Whet her you are looking for full or par t-time study, Cardiff Metropolitan University is an excellent choice for postgraduate study.
Issue 04 - 2012
alumni
further your career
The Magazine for Cardiff Met Graduates and Friends
We pride ourselves on having a strong reputation in applied research and active engagement with business and industry, offering first-class taught courses and unique research opportunities across our five academic schools:
CARDIFF CARDIFF CARDIFF CARDIFF CARDIFF
SC HOOL SC HOOL SC HOOL SC HOOL SC HOOL
of of of of of
ART & D ESIG N EDUCATION H EALTH SC IE NC ES MANAG EMENT SPORT
Postgraduate Scholarships worth £3000 available!
www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/scholarships
Cardiff Met at the Olympics
Our Olympic Links… Our Sporting History page 3
Our Olympic Hopefuls page 5
Cultural Olympiad page 7
Schools Get Going page 11
Business at the Olympics page 13
Working around the Olympics page 15
Further Information and full course list:
www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/postgraduate
029 2041 6044 facebook.com/ cardiff.metropolitan.university Photo courtesy of Luke Jerram
@cardiffmet
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Greetings from the Alumni Office
Since the last issue of the alumni magazine in July 2011, the University has entered into one of the most challenging but also most exciting periods in its long and illustrious history. A threat to its autonomy, a new name, and a multi-million pound new school building all mean that we are approaching our 150th anniversary in 2015 with much to consider.
I’m delighted to bring you our Olympic-themed magazine for 2012. This year we are bringing you stories from all aspects of our involvement in the London 2012 Games, from our aspiring athletes, to business links and schools participation. We have three wonderful stories from the Cultural Olympiad, and we’ll also have a look back over our proud history of competing and coaching at the highest level. We were privileged to meet some of our Olympic torchbearers, Rhys Jenkins (left, BA Hons Business Studies 2010) and Lynn Davies, CBE (Physical Education, 1964) before they made their runs, and we wish all those taking part the very best of luck. Thanks to everyone whose stories have helped to contribute to this issue. We have a lot to be proud of this summer.
Last July, the findings of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) report ‘Future Structure of Higher Education in Wales’ were published by the Welsh Government.In November, Welsh Education Minister Leighton Andrews accepted the report’s recommendation that UWIC, the University of Glamorgan, and University of Wales, Newport, should merge. Professor A J Chapman Vice-Chancellor
Claire Grainger Cardiff Met, Alumni Officer
Competition Time!
The University’s Board of Governors has expressed concern at this plan, citing a lack of evidence-based reasoning for such a merger. In addition, no costed business case to support the reconfiguration has yet been provided. We are grateful to all alumni who responded via email during the consultation process. The Board has stated that it will do all in its power not only to negotiate an outcome that works for Wales but also one that safeguards the interests of all students and staff.
Once again, our friends at Motorpoint Arena have been generous enough to provide two pairs of tickets for our annual alumni competition. This year the tickets are to see the acclaimed sell-out Michael McIntyre tour on Saturday 25th August!
Last October saw the University change its name to ‘Cardiff Metropolitan University’. Barbara Wilding, Chair of the Board of Governors, said: “The Board has determined that there is a pressing need to now invoke our own degree awarding powers and to adopt the new name, thereby signalling our departure from the University of Wales.
“Having a name which features the city more prominently will significantly help maintain the profile of Cardiff as a Capital City of Learning.”
“How do I enter?” I hear you say. You will notice a white carrier sheet with this issue of the magazine, with a Personal Information Form on the reverse. Anyone who completes and returns their Info Form (or completes the online registration form with employment details) will be entered into our competition. Your details are treated with the strictest confidentiality under the Data Protection Act, but we are finding more and more that students and recent graduates like to know more about the career destinations of those who graduated before them. After all, your success is a great indicator of their potential success! We may also come back to you to request a formal career profile for use on our website. The closing date for the competition is Monday 13th August 2012. Cardiff Met (UWIC) Alumni are also eligible for 20% off ShowPlus tickets before 23rd December 2012. Book your tickets with Motorpoint Arena Box Office and Quote UWIC Alumni to claim your discount. ShowPlus tickets include early entry to the ShowPlus Lounge, pre-show meal and a dedicated bar.
