Ambleside Newsletter - April 2024

AMBLESIDE CAMPUS NEWSLETTER

this ISSUE

Vice Chancellor Welcome

Student Network Coordinator Welcome

End of year surveys - a final reminder for completion

The Armitt museum and library

Student services good news & results from this year

Key campus notices

2023-24 staff news highlights

2023-24 student news highlights

2023-24 community news highlights

Tuesday 7 May 2024 Cultural landscapes event

union update

Vice Chancellor Welcome

Welcome to the sixth issue of the Ambleside campus newsletter, and the final for this academic year.

As we near the end of the academic year for the programmes on our Ambleside campus, I would like to take this opportunity to thank student representatives, students and colleagues for all their contributions in supporting us to enhance campus activities and environment. I hope like me you are pleased with the progress made this year and look forward to developing our programme of activities further.

This newsletter issue celebrates just some of the many positive stories we have seen this academic year, highlighting the accomplishments and achievements of both our staff and students. For example, in December, it was fantastic to see some of our second year Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship students in Ambleside raising awareness and giving donations for Mission Christmas and Windermere Food Bank. Additionally, the students for biodiversity group in Ambleside have worked tirelessly this academic year to action the points on their biodiversity management plan previously produced for the campus. The impact our students have had this year has been amazing, so thank you!

To name a couple of the staff success stories in Ambleside, our inaugural professor lecture series commenced with Professor Volker Deecke presenting “A sound approach to killer whale conservation” in March. In addition to this, in Autumn, Associate Professor Dr Penny Bradshaw published a brand new literary walking guide to Carlisle, starting at the shores of the River Eden before touring key locations in Carlisle, including the Cathedral.

Scattered throughout the year, we have seen many of our university alumni come back to visit our Ambleside campus. It was fantastic to read about the 100 attendees at our Ambleside Alumni Open Day in late October, in addition to smaller groups visiting at other points through the year.

On that note, we look forward to our July 2024 graduation ceremonies whereby many of our current third year students will be graduating at our ceremonies in Carlisle Cathedral. We look forward to welcoming you to the cathedral to celebrate your achievements and award.

Finally, I extend my warmest wishes to our Ambleside students, community and staff for a safe and joyful summer break, whether you’re spending it in the Lake District or elsewhere.

Professor Julie Mennell Vice Chancellor

Student network coordinator welcome

Did anyone see that academic year that has just flown past? I think if you blinked, you probably missed it!

This issue (number 6) of the Ambleside newsletter is the last for the 2023-24 academic year and, unfortunately, the last for me as student network coordinator ahead of moving to our Carlisle campus to take up a new position.

There has been so much to celebrate this academic year and I hope you enjoy reading some of the staff, student and community highlights in this issue. In addition to this, our campus manager Rob Wilson and resident life officer Abby Clarke will take part in our “Get to Know Article”.

It was brilliant to read and view many pictures from the Students’ Union celebration event in the Station Hotel, Carlisle, last month and to see the attendance of many of our Ambleside students. A full update from the students’ union and a synopsis of this event specifically can be seen on page 14.

I wish you all the very best in the coming weeks as we move rapidly towards the Summer vacation period and hope your assignments don’t stop you from getting outside too much…make sure you make the most of the dry summer days in the Lake District as they are few and far between!

Have a wonderful Summer holiday when the time arrives and my very best wishes to you all.

Max Young

Student network coordinator

End of University surveys - a final reminder for completion

National Student Survey (NSS)

A final reminder that the National Student Survey 2024 is still open – but it closes at midnight on 30 April.

If you are eligible to complete the survey, this is your last chance to do so. Access the survey at www.thestudentsurvey.com or through the invitation email you were sent on 8 February 2024

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey is a national survey of postgraduate taught students, inviting them to comment on their course and experience. Eligible students will have been sent an email around 18 March, inviting them to complete the survey.

We are encouraging our postgraduate students to complete the survey before 17 May to help us to understand what we are doing well, and what we can do better. Further details on the survey can be found on our Student Voice pages. Thank you for your support in this important student voice activity.

