Tonga’s Rugby World Cup team to train at Northumbria

The eyes of the world will be on England next year for the Rugby World Cup, and thanks to our excellent facilities, Northumbria University has been confirmed as the UK training base for the Tongan national team.

Rugby World Cup organisers England 2015 carried out a nationwide search for the very best training facilities, sports clubs, hotels and universities, to provide 20 teams with a place to stay and train during next year’s tournament.

With three games being held at St James’ Park in Newcastle, the organisers were keen to have high-quality bases in the North East region.

Northumbria was officially designated as a Team Base for the Tongan team after going through rigorous inspections and discussions with the teams and organisers.

The Tongan’s will use the University’s outdoor grass pitches at Bullocksteads and the indoor training hall, fitness facilities and swimming pool at Sport Central.

Professor Paul Croney, Deputy ViceChancellor, said: “Northumbria already has an outstanding reputation for excellence in sport. We have invested heavily to develop world-class facilities that are used by students, members of the public and professional athletes alike, most recently the Jamaican women’s netball team before the Commonwealth Games.

“We are delighted that the organisers of next year’s Rugby World Cup have recognised the benefits that we can offer as a training camp and we very much look forward to welcoming the Tongan team to our campus.”

Elsewhere in the region, the South

African and Samoan teams will train in Gateshead at the International Stadium and at Gateshead College’s Academy for Sport. New Zealand’s team will be based in Darlington and the Scottish team will use the Royal Grammar School’s facilities in Newcastle.

England Rugby 2015 CEO, Debbie Jevans, said: “As the organising committee for Rugby World Cup 2015 we are committed to ensuring that all participating teams have the optimum training environments available to them throughout the Tournament.

“Rugby, rightly, is at the heart of all our planning and we have worked closely with the teams to ensure that they have access to facilities and a Team Base that meet their individual needs.” northumbria.ac.uk/courses were designed in consultation with Northumbria’s Students’ Union, who arranged focus groups with students to ensure that the designs reflected their needs. Jamie Thompson, VicePresident, Welfare and Equality said:

The Rugby World Cup 2015 kicks off next September. The Tongan team will take on defending champions New Zealand at St James’ Park on Friday 9 October.

“We wanted to make sure our students could be part of the excitement and tell us exactly what they wanted to see in student accommodation, and due to our partnership with Campus Services this was made possible.

For more information about Trinity Square’s availability in 2015, please email: rc.accommodation@northumbria.ac.uk rugbyworldcup.com

The media preview was also attended by one of Trinity’s first student residents, Rachel Kemp, a 2nd year Childhood Studies and Early Years student. Rachel said: “The main reason that chose Trinity Square was the social aspect of it. There are so many facilities to use, such as the student hub, the gym and the outdoor space. The views are also fantastic.

“The transport links to Newcastle and the city campus are also fantastic. Gateshead interchange is right on the doorstep meaning you can get to wherever you need to go.”

The social spaces at Trinity Square

“The result was a huge mix of social spaces – quieter study and reading areas but balanced with media and gaming and even a cinema space. I think that students are going to have a fantastic time there and it can only encourage friendship building for our students – with something for absolutely everyone. I have no doubt the student community at Trinity Square will be one of the best at Northumbria.”

The wider Trinity Square development, immediately below the accommodation, also features a Vue Cinema, Tesco store, Frankie and Benny’s, Nando’s and local skateboarding shop, Skate Shack –giving students access to a mix of high street and independent retailers.

Survey reveals subjects with most satisfied students

Final year students have rated more than half of Northumbria University’s subjects as being better than those offered by other universities in the 2014 National Student Survey.

The annual survey measures the opinions of students about to finish their degree on their experiences of studying at their chosen university and the quality of their courses.

The findings are used by prospective students, their families and advisors to help them to make informed choices on the best places to study.

The top score of 100% satisfaction was achieved by Building Services Engineering; Business with International Management; Childhood Studies and Disability Studies; English Literature and History; Human Nutrition; Interior

Architecture; IT Management for Business; Spanish with Business, and 3D Design.

Other programmes achieving high levels of satisfaction included Nursing Studies and Leadership and Management which each achieved 98% and Architecture; Fashion; Interior Design and Sport Management, which all scored 97%.

In total, more than 40 courses scored satisfaction ratings of 90% or above.

Nursing and healthcare students also reported higher than average satisfaction with their courses, compared to those offered by other institutions.

Students also reported that the academic support they were provided with was higher than the sector average and said that they were more satisfied with the organisation and management of their courses and with the Students’ Union than in previous years.

Professor Andrew Wathey, Northumbria Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, said: “The National Student Survey reminds us what we are here for.

It is one of the most important sources of feedback from students, telling us what is most important to them.

“This year’s results are evidence of our hard work in recent years to provide our students with an excellent academic experience.

“They also complement our recent improved ranking in the Times Higher Education’s annual survey, in which Northumbria was ranked 21st out of 111 universities for student experience.”

DISCOVER MORE northumbria.ac.uk/courses

Natalie-Dawn Hodgson, President of Northumbria Students’ Union, added:

“The National Student Survey provide an opportunity for students to reflect on their time at university, providing invaluable feedback to institutions and providing information on the student experience to future students.”

Volunteers for an international disaster search and rescue team have undertaken intensive training on how to respond to emergency situations at Northumbria University.

The trauma training day for the International Rescue Corps (IRC) at Northumbria’s Clinical Skills Centre helped volunteers to gain an insight into the injuries they may have to treat while in disaster situations.

The UK-based charity, which is registered with the United Nations, has responded to disasters such as floods, hurricanes and earthquakes in countries including Indonesia, China, Mozambique and Japan.

The event gave IRC members the opportunity to work with academics and experience dramatic scenarios and simulations. These included traumarelated workshops which covered how to handle spinal care injuries, resuscitation scenarios and effectively treat major cuts and wounds.

Tony Conner, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing and a member of the IRC, said:

“It’s so important for our volunteers to have access to state-of-the-art facilities whilst being trained up, as well as having the opportunity to be taught by lecturers with such high expertise in the field.

“We are relied upon in real-life disasters so it’s crucial that members of the organisation know exactly what to do in an emergency.”

Tony has worked as a volunteer for the IRC for several years. He found himself in Padang tackling the devastation caused by the Indonesian earthquake in 2009 and shortly after was called on to rescue flooding victims in Cockermouth, Cumbria.

“Indonesia was my first earthquake experience and was very humbling,” said Tony. “The local population carried on with their lives as best they could. “It was the first time I had to search under a collapsed building alongside a very experienced rescue worker. The thought that the building may collapse at any minute was always at the back of my mind.

“Another major rescue mission was within the Cockermouth floods where we helped to rescue people from their homes via upstairs windows and provided water and food to people trapped within their own homes. The water was very fast-flowing which made any rescue mission difficult.

“However, with the training each IRC member undertakes, it allows each rescue worker to function as a valuable team member. This is why the training held at Northumbria is extremely valuable to us as a team.”

Sheila McQueen, Head of Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “We are absolutely delighted to provide access to our excellent clinical centre and simulation facilities, which allows the charity to continue their admirable response services to the world when tragedy occurs.”