at 

Radiographers and Medical Technical Officers. 

It was developed to look at imaging criteria and 

radiotherapy/ chemotherapy regimes adopted 

with regard to the Cancer Reform Strategy 

and effects on patient prognosis. 50 delegates 

attended from the South West of England, South 

Wales, Midlands and London. Feedback from 

the day was extremely positive, with 95 per 

cent saying the day had met or exceeded their 

educational expectations. 

Carolyn Britton and Jan Chianese (both HSC) 

presented a paper at the International Inquiring 

Pedagogies conference 2009 at Coventry on 14 

September. They presented the findings of their 

study entitled Internal boundaries and external 

constraints: a confidence issue or skills ‘gap’? 

Perceived and ‘real’ barriers to learning among 

first year nursing students. The study was funded 

by a small grant. 

Professor Sarah Hewlett (HSC) gave two 

presentations at the American College of 

Rheumatology conference, Philadephia (October 

2009): Development and Initial Validation 

of the Bristol RA Fatigue Multi-Dimensional 

Questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ) on the doctoral 

research of Dr Joanna Nicklin and The benefits 

and challenges of individualising the 'personal' 

in Personal Life Impact Measures in the Patient 

Perspective forum. 

Dr Tessa Sanderson (HSC) gave two 

presentations in the Outcomes in Rheumatic 

Diseases symposium: An Additional Core-Set 

Generated by People with Rheumatoid Arthritis: 

RA Patient Priorities for Pharmacological 

Interventions (RAPP-PI) and Rheumatoid Arthritis 

Patients' Interpretation of the DAS Patient Global 

Used at Bristol Royal Infirmary. 

Dr Helen Frisby (Academic Registry/SSH) 

recently presented papers at the 9 th International 

Conference on Death, Dying and Disposal 

(DDD9) at Durham University, (9-12 September); 

and at the Dying and Death in 18 th to 21 st 

Centuries Europe International Conference 

at the University of Alba Iulia, Transylvania, 

Romania, (25-27 September). The papers were 

on social and emotional aspects of death and 

dying in Victorian popular culture, and on their 

representation in contemporary English folklore 

collections. Dr Frisby also gave presentations on 

her research to the British Association for Local 

History (University of Hull, 7 November), and to 

the British Sociological Association (University of 

Sheffield, 16 November). 

Dr Charlie Butler (English, SSH) was Guest 

of Honour at the first ever BristolCon, a Science 

Fiction and Fantasy Convention held on 26 

September at the Mercure Holland House Hotel, 

and run by the Bristol Fantasy and SF Society. The 

subject of his keynote speech was Diana Wynne 

Jones and pilgrimage. Other attendees included 

the writers Alastair Reynolds and Juliet McKenna. 

The event's web site is www.bristolcon.org/. 

Dr Shea Palmer and Sandy Thomas 

(Department of Allied Health Professions) 

gave platform presentations to the Chartered 

Society of Physiotherapy Congress at the BT 

Convention Centre in Liverpool on 16-17 

October 2009. This event is the primary annual 

scientific conference for the UK physiotherapy 

profession. Shea's presentation was on Exercise 

Beliefs of People with Knee Osteoarthritis 

and Sandy presented a paper on Does Nasal 

Breathing Affect Exercise Tolerance? Other 

AHP staff presented posters at the Congress. 

Shan Aguilar-Stone presented a poster 

entitled Academic and Clinical Experiences 

of Physiotherapy Students with Dyslexia and 

Jacqueline Mullan presented a poster on An 

Exploratory Evaluation of the Foundation 

Programme for Allied Health Professions which 

was co-authored by Anne Konsta. 

Dr Gary Christopher (LS) presented oral papers 

exploring the cognitive deficits associated with 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at the South West 

Memory Group Conference in Exeter (July 2009) 

and also at the 26th Annual Conference of the 

British Psychological Society Cognitive Psychology 

Section at the University of Hertfordshire 

(September 2009). 

Dr Caroline Brown (LS) presented a paper 

Reduction in smokers' skin conductance in 

response to smoking-related images may 

be physiological representation of cognitive 

dissonance at the British Psychological Society's 

Biopsychology Section Annual Meeting 

(September 2009). 

