Collegiate Connection staff newsletter - Issue 1

Collegiate

n o i t c e n n Co

ISSUE

Welcome to issue 1 of the new staff newsletter. There will be three issues produced each year (April, September and December/January) featuring staff and student focused articles, celebrating achievements and regular features. If you would like an article featuring in the next issue, please contact the Marketing Department on 4662 or email matt.harris@warrington.ac.uk

Former Student and The Voice Star Alex visits the College It is always a pleasure for staff to welcome back former students to the College and The Arts Centre were delighted to see former performing arts student Alex Buchanan. Alex became a TV sensation on BBC’s The Voice in 2013, with his breath-taking performances that saw him reach the semi-final stage of the competition.

Alex took time out from his busy schedule to talk to current students about life in the industry and share his experiences from stage and television to the recording studio.

In addition to his appearances on The Voice, Alex has been causing a stir in London’s West End with his magical performances in Thriller Live, the spectacular concert created to celebrate the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. He has also just released a new single with Castle Rock Studios, with an album and international tours on the horizon.

On his return to Warrington Collegiate, Alex had high praise for the College and the

Performing Arts Department and paid tribute in particular to two of his tutors, Sindy Richardson and former Collegiate tutor James Baker.

Sindy, who has fond memories of Alex’s time at College said, “He was an incredibly talented student, and really stood out from the crowd. Always singing and dancing in class, bringing energy and magnetism to his acting, it was obvious that Alex was going to be famous one day.”

If you have something to shout about, whether it’s a successful former student like Alex returning to visit your department or you have an exceptional current student (a national champion or regional competition winner), contact the Marketing Department and we can shout about it!

Contact Jenni Wood, Communications Officer on 4664 or email jwood@warrington.ac.uk

In Focus…

The Maths and English Department In every issue, we will focus on a College department or team.

In the spotlight for this first issue are the Maths and English Department. Based in room D102 and D106 in the Hoyle Building (the first floor on the yellow corridor), you will find Ian Stewart (Acting Curriculum Manager English) and Phil Benson (Curriculum Manager Mathematics) and their teams.

Introducing the team (from left to right); Victoria Jones (Tutor of English), Roger Kenyon (Tutor of Mathematics), Ann Howard (Tutor of English), Sida Ji (Tutor of Mathematics), Luma Miah (Tutor of Mathematics), Adam Doherty (Tutor of Mathematics), Marie Flanagan (Tutor of Mathematics), Chris Fitch (Tutor of

Mathematics), Ali Omar (Tutor of Mathematics), Sarah Hill (English and Mathematics Secretary), Philip Benson (Curriculum Manager Mathematics), Ian Stewart (Acting Curriculum Manager English), Chelsie Evison (Tutor of English), Angela Knowles (Tutor of English), Lydia Lawson (Tutor of English), Linda Evans (Tutor of Mathematics), Gary Snape (Tutor of Mathematics), Simon Naylor (Senior Lecturer English), Fiona Curwen (Tutor of English), Terina O’Neill (Tutor of English) Adam Tudor (Senior Lecturer English) is also part of the Maths and English Team but was unable to attend the photoshoot and Alison Mills is the Director of the department.

If you would like your department or team to be the focus in a future issue, contact Matt Harris in Marketing on matt.harris@warrington.ac.uk

Acting Head of English and author is an internet success Many of us know Ian Stewart as the Acting Head of English but did you also know that he is a successful author? Ian has written a book, Burden of Proof, that became a hit after publishing it on the internet.

The number of online readers grew so much that his first title is now available in print.

Ian explains, “I‘ve always known I could write a book, but as a busy tutor I had no time to get a publisher so I decided to make it available as a download. Soon, over 1,000 people had read it, and I was being contacted for a print version as well.”

Ian’s books are based in Manchester, a place he knows and loves. Ian says, “Manchester is my favourite city. I used to work in Manchester and have spent a lot of time there; in fact I wrote a lot of the book sitting in the centre of the city, just immersing myself in the location.

If you know Manchester you will recognise many of the locations in the book.”

If you would like to read Burden of Proof, the LRC has copies or you can buy it online or in all good book shops. Readers won’t have to wait long for Ian’s second book, available in June!

If you have an ‘out of work’ achievement like Ian, contact the Marketing Department and we can shout about it! Contact Jenni Wood, Communications Officer on 4664 or email jwood@warrington.ac.uk

Collegiate in the Community Our staff and students engage in various community projects throughout the year, utilising their skills to support local businesses, residents and community groups.

If you have a community project or activity planned, contact the Marketing Department and we will attend to take photographs that can be used to publicise the event which can be used for the student’s portfolio.

Students help The Samaritans Students from the Painting and Decorating Department gave The Samaritans’ Warrington branch on Arpley Street a full makeover. The Painting and Decorating Team have developed a partnership with the charity that provides our students with the perfect opportunity to get vital work experience as part of their practical skills trainings, while giving back to the community.

