Impact Magazine Issue 250

02

IMPACT

S

o, here we are. Welcome to the 250th issue of Impact Magazine. When I found out that I would be the Editor-in-Chief that oversaw the creation of such a milestone, excitement and anxiety came to me in equal measure. How are we, the current team of a publication that had existed under this name for nearly 33 years, going to honour the past as well as maintain the present?

Well, in the end, we stuck to what we knew best: writing the best content we can. Our News team spoke to Student Services, to shed some light on the teething problems that have plagued the new administration structure since its conception. Our Features team spoke to the team behind Stories of the Streets, an organisation looking to challenge stereotypical views on homelessness, and ponders one of student-hood’s most pertinent questions: Are YOU the crap housemate? Lifestyle take a deeper look at why Paolo Nutini felt the need to sing about ‘New Shoes’, and add a dash of colour to the student-run social supermarket looking to help one of the most deprived areas in Nottingham. Slam Poetry, the future of VR technology and the influence of the short story dominate our Entertainment section, while our Sport team spoke to one of the University of Nottingham’s newest coaching recruits and one of Nottingham’s newest ice-skating stars.

This would not be a celebratory issue without a few nods to Impact’s past. A look at Impact Sport through the ages shows Nottingham’s sporting pedigree through the years, while Entertainment’s look at the best of 1985, the year of our inception, makes for quite the list of pop culture classics.

Dominating the middle pages is our Big #250 survey, where we asked over 700 students some of Nottingham’s biggest questions (and also whether Shrek 1 is better than Shrek 2).

Whether you are reading Impact for the very first time or you are a PhD student who has seen it evolve through a number of years, we hope that there is something for everyone.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has ever bothered to pick up a copy of Impact whilst walking around campus; anyone who has taken the time to click on an online article, read the first two paragraphs and close it; anyone who has been interviewed or completed a survey for us.

We as a team also owe a huge debt of gratitude to anyone who has written for Impact, and anyone who has taken the plunge and become an editor, photographer, designer or manager. And to anyone who has taken on the role of Editor-in-Chief, and all of the excitement, stress, sleepless nights, but most importantly, pride that comes with being in the role, I would like to take this opportunity to salute you. None of this would have been possible without you.

Now get on and read the actual magazine; I’m going to go and watch Back to the Future for the thousandth time…

Connor Higgs

INTRO

03

news features Buying A Calendar: Making A Change A Tale Of Two Gap Years Burnout Are You The Crap Housemate?

Ethiopia Travels

Student Services, You Good?

The University Of Nottingham And Its BAE

04 06

08 10 12 14 16

lifestyle The Psychology Of Shopping Why Should You Give A Shit About Fashion We Used To Be A Newspaper Rhys’s Pieces Of Lifestyle Advice Photoshoot: Food Print Big #250 Survey Exsposure Hands Off Our Internet Digging On: Haunted By Social Media

18 20 21 22 24 30 34 36 37

entertainment Impact ‘85 How Gaming Has Changed Power Of Student Poetry Slam The Secrets Of Wollaton Hall Flipping The Script Virtual Reality: Plugging Into The Future

38 41 42 44 46 48

sport JB Skates For GB Coach MD Impact Sport Through The Ages

50 54 56

04

IMPACT

Student Services,

you good?

Sarah Lindgarde Impact spoke to Sarah Hyde, Head of Customer Service at Student Services, about the problems faced this academic year

Mention Student Services to me at the start of the first term at the University of Nottingham and you would have seen the same grimace on my face that mirrored many students. Long queues, constant emails and non-existent modules on timetables had become the norms associated with Student Services.

As part of Project Transform, the new Student Services (SS) was introduced in August 2016. Each academic school would now be under the same administration, and all the services provided would now be consistent.

“I was approached with a petition at Hallward Library regarding people’s vexation and concern with the current Student Services” Despite being set up in the previous academic year, everyone from first-year undergraduates to final year Master’s students seemed to be experiencing a wide range of problems during the initial weeks of this

academic year. However, it was only when I was approached with a petition at Hallward Library regarding people’s vexation and concern with the current Student Services provision of the University, that I truly understood the magnitude of the situation.

Gathering over 250 signatures, third-year students Samantha Paterson and Tanaye Reid started the petition, due to their own frustrating experiences with Student Services.

Along with their petition and a personalised letter, they were able to get into contact with Vice-Chancellor Shearer West, who thanked them for their initiative, apologised for the distress, and mentioned that a task group had been set up to resolve current problems and prevent future ones.

Impact got into contact with Sarah Hyde, Head of Customer Service, to establish further what the issues were.

Why were Student Services experiencing so many problems at the start of the academic year?

“We know that module enrolment and timetabling issues affected many students at the start of [the academic year].

NEWS

“There were a number of contributing factors, such as glitches in old/existing systems, efforts to introduce individualised views of timetables for students instead of just generic course timetables, and module change-of-mind.

“We know that module enrolment and timetabling issues affected many students at the start” “Students opting to change modules during the ‘change of mind’ period were also expecting their timetables to update instantly; of course, it takes a few days to check all choices are feasible before the timetable can be amended.”

Do you feel like this new system is actually more effective than the previous one?

“Since forming Student Services, we’ve been able to bring rapid focus to delivering a new website (‘Services for Students’), a new MyNottingham app for students, a bigger team of Welfare Support officers, and provide longer opening hours in every service centre, making sure our services are available before lectures start, over lunchtime and after lectures finish. Students have told us they welcome this. “[T]here’s no question that setting up the new Student Services department has been both ambitious and challenging, and we know we haven’t always been able to provide the excellent service we would wish to.

“This investment by the University will improve the way we can serve our students”

Our systems are generally fragmented, old or non-existent. We had hoped to have a new student management system to help us and are very glad that it [Campus Solutions] will be implemented in 2018. This investment by the University will improve the way we can serve our students.”

05

What changes have been made, or are in the process of being made in order to fix the problems that have occurred this year?

“We’ve been involving students and staff in the continual improvement of systems and services since the department was created and will continue to do so. One example of this is extenuating circumstances, where we’ve worked closely with colleagues from across the University and the Students’ Union to improve the policy, guidance and processes supporting this area of our work.

“Campus Solutions become the main student record system here in the UK in 2018” “Over and above this regular continual improvement, our new Vice-Chancellor has launched two reviews into the way that students are supported by Student Services, their schools and faculties, and our central services departments.

These are currently underway and will report back to the University Executive Board (UEB) at the end of January 2018.

“Finally, it’s also important to remember that we’re working to implement the new student management system. It’s already running in Malaysia and China, and for admissions to the University in the UK. It’ll become the main student record system here in the UK in 2018. We’ll all need to learn how to get the most out of it but straight away it’ll enable us to do much more sophisticated things to support the student journey.”

Student Services still has a long way to go before their new system is in full swing. However, in terms of the new model of centralised administration at SS, I would agree with the SU Education Officer, Cassie O’Boyle, who thinks that the transition has been a reasonably difficult one for both staff and students.

If reading this brought back any bad memories, then I apologise. The only real consolation I can give you is that you weren’t alone. There was a whole queue of students behind you who were all struggling with Student Services.

06

IMPACT

The University of Nottingham E A B s + it Goda Naujokaitytė Impact investigates the University of Nottingham’s association with BAE Systems With universities across the UK under fire for false advertising, overpaid vice-chancellors, and rip-off fees, the moral conduct of higher education institutions is a hot topic. The Left Society at the University of Nottingham is calling for a reconsideration of ethical norms in regard to the University’s ties with outside companies.

stopped by security. They then took to sabotage BAE Systems’ employer presentation by booking as many spots as they could on the event.

The outcome? Two students and five members of Left Society attended the event. Their final protest action for the Autumn term was a picket involving a megaphone at the Engineering careers fair.

They have started Demilitarise UoN, a campaign against arms companies advertising and recruiting students on campus. The activists involved in the campaign believe the University should withhold from working with companies involved in human-rights abuses.

However, the University of Nottingham has not expressed concern about the protests. A spokesperson said: “As an inclusive, forward-thinking and global institution, we respect both the freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest.”

“You don’t want to see the University perpetuating war”

Impact spoke to Declan to find out more about the campaign, and he was quick to point out that “there’s a variety of companies we believe the SU and the University should not be working with.”

“We think that there should be an ethical employment initiative, so the University doesn’t promote companies with bad ethical backgrounds,” says Declan Burns, Chair of the Left Society.

To express their concerns, Demilitarise UoN took to campus to protest. First, they showed up in Halloween masks at the Science and Technology careers fair but were soon

“They [companies involved in arms trade] commit or perpetuate human rights abuses throughout the world, and we think it’s kind of antithetical to the notion of an international university to work with people who destabilise countries all around the globe.

“We believe it’s the most tangible issue in terms of what we could aim to get rid of. I think most people are intrinsically against arms companies being on campus. I think that it’s not really hard to disagree with this notion.

Arms, by their very nature, are hugely destructive, and you don’t want to see the University perpetuating war.”

“We respect both the freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest” The protests were focused on BAE Systems, Britain’s largest arms company and a frequent guest on campus. However, they are not the only company involved in arms trade that is allowed to advertise and recruit students at the University, so we asked Declan why BAE Systems were targeted in particular.

“BAE has been selling lots of jets to Saudi Arabia, which is being used in Yemen, where there have been really horrible atrocities committed in relation to bombings of civilian hospitals, huge destabilisation of the region. If you’re

NEWS

calculating deaths and injuries, it’s in the tens of thousands.

“They want to set up freedom of information requests” “We really want to say that these people shouldn’t be allowed to come on to promote themselves to students.

People should critically engage with these kinds of companies; they should be aware of what they are getting into.

They are a very attractive organisation for the University to bring in because there are lots of graduate schemes, and they offer very high salaries. If you’re in BAE, you start at around £30,000 a year.”

Talking about his hopes for the campaign, Declan said that they are “looking into whether the University actually has research contracts with people like BAE, to see if it goes beyond just promoting

themselves to students.” They also want to see the kind of research and financial support the University gets of these institutions, and in order to do this, they want to set up freedom of information requests.

According to the University’s global strategy for 2020, their stance in relation to employers has aimed at “target[ing] partners whose strengths and ambitions are in line with ours, to increase experience-based learning and employment opportunities for our students.”

Does this mean the University is in line with BAE Systems’ ambition to sell war weapons as long as it provides more jobs for graduates? A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham elaborated: “Our students are highly intelligent individuals and we want to ensure they have access to a full range of opportunities available.”

07

The University is committed to providing information about all the

“People should critically engage with this kind of companies, they should be aware of what they are getting into” possible career choices awaiting students, who are then free to make decisions in alignment with their own beliefs. Effectively, the University of Nottingham refuses to act as a moral compass. However, Demilitarise UoN calls for a clear ethical stance. Who you side with on this issue would depend on whether you believe the University should be a political institution. Either way, a discussion has been ignited.

08

IMPACT

Buying a Calendar:

Gemma Steele and Eleanor Gray Gemma and Eleanor spoke to Charles Kerr from the Stories of the Streets team presenting homelessness in a brand new light If there is a season which encapsulates home, it is winter. The long dark nights and bitterly cold temperatures ensure that home is an escape from the outside world. Hidden inside cosy houses and buried under blankets, winter is often a time for sharing stories and memories, surrounded by family and friends.

However, every year, there are thousands of people who do not have a home and whose stories are never heard. In 2017, the Stories of the Streets initiative gave a group of homeless people disposable cameras to capture their perspective of the Nottingham streets: their home.

Over a period of 30 days, over 200 photographs were taken, providing a spectrum of images which captured Nottingham from this unique angle.

These images, which were displayed at an exhibition at the Nottingham Broadmarsh Centre until the 24th December 2017, are available to buy, either individually or in the form of a calendar.

The proceeds of the purchases “are then split between the artists through a pay-it-forward scheme, establishing secure accommodation or meals for the individual’ as well as being re-invested to support more people and exhibitions across the UK.” Charles Kerr, one of three

INSIDE SNEAK PEAK! University of Nottingham students who pioneered Stories of the Streets, says the initiative was important in both funding the distribution of essential items to help combat the perils of homelessness and involving homeless people in a social enterprise that also presents opportunities to “break the cycle of homelessness.” The project also aims to “attack the stigmas” and stereotypes that many of the general public harbour.

The organisation demonstrates the capacity for change that exists when students are organised and inspired, as well as the role of art in facilitating change. The In 2018, the photographs from Stories of the Streets were

FEATURES

09

Making a Change displayed at Rough Trade during ‘Beat the Streets’, a multi-venue music festival that took aking place on Sunday 28th January 2018 in aid of improving the lives of homeless people in Nottingham. This further demonstrates the innovative ways art can be used for charitable purposes.

They also have plans for a new exhibition in Manchester over the coming months.

Compiling the images into a calendar (a market that is currently saturated with themes on kittens and topless celebrities) is an incredibly clever move from the team behind People of The Streets. For Charles, he found it a “natural fit for the photographs to have an impact that lasts all year round,” reminding us that homelessness exists constantly, throughout the year.

Despite the shockingly high number of people living on the streets, homeless people often become background characters, existing in temporary moments and, too often, easily forgotten or ignored. The calendar is designed to challenge this transitory and neglected existence, forcing us to stop and think about homelessness for more than a moment. Whether the calendar hangs in your kitchen, bedroom or lounge, it becomes a part of the furniture, a material object in your home: a luxury that those living on the streets do not possess.