Dr Tim Chatterton (AQM) attended the 

GO-East Multi-Professional Symposium on Health 

and the Built Environment in Cambridge on 

Monday 5 October. He was invited as one of 

the keynote speakers to make a presentation 

on Urban Design and Health alongside Neil 

Blackmore from the NHS Healthy Urban 

Development Unit and Dr Tim Crayford, Chief 

Medical Adviser for DfT. Tim's presentation 

can be viewed at: www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/files/ 

UrbanDesignandHealth-TC-ISHE.pdf 

Lyndon Smith (BIT) presented a paper entitled 

Analysis of Three Dimensional Textures Through 

use of Photometric Stereo, Co-occurrence 

Matrices and Neural Networks at the Seventh 

International Conference of Computational 

Methods in Sciences and Engineering (ICCMSE 

2009), which was held from 29 September - 

2004 October 2009 in Ixia, Greece. This paper 

will also be published in the American Institute of 

Physics Conference Proceedings. 

Heidi Williamson (CAR, LS) presented her 

research on the psychosocial impact of altered 

appearance with young cancer patients at 

the Cancer and Young people: Age Matters 

conference on Tuesday 10 November in Glasgow. 

The Centre for Appearance Research (LS) 

hosted a one day event on Tuesday 10 November 

for psychosocial specialists working in the 

area of visible differences/disfigurement at the 

Watershed to disseminate the results of the four 

year multi-centred Healing Foundation funded 

project, Identifying factors and processes that 

contribute to adjusting to appearance. Professor 

Nichola Rumsey, Dr Di Harcourt and Liz Jenkinson 

all contributed oral presentations alongside Dr 

Andrew Thompson (University of Sheffield) and 

Professor Alex Clarke (Royal Free Hospital). 

Professor Nichola Rumsey (CAR, LS) gave 

a keynote lecture entitled Psychological 

Rehabilitation After Burns, at the European Club 

for Paediatric Burns Annual Meeting, Brecon in 

November. 

Professor Nichola Rumsey (CAR, LS) gave 

an invited address entitled Psychological 

Aspects of Facial Aesthetics at a Masterclass in 

Facial Aesthetics, Royal College of Surgeons in 

November. 

Research 

The Centre for Appearance Research has 

recruited three new PhD students: 

Daisy Townsend is researching in the area of 

exercise and appearance. Her Director of Studies 

is James Byron-Daniel and her supervisory team 

includes Dr Emma Halliwell and Dr Di Harcourt. 

Her PhD is funded by a Faculty bursary. 

Chantelle Bailey is researching school-based 

interventions aimed at promoting diversity in 

appearance and improving levels of media 

literacy. Her Director of Studies is Dr Emma 

Halliwell with Professor Nichola Rumsey as 

second supervisor, and Professor David James 

(Education, UWE) as an expert adviser. The PhD is 

funded by VTCT and the Faculty. 

Heather Brant is investigating Psychosocial and 

ethical issues around visible difference associated 

with genetic conditions. Heather’s PhD is a joint 

PhD with University of Bristol and UWE. Dr Di 

Harcourt will be her second supervisor. 

29

NEWS 

$ 

$ 

Staff survey 

As part of the agreed HR strategy UWE undertook its first Staff Opinion Survey in December 2008. The results were published in February 2009. 

An action planning group was set up to develop an action plan to address the key issues that the survey highlighted. This action plan has now 

been completed and agreed by the Senior Management team, action owners and delivery timescales are now being agreed. Regular progress 

updates will be communicated to all staff. Further information is available by clicking on the link to Staff Survey on the HR web pages at 

www.uwe.ac.uk/hr/. 

Accreditation of IT training department 

The IT training section of Learning and Development is now 

an accredited IT training department with the Institute of IT 

Training (IITT). The Institute's accreditation is recognised as the 

accepted standard in the IT training industry today and is now a 

requirement for the majority of training tenders in Government 

and corporations. The IITT provides accreditation to IT training 

providers, internal training departments, e-learning companies, 

learning centres, learning facility providers and technical support 

centres. In each case the IITT have a rigorous and exhaustive 

accreditation procedure. 

The benefits of Learning and Development becoming an 

accredited department are: 

• to establish and monitor benchmarks of excellence against 

which training professionals are measured 

• to promote and maintain the prestige and integrity of the 

training department by enabling, encouraging and stimulating 

the widest use of best practice 

• to heighten the professionalism of all who work in an IT 

training role by providing members with opportunities for the 

development of their knowledge and skills 

In our report submitted by the IITT consultant the following 

paragraphs appeared: 

“The Consultant would like to thank Karl Daly and Louisa Pick 

for their time during the visit itself and in preparing the evidence 

portfolio, and also for the openness of discussion and willingness 

to implement the recommended actions. In the opinion of 

the Accreditation Consultant, the IT Training Department of 

the University of the West of England is entirely worthy of IITT 

Accredited status.” 