This proposed merger would create a ‘super university’ of more than 45,000 students spread over multiple campuses across south-east Wales. It would be the second largest university in the UK, behind only the Open University.
That commitment to its students and the wider community was reflected in the recent announcement of a major new development for the Cardiff School of Art & Design. The £14 million investment will enable a new building to be built on the University’s Llandaff campus, and existing accommodation will be substantially improved to provide a contemporary home for the internationally-recognised School. Students and staff will move into the building in time for the autumn term of 2014. We look forward to the challenges ahead, confident in the support of our alumni and friends as lifelong partners of the institution.
Follow the QR code direct to our registration page online! Artist’s impression of the new School of Art and Design
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60 Years of Olympic Links
D
ean of the School of Sport, Dave Cobner, reflects on 60 years of Olympic links… The morning after the annual Sports Awards dinner is a good time to reflect on the sporting contribution that generations of Cardiff Met, UWIC, SGIHE and Cardiff Training College students have made over the years. Leaving Cyncoed with a passion to achieve, some of our graduates have done particularly well as performers, coaches, managers and sports scientists on the international stage. Last night, students were honoured by the presence of two Olympians. Lynn Davies, who won the Gold Medal for Long Jump at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, was joined by the man he described as his inspiration - fellow student at the Heath, and twice Bronze Medal winner at the Rome Olympics in 1960, Peter Radford. During his illustrious career as an academic in Canada and the UK, Peter became involved in the antidoping agency, and became Chairman of what is now UK Athletics in 1993 and Executive Chairman in 1994. Lynn then took over as President of UK Athletics in 2003, a position he retains into this Olympic year. We are particularly proud to see two former students from Cardiff Training College (the forerunner of the School of Sport, based at the Heath) at the forefront of UK Athletics for the best part of two decades. They were the forerunners of Olympic success. Competing at three consecutive Games, Chris Professor Peter Radford and Lynn Davies, CBE
Hallam, OBE, won medals for swimming and wheelchair racing in the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, the 1992 Games in Barcelona and the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Ian Barker won Silver at Sydney 2000, in the Sailing 49er class, and is a current GB Sailing coach. We have also been represented at the Games by Robin Baskerville (Diving, Mexico 1968), John Lear (Weightlifting), Michaela Breeze (Weightlifting 2004 and 2008), Stephen Thomas (Paralympic Sailing 2004 and 2008) and Claire Wright (Trampolining 2008). If we look at the coaches and support staff that we have produced over the years, our graduates’ involvement in the Olympics becomes even more apparent. Many of us would recognise the iconic voice of Mitch Fenner, BBC commentator, and he was just one of a number of GB Gymnastics coaches we have produced. Dr Mike Peyrebrune coaches Rebecca Adlington amongst others, and
Simon Jones has coached cycling for both GB and Australia. Scott Simpson, former Director of Athletics at UWIC, is on secondment to UK Athletics for the build up to London 2012. Finally, we have a huge contingent from the women’s Basketball team, Division 1 champions the Archers: Damian Jennings (GB Women’s Coach), Lucy Power (Team Manager), Sarah Wagstaff (Assistant Team Manager) and David Bailey (Performance Analyst). Looking to the summer, we’re extremely proud to have 15 current and former students who are aspiring to compete in the London Olympics, including 2 squad members hoping to play in the opening event of the Games at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Having competed for UWIC during their time here as students, they have shown a commitment to training and development which has already seen them win podium places on the National, European and World stage. You can read more about the ‘Ones to Watch’ on Pages 5 & 6 or follow the QR code to read more about our Olympic links online:
GB National Coaches Past & Present John Atkinson (PE Diploma 1959) – Gymnastics (Life President of the International Gymnastics Federation) David Lease (Cert.Ed 1966) - Athletics Mitch Fenner (Cert.Ed 1967) - Gymnastics John Beer (Cert. Ed 1970) - Trampolining Dr Mike Peyrebrune (BA (Hons) Human Movement Studies 1986) - Swimming Simon Jones (BA (Hons) Sport & Human Movement Studies 1995) Cycling Damian Jennings (BSc (Hons) Sports Development 2001) Basketball Sarah Moon (BSc (Hons) Sports Development 2002) Rhythmic Gymnastics Scott Simpson (BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science 2003) - Athletics
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Aspiring Athletes We wish all our aspiring competitors all the very best for their training over the next few weeks. Keep a look out for them at the Games!
