Worc Hard Play Hard by Worcester Students' Union

Memberships soar as Ultimate Frisbee prepare for BUCS Finals and Conference Cup challenge The past couple of months have been a complete whirlwind for everyone involved in Ultimate Frisbee. We have entered more tournaments than ever and won more games than ever before! Most incredibly, we have seen membership increase by 150% from this time last year. On 12th and 13th November, the club travelled to The Alan Higgs Centre in Coventry, to test our Men’s Indoor team’s ability against some of the best indoor teams in the country. Starting off as 20th seed out of 21 teams, we set out to improve our overall ranking. By the end of day one, we were sitting pretty in 9th place, having come up against Warwick, Swansea, Keele, Coventry and Cardiff. We won 3 out of a potential 5 games! On the 2nd day, we looked to keep our high seed and push our ﬁrst year Frisbee players. Gaining essential match time, members of the committee sat back and admired their hard work and coaching as our freshers put opposing teams through their paces! Winning a further two games allowed us to ﬁnish in 12th place overall. First year, Peter Evans was awarded player of the tournament via a unanimous decision after pushing hard throughout the whole weekend, giving 100% in every match.

WORC HARD, PLAY HARD. Brought to you by Hemaka Pathiranage and Worcester Students’ Union

Hi. I’m Hemaka Pathiranage, Vice President Student Activities. I am delighted to present to you the ﬁrst ever all-student magazine at the University of Worcester from the Students’ Union, which was one of my manifesto aims at the start of the year. After suggestions from students, we have named it ‘Worc Hard Play Hard’, to capture the essence of our wonderful students. We aim to produce Worc Hard Play Hard twice during the year. The magazine includes articles written by students from different areas such as sport, societies, and volunteering, as well as StARs, Institute Reps, recipients of special awards and much more.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed pieces and, also, to the University Communications team for helping us to promote this new publication.

You now have the opportunity to write to us about your achievements during the second semester to go into our 2nd issue of the magazine, which will be published at the end of the semester.

Finally, without the Students’ Union’s student designers, Student Engagement Manager, Sports Co-ordinator and Marketing and Communication Co-ordinator, this magazine would never have happened and my huge thanks go to them.

For more information, please go to our website page: www.worcsu.com/worchardplayhard/ Hemaka Pathiranage

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SPORT American Football The Worcester Royals development of an inclusive and charitable club This semester has been a very exciting one for the American Football club in terms of their long-term development. September saw over 35 new Freshers welcomed into the club – many of whom were gaining their ﬁrst taste of this up and coming sport. Part of the American Football experience at Worcester is getting to know your teammates better and a big part of this is Social Wednesdays at Mode.

Socials At American Football we pride ourselves on being a tight knit squad despite having a larger squad size than most other teams. This can be partly attributed to regular social events including, but not limited to, Social Wednesdays with Play @ Mode and regular team meals. A highlight of the social calendar this semester has been a joint social with the Cheer Society which gave the group a chance to mix with other students that they may not have otherwise met. Socials are friendly, inclusive and a great laugh, with everybody’s needs catered for whether they enjoy a drink or two or choose not to partake.

coaches and this year we have had a large contingent of coaches come to us from all reaches of the game. We are very grateful for all the time and effort they put in. We train every Tuesday from 6pm until 8pm and every Friday from 7pm until 9:30pm with the first hour dedicated to film study. This specialist access to these incredibly knowledgeable coaches is included in our joining fee and is something that we pride ourselves on. We are excited to be moving our games to the new Lakeside campus in February in order to accommodate the growing needs of the team. This move comes after a great few years at the Moors playing fields near City Campus. We are also very excited to don our new Surridge kit for the next set of games where, for the first time in years, the Royals will be back playing in Blue.

raise money for some very deserving causes. In April we held a game where we welcomed back former players in a friendly game for CLIC Sargent Children’s Cancer Charity. The game was a great success and more than £280 was raised. In November we teamed up with the Cricket Society for a charity Football match in aid of Smile for Joel. A great deal of fun was had by all in a close and competitive match, raising a great deal of money for a cause close to everyone’s hearts. We are now well on our way to our target of £300. We are always looking for fun new ideas to raise money for charity and if any other societies want to team up and fundraise together please get in touch!

Fundraising Throughout the course of the year, the team holds some fantastic fundraising events which are a great opportunity to

Training Due to the specialist nature of our sport, it is very important to us that we have access to qualiﬁed and committed

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EVENT Bright Futures Bright Futures brings the Hedda Gabler movie to Worcester On 25th November, Worcester Bright Futures had the honour of supporting the premiere of the ‘Hedda Gabler’ movie in Worcester. The event was organised by 5 students from Worcester Business School, two of them being part of the society’s committee – Lucija Vuletic, Bright Futures’ Event Manager and Diana Iusco, Bright Futures’ President.

Peter Barnes who came along with Vivienne Sharman Lewis, representing Vision PR and Creative Network. Overall, the guests were delighted, impressed by the movie and pleased by the reception afterwards, and the organisers were praised for professionalism and for putting together such a great night! Thank you everyone for attending the event. For more pictures, please check Worcester Bright Futures’ Facebook page @brightfuturesworcester.

Worcester Bright Futures is looking for its next committee! We’re starting this new year excited to plan new events, but also, ready to train new people to take over. If you want to know what being a committee member in a Champion National society feels like, please get in touch with our committee members through the Worcester Bright Futures Facebook page!

The ‘Hedda Gabler’ movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and this event represented its UK premiere. The guests met the director, Matthew John, the lead actress, Rita Ramnani and the PR coordinator, Penelope Brooke Hamilton who happily answered questions about their careers, the movie and the Cannes experience. The guests could also see a sample of the costumes used in the movie and the event was ﬁlmed by University of Worcester students and photographed by a Bright Futures’ photographer and

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EMPLOYABILITY Business Placements Placement students recognised for success in Worcester and nationally Two Worcester Business School placement students were rewarded for their placement year achievements. Alex Slater and Anwen Rees had exceptional success at Mercedes AMG and Worcestershire Internal Audit Shared Service respectively.

Each student received a prize from the sponsor Enterprise Rent A Car. Alex and Anwen were rewarded for their dedication, impact and overall performance in their roles. Alex worked for Mercedes AMG in a fast paced Controlling Department (Management Accounting), developing business operational areas for opportunities, risks and aiding in the decision making process for stakeholders around the business. Anwen worked as an Assistant Internal Auditor for Worcestershire Internal Audit Shared Service, providing internal audit services for Redditch Borough Council, Bromsgrove District Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Wychavon District Council and Worcester City Council.

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If you are a student in Worcester Business School and wish to take a placement year please contact the Placements & Internships Manager Kat Jones at: businessplacements@worc.ac.uk

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SPORT

Climbing and Mountaineering Fresher’s Lock Down Event The ﬁrst time members got a glimpse of the new Redpoint Climbing Centre in Worcester was at our “Lock Down” event on Sunday 28th September. This event drew a crowd of over 70 students to the newly opened Climbing Centre for their ﬁrst experience of climbing and the Climbing Club. Two taster sessions were run at the event, one for roped climbing and one for bouldering. Both were a hit with the freshers. Half way through, the pizza arrived so we had a break to eat, free of charge to students, paid for by the club! The night concluded in Boof’s Café, with drinks kindly donated by the Redpoint owner Andy Harvey. They didn’t last long though as the 70+ students had built up a thirst during their exciting evening.