The images reveal the realities of homelessness, but they also humanise it. So often, the homeless are defined exclusively by their hardship and circumstance rather than by their existence as human beings. Charles says he met people that were homeless from “redundancy, mental health issues, family fallouts and even student rent prices.” But crucially, he found “cheerful, vibrant personalities” that transcends the hardships they are forced to endure.

Stories of the Streets serves to enfranchise this underrepresented

community, highlighting that “all people are deserving of empathy.”

One of the most poignant images presents a homeless man standing in front of a sign that reads “we are imperfect.” Coincidence or not, the image resonates as an embodiment of the beginnings of any being. We are all sons or daughters, we all have the capacity to laugh and cry, to be kind or be hateful: to experience success or hardships. We are all human.

The Stories of the Streets calendar is available to purchase for £10.

With thanks to Charles Kerr of Stories of the Streets for his interview to Impact Features.

10

IMPACT

A Tale of

Two Gap Years Ronan Sullivan and Miles Rebeiro Gap years: stigmatised and allusive. It is impossible to not pronounce it ‘Gap Yah’ and find yourself imagining a modern day, rich-kid hippy backpacking in Thailand in the hope of ‘finding themselves’. However, Ronan Sullivan (Impact Features Freshers’ Columnist) and Miles Rebeiro (bestie of Impact Features Freshers’ Columnist) show the down-to-Earth truth of this sacred 365 days out of education in a tale of 2 gap years

Why did you choose to go on a gap year?

M: My embarrassing reason is that I was too frightened by the prospect of upping and leaving all my friends from home and the relatively comfortable life I’d forged for myself.

R: I just couldn’t face the responsibilities of growing up.

What’s the first term been like after the gap year?

R: I would personally say the first term after the gap year has been like a nice hot shower after rolling around in a pile of dirt for a week, with no food, water, or shelter, just constantly rolling around in a pile of dirt. And then a shower.

M: I think you could best describe my first term at the University as like a hastily conceived simile about hot baths and rolling around in shite and things of that nature.

R: Well, Miles, I actually just didn’t get the grades to get into either of my top two choices because I didn’t plan properly.

So, there you go. Miles.

Did you do much on your gap year?

M: We ended up going to Barcelona for about four days in June. I went in the sea twice with my fanny pack: broke my phone, got my passport wet, and pissed Ronan off no end.

Apart from that, the holiday and gap year were all cushty. I also finished the year with no money in my account.

R: In terms of travel: little. In terms of life experiences: also, little. However, I did work in M&S Bakery and B&Q, so earned an okay amount of money, much of which I have already spent. I do not feel all that bad though, as I know someone who took two gap years and earned nine grand and probably spent all of it on Doc Martens and chocolate.

It’s all about perspective, see.

How did it feel when your friends went to University last September?

M: I was saddened mostly by the loss of our mutual friend Noah; however, I am a heavily armed emotional fortress and that is all you shall pry from my cast- iron gates.

R: Unlike Miles, I’m an extremely sensitive being and thus my emotions cannot be contained. Noah’s loss hit us both extremely hard. Things were tough. Miles and I wrote a Haiku.

M: Don’t R: Noah - you have gone / Oh, Noah, it is true - you’ve gone / Noah: please, come back.

That’s it. Pretty heart-wrenching stuff. Took a lot out of us didn’t it, that one?

M: Yep.

FEATURES

R: Several times I did find myself: I found myself in a Wetherspoon’s often. I found myself reading books and enjoying them. I also found myself laughing at R.I.P. Vine compilations. So, yes, in a way I did find myself.

M: What Ronan means is that we had a lot of leisure time.

Sometimes this was good, sometimes this was bad. It depended on how we used it.

morning. So, to answer your question, no, not presently.

R: Well done for shattering the illusion, Miles. We are pretty sure it’s the best thing you’ve ever read and/or is going to cure almost every ailment known to man though.

M: We’re legally obliged to say that this article in no way contains healing properties medically suitable in any capacity to cure the most mundane of illnesses R: That reminds me of that time your mum paid a woman offering “holistic therapy” two hundred pounds to get rid of your eczema. An absolute joke.

Are you glad to be at university?

Would you recommend taking a gap year?

M: A more clichéd Miles would say “well, to be shot of Ronan at least”, but why would I debase myself like that? No, I’m genuinely glad to soak in all the wonders and challenges of university life in equal measure, many of which I have been prepared for by a gap year that rested solely on living from pay cheque to pay cheque to fund one pint to the next, and maybe a double captain morgans and coke if I was feeling particularly bougie.

R: To be shot of Miles, yes. Speaking of shots, they were the only thing that helped me cope with Miles on my gap year.

They are now, ironically, what I use to celebrate my unfortunately short-lived separation from him. I am glad though, yes. It’s a change and change is good. A more improved version of myself has come home. University is a liberating experience and I’m glad to be there in the utmost.

M: I arrived at University trying desperately to deploy an air of maturity and self-assuredness I was meant to have gained on a gap year. The descent into thick hijinks and dead-end tangents mixed in with cheap, sarcastic jokes showed I had not changed much.

R: I, myself would recommend it. Most people are not ready for University when they go. How many people decide where they are going to be spending the next three years of the life on results day, madly going through clearing and trying to secure a place on a course they are unsure about at a campus they have never visited? Is that a good thing? Why does everybody feel the need to rush? To do things only because others are doing it too? To quote the Beatles in I’m Only Sleeping: people are “Running everywhere at such a speed / Till they find there’s no need”.

That’s something we shouldn’t forget. Nothing is as big a deal as we think it is. Slow down. Enjoy life. Chill out, dude.

Say bye now, Miles.

M: Goodbye.

Did the gap year help or hinder you? Did you “find yourself”?

Have you two missed each other since you’ve been at university?

M: Not to peel back the curtain of this charade, but we’re currently writing this in Ronan’s kitchen at 2.39, 2.40 in the

11

12

IMPACT

Breaking out of burnout Ellen Smithies Most university students have been there: the stress and deadlines all get too much, and you lose every inch of motivation and want nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep away the worry. Sound familiar?

You’re not alone...

The pressure to achieve at university can push students to work themselves harder than ever before, which can lead to stress, depression, anxiety, sleep problems and physical illness – commonly known as burnout. There is no single cause of burnout, but the most common idea is that the body cannot handle high levels of stress indefinitely, and so at particularly intense periods it falters, leading to burnout.

With exams just done and more to come in the next few months, a lot of students are feeling the pressure to work extra hard, leaving them at even greater risk of burnout. Here are some simple tips on how you can avoid burnout leading up to coursework deadlines and exams.

FEATURES

Plan your workload A good to-do list or daily plan can work wonders. Take a moment each evening to think about what you want to get done the next day, and make a plan of action for it. If you’re feeling particularly productive you can even block out your day by the hour and give yourself scheduled work periods and breaks. Make sure that you don’t give yourself too much to do each day though, or planning ahead is pointless!

Know your limits Be sensible with the goals you set.

Giving yourself a week to write a 5000 word essay or revise an entire module isn’t especially doable, so make sure you give yourself enough time to get work done to a standard you’re happy with.

“I can then spend evenings and weekends doing what I want to do, be it hobbies or just more sleeping” Take time off Taking a break is just as important as doing the work. Set yourself a time after which you’ll stop working, and stick to it, regardless of how productive you feel your day has been. I try to keep my uni work 9-5pm on weekdays, then have the weekends free; having

this strict workday makes it easier to be productive as I know there is a set deadline for that day’s work. I can then spend evenings and weekends doing what I want to do, be it hobbies or just more sleeping! Obviously your working day will get more intense at peak times, but always ensure that you have time off to relax.

Talk to friends/tutors Talking is underrated as a stress-combatant. You are not alone in how you’re feeling, and simply chatting can help alleviate some of the problems you might be encountering. You don’t have to talk about your workload, either. Studying with a pal is another way to take some of the stress away from work as well.

Listen to your body Your body is your biggest insight into how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling especially tired, or have had a headache for a few days, or feel like you might be coming down with a cold, listen to your body! Something obviously isn’t working quite right, and simply forcing yourself to continue without changing anything might do more harm than good. Have a nap, drink some water, take a day off: your body knows better than you do how it’s coping, and more often than not helping it recover will do more than ignoring it.

13

Take care of yourself High-pressure periods can often lead to a lack of sleep, energy and proper nutrition, especially among students.

Ensuring that you eat right, drink enough, and get enough shuteye can help immensely during studying – you wouldn’t expect a car to run well if you put the wrong fuel into it, or be surprised if your phone doesn’t last the whole day when it started on 50%. I’m not saying you need to track your calorie intake and ensure you’re hitting all your macro targets, but making sure you eat a healthy balanced diet can go a long way.

“Simply forcing yourself to continue without changing anything might do more harm than good” Try to drink at least two litres of water a day – coffee, energy drinks and booze don’t count! – and get seven hours of sleep minimum.

Take care of your body, and it’ll take care of you.

Burnout is a big threat to student wellbeing during exam period, but it is easily avoided if you do the right stuff.

Follow these tips to ensure that your body and mind are working at their full potential, and you’ll reap the rewards come results day.

If you’re struggling, please utilise University services such as the Counselling Service, Nightline or Cripps Health Centre.

14

IMPACT

Are YOU the crap housemate?

Faye Price Be honest, you know who you are

Sometimes, when we wake up bleary-eyed from one hours sleep with a 9 am looming in thirty minutes time, it’s not an overzealous Netflix session that’s to blame. Actually, it was the ridiculously loud, banging house music that was still reverberating around the flat at 4 am, accompanied by the drunken shrieks of laughter from your flatmate’s room.

“‘Putting [your feet] up on the table,’ however, is unquestionably unhygienic”

responses, we asked both our students and those from other Universities around the country what housemate habits really pushed their buttons.

One of the biggest peeves appeared to be borrowing things without asking.

Out of the 69% who admitted this had happened to them, 71% of them stated that this bothered them. Not exactly a big shocker, especially if cutlery or plates are involved and they aren’t washed afterwards. What was a shock was how unhygienic many housemates can be, with around 50% of respondents scoring fellow residents at least 60%, where 100% is the most unhygienic.

Even if your experiences have never been this extreme, we have ALL at some point been subjected to the irritating, at times utterly disgusting, habits of our housemates. Reports from as mundane as stealing food without permission and passive-aggressively labelling your fridge are up to the bizarre act of peeing in the bathroom sink or out of the window, and all are more than enough to make for an unsatisfactory living experience.

Even more insightful were the comments from the respondents themselves. When asked about the worst habits a flatmate could have, most tended to focus much more on the hygiene side. In particular, there were reports of the piling up of bins ‘without taking them out’, leaving dirty pots ‘all over the kitchen’, and housemates themselves being generally ‘unwilling to do their share in keeping the flat clean.’ Laziness is one of the most reported grievances among University residents.

In a 48-hour survey conducted for Impact that received around 70

Character- related traits and more unusual habits were also pointed out.

Words such as ‘selfish’ and ‘inconsiderate’ were common features, with ‘passive aggressive’ thrown in from time to time. Walking around the kitchen in bare feet was also mentioned, which seems to be unacceptable depending on your fellow housemates. ‘Putting them up on the table,’ however, is unquestionably unhygienic. If this is something you do, please invest in a pair of socks; you can get five for £2.50 at Primark and your housemates will thank you for it.

“Perhaps arguably the worst thing a flatmate can be is a hypocrite” Unhygienic habits weren’t the only concern. At the other end of the spectrum are flatmates who are ‘bossy and controlling,’ wanting everything to be done in just the right way, and getting aggravated if so much as a dirty spoon is left in the sink. Perhaps arguably the worst thing a flatmate can be is a hypocrite. It is one thing to be completely focused on tidiness and expecting others to fall into line with you; it’s quite another to be incredibly messy and harassing your housemates about how untidy they are.

FEATURES

There are many more irritating housemate traits out there, and it’s likely we may all be doing something that ticks people off, without even realising it. Some useful advice would be this:

Make sure you do your share of the chores.

This includes taking the bins out and tidying up.

If chores are an issue in your house/flat, try making a rota that shares out the jobs equally week by week.

Be mindful of your flatmates, particularly after dark. During the week especially, you aren’t going to be very popular if you keep playing your personal favourites at all hours of the night.

If in doubt, ask. Some residents will tell their housemates if a particular thing is bothering them, but not everyone does.

A house or flat meeting once in a while would solve this issue, as you’ll get the chance to air your grievances; plus, it’ll be a good chance to find out who keeps nicking all your toilet roll.

Use your common sense. If you don’t think you’d want to come home from university to a kitchen in a state, it’s probably not a good idea to do the same to anyone else.

Getting your housemates to follow these simple guidelines, or even following them yourself, will make both you and your housemates happier, and make for a much more pleasant living experience.

15

16

IMPACT

Ethiopia Travels Emily Riby A self-confessed ‘sesh-head’, second-year medic Emily Riby spent a summer in Ethiopia as part of International Citizen Service (ICS). Impact asked her to recount – in her own words – some of the highlights and lowlights of her once-in-a-lifetime trip I want to say I was filled with anticipation and excitement at the thought of spending a summer in Africa, but the truth is my state of mind at the end of my first year at uni was absolutely shattered from exams and to be honest, I just wanted a pint.