Christmas closure 2009 

The Closure arrangements for Christmas 2009 will 

be as follows: 

Monday 21 December – Normal working day 

Tuesday 22 December – Normal working day 

Wednesday 23 December - Normal working day 

Thursday 24 December – ½ day closure day 

Friday 25 December – Christmas Day bank holiday 

Monday 28 December – Boxing Day bank holiday 

Tuesday 29 December – Extra statutory day 

Wednesday 30 December – Extra statutory day 

Thursday 31 December – Closure day 

Friday 1 January – New Year’s Day bank holiday 

Further details and examples for calculating leave entitlements 

for part time staff can be found by clicking on the link to 

Christmas holiday entitlements under the alphabetical list on 

the HR web pages, www.uwe.ac.uk/hr. 

30

Staff Association 

Children’s Christmas Panto - Aladdin 

Saturday 12 December 14.00, Glendenning Theatre 

The children’s' annual Christmas Panto has been arranged. This year 

it will be Aladdin. For those of you who have brought little ones 

before, they are well entertained by Chaplin’s Theatre Company. A 

free children’s raffle as well as the adult raffle will be organised. Goody 

bags will be provided (please let me know as soon as possible if your 

child has special requirements). Tea and coffee will be laid on for the 

mums and dads and of course we cannot forget that our special friend 

will arrive to distributing goodies from his sack. 

Tickets will be on sale as of Tuesday 20 October from the office (FC00). 

Please see the flyer for further details. 

Saturday 12 December 20.00, BAWA Club, Filton 

The Staff Association Christmas Party will be held at the BAWA Club. 

There will be live entertainment with Manhattan Nights, as well as a 

disco. Food will also be available during the evening. Come along and 

join us for a fun filled night of good food, music and lots of laughter. A 

raffle will be run on the night too. Why not come and join the party. 

Tickets will be on sale as of Tuesday 20 October from the office (FC00). 

Please see the flyer for more information. 

Tuesday 15 December 12.30, Christmas Buffet Room 4E13 

A finger buffet has been arranged, raffle will also be taking place so 

look out for the raffle ticket sellers. 

Please remember that entry to the buffet is by ticket only and we 

would ask you to remember to get your ticket in good time so that we 

know how many to cater for. 

Tickets are free to members and are available from Tuesday 26 October 

from the office (FC00). 

Staff Association celebrates 40th Anniversary 

Summer Dance, Saturday 19 June 2010, Ramada Hotel Bristol, 

20.00 

Next year is a special year for the Staff Association having been in 

existence for 40 years we will be celebrating are Ruby Anniversary. The 

Committee is looking to organise some really special events to mark 

this milestone in the calendar. 

We would love to hear from you about your experiences with the Staff 

Association. How long you have been members, past reminiscences, 

anything. 

Would you like to be part of the planning for some of these events? To 

make this year extra special we are calling on you for help. We need 

ideas, ticket sellers as well as helpers. If you have any ideas or a spare 

hour or so please do come forward and help us. 

The main event so far is the Summer Dance on Saturday 19 June 2010 

at the Ramada Hotel Bristol starting at 20.00. 

A special evening of music, dance, fun and laughter has been 

organised. Tickets will go on sale in the New Year. If you would like to 

make a weekend of it (stay over on Saturday night) please let us know 

and we will try to get an arrangement for room bookings. Again we 

have live entertainment and a disco as well as a three course meal. We 

will also be running a special anniversary raffle. 

Staff Association Annual General Meeting, Tuesday 26 January 

2010 at 12.30 

More details of this will be sent to you in the next month or so. Please 

do try to come along, the Committee (old and new) needs your 

support and advice. 

Have you thought about becoming a Committee member or Officer? If 

you would like to find out more please contact me Chloe.Hyde@uwe. 

ac.uk or through the Staff Association office FC00 or tel 832 82969 

Pandemic flu 

With the risk this year of pandemic ‘swine’ flu below is a reminder of 

the best ways of protecting yourself. 

The best and most effective methods of protecting against all germs, 

including pandemic flu, are regular proper hand washing with 

soap and water, and using and disposing of tissues for coughs and 

sneezes. 

The University has provided alcohol hand gels (60ml and 1000ml 

Purell Hygienic Hand rub) intended for use when hand washing 

is difficult (eg at busy times or when you are off-site). These gels 

contain alcohol in a formulation to which the flu virus is susceptible. 

They also have an antibacterial action. You need to use them 

properly in order to be effective. This involves the following: 

• Use on clean-looking hands 

• Use enough gel (at least 3ml - about 3 squirts) 

• Work into all parts of the hand 

• Rub for long enough (at least 30 secs - and until dry) 

They should not be used too often or they may irritate the skin as 

they work through a drying action. 