“This event drew crowds of over 70 students”

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SPORT North Wales Climbing Trip

Speed Climbing Competition

The Worcester University Climbing and Mountaineering Club ran their ﬁrst trip of the year to North Wales at the start of November, taking twelve club members. On the ﬁrst day, they did some Sport Climbing and Bottom Roping at Trevor Rocks. The second day saw them climbing in the Llanberis Slate Quarry, with some experienced members from Sport Climbing and the newer members getting to grips with Bottom Roping on slate. On the third day the group climbed Tryfan, a 918 metres-high mountain in the Snowdonia National Park. The group were required to scramble up the rocky sides of the mountain to reach the peak. Scrambling is a cross between hill walking and climbing, on steep rocky ground, which requires great care and attention.

On November 21st, the Climbing Club hosted a Speed Climbing competition for all members. A route was chosen and the fastest person up the route won. Over 15 people took part with some very impressive results achieved! Men’s results Harry Turner 17.96 seconds Jack Smith 18.12 seconds Tom Cawte 18.55 seconds Women’s results Kitty Dowry 24.93 seconds Gemma Abbott 33.89 seconds Christine Mayes 35.26 seconds

On the last day of the trip, the group had a private guided tour of the DMM factory. DMM are a leading climbing manufacturer based in a small factory that employs local people in North Wales. The group learnt how safety equipment such as karabiners are made and were given some novelty key rings created from equipment off-cuts. Overall, North Wales was a brilliant trip with great people. This annual event is a favourite among members and we hope to see even more people attending next year. Thanks to the Climbing and Mountaineering captains for organising the trip.

Christmas Caving and Climbing

V12 Lead Climbing Championships 2016 The Worcester University Climbing and Mountaineering Club were represented for the ﬁrst time this year in the V12 Lead Climbing Championships at Awesome Walls, Shefﬁeld. Our 2 representatives were Tash Allcock and

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Kitty Dowry. Both climbed exceptionally well. Tash qualiﬁed for the ﬁnals where she placed 4th out of over 25 climbers; a brilliant achievement that we are all very proud of. The three climbers above her are in the current GB Climbing Team. A big thank you to both girls and we hope to enter another team next year.

Wednesday 7th December saw the club join together for a fancy dress Christmas meal at Flames Buffet. This was followed by a short drive down to Gloucester, where they went caving at the Warehouse Climbing Centre. After an hour of exploring the cave, squeezing through gaps and swimming through ball pits, the group emerged from the darkness to go climbing for the second half of the afternoon. The event concluded with a fun Christmas themed relay race traverse in the bouldering room. All members were very happy when Santa himself (our chairman) handed them all Christmas cards and gave out Santa chocolates. A great event, enjoyed by all. By Ryan Whitehead and Gemma Abbott

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SOCIETIES Christian Union Wow! What an amazing semester for the University of Worcester Christian Union. From the beginning we’ve been non-stop and we’ve had an absolute blast! We have welcomed many new members which is incredibly exciting for the society. We cannot wait to see what ideas and energy they will bring to grow and increase awareness of CU on campus. Our weekly meetings have been encouraging with weekly guest speakers sharing some good news from God’s word. We have deﬁnitely learnt that God has so much to teach us, even through people who lived 3000 years ago! Looking forward, we’re going to be exploring the life of Jesus, questioning why he would come to earth and discovering what this means for our future. We’d love to have you join us Tuesday evenings, 7:30pm, on campus, see our Facebook page for weekly details.

a quote of the night. We love serving students in this small way and really appreciate the respect we get. Finally, we hosted the ﬁrst University of Worcester Christian Union Carol Service in the Students’ Union at the end of term. It was a fantastic festive evening with mulled wine and mince pies in abundance. Thank you so much to the Music Society for all the effort they put in to leading us in some of our favourite carols. The main focus of the evening was the message delivered by Owen Gallacher from All Saints Church in Worcester. He reminded us that the little baby that was born at Christmas time is the most important baby in history. We gave out a copy of Luke’s Gospel to everyone who attended which gives an eyewitness account of the life of Jesus. What a great gift!

In early November, we had our annual weekend away. This was a really great opportunity for all of our members to get to know each other whilst having fun. A friend from a local church came to speak to us about the meaning of the cross and how important this message is to share. As well as great fun and inspiring teaching we had some amazing food and lots of it! Brew and Biscuits is a big event on our calendar every Wednesday night and we know a lot of students who seek us out every week for a hot drink and a Party Ring outside Tramps Nightclub. There have been many amusing moments over the ﬁrst term and we often listen out for

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Next semester we’re not slowing down! We’ll still be meeting every Tuesday, Brew and Biscuit-ing every Wednesday and we have a really exciting Events Week coming up in February! Look us up on Facebook @UniWorcCU to ﬁnd out more and we hope you come along and get involved. By the University of Worcester Christian Union Committee

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SPORT Dance For Alex Simpson

The Worcester Saints would like to say a formal thank you to Alex for her commitment and attitude while running the society So we wanted to send this to tell the SU what she has done for us to keep the society going as well as what she has achieved. There were some problems with the attendance of committee members last year which resulted in Alex and Keke running the society single-handidly. This year, Alex has continued with the role on her own due to Keke having to drop down from the chair position. She has organised all the events and taught classes each week to keep everything functioning. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s played a major part in the rise of the society, through fervent promotion getting us more attention, in addition to getting dance taken seriously both in competitions and as a sport. As a result of all her hard work, the society raised ÂŁ460 from our Christmas show and cake sale, and we are donating ÂŁ100 to the charity smileforjoel. Alex is organising events for the second semester and looking for members that can carry on the society to further increase the reputation of the Saints, both within the university and on the competitive stage in order to continue reaping the rewards of our success. By Liam Turner

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SOCIETIES Education Enhancement The fastest growing society at Worcester Students’ Union The Education Enhancement society launched in September 2016 and is now the largest of its kind at the University of Worcester. It was founded by former Institute of Education Representative Taylor Cornes, along with current reps Amber Chilton and Terri-Ann Hynes, after many discussions on how the different centres within the Institute of Education could unite and incorporate students from other Institutes. The society was awarded £1,000 by the University of Worcester for completing the most University of Worcester Student Surveys of any society. This has signiﬁcantly helped to fund the various speakers and workshops that have been scheduled. In October 2016, Education Enhancement were awarded Society of the Month.

Education Enhancement is an academic society aimed at equipping members with valuable skills and knowledge that can be taken forward into a career in Education. Certificates are awarded to members who attend workshops, which can be put into portfolios and recognised on their CVs. The current committee is made up of seven Education students from first, second and third year. They are as follows: Taylor Cornes (Chairperson), Ben Willetts (Treasurer), Tegan Gough (Secretary), Sharni Cotterill (Administrator), Sophie-Anne Burke (Members’ Rep), Sophie Bowen (Social Media Rep) and Sophie Albutt (Welfare Officer).