Tom Parsons - High Jump BSc (Hons) Sport & Physical Education 2005
Nathan Stephens Paralympic Javelin BSc Sports Coaching student
Brett Morse – Discus HND Sports Development & Coaching student
Helen Glover (left) – Rowing 2011 Doubles World Champion BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science 2007
Georgina Geikie Pistol Shooting BA (Hons) Product Design 2007
Stephen Thomas Paralympic Sailing BSc (Hons) Sports Development 2009
Joe Thomas - 800m BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching 2010
Dai Greene - 400m Hurdles World, Commonwealth and European Champion BA (Hons) Leisure & Sports Management 2008
Nadine Okyere - 400m BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science 2008 & MSc Sport & Exercise Sciences 2010
UWIC Archers in the GB Womens Basketball squad: Jenaya Wade-Fray, Rose Anderson, Kate Butters and Stef Collins (MA Sport Development & Coaching).
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As we go to press, 3 of our Women’s Footballers are hoping to be picked for the GB Women’s squad, to be in with a chance of playing in the first event of the 2012 Olympics, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. 6
Photo courtesy of Wonderbrass
Sky Orchestra
Wonderbrass New Music 2012 In July 2011 Londoners awoke to the sound of music emanating from the skies, as The Sky Orchestra flew over the capital, heralding a year to go to the 2012 Games. Created by Luke Jerram (Fine Art 1997), Sky Orchestra is an ongoing research project and experimental artwork bringing together performance and music to create visual audio installations within the air and within the mind.
“I first had the idea for a Sky Orchestra when I experienced the call to prayer at 3am in Tunisia. The voices calling from many different areas of the town simultaneously opened up a kind of sculptural map in my imagination. I could see the layers of sound building onto one another. The Sky Orchestra is designed to share this experience, and deliver a giant surround sound performance artwork to the people’s homes. I hope that the music we play lifts the public into the perceptual space on the edge of sleep, inspiring their imaginations with sound.” The Sky Orchestra is made up of seven hot air balloons, each with speakers attached, which take off at dawn and fly across a city. Each balloon plays a different element of a musical score, specially written for the project by BAFTA award winning composer and sound designer Dan Jones. Through the use of surround sound, Sky Orchestra aims to deliver a sculptural experience to the public, by lifting them into the creative space on the edge of sleep and then acoustically seeding their imaginations. The airborne project is both a vast spectacular performance as well as an intimate, personal experience. Sky Orchestra has previously flown over Bristol, Stratford-upon Thames and Birmingham, as well as in Canada, Switzerland and Australia. For the London flights (they flew twice in a 6-day period) a bespoke Android app allowed users to track the flights and participate from afar.
Jenny Bradley graduated with an MSc in Events Management in 2009, and soon found herself managing a project of Olympic proportions. We caught up with her in her office in Pontcanna to find out more.
How did you get involved in the Cultural Olympiad?
How would you describe your winning application?
For the last 6 years, I’ve been managing a community music group called Wonderbrass. I started playing with them when I was 17, and when the previous manager stepped down, I took over. In October 2010 we submitted an application to the PRS for Music for a grant to deliver a piece of new music, and luckily our bid was successful!
Our initial bid described a piece of work called ‘Skip, Dash, Flow’ that would encompass both the spirit of the Olympic Games, and the vibrancy of the multicultural musical environment in Britain. When we wrote the application, the music was yet to be written, but we had already worked with the composer, Jason Yarde, back in 2002. That collaboration had really inspired the band, and so we had a good idea of what we could achieve.