You may have noticed the large pump dispensers (500ml Sprigel Hand 

Sanitiser) in busy locations. These contain alcohol in a formulation to 

which the flu virus is susceptible. They are situated at areas of high 

traffic and enable staff and students to clean their hands as they enter 

and leave UWE. This creates a break in transmission between different 

environments. 

Cleaning staff are undertaking extra cleaning of public surfaces 

such as handrails. You can help by cleaning down counters and 

shared keyboards, workstations etc within your Faculty/Service. 

Surface wipes (Purell Sanitising Wipes tub) are provided for this 

purpose. These contain alcohol in a formulation to which the flu 

virus is susceptible. They also have an antibacterial action. Although 

intended/manufactured for use as hand wipes they are suitable and 

safe for use as surface wipes. 

For more information about obtaining and ordering cleaning supplies 

for your Faculty or Service, please see the University’s Staff FAQ page. 

If you need to report a soap dispenser, hand gel or hand towel in a 

public area (hallways, toilets etc) which needs refilling or replacing, 

you can do so at cleaning@uwe.ac.uk. 

For other information about the University's pandemic flu response, 

please see www.uwe.ac.uk/flu. 

31

NEWS 

Coach Club - Forthcoming Trips 

As you all know, in 2010 the Staff Association is celebrating 

its 40th Anniversary and as part of that the Coach Club will 

also be offering some special offers on trips over the next few 

months. Look out for these bargains! 

Saturday 28 November 2009 

Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre 

(waiting list applies) 

Special Cost: £14 Members, £15 Guests (Child price available on 

request) 

We have received requests to repeat this trip that was put on in 

2007. As before Ludlow Castle will be bustling with medieval 

entertainers, minstrels and traders with plenty of goodies to spend 

your hard-earned groats on!! 

NEW – Saturday 23 January 2010 

Tavistock Pannier Market and Cream Tea 

Special Cost: £10.50, Members, £11.50 Guests plus optional Cream 

Tea £4.00 

The main focus of this trip is the market which has operated in 

Tavistock for over 900 years moving to the present buildings in 1864 

and now having well over 100 stalls. There is also shopping in the 

town, including a Farmers’ Market in Bedford Square in front of the 

impressive crenellated Town Hall, plus the original statue of Sir Walter 

Raleigh who is thought to have been born in the area. The statue 

at Plymouth Hoe is a copy! We should have 3-4 hours in Tavistock 

before leaving to drive across Dartmoor to The East Dart Inn where 

we will stop for an optional cream tea. The cream tea is £4.00 per 

person and there is an alternative of apple crumble at the same price. 

Both include tea or coffee. 

Saturday 5 December 2009 

Reading – Christmas Shopping 

Special Cost: £9.50 Members, £10.50 Guests 

We normally have our shopping trip in November but as the Ludlow 

Fayre was early we have had to swop them around. We have not 

visited Reading before – it has a lot to offer apart from shopping 

in The Oracle (high fashion) and Broad St Mall (general high street 

stores) and many other streets (full of shops), such as sight seeing, 

historical houses, museums or a stroll along the river. Plenty to occupy 

you for the full day all at your own leisure time! 

Your request for seats on any trip will only be provisional until full 

payment or deposit is received and will not be held indefinitely 

without it. If we have a waiting list those seats may be offered to 

others. 

If you are interested in any of the above please contact us through 

the following channels only:- Coachclub@uwe.ac.uk, Tel: 0117 32 

83001 

Bookings or payments sent elsewhere or through other means may 

be delayed and result in bookings or payments being too late and 

your places not being held! 

The School of Health and Social Care co-hosted the Iolanthe 

Midwifery Trust award ceremony in September. The Iolanthe 

Midwifery Trust is the only UK based charity whose remit is 

to support midwifery practice research. Each year the Trust 

supports practising midwives by awarding bursaries and travel 

to allow them to explore and develop midwifery practice. 

Pictured at this year’s award ceremony (l to r) are Anna Kent, 

Rhona Shrestha, Katy MacIntosh, Professor Billie Hunter, Cathy 

Ashwin, Alison Taylor. 

Iolanthe Midwifery Trust approached the School of Health and 

Social Care to co-host the event as they had successfully supported 

a PhD student at the school, Mary Stewart. Mary provided an 

overview of her research on ‘Midwives’ discourses on vaginal 

examination in labour’. The event provided an opportunity for 

heads of midwifery departments in the South West and South 

Wales, NHS colleagues and Health and Social Care midwifery staff 

to network and renew their established working relationships. 