THE ARMITT museum & library

Welcome from the Manager

I hope many of you are aware that at the bottom of the University campus, nestled at the driveway entrance is The Armitt museum and library. Here we share the stories of Ambleside people, industry and the wider Lakeland world. Our collection encompasses a range of material from artwork and archaeology to books and letters with much more in-between. We have changing exhibitions each year and a regular events programme incorporating talks, workshops, walks and family activities. This year we are focusing on Kurt Schwitters portraits, fell running and Beatrix Potter's fungi studies.

The Armitt has been fortunate to be associated with some key individuals over time, both historically and through its contemporary collecting. We have items related to the Armitt sisters, Beatrix Potter, Kurt Schwitters, Charlotte Mason and Harriet Martineau to name just a few.

We are delighted to have close connections with the university and its students, both for study and for volunteering. The opportunities to get involved with our activities are numerous, including projects, events, presentations, and book launches. We also have a quiet study space available with free Wi-Fi and access to our library and archive collections to which students are welcome to use.

On behalf of the team, I look forward to welcoming you to The Armitt on your next visit.

Faye Morrissey Manager & Curator

“I've been volunteering at the Armitt since October last year which has been a great thing to do alongside the MA. I have had the chance to help develop a heritage tour of Ambleside with fellow volunteer Anne, which will hopefully launch in the summer of this year. I've learnt so much more about the history of Ambleside, venturing into places in the town I wouldn't otherwise have visited”.

Hannah Jennison MA student in Literature, Romanticism and the Lake District

“For me, The Armitt has been an excellent source of information and encouragement during my studies. Everyone at the museum has been supportive, and they're always asking me what I've been reading, and if I need anything from the library. I wholeheartedly recommend accessing the collection to anyone interested in Cumbria and the Lake District”.

Kathryn Twelvetree MA student in Literature, Romanticism and the Lake District who works part-time at the armitt

Student Services Good news & Results from this year

Enhancement weeks

There has been a 194% increase in student engagement with enhancement week from 2022 to 2024. Some student feedback highlights are:

“I attended all the skills workshops on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. They were direct and to the point. Topics was presented confidently and the tutor was engaging and made us all take part in the activities. Overall, they were excellent.”

“You all have been extremely helpful, and the service provided by the Skills Team has been exceptional. Once again massive thank you to you all.”

Student Enquiry Point

Thanks to all those that took part in the student survey in December 2023. We had lots of really useful feedback about the Student Enquiry Point online form. 86% of students feel that the support areas covered by the form meet their needs, 79% found the form easy to find & 88% were satisfied with a quick response.

While recognising there is still room for improvement, it's great to see the online support being so widely accessed and satisfaction ratings high.

Wellbeing Hub

Following some work developing our Mental Health and Wellbeing pages and the creation of a Wellbeing Hub for students it’s been very gratifying to see visitors to the pages increase over the past year. Page visits are up by 71% on the previous year.

We hope that this increased traffic will have a positive impact on the general wellbeing of our UoC student community. For more information on the support offered by the Mental Health and Wellbeing team, scan the QR code.

Tuesday 17:15 - 18:15

Students for biodiversity Fitness Pilates

Franklin (CMB)

Savannah

Vinyasa flow yoga

Thursday 17:15 - 18:00

Leadership Centre (CMB)

Rachel

The students for biodiversity group have made brilliant progress so far this calendar year in the instigation of the biodiversity management plan.

If you are interested in supporting the implementation of this plan in any way, please contact ambcampusmanagemebt@cumbria.ac.uk and we will add you to our announcements board.

2023-24 Staff news Highlights

DR PENNY BRADSHAW - LITERARY WALK

In Autumn of this academic year, Dr Penny Bradshaw celebrated the publication of her walking tour of Carlisle. This was the third literary walking tour published by Penny, following her tour of Lancaster (2016) and Ambleside (2021). Penny joined a team led by Lancaster University academic Professor Simon Bainbridge for the recording of three short films that recreate historic climbs by literary figures inspired by the Lake District.

