The Estates & Facilities Times Not just business as usual.
Sustainable Behaviour Design Challenge. Student projects to make Estates & Facilities more sustainable. In March 2014, Stuart Abbot from LTDU led an initiative to match student academic work with operational activities at the University, supporting students to gain ‘real life’ work experience in their areas of study. Stuarts idea for this new approach had been influenced by the Sustainable Development Engagement Group. The projects focussed primarily on areas of environmental improvement and sustainable development within the University, with a view to students making practical recommendations for small scale changes which enhance current practice.
Dr Wendy Keay-Bright. We asked students to look at nine sustainability issues within the Halls environment, which included: reducing consumption of water, gas, electricity, student cycling, increasing Met Rider sales, general recycling, glass recycling, reducing food waste and food packaging. The winning team focussed on reducing the amount of waste packaging in Halls. Not an easy task. They approached it from a completely different angle than expected by seeking to remove
packaging from the food chain. Their solution was to introduce a Farmers Market Stall within Halls on both the Cyncoed and Plas Gwyn campuses offering students and staff the opportunity to purchase seasonal fruit and veg direct from the producer. A realistic and simple idea for which they had already negotiated with a supplier and branded the items. This will hopefully come to ‘fruition’ in January 2015.
The ‘clients’ from E&F were made up of Richard James, Diane Bryant and Neil Woollacott, who worked closely with the Design students, under the wonderful direction and energy of
Newsletter Date: 01/11/2014 Issue #28 Inside this issue: Farewell Howard Gardens. Campus officially closed.
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Plas Gwyn Summer Refurb. All change in Radnor.
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A Record Year. Halls applications are up!
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Summer at a Glance. Conference Services review.
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Conferences on the Move. New office space.
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E&F staff in Photos. Penguins on parade.
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It’s a uniform Jim . . . Catering’s new look,
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Meet your Colleagues.
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Eva and Huw
Breaking News: Cardiff Met Blackout
Farewell Howard Gardens. Campus closed - students and staff transferred to Llandaff. The summer saw the closure of Howard Gardens Campus, having been one of the UK’s top destinations to study Art & Design for over 48 years. The campus opened in 1966 with the building designed by local Cardiff Architect, John Dryburgh. Staff and students have now transferred to the new state of the art Cardiff School of Art & Design building on the Llandaff Campus.
Cardiff Met will be participating in the Blackout event on the evening of Friday 14th November 2014. The ‘Blackout’ challenge is to turn-off all non-essential equipment at close-of-play on the Friday. Afterwards, we will compare energy usage during the ‘Blackout’ weekend with energy use on a comparable weekend. This will show us the real savings that can be achieved with just a few small changes to the way we work. Want to help on the night? Contact Richard James on extension 6148
Estates & Facilities: Commercial Services. Contributed by Mark Barry - Head of Commercial Services. The main remit for Commercial Services is to provide the University’s students, staff and visitors with a range of professional services and facilities that support their day to day activities; in addition the division seeks to generate additional income surpluses for reinvestment back into the University.
the University (£2.1million in 2013/14). But this figure doesn’t include the level of self-investment that also been achieved within this financial performance (approximately £1.5 million), and how this investment in areas such as our student halls and catering outlets, is helping to deliver It has been an interesting, challenging but tangible enhancements to the quality enjoyable few years. A lot has been and range of services we provide to achieved in this time, summed up well by the financial performance. In the past our students and staff. five years, the trading areas, namely Central to this achievement has been Residences, Catering & Hospitality, the excellent performance of the staff Conference and Print have achieved a and management teams. staggering 79% growth in net surplus to Their hard work, commitment and
Plas Gwyn Summer Refurbishment. Two blocks down - Five to go! Summer was a busy time at Plas Gwyn with not just the numerous conferences coming and going but also wholesale changes to the whole of Radnor block. The majority of the buildings at Plas Gwyn were constructed in 1995 and apart from maintenance work they have hardly been updated or renovated in that twenty year period. This year Radnor block was treated to new kitchens, bedrooms, corridors and stairwell leaving the students who live there the envy of the campus. The response from the students has been extremely positive with Seth Davies commenting: “It feels like a real home compared to some of the other flats and importantly we now have a proper social space”.
