A flourishing estate

The University’s estates strategy – 2030+ place, purpose and community – recognises that the physical form the institution takes will need to support our strategic direction for many years to come, creating flexible and agile campuses to respond to ever changing strategic needs and challenges.

The strategy developed in 2021–22 aims to deliver benefits for staff, students and the wider community with a focus on delivering our 5Cs of estate consolidation, coherence, colocation, co–dependencies and effective communication.

There was significant uncertainty due to the Covid–19 pandemic but with the changing rules and gradual return to normality, the University adapted quickly to the requirements of staff and students.

The Deiniol building, which is home to the University’s Digital Services team, is being developed supported by funding from HEFCW into a digitally enabled flexible teaching hub serving the Science Campus and the University as a whole. The two main elements of the project are creation of large bookable suites for PC–based teaching accommodating 200 work stations and a flexible teaching and learning hub for non–PC based teaching but with enhanced digital infrastructure with a capacity for 200 students.

Work on renewing the student Activities Hub in the Ffriddoedd Building was completed in September 2021. This reinvigorated space and remodelled an area for the Students’ Union clubs and societies.

In March 2022, HEFCW awarded £3.2m additional capital grant funding, of which £2m was allocated for works associated with maintenance, equipment and other developments that support the University’s sustainability strategy and commitment and transition to net zero.

Public Realm

The University’s outer quad of the Main Arts building is being landscaped as part of a £1.5m public realm scheme to provide an enjoyable and tranquil pedestrian area through the removal of vehicles and provision of seating, planting, and lighting.

An exciting vision for a revitalised and welcoming College Park, supported by Gwynedd Council and Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns scheme, is coming to fruition, transforming the prominent green space in the city into a vibrant and exciting place of education and enjoyment for the wider community. The work includes creating space to introduce new activities, pathway improvements, opening up the views, encouraging better tree growth and enhancing biodiversity in the area.

Support for Ukraine

Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine the University offered support to the Welsh Government and as part of its super sponsor scheme, one of our halls of residence was repurposed in April 2022. Working in partnership with Gwynedd Council, the Welsh Government, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Clwyd Alyn, a local social housing provider, more than 80 Ukrainian refugees were offered a place of sanctuary in Bangor.

Treborth Botanic Garden

Treborth Botanic Garden furthers the conservation, sustainable use and enjoyment of plants and the natural world through education, research, training and community engagement. The threats of climate change and the loss of plant biodiversity are global in scale and effect, and the Garden’s marine and terrestrial habitats, native and exotic collections, above and below–ground laboratories, nature reserve designation and public recreational status, offer a perfect local microcosm for the study of environmental processes and the dissemination of learning for a sustainable future.

A botanic garden is about much more than its plants. Treborth is increasingly acting as a meeting place for the natural and social sciences, for formal and informal education and for outreach to all communities of interest. As the world changes, the Garden will adapt to new challenges in imaginative and exciting ways that contribute to the solution of problems of environmental conservation and natural resources management.

Funds from the Friends of Treborth and the estate maintenance budget enabled a new education and workshop building to support access to the Gardens. The garden was awarded £10,000 from HEFCW through its Health and Wellbeing fund which supports regular yoga and mindfulness sessions, bushcraft activities in the Forest School and wellness walks through the woodland and down to the water’s edge for students. It has also funded an extension to our oak gazebo project which is being led by Wild Elements.

Friends of Treborth Botanic Garden has a membership of more than 400 people with a 40–strong core volunteering team who in 2021–22 provided 8,500 hours of work, including practical gardening, contributing to strategic planning and garden design, managing plant records, archiving and managing the library and its database, advising staff, applying for grants, supporting the membership through production of a newsletter three times a year, arranging plant sales and other events, and growing plants at home.

The garden also hosted four student internships and a one–year student placement in collaboration with the Bangor Employability Award. This year the students joined the team to assist with the day–to–day horticulture, biodiversity action plans for the University, and cataloguing our ever–growing carnivorous collection.

Pontio Arts Centre

Building an infrastructure that can be used flexibly, now and in the future, is a key objective in the University’s Estates strategy. Our approach also recognises that innovative design and the use of modern furniture solutions can significantly impact the use of space and how it can be configured, creating magnetic and sticky spaces that will attract staff and students and enhance their experience and enjoyment.

Bangor’s innovative and stylishly contemporary Pontio Arts Centre has increasingly become a hub for a wide range of formal and informal learning in addition to its role as a public centre for arts and culture. As a modern, spacious, airy building, this wonderful asset has been the focus of innovative enhancements to maximise its benefits for users and visitors.

In addition, following disruptions caused by Covid–19 re–engaging with audiences through live events and face–to–face participatory activity has been a focus for Pontio and, demonstrating demand, opening the doors once again culminated in the sale of 35,434 tickets, covering 379 events, alongside 1067 screenings at the cinema in 2021–22.

Pontio has run several successful projects, events and community engagement initiatives, including the launch of Gŵyl Goncrit, a programme with a breadth of outdoor performances across dance, musical theatre, contemporary music, classical music, theatre and participatory activity.

A project born out of pandemic lockdowns was the Home and Hinterland/ Adra a Chynefin project. Funded by HEFCW, this was a joint project across the trio of university arts centres at Bangor, Aberystwyth and Swansea. A unique project involving students, artists and community groups collaborated in a very moving and powerful performance at Bangor University’s Theatre Bryn Terfel. 150 students were employed on the project providing them with a valuable experience of professional practice.

BLAS, a core participatory strand led by Mared Huws alongside regular theatre classes have also led exciting projects. A book club project with North Wales Africa Society, an ongoing project with Pobl i Bobl Bangor who work with refugees re–homed in Bangor from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria have been highlights. Other projects include Dance for Parkinson’s, a project with National Dance Company Wales and English National Ballet who provide dance classes for people living with dementia.

On Pontio’s stages, there have been many highlights, including Hijinx’s Unity Festival that presented work by artists with learning disabilities, and Wales’s national arts organisations including Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, National Theatre Wales, Ballet Cymru, Welsh National Opera and National Dance Company Wales. Local talent also shared the stage including Côr Seiriol’s anniversary concert, Bangor’s West End Academy, Maes–G Showzone and Coleg Menai.

Pontio aligns its activity to Welsh Government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. Providing joy and laughter is a vital part of this and comedy has been a strong part of our post–pandemic programme, with Kiri Prichard–McLean, Nish Kumar and Ed Byrne all performing at Pontio. Cinema audiences gradually returned too with a combination of commercial hits, independent and artistic films, alongside talks and panel discussions.