32


Concert Series 


Belshazzar’s Feast William Walton 

Andrew Greenan - Baritone, Ian Holmes - Conductor 

Fanfare for 40 Brass Hull World Première 

Finlandia Op 26 Sibelius 

Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor Op 26 Bruch 

Emil Huckle-Kleve - Violin, Roger Huckle - Conductor 

Main Hall, 18.00 

Pre-concert talk with Dr Adrian Hull 

(Lecturer in Performing Arts at UWE) 

The Colston Hall, Bristol 

Saturday 24 April 2010, 19.30 

Presenting the 

massed choruses of 

UWE Singers 

Chew Valley Choral Society 

Colston’s School Choral Society 

Clifton Singers 

and members of 

Bristol Choral Society 

with the 

UWE Symphony Orchestra 

Lydbrook Band 

City of Bristol Brass Band 

Tickets £10-£15 (£1-£10 concs), 

£1 children 12 years and under (excludes £15 seats) 

UWE Online Store https://store.uwe.ac.uk 

Colston Hall Booking Line 0117 922 3686 

Centre for Performing Arts 0117 32 82067 

WISE UP! make a date with 

us and learn something new! 

New 2 hour courses running every night and weekend at the WISE 

Campus, Stoke Gifford... THE COLLEGE ON YOUR DOORSTEP! 

Free to all 16-18 year olds and those on benefits 

Unlimited Classes - 7 days a week! 

Attend as many sessions as you like for only 

£50 joining fee per term* 

Bring a friend and membership only £25 each!** 

Pay-as-you-go option: only £3.50 per session 

Enjoy your break-times at the Hub Cafe 

Fully licensed bar area with Sky TV 

Choose from: Music, Drama, Tap Dancing, Beauty, 

Massage, Aromatherapy, Self -Defence, Fine Art, Ceramics, 

Pilates, Theatre, Fashion, IT Skills, Singing, Garden Design, 

Boxercise, Photoshop and even Tarot Reading 

...plus many, many more fast track courses! 

speedlearning 

@WISE Campus, Filton College 

Disclaimer 

1. *Courses will run term-time and will be subject to availability. 

2. £50 Joining fee is for one term only and is renewable each 

term. 3. **Fee will be reduced to £25 each when introducing 

a friend as a new member. 4. No reduction in £50 joining fee for 

joining mid term or cancellation of membership. 5. Attend unlimited classes 7 days a week, however if class 

numbers drop below 5, the class will not run and an alternative will need to be considered. 

0117 919 2602 www.filton.ac.uk speedlearning@filton.ac.uk 

WISE Campus, New Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS34 8LP 



hello+ 

welcome 

Liven up your lunchtime 

Forty Minutes 

The Octagon 

Frenchay Campus 

12.40-13.20 

From stage to song, dance to drama, liven 

up your lunchtime by attending one of 

these free events brought to you by the 


Free Admission 

Tuesday 29 September 2009 

Tuesday 27 October 2009 

Tuesday 24 November 2009 

Tuesday 26 January 2010 

Tuesday 23 February 2010 

Tuesday 23 March 2010 

Tuesday 27 April 2010 

Tuesday 25 May 2010 


Telephone 0117 32 82067 

E-mail cpa@uwe.ac.uk 

UWE Open Days 

Saturday 6 February 2010 

Register online 

www.uwe.ac.uk 

UWE 09/01d 

33 

2068 M&C uwe10/01d.indd 1 20/10/09 09:44:21

NEWS 

Centre for Sport News 

Facilities at the new 

Wallscourt Farm gym 

New Wallscourt Farm Gym Open 

The Centre for Sport’s new Wallscourt Farm Gym and squash 

courts opened on 26 October. Staff are welcome to visit the 

new facility to see what it has to offer. 

The new facility provides an alternative to the main Centre for 

Sport gym - members can use either gym at no extra cost. 

With the majority of students currently using the main gym at 

the Centre for Sport, the new Wallscourt Farm gym will help 

spread the load of members across both facilities. 

The gym has 10 brand new ‘Life Fitness’ resistance machines 

along with a wide selection of cardiovascular equipment. 

Fitness instructors will be on hand to help members with their 

health and fitness goals while they work out. 

Directions: 

On the new UWE campus land next to the Old Farmhouse. 

Pedestrian access is available from Frenchay Campus. 

Opening hours: 

12.00 – 20.00 Monday to Friday during term time. 

Parking: 

Available to staff members during their visit (please sign in at 

Newland gatehouse on arrival). 

