Agenda Volume 3 - Methodist Conference

57. The Fruitful Field Project
together, drawing on the strengths of
a single staff team and the resources
of a common campus and support
team. The benefits include a synergy
between different activities, which
fosters mutual dependence within a
single staff team and which enables
interaction and interdependence
among different learners; (d) Cliff
College’s valued and peaceful
location, complementing the Queen’s
Foundation’s location within a global,
diverse, multi-cultural and multi-faith
city.
240.2 The Committee was confident that
centres at Cliff College and the
Queen’s Foundation would be able
to provide a home and a gathering
place for communities of students
and learners (resident and visiting,
full-time and part-time), guests and
staff (teaching and research staff;
administrative staff; domestic and
maintenance staff; and visiting
colleagues from across the
Network), including through providing
residential hospitality for short and
longer periods of time. In terms of
their particular contribution to the
Network, the Committee highlights
the following: (a) Cliff College’s
recent renovation of 34 en-suite
rooms and three self-contained flats
within its main building, its recent
successful planning application to
build a new 20-room en-suite facility,
and its costed rolling programme
for upgrading all of the facilities
on the campus; (b) the space for
further future development in the
central area of the Cliff College
campus; (c) although there is
a need for improvement to the
Queen’s Foundation’s residential
accommodation and its ecological
footprint, there is no need for
major new building projects to
improve the campus there, and a
cash endowment exists within the
Foundation’s funds which could meet
a significant portion of the costs of
renovations; (d) Cliff College and
the Queen’s Foundation offer two
campuses which can already be
used without the need for major
new building projects, which would
absorb energy and result in a
longer implementation period. In
this context, the Committee noted
the developmental work, the very
significant capital expenditure and the
consequent dislocation which would
be likely to be required to provide a
similar, sustainable gathering place
either at Wesley House, Cambridge or
at the Wesley Study Centre, Durham.
240.3 The Committee was confident that
centres at Cliff College and the
Queen’s Foundation would be able
(through their structures, resources
and partnerships) to connect
with partners across the World
Church. In terms of their particular
contribution to the Network, the
Committee highlights the following:
(a) Cliff College’s work through its
International Training Centre. The
Centre’s current programme in Nigeria
is supporting 510 students over the
6-year duration of the programme; (b)
in addition to the work of the Selly
Oak Centre for Mission Studies at the
Conference Agenda 2012 743