PROFESSOR VOLKER DEECKE

Following being awarded the title of Professor earlier this academic year, on Wednesday 20 March, Professor Volker Deecke presented his inaugural lecture to staff, students and external visitors in the lecture theatre at Ambleside.

Volker’s lecture, ‘A Sound Approach to Killer Whale Conservation: Understanding and Protecting the Ocean’s Top Predator’, presented the results of research using innovative digital recording tags to understand the foraging behaviour of mammalhunting and fish-eating killer whales in the Northeast Pacific.

NEW APPOINTMENT FOR STEVE

This April, we are delighted to celebrate the new position of current assistant estate manager for Ambleside, Steven Lucas-Jones, to his new appointment of central estates manager having oversight of our estate functions here in Ambleside and at our university development in Barrow.

Huge congratulations to you Steve.

2023-24 Student news highlights

STUDENTS SUPPORT THE SNOWY COMMUNITY

Back in early December 2023, a significant amount of snow fell over the south lakes area of Cumbria which led to a multi-agency response and the declaration of a major incident. Cumbria Police advised us not to travel into south lakes area. Ambleside was hit the most, with hundreds of people being stranded and many hotels and B&Bs were already full.

This resulted in the opening of emergency shelters at the Ambleside Parish Centre and St Mary's Church. Several of our Ambleside campus students, Hannah Tipping, Freya BirdLeakey, Kitty Nangle and Emmanuel Jones, helped some of those stranded individuals at the emergency shelters, or donated additional bedding and provisions.

Campus manager, Rob Wilson, received a thank you to our students from the Ambleside Parish Centre. This is a fine example of the impact our staff and students have on our local community in Ambleside.

EVENTS FROM THIS YEAR

This academic year, we were sad to have to scale down our annual Christmas fair due to the adverse weather conditions however, this caused our Ambleside student to come out in their masses for the Spring Fair in March. Congratulations to all of our prize winners and thank you to the students and staff who made this such a special event for all.

We are looking forward to welcoming staff and students who remain on campus for a Summer campus BBQ on Wednesday 1 May from 12:30. You can collect your voucher from the BBQ stall on the day.

STUDENTS FOR BIODIVERSITY ACTIONS, ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Our students for biodiversity group has been incredibly successful this academic year in actioning their management plan. Some recent achievements have been the laying of woodchip along footpaths on campus and the planning of the installation for a campus greenhouse to come over Summer 2024.

Thank you to the group and we look forward to seeing further developments throughout the summer and into the new academic year.

2023-24 Community news highlights

ALUMNI VISITS THIS YEAR

This academic year, we have seen several Alumni visits on the Ambleside campus. Saturday 28 October saw the Alumni Open Day with over 100 attendees from several year groups.

With visitors from the mid-1960s right up to just a few years ago, alumni and their families enjoyed a trip down memory lane with tours of the site with student ambassadors Shaun Sarath, Aidan Cross and Patience Frimpong as well as an opportunity to chat to staff, to share their memories and view old photos and artefacts.

In addition, on Wednesday 3 April, a group of six friends met on the Ambleside campus who were celebrating 30 years since they graduated in 1994.

MISSION CHRISTMAS 2023

In December, two groups of our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship students did an outstanding job to support our communities in the run up to Christmas.

One group decided to launch a ‘festive food drive’ to assist Windermere and District Foodbank in supporting local families, students and elderly communities who were under financial pressure during the 2023 festive period.

Another group of students in the same cohort created various drop-off points to support Mission Christmas, a scheme run by the charity Cash for Kids with the aim of providing children living in poverty with Christmas gifts.

Tuesday 7 May 2024

Cultural Landscapes Event

Join lecturer in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture at Edinburgh Napier University Dr Andrew Frayn as he gives a talk titled “'On the perimeter and fringe of war': Norman Nicholson's Cumbria and rural wartime”.

The talk will be held in the Percival Lecture Theatre on the Ambleside campus. Doors will open at 18:00 for an 18:30 start, due to finish at 20:00.

