news &views THE UNIVERSITY OF WORCESTER MAGAZINE
December 2011
Class of 2011 Record number of students celebrate graduation p.4-5
In this issue:
Arena Funding Boost Sport England award £1.5m p.2
Cathedral Art
Art lecturer appointed Cathedral’s Artist in Residence p.8
Postcard from Zambia Helping both pupils and teachers p.11
feature
Worcester Arena gets £1.5m cash boost from Sport England The campaign to build the Worcester Arena has received a huge funding boost from Sport England. The University of Worcester has been awarded will ensure that this funding and facility is imaginatively used to promote sport, inclusion £1.5m from Sport England’s Iconic Facilities Olympic legacy fund towards the development and education.” of this exciting new facility for the City. The Worcester Arena will be built on the site of the former fruit and vegetable market, on The cheque was presented by Jeremy Hunt Hylton Road, Worcester, next year. It will MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, be a highly inclusive centre that will benefit Media and Sport during a visit to the the wider community in Herefordshire and University this week. Worcestershire and will provide a nationally Professor David Green, Vice Chancellor and outstanding venue for disability sport. Chief Executive, said: “The Worcester Arena As well as the Sport England donation, the will provide outstanding new opportunities to campaign has already won several significant engage in sport. Inclusive by design, we hope grants and financial support from national it will become ‘home from home’ for many sports governing bodies, charities and trusts, athletes with a mobility impairment. including £250,000 from the Trustees of the “We are delighted that Sport England has chosen Foundation for Sport and the Arts; £375,000 to make this coveted £1.5 million iconic facilities from England Basketball; £200,000 from award to the Worcester Arena. The University
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England Badminton and £25,000 from Herefordshire philanthropist Clive Richards. More than £70,000 has also been raised from individual, family and team donations. The University is hoping to announce further funding for the project in the near future. Iconic Facilities is part of the £135 million ‘Places People Play’ legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country. Every sports facility that receives funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark – celebrating the link to the Games.
COVER STORY wELCOME
welcome W
elcome to the final News & Views of 2011, featuring a roundup of news, achievements, launches and milestones from the past month at the University of Worcester. Not even the rain could dampen spirits at this year’s Award Ceremonies. With a record number of graduates and guests in attendance, pages 4-5 give you an illustrated overview of some of the facts and figures. Several of the University’s buildings made the headlines in November. The National Pollen and Aerobiology Unit hosted the BBC’s Breakfast programme; local antiques expert Henry Sandon unveiled the commemorative stained glass window
at City’s Jenny Lind Chapel and the Worcester Arena received a huge funding boost having been awarded £1.5million from Sport England. We hope as many colleagues as possible will be able to join us on two December dates: the traditional mulled wine and mince pies celebration on Wednesday 14 December from 4pm in the main reception area at St John’s, and the Carol Concert on Thursday 15 December at 7.30pm in Worcester Cathedral. We wish all colleagues a very happy holiday and an exciting new year ahead. Please keep sending us your news to newsandviews@worc.ac.uk
University Receives Investors in People Accolade The University of Worcester has been recognised for its commitment and dedication to its staff in an independent report. The University has just received re-accreditation from Investors in People, the UK’s leading people management standard. In his report, assessor Richard Tomes, said: “People [at the University] are committed to delivering first class services for students and staff alike which is underpinned by staff believing that they have a valued contribution to make and this could be evidenced with academic staff as well as those in support roles.”
The University has been recognised as an Investor in People since 1996 and this is the fifth review against the standard. Mr Tomes reports: “There have been many changes and developments since then and the University is growing both in size and reputation. Despite this growth the University retains its identity as a friendly organisation for both students and staff alike.” Professor David Green said: “This reaccreditation is a great credit to all colleagues in the University, particularly those who are contributing to staff development, mentoring and leadership.”
contents FEATURE Worcester Arena funding boost
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COVER STORY Graduation 2011
4
news Investors in People accoldae 3 Food collection aims to help homeless 6 Buy a brick 6 Russian conference 6 University welcomes two Commonwealth scholars 7 BBC breakfasts at NPARU 7 Sensible spending at Christmas 7 Cathedral’s Artist in Residence 8 Lecturer explores need for Holocaust education in primary schools 8 Children in Need 8 Commemorative stained glass window unveiled 9 Skills Award Pilot 9 Vital research aims to help those with rare form of dementia 10 Katy takes title of West Midlands Green Leader 10 Charity of the Year: 2012 10 A postcard from Zambia 11
STAFF FEATURE Will Norman
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FEATURE COVER STORY
Graduation Worcester Cathedral once again provided the setting for four days of splendour as the class of 2011 graduated. Record numbers of students received their awards, including Dr Derek Allen who became the first person to be awarded a University of Worcester PhD, following the University being granted Research Degree Awarding Powers.