I ended up leaving home a few days early because my hometown of Driffield (near Hull) was stressing me out. As you can imagine, I was quite keen to distance myself from a town in which Wetherspoons was the main attraction (we’ll skip over the irony of the fact that, a few days later, I found myself waiting in a ‘Spoons in Heathrow Airport).

Upon landing in Asosa airport, my team and I (who I had met on the flight) took a bajaj (kind of like a tuk-tuk) to our hotel. I won’t lie, I was scared for my life, but when we eventually made it to the hotel we were able to begin our 3 days of in-country orientation.

Greeted by our Ethiopian counterparts, we had a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony prepared for us. This was my first experience of possibly the biggest cultural difference between Ethiopia and the UK: women do everything. My counterpart Tanan told me that even if the coffee pot was literally boiling over, the father of the

family still would not get up to move it, as that was the woman’s job.

The culture in Asosa – a rural town in western Ethiopia – was extremely traditional in that girls generally got married at a young age, had children and didn’t go back to work (though they were schooled). However, there is hope; this is all starting to change with the new generation. Tanan graduated in mechanical engineering and was the first girl to be educated to that level in her family.

During the in-country orientation, I was able to meet my host ‘mum’, Beza. She spoke absolutely zero English and had a 3-year-old son, Hassid, who was so scared that he hid under her skirt and refused to make eye contact with me.

My technique for communicating with Beza consisted of talking really loud English at her because I didn’t know what else to do. The majority of our ‘conversations’ ended in lots of enthusiastic nodding and thumbs ups.

Beza was shocked to discover that, as a woman, I could not cook for the life of me. The weekly source of entertainment for the village seemed to have become watching the white girl struggle to wash her clothes; all the neighbours would come out and laugh at me.

Then came the things that kept me awake at night. I’m not even exaggerating, I literally didn’t sleep for 3 months straight.

“My first impression was that the problems were simply too massive to overcome” The first thing was the church. The f*cking church that I nearly got arrested at for threatening to burn down because the service started at FOUR O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING. On holy days, it started at 10 pm and lasted throughout the night. The constant wailing felt like it was happening inside my own head.

Then there were the animals. A cow and a calf tied up near to where I slept didn’t even moo, they just made loud unintelligible sounds. Dogfights. There wasn’t a lock on the compound door so stray dogs would literally come in and fight, or worse, shag, right outside my bedroom. Rats in the roof. About as unpleasant as it sounds.

All that aside, the primary reason why I was out there was, of course, the work.

ICS is a programme run by VSO

FEATURES

(Volunteering Services Overseas) in which 18-23-year-olds are sent overseas for three months. The focus is on three principal areas: health, education and livelihood. My team’s focus was primarily education; I was working at Hope School, a school for the poorest of the poor which made sure its pupils got a free breakfast and lunch every day.

My first impression was that the problems were simply too massive to overcome. Half of the children were off school due to water-borne diseases.

The education system lacked basic resources like textbooks. There were no safe spaces, no play equipment.

The style of teaching was something equivalent to what it was in England 50 years ago.

The team and I put our heads together and thought, what can we do?

We had no money and just ourselves as resources, so we decided to design a summer school programme. On Mondays, we taught English classes.

Wednesdays involved us running Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) for girls aged 13 and over. On Fridays, we ran WASH classes: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, a UNICEF project covering various topics like basic hand hygiene.

The Wednesday MHM classes are probably what I will remember the most. Our aim was to educate girls on why women have the menstrual cycle and how to take care of themselves, but this soon progressed onto sex education as it became apparent there was a need for it.

It became known to us that girls were actually dropping out of school once they started their periods. Through the money we raised, we managed to get the school to provide girls with one pair of underwear and six reusable sanitary

17

pads, which we taught them how to use.

There were a lot of myths going around such as girls believing you couldn’t shower on your period; stuff that sounds ridiculous to us in the Western world but which seems so real to girls in countries like Ethiopia. A far worse rumour was the belief that the definition of losing your virginity meant breaking the hymen, which simply isn’t true; we tried to explain the fact that the hymen can stretch and break during other activities, not necessarily sex. The stakes were high as girls had been killed in Ethiopia in the past because no blood had shown on the marriage bed, implying they were not a ‘virgin’.

Another highlight was our Community Action Day, enabled by VSO, which we held at Hope School because the kindergarten area had so many issues, the most noticeable of which was the fact that it looked like a military prison camp.

“The aim of ICS is to create a sustainable impact and avoid ‘voluntourism’” The style of teaching was making kids not want to come to school. We knocked on UNICEF’s door and asked them to give us a hand; we ended up going on a brilliant week-long course about creating a child-friendly space.

We were then able to transform the kindergarten by creating child-friendly resources from things as simple as paper.

The aim of ICS is to create a sustainable impact and avoid ‘voluntourism’. I feel we were successful in this. The other thing we were successful in was nights out,

particularly to a club on Friday nights that I only realised in my final week was actually a brothel. The alcohol was interesting. A bottle of gin was the equivalent of a pound, which is pretty good if you gloss over the fact that I was partially blind for a few hours after drinking it.

I’ll end with a funny story that probably sums up what happens when a white girl goes out on the ‘sesh’ in Ethiopia.

I had come home really drunk in the pitch black. Let me tell you, trying to act sober without power is a challenge.

I went to Beza, already so done with my shit, bless her, trying to communicate the fact that there was no light.

By some miracle, she understood me and brought me a candle and some matches. I was pretty pleased with myself as I thought I had managed to subtly conceal how drunk I actually was. On my final night, however, Beza told me my Ethiopian nighty had been inside-out the entire time I was talking to her. Oops.

18

IMPACT

“I put some new shoes on and Sarvi Hosseini TL;DR: Shopping is good for the brain You get home from a long day of shopping, you sit down, unbox your new pair of shoes and wear your new jacket. You just feel content. Have you ever wondered why this feel so great?

What goes on in the brain when you go shopping? What’s the psychology and neuroscience behind it all?

The window-shopping journey in your brain starts with your peripheral senses, mainly with your eyes. You see those shoes, new jacket or a funky shirt in the shop’s display and something just pulls you in. That something is quite possibly your nucleus accumbens. Your occipital lobe first processes what you’re seeing, and this information is passed on in neurotransmitter terms as “ohh, new jacket!!”, which goes on to activate the Fenty By Rihanna x Puma Bow Creeper Sandal

neurons in the nucleus accumbens, the reward centre of the brain.

Dopamine is released and voila, you feel great and want to go inside the shop. You want to find out more about this jacket, you want to feel it, you want to try it on. Really, you just want it. Interestingly, the neurons in your nucleus accumbens are also activated when it comes to anticipating tasty drinks, food, sex, drugs and rock and roll (although I’m not too sure about rock and roll).

Of course, it’s never really that simple with our wonderful minds. Shopping, if you really think about it, is a very complex, energy consuming task for the brain. A lot of factors go into choosing to buy something: the society you live in, your taste, the way you see yourself in the world, your budget, long term planning, comparing the price to other outlets and, finally, the main part, the executive decision-making which leads to you purchasing an item or actually, leaving it behind.

Decision-making can be thought of as an interplay between inhibitory neurons, which release GABA and stimulatory neurons, which release glutamate. One would prevent activation of certain neurons and the other would cause activation. There are many more messengers which are used in the brain, but the above are just examples. Some neurons can be connected to up to a thousand other neurons. Each little section of the brain would be responsible for different functions based on their receptors, proteins or the general phenotype which they have. You can imagine this insane circuitry can be very messy, complex and difficult to study. The mind is actually mind-blowing. It’s mush full of wonderful receptors, messengers, cells and proteins which all need to work in concert for you to choose something to buy.

“Especially in our society, clothes are a part of who we are” When you buy a jacket, it’s more than just an item. Clothing is an extended skin that you live in. Especially in our society, clothes are a part of who we are and there’s no surprise that the limbic system, ‘the emotional centre of the brain’, also has a say in the decisions you make when it comes to clothes.

LIFESTYLE

19

suddenly everything is right” When we buy clothes, even if subconsciously, it can be to attract mates, gain status in society or to fit into our subculture. It’s a part of our social survival; even if you couldn’t care less about clothes, you’re choosing to not care, you’re choosing the crowd that don’t care either. You’re still having to decide. Your brain knows this. It interprets the jacket just like food and so it releases dopamine even before you’ve bought it. This in turn could be tricking you into thinking you’re going to be that happy with the jacket once you’ve bought it also.

Of course, there are many other reasons as to why we shop. Sometimes we shop because we want to feel in control. Not many things in life are as easy as choosing to buy or not buy something. Sometimes, we just need to feel like we can control our lives. We all have odd rituals which make us feel like we are functioning. Shopping can be a way of deceiving ourselves to think that life is something that can be controlled.

Shopping isn’t always a fun activity though. This can be due to the activity of the insula. When you see a gross picture or an expensive price tag, the insula, a part of the limbic system, is activated. This activation results in you feeling repulsed, hence preventing you from buying the beautiful jacket that you just picked up. All of these processes use energy in your brain.

You’re burning calories while weighing up the decision to buy or not to buy.

The weighing up between parting with your cash or keeping it happens in the

prefrontal cortex - responsible for executive functioning and decision making. If the dopamine receptors aren’t activated enough the insula might just win and you won’t buy the jacket. If on the other hand, the jacket lines up with everything you ever wanted in your life and you firmly believe it’s going to make you look like the sexiest human being on the planet, you part with your cash. The painful experience that is losing money won’t feel painful at all. You will be glad that you lost the money, you are now very sexy, look at you with that jacket.

Very sexy.

“You’re burning calories while weighing up the decision to buy or not to buy” Yet it’s not that straightforward either; if you see a ‘sale’ price tag, the red and yellow reduction labels, your hunter-gatherer instincts kick in and your brain goes back to its roots. The brain starts worrying that you’re never going to come across an item like it

ever again. Tiger and Ikea tap into this instinct by having unidirectional paths through their shops where you come across items only once. In that situation, buying is now or never, leading to ridiculous impulse buys like random Tupperware or a weird squeezable toy brain. Decision making is a constant battle between the different regions of the brain.

Life tip: it’s been found that if you touch something which you’re interested in buying, your sense of ownership of the item gets higher and it makes you more likely to purchase that item. So much so that, in 2003, the Illinois state Attorney General’s office issued a warning for consumers to be careful about holding objects in shops during Christmas. If you can’t spend money but want to go shopping, just look at things you like, DON’T touch them; that is one slippery slope to a broken budget.

No matter what the insula says, nothing beats the addictive feeling of the dopamine rush you get when you buy a new pair of shoes. Put on your new shoes and everything might just feel right, just like Paolo Nutini once said.

Adidas Originals Superstar Slip On

20

IMPACT

Why should you give a shit about fashion?

Elle Magill, Charlotte Hegley and Keith Muir Does fashion really matter to you?

Elle, Charlotte and Keith discuss why it should ELLE MAGILL So this is where words fail me slightly.

I can tell you why I give a shit about fashion. I can tell you how it’s been a life-long love affair, a love which I inherited from my mother, and which I will, no doubt, pass on to any offspring I may have. I can tell you that I think fashion is one of the most accessible forms of art, and probably the one I find the most joy in. I can tell you that playing dress up continues to be one of my favourite past times at the grand old age of 21. I can tell you how our culture has influenced fashion, and fashion has influenced culture; from the punk rock, Vivienne Westwood fuelled revolution of the 70’s to the ‘F*ck Trump’ baseball hats of today. I can tell you how I have a lucky coat, that solely good things have happened to me in, and I really am starting to believe it’s the coat.

“Fashion is an ever-present influence in pop culture” I can tell you how I salivate over couture I’ll never be able to afford. I could tell you I don’t judge people by what they are wearing, but that would be a lie. I can tell you I judge people on their clothes because I believe it’s the first impression you give out to the world; what you choose to wear in

the morning is an outward projection of your inner self (which sounds far less bitchy but a bit more pretentious).

I can tell you that on days when I’m struggling to find any confidence in the direction my life is taking and what the f*ck I’m going to do with my degree, my eternal quest for the perfect pair of David Bowie-esque platforms gives my life some meaning.

I could tell you all these things about why I give a shit about fashion, what it means to me. But I struggle to tell you, why you dear reader, personally should. So I’ll leave it to our contributors to tell you why.

(And I suppose there is this: the global fashion industry is worth over £3.049 trillion. So put that in your pipe)

CHARLOTTE HEGLEY Everyone gives a shit about fashion without even realising it; it is something we have to think about every day without fail, before we even leave the house. I love it because it allows us to create our own identities, as we choose what we wear and how we wear it.

Further, it is one of the only ways to escape society’s rules and norms. The industry itself is forever evolving, so never gets boring, but is also circular, meaning certain styles last forever, like

hoops, turtlenecks, and flares.

This means you can save money by wearing your Grandma’s knitted jumper or your mum’s old denim jacket.

KEITH MUIR Vain, superficial, narcissist. These labels have existed for decades as attributes of those who are passionate about fashion and take an avid interest in personal style.

“It is one of the only ways to escape society’s rules and norms” Despite these associations, the fashion industry is constantly evolving and expanding the limits of creativity.