This talk is one of our monthly 'Cultural Landscapes' public events featuring guest speakers which take place during term-time. The talks are free to attend and all are welcome.

For some more information and to book your place, scan the QR code below.

Scan me

Upcoming staffing changes

Three new officers will represent you next year. Sima will be your academic officer and is based in Lancaster.

Tean and Alice will be your activities and welfare officers respectively and they will be based on the Ambleside campus.

Jo, who has been your campus activator, will be leaving us next week and our groups coordinator Grace will come on site two days a week instead.

Together, they will be around campus to support you to set up new groups, join old ones, run your own events and a lot more.

From September, they will all be based in Rigg Cottage so watch out for them on campus and pop in to say hi!

Welcome Week 2024

We are just beginning to plan some activities for the first week of term. You can help us by e-mailing us your ideas!

Katia.riley@cumbria.ac.uk

Is there anything in particular that you would have liked to see but did not get?

Should there be some activities in week 2 of welcome and if so, what type?

UCSU Awards 2024

The Awards took place this year at the Station Hotel in Carlisle on Friday 22 March. It was really great to see some Ambleside students there and hopefully we will see more of you next year!

Congratulations to the bushcraft society on winning the Inspire Award.

Thank you

On behalf of the campus community, thank you to the 202324 bar committee who have ensured our Ambleside students have had events in the bar every Wednesday evening before going into town.

A massive thank you to the work you have done!

Interested in 2024-25?

For the start of the new academic year, we are looking for any current first or second year students to be involved in our campus bar committee.

The committee are responsible for running and supporting the advertisement of events in the bar on a Wednesday evening.

If you are interested, please message UOC_Bar_Committee on Instagram or email ambcampusmanagement@cumbria.ac.uk and we will forward your email on.

Examples of events your 2023-24 Bar committee have done

The bar committee, this year, supported the halloween and christmas parties, in addition to various themed student nights in the bar dotted throughout the year.

This has included 70s nights, neon raves, Ambleside’s got talent and various quizzes to name a few.

Your bar committee

Get to know Resident Life Officer Abby Clarke

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

Do not worry what people think about you, don't compare yourself to others and to not be so hard on yourself. As long as you're trying your very best that is more than good enough.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?

Christmas and Halloween parties, it sounds silly but seeing 200 people in a room, having fun because of the work you have put in is so rewarding. With huge thanks to the Bar Committee and Rob for their support too!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Los Angeles. Ever since I was little I have always wanted to go!

What motivates you to work at the University of Cumbria?

It’s welcoming atmosphere among staff and students creates such a friendly community I love to be part of. Starting my career as a student network coordinator and now working in accommodation aligns perfectly with my aspirations of helping and creating a positive environment for everyone

What is the most important life lesson you have learned?

Comparing yourself to others can be a tiring. It often leads to feelings of not good enough, jealousy, and self-doubt. It distracts from personal growth and happiness. By embracing your uniqueness, focusing on your progress, and celebrating your wins, it leads to you feeling so much happier and content with life. Remember, you're on your own adventure, not someone else's.

Get to know

Ambleside Campus Manager Rob Wilson

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

Life is for living – Sometimes we can be too pre-occupied with the future that we forget to live in the now!

What is the most important life lesson you have learned?

“You can’t please everyone all of the time” I still have a lot to learn over this one but much better at taking this onboard these days

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I love travelling and experiencing different cultures, but for me the UK is my home. The very land upon which I live is important for me

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?

Being appointed as Campus Manager at Ambleside! Sounds a bit corny I know, but when I applied for the role after spending a year at our London campus, I never appreciated what a big move from the South East to Cumbria would be. But it’s the best move of my life, and I really feel that I have a fabulous role supporting students and staff to build a sense of community.

What motivates you to work at the University of Cumbria?

I came to higher education as a mature student, and the avenues this has opened for me has been life changing. So, I really do love the ethos of the University of Cumbria, and supporting people to achieve to be the best they can be.

cumbria.ac.uk/Ambleside