When will you be performing the commissioned piece? ‘Skip, Dash, Flow’ had its premiere in Cardiff on February 21st 2012. As part of the New Music 20x12, we’re one of 20 groups performing new music at the South Bank Centre the weekend of 13th – 15thth July. We’re also appearing in Lichfield on 9th June, at the Druidstone Jamboree on the 6th July, and finally the Welsh Proms in Cardiff on 27th July.
Tell me more about Wonderbrass Wonderbrass started out as a 10session community project in the South Wales Valleys. The project was so successful, we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary this year! Wonderbrass are not like other bands; although we charge a performance fee, the musicians don’t get paid. Instead, the fees are used to fund tuition costs and projects for the band so that members are able to perform with and learn from top musicians from a variety of backgrounds and genres.
Any alumni in the band? We’ve got a couple of Cardiff Met students in the band – Kat Berridge (Interior Architecture) plays Trombone and Ann O’Neill (PGCE Primary) plays Clarinet. It would be great to see some of the alumni at the Welsh Proms performance. Besides featuring ‘Skip, Dash, Flow,’ we’ll be bringing our unique blend of funk, blues, Latin and uplifting African township melodies to the city centre concert.
Photo courtesy of Luke Jerram 7
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Development News
Inspiring Dance
Did you know that in the 2010-2011 academic year you helped us achieve almost £300,000 in donations? This academic year is no different and we are again on target to raise a similar amount. This is fantastic news for the University as we are able to help more students than ever to reach their full potential by providing scholarships and bursaries. It also enables us to help fund world-leading research that will benefit not only Wales, but the UK and further afield. This generosity has also allowed us to enhance the campus facilities, benefiting everyone in the local community. Sally Varrall, Programme Director for Dance, explains more about the project.
Students at Cardiff Met have had the unique opportunity to participate in a programme which was awarded the very prestigious Olympic Inspire mark. The Physical Unity Project was rewarded for its focus on the Olympic values and for the involvement of students and community groups.
“The project was designed to develop performance skills involving our in-house specialties of Dance, Gymnastics and Trampolining and to add a dash of ‘something extra’ to the mix. For that, we approached the No Fit State Circus, based here in Cardiff, and they were able to compliment our strengths with trapeze and aerial routines. The students have been able to create a range of dance-related choreography, reflecting the style of an Olympic Games opening ceremony performance.” Twenty students have been involved in 20 weeks of workshops with No Fit State Circus, learning aerial performance skills using ropes, trapeze, silks and hoops. The project was funded by Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh Government and the National Lottery. In Sally’s words: “It really has been amazing, being able to take part in this project. It’s the best feeling in the week after the workshops! Being able to share that feeling with the students, as we learn all these amazing skills, is really inspiring.”
The highlight of our fundraising calendar is the annual alumni Telephone Campaign. Since we started this in 2010, our student callers have spoken to over 2,000 alumni and you have pledged almost £56,000 in support of our Development Fund (previously called the Annual Fund)! We can’t wait to get going again this autumn. It is great to be able to make contact with
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so many alumni and find out where your degree has taken you. The 30 or so student callers that join the team every year find it a rewarding experience too. Many gain a valuable insight into a particular career path or receive advice on what to do following graduation. We do try and match the students to you by degree and interests, so they can provide as much relevant information to you as possible and vice versa. We are as keen to get as many alumni involved as possible but unfortunately we lack the correct contact details for many people. Please get in touch to update your details and let us know if you would like to take part this year by emailing: developmentoffice@cardiffmet.ac.uk. If you would like to find out more about the projects that have benefited from your generosity, go to www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/ horizons where you can read our supporters’ newsletter.
You may have noticed that we are no longer called the UWIC Foundation. When we changed our name to Cardiff Metropolitan University, we became the Development Office and our charity number is 1140762. We still do the same job, which is to steward all donations from alumni, staff, friends and organisations. To find out more about us go to www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/supportus. and participate from afar.
Donations during the 2010-2011 academic year Where do our donations come from?
Where do our donations go?