The most recent workshop was led by Victoria Pugh and was concerned with Eating Disorders in Primary Schools. The workshop was highly informative and Victoria covered all eating disorders, whilst identifying the warning signs to look out for. She shared some valuable resources and websites to use in schools and there were many opportunities for reﬂection on how professionals in Education can support children who might be vulnerable. Upcoming workshops being organised for Education Enhancement’s members include a Lesson Planning Masterclass and All Things Behaviour Management. There are also two exciting trips taking place in semester 2. The ﬁrst to the Education Show in Birmingham followed by a visit to the Teachers’ Institute in London. If you are interested in joining this fantastic society then your membership can be bought from the Students’ Union, or online through their website.

With 170 members, the Education Enhancement society tries to cater for all and has scheduled many workshops for the year, including Morrells Handwriting Bootcamp, ATL Voice Coaching and Mindfulness in the Primary School. Education Enhancement’s ﬁrst workshop of the year – Morells Handwriting Bootcamp – saw over 80 members in attendance and was a very practical, hands-on session. A member described the workshop as “amazing” and added that she “really enjoyed it and learnt some helpful and interesting information that I would have never known about otherwise!”

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SPORT Equestrian Unique, inclusive and victorious â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Equestrian Society ride to success! Equestrianism is described as one of the most unique sports to compete in at BUCS, with the most important piece of 'equipment' being an unknown horse. To ensure fairness, all riders are required to draw their horses, removing the need for members to have their own horse. BUCS competitions comprise of two phases, a dressage test and show jumping round. Each rider has around 5 minutes to practice on their horse before performing each phase to a judge. Here at the University of Worcester, we have two teams that compete within the BUCS league, with both teams placing very successfully in recent years. The club has also been victorious for the last two years over rivals Gloucester at Varsity. Let's hope this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teams can make that a third! The Equestrian Society is not all about competing, any level of ability is welcomed, even if you've never ridden a horse before. The society ride at Court Equestrian Riding School, located between Worcester and Malvern, perfect for a hacking around the Malvern Hills to have a break from lectures. You don't even have to ride horses to join! As a club we regularly have non-horse related socials including bowling and going out for meals. Interesting fact - A-team Captain, Emily Payne, used to work at The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, riding for The Queen. By Kathleen Pavey

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Twitter and Instagram - @UOWequestrian

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SPORT Fencing Busy Fencers

Stourbridge team 1 finished 9th with Stourbridge team 2 finishing 8th. This has been an incredibly exciting first semester for the club and we look forward to many more competitions to come.

The University of Worcester Fencing club was newly established in September 2016. Since then our fencers have been extremely busy. Between November and December, three of our members attended four competitions, competing as both a team and individuals. On the November 12th Sophie Tapp, Maarja Konrad and Yassena Markova headed to the Welsh Open. This was the first competition at which the University of Worcester was represented at, apart from BUCS individuals, enabling members to get a taste for competition. The following weekend, our two epeeists Maarja and Yassena (meaning they fence with a specialist sword) headed to London to compete in the Leon Paul Epee satellite competition. Both Yassena and Maarja were in the same position after the first poule, both having had one victory (5) and losing the other matches 4,4,3,3,2. After the poules Yassena and Maarja were equal 35th out of 41 competitors. Both went on to win their first Direct Elimination (DE). In the 2nd DE Yassena lost 8-15, knocked out by a fencer who went on to finish 5th. Maarja went on to win her 2nd DE after a difficult start finding herself at 8-12 (out of 15), she found momentum and managed to finish 15-12. The next match was for the top 16 fencers, Maarja won 15-5 progressing through to the top 8 fencers. This was a close match, with both fencers aware of how close to a medal they were, but Maarja unfortunately lost 12-15, finishing the day in 8th place.

On the 3rd of December Sophie Tapp, Maarja Konrad and Yassena Markova headed to Birmingham University to take part in a team competition as part of Stourbridge Fencing Club. The team competition had a fencer fencing each weapon. Stourbridge team 1 comprised of Sophie (Sabre), Ben (Foil) and James (Epee) while Stourbridge team 2 comprised of Rich (Sabre), Maarja (Epee) and Yassena (Foil). Team 1 competed well in the poules winning 3 matches and losing 3, resulting in being placed 6th after the poule. While team 2 had 2 wins and 4 losses resulting in an 11th place finish after the poules. For the direct eliminations, Stourbridge teams 1 & 2 were to fence each other with the loser being knocked out. Foil started first with team 1 being the first to reach 5 hits. Next came sabre where team 2 took the lead 10-8. It all came down to the Epee with Maarja against James. This was a close fight resulting in a 14-14 finish with all-time used up. It was then down to the toss of a coin, team 1 gained priority (if there was a double hit team 1 won and if time ran out before another hit team 1 won). Maarja with the disadvantage managed to make an opportunity and took the point after a tense game, taking Stourbridge team 2 through to the next round where they were knocked out.

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University of Worcester Fencing Club at the Oxfam Open On December 18th, two fencers from the University of Worcester Fencing Club headed to the Oxfam Open. The Oxfam Open is a charity fencing competition with all profits going to Oxfam. Sophie Tapp, fencing sabre and Maarja Konrad, fencing epee, had a solid weekend. Ladies epee started first, Maarja had 3 victories in the poule (5 hits) and two losses of 3-5. This put her in 7th position, giving her a bye into the top 16. For the second round of Direct Eliminations (DEs) Maarja had a convincing win 15-6 taking her through to the last 8, where she faced an opponent who had knocked her out of the Welsh Open. After a close start Maarja found momentum and won the fight 15-7, taking her though to the semi-finals. After a quick fight, Maarja lost 7-15 to the eventual winner of the Oxfam Open final. Maarja finished in an impressive equal 3rd place. Sophie had 4 victories (5 hits) and two losses 1-5 and 3-5 in the ladies’ sabre. This put her in 6th place after the poule. After a close first DE Sophie lost 13-15, finishing the day in 9th place. Performance in the poules was a personal best and overall this was a good result and fantastic news for the club.

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FUNDRAISING Go Sober for October Students’ Union President – Jade Haley – raises £305 and becomes a top fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support When was the last time you had a drink? During semester one Jade Haley, Worcester Students’ Union President, set herself the Go Sober for October challenge in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. With an initial target of £150, Jade’s campaign got off to an excellent start, smashing her target in less than a week.

Support came from far and wide with Jade’s campaign surpassing the £300 mark on October 26th. While we all enjoy a drink, abstaining for a month in its entirety is something particularly challenging when numerous social commitments are expected from you, as is the case for WSU’s President. Of course the temptation was great at times, but raising such a wonderful amount for Macmillan and awareness for the cause around the university served as excellent rewards for attending pre-drinks with only a bottle of lemonade to hand. A month hangover-free isn’t a bad ancillary reward either!

One of Jade’s kind donors commented on the dedicated donation page “proud of you Jade, I know how much you love a drink. Your body and the wonderful people at Macmillan help appreciate all your good work”. Macmillan Cancer Support are there to help those who need support to take back some control in their lives. If you would like any more information on the charity and how they support people or how you can help them please visit: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/.

“It was honestly something I didn’t think I’d be able to do and I am so happy and proud to have done it for myself, but also to have raised over £300 for charity. I stuck by it and if I can do it so can a lot of others!”.