Change for the Rider? Card production now in the Print Studios. From September the Met Rider passes will be produced in both the Llandaff and Cyncoed Print Studios. Investment over the summer has seen a new card production unit installed at Llandaff Print Studio, and the unit previously based in the Accommodation office transferred to the Cyncoed Print Studio. It will mean that students and staff will receive a far quicker service, as previously there would be a two day waiting period while the card was produced. The new installations will mean same day production with most cards being handed to the purchaser within a few minutes. Don’t forget that you can pay for your staff Rider Permit on a monthly basis and it allows you access to the entire Cardiff Bus network, not just the Met Riders. This year the staff pass costs £285 or just £23.75 a month! Page 2
willingness to change and flex with the business, has been fundamental to this outcome. There is still further to go and more to achieve (say £5m by 2020!), so for now, my thanks and appreciation for all your hard work. Mark Barry - Head of Commercial Services
Coffee Gallery and The Bench Refurbishments. Now that’s what you call an awning! During the summer Catering refurbished the Gallery at the front of Llandaff Campus with new seating, redecoration and new snack lines. At Cyncoed, The Bench eventually saw the addition of a all weather awning. This will enable students and staff to eat al- fresco in all weathers and has increased the seating capacity of the Bench by forty seats There are also plans to extend the patio area to facilitate addition seating for the occasional sunny day. The Bench has had a Merry Chef oven installed which means you will be getting your hot paninis, toasties and wraps even quicker.
Record number of applications for Halls. An incredibly busy summer. The Accommodation Service received a record number of applications for Halls of Residence this year with over 2400 requests from UK and International students. Apart from our own Halls which number approximately 950, we secured a further 637 rooms in Private Halls. Demand was so high that the Accommodation Officer, Harpal McCarthy had to arrange a housing fayre for prospective students to meet our Accredited landlords. On the day the Accommodation team managed to assist a further 300 plus students with finding rooms in landlord properties. The office has since received numerous letters and emails of gratitude from parents, students and landlords alike for assisting them with their accommodation issues.
Stories from around the campuses. Changes to the Print Studio.
ISO14001 Audit Results.
Slush Puppies in The Bench
It was a busy summer for the Print Studio with a change in staff around the campuses and the introduction of new touch screen tills which offer a greater reporting function.
In early October Cardiff Met were re-audited on the ISO14001 standard. The ISO14001 standard is designed to deliver tangible cost savings, reduce environmental impact and enhance environmental credentials
June saw the arrival of a classic, vintage summer drink at Cyncoed with the appearance of a Slush Puppie machine.
The Llandaff Print Studio has seen the birth of a new shop area offering a range of art supplies. Likewise Cyncoed Print Studio has seen the area refreshed and made more welcoming with new imagery. Don’t forget, both Studios can supply you with banner stands, mugs, t shirts, canvas posters and stickers. If you ask we can do it!
Flavours on offer include red Strawberry and Blue Raspberry which probably have official names. Alternatively you can even The good news is that we were successful order in true Cardiff style a half and half! in full recertification for the whole Students and staff alike are going crazy for university. Thanks and congratulations them with staff unable to keep up with to all those who had an input and notably demand during the warm summer. Estates & Facilities who led the successful project. Page 3
Conference Services on the move . . . A successful year! Contributed by Eva Huw - Conference Co-ordinator There has been a buzz in the air this year as Conference Services have hit record financial performance levels. Clare Brockway has been leading the team for the last 15 years and is delighted with the progress the team have made. “Its been an exciting and busy year. The team have worked exceptionally hard and always put the customer first in every situation. Obviously we are focussed on generating more revenue, but as importantly, the service offers the opportunity for the University to engage with many different community and professional bodies, many of which are visiting the University for the first time. This requires a first class service to ensure their first experience is an excellent one, taking away with them a great impression of the University”
Summer at a Glance. The summer is the busiest time of year for Conference Services as they maximise use of all the University facilities during the student break. The Conference Team work closely with our Schools and many other departments, in particular Catering, Accommodation and Campus Services to host numerous national and international events including academic and corporate conferences, medical exhibitions and international language schools. The Team would like to extend a huge thank you to all those we have worked with over the summer in helping make the events run so successfully. As Senior Conference Co-ordinator, Cathy has played a pivotal role in coordinating events at Cardiff Met for the past 11 years. Cathy comments: “It’s great to feel part of a team that is so motivated and customer focussed and to see the results of our hard work through increased revenue and positive customer feedback”.
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A sample of Conference Services Summer 2014 events. *
PsyPAG Annual Conference in collaboration with the Cardiff School of Sport at Llandaff.
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The Critical Care Conference: brought 200 health care professionals to the Cardiff School of Management for a highly successful two day conference.
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European Language Schools: more than 400 Euro pean students studied and lived at the Cyncoed Campus throughout July.
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‘Thinking with John Berger’: an international conference hosted in collaboration with Cardiff School of Education at Llandaff.