31% 59% 16%
5%
15% 53%
21%
Scholarships and Student Prizes Individuals Businesses Charitable Trusts
Photo courtesy of The Physical Unity Project
Jack Rees, student caller during the 2011 Telephone Campaign
Projects involving the local community Research Resources and Equipment 10
Education and the Olympics
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he Olympic and Paralympic Games have inspired schools all over the country to get involved during 2012. Underpinning the Games is the philosophy of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympic Movement. He saw in the Games an ideal opportunity to develop a set of universal principles or values - that could be applied to education and to society as a whole, as well as to sport itself. These values are:
Respect Fair play; knowing one’s own limits; and taking care of one’s health and the environment
Excellence How to give the best of oneself, on the field of play or in life; taking part; and progressing according to one’s own objectives
Friendship How, through sport, to understand each other despite any differences
The Paralympic values are based on the history of the Paralympic Games and the tradition of fair play and honourable sports competition. They are:
Courage Determination Inspiration Equality 11
These values are perfectly aligned for inclusion in school. At Cardiff High School, Headteacher Stephen Jones (BA (Hons) Human Movement Studies 1988-91) and Strategic Leader for Skills and Curriculum Alison Lambert (Foundation Art & Design 1988, PGATC 1994 and MA Education 2005) explained how their school has taken advantage of various opportunities to make the most of the Olympic spirit.
“We’ve also – perhaps most excitingly had the opportunity to give away 6 free tickets to pupils at the school. We decided to do this through a nomination process, for those pupils who truly embody the Olympic values, either at home, in school, or elsewhere – it’s a lovely opportunity to get to reward truly outstanding contributions, much of which we’d not been aware of previously.”
“As Strategic Leader for Skills and Curriculum across the school, I’ve been able to incorporate the Olympics in all sorts of ways. We’re already committed to Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDGC) which ties in very well with the Olympic values. The school signed up for the Get Set Schools Olympic programme, which has a great website full of resources for use in school. Focusing on the themes and values of the Games, we’re encouraged to promote healthy living, participation, respect, culture and art, through different educational projects and competitions, as well as sports and physical activities. During the morning form-room sessions that we call “Thought for the day” pupils have been given the opportunity to focus on all the different teams involved in the Games by researching the different countries involved.
Another local Headteacher, UWIC graduate Gareth Rein (BA Hons Primary Education 1997-2000), describes how St Joseph’s RC Primary School, Penarth is getting involved with a group of local primaries:
“We signed up for the Better Breakfast national campaign, as part of our drive to ensure that food and nutrition and physical activity become integral to the overall value system of the school. 600 pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 learned about nutritious breakfasts through a fun programme led by fitness expert John Thomson, Hollywood martial arts expert Dave Gentry and Holly Matthews from the TV programme Waterloo Road! “We’re organising a multi-cultural food evening, so that people can try food from Wales, other parts of the UK, and of course from the rest of the world. This gives us a great opportunity to talk about other cultures, many of which are represented in the school already.
“During May and June children in Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11) will participate in the Community Olympics. 11 schools from the Penarth area are participating in 9 different events. The scheme is a wonderful way to celebrate the staging of the Olympic Games in this country, and aims to promote positive attitudes to sport and healthy living through friendly competition. “Just like the Olympics, we started with the torch relay, during which a specially created torch travelled around all the participating schools. The Opening Ceremony saw children from Year 6 involved in events taken from the Paralympic Games, such as Wheelchair Rugby, Boccacia and Blind Football. They were joined by Britain’s most successful Paralympic athlete (and Cardiff Met Honorary Fellow) Baroness Tanni GreyThompson. The closing ceremony will be a swimming gala on 29th June, with cups and medals at the end for both individuals and schools.” “Adam Douglas (BA Human Movement Studies 1988) is Head of PE at Sheldon School in Wiltshire. For a number of years now, the school has celebrated Olympic Day on 23rd June. Initially led by the Physical Education faculty, the motivational qualities of the Olympic Games have permeated all school faculties. Pupils attend lessons in the morning: all lessons are themed around the Olympic Games and Values, irrespective of subject. Typically an Olympian and the Head of Department give inspirational speeches that place the Olympic Values into context. Let’s hope the inspiration of London 2012 remains with these pupils - and many more around the country - throughout their lives.” 12
“The early stages of the tendering process began in 2005, when The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) began inviting initial tenders from British construction companies. We worked closely with the appointed contractors and specialist installers and were rewarded with orders for the International Broadcast Centre and Olympic Stadium itself. Of particular note were the aluminium composite panels used on the main stadium; they are the largest of their kind ever manufactured and will be visible to every visitor as they enter the venue. “Our bid was cost-effective but the quality, specification and design flexibility of our products were the deciding factors in a very competitive tender. LOCOG are an efficient operation with extremely high expectations, especially when it comes to quality of work and deadlines. They employed external benchmarks to test the supply chain and I am pleased with how we have been able to meet their demands.