2011
Graduation at a glance Around 2100 graduates attended 7 ceremonies 6 honorary awards were presented and 6 University Fellowship conferred Over 4800 guests attended, with over 4000 watching at the Cathedral and 800 watching a Over 800 postgraduate awards broadcast from the Yelland and Urwin lecture theatres conferred, including 3 PhDs 120 cases of sparkling wine were consumed 34 prizes presented to graduates 350 staff gowns were worn over the 4 days 147 coach trips were made over the 4 days
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NEWS
Food collection aims to help homeless A food collection is being launched at the University of Worcester to help homeless people in the City in the run up to Christmas. The University’s Community Development Workers (UCDWs) have organised two collection boxes to be out for two weeks in December (from the 5th-16th) just before students finish for Christmas. They are asking staff and students to donate food which will be taken to St Paul’s Hostel. UCDW Emily Gumbrell said: “One of the primary aims that we as UCDWs have is to create a sense of community, support and belonging and this collection will hopefully do that among the University of Worcester and the further community of Worcester city.”
Are you guilty of socks and chocs? Buying a commemorative brick or stone on the Worcester Arena Wall can make a perfect present for a friend or loved one, and it’s a gift that you can guarantee won’t be thrown to the back of the wardrobe along with the musical tie and unwanted smellies. With the ‘Buy a Brick’ scheme, you can leave a permanent message to celebrate the success of 2011, look to the future for 2012 or pay a lasting tribute to a loved one. Better still, the money from the gift contributes to building the new University and community Worcester Arena. To buy a Christmas brick all you need to do is complete and return the form available from the University’s Finance Office. They will give you a Buy a Brick Christmas card for you to send to your recipient with a gift envelope. For further information please contact Communication & Development (ext. 2276).
Russian Conference Students and staff present papers at Russian Conference
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wo Social Work MA students presented papers at a conference in Perm Russia on the 2 November alongside senior lecturer Joy Gauci and International Development Officer Catherine Hyde. The conference which was in celebration of 20 years of social work in Russia was attended by staff and students of Perm State National Research University and practitioners and policy makers from the Perm region. Stuart Barber presented a paper entitled ‘Mental health: recovery, loss and spirituality’ while Lorraine Morris spoke about ‘The position of children in society: needs and rights’. Joy Gauci’s paper ‘The Russian Orthodox monastery Global Agenda and essential essence of engagement in Social Work practice’ expanded on a very stimulating seminar the group had run with social work students on ‘The Essence of International Social Work and Validity of Context in Russia and UK’ – the findings from this seminar will be written up and published by Joy and a Russian colleague, Milana Grigoryeva. The conference papers will be published by PSU. Catherine Hyde was also invited to speak at the conference on ‘Supporting students through cultural transition’. Perm State University is in the process of coming into line with Europe under the Bologna agreement and a very fruitful discussion was held with the Dean of the Law Faculty to align our Social Work programmes so that students from Perm could gain a Dual Award at Masters level. In addition, PSU was enthusiastic about the summer school in Community Studies which was piloted at Worcester last summer with Russian students and they already have applicants for 2012. The visit culminated in a visit to a snowy Russian Orthodox monastery in the Ural Mountains where Father Dorothea explained the role the monastery played in community development and invited the group to purify themselves in the famous holy spring water.
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NEWS
University welcomes two Commonwealth scholars T
BBC breakfasts at NPARU If you were watching BBC Breakfast on Monday 14 November you may have seen the University’s National Pollen and Aerobiology Unit featured.
he University of Worcester is celebrating the arrival of two Commonwealth Scholarship students.
Dr Sayed Khurram Nisar, from India, and Mebal Mukhaye, from Uganda, will spend the next year studying at the University. It is the fourth year the University has welcomed students under the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme and the first time that two have joined the University together. The scheme, which is a joint initiative between the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and UK universities, supports scholarships for students from developing Commonwealth countries who would not otherwise be able to study in the United Kingdom.