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SPORT Handball Worcester University Handball team builds to winning form On 30th October 2016, the University of Worcester’s very own handball team travelled in high spirits to Huddersfield to compete in a long, physically demanding and high quality tournament. By the time the sun set they were declared “Champions”. The newly built Worcester side had a shaky start to the tournament with 2 wins and 2 loses in the round robin stage. All changed during the semi-final as a highly passionate side came out to progress to the final stage of the competition, as Jakub Galis fired home an unstoppable shot in golden goal time (winning 4-3 against the well-established team of Bangor). After a tough semi-final, Worcester was at the final stage of the tournament with only hosting Huddersfield standing in their way. A game sure to be remembered from the whistle. The game was fast-paced with neither team wanting to be second best and everyone playing with everything they had left in the tank. With two minutes on the clock, the calmness and experience of the Worcester side paid off with captain Max Rowley leading by example with a crucial block. This was followed swiftly with three breath-taking goals from Sha Michael, Thomas Bussey and Kieran Fowler. The final whistle blew at last, both teams shook hands with their heads held high knowing they had given a worthy performance as Worcester sealed the victory by the finest of margins (winning 4-3 against a respected Huddersfield side).

Recognition must go to all players, coaches and committee members this year for their hard work, but one man has truly stood out and shone in his new role. Kieran Fowler (Chairman) has worked constantly this year, organising all the ins and outs of the club and continues to be incredibly humble about the work he puts in. We as a team would like to congratulate him on his success in this role and thank him for being such a role model and aspirational ﬁgure for all players. If you’re looking to try something new, make new friends or join a winning sports team then come and give handball a try. No matter what your knowledge or ability, you’ll be sure to be greeted with a warm welcome

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by our committee members. You can also message or tweet us on our ofﬁcial Facebook and Twitter pages @worcunihandball or just come along and maybe bring a friend to one our training sessions, to see what the all the fuss is about. This year Nationals are coming home to Worcester and we would very much appreciate your support as we look to build upon last year’s success. So please come on down to Worcester Arena on 11th and 12th February to get behind your home team and witness university handball at its very best! Facebook and Twitter: @worcunihandball By David Gent

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SOCIETIES Harry Potter This first semester of the 2016-17 year has been one of new beginnings for the Harry Potter society. The new committee have provided a fresh take on all Harry Potter-related challenges and have tackled things head on. The Freshers’ Fair was a highlight for the society, seeing an increase in membership and interest with the new intake of students compared to last year. As with every new cohort, the annual sorting ceremony where all the new members are sorted into their houses began the semester with a sense of trepidation and excitement. Since then, sorting members have competed in several competitions and events to win points for their house. Members have taken part in activities such as Duelling and wand making, as well as watching the films together. This semester also saw the first stage of the Triwizard Tournament. Members competed in a scavenger hunt around the university, solving riddles and collecting photographs to accomplish challenges, gaining points for their house along the way. Slytherin were crowned victorious in the first task winning the most points. The feather in the cap of the society this year was the Yule Ball, hosted in the Students’ Union on the 26th November 2016. In 2015, the Yule Ball won best event at the Societies Ball and we hoped to make it bigger and better. The Students’ Union was decorated to resemble the Great Hall from the Harry Potter series, with Christmas trees and candles. The Forbidden Forest was also created using trees, snow and UV lights. This section of the event was a favourite with committee members.

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Over 140 people attended the event four times the amount on the previous year! There were several activities throughout the evening with a performance from Loco Show Co., a rafﬂe and a game of Dobby’s Sock Hunt where guests had to ﬁnd socks sneakily hidden around the Students’ Union to win chocolate frogs. Overall, the evening was successful and highly enjoyable for all involved and we hope everyone who attended enjoyed the evening too. As last semester drew to a close the committee looked forward to the events of next year and are beginning to plan their annual visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London!

By Meghan Wright – Chair of the Harry Potter Society

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INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

International Winter Food Fair An Interview with the Organisers of the International Winter Food Fair at the Pear Tree Why did you organise this fair? Marie-Charlotte: The purpose of the International Fair was to raise money for Maggs Day Centre as well as providing an entertaining evening out for international students. The International Office wanted to put on an event towards the end of the semester so we asked our university friends and international students to cook for us. To be able to organise a food festival with an open mic night helped fulfil our aim of providing entertainment and fundraising simultaneously. What is Maggs Day Centre? Emma: A charity for homeless and socially isolated people. Their office is in the city centre of Worcester along with three houses where Maggs Day Centre provides breakfast and lunch for homeless people. There are also facilities where people can shower and do their laundry. The charity also provides activities during the day, including cooking and drama classes. Maggs Day Centre really want to help people to spend more time undertaking valuable activities with others, creating a positive community and environment and spend less time on the streets.

What was difﬁcult in organising this event?

moment to see all these people joining our event.

Aliénor: We never know if our event promotion is effective and whether many people will attend. There is a risk that some events may be a total disaster if there are no people. Gaining sufficient sponsorship and donations for raffle prizes, and for the best stand and best food competition was also difficult. This was challenging because a number of businesses weren’t willing to donate to us.

Marie-Charlotte: My favourite moment was seeing how many of our friends and others came and how much people actually cooked. We were not expecting that much food. There was enough to feed over a hundred people! Everyone enjoyed being behind their stands.

What is your best memory? Emma: My best memory of the fair is the preparation process on the day. We were in the Pear Tree decorating all the tables and stands from 4pm. At 6pm around 10 people arrived at the event and we were so surprised because 15 minutes later this increased to around 50 people. We were not expecting such a large turn out, so it was a really nice

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Aliénor: What I liked about the fair is not a particular moment, but having the opportunity to talk to cooks from all the different countries throughout the whole event. They really enjoyed the event as much as the people who attended the fair.

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SPORT Karate Championships Nursing Student Bags Three Bronze Medals at Karate Championships A nursing student from the University of Worcester has recently returned from the Shito-Ryu Karate World Championships in Mexico December 2016, having bagged an impressive haul of three bronze medals. Jennifer Goddard, age 25, from Clifton-Upon-Teme, near Tenbury Wells, has been training as a martial artist since the age of 11, and found she needed to draw on all her years of experience during the Championships. “The arena was huge,” she said. “It was both exciting and nerve-racking to compete on such a big stage, but that’s where the years of experience make the difference.”

enjoyed, as winning something as a team is a great feeling. The whole Shito-Kai England team went out there and did really well. I love being part of a team as that’s what it’s all about.” As a black belt 3rd Dan, Jennifer is a highly qualiﬁed student of her art, and, having chosen to retrain as a nurse at the University of Worcester, she is now making the grade as a student of a different kind.

“To have come home with three bronze medals was amazing,” Jennifer added. “It has inspired me to train even harder. Standing on the podium receiving the medals is a feeling I’ll never forget.” Often portrayed as a solitary, almost mystic sport, Jennifer is keen to emphasise the fellowship that exists within the team and between competitors.