Building Business at the Olympics
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he Olympic Park and Athletes Village: Home to an incredible set of arenas and accommodation, with breathtaking architecture and painstaking security. Firmly rooted in East London, it seems a world away from Cardiff - and yet the very fabric of some of the key buildings within the Park has been provided by Welsh companies set up by a former Cyncoed student. Nick Williams, Chairman of Euroclad and Eurobond, as well as numerous other successful businesses, described how he got involved with the Olympic bid.
“One of the highlights in being involved in a project like this is its exclusivity - it’s like having an all-access pass to one of the most famous stages in Britain, if not the world, especially this year. It’s also quite exciting to think that our products are going to be displayed on millions of TVs all over the world; whenever you see the Olympic Stadium -that’s Euroclad. And sheltering thousands of journalists are the enormous roof and walls of the International Broadcast Centre, supplied entirely by Euroclad and Eurobond – I’m very proud to be able to say that.” Nick admits to another sense of pride when he thinks back to his time at Cyncoed, under the tutelage of Syd Aaron, a great sportsman and disciplinarian. “I bet Syd Aaron would be amazed to hear of my involvement with the Olympics - I never was the best in the gym. I hope he would be proud of me - even if I won’t be competing for a medal!”
Other alumni involved behind the scenes to bring us the London 2012 Olympic Games include… James Tombs
Lisa Hampton
Saad Khan
Role Head of Commercial & Business Operations, British Basketball
Role Paralympic Torch Relay Planning Manager at London 2012
Role Software Analyst, Results Technology Services, London 2012
Degree BA (Hons) Human Movement Studies 1998 & MBA 2003
James Mildenhall Role Deputy Venue Manager at LOCOG 2012 Degree BA (Hons) Leisure & Sports Management 2007
Degree BA (Hons) Recreation & Leisure Management 2002
Ceri Thomas Role London 2012 Inspire Programmer for Wales
Degree MBA 2006
Emyr Kirkman Role Panasonic – Supplying camera security outside the Olympic park Degree Engineering, 1986
Degree BA (Hons) Human Movement Studies 1993 & MA Sport Development & Coaching 2006
International Broadcast Centre. Photo courtesy of Euroclad. 13
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W Around The Olympics
ith all the excitement surrounding the Olympics, it’s easy to imagine that those working in Olympic venues are going to be rushed off their feet this summer. For those whose venues are being used to stage Olympic events, this is not always the case - as we found out from two of our graduates, in Cardiff and London.