The national news programme broadcast live from the Unit as part of Indoor Allergy Week. Reporter Graham Satchell filmed within the environmental test chamber, as well as the laboratories, exploring the nuisance of house dust mites.
l-r: Dr Sayed Khurram Nisar, Professor David Green and Mebal Mukhaye
Games held in Delhi in 2010. Mebal, age 27, who is studying for an Advancing Practice MSc, is hoping to become one of only a few clinical psychologists in Uganda. “I am very much looking forward to completing my studies in Worcester,” she said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for me.”
Vice Chancellor, Professor David Green, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sayed and Mebal to the University of Sayed, age 31, who is studying for a Sports Worcester. We are very pleased that two top scholarship winning students, who Management MSc, said: “This is the first time I have been to the UK and I like it very could choose to study anywhere, have chosen to study here in Worcester. much. Worcester is incredibly nice and the people are friendly. I am looking forward “We hope that Sayed and Mebal will enjoy to spending the next year studying here.” their time at the University, and are sure that the skills and knowledge they gain will Sayed has just completed a PhD help them to make a real difference when in India and has been working as they return to work in India and Uganda.” an Assistant Professor in India. He also worked at the Commonwealth
Sensible spending at Christmas Thursday 8 December 10am-2pm Canteen, St John’s campus Information will be available on the real cost of credit and borrowing, how to budget and how to avoid spending the rest of the year paying for Christmas. The University’s Welfare and Financial Advisers will be on hand with information and advice. Plus – lots of freebies and the chance to win a chocolate filled piggy bank!
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NEWS
Art lecturer appointed
Worcester Cathedral’s Artist in Residence An art lecturer at the University of Worcester has taken up a prestigious appointment as Artist in Residence at Worcester Cathedral. One or two artists are appointed each year, giving them the opportunity to use the Cathedral space as a site for their art members of the University of Worcester’s art practice, and access to University resources “My work will be all about the memory of spaces staff: Maureen Gamble and Pippa Galpin who and equipment. Artists have responded and spaces of memory,” he said. “I will be have just completed their residency. in different ways using ceramics, found looking at spaces not normally seen by the objects, sculptural form, painting, film and Maureen said: “Dan is a painter with a fast public, such as the roof space and other small photography. growing reputation, and he will be making passageways.” work in response to the Cathedral for the The Dean of Worcester Cathedral, the Very Mr Roach’s work will be on display at the Reverend Peter Atkinson, said: “The Cathedral next 12 months, and a final exhibition of work Cathedral at various points throughout the will culminate this residency period at the is delighted to continue the partnership with year. Cathedral during October 2012. the University in our Artist-in-Residence The University of Worcester Artist in Scheme. We look forward to having Dan “We really look forward to working with Dan Residency at Worcester Cathedral scheme Roach at work in the Cathedral, and seeing the during this period and wish him every success in was first set up in 2004 as a partnership outcome of his work.” his residency.” between the University and Cathedral, to Dan’s appointment follows that of two other support graduates and artists in their careers. Daniel Roach will spend the next 12 months creating paintings and prints inspired by the architecture of the historic Cathedral.
Lecturer Explores Need for Holocaust Education in Primary Schools Is it appropriate to teach primary school children about the Holocaust? That is the question to be answered by a University of Worcester principal lecturer at a major conference next month. Dr Richard Woolley, Head of the Centre for Education and Inclusion in the University’s Institute of Education, has been invited to speak at UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation) on 15 December. The conference, held at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, is titled: Is it relevant to teach about the Holocaust in primary schools?
about the Holocaust if they are very well prepared and have a good structure,” Dr Woolley said. “It should not be taught just because it’s the right thing to do. “There must be clear objectives of what is to be achieved; otherwise it could actually have a negative impact on such young children.” Dr Woolley said there should be limitations to what young children are exposed to.
“Primary-aged children only need to know that people were killed, they don’t need the details of how or the horrors of what happened behind the gates of the concentration camps,” he said. “That comes later when “Primary schools should only teach they are older and able to deal Dr Woolley is the author of Tackling Controversial Issues in the Primary School, which covers topics such as bereavement, sexuality and antiracist education, as well as the Holocaust.
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better with such distressing facts. “However, that is not to say they shouldn’t be taught anything about the Holocaust; just that it must be age-appropriate.” Holocaust education is compulsory in secondary schools in England but not in primary schools. Increasingly primary schools are choosing to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in January each year. At the conference Dr Woolley will share examples of good practice and talk about the need for schools to address the subject with sensitivity and caution.