Painting and Decorating Tutor Adam Johnson is really proud of the partnership and explains, “The project is all about our students getting out there and learning on the job. The students can really help to make a difference within the community and put the skills they have been taught into practice.”

Samaritans branch director Steve Jackson was delighted with the students work saying, “Without the help of the students, we would be dependent on volunteers or would have to pay somebody to do the work.”

Pamper session for Ladies from speak up Warrington The Beauty Therapy students organised a pamper session in The Academy for the ladies from Warrington Speak Up Project. The ladies received nail treatment tips and a selection of nail treatments.

Beauty Therapy Tutor Julia Stokes was delighted with the session, “The ladies were really enthusiastic and clearly enjoyed themselves and the students had great fun applying the treatments.

Pip Horne, Warrington Speak Up Project Co-ordinator said’ “The ladies really appreciated the treatments and were pleased with their new nails. It’s particularly enjoyable to work in partnership with the College and the Beauty Therapy staff and students.

Warrington Speak Up works with individuals to ensure that they have a strong voice, have their rights respected and experience greater choice and control over their lives to create real change.

Katie takes her skills to europe

Enjoy Staff Rewards All members of staff can take advantage of the Warrington Collegiate Rewards scheme by visiting www.warringtoncollegiaterewards.co.uk You can take advantage of some amazing deals from online discounts to in-store savings.

Take advantage of online savings Warrington Collegiate Rewards has loads of online cashback offers. All you have to do is click on the cashback offer you want to use and follow the online instructions. Biggest savings include upto £110 cashback at Tesco Phone Shop (cashback on selected phones), 15% cashback with Clarks Shoes and £75 cashback on Aviva Car Insurance.

Grab yourself an in-store discount card You can request a reloadable card that can be topped up regularly and used again and again. Discount cards are easy to use, here’s what you have to do:

Performing Arts tutor Katie Bonney was delighted to get involved with the Hilden Project and work with a group of German students when she travelled to the Wilhelm Fabry Realshule in Hilden, Germany.

Young people in Germany only study drama after the age of 14 if they choose to go to a specialist arts college, so as part of the project, Katie was approached to deliver a 3 day drama workshop.

Katie introduced the students to various aspects of drama including movement in performance and they had great fun taking part in the warm up exercises.

Katie says, “I had a fantastic time working with the students in Germany, it was a great experience to teach in a different country.

The students might not study drama but they were very creative in their interpretation of themes in the workshop.”

As part of the project, the students from Hilden will come over to Warrington later this year to showcase their dramatic piece and work with our performing arts and creative media production students at the College. Together with other partners in the project, the students will create a smartphone app which will allow people to access a series of short films celebrating arts, history and culture in Great Britain and Germany.

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Visit www.warringtoncollegiaterewards.co.uk and login. Select the ‘save in-store’ option and choose from almost 200 retailers including Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, Asda, B&Q, Currys, PC World, Homebase, Boots, and many more.

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Load your balance onto your chosen card and receive the discount at the point of purchase.

For example, Sainsbury’s are currently offering a 5% discount, so you only have to pay £95 for £100 worth of funds to spend in-store. So if you were a weekly shopper at Sainsbury’s and spend an average of £100 per week on a shop, using a discount card could save you £260 every year!

Question Time for Bev & Kirsty

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Once you have received your card through the post, activate it through the website and you can keep the card and make future top ups.

If you watched BBC’s Question Time live from The Pyramid recently, you might have spotted two familiar faces in the audience. Kirsty Latham and Beverley McGuinness were part of the audience, debating political issues with a panel that included Liberal Democrat MP Danny Alexander and Labour MP and shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, along with regular presenter David Dimbleby.

Fine Dining at Buckley’s Buckley’s have a great selection of themed evenings coming up from retro to tapas. To reserve a table or for the latest menus, call 494378.

r e s t a u r a n t

Wednesday 30th April - Retro Night: £12.95 (per person) Put on your flares and denim jacket and roll back the years. Relive the best times of your life with our retro themed three course meal.

Wednesday 21st May - Tapas Night: Price TBC Join us for an evening of Spanish cuisine and music as the students prepare a selection of fabulous tapas dishes.

Wednesday 25th June - Thai Night: Price TBC Join us for a night of Thai cuisine.

Staff Success Congratulations to Hazel Roberts, Graphic Designer on successfully completing an MA in Design at the University of Chester.

Studying on the programme may have taken over Hazel’s social life for the last two years, but the challenging experience has been enjoyable and rewarding. Hazel has been able to draw on new and exciting inspirations for her design work from the course through her own projects but also through mixing with other students with a range of creative backgrounds from fellow designers to artists.

Dates for your Diary Taster Event: Monday 28th April, 5pm – 7pm Higher Education Open Evening: Wednesday 30th April, 5pm – 7pm Open Evening: Thursday 12th June, 5pm – 8pm

Winwick Road, Warrington WA2 8QA • 01925 494494 • www.warrington.ac.uk