Aspects Spring 2014 1
Aspects
 The Anglia Ruskin University Alumni Magazine
Spring 2014
Cover photo: Pop-up shop installation at Cambridge Folk Museum by Patsy Rathbone
In this issue:
Amanda Clack wins Alumni Success in Business Award
– page 5
Our new Honorary Award holders
– page 16
Our student successes
– page 30
www.anglia.ac.uk/aspects
¢ Photo: The Postgraduate Medical Institute (PMI) building, Chelmsford campus
A very warm welcome to all our alumni, including those from our prior institutions
In Essex:
In Cambridge:
Together as:
•Mid-Essex Technical College
& School of Art
•Cambridge & County School of
Arts, Crafts & Technology
•Anglia Higher Education College
•Brentwood College of Education
•Chelmer Institute
•Cambridgeshire Technical College
& School of Art
•Essex Institute of Higher Education
•CCAT
•Anglia Higher Education College
•Homerton School of Health Studies
•Anglia Polytechnic University
and from all our partner institutions across the UK Eastern Region and worldwide.
Where are they now?
Can you help us trace our lost alumni?
Unfortunately, over the years we have lost touch with some of our former students. We’d like as many former students as possible
to receive invites to our events and to be able to take advantage of the other opportunities we offer. So if you are in touch with any
of your old classmates, please ask them to contact us so we have their current details.
You and your friends can update your details by returning the update form on the reverse of the mailing sheet, or by visiting
www.anglia.ac.uk/alumni and clicking on the Alumni Network Directory.
Aspects Spring 2014 3
In this issue
7
A happy
accident!
8
Anton rows
the Amazon
16–17
20–23
New
Faculty
Honorary
News
Award holders
24
Regional
News
29
Staff
Snippets
Editor Sue Jacobs Contributors Dave Abbott, Erin Butcher, Sharon Wuyts and our alumni
Your stories
14 Students meet brand leaders at event
in Cambridge
Successful alumni return to campus
to share their experience with current
students
21 Faculty of Health, Social Care &
Education
The latest FHSCE activity
A journey from healthcare to novelist
– and back again
Pat Toulson and her varied career
Especially for Alumni
7
A happy accident!
Greg Goff recalls his route to a career
as a Producer/Director
26 Global Sustainability Institute
Why getting your book published can
be depressing
26 Alumni memorabilia
Your University crest pin badge and
new additions
8
Alec returns to study –
from a distance!
Alec Grimshaw talks of his distance
learning experience
10 Alumni Tours
A chance for you to visit our campuses
16 New Honorary Award holders join
our Anglia Ruskin family
Fifteen new awards at our October
2013 ceremonies
10 Alumni Updates
Snippets of information on our alumni
6
26 Benefits and services for you
The latest offers for alumni
22 Faculty of Science & Technology
Updates on activity in the faculty
27 International News
Our international activity
32 Last words
A message to alumni from Sue Jacobs
23 Lord Ashcroft International Business
School
Updates from the faculty
11Obituaries
David Watt and Jane Ware
30 Our Student Successes
A few student highlights
5
PwC Partner wins 2013 Alumni
Success in Business Award
Amanda Clack presented with award
at 2013 graduations
24 Regional News
The latest from University Centre
Peterborough and College of West
Anglia
12 From business degree to business
success
Jonathan Woods talks about his career
following graduation
4
The Vice Chancellor
The welcome message from Michael
Thorne
28Research
A selection of some of our current
research projects
9
Anglia Ruskin News
15 An interview with Karen Hester
Operations Director of Adnams plc
talks about her success
8
Anton rows the Amazon
Anton Wright braves the Amazon for
charity and research
13 Artist designs for the home
Patsy Rathbone and her bespoke
home designs
Ian Rawlinson presents a solo
exhibition of his artwork
Successful alumni artist talks about
his work
18 Development News
News on our fundraising initiatives
20 Faculty of Arts, Law & Social
Sciences
News from the faculty
25 Sports Report
Sports update and upcoming events
29 Staff Snippets
News of staff ventures and successes
4 Aspects Spring 2014
Don’t get me wrong, as I get older I
become daily more aware that science
matters to us all and has underpinned the
dramatic extension of life expectancy –
with most of us looking forward to living
into our eighties. I am well aware that my
children’s dependency on their mobile
phones and their experience of travelling
the world at a young age which I never
enjoyed is thanks to science. And let me
assure you if you didn’t know already,
that science is a lot more interesting than
getting the proverbial white precipitate in
the chemistry experiments in the early
years of secondary school might lead one
to expect. But surely in such an advanced
world in which we now live, we ought still
to be able to make choices which are not
dominated by monetary returns?
Vice
Chancellor
The
Among other highlights, this edition of
Aspects features several alumni who
studied arts and humanities with us. As
you may know, at the time the government
introduced the new fees regime in which
UK full-time undergraduate students have
to pay up to £9000 per year for studying
at university, it was predicted by many
that recruitment to ‘arts’ courses would
drop dramatically. The thinking was that
because arts graduates generally earn less
over a lifetime than, for example, science
graduates, then there would be a rush
to study courses likely to lead to higher
earnings, such as science.