Children in Need Thank you to all colleagues who generously contributed towards the Children in Need cake sale. An excellent total of £1005.54 was raised. Thank you again to all those who baked, bought and sold – this is a magnificent total.
NEWS
Commemorative stained glass window unveiled by Henry Sandon MBE
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stained glass window dedicated to the work of nurses in Worcester has been officially unveiled by Henry Sandon MBE.
The commemorative window in the Jenny Lind Chapel at the former Worcester Royal Infirmary harks back to the building’s history as a hospital. The building now forms part of the City Campus. The window was paid for by the Worcester Royal Infirmary Nurses’ League as a lasting memorial to all the nurses who worked at the hospital. Henry Sandon with Nurses’ League President Muriel Ballinger
The money was raised following an appeal to League members and the wider community. Several donations were received in memory of loved ones and members turned their attention to a series of fundraising events. The window was designed by local artist Nick Upton, who has previously carried out a commission for the Nurses’ League, and was made by Rob Paddock, Director of The Art of Glass at Burcott Forge, near Bromsgrove. The Jenny Lind Chapel is named after the ‘Swedish Nightingale’, as she was
known, who sang at a concert in College Hall in 1849, donating the proceeds to the building fund. The Chapel adjoins the board room where the British Medical Association was formed in 1832. Dr Martin Doughty, University of Worcester Pro Vice Chancellor (Resources), said: “This is a hugely important chapel in the history of Worcester and the University has been very keen to ensure its preservation. This stained glass window is a welcome addition and a fitting tribute to all those who worked at the hospital.”
Worcester students take part in Skills Award Pilot Worcester Students’ Union has been selected to participate in a national pilot project to develop a Student Skills Award. The Union has been asked to recruit a maximum of 45 students, with around 1,000 students taking part across the UK. The focus of the award is on improving students’ employability, by providing a structured, web-based mechanism by which students can identify, record, reflect on and apply skills they acquire through extra-curricular activities. The University of Worcester has one of the highest graduate employment rates in Britain with 93% of graduates going on to employment or further study within six months of graduating. Sam Lewis, President of Worcester Students’ Union, said: “We’re really excited to be one of the students’ unions to be chosen to take part in this pilot scheme.
“We know that at Worcester there are hundreds of students who volunteer their time to help both students and the local community. Students gain a whole range of skills from these activities and our involvement in the Student Skills Award pilot scheme will contribute to a new, national Award which will help students demonstrate their employability.” The National Union of Students (NUS) wants Unions to focus on student activities which demonstrate involvement with their Union in particular. These might include being a Student Academic Rep, being a committee member of a student group, participating in student media, working part-time or volunteering. The award has nine key skills areas or themes, which include those identified by the CBI as particularly relevant to employers:
1.
Self-management
2.
Team-working
3.
Business and stakeholder awareness
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Problem-solving
5.
Communication and literacy
6. Application of numeracy 7.
Application of information technology
8.
Leadership
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Specialist skills
Many students already undertake a range of extra-curricular activities which provide opportunities to acquire and develop these skills, but these are often unaccredited. The Student Skills Award will acknowledge and recognise these skills and experiences in a way which helps students to demonstrate their employability to potential employers across the UK when it is rolled out nationally in 2012.
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NEWS
Vital research aims to help those with rare form of dementia
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ital research into a less common form of dementia is being carried out by a University of Worcester lecturer, thanks to funding from a national foundation.
It comes on the day the government launches a national advertising campaign aimed at encouraging early diagnosis of dementia. Jenny La Fontaine is conducting a study with families affected by Frontotemporal dementia, which affects behaviour, personality and emotions in the person diagnosed with the condition. “Support and information is available for people and their families affected by the most common forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s,” Jenny said. “But families affected by this form of dementia do not necessarily find that this support is helpful to them because of the difficulties experienced are often very different from other forms of dementia.” “Very little research exists that understands the experience of living with Frontotemporal dementia for families, including the person who has the diagnosis, so I hope to be able to develop an in-depth understanding of their experience, which will help us to understand what support is needed.” Jenny, a qualified mental health nurse for almost 30 years, has secured a £2,500 scholarship from the Florence Nightingale Foundation to assist with the research, which forms part of her PhD studies at the University of Birmingham. “I will be working closely with four families over a two-and-a-half year period. This should really enable me to understand what their experiences are and what kind of support they need.” Jenny works as a Senior Lecturer and researcher within the University’s Association for Dementia Studies. The Florence Nightingale Foundation supports nurses and midwives with scholarships and mentoring to promote innovation in practice and extend knowledge and skills.