“Originally I completed a nutrition degree at university and worked for a time as an NHS Dietetic Assistant, but I wanted to spend more time one to one with patients, and being able to help people on a daily basis attracted me to nursing,” she said. “I knew Worcester had state-of-the-art facilities, and I would like to work in the local area once I have ﬁnished my degree, so I thought it would be helpful to have my placements here too.” Jennifer said balancing her karate and nursing training was sometimes a juggle. “It can be stressful at times as I have very little spare time,” she admits. “I have to prioritise my time wisely, but this is part of the normal discipline involved in being a martial artist. “I hope to graduate with a good degree and then be able to ﬁnd work locally. My eventual goal within nursing is to become a GP practice nurse. In karate, I am aiming to continue competing at tournaments at this level and to take my 4th Dan examination. In the future I may consider teaching karate myself.” For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk

“It was brilliant to meet and compete against the elite Shito-Kai members from around the world, and there was an amazing feeling of camaraderie between all the competitors,” she explains. “I am in a kata team which I have really

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SPORT Ladies Cricket BUCS Report On 5th November, Ladies’ Cricket arrived in Cardiff with a brand new team of girls who had never played cricket before. We were sporting only five players instead of the customary six, but were ready for the challenge ahead. With a tough first game against Cardiff Metropolitan University we were really shown what indoor cricket was all about with Met scoring 150 in just 10 overs. With many of our own players never having faced a hard ball before, we were extremely proud to score 41. We fielded first in our second game against UWE. Our bowling improved significantly, with far fewer wide balls compared to our first game. However, with UWE scoring 90 we knew it would be a tough task. A notable opening partnership of Charlotte and Amber gave us a fantastic start, but there was

a lot of work still to be done, with two quick wickets falling. The 2nd ball bowled in the ﬁnal over resulted in a 3 being scored meaning Worcester had won their ﬁrst BUCS game!

For the second time in their debut tournament Worcester had won! A fantastic team effort showcased the hard work put in by all team members since September.

The third game of the tournament, against Aberystwyth, was a close one with Worcester only missing out by 23 runs. This game was truly a great effort by all. The final game of the day was against a very strong Cardiff University. Jess scored 23 not out, and Breda stayed strong at the end of the innings bringing home a score of 85 for Worcester. Bowling continued to improve and another notable performance in which Natasha took 2 catches in 2 balls saw Cardiff needing three 6s off the last 3 balls with 1 wicket left. The 2nd ball saw the batter charge down the wicket to hit the ball high into the ceiling, to find Jess diving head first into the net for a solid catch!

Two weeks on, on November 19th, the team travelled to Birmingham. The still inexperienced Worcester side were put into bat ﬁrst against a strong bowling attack from the home side. All wickets fell leaving only one player, Jess, left standing with 2 overs to go. Worcester was still able to come away with a reasonable total. Worcester then managed to take a wicket with Sophie snatching a high catch. The second game came against Bristol and Worcester knew they had a chance. Olivia took a catch in the ﬁrst over, dismissing Bristol’s best batter. There were a lot of close chances behind the stumps and it was Breda’s great wicket-keeping that kept Bristol’s total down to a reachable target. A quick 25 saw Jess retire and Natasha make a good start. Two quick wickets fell in 4 balls and the last 32 runs were needed with only 1 wicket left. Some fantastic running from Breda and Jess showed Worcester’s commitment to the game, but unfortunately left the new side just a few runs short. Both weekends were a massive learning experience for all players and our coach and a great foundation to build upon in the new year! By Breda O'Hare

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VOLUNTEERING Library Services A big “thank you” from Library Services

This is in addition to Kirk’s previous regular volunteer role as a Hive Digital Champion helping students and members of the public to access digital resources throughout the building. So, thank you Kirk!

If you’re interested in volunteering with The Hive or Library Services, the full range of opportunities can be found at www.library.worc.ac.uk/about/getinvolved

At Library Services we believe that student engagement plays a crucial role in allowing us to develop and improve our service to students whilst continuing to provide exceptional facilities for the University and the wider community. Since September, over thirty students have given up their time to complete work placements or volunteer with us, attend focus groups, assist with staff recruitment or sign up to the Library Representatives (Bees) scheme. Many, many more have helped by ﬁlling in online or physical surveys or joining the conversation on social media. All of you have contributed to improving Library Services for yourself and your fellow students and for this we’d like to say a big “Thank you”! In particular, we’d like to recognise Kirk Wood, a second-year student from the Business School, who has done exceptional work this year to promote Library Services and support the wider community within The Hive. Since September, Kirk has offered his time to be part of a student panel involved in Library Services staff recruitment, he has met with visitors from other university libraries to give students perspective of The Hive, and he has worked alongside fellow Computing students to gather and collate invaluable student feedback on a variety of aspects of student life, including Library Services.

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SPORT Martial Arts Day Jitsu, Fencing and the Karate and Self-Defence Societies unite in first ever Martial Arts Day On 19th November, the Karate and Self Defence, Jitsu and Fencing Societies came together for the Worcester Students’ Union’s first ever Martial Arts Day. Students and staff alike were given the opportunity to try their hands at something new and get involved with these three interesting and enjoyable societies. Attendance was good, with students from all years, courses and backgrounds filling the Riverside Dance Studio. Levels of experience ranged from complete novices to those who have been training for years. The day started at 11:00am with a half-hour warm up session led by Michael Dean, Chair and Instructor for the Karate and Self-Defence Society, and then went straight into training. First on the agenda was Karate taught by Michael. The session comprised of learning one of Karate’s many forms (Kata) called Pinan Yodan. This progressed into seeing how Pinan Yodan techniques could be applied to actual fighting scenarios by working with a partner for the rest of the morning. Everyone showed great enthusiasm and high levels of ability, learning quickly and progressing well. Training restarted at 1:00pm after a quick break to refuel.

fighting on your feet, in Jitsu we got the mats out and looked at some rolling, pushing and throwing techniques with the Jitsu Instructor, Andy Moses. Everyone threw themselves into it, both figuratively and literally, with Black Belts and beginners alike hurling themselves and each other onto the floor with gusto. This session finished with a shouting exercise that had everyone trying to do a Ki-ai, a martial shout designed to intimidate opponents, but had everyone laughing by the end. After another short break and with the mats cleared away, the final session of the day began. At 2:00pm, we started Fencing, taught by the SU’s own Hannah Chenneour-Stockley. This was not just any Fencing, this was Sabre Lite, using swords derived from traditional cavalry weapons for both stabbing and cutting attacks.

We learnt basic footwork and how to strike, block and evade attacks and even got to try these techniques out on each other (with the proper safety equipment of course). Unfortunately, time caught up with us and by the end of the day we had still not been able to have any proper matches. To make up for this, we got to watch Hannah and Fencing Society Chair, Sophie Tapp spar in a match that was fast-paced, exciting and exhausting to watch, let alone be a part of. With this the day drew to an end with thanks given to the organisers, instructors and most of all to everyone who came along and had a go, helping to make the day a huge success. We hope to do this again, bigger and better, with even more people and even more societies. If you are interested in training with any of the societies from the day, details of training times and locations can be found on the Students’ Union website.