Fashion is an ever-present influence in pop culture that informs and shapes individual identity, whilst style is the aesthetic expression and physical manifestation of character and personality.

Giving a shit about fashion and style means you give a shit about shaping who you are.

This isn’t vain, superficial or narcissistic; it’s a signal of self-awareness and a creative mentality.

LIFESTYLE

Did you know...

we used to be a newspaper?

21

22

IMPACT

OF OF LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE ADVICE ADVICE Rhys Thomas For those of us who have spent the first month of 2018 re-watching every Friends episode on Netflix...

Productivity.

Winter’s gone, we’re in 2018. ‘New year, New me’ spreads its way from twitter to Instagram and back again.

Everyone and their dad is on a detox that’ll last somewhere between a week and ten days, and your younger sibling broke their New Year’s Resolution by January 4th.

Well look, here’s the deal; to do well, you want to be the same you as last year, just more aware of what ‘you’ means. From this you can improve ‘you’ with just some small, manageable, changes.

So, here’s my pointers for how to vamp up the productivity in 2018 and beyond.

LIFESTYLE

DETOX

ADD VARIETY

Not in the ‘have juice for breakfast lunch and dinner’ sense, but a clean space is a productive space.

Mixing things up, changing this and that, whatever you want to call it, nothing helps productivity like variety.

From making quick but varied meals to mixing up your daily routine, daily (I’ll get to this shortly), keeping things fresh will make you feel fresh, and what better way to cruise through ‘Refreshers’ and the second half of term than to be feel fresher, right? Right.

Christmas was indeed a time for giving but also receiving and whilst you feel even slightly like you have too much in your room to think, capitalise on this and get clearing out. If it’s useful to you, send it to house number two (your home-house, a welcome luxurious storage room until Easter), if it’s useful to someone else give it to them or give it to a charity shop.

Finally, if it is useless in its current form find a way to responsibly get rid of it; recycling, bio-degrading, whatever it might be, do your best to rid it in the most feel-good way convenient.

After the items you don’t want or need in the present are ridded, the room should feel somewhat more of a blank canvas, or at least different, which leads me onto my next tip. Detoxing your mental space is also of course a very wise thing to try and do, though something that takes a touch more perseverance than detoxing physical space. Think mindfulness. Think Coffee over Red Bull, tea over coffee, water over tea.

Think I’ll sit and use Headspace (a fantastic app you have to try) for five minutes in the morning instead of scrolling through one of the twenty-five thousand social media apps you use.

What’s five minutes? Try the app and you’ll see how useful such a small amount of time can be.

HAVE A ROUTINE This isn’t contradicting the above, loosen the grip on the pages. Thank you. Having a routine is perhaps the most important point on here. A routine is a cause for action and you can read all the Impact in the world but without action things simply do not get done.

The best way to get into this is to do two things: 1. Use the diary your distant relative bought you and take a small amount of time every Sunday (or just once a week) to write down everything you have scheduled and have to do the week after. Assign deadlines, make specific times for meeting people, and be sure to leave blank squares after these engagements to tick off what you have achieved.

Then, spend a minute or two every day to add in anything that crops up in the week, you’ll always know where you’re at and what time you have spare.

Which means...

23

2. You can write down daily to-do lists on the notepad or post-it notes your other distant relative bought you.

Unlike writing down your important, overarching deadlines and appointments, here we want to go bite-size. First, look at what needs to be done in the diary and then write down five to-do’s in order of priority, for your day. Examples here might be: ‘go to all lectures’, ‘chill for half an hour by watching that documentary’, ‘read an online article for that module’, ‘prepare work for tomorrow’s classes’ and ‘do five mins of exercise or like twenty press-ups’. Keep at this daily, you’ll realise how easy prioritising becomes and also how long a day can become.

DO NOT BURN OUT

(but learn to say no in the right ways) I’m guilty of this point. I also owe the Print Editor an apology because my burning out caused work to be handed in late, which caused him stress.

Inflicting stresses in this way is never a cool thing to do.

If you’re like me, balancing part-time work with a few societal commitments, personal projects and university, then learn to say no to some things.

Whether it’s the fourth gym session of the week, a night out for basically no reason or even a lecture that doesn’t seem terribly useful. Work to what you need to do, not to what others are doing. You’ll benefit from it.

24

IMPACT

All dressed up, with nowhere to go

As students we aren’t often afforded the opportunity to get well and truly dressed up. So keeping that in mind, here it is, our big, glamourous shoot for the 250 issue with bold furs and even bolder lipstick choices. To remind yourself, to put your best self forward this new year, even if that is just going to the shops.

As well as everyone involved in the shoot, a big thank you must go to Foodprint, a truly worthwhile cause based in Nottingham. I’ll let our Online Editor, Nico, tell you a little more about it.

LIFESTYLE

25

26

IMPACT

LIFESTYLE

27

Director: Elle Magill Photography: Elle Magill, Gemma Power, Amy Wilcockson Makeup: Elle Magill, Molly Barratt, Bethany Goodman Models: Bethany Goodman, Poppy Anne Malby, Keith Muir, Lucy Miles, Pria Duncan-Benington, Emily Harbottle, Talia Gilliham, Charlie Hegley, Danielle Preedy

28

IMPACT

Foodprint Nico Caballero Nico, one of the students behind Foodprint, explains how the idea came about and how it is helping the whole community

Foodprint is Nottingham’s first social supermarket. Conceived by a group of University of Nottingham students and ran with the help of numerous volunteers, the shop is located in Sneinton and aims to tackle food waste and food poverty simultaneously.

A social supermarket is a relatively new term to define a new type of socially aware store that tries to solve two problems that should never coexist. The main idea is to sell food that would have otherwise been sent to landfill cheaply, to individuals that would have otherwise struggled to put food on the table.

Foodprint does just this. We have a number of supplier ranging from community allotments, social eating hubs around town, local businesses, and wholesalers. We receive food and other household items weekly by our distributors who share our dedication to reducing food waste and their own carbon footprint (props to you if you’ve figured out the pun behind our name by now).

The food then arrives to the store where we check its quality, something which is repeated daily to make sure our stock doesn’t go bad while on the shelves. From here we operate just as a normal store, except our prices are set at half or less than the RRP for all our products. Many fruits and vegetables are sold for as little as 5p.

The products you can find at the store are extremely varied. We have snacks, fruits and vegetables, bread, cereal, drinks of all kinds, tinned food,

pasta, rice, dog and cat food, and much, much more. For the most part our goods either have damaged packaging, are past its best by date (but still fit for consumption), or just simply food that is not up to shelf standards.

While we expect the core of our items to remain the same, some are bound to change due to the large and expanding number of partners we work with, so you can come into the store week in and week out and never cease to be a little surprised.

“There is something inspiring about seeing a group of young people appreciating and immersing in this social endeavour” The success of Foodprint (and by success I’m referring to social impact, not profits, as we are a non-for-profit social enterprise) is in large part due to its location. Sneinton is one of the most deprived areas in the whole of Nottinghamshire. Recent statistics showed that the levels of children food poverty in the area are above the national average, something unacceptable in such a developed part of our country.

I have personally been part of the team for just about eight months now, but the history of Foodprint starts more than two years ago. Our team of nine met through Enactus Nottingham, a

student organization which operates within the University. Enactus is a hub for the innovation and implementation of social enterprises both locally and internationally.

The idea for Foodprint is a result of the president of Enactus Nottingham, Phoebe Dunklin, reading an article about a social supermarket opening in the south of England and thinking this could be a good idea to implement in Nottingham. As she started looking into the amount of food that was thrown away in the UK each year (over 8 million tonnes) and realizing how much of it was still fit for human consumption (around 60%), it became apparent that the issue was a pressing matter.

She built the team around it and, as is the case for a lot of innovative enterprises, nothing happened for a while. The biggest struggles were finding partners willing to work with us, as well as a place for the physical shop.

Fast-forward to the 2nd of December of this past year, and we opened our doors for the first time with a range of partners and a store perfectly located to reach our target demographic. All this happened with a lot of help from Nottingham City Council, a few grants from numerous organisations (most recently a £5,000 grant from Ford) and, above all else, a lot of hard work from all our team.

Foodprint to is much more than a shop, however. It’s the idea of working towards zero food waste and healthy eating for all. It’s giving back to a community that has been incredibly welcoming to us students, and it’s contributing, in some small way, to a

LIFESTYLE

business change happening all over the world: the social enterprise revolution. The belief that business has the power to not only generate profit, but to help people is probably the most valuable lesson the experience has provided each of us.

“Our team of nine met through Enactus Nottingham, a student organization which operates within the University” At the end of the day, Foodprint has meant hours of work (especially in the weeks preceding the launch), but the positive feedback we have gotten has more than made up for it. We’ve had whole families turn up to the store, showing so much gratitude for the cheap groceries we provided; we’ve met many Sneinton locals supportive of the store and our mission to reduce food waste.

Perhaps most shocking to me has been the reception by the children who show up every day we’re open (Friday to Monday) after school to remind us that “this is the best shop around” and how they would “rate this store 10/10 if they could” and wondering “when can we buy merch?” (that is Lewis, pretty much our unofficial marketing director).

They buy snacks or groceries for their family with whatever coins they have left from the day and they always leave with a big smile on their faces, which I know fills our whole team with pride.

In the future, we hope to expand our food sources. Our next step for example is working with student halls to allow students to use any leftover money in their student cards at the end of the week to buy food to donate to the store. We are trialling this out in a

number of halls, including Willoughby, Lenton and Wortley, Cripps and Cavendish, so if you’re staying these, keep an eye out for big Foodprint boxes in your halls’ offices.

The pictures you see here were all taken in our store during a relatively calm Saturday morning. While it was quite the sight to see Sneinton locals in awe at the sight of students in fancy dress decking the halls of this newly-opened bright-green social supermarket, I think the underlying theme of these images tells quite an endearing story.

29

There is something inspiring about seeing a group of young people (fancy dresses withstanding) appreciating and immersing in this social endeavour that was just a vision for my team and me for years. It’s a reminder, albeit staged, of a very clear reality: business is undergoing a revolution to become more socially aware, and at the head of this revolution are young people, and we’re here to do it in style.

30

IMPACT

The Big #250 Survey As part of the 250th issue of Impact, we wanted to create something that would appeal to all of our student readers. One of the ways to do so is to get those who are not part of the society involved, albeit in a very small way. And what better way to do that than to ask students of the University of Nottingham some of the questions that generations of students have asked through the years?

Over 700 people responded to our survey, with questions ranging from whether Ocean is better than Crisis to whether you prefer Don’t Stop Believin’ or Come on Eileen (I promise you, that is a question countless students have wondered before, and the correct answer is Come On Eileen).

#250

23.1%

31

40.4% 76.9%

Lenton or Beeston?

700 responses

41.9%

48% 59.6%

Crisis or Ocean?

679 responses

25%

58.1%

52%

Hallward or George Green?

700 responses

40.2% 75%

2:1 and fun or a stressy 1st?

699 responses

A Spar (SU Shop) meal or a Boots meal deal?

59.8%

Catered or self-catered?

699 responses

697 responses

13.9% 35.1%

44.8% 22.2%

55.2%

63.9%

Ring of Fire or Never Have I Ever?

696 responses

41.1% 58.9%

Go to that 9am or stay in bed?

698 responses

Have you ever had sex on campus? (not inc. in halls) No, Yes or No, but would like to 699 responses

64.9%

Have you ever had a one-night stand and seen them on campus after?

No or Yes 699 responses

49.4%

49.7% 50.6%

Have you ever taken an illegal drug?

No or Yes 697 responses

50.3%

Don’t Stop Believin’ or C’mon Eileen?

692 responses

32

IMPACT

Best place to take a shit on campus?!

454 responses

103 say “Trent Building” 19 say “a toilet” 3 say “a halls corridor you don’t live on” 3 say “LASS” 3 say “Humanities” 2 say “in the lake”

1 says “now this is a good question.

As a third year with vast shitting experience I can safely say George Green’s potty is the place to be.

Offering safety and security with its single-room toilet” 1 says “Trent ground floor bathroom (they keep the fancy toilets near the VCs office...)”

1 says “Trent LG toilets (the one with the showers)”

1 says “go home.”

1 says “Connor’s desk” 1 says “those loos by the Studio in Portland with their own sinks, gender neutral and private” 1 says “out the front of Law and Social Sciences fuck those guys” 1 says “Trent building ground floor ayyyy” 1 says “wait till you get home”

1 says “building by the Trent Cafe” 1 says “Maths ladies”

1 says “anywhere”

1 says “a specific toilet between the medical school and the main entrance - you have the whole room to yourself”

17.9% 38.6% 61.4%

82.1%

Have you ever gone to a lecture in the same clothes as the night before?

No or Yes

Have you ever slept with a housemate?

No or Yes 700 responses

700 responses

39.1% 60.9%

Wait for the 34 and be a bit late or get the 36 and walk?

695 responses

#250

33

51.4%

30.6%

33.4% 66.6%

Shrek or Shrek 2?

691 responses

69.4%

Have you ever had sex on the first date?

No or Yes

48.6%

To Baywatch or not to Baywatch?

694 responses

656 responses

14.7% 38.1%

46.6% 53.4%

61.9%

85.3%

Vomit at the club or not make it out?

687 responses

Self-service checkout or cashier?

64.4%

Bus pass or no buss pass?