Charity of the Year: 2012 Thank you to all colleagues who have nominated a charity to be considered for the University’s Charity of the Year for 2012. We have received a significant number of nominations. Colleagues are now invited to vote for their favoured cause from the full list of those nominated. Please only vote for one charity. To vote, please log in to the staff homepage, and click on ‘Charity Voting’ under Your Online Services. Votes can be cast from now until 10am on Monday 12 December. The Charity with the largest number of votes will be announced as the University’s Charity of the Year. The 2012 Charity of the Year will be announced at the University of Worcester’s Carol Service, to be held in Worcester Cathedral on the evening of Thursday 15 December. We do help you will be able to join us and support the new charity.
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Katy takes title of West Midlands Green Leader
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campaigning member of staff at the University of Worcester has been named as a West Midlands Green Leader.
Katy Boom, Director of Environmental Katy Boom Sustainability, is one of 33 people in the region to receive the accolade from Sustainability West Midlands (SWM). “I’m really flattered to have been given this accolade; it is a testament to the outstanding work of numerous volunteers, students and staff at the University,” she said. “The chance for further learning and collaboration with other West Midlands Green Leaders is really exciting and I’m looking forward to it.” The West Midlands Green Leaders’ scheme is aimed at helping the region successfully achieve its journey towards a low carbon economy and society by 2020. It addresses the leadership gap in the area by celebrating and promoting some of the most influential people currently driving the agenda. The Green Leaders will be invited to use this new platform to share and pass on their experiences, skills and knowledge to the next generation of professionals. They will join last year’s winners to become a growing peer group for change and will be invited to develop new solutions and influence policy by contributing to research and new Government initiatives. George Marsh, Chairman of SWM, said: “This year our Green Leaders again feature a diverse group of individuals, who are all having a positive environmental impact in helping the West Midlands achieve our vision for a low carbon economy. “There are some excellent examples of innovation, community and workforce engagement and, importantly, case studies of how proven techniques can deliver real cost savings whilst reducing the collective carbon footprint.” Earlier this year the University of Worcester was named Britain’s third greenest university and the best in the West Midlands.
NEWS
A postcard from Zambia Gareth Dart from the Institute of Education reports on his recent visit to Zambia on behalf of an organisation called TESSA (Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa).
Children from Coilard CS
TESSA produces open educational resources that are aimed at supporting teacher educators and teachers in a variety of African countries. (Visit: www.tessafrica.net ). They can be accessed online but also distributed via CD or simply downloaded and printed or photocopied. The materials are there to encourage teacher educators to support teachers in thinking of ways in which they can engage their pupils in more interactive methods, using local resources. Many teachers face extreme challenges in terms of class sizes, access to materials and pupils’ prior experiences but being optimistic that there is much in the existing environment, no matter how poor, that can be tapped into can help overcome these issues. I had made contact with a large Zambian non governmental organisation (NGO) called Zambian Open Community Schools (ZOCS - www.zocs.org.zm) which acts as an umbrella organisation for a number of these community schools all over the country, supporting the development of staff and the wider school. They immediately recognised the potential of TESSA materials to help in the training of ZOCS teachers and the training coordinator, Peter Sinyangwe, used them in a series of workshops across the country last year. The purpose of my visit this time was to try and follow up some of those schools and teachers and see if they felt that the materials had been useful and whether
Wamalume and Chanda at Emmanuel Community School make furniture as part of their curriculum which they then sell at the local market
any further developments could be made to support them in the use of resources. Peter and I met up and made the journey by car from Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, to a small town called Mongu, 600km directly west where he had conducted training with 12 schools. The drive makes you realise how empty much of Zambia still is despite the fact that the population has increased from 3 million to 14 million in the 45 years since independence from Britain. The middle section of the route goes through the Kafue National Park which itself is about the size of Scotland and is just one of a number of large game parks in the country. We saw very little other than impala and hartebeest, though on a previous trip Peter recalled having to rescue a young man on a bike who was being pursued by a large pack of wild dogs! They were probably just being curious but it’s best not to test that theory too thoroughly. The schools that we managed to visit on our one full day in the area are nicely illustrative of the range of community schools that exist. Milungulu CS is well developed with about 600 pupils and a large number of staff, compared to the tiny Coilard CS in a small village along a very sandy track on the edge of the Zambezi floodplain. This school has two teachers and about 25 pupils - a large proportion of whom have a variety of intellectual and physical disabilities. The opening of the school caused these issues to come to the attention of local health services who have since investigated and discovered that poor quality local water supplies and untreated malaria are at least partly to blame. These issues are now being dealt with. We found that many teachers were away from their schools when we visited but managed to catch up with them later in the afternoon because they had gone to the recently opened Bethlehem Special Community School, a facility that had been opened with the support of ZOCS and the local government education offices to provide support for parents of children with a variety of disabilities, most of whom had previously been kept at home. The