Memberships available from just £10.41 per month via staff 

payment plan 

For further information or to join contact the Centre for Sport 

on 0117 32 86200. 

Physiotherapy and sports massage 

Why Physiotherapy? 

Injuries are very common and we all suffer from them from time 

to time. How we treat our injuries is important, as it makes a 

difference to how we manage in the future. A poorly healed 

injury can restrict our ability to do things or cause long term pain. 

Why massage? 

Sports massage is a deep form of soft tissue massage used 

to treat physically active individuals, who may be vulnerable 

to injury because of the stresses placed on their body. Sports 

massage is particularly good in the pre-event situation, 

whether your needs are for relaxation or stimulation, and in 

post-event relaxation and recovery. You should find massage 

relaxing and therapeutic. 

The Centre for Sport Injury Clinic offers a professional 

Physiotherapist, Sports Therapist and Sports Masseuse available 

for staff, students and members of the community. 

The clinic is located within the main Centre for Sport on 

Frenchay Campus. 

Clinic opening times: 

Monday 08.00-20.00 

Tuesday 09.00-19.30 

Wednesday 08.30-20.00 

Thursday 08.30-21.00 

Friday 09.00-18.00 

UWE – Social lunch time touch rugby 

Calling male and female players (staff and students) of all 

abilities who would be interested in playing a social game of 

lunchtime touch rugby. If you are interested in resurrecting 

your old rugby skills, eager to learn a new sport, meet new 

people or just looking for some exercise during lunch come 

along and join in. The game is played from 12.00 – 13.00 on 

Thursdays at Centre for Sport, Frenchay Campus. 

Cost: £2 per session. 

Please wear trainers or shoes designed for artificial surfaces, 

definitely no football boots or blades. 

For further details please contact Sam.Wallwork@uwe.ac.uk at 

Centre for Sport. 

For more information, or to book a consultation, please call 

Gael Barnes at the Clinic on: 0117 32 86209 or e-mail: Gael. 

Barnes@uwe.ac.uk 

Centre for Sport 

Christmas opening times: 

Thursday 24 December - Open from 07.30 -14.00 

Friday 25 December - Sunday 3 January inclusive closed 

Monday 4 January - Reverts to normal opening hours

Staff Ads 

Adverts up to a maximum of 50 words can be placed in the Bulletin by staff for free by 

e-mailing Kate.Mooney@uwe.ac.uk. 

French holiday home in Vendée town of 

Aizenay, West France. 15 minutes from the 

coast and golf courses, sleeps 10, fully equipped 

from £300 per week. For further details and dvd 

contact 01454 850698. 

10 per cent discount at Blackwell! UWE staff 

get 10 per cent discount from the Blackwell 

bookshop on campus. Browse our wide range 

of books, stationery, CDs, DVDs, cards and gifts. 

Sign up to Blackwell Rewards and save pounds. 

We can order any book not in stock. Visit us or 

call 82414. 

Holiday home to let, Auvergne, France. 

Available all year round in the beautiful and 

unspoilt wooded mountains of the Puy de Dome. 

An independent gite in a tranquil rural location 

with private garden. Ideal for children and dogs. 

Sleeps four. Ideal for a “slow”, away-from-it-all 

holiday with wonderful walking and mountainbiking. 

www.slowholidays-auvergne.com 

Holiday home to let, France, Dordogne 

Region, near town of Eymet. Farmhouse, 

set within two acres (with orchard), four 

double bedrooms, swimming pool (12 x 5), 

outside bbq area, very picturesque - visit www. 

my-eymetexperience.com or e-mail Kath_ 

Feltham@hotmail.com 

Plumber – Bristol based: No job too big 

or small. Willing to travel within Bristol and 

surrounding area. Very competitive rates. Call 

Andy on 07880 542 859. 

Local AA franchised driving instructor with a 

pass rate of over 80 per cent. Discount of 10 per 

cent offered to UWE staff and students. Learners, 

eco-driving, refresher and motorway lessons 

available. Pick up/return to any Bristol address 

including UWE campuses. Contact Phil on 07970 

127 162 or 0117 9619032. 

For sale Car Stereo. SONY CDX – GT424U. FM/ 

MW/LW Compact Disc Player with quick browser 

Front USB, Front AUX. Christmas present for old 

car last year (cost £100). Taken out when sold 

4 May. Offers over £50. Contact: Lisa O’Brien 

on 0117 32 83457 or Mobile: 07867 906163 

(21293 from UWE exchange). Lisa.OBrien@uwe. 

ac.uk 

House for Sale - Downend, Bristol. £187500. 