693 responses

674 responses

694 responses

22.7%

35.6%

Blue VK or orange VK?

27.7% 77.3%

Pub Quiz or Karaoke?

684 responses

72.3%

Friends or How I Met Your Mother?

667 responses

34

IMPACT

Exposure

IMAGES + EXPOSURE

Page 34 Top left: Georgina Bray, November 2016 Above: India Jayne Trainor, January 2016 Bottom left: Jason Wong, January 2018 Page 35 Top right: Jason Wong, January 2018 Below: Mario Washington-Iheme, March 2016 Bottom right: Reuben Fakoya-Brooks, February 2017

35

36

IMPACT

Hands off our Internet Ben Edge Following the FCC’s controversial decision to overturn net neutrality laws, Impact Science considers the implications of a non-democratic internet for users in the UK Imagine the scenario: watching TV online, the video is far poorer quality than a rival streaming service because that company has paid your internet service provider (ISP) for the most efficient data transmission. News articles that oppose the views of your ISP are hidden behind a paywall, whereas those written in agreement with them can be read for free.

Perhaps you even have a limit imposed on the number of websites that you are allowed to access; to expand beyond your allocated browsing range will incur additional costs. Online business has regressed into “survival of the richest”, and, when pitted against the dominant corporate giants, burgeoning startups barely stand a chance.

“For the vast majority of US citizens, a monopolised internet is no longer a hypothetical concern but an imminent reality” For the vast majority of US citizens, a monopolised internet similar to the one described is no longer a hypothetical concern but an imminent reality. On 14 December, despite protests in every state and opposition from 83% of Americans, the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal net neutrality rules. Unrestrained by regulations, ISPs have been granted the freedom to control data speeds for

individual content providers and can charge websites for preferential treatment.

Whilst the decision has understandably sparked protest and uproar across the pond, the UK is hardly immune to the shockwaves. Perhaps most alarming is the possibility of a similar deregulation happening in the UK after Brexit. Our net neutrality is currently safeguarded by the EU’s Open Internet Access regulations, which act in opposition to the blocking, throttling and discrimination of online content.

However, after March 2019, our government will have the freedom to amend these laws, or possibly remove them entirely.

Whilst Open Internet Access should ensure the UK’s broadband is protected for the remainder of its EU membership, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for smartphone packages. The lack of equality is easily illustrated by the likes of Virgin Media, who offer data-free messaging exclusively through WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. Similarly, EE allow their customers to stream Apple Music without consuming data allowance, thus impeding competition from any rival services.

In spite of this gradual decline away from the free internet, many are unperturbed by the prospect of the UK rescinding its net neutrality laws. We have access to a greater range of ISPs than in the US, where a reported 50 million homes have just one option for a faster provider. In fact, if smaller

businesses struggle to lay their foundations in America, the FCC’s repeal might actually prove beneficial to our economy: they could relocate to Britain.

“Perhaps most alarming is the possibility of a similar deregulation happening in the UK after Brexit” As with almost all policies, the UK’s position on net neutrality after Brexit remains to be seen. However, I believe that the fundamental basis for a free and fair internet should be enshrined in UK legislation. Whilst the net is hardly a Marxist utopia, it does operate with some degree of independence and balance. The idea of ISPs dictating data transmission for individual content providers is as preposterous as your electric company charging higher rates for plugging in your laptop than for watching TV. Keep the web neutral. Hands off our internet.

LIFESTYLE

37

Digging on: Haunted by social media Alana McKenna Is it fair judge people based on posts they made online when they were teenagers? Do we need to be more careful about how freely we speak on social media?

Attention to this issue has recently been brought about through the uncovering of old celebrity tweets, such as those of Stormzy and Jack Maynard, displaying homophobic and disablist slurs. However, a lot of the backlash lacks the acknowledgement that these people are facing retribution for things they said when they were a different/younger person/people, living in a different time, in a different society.

The vast majority of students are also going to have said stupid things online whilst growing up, things that we wouldn’t say now, and things that aren’t worth the risk of rejection from future potential employers. People have lost the jobs and respect they worked hard to gain because of digging on social media, and whilst. Whilst I don’t disagree that any offensive posts made in the past warrant an apology, I believe if individuals are genuinely opposed to their previous views (as most of us people are), they shouldn’t be penalised.

“The vast majority of students are also going to have said stupid things online whilst growing up” Perhaps the offensive distasteful slurs we may have used in the past are not necessarily through entire fault of our own, rather the lack of proper education. Whilst growing up, people

generally make fun of things that they assume to be ‘different’, which could be reduced through the way we are taught in subjects like sex education and literature. Schools could achieve this by providing content that supports the LGBTQ+ community as well as showing a generally greater sense of diversity.

The consideration of what is deemed ‘normal’ has changed a phenomenal amount in the past decade, which should be made aware of whilst also being taken into consideration when addressing posts on social media from the past.

Social media should be a space where we can exercise our freedom of speech, though we are almost becoming oppressed by feeling like we must constantly monitor our language out of fear of repercussion. Perhaps we should view it more as an opportunity to express our views, even if some may deem them offensive, as it. This then allows us to see things from different perspectives and thus address our own views and learn from each other by having the chance to gain alternative insight.

We are the first generation to live grow up in a world absorbed by social media and the internet, living our lives out loud online, so we were bound to be ignorant at times. However, social media has evolved greatly over the

past decade from a place where we spouted nonsense with ease and without backlash, to a platform on which we must be aware of what we are saying, but that also allows intellectual expression and debate on

“We should acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes and should be able to grow up without retribution down the line”

our views. Just as the social media we use has changed, so have we, growing from individuals who were often insensitive and ill-informed teenagers to more learned individuals who are aware of what we are saying and the repercussions it can have.

I believe that we shouldn’t have to go back and delete our younger internet selves, we. We should acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes and should be able to grow up without retribution down the line. Rather than punishing us for things we said in the past, we should be given credit for our personal growth; if we’re doing good work now, it shouldn’t be undermined by things written by us when we hadn’t even gone through puberty yet.

Everyone should be allowed to grow up and distance themselves from their mistakes, once they’ve genuinely changed for the better.

38

IMPACT

‘85

IMPACT ‘85

Sam Young Tracing the origins of Impact is no easy business. In 1895 some enterprising individuals at University College Nottingham launched a high-brow literary review called The Gong, which during the somewhat newsworthy year of 1939 branched out to include a student newspaper named The Gongster.

The latter underwent an image change in the 1970s to become Bias, which despite its edgy title was unable to stay afloat for more than a few years.

Then, one day in 1985, Impact was born.

If readers will indulge me, I intend to create an idea of what life was like in that fateful year, conveyed entirely through the handy medium of popular culture.

So pop that collar, sharpen those shoulder pads and shout something angry about Margaret Thatcher. Like Marty McFly travelling at 88mph, we’re going on a little trip to the past…

ENTERTAINMENT

Music If ever a year was chosen to represent 80s music, it would be 1985. This was the year that produced some of the most excruciatingly 80s hits imaginable, many of which are still held in varying regard today.

‘Raspberry Beret’ by Prince, ‘Like a Virgin’ by Madonna and ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ by Tears for Fears all featured in the charts during this synth-hammering twelve months, with Jennifer Rush’s ‘The Power of Love’ (no, me neither) reaching top UK single and Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms as top album.

Of course, it would be wrong to discuss music in 1985 without paying some homage to Live Aid. Following on from 1984’s charity single, ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, Live Aid saw acts such as U2, Queen and The Who perform at Wembley Stadium to a combined live and TV audience of nearly two

billion people. The result was around £150 million raised to combat famine in Ethiopia (which more cynical readers may note is somewhat lower than the viewing figure).

Film Just as the music reached its big-haired zenith in 1985, so too did films. Many of the most culturally iconic 80s classics were released that year, including the likes of Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club and The Goonies. In addition to that, 1985 saw a continuation of the popular trope of muscular men in combat vests massacring bad guys, as evidenced in Commando, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Without question, 1985 was cinema at its most naff.

However, it wasn’t all big-budget Hollywood tripe. Back in the UK, popular discontent over Thatcherism was spilling out into the media. In the year that saw the end of the Miners Strike, British independent cinema made a marked turn towards social realism in order to capture the sentiment of the era. Some of the finest examples include Letter to Brezhnev, the story of two working-class Liverpool girls who try to move to the Soviet Union, and My Beautiful Laundrette, an early Daniel Day-Lewis flick that explores the topical themes of homosexuality and life within the London Pakistani community.

‘85

Nottingham, however, had little time for such frivolous pop. Described as ‘sweaty, but truly indie’ by NME, Rock City had only been around for five years but was already toting the renown required to host bands such as REM, The Damned and The Cult.

Perhaps most memorable of all were The Pogues, who performed at the Talbot Street venue as part of their 1985 Rum, Sodomy & the Lash tour.

Characteristically, the night ended in a riot.

39

40

IMPACT

‘85

IMPACT ‘85

TV Television as we know it today, really began to take off in the 1980s, with the number of channels expanding (thanks to Channel 4) in 1982. Many of the top shows of 1985 are all too familiar to us today, with the year proving particularly significant to the soap opera world. National favourite Coronation Street celebrated its 25th anniversary, whilst Emmerdale Farm (they would drop the ‘Farm’ in 1989) released its 1000th episode in November. Yet perhaps the greatest soap success story of the year was EastEnders, which went on the air for the first time on 19th February. Though highly popular, it was not without its hitches, most notable of which being the tabloid revelation that actor Leslie Grantham (playing Den Watts) had previously served ten years for murder.

However, all was not so rosy elsewhere.

1985 also saw Doctor Who go through a sudden hiatus (less of a surprise nowadays) due to disagreements between the production team and the BBC, whilst the first half of the football season was cut from British TV following numerous cases of hooliganism (it was during this era that notorious Nottingham hooligan firm the ‘Forest Executive Crew’ came to prominence). Indeed, it was a traumatic year for football broadcasting all round. On 11th May the Bradford City stadium fire was shown live on TV, followed a few weeks

later by BBC coverage of the Heysel Stadium Disaster in Brussels. The role of English fans in the latter resulted in English teams being banned from European football for five years.

If one thing’s for sure, it’s that there is much to unpack from 1985. I wish I could go further and ramble about the literature (including Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale), theatre (Biloxi Blues, anyone?) and even visual art (David Hockney comes to mind), but like any student writer, I am humbly constrained by word count. Instead, I have opted to look at those elements of pop culture which must have seemed the loudest and most colourful to students at the time. The songs they blared out of their knackered car radios, the films they watched in dingy corners of the Savoy, the programmes they flicked through on the JCR television as they contemplated whether it was worth doing any work that night.

Indeed, the world of pop culture in 1985 burned so brightly that much of it still lives with us today. A lot has been forgotten (often for the best), but at the same time high-80s culture remains as pertinent as ever. After all, who doesn’t love a pair of skinny jeans, a varsity bomber jacket and a bit of Billy Joel?

ENTERTAINMENT

41

How Gaming Has Changed:

The Evolution of DLCs and In-Game Purchases

Georgia Butcher As the years have passed, gaming has naturally changed rather drastically. Graphics have become phenomenal, mechanics far more complicated, yet fluid, and arguably the many stories now far more complex and heart-wrenching.

Yet this is not the change to which I am referring.

Once up a time, when you purchased a game, you purchased the whole game, and parts were unlocked solely through gameplay. Yet now, years on, there has been a drastic increase in the release of ‘DLC’ (downloadable content) packages, often many for the same game. Even worse, for many games, when these DLCs are released, they are not included in the original purchase; instead, gamers must spend yet more of their money in order to access more of the same game.

Of course, some companies try to offer a ‘nicer option’ with the promise of season passes: a one-off payment which gives players access to all current and upcoming DLCs, but really, shouldn’t that be included in the main game anyway? Is that not what players are buying?

Yet not only must players pay more money for game content, with some games, paying more money is often a way of gaining an (arguably unfair) advantage. Often, such an advantage is gained through loot boxes: a system whereby players pay for an in-game randomised assortment of beneficiary items.

“Such systems have been speculated to encourage gambling amongst young people” Such systems have been speculated to encourage gambling amongst young people, and organisations such as Belgium’s Gaming Commission have voiced hopes of working closer with gaming communities to try and discourage aggressive pushing off loot box purchases, whilst Belgium’s Justice Minister has seemingly called for a loot box ban across Europe. However, even if the Minister’s request is supported, with the current evolving climate of the

gaming world, it seems unlikely that similar systems won’t quickly replace it.

Ultimately, it seems as though microtransactions, DLCs, and the like are only going to increase as time goes on. But there may be a glimmer of hope. Some games, such as Star Wars Battlefront II, for instance, have mentioned an intention to avoid paid-for DLCs, instead promising all DLCs to be included in the original game purchase. This intention has apparently been made to keep players together, as EA argues that previous DLC content split players, something which they wish to avoid in the new game. Microtransactions, however, seem to still be in play for a faster way for players to advance, something which may still cause a divide amongst players, and certainly doesn’t provide me with much optimism for the future of gaming.

Yet, whether multiple purchases continue to harass gamers or not, it seems as though this above promise of hope, no matter how small it is, may be the first among many – and hopefully, in due course, other games shall follow suit.

!