school now has over 130 pupils on their books, a large number for such a rural area. Some are encouraged to attend other local ‘mainstream’ schools and the open day was attended by parents, staff and pupils from Bethlehem and a wide range of other local schools. It looked like a good day had been had by all and the staff v parents netball and soccer games were vigorously contested despite it being at least 36 degrees in the shade. So what did we discover in our brief visit and conversations? Broadly speaking, the teachers had found the initial training and materials useful but did not feel confident putting many of the ideas into practice (it has to be remembered that most of the teachers have had very little formal education themselves and are teaching in a language – English – that is their second, if not third language). An idea which we agreed on was to integrate some of the key TESSA materials into a booklet that has very specific links to the Zambian school syllabus so that teachers could be supported in using the materials through a very structured approach with perhaps some guiding questions for the teachers to consider both before and after trying the activities out. Another idea was to have teachers meet in small groups of schools to help plan and reflect on these activities. These groups would be supported by the local government education resource centre but would be a low cost initiative, thus hopefully supporting a sustainable form of teacher development. And the next steps? Well, to get the agreement of TESSA to support a Zambian specialist to produce some draft examples of such booklets and then to test them out on some of the teachers in the schools – perhaps this time in the East of the country. Watch this space...
Hartebeest in Kafue National Park
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news
This month we chat to Widening Participation Officer Will Norman who is hoping to notch up his second Paralympics appearance for Great Britain next year.
Sporting Ambition: When Will Norman lost his sight as a teenager, he never dreamed he would one day represent his country at one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world. But after only six months of taking up blind football, that’s exactly what happened when Will was selected for the Great Britain team at the Beijing Paralympic Games. Now Will is hoping to emulate that success with a place in the squad for the London 2012 Games. “To play at London 2012 would be unbelievable,” he said. “It’s one thing to represent your country in the Games, but to do that on home territory is something else.” Will is on a punishing fitness regime to ensure his selection for the squad, training twice a week with University of Worcester student Owen Bainbridge and Sports Coaching Science lecturer David Mycock, who also coaches the national side. He also does five or six strength and conditioning sessions per week with the Insitute of Sport & Exercise Science’s Mykolas Kavaliauskas as well as keeping up his fitness with gym sessions. “I’ve got to work really hard to get selected,” Will said. “There’s a lot of competition now. We have to submit a fitness diary every week of what we have done.” The GB team trains together once a month at Hereford’s Royal National College for the Blind.
Will joined the University in 2007 shortly after he and wife Catherine, who works in the University’s Disability and Dyslexia Service, moved back to the area. “It was not long after I started working at the University that I got talking to Glyn Harding,” Will said. “He asked if I had ever tried blind football. I had never even heard of it. So I went along to a session and it went from there.” Will, who studied for his undergraduate degree and Masters at Manchester Metropolitan University, added: “I was really nervous that first time as the other three at the session were students at the University who were all part of the national squad. But they were great and really eased me into it and helped get me going. They knew the difficulties as they had all been there themselves. “We decided to establish our own Worcester club and we are now top of the national league. I had only been playing about six months when I got selected to play for England and went to the Beijing Games in 2008 as part of the Great Britain team.” Will recently became a father for the first time to Oscar Billy. “It’s fantastic becoming a father but the challenge is getting enough time with him between work and training.” When he does get any spare time between work, training and family life, Will enjoys writing and has contributed to various book chapters and journals.
It’s a far cry from Will’s day-to-day job at the University where he works in the Widening Participation Team, encouraging under-privileged young people to aspire to go to university.
Will with wife Catherine and new arrival Oscar
What do you get up to when you leave the Campus? Email Sally Jones with your interesting stories at s.jones@worc.ac.uk
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