Victorian terraced house for sale comprising of 

two double bedrooms, lounge, kitchen-diner, 

bathroom, gas central heating, double glazed 

throughout, off-street parking and South-West 

facing rear garden. Within walking distance of 

all local amenities and just four miles from UWE. 

Please call: 07811 702 693 

Tang Soo Do Martial Arts Classes - learn self 

defence, improve fitness and confidence. Families 

and beginners welcome. Contact Victoria.Nash@ 

uwe.ac.uk for further details. 

Flooring Innovations: Domestic and 

Commercial floor laying. Tiles, vinyl and laminate, 

all types of work undertaken. Please contact 

Colin Doran on 0117 9372589 or 07989 558 

545 or e-mail flooringinnovations@yahoo.co.uk. 

Bulletin deadlines 

Month/Issue 

Jan/73 

Feb/74 

March/75 

Copy deadline 

4 Jan 

1 Feb 

1 March 

what'son 

www.uwe.ac.uk 

Music and Munch 

Date: Every Monday until 14 December 2009 

Time: 12.30-13.30 

Venue: The Octagon, Frenchay Campus 

A weekly opportunity to hear recorded or 

live music from UWE students 

Contact: Wellbeing and Spirituality 

Telephone: 0117 32 82334 Email: 

wellbeingandspirituality@uwe.ac.uk 

For more information visit: htp://www.uwe. 

ac.uk/advice/wellbeingandspirituality 

Tai Chi 

Date: Every Tuesday until 1 December 2009 

Time: 17.00-18.00 





For more information visit: http://www.uwe. 


i-con Lunch 

Date: Every Thursday until 17 December 2009 

Time: 12.00-14.00 


A chance for International Conversation 

(ICON) with students from around the world 

and an opportunity to buy tickets to BISC 

events. 






Spiritual Reflection 

Date: Every Thursday until 17 December 2009 

Time: 12.30-13.30 


This is a weekly opportunity to share silence 

or thoughts and to rest during the middle 

of the day. 






Catholic Mass 

Date: Every Tuesday until 17 December 2009 

Time: 17.00-18.00 


A weekly mass held by Father Tom Finnegan 

for Catholic Christians. 






Sharing Space 

Date: Every Wednesday until 16 December 

2009 

Time: 14.00-15.30 


This is an opportunity to meet other 

students and share your experiences/ 

challenges of being at university. 

Contact: Jenni Horsfall Email: 


Wellbeing Meditation 

Date: Second Wednesday in the month until 

9 December 2009 

Time: 12.00-13.00 







To submit a UWE event 

to the Bulletin please 

use the form at 

www.uwe.ac.uk/events

what'son 

NEWS 

www.uwe.ac.uk 

157 Autumn Exhibition 

Date: 1 November 2009 - 13 December 2009 

Time: 10.00-17.30 (Monday-Saturday), 

14.00-17.00 (Sunday) 

Venue: Royal West of England Academy, 

Bristol 

Admission: £4 (£2 concessions) Contact: 

Royal West of England Academy Telephone: 

0117 973 5129 Email: info@rwa.org.uk 

For more information visit: http://www.rwa. 

org.uk 

Bath Christmas Markets 

Date: 26 November 2009 - 6 December 2009 

Venue: Bath Abbey square 

For more information visit: http://www. 

bathchristmasmarket.co.uk/ 

World Aids Day 

Date: 1 December 2009 


joinred.com 

Feel Good Festival 

Date: 2 December 2009 

UWE Festive Farmers Market 

Date: 2 December 2009 (Time: 10.00-15.00) 

Venue: Courtyard outside Main Reception, 

Frenchay campus 


ac.uk/environment/farmersmarket/index.shtml 

Department of History Research 

Seminars 

Date: 2 December 2009 (Time: 17.30) 

Dr Lesley Hall, Senior Archivist at the 

Wellcome Library 

Venue: Room Mo30, St Matthias Campus 

'Interwar British women pushing at the 

boundaries: or, Beyond the paradigm of 

“Me Tarzan, You Jane, Let's Make Babies”' 

Admission: Free Contact: Peter Wardley 

Email: peter.wardley@uwe.ac.uk 


ac.uk/hlss/history 

Sculptural Reconfigured Narratives / 

Book Block / Building Block 

Date: 4 December 2009 (Time: 9.30 - 16.30) 

Guy Begbie 

Venue: Centre for Fine Print Research, 

Bower Ashton Campus 

A Masterclass to transform library discards 

using binding and paper engineering 

techniques to create open and closed kinetic 

book constructions. 