M LA

42

IMPACT

S

The Power of Student Poetry: The Voice of Our Generation

Shanai Momi Finding the freedom of expression in one of the world’s oldest art forms The poetic art form is often seen as a forgotten genre from ‘the olden days’ when the rushed world of media did not exist, and people were willing to spend the time to decipher its meaning. Whilst the idea that poetry was more mainstream in medieval society has elements of truth to it, the notion that it is a dying literary style is far from reality.

Creative students and poets alike are seizing this genre and seeking new ways to bring their words to life in front of an audience. One of these ways is through what is known as ‘slam’ poetry, and students are right at the centre of the British slam poetry scene.

Essentially competitions, entrants to poetry slams compete in style and performance. Poets aim to evoke the largest emotional response from their audience, which results in vibrant and supportive atmospheres that challenge the widespread belief that poetry only exists through intricate Shakespearean forms. Particularly popular with students, especially here in Nottingham, slam poetry is proving to be a brilliant and creative way for young people to vocalise their opinions on current affairs and fulfil their demands to be heard.

Chi-chi Dikeocha, a second-year student and committee member for UoN’s Poetry and Spoken Word Society, explained that for her it is “enjoyable and freeing when you know the words are yours and you get to express them the way you want to”. The links between delivery and effect are clear, with Dikeocha adding that spoken word is great as “there are a lot of creative choices to make”, and these “produce a new effect each time”. In a world where students are fighting to be heard, slam poetry provides an outlet to speak up and tell stories.

“The audience acts as both listener and supporter” This underground movement is breathing new life into poetry, allowing amateurs (as well as professionals) to create energetic performances. Such meaningful pieces of work can be seen through Emma Pallet, an actress at The Nottingham New Theatre, who strongly believes that slam poetry is “vital to the development of our culture”, and relishes that it shifts the genre from “the world of academia to the general population.” Pallet is drawn to slam

ENTERTAINMENT

poetry because she loves that it enables us to “connect to one another through catharsis during the recital of personal emotions”. There is something about being able to develop our humanity and empathy for our peers that attracts students to this movement.

Poetry slams have an integral aspect of performance that sets itself apart from other forms, such as the written word. UoN’s Creative Writing society members Esther Kearney and Megan Openshaw touch on this by suggesting that spoken word relies on theatrical performance and grabs people’s attention in a way that page poetry sometimes does not. Kearney describes it as a “type of therapy … a cleansing of the mind”. The audience acts as both listener and supporter, giving their opinion at the end of the set through their response, whether that is tears, laughter, applause or shouts. Openshaw also likes the fact that it allows her to “pick up on the irregularity in your speech” that reading aloud provides.

The power of student slam poetry is visible through the effect it has on both the participants and the audience. Seen in the 1950s through the American Beats Poets, it is a way of reacting to social change through a culture of expression. Now it has

become incredibly popular with students who gain a voice and agency, where previously they have been hushed and found difficulties in articulating how frustrated and cheated they feel in the turbulent moment we live in.

“Slam poetry is proving to be a brilliant and creative way for young people to vocalise their opinions on current affairs” Elise Voyenli, a second-year student and former member of Poetry is Dead Good, echoes such sentiments by saying that her experiences with slam poetry were “supportive,” and that “it is a safe place to perform and speak your truth,” in a similar way to that seen in the first wave of beat poetry.

This new form of poetry demands to be listened to, which appears to be a part of the reason for the re-emergence of oral poetry amongst students. Having been a way of transmitting emotions and experiences for centuries, it is now fast becoming adopted by the voice of a new generation who seek to be heard and demand for change to occur.

43

44

IMPACT

The Secrets of Wollaton Hall Esther Kearney Like many old houses, Nottingham’s own Wollaton Hall has a rich history.

Esther spoke to Museum staff about the most intriguing (and often haunting) facts about one of Nottingham’s most popular tourist attractions Built between 1580 and 1588, Wollaton Hall is one of Nottingham’s most prominent landmarks and rightly so. Standing proudly, many come to visit this fascinating building from all over the country.

Like many old houses, it has a rich history. Come with me as I chat with the Museum staff and unearth some haunting facts...

Impressing the Queen

It is rumoured that the Hall was first constructed by Francis Willoughby to impress Queen Elizabeth I – the ruling monarch at the time. Despite her never actually visiting, the extravagant architecture and decoration inside the house reveal some fascinating secrets and origins.

Familiar Faces and Continental Tastes

When looking at the outside of the Hall, you may find yourself staring into the eyes of some familiar faces. The Tudor house boasts sculptures of people of note from throughout history, a popular trend in the 16th century, including, Virgil, Plato and Charles I just to name just a few. Both in and outside of the Hall are lion heads holding gondola rings in their mouths. These are direct copies of Venetian architecture. It is thought that the Willoughby’s drew inspiration for the design of the hall whilst looking through pattern books. If you have ever been in the Salon (AKA Batman’s living

room) then you were standing just above a skittle alley, left over from the Victorian era.

1940’s Graffiti?

Did you know that Wollaton Hall was a school at one point in the forties? Well, me neither! That is until I was shown the graffiti leftover from it.

Secret Passageways

Having worked at Wollaton Hall, I can tell you that there are many hidden passageways closed to the public. One of these was blocked off in around 1711 by the giant mural on the grand staircase. Nobody knows why the family blocked it off, or what’s in there.

Whatever it is, it’s been a secret for over 300 years!

Charles I

As I mentioned earlier, Charles I is one of the many busts adorning the exterior of the Hall, as he visited with his mother before he was crowned as King. In fact, what is now the Africa Gallery was the Prince’s Chamber.

The Story of Prometheus and Some Unfinished Business

One of the lovely museum assistants, Sandra, explained to me the story of Prometheus, as depicted by the murals.

Prometheus was tasked with handing out gifts to the animals that inhabited the world (e.g. the turtle its shell, the giraffe its long neck) but when he got to man, he had run out. He went against the will of the Gods and stole

fire from Olympus, giving it to man.

The painting on the left wall depicts his action, and the right shows his eternal punishment, having his liver pecked out every day for eternity by an eagle.

The mural was painted by James Thornhill, the same artist who painted St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. If you take a closer look, you may find several strange features: people in the background look unfinished, like featureless, beige silhouettes. There is a cherub placing wreaths on invisible heads and a woman missing a staff.

This is likely due to Thornhill painting over another artist’s unfinished work- perhaps Louis Laguerre. You can see a clear difference in quality in some places, showing the work of two different people.

ENTERTAINMENT

45

being burnt down during the Reform Bills.

The room is famous for its view and its purpose. Constructed with the primary function of boasting the extent of the Willoughby’s land to their visitors (presumably they hoped for Queen Elizabeth, who as I mentioned, never visited in the end).

Mystery Children

In the left-hand corner of Thornhill’s mural on the back wall, you can see two out of place children that have been painted into the scene. These appear to be much later additions to the mural and are presumed to be Willoughby children.

The mystery continues as their placement in the picture is over the part of the wall in which the doorway to the blocked off passage would have been. In the words of Alice… curious and curiouser…

Ghostly Figures

Mick Whysall, Wollaton Hall’s resident storyteller had a moment to run me through all the supernatural sightings that have occurred at the Hall.

The most famous is Charlotte, the ghost of a young woman who passed away in the Hall. Her story is one of myth that has been passed down, but while its widely seen as a mere ghost story, there is some truth in it…

“The most prolific ghost, the one people see more than anybody is in Natural Connections… which we romantically like to call ‘Room 19’” The room was one of the finest rooms in the house, tied in with the Willoughby room as a suite of rooms. In the 18th century one of the members of the family had an accident which resulted in a broken spine.

“She was taken to that room, as an important young woman, and laid there for nineteen years...”

He tells me that she is the ghost of a young girl who passed away after a party. She fell from high above and broke her spine.

“Georgians had a very pragmatic view of life… Nobody had a brother or a sister that hadn’t died…”

With limited medicine, the young woman was condemned to her room for 19 years where she slowly dwindled away.

Now, whenever she sees a young man in the Hall she can’t resist reaching out and stroking their cheek. Many have reported feeling a cold tingle on their face or a strong smell of perfume when walking around Room 19- could this be coincidence, or is it Charlotte still on the lookout for a young lover?

The Admiral’s Bath

Museum Assistant Dave Howard was kind enough to let me investigate what is famously known as “The Admiral’s Bath”. Inside the tunnels that run under the Hall is a massive bath cut into the stone. Used by one of the family’s relatives, an Admiral.

A favourite for visiting mediums, this part of the Hall is extremely creepy and not for the faint hearted.

The Room that Saved the Hall

Many may know of the Prospect Room at the very top of the Hall, but few know how it saved the House from

The view that shows the majority of Nottingham came in handy when a servant noticed that the Castle was on fire. After reporting this to his master, the Willoughbys were able prepare themselves for an angry mob, thus saving Wollaton Hall from a similar fate.

Servant Soldiers

Following on from the last story, Dave Howard told me about the importance of the muskets on the wall. To many visitors they may just seem decorative but they have an interesting history behind them.

“They used Brown Bess muskets, the longest serving firearm in the army from 1710-1830.”

In October 1831, when the mobs attacked Wollaton over the Reform Bill and burnt down the castle, the family armed their servants with muskets and were able to defend the Hall and push the angry crowd away towards Beeston.

Working on a heritage site never ceases to amaze me and I find myself uncovering more and more about the Hall’s past every day. If you’re interested in finding out more, tours are available to the general public.

Special thanks to the Museum Staff; Sandra Smith, Dave Howard and Mick Whysall for letting me pick their brains!

46

IMPACT

Flipping the Script Isobel Sheene Isobel explores how short films are helping to challenge social issues

Short films are an underappreciated but highly expressive form of entertainment, and their concise nature often means they’re ideal for offering sharp insight into our daily lives. One particular subset of short films that have become prevalent recently is the ‘subverted society’ genre, in which a key imbalance in society is flipped on its head in order to highlight its issues and absurdities.

This interesting concept is put to good use in the medium of the short film, as the combined visual and auditory experience often make the creation more immersive than other forms of entertainment, thus allowing the filmmaker to more directly introduce the point they are making, and have a bigger and longer-lasting impact. In flipping the script of our world, these short films can clearly demonstrate the issues in our society by pushing them onto those who are usually unaffected and may even be the perpetrators of these inequalities, thus giving the opportunity for new understanding of the issue at hand.

For example, Love is all you need?, a 2013 short film by WingSpan Pictures, uses real experiences of bullying to present the story of Ashley, a girl who grows up realising she is straight in a society where being gay is the norm.

Branded ‘breeder’ and ‘hetero’ by her peers, she is taunted, beaten up, and driven to suicide by children her own age and slightly older. Adults, who should be there to protect her, including her drama teacher and one of her mothers, suggest her sexuality is a “sin”, a “phase”, and otherwise wrong.

The message is painfully clear, and the viewer is given a clear insight into the pressures that make LGBTQ+ children and teenagers feel broken and hated by those around them.

“They are used to inform and instruct the viewer of the realities of society” Another example is the 2014 French short film Oppressed Majority (or Majorité Opprimée), by Eleonore Pourrait, which presents a society in which men are treated like women are here – as objects, second-class citizens who exist for the pleasure of others.

The central character, a man, goes about his life encountering much the same everyday sexism that women here often do, even as he tries to fight back in small ways. Looks and comments from strangers and acquaintances are eventually replaced

by blatant and unashamed street harassment, which then escalates into sexual assault.

Yet even after the character’s worst experience of his life, things don’t stop or get better; the female police officer taking his statement questions his honesty, and normalised sexual comments in the workplace occur right in front of him. Even his own wife seems to push some of the blame for what happened to him. It is the picture of the female experience but demonstrated by a man.

On a similar theme, Stereo (2017) by Ella Fields tackles head-on issues of gender stereotypes in a society where blue and sports are for girls, and musical theatre and dresses are for boys. The absurdities of gender stereotyping are made abundantly clear when the central child, Jamie, is chastised by her horrified mother for even looking at a dress, taunted by her schoolmates for wearing nail varnish, and mobbed by the other children for being interested in trying out musical theatre.

This film does have a positive ending, however: when she finally speaks up for herself against her mother, Jamie is allowed to go to school wearing a dress, and confidently takes a tab from

ENTERTAINMENT

the musical theatre poster – inspiring another girl, clad in the stereotyped female clothing of jeans, a t-shirt, and a baseball cap, to also grab a tab from the poster.

These films are important for their ability to show the issues with how our society works, and their capacity to persuade privileged viewers to help fix them.

Essentially, these films work to offer those unaffected by the issues addressed a way of understanding what those affected face in their day-to-day lives. They also provide a point of reference for those affected, enabling them to point friends and relatives towards an accessible resource that can help explain how they feel.

There is also another way in which these films can help: by offering relief.

Jeremy the Dud (2017), a short film set in a world where almost everyone is disabled in some way or another, is a comedic example of the ‘subverted society’ genre. Jeremy is an abled person, colloquially and offensively known as a ‘dud’, who is treated throughout the film in much the same way that the disabled people interacting with him often are in our world.

It might be a straight parent able to fix their behaviour after realising the little comments they make could be harming their queer child, after having watched Love is all you need?. It might be a woman pointing her boyfriend towards Oppressed Majority so that he can better understand the everyday problems she faces. Or it might be a boy trying to explain to his parents that there’s nothing wrong with wearing make-up by showing them Stereo.