The afternoon session focussed on Jitsu training. Where Karate focussed on ﬁghting on your feet; in Jitsu we got the

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FUNDRAISING Mens Cricket Incredible achievement from Men’s Cricket raising over £1,400 for Smile for Joel since September. Men’s cricket started this year by helping organise and participate in a T20 cricket match against Walsall Cricket Club. The match was played at Walsall CC and included a team selected from students currently playing for the University and alumni who had been close to Joel and had played for the University in previous years. It brought together a community ranging from ﬁrst years to graduates, all raising money for a wonderful cause that is close to the family and friends of Joel and Walsall CC, but also of great importance to the University family. Before the game started, a team photo was taken and a minute’s applause observed by everyone impeccably. The University of Worcester CC were led out

by Zack Fagg and well supported by the societies who came to watch and aid in the fundraising and overall atmosphere of the day. The event was a bubbly affair with the food flowing from the BBQ and music blaring from the speaker system for every boundary and wicket. In the end it was Walsall CC who came out as victors, but that didn’t bother anyone. The day’s objectives were to enjoy and raise money and that is exactly what happened. With help from a raffle and multiple donations the overall amount raised reached £1,400. After an emotional speech from organiser James Middleton from Walsall CC and team photos, the raffle took place, raising a significant amount of money for the charity. Kind exchanges and thanks were shared and the men left feeling like something great had been achieved and inspired to do more for such a brilliant charity. Following this success, the Cricket team set upon more fundraising alongside fellow students.

was balanced and after a 2-0 lead was forfeited by the Cricket team the American football side managed to bring the game to 3-3. This ended in dizzy penalties as the decider. After the American football side had gone 2-0 up, it looked certain they would win and miraculously Cricket found a way to level it at 3-3 and ensure sudden death took place. Cricket scored and then up stood Daniel Tuckley to dive to his left hand side and push the ball away to safety. The team sprinted after him to celebrate, and after calming down, a huge huddle with both sides came together to thank one another and praise the day as a whole. This event saw both sides bringing in an extra £250 for the Smile for Joel charity. Long may the good work continue into the year. By Matthew Spokes and Zack Fagg

A spur of the moment idea to play another society at football was raised and American football gladly accepted the chance to help. The game was played on November 24th at 3pm on a freezing winter afternoon. The game

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INTERNATIONAL EVENTS Miss Poland Worcester Student Reaches Miss Poland Finals. Competing to become Miss Poland was an amazing experience and an adventure I will never forget. However, I never dreamed of wearing a crown. In fact, for the last ﬁve years I have worked as a model all around the world. I have learned how to survive in the strict fashion industry which is considerably different to beauty competitions. In beauty competitions you are judged for how you look and who you are rather than how you present the clothes and follow the demands of designers. It was something totally new for me. I love new challenges and realised accepting an invitation to the casting of the most prestigious pageant in my country could be the ﬁrst step to spreading my wings, enabling me to reaching new horizons. Passing the long process of casting and making it into the top 20 gave me such a deep feeling of excitement. I knew it would be an

unforgettable experience from that moment on. It was not the desire to win the Miss Polonia crown and associated fame that drove me, but a deeper voice inside, saying that the platform this competition provided would allow me to positively influence other people's lives on a bigger scale. There is nothing better than putting a smile on someone else’s face. Being a ‘Miss’ is all about exemplifying charitable work and improving the lives of others. This was my true goal while attending the final of Miss Polonia, whatever the jury's verdict. A month before the competition, all the finalists worked on their campaigns, attended interviews, created videos and photo portfolios, generating huge interest online.

The next step was 'Miss Polonia Camp' where the real hard work started. Ten days in a luxury hotel in Warsaw, while beautiful, consisted mainly of long days of choreography rehearsals, fittings, conferences with media and interviews. This time allowed me to meet a lot of amazing people. All of us were there for the same reason but we didn't want to compete against each other and I made friends with other finalists. The final day was full of stress for the administrators, designers and models, but I was incredibly excited. When I stepped onto the stage and saw my family and friends cheering for me with posters, I was the happiest person in the world.

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I didn't win this competition but I gained more than that; motivation and huge support from all my friends, family and thousands of votes from people I don't even know. I still strive to fulﬁl my charitable goals and the crown is not necessary to do that. I'm also very thankful to the children from the Polish association 'Helping Hand' where I was a volunteer. They made a special campaign video for me and I was extremely moved when I saw it. Before my ﬂight back to the UK, I visited them to say thank you and I received a special crown and words that mean so much to me. This event was an amazing life lesson and I have found what I value most in my life. There is nothing bigger than love shared between people because love is real happiness. I see my future in the business industry but I am not planning to resign my passion to fashion just yet. My dream is to open an international model agency in a few years and travel the world to organise many charity events such as fashion shows and awareness events.

By Natalia Popis, Miss Poland Finalist, 2016

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SPORT Paddleboard & Surf Gower Peninsula, Wales Bright and early on October 1st, 20 excited (and sleepy) Paddlesport and Surf Club members travelled down to the Gower Peninsula, Wales for the ﬁrst surf trip of the academic year! A fabulous weekend was had by all, camping just behind the sand dunes on the beach. This surf trip was the largest the club has seen so far, with people of a wide range of ability levels in attendance. From people who have been surﬁng for years, to people who have

hardly been in the sea before, there was something for everyone! The weather held out for the whole weekend, with perfect waves, ranging from 2-6 foot over the two days. After a quick masterclass to either refresh people’s minds on the techniques and safety aspects of surﬁng or learn for the ﬁrst time, we got in to the surprisingly warm water for an afternoon of catching waves. Everyone did a great job, with even the beginners managing to stand up on their boards.

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The evening was spent getting warm again, cooking food on the beach, toasting marshmallows over a campfire and getting to know each other. The members study a mix of university courses and ranged in year of study. After a fuelling breakfast in the campsite café, Sunday turned out to be another awesome day of surfing with the waves proving to be even better than the previous day’s! A tiring, but successful and fun weekend surfing in the Gower resulted in salty hair, sandy toes and freckled faces, with many excellent memories made! By Georgia Potts (Surf Captain)

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ACADEMIC Personal Academic Tutor Campaign Last semester, we sought to learn student views on the Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) system at the University. A simple plan was put in place to gather as many student responses as possible in a short 3-week window. Over the course of the 3 weeks we managed to engage with 778 students, which was a reﬂection of the hard work put in by all members of staff. Positively, a large number of students knew who their PAT was (93.4%). This high level of awareness may be due to promotion by the University of this important support mechanism. Interestingly, Year 3 students were the least likely to know who their PAT was, at 87%. This is a cause for concern due to the speciﬁc pressures of third year, the high workload and potential career anxieties, that PATs are in a position to offer their support on. However, there is ongoing work from the University to counteract this; which is having clear impact on the students. The percentage of students that know who their PAT is increases to 92% and 94% for year one and year two students, respectively. This proves ongoing work with the system, especially for the new intake of students over the last two years, seems to be improving students’ knowledge and

engagement with their PAT. A large dip is seen however in postgraduate students. The SU provided the 6.6% of students who did not know who their PAT was with their details and how to ﬁnd further information via their SOLE page. It is hoped this information will help in increasing these students’ engagement with both the SU and their PATs. We wanted to ask what students actually wanted from their PAT, due to the University’s commitment to improving the system. These results proved very interesting; across all years, relatively few of the surveyed students (< 45%) wanted support around personal issues or the provision of learning resources (Fig. 1). This may be due to learning information being readily available via course leaders and lecturers. Support with academic progression was a popular choice for all students ranging from HND to postgraduate, with 83% requesting this. Academic issues again were another Figure 1: Percentage of students, by Year of Study, who would like support from their PATs in different areas.