Sian Morse (BA Hons Hotel Management 2001) is Head of Sales for Compass Group in Cardiff, covering the Millennium Stadium and Cardiff City Stadium. With the Millennium Stadium hosting Men’s and Women’s Football - including the first events of the Games, which kick off before the Opening Ceremony we asked Sian to describe the summer ahead. “We’re actually into the wind-down period now - the Barbarians match in June is our last event until the Speedway in August. My office is not involved in sales or promotion for the Olympic events, so our challenge for the summer is sales targets for after the Games! LOCOG move in at the start of -
June, and they handle everything from there. Our operational teams - catering, preparation, staffing and security teams will all be involved. They have been security checked and accredited to work on behalf of LOCOG, but the sales team will have different pressures over the summer.” Sian’s story is echoed by Christopher Marking (BA Hons Recreation & Leisure Management 1999), Vice President, Sponsorship Strategy at AEG, owners of The O2 in London. The O2 is being used to host the Basketball Finals and the Gymnastics, but for the duration of the Games, everything changes for Christopher’s team:
“I am not directly working on the games, although it will certainly have an impact on what we are doing in 2012. At The O2, my team, AEG Global Partnerships, is responsible for bringing in and managing all commercial revenue from sponsors and suite holders. However, during the Olympics The O2 will become known as the ‘North Greenwich Arena.’ This means that our naming rights partner and all other partners’ branding will have to be removed, as only official Olympic branding is allowed. It also means that our suite holders and VIP members will not get access to their usual boxes and tickets.
“So in one sense it is a great privilege to host Olympic events, on the other it is a challenge that we need to get around for our day to day business.” With our athletes, coaches, analysts, nutritionists, hoteliers, caterers, and journalists all getting ready for a hectic Olympic summer, perhaps it’s only right that some of our alumni will be allowed to take July 2012 at a slightly more leisurely pace!
The O2 at night. Photo courtesy of AEG Global Partnerships 15
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Alumni Magazine 2012
Ruby Reunion for the Class of 1971, July 2011
So You Fancy a Reunion?
S
uccessful reunions depend on plenty of effort and organisation in the early stages and it can take up to a year to plan. If you are thinking of organising a reunion, please consider these steps, and we’ll be happy to help make your event a success. Planning
Room Booking and Catering
You will know best what your group will enjoy: are your classmates retired or do they have young families? What is an affordable ticket price? Would a daytime or evening event suit your fellow alumni better? Does your reunion conflict with other major events?
We can advise on a number of venues, and if your reunion is to be held on campus, we can book catering, venues, campus tours and accommodation for you.
Class Lists We may hold details of your former classmates but through your own personal networks you may be able to help us find any we have lost touch with over the years. We can also invite former staff!
Invitations The Development and Alumni Office can send letters and emails to the relevant mailing list. We usually send an invitation two to three months before the event, so you should factor this into your planning.
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Forthcoming Events Saturday 21st July 2012 - Cyncoed Class of 1969-72. Spread the word. The Ruby Reunion of those who left college in 1972 is still open for bookings! An afternoon tour of college followed by a buffet in Centro, with plenty of time to reminisce. Your photos and memories most welcome! Saturday 22nd September 2012 - NCTJ Journalism 1988 Alastair Milburn is organising a tour of Cyncoed for those who were studying Journalism at Colchester Avenue and practising shorthand in Taffy's Bar.
Promotion
Saturday 3rd November - Cyncoed Class of 1962-65.
We will promote your reunion on our website, through the alumni e-newsletter and in the annual Alumnium magazine.
David Llewelyn is organising a reunion to celebrate 50 years since the first students started at Cyncoed.
Class Gifts Many reunion groups are choosing to make a class gift to the University’s Development Fund. This is a very special way of marking the anniversary of your graduation. From scholarships and student resources to significant world-ranked research, there are many areas where your gift can make an impact.
“When I grow upI want to be a scientist”
Alumni Magazine 2012
Alumni are encouraged to join us for University events throughout the year, such as our Professorial Lectures and our annual Carol Service in Llandaff Cathedral. For further details, make sure you are on our alumni email list. 2013 - Advance Notice! BA (Hons) Human Movement Studies.1985-88 Julia Goddard is organising a reunion for next year, to celebrate 25 years, and to commemorate Non Eleri Thomas (nee Evans) who died earlier this year.
The gift of education can be lifechanging. With your help we can change lives together. After providing for your family and friends, please think about leaving a gift in your will to support scholarships at Cardiff Metropolitan University. You will be supporting a tradition of opportunity, achievement and innovation.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of leaving a gift in your will to Cardiff Met, please contact: Sheona Evans, Development Manager tel: 029 2020 1590 email: sjevans@cardiffmet.ac.uk www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/supportus