He struggles to find a job, or even be taken seriously, in a society where his lack of a disability is seen as reflective of his lack of value. This example shows that subversion can be funny as well as serious. Although the issues highlighted are still very much important, real-world problems, the comedy lies in the irony of the situation.

47

It is cathartic, and it’s excellently made.

The prime difference between comedy examples of the ‘subverted society’ and more serious dramas that use the genre is the intended audience.

The dramas are used to show pain and struggle in a touching, heartfelt way, so that the viewer will understand what it would be like if they lived in this society, if they had to go through what the central character does, and what people who are not like them have to go through in the real world every day.

In short, they are directed at the privileged group. They are used to inform and instruct the viewer of the realities of society and demonstrate the things that need to change.

“These films work to offer those unaffected by the issues addressed a way of understanding what those affected face in their day-today lives” The comedies, on the other hand, are not for the benefit of the privileged group – they are examples of entertainment specifically catering to a marginalised group that is rarely represented in mainstream media.

Abled people can enjoy Jeremy the Dud, of course, but they are not its target audience; it is a film made by and for disabled people.

gt

pin p i l F

pt

cri S e h

d by e t c zine a Dire g ma T C A IMP

Regardless of tone and audience, though, these short films are all flipping the script of our daily lives to highlight the issues often faced by sections of society that are hidden or taboo. It’s a powerful and effective way of bringing these problems to light, showing both what is wrong and why. And we should definitely be taking notice.

48

IMPACT

Virtual Reality:

Max Randall Isobel explores how short films are helping to challenge social issues It’s 2018. The world is a scary and confusing place. The strangeness of our times may offer an explanation as to why virtual reality has become so successful. We are beginning to be able to escape the confines of our own existence and experience worlds where the laws of nature and society, as we know them, simply don’t exist. With the recent adaptations of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Resident Evil 7 into VR, we have been given the opportunity to explore expansive universes at once familiar, beautiful and terrifying, with unprecedented levels of immersion.

What does all this mean, not only for the future of video games but for the future of human experience itself?

When the early prototypes of the Oculus Rift hit the shelves in 2012, it was clear the gaming community had a game-changer at hand. The dynamism of the Rift was what set it apart from any vague predecessors; the head-tracking feature utilised new

gyroscopic technologies to give a sense that the wearer truly was within the game. Sony and HTC jumped on the VR bandwagon soon after, issuing the PlayStation VR and the Vive, respectively.

“The possibilities for VR are hugely diverse” A huge step in the accessibility of VR headsets (for those reluctant to fork over half a grand for an Oculus) came with Google Cardboard, which turns a smartphone into a VR device using a simple, intuitive design, with a price tag of less than £10. This was my first experience with VR, and I fondly remember crying with laughter on Christmas Day as I watched my relatives’ terror playing the Insidious VR App.

The device quickly became more than a novelty to me; Google Street View’s incredible VR feature allowed me to explore real locations, allowing me to engage with the events I was studying in a refreshingly new way. I also used it to decide on the best places to visit on holiday. Some may argue that features like this takes some of the mystery out of travelling and studying foreign lands, but to someone with the navigational skills of a pear, this feature is a game-changer. Google Cardboard’s features are diverse and are constantly expanding. From deep-sea diving simulators to VR porn (the workings and implications of which are another article entirely), Cardboard gives an accessible, bite-sized version of what is presented by the big dogs.

The demand for VR compatibility in big-name games is booming, and a growing number of developers are jumping on board. Bethesda recently

ENTERTAINMENT

ported Skyrim and Fallout 4 to VR, to the joy of fans. Skyrim suits VR particularly well, allowing an unprecedented sense of scale, giving the game the majesty it deserves.

The player can get into bar fights, be batted thousands of feet into the air by giants, and push companions off mountains with more sadistic pleasure than ever before.

Fallout 4 holds similar charm, but as is now standard with Bethesda, these releases are not without their issues.

The movement system has reportedly led to motion sickness in a considerable number of users, and combat feels clunky at times. These types of issues are almost universal to VR at this point, and further innovation will be required to overcome them.

Regardless of the issues, the nature of these games allows VR to induce a level of immersion which is a hefty leap beyond that which even the most committed gamers have ever been able to achieve.

“[Google] Cardboard gives an accessible, bite-sized version of what is presented by the big dogs” Will VR eventually fall into obscurity as other gaming accessories (*COUGH COUGH* Xbox Kinect) have? I would argue that, as the technology now available is of high enough quality to actually work as intended, there is little reason for it to fade away.

Looking forward, the possibilities for VR are hugely diverse. Let us speculate, for a moment. Perhaps, in twenty years, classrooms will contain students sporting the latest VR headsets, wherein a personalised, optimally engaging education programme is delivered to them?

Perhaps offices will be filled with workers frantically waving their hands in the air, as they navigate spreadsheets in virtual reality?

I am certain that, eventually, we will be able to go clothes shopping in some type of virtual-mall where we can try on outfits before buying them, and see how furniture would look in our homes.

Perhaps the urge to travel will be satiated by hyper-realistic renderings of every desirable holiday location on – and, perhaps, beyond – Earth?

Imagine the hassle saved by not having to physically travel; perhaps a Wednesday night at Crisis will be replaced by a casual trip to the Bahamas? Social media is sure to undergo massive transformations if VR continues to grow. Perhaps people will come to associate more with a virtual avatar than their real-life selves? The freedom in the creation of these avatars may lead to changes and discoveries in identity; perhaps society’s entire moral system will have to shift to facilitate such freedom of personality?

Though this is all speculation, the potential of VR is clear. It’s time to get excited.

49

50

IMPACT

JB skates for GB Alex Beaney and Tom Monks The boy who was told off for going too fast

As Team GB announced their selection for PyeongChang 2018, Impact were down at the National Ice Centre to meet Calverton-born Jack Burrows. The short track speed skater spoke of his journey onto the ice and his ambitious plans for the future, as he looks set to lead a new generation within Nottingham’s illustrious skating dynasty.

Tell us about how it all started for you. What are your earliest memories of being on the ice?

JB: It all started from one of my family’s traditions. Every year, we would all go and skate on the outdoor ice rink in Old Market Square on Christmas Eve. On one occasion when I was about ten years old, I was skating around with my cousin and she fell over. Out of nowhere, I then jumped over her hands and landed it, which I thought was pretty awesome at the time. Both of us looked at each other and said: “well, this is fun, we should get better at this!”

Next thing you know, we came down here to the National Ice Centre. Like so many people do, we learnt to skate using the Skate UK programme.

I kept getting told off by the staff here for going too fast on the ice. Eventually, one of the coaches had to come over and when he did, he said, ‘look, you keep getting told off for going too fast, so why don’t you come and try speed skating?’. That’s how I got into the sport. From that day on, I’ve stuck with it and taken every new opportunity that’s come my way.

It’s also probably quite fortunate that you are a local lad and were able to get involved down here at the National Ice Centre from a young age.

JB: Incredibly fortunate! A lot of all this here is thanks to UK Sport and the rise of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. To be able to train in the same arena as the Nottingham Panthers is amazing. The facilities are world-class, and that’s why the national programme is based here. Today,

SPORT

we’ve got skaters from all over the UK here because it’s simply the best place to train.

You mention Nottingham’s own Torvill and Dean, who won gold with their iconic figure skating routine at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympic Games. More recently, Elise Christie won a World Championship gold too.

Where do you look for inspiration?

JB: Exactly who you’ve mentioned!

What’s quite surreal is that Christopher Dean is actually from Calverton, the same tiny little village where I’m from.

He went to the same secondary school as me too! So, he’s always been someone I’ve known about. It’s a massive inspiration to me that the pair of them came from Nottingham and went on to win Olympic gold medals.

In the present day, it has to be Elise.

Watching her become the world champion was insane! I’ve trained with her every single day and seen her discipline, commitment and attitude. It’s given me the belief that I can follow in her footsteps and do it myself too.

It was obviously no surprise to you, then, that Elise was nominated for 2017’s Sports Personality of the Year.

JB: Absolutely not. Her dedication and desire has elevated her right to where she is now. She’s never satisfied with what she has. She always comes off the ice and says ‘well, this was wrong, this wasn’t good enough, I want to fix this’. In the next session, she goes and tries to fix it. That’s a quality I want to have myself.

“It’s the same reason why you love and hate the sport” Being both an athlete for Team GB and a student at Loughborough, it’s fair to say that your experience is incredibly different from most of us.

Do you ever find yourself wondering what the typical student life is like?

JB: Definitely. The main struggle for me is getting up in the morning. I have to wake up at 6 am in the morning so that I can be here at 7! I may sound like an old man but I will often sleep during the day for two hours before getting up and going training again because I’m just so tired!

I’m not quite sure any of us university students are in a position to question your need for sleep! So, talk us through your weekly schedule.

JB: Typically, we have training three times a day from Monday to Saturday, with Saturday mornings particularly focused on work in the gym.

“I just wish the [Olympic] Games were maybe just one year or six months later.

Then I think it would be a completely different story!”

Ouch! I think you might have missed out some time for rest in there.

JB: Well, we do get to rest and recover on Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday, so I can’t always complain!

Have you ever questioned why you are putting yourself through all of this?

JB: Many times! My mood from a Monday to Friday is totally different.

On Monday, I have one alarm and on Friday, I have five just to help me get up. It’s been so difficult to juggle training with studying and then find time for recovery, but I’ve had to keep pushing on. The Winter Olympics are every four years and there’s always a World or European championship right around the corner. It’s physically exhausting but I do it because of my love for the sport.

We often hear stories about funding struggles in sport. What is the situation like for you as a Team GB athlete?

JB: As speed skaters, we are all very lucky, to be honest. Despite all representing Team GB together, we all compete individually. However, our whole programme here is funded by UK Sport, making us one of only a few selected winter sports for funding.

Everything would be so much harder to do if it was self-funded.

I have been on this program now for just over four years and I’ve seen just how much the funding has helped us. It has improved our nutrition, our

51

recovery process, our work in the gym and so much more.

We’ve gone from having one physio to now having two permanent physios. There’s also massage therapists and psychologists. We have all these experts that help us to perform when it comes to the right moments. So, we are very thankful to receive the support and funding from the Lottery and UK Sport.

In the shorter term, there’s the European Championships in Dresden coming up. Are you excited for that?

JB: Yes, and it’s a really big deal for me!

I’ve dug deep, and I am really happy to be rewarded with the opportunity to skate individually at the European Championships. It’s my first major championships as a senior athlete, so we’ll definitely sit down as a team and talk about it. I’m not going to go there just to see what it’s like. I’m a born racer and I am going to want to win at any cost.

“It’s been so difficult to juggle training with studying and then find time for recovery”

I can say I want to win the gold, but is it realistic? Maybe not. I’ll be racing with athletes that could potentially go to the games and win Olympic medals.

My goal is to be competitive, and race to win every race. It’s a simple as that.

Short track is so unpredictable and you just have to see what happens.

You’ll be wearing the famous red, white and blue suit! Does that add any sense of pressure or excitement?

JB: It feels amazing! I love it when you’re sat in the heat box before a race and you’re with all the other nations Canada, South Korea, USA. You’re all sat there in a row waiting, and you look down at your boot and see GBR down your leg. It hits you! That’s the moment I get excited because I’m looking at all these other skaters with their name and flag down their leg and then I look at mine and think: “I’ve got this.”

52

IMPACT

Jack ‘SPEED Y Burrow ’ s

SPORT

What’s been your favourite memory with the suit on?

JB: It has to be the very first time. It is one of those memories that I’ll never forget. I’d only been in the sport three years at that point and I went to the Youth Winter Olympics in Innsbruck in January 2012. I managed to win! I was really chuffed winning a gold medal. I’d never raced anyone outside of Europe. I’d never seen a Canadian or a South Korean racer, so to race them and come out with a gold was mind-blowing.

You’ve also tasted a bit of disappointment recently, however.

JB: When you look at my journey into the national team, coming straight out of secondary school for training to take priority over my studying, I have just picked up many injuries. For three years in a row, I have had two to three months out in rehabilitation, fixing injuries. I’ve had a number of ankle, knee and hip injuries, and then ended up breaking my back in 2015. So I’ve needed to overcome a string of problems, but they have definitely made me a stronger athlete.

It’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve been able to remain injury free and really dig deep into training. I just wish the [Olympic] Games were maybe just one year or six months later. Then I think it would be a completely different story! It is disappointing, for sure. But these games were always going to be more of a stepping stone for me. The target I’ve been set is to win my medals in Beijing in 2022.

There’s a lot to look forward to in the future with Beijing. You’ve really got a lot of years to prepare for those games and give yourself the best chance.

JB: Absolutely. I missed out on 2018 qualification marginally; fractionally. We’re talking tenths, hundredths of seconds. One-hundredth of a second separated thirty people at the Olympic qualifiers. It’s about getting your toe across the line, and millimetres can be the difference. It’s the same reason why you love and hate the sport. You can cross the line and see everybody’s toes but have no clue who won.

53

There’s a lot of frustration there, but it will only give me more drive. To experience the qualifiers, and know what it takes to qualify; I think I’ve taken more out of the fact that I missed out. I know what I need to do next time, and for sure I’ll be a stronger athlete, a wiser athlete.