area in which the vast majority of students wanted help, with the percentage increasing as students’ progress through their time at the University. There are two key areas we feel may need development; advice and support, and career planning. Across the three years, student need for support in these areas increase from 51% to 66%, which may not be surprising as students approach the end of their University life and the reality of progressing further in terms of work or education becomes increasingly important. It seems what students actually want from their PAT does vary depending on their year and level of study. In the latter stages it is clear students want more support and advice in relation to career planning. Many students appear not to value personal issues or learning resources as much as other areas. Further work might be needed to understand why – it may be due to students not having personal issues or that they know what support services are available to them elsewhere across the University. Across all years it is clear there is an overwhelming need for PAT support in the areas of academic progression and issues. This information will now be passed on to the University, to assess in regards to the current policy in place. A massive thank you to all students who took time to take part in the campaign, it has provided invaluable information on how the University and Students’ Union can work in collaboration to improve student experience. James Gunther Vice President Education Worcester Students' Union

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SPORT Pole Fitness Strength and growth in the Pole Fitness Society This is the Pole Fitness Society’s second year. Since being established in 2015, the society has seen huge development. Effective promotion has increased awareness of the society and been key to it’s continuing success.

students had already heard of the society from promotions conducted over the moving-in weekend. Since October, an incredible 14 members have achieved their Bronze level and four have achieved Silver! The majority of second year members are now working on reaching Gold or Platinum level and are also creating their own routines. Society members have been able to go and watch their instructor in the UK Professional Pole Championships and a number of members have taken part in showcases and Pole Jams. The society has increased the number of weekly training sessions to 3 and have an additional ﬁtness and ﬂexibility training class. Consistent numbers attend training sessions every week demonstrating an impressive increase in commitment to the society and the sport. Pole Fitness are looking forward

At September’s Sports and Activities Fair Pole Fitness received much interest from students at all levels of study. Some to a fundraiser in the second semester in aid of a chosen University charity and will continue to raise awareness of the society and sport. The society has increased in numbers and great friendships have been formed between members. Planning is also underway for more trips and social events throughout semester two, with big plans for competitions and Pole Jams with other universities. Overall, the society has become better known throughout the University and membership is looking positive and strong for the future. With a strong committee supporting the society there are many things to look forward to.

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By Lucy Miller

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SPORTS Sports Scholarship Scheme The University of Worcester (UW) Scholarship Scheme currently supports 25 athletes from a range of different levels and sports. The scheme supports athletes who competed at an Olympic and Paralympic level through to international and national athletes, as well as premier league players in the respective sports. The scheme recognises many sports which include; all summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic sports, BUCS Sports which include UW’s own performance team programme. Bronze, silver and gold scholarships are available depending on what level an athlete is competing at, all of which provide different levels of support. The Sports Scholarship Scheme provides support to athletes through many different avenues and provision can include; strength and conditioning, sports therapy and injury prevention, performance analysis access, clothing bundle, sports psychology, nutrition support, ﬁtness testing, anti-doping education, lifestyle advice and ﬁnancial support.

Scotland. Mo studies Sports Coaching Science with Disability Sport alongside training and competing for Great Britain in Wheelchair Basketball. Mo received the RGK MVP Award for the Scotland Nationals, as well as winning the U25 European Championships with Great Britain. Who is your greatest inspiration and why?

Who is your greatest inspiration and why? ‘Honestly, it’s my mom. She got me into the sport and has encouraged and supported me through my journey so far’.

‘Anybody who is happy and feels like they have a place in fulﬁlling their purpose in their life. Regardless of career, race, gender, the place you live etc… we all have goals to achieve’.

Natasha Allcock – Climbing. Natasha has been rock climbing since she was 5 years old. Worcester is Natasha’s home town where she now studies Sports Therapy at the University.

Meet some of our athletes:

Morwenna Hastings – Wheelchair Basketball. Mo Hastings has joined the Sports Scholarship Scheme this academic year when she made the move to Worcester from her home country of

in sparring and power strike at the Taekwondo British Championships.

Maresha Grewal – Taekwondo. Maresha currently studies Sports Coaching Science at UW alongside being an international athlete in Taekwondo. Maresha joined the scholarship scheme this year and has made some great progress both academically and in her sport after making the move from her home town of Wolverhampton. Maresha is 4-time All-Ireland Champion, as well as being 2-time Northern Ireland Champion. She competed at the 2016 World Championships as part of the Northern Ireland Squad, as well as attending trials for the Olympics. Most recently, Maresha obtained two bronzes

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Highlights in Natasha’s career have been gaining a place in the GB Junior Bouldering team in 2013, and retaining her space in the team until 2015. Natasha also took part in the 2016 Senior British Championship and placed 14th. Most recently, Natasha placed 4th in the National University Lead Climbing Championships in November. Interestingly, Natasha has also been involved in edits for 2 climbing movies. Who is your greatest inspiration and why? ‘Alex Puccio, for her powerful style of climbing and motivation for returning from injuries’. Follow our twitter for more information and updates: @uwscholarsport

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STARS StARs Success StARs of The Learning Institute Celebrate Success! The Learning Institute (TLI) is a partner college of the University of Worcester based in the South West of England with cohorts spread across the UK. Due to the widespread nature of the teaching locations, each cohort has their own Student Academic Representative (StAR). Based in Barnstaple, North Devon, Kim Stone is in her third year as StAR for her cohort. “I thoroughly enjoy the role and get a lot from it, supporting my cohort, interacting with fellow StARs and helping to shape the future of the course. During the summer of 2016 at a TLI celebration event, I was proud to be presented with the Gold Star Accreditation”. To date Kim is the only TLI student to have achieved this. The TLI StARs have a unique and different experience of the role (compared to on-campus StARs), due to their remote location, distance from the University of Worcester and distance from each other. TLI StARs attend training and meetings throughout the year, as well as Course Management Committee meetings. For some StARs this can often involve several hours of travel and time off work - which is testament to the dedication and commitment to the role. Much of their support is conducted online. Kim added “We always appreciate it when we get to meet members of the Worcester Students’ Union, we value their input and hope to continue to build links with the Students’ Union”.

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“We always appreciate it when we get to meet members of the Worcester Students’ Union, we value their input and hope to continue to build links with them.”

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EVENTS Student Cook of the Year Worcester student reaches finals of Student Cook of the Year Martina Salatekova, a first year at the University of Worcester, has reached the finals of Student Cook of the Year. Martina, originally from Slovakia, successfully entered her dish entitled ‘Re-salmon-ination’ in the Student Cook of the Year competition, sponsored by LoSalt, being selected for the second round of the competition.

The ﬁnalists will cook against the clock and each other, preparing and making a set dish in front of a prestigious judging panel. Martina, who has always taken an interest in food, said “Cooking has always been my hobby. I used to write about cooking for my high school journal in Slovakia. I am really glad that I can do it again”. This year’s judges include the founder of Olive magazine and ex-BBC Good Food editor Orlando Murrin, celebrity student chef, Sam Stern and ASDA’s innovative chef, Mark Richmond. The winner will be crowned ‘Student Cook of the Year’ and win £1,000 in grocery vouchers!