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The International Celtic Conference which brought together delegates from all Celtic nations at Cyncoed Campus for a five day residential conference.
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International Tang Soo Do Championship hosted their Master Clinic for the 3rd time at Cyncoed with residential athletes staying for the five day clinic and championship.
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ArchiCAD residential conference hosted for the 2nd consecutive year in collaboration with the Cardiff School of Art & Design.
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NATO Summit where Plas Gwyn and Cyncoed hosted 550 Police Officers.
Don’t just take our word for it! Here’s what some of our customers had to say: Society of Occupational Medicine: “Our confer ence was a gr eat success. We have had excellent feedback fr om the participants with positive comments on the ease of finding the campus, parking, organization, room layout and catering”. Celtic Congress: “ We of the Welsh Br anch of the Celtic Congr ess feel that our Confer ence was a gr eat success and we wish to thank you all for the hard work you put in to help us achieve this. We found all of the staff very professional and most willing to help. We are not professional conference organisers and your help and advice was invaluable. Many thanks - diolch yn fawr”. Cardiff School of Education: “ Many thanks for all your har d wor k and suppor t towar ds making the Confer ence a success. The food was good and the organization spot on! Delegates have been extremely complimentary about the whole thing”. Sir Thomas Picton School: “All was br illiant, communication was excellent and accommodation was excellent - exactly as we required. The people who greeted us were excellent and very helpful. I organize this trip every July and will definitely be in touch hoping to use the same halls again next year”. Learning & Information Systems, Cardiff Met: “A big thank you for all your help and exper tise in ar r anging the event today”. Dyfed Powys Police: “I am wr iting to thank you for your hospitality dur ing my r ecent stay. Thanks to the staff who wer e all extremely professional and couldn't do enough. They are a credit to your establishment”.
New Meeting Rooms Over the last few months we have been busy putting our interior design skills to use whilst refurbishing our three Conference Rooms at Cyncoed. Our inspiration has been taken from the green campus of Cyncoed coupled with the classical Welsh ‘slate grey’ colour. To celebrate completion of the refurbishment we will be hosting an Open Day and a number of Networking events for both our internal and external customers. To enrol for news of up and coming events at Conference Services, follow us on: Twitter www.twitter.com/cardiffmetconf Facebook www.facebook.com/cardiffmetconf
Exams for us too! Its not just the students who sit exams, as quite a few members of Cardiff Met staff learn Welsh and have sat exams this summer. Dai iawn pawb! Sally has passed the Canolradd exam and is now in the 2nd year of the Uwch course and in her own words: “I need as much practice as possible, so please speak to me in Welsh!”. With Eva on board the Conference Team is now 50% Welsh speaking and consider it a great asset for attracting local external business.
Office Move. Conference Services are now located above Accommodation Services on the 1st floor of Warwick House, Cyncoed Campus. We would like to pass on a big thank you to Estates and Campus Services for all their help in successfully relocating us at the start of the new term. Feel free to pop in and see us if you are passing and don’t forget to contact us for all your conference requirements on extension 6181. Page 5
Estates & Facilities Photo Album. Images of staff around the campuses. The new School of Sport teaching facility on Cyncoed campus that was completed over the summer. Photos from the Times Higher Education Leadership & Management Award (THELMAs) where nominations for HallsNet and our Eat Well Initiative were well received, but unfortunately did not win. Steve Owen and Mike O’Toole on one of Steve’s last days before retirement.
More stories from around the Campuses. Thanks from Anne Holdaway.
“Take My Junk” Get it Out for Cardiff.
Pool Vehicles.
On my last day at Cardiff Met I was overwhelmed with the amount of people who came to wish me well. I had a fantastic send off due to colleagues (past and present) who gave their time and ‘more’ to be part of my leaving do. Everyone at Cardiff Met that I have been associated with all became part of my ‘work family’ and also part of my life. I really enjoyed my work and employment and it was a hard decision to retire, but I knew it was the right decision, and fortunately my boss (David Benson) understood this and didn’t over persuade me to stay on. I am sure he misses me nagging him!
Cardiff Met in collaboration with Cardiff Uni and USW has helped to divert 220 kilos of waste from landfill by organising an event for students to sell and swap their unwanted items. Left over items were then donated to a local charity.
Following a review of the utilisation of the existing University pool vehicles, the following changes have been implemented:
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The event spearheaded by Cardiff City Council was held in The Woodville in Cathays on June 12th and was aimed at reducing the amount of unwanted items left on the streets of Cardiff after students leave for the summer break. The idea was to encourage students to recycle more of their unwanted re-useable items instead of disposing of them as waste.