Looking beyond Beijing and Dresden, how would you like your career and life after skating to map out?

JB: Well, I’m twenty years old now, and they say that a speed skater’s peak is around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. So, I reckon there’s a good two Olympics in me. I’ll do my best to get them and win as many medals as I can. Outside of skating, I’m also heavily involved in flying. At one stage, I was going to be pilot. After skating, that could be my plan! I guess I’m just a bit of a speed freak really!

“Look, you keep getting told off for going too fast, so why don’t you come and try speed skating?”

You’re coming into your second year as a senior athlete. What will you do next to make sure you are on track to be where you want to be?

JB: My goal is to learn and develop. My goal is to be a stronger athlete than I was yesterday. As much as I’m disappointed after the qualifiers, I’m gonna keep my head down. The fact that I’m not going to this Olympics is going to drive me on stronger to make sure that next time failure is not an option.

I’ll push it as hard as I can; train hard every day, utilise all the one percents, the nutrition, the recovery, the sleep and all the specialists we have like physios and psychologists to make sure that I come back from every competition and learn from it.

We’ve got four years to get ready, and that feels like the right amount of time I’ll need to become world or Olympic champion.

54

IMPACT

Coach MD Tom Monks and Alex Riggs Who is the man hoping to reclaim Nottingham’s basketball crown for UoN?

Mindaugas Janiska, head coach of the University of Nottingham (UoN) Men’s 1s Basketball team, is settling into his first season in the job after being appointed in the summer.

Coach MD sat down with Impact to talk about growing up in Lithuania, his thoughts on developing basketball in the UK, and looking ahead to the big Varsity clash with Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

Growing up in Lithuania, what led to your life in basketball?

MJ: Living in Lithuania, we say basketball is more like a religion than a sport. My mum played at a local level.

The father of one of my best school friends used to practice with what was called Veterans. We just used to go with him in the evenings to shoot basketballs on the side, away from the adults, and then we found out that there was a club for young kids.

I always looked at players in my own position, Point Guard. There was Šarunas Marciulionis, who was one of the first to go and play in the NBA. When I was young his academy came to our town for this star event with the adults, and as the kids, we were the warm-up game. Marciulionis himself was there, and after the game, I was awarded the MVP. He awarded me the basketball, shaking my hand. To me that was massive.

I didn’t have someone who I always looked up to. When I was young, Lithuania was still part of Russia. We didn’t see a lot of what was going on past the border. I always knew I wanted to do something other than just be a normal human being, and do something that I was going to be known for. Basketball gave me all that.

What was it like growing up at that time, with basketball forming such a big part of Lithuania’s national identity?

MJ: As a kid, one thing I do remember is my parents getting a colour TV. Any time CSKA Moscow, which was and still is the biggest Russian club, played Žalgiris, my parents, neighbours and their kids all got together in one room to watch the game.

My parents woke me and my brother up at two or three in the morning because the Russian tanks were in Lithuania to take over the Parliament Building and everything else. Obviously, we were watching the TV and there’s some Russian dude talking. It was scary, but we had to go through that.

Later the political situation changed in Europe, leading us on to how you left Lithuania, heading to America and, later, England.

MJ: I left for America when I was fifteen. I went there and I was a senior in high school. When I came to the States I spoke no English; all I knew was ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Big’ and I think ‘I love you’ because I’d seen it in films. The school was really supportive, I managed to pick up English pretty quickly.

The opportunity arose because at that point I was playing for the junior Lithuania national team and we got extra exposure. An American coach saw me play and offered me a scholarship, being placed with an American family, so I just took the opportunity because at that time it was something new.

The move to England happened because I had played back home in Lithuania, in Latvia, in Holland, all the top divisions, and I got a groin injury in 2006. No one wants to sign you when you’re injured, and especially a groin injury because that can take three months to recover from. So I thought, I speak English, I’ll go to England and see what happens. I came to England and played in Midnight Madness in London, and one of the owner’s daughters approached me and asked if I would come to Leicester Riders training. They asked me to play for them and that’s how I ended up in Leicester.

“We didn’t see a lot of what was going on past the border” Do you think British basketball is in a better state now than when you arrived in the UK? MJ: I always look at the grassroots and looking at the grassroots, I don’t see much change. If you look at British Basketball League (BBL) players or Division One players, most of the main guys are foreigners, which is not what you want; you want the locals to grow.

You can’t build a house without a stable foundation, and that’s where English basketball as a whole is lacking.

As a coach at one of the top university teams, you can have a major impact on England’s development. What are the changes you’ve tried to make in your short time here?

MJ: When I came in, I said to the guys right away, ‘I’m a new guy, I’m a new coach.’ I’ve tried to apply the things I

SPORT

55

learnt as a young, developing player and then as a professional player. What is really important is commitment.

I understand that players here have studies, they have other commitments, but if you want to do something in life, you will always find time to do it.

When you came in a lot of the talk was about the Varsity 2017 result. Are you here to develop the players, or get results?

MJ: From the job interview, I understood that they wanted something new and fresh. So, when I met the players, I told them I’m here to make them better basketball players.

The results will come. At a university, they want the results straight away, everyone wants to win, that’s natural.

There’ll be thousands of Nottingham students coming to watch Varsity at the Motorpoint Arena, an atmosphere many of your players won’t have dealt with. Is it just a case of letting them experience it, or are you going to prepare them for that extra pressure?

MJ: Before every game, we always have a pre-game chat.

I’ll explain to them it’ll be one of the few opportunities they’ll get to play in such a crowd. It’s what the real basketball world is. We’ll definitely have to prepare some of the guys, there will be knees shaking, but I know that’s a good sign because that means you care, you’re thinking about it. I’ve been there. When you step on the court you forget about all that, it’s just basketball.

Do you see yourself staying at UoN for long; or do you have ambitions to move ahead in your coaching career?

MJ: Coaching is where I want to be. That’s my passion and this is what I feel I’m good at. If you do something and you know what you’re talking about, you’re always going to be successful. When I came to the university, I told them I will be here for as long as you guys keep me. I believe I’ve delivered the performances and the results, so hopefully, I am going to get a new contract for next year.

In the long term, I do see myself moving on and coaching in America. The basketball is so advanced there. Some of the things I have to teach here, they already know. The grassroots levels are very advanced. I don’t know how long it will take England to catch up, but I hope I can be one of the people that can help its development.

Let’s imagine we are at that point now when your time at UoN has come to an end. What do you want to be able to say you have achieved in your time here?

MJ: Right now and probably forever, Nottingham is going to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. At the end of the day, this is where my basketball coaching career has kicked off. They gave me the chance, and hopefully, we can do well and win some championships and trophies.

Photo credit: MD Janiska

56

IMPACT

SPORT

Sport through the Ages Jimmy Moorhouse In honour of our 250th issue, Impact went to King’s Meadow Campus to see previous editions of the magazine, and take a look at how sport in Nottingham, and at the University, has changed over the last few decades One of Impact’s earliest issues saw the University of Nottingham student Tony O’Donnell travel down to Meadow Lane to interview the current Notts County manager, and club legend, Jimmy Sirrel. Sirrel managed the Magpies on three separate occasions, between 1970 and 1987, and is widely regarded as Notts County’s greatest ever manager.

He managed to take County into the First Division for the first time since 1926. When

asked if he had any plans to retire in 1986, Sirrel said that he had plans to “keep going for a few years yet. I’ve got a good man to succeed me. Notts County will be ok.”

Sirrel, who sadly died in 2008, has, of course, had one of the stands subsequently named after him at County, and when reflecting on his career, Sir Alex Ferguson remarked: “All I can say is that I’d be confident in Jimmy Sirrel managing a team I sup-

ported, and that would be the general opinion from all the managers in the game.”

Sirrel was a hugely popular figure amongst County fans and having brought them great success, he will be remembered for some time to come.

Another one of County’s more famous, although significantly less successful members of staff, was former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson, who was appointed as

director of football at County in 2009.

Eriksson was reportedly set to earn up to £2 million per year, a frankly absurd amount of money for a team who were in the fourth division at the time.

Impact When Sport spoke to him shortly after his appointment, Eriksson spoke of the club’s ambitions to reach the Premier League in just five or six years, saying that “clubs have done it in the past. It will take a lot of

Sven Sven Sven Goran Eriksson He’s a lovely geezer, he waived a multimillion payoff to assist Ray Trew’s takeover Image courtesy of: ‘Doha Stadium Plus Qatar’ via Flickr

SPORT

57

In the 1980-81 season, Sirrel brought top flight football back to Meadow Lane for the first time since 1926 Image courtesy of: ‘Sport Nottinghamshire’ via Flickr

hard work, and, of course, it will cost money – you can’t hide that fact.”

Unfortunately for County and Eriksson, it seemed as if that money was never forthcoming. Taken over by a company who claimed to have Middle Eastern backing, the Magpies quickly found them in financial distress, claiming that they needed to raise £25 million in funds to pay Eriksson, who was yet to receive his wages.

Eventually, after two visits from the HMRC, and the signing and quick release of Sol Campbell, Eriksson was forced to resign, following the chairman’s decision to sell the club to Ray Trew, for a quid.

Despite this nightmare season financially, County did manage to get promoted as champions that year but contin-

ued to struggle for money for several years to come.

Fans of the Magpies will be thankful perhaps for their new chairman Alan Hardy, who this season seems to have the finances finally in check, and with County currently flying high in the league, they will hope that even more successes are yet to come.

Potentially Nottingham’s most famous manager; however, came from across the Trent, as he led Nottingham Forest to great success following his appointment in 1975. Brian Clough, who was described by Impact Sport as “rude, arrogant and outspoken but [...] one of football’s most successful bosses.”

Cloughie, of course, went on to win the Division One title and the European

Cup twice in just 5 years at Forest.

Clough stayed on as manager until 1993, when a slump in form saw his managerial reign end and saw the Reds relegated from the Premier League.

When speaking to Impact about his son, Nigel, who was enjoying a spell in the Forest side at the time, Clough said: “I think I cope better with it than possibly most managers do.

He never talks to me or even looks at me. He only plays because he has the ability to be in the side.”

This quote, perhaps, sums up the iconic manager better than any other. Clough was clearly a stickler for the rules, an extremely traditional manager, but an extremely successful one at that.

Sir Alex Ferguson was an admirer of the late Notts manager Image courtesy of: Austin Osuide via Wikimedia Commons

58

IMPACT

SPORT Another interesting difference seen in the older editions of Impact is potentially the contrast in the range of sports available at the University.

Perhaps most notable were the reports on the University Rally team, who managed to progress in their race against Birmingham University, although things didn’t get off to the best start when “the car wasn’t allowed to start because it didn’t have a clean washer bottle.”

The magazine also featured a re-

port on the University Fishing team, who unfortunately had to cancel their match. Each match report featured an advertisement in older editions, urging more University students to get involved. A sure contrast from today’s University sports teams, who will gain most of their members through Welcome Fair and social media.

Impact’s previous print editions, interestingly, featured reports on the IMS football games at Grove Farm, demonstrating that de-

spite all the advancements in sports over the past thirty years, University students are still forced to play football on the frozen bog that is Grove Farm.

One previous article also discusses how Nottingham University had recently formed a new Ice Skating society. This was perhaps in lieu of the recent success of world-famous ice-skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, both originally from Nottingham.

Torvill and Dean were hugely successful in ice-skating, winning several honours including a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic games in Sarajevo and a bronze medal ten years later in Norway.

In an exclusive interview with Im-

“With thanks to archive staff at KMC” pact Sport, which occurred shortly after Christopher Dean had to take an enforced break due to injury, Torvill and Dean

both ensured that the world tour would shortly be back underway: “that’s the plan, but there’s nothing definite in it.”

Over fifty-thousand people had been affected by the cancellation of shows on the tour, demonstrating just how popular the diamond duo were at the time. Even to this day, Torvill and Dean remain a huge name in ice skating, most particularly in Nottingham, with a campaign started in 2017 to get the two knighted.

Brian Clough (centre) with his two European Cup heroes Trevor Francis (left) and John Robertson (right) Image courtesy of: Nottingham Forest FC (Amsterdam, 1980) via Wikimedia Commons

CREDITS

59

THE TEAM Editorial Editor-in-Chief Print Editor

Connor Higgs Ben Baruch

Design + Images

Online Online Editor Web Developer Deputy Online Editors

Nicolas Caballero Lawrie Cate Amy Wilcockson Emily Harbottle

Management External Manager External Managing Assistant Internal Manager

Artistic Director Poppy Anne Malby Head of Images Denise Odong Assistant Designers Ella Taylor

Amrutha Kishor

Sections Head of News News Editor Head of Features Features Editor Head of Lifestyle Lifestyle Editor Science Correspondent Head of Entertainment Entertainment Editor Head of Reviews Head of Sport Sports Editor

Ruby Tyler Mollie Lewington Shannon Macleod

Cover Image by Poppy Anne Malby Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed throughout are those of the writers or interviewees, not Impact as a whole.

Sarah Lindgarde Goda NaujokaitytÄ— Jennifer Peck Jack Taylor Elle Magill Rhys Thomas Ben Edge Isobel Sheene Matthew Johnson Emma Heasman Tom Monks Jimmy Moorhouse

Want to get

INVOLVED? head to our website

www.impactnottingham.com for more information or email

connor.higgs@impactnottingham.com