“Student Cook of the Year must be one of the most worthwhile awards ever - the chance to encourage young people into the kitchen, and adopt healthy cooking and eating habits that will last a lifetime,” says Orlando, “I know it’s going to be fascinating to see what the students come up with, and I just know I’m going to come away with masses of new ideas and inspiration to try afterwards!” For more information and to keep track of Martina’s success, please visit www.losalt.com/

Competing against students across the UK, Martina did extremely well to get this far! Her dish was salmon with honey and herbs and mashed potatoes with cress and Greek yoghurt. Martina chose this recipe for its healthy content and great taste. Martina commented “I am really pleased that I have been selected. I knew I had to be a part of it as soon as I heard about the competition”. The competition aims to promote healthy eating and cooking habits across the generations. The next step in the challenge for Martina was the creation of a delicious and healthy meal for four on a budget. Once again, Martina excelled and has now been selected to compete in the ﬁnal ‘Cook-Off’ against four other students in London in February.

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SPORT Ultimate Frisbee Memberships soar as Ultimate Frisbee prepare for BUCS Finals and Conference Cup challenge The past couple of months have been a complete whirlwind for everyone involved in Ultimate Frisbee. We have entered more tournaments than ever and won more games than ever before! Most incredibly, we have seen membership increase by 150% from this time last year. On 12th and 13th November, the club travelled to The Alan Higgs Centre in Coventry, to test our Men’s Indoor team’s ability against some of the best indoor teams in the country. Starting off as 20th seed out of 21 teams, we set out to improve our overall ranking. By the end of day one, we were sitting pretty in 9th place, having come up against Warwick, Swansea, Keele, Coventry and Cardiff. We won 3 out of a potential 5 games! On the 2nd day, we looked to keep our high seed and push our ﬁrst year Frisbee players. Gaining essential match time, members of the committee sat back and admired their hard work and coaching as our freshers put opposing teams through their paces! Winning a further two games allowed us to ﬁnish in 12th place overall. First year, Peter Evans was awarded player of the tournament via a unanimous decision after pushing hard throughout the whole weekend, giving 100% in every match.

This tournament has been especially momentous for the club because it is the ﬁrst time in three years that Worcester’s Ultimates have won at Men’s BUCS, let alone 3 within 5 matches. These wins were against three formidable opponents, Loughborough 2nd's (11-7), Nottingham 3rd's (Conference cup 15-1) and Leicester 2nd's (15-0). Stand out performances from Peter Evans, and Leicester 2nd's (15-0). Stand out performances from Peter Evans, Tom Jones and Harry Smith have allowed us to tear apart other teams and keep opposing points very low. Three rather convincing results have put us in good stead to potentially challenge for 3rd place. The club are also looking to challenge themselves further by going on a cup run after beating Nottingham 3rd's in the last 16. This means the club are now through to the quarter ﬁnals, drawing against Nottingham 2nd's.

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Ultimate are also in the planning stages of setting up a charity event in collaboration with Quidditch and Ladies’ Cricket. The teams will be raising money for a number of charities, yet to be decided. The event promises to be entertaining and educational as all members will be trying out one another’s sports with the aim of increasing participation throughout the University. Ultimate have also decided to establish their own home outdoor tournament to be hosted at the end of March 2017. This initiative has already created a lot of interest from neighbouring universities. We look to continue our successes into 2017 by entering more tournaments and friendlies and pushing our developing players even further! By Jordan Aubrey

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INNOVATION Volunteering for Justice In November 2015, a group of first year Applied Criminology students were invited to attend a major Conference in the University of Worcester Arena, which I attended. The Conference was organised by the Diocese of Worcester Criminal Justice Affairs Group and brought together criminal justice professionals, academics, students and people from a number of different faith communities to consider the impact of crime on victims, offenders and communities. One of the issues identified by the Conference was that people who want to offer their skills on a voluntary basis in criminal justice related areas often find it difficult to identify the opportunities that are available. The Conference organisers were keen to respond to this finding and, as a result, commissioned the University of Worcester to develop an online searchable directory to assist prospective volunteers. Following a recommendation from our Course Director, Kate Bramford, my friend Nikki Osbourne and I were delighted to be asked to lead the project. Six months later, following lots of juggling of University assignments and project deadlines, I was present in the audience when “Volunteering for Justice”, was officially launched by Rt Revd Graham Usher, the Bishop of Dudley at an Interfaith Criminal Justice Seminar that took place in Cropthorne, near Pershore, on Wednesday 16th November.

The directory gives details of more than ﬁfty different criminal justice-related voluntary opportunities across Worcestershire and Dudley, in both victim support and offender rehabilitation, as well as more general roles. The former Chief Constable of West Mercia Police, Paul West, is the Bishop of Worcester’s Advisor on Criminal Justice Issues and a member of the Diocesan group. It was a real privilege for Nikki and me to be able to work alongside such hugely experienced criminal justice professionals as Paul on the project. At the launch event it was quite humbling to hear him say:

“We’re not aware of anything similar to ‘Volunteering for Justice’ having been published before. It’s a great resource for anyone who is interested in supporting the criminal justice sector by offering some time to help out.”

The database is completely searchable by area and the type of volunteering opportunity. Anyone is welcome to go online and use it at: www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/volunteeringforjustice

By Amy Flemming, Second Year Applied Criminology

Paul West Commented, "Amy and Nikki did a wonderful job of researching all of the opportunities out there and then bringing them together in one single place.” Examples of voluntary posts available include working on helpdesks, helping with befriending schemes, mentoring and working with restorative justice schemes. Some are speciﬁcally local opportunities while others are volunteer roles with national charities.

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SPORT Zumba Ditch the workout, come and join the party! Holding two sessions a week allows the Zumba society to offer more variety to members, with different teaching techniques from two distinct coaches and a greater ﬂexibility in session timing, allowing more students to attend. Social events run on a weekly basis and range from themed socials with sponsor Tramps to society ‘nights-in’ involving meals and games evenings. Due to the wide variety of social events, the committee have been able to get to know all members and can therefore cater sessions and socials to their individual interests and abilities. So far this academic year, the Zumba society have gone from strength to

strength. They have seen attendance increase both at sessions and at weekly social events. The Zumba society are also pleased to have contributed to the fundraising of Children in Need, with a three-hour Zumbathon and cake sale on November 18th and thank all those who were involved or donated to the charity. Adding to this success, Zumba plan to continue raising money with an additional Zumbathon in March in aid of the Victim Support charity.

The Zumba society runs sessions every Monday, 13:15-14:15 and Thursday 18:00-19:00. Both sessions are held in the gymnasium within the Edward Elgar building (EEG114). Semester-long membership to this active and entertaining society costs £35. By Kirsty Jones

Zumba are excited to see continued growth in attendance to sessions and social events throughout the rest of the academic year and welcome newcomers. The society offers a free taster session before new members commit. Check out the Zumba Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ZumbaClub.UniWorcs

29 | Student Achievements | Sport

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ISSUE 1

Be a part of issue 2

Write to us about your achievements. Whether you’re a staff member or a student, everyone in the University can write for this new and student friendly magazine. You could write: About an amazing event you organised

A story about your society’s success

About an award you received for your hard work A review of your sports club’s performance

An interview with a key volunteer or a committee member

A poem about your University experience

500-word limit, submitted images must be good quality and high

resolution, it must be factual and the achievement must have been undertaken (or been completed) on or after 1st January 2017

Please send all articles and images to studentsunion@worc.ac.uk

worcsu.com/ducks Coming 27th Feb – 17th March