The new fleet includes more smaller vehicles, along with a mid range vehicle. All are more economic and environmentally friendly. The new vehicle contract offers far greater flexibility to the University allowing the fleet size to be adjusted more regularly to meet changing needs and has been delivered at a reduced cost. Due to the low usage of the mini-buses, the University will no longer operate a leased minibus fleet.
The Catering Halloween Extravaganza! Spiderlicious Steak Pie, Devils Hands, Petrified Battered Pollock and Catastrophic Balls!
It’s a uniform Jim, but not as we know it. New look for Catering Services staff. Now hear this! At the start of the academic year, Catering unveiled their new staff uniforms, boldly going where no uniform has gone before. We managed to get a photo, even though some of the staff would have rather klingoned to their old uniforms. However this was a highly illogical thought, and their resistance was futile. The next generation of staff will already be expecting to wear them and may they live long and prosper in their new blue numbers without too many tribbles. Perhaps you can spock the theme to the new outfits and count up the references - answer is on the back page. Captain Phelps commented that: ”W e feel that the new staff uniforms will highlight the enterprise and endeavour with which the staff assist both staff and students”.
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Dates For Your Diary: 22/11/14 Wales V New Zealand Kick Off 14:30 05/12/14 Christmas Carol Concert at Llandaff Cathedral
Welcome on board: Editor: Neil Woollacott Deputy Accommodation Services Manager & Travel Plan Manager. Cardiff Metropolitan University. Cyncoed Campus, Cyncoed Road, Cardiff CF23 6XD Tel: 02920 41 6712 nwoollacott@cardiffmet.ac.uk Facebook: Cardiff Met Halls & Housing Star Trek answer = 11
Jerry Thomas - Residences & Accommodation Health & Safety Officer.
Congratulations: Linda Chidgey on her recognition at the Cardiff Met staff Awards for her Excellence in Customer Service. Carla Morgan in her new role as Executive PA to David Benson.
Sorry to see you go: Steve Owen, Laurence Parsons and Anne Holdaway who have all recently retired after many long years service at Cardiff Met. Enjoy your retirement. Sally Woodward who will be sorely missed by the Print Studio and Cardiff Met staff and students alike. Anne Curtis - who was not in Estates & Facilities but offered assistance to our resident students and staff on numerous occasions.
In memorial: Phil Page sadly passed away in October. Our deepest sympathies are extended to his family and friends.
Meet your colleagues. Introducing Eva and Jerry This edition features two new members of Time at Cardiff Met: the team both based in Warwick House on Eva - Started at Cardiff Met in April 2014 the Cyncoed Campus. Jerry - Since July 2014 Former Employment: Eva - I previously set up and managed my own 5 star boutique Bed & Breakfast for 7 years in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. Before this I worked as an International Event Manager for Conference Co-ordination for 4 years.
son, even my wedding vows were in Welsh. I used to speak German but since learning Welsh I seem to have lost the ability to speak German! I once hosted Lee Mac, Derek Brockway and Margaret Williams at the B&B. I have an interest in helping the homeless. I used to be a skiing host and worked in Greece for a watersports company, Sunsail. I also travelled Australia for a year and have a degree in Biomedical Science.
Jerry - I have managed to cross off most of the things on my bucket list, learning to fly, Jerry - 30 years in the London Fire Brigade, sail and generally scaring myself, etc. I learnt 20 years on the big red lorries and 10 years as the hard way about Health and Safety by a Fire Investigator. being helicoptered off a yacht in the English Channel with a fractured skull - not my finest Interests: moment. Eva - Most of my spare time is taken up by The Estates & Facilities Times has been initiated to my 5 year old son, Twm. On the odd occasion keep us all aware of what is going on in each others sections. If there is no article about your area, it is he isn’t dragging me to the park I keep fit doing yoga, jogging, climbing or swimming. because no one has spoken to me, please contact me Names: Eva Huw - Conference Co-ordinator Jerry Thomas - A bit long winded, but Residences & Accommodation Health and Safety Officer.
Jerry - I try to make sure that I eat too well, drink too much and exercise too little. To make sure I am not too happy and contented I watch the Cardiff Blues get beaten regularly. Did you know?
yourself. Anyone who wishes to contribute articles, will be greeted with a smiling face and open arms. A copy of the Estates & Facilities Times is also available in Welsh if required. Any staff who are leaving UWIC for pastures new, let me have a forwarding address and I will send you a copy. The Estates & Facilities Times next issue will be
Eva - I speak conversational Welsh and com- circulated from April 2015. municate in first language Welsh with my