Admission: £125/£100 concessions Contact: 

Marketing and External Relations Team 

Telephone: 0117 32 84810 Email: sca.cpd@ 

uwe.ac.uk 


ac.uk/sca/courses/sculp_reconfig_cpd.shtml 

A Feast for Winter: Beethoven Mass in C 


Venue: Bristol Cathedral, College Green 

The UWE Symphony Orchestra and Singers 

Winter Concert. Tickets available from the 

UWE Online Store: https://store.uwe.ac.uk 

and MusicBox: 01275 349010 

Admission: £5-10 (£4-6 conc), £1 

accompanied 12 and under Contact: Centre 

for Performing Arts Telephone: 0117 32 

82067 Email: cpa@uwe.ac.uk. For more 

information visit: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/cpa 

Introduction to Laser Cutting course 

Date: 8 December 2009 (Time: 09.30 - 16.30) 

Tom Sowden 

Venue: Centre for Fine Print Research, 

Bower Ashton Campus 

Admission: £125/£100 concessions Contact: 

Marketing and External Relations Team 

Telephone: 0117 32 84810 Email: sca.cpd@uwe. 

ac.uk. For more information visit: http://www. 

uwe.ac.uk/sca/courses/intro_lasercut.shtml 

UWE Students’ Union Snow Ball 

Date: 8 December 2009 - 9 December 2009 

Time: 19.00-2.00 

UWE Students' Union 


uwesu.org 

Text Talk - Judaism 








Octagon Seminar Series: Wellbeing 



Contact: Wellbeing & Spirituality 





Chamber Choir and Brass Consort in 

concert 


Venue: Great Hall, Berkeley Castle, 

Gloucestershire 

Ticket price includes a glass of wine and 

a mince pie. Admission: £12 (public), £10 

(friends of Berkeley Castle) Contact: Centre 

for Performing Arts Telephone: 0117 32 

82067 Email: cpa@uwe.ac.uk. For more 

information visit: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/cpa 

Big Band in concert 


Venue: Llanishen High School, Cardiff 

Admission: tbc Contact: Centre for 

Performing Arts Telephone: 0117 32 82067 

Email: cpa@uwe.ac.uk. For more information 

visit: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/cpa 

Challenges in Human-Assistive Robotics 

Date: 14 December 2009 (Time: 18.30 for 

19.00 start) 

Dr Tony Pipe, Bristol Robotics Laboratory 

Venue: Lecture theatre 1N5, Frenchay 

Campus 

Admission: Free Contact: Olly Wells 

Telephone: 0117 933 4788 Email: owells@ 

theiet.org 


theiet.org/bristol 

Student Experience Seminar: 

Reflections on the National Student 

Survey - Implications for Practice 

Date: 16 December 2009 (Time: 13.00-14.30 

(buffet 12.30-13.00)) 

Hosted by Jonathan Bradley 

Venue: Room 4E13, Frenchay Campus 

Admission: Free Contact: Isabel Cooke 

Telephone: 0117 32 81551 Email: isabel. 

cooke@uwe.ac.uk 

UWE Service of Nine Lessons and Carols 


Venue: Bristol Cathedral, College Green 

The annual Christmas Carol concert with the 

University Singers, Orchestra and Chamber 

Choir. 


service Telephone: 0117 32 82334 Email: 

faithandspirituality@uwe.ac.uk 


ac.uk/advice/faithandspirituality/ 

The IET Christmas Lecture: RoboThespian 

- Automating the Acting Professional 

Date: 18 December 2009 (Time: 17.30 for 

18.00) Will Jackson, Engineered Arts Ltd 

Venue: Lecture theatre 2B020, Frenchay Campus 

Admission: Free Contact: Olly Wells, the 

IET Bristol Telephone: 0117 933 4788 Email: 

owells@theiet.org 


theiet.org/bristol 

Student Experience Seminar: Hearing 

the Student Voice 

Date: 20 January 2010 (Time: 13.00-14.30 

(buffet 12.30-13.00) 

Hosted by Jonathan Bradley 

Admission: Free Contact: Isabel Cooke 

Telephone: 0117 32 81551 Email: isabel. 

cooke@uwe.ac.uk 

Forty Minutes 

Date: 26 January 2010 (Time: 12.40-13.20) 


CPA lunchtime event. 

Admission: FREE Contact: Centre for 

Performing Arts Telephone: 0117 32 82067 

Email: cpa@uwe.ac.uk 


ac.uk/cpa 

Graphic Design Team MC911 

UWE, BRISTOL F.11.09 

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November 2009 - University of the West of England

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