While the government-led hike in fees has
seen the overall undergraduate intake of
many universities like us decline, we at
Anglia Ruskin University have bucked the
trend. Our record full-time undergraduate
student numbers interestingly include
an increase in the number of science
students and an increase in those
studying arts and humanities! As a
mathematician turned computer scientist
myself, whose passion outside academic
life is performing classical music, I am not
at all surprised that people place a higher
value on what engages them intellectually
and emotionally than on chasing the
money. That happens across the entire
spectrum of OECD countries: its recent
report ‘Education at a Glance’ highlighting
the continued importance placed on the
arts and social sciences across the world.
As you will read in the pages which follow,
our arts graduates are pursuing wonderful
careers which offer a great deal of
autonomy from an early stage. Moreover,
among those awarded honorary degrees
this year (also featured in these pages)
are a number of exceptional individuals
who have led in the ‘creative industries’
sector which is growing faster than most
in the UK and which is still looked down
on by government as not real industry even though the rest of the world would
regard what we do in the UK in this field
of endeavour as of unparalleled quality
and worth.
Another Anglia Ruskin University success
story is our recruitment of international
students where again our numbers are
at record levels. It is my experience that
in many of the countries from which
we recruit international students such
recruitment follows a pattern as far as
the subjects the students want to follow
is concerned. We have seen this over the
last decade in China, for example, where
initially there was an almost exclusive
focus on business, computer science and
engineering. A few years later law was
added to the list and then latterly art and
design. Jobs matter to Chinese students
as we know they matter to UK students.
The good news for Chinese students who
complete their studies in the UK is that
they do much better in the jobs market
in China than many students who have
studied in China. But they too, it seems,
are increasingly prepared to make choices
based on their passions!
I do hope that whatever your own
particular passion and whatever you
studied while you were here, that things
are going well for you and that you feel we
made a difference to your life.
Professor Michael Thorne
Vice Chancellor
Aspects Spring 2014 5
Amanda Clack, Senior Manager
PwC Partner wins 2013 Alumni
Success in Business Award
We recently caught up with
Amanda Clack, our 2013
Alumni Success in Business
award winner, and asked
her about her time at Anglia
Ruskin and ensuing career.
I decided to study Quantity
Surveying at Anglia Ruskin
University due to a curiosity for
construction, which arose from
a love of Lego and marvelling
at the construction of the M25!
I loved my time at Anglia – the
staff were amazing and really
made the subject come to
life. The day-release allowed
me to gain a great work-study
balance, and I completed the
course with Distinction. I am
so glad to have found a career
where no two days are the
same, and following graduation
I continued to practice as
a quantity surveyor at the
same firm I studied alongside,
whilst gaining further
professional qualifications
with the Royal Institution
of Chartered Surveyors
(RICS). Simultaneously, I
undertook computer software
development with the
University of Marseilles and
Elstree Computing. Later, I
also went on to do a part-time
Masters degree in Programme
Management.
At PwC I lead our
Infrastructure and Real Estate
business for Consulting, which
plays to my surveying roots,
the organisation in a way that
was a mix of The Apprentice,
Undercover Boss and The
Secret Millionaire (without
the cheque book!).” I enjoyed
every minute and it really
opens your eyes to what
people face and how valuable
the third sector really is.
I am a big fan of music and
appreciate how it can help
you unwind. I now follow
that passion with the London
Festival Orchestra and I am
currently a trustee for them.
I am a Freeman of the City
of London, a Liveryman and
a member of the Surveyors
Livery Company.
For me, the next few years will
be as busy as ever, having just
been appointed Vice President
of the RICS representing
140,000 surveyors worldwide.
and also look after Consulting
for the South-East across
seven PwC offices. I set up
and support the Programme
and Project Management
(PPM) Competency, acting as
the lead for professional bodies
such as the Major Projects
Association, Association for
Project Managers and Project
Management International. I
lead on Portfolio Management
and recently completed the
third global survey for PwC
on Insights and Trends in
Programme Management (built
from 1,524 respondents in 38
countries across 34 different
industries). The report provides
a rigorous picture of the global
state of project management.
I am a strong believer in
‘giving back’ and recently took
part in the PwC Responsible
Leadership Programme (RLP),
working with Edinburgh
Cyrenians – an independent
Scottish Charity who creatively
target homelessness, poverty
and various aspects of social
deprivation. The project was
a 6 week initiative, and the
late CEO, Des Ryan, summed
up my time with them as
“sprinkling fairy dust across
As for the best piece of advice
I have ever received, I have
two: ‘treat others as you wish
to be treated yourself’ (thanks
Mum!), which was a big factor
in deciding to join PwC – the
atmosphere is inclusive and
buoyant. Professionally, I am
a firm believer in ‘assuming a
role before you get it’ – grasp,
believe, and don’t be afraid to
take on extra responsibility!
Amanda Clack
BSc Quantity Surveying 1991
6 Aspects Spring 2014
Patricia Toulson, Writer
A journey from healthcare to
novelist – and back again
Mid-life crisis struck me around 45 years
of age. After working in X-ray departments
in hospitals around Essex and Suffolk as
a Diagnostic Radiographer for 29 years, I
began to wonder if I glowed in the dark!
harsh disciplinary world of a General
Hospital in the 1960s. She encounters
child-abuse, teenage terminal illness,
the dramatic world of casualty and the
wonder of pregnancy, whilst growing
up in the breath-taking and liberating
environment of the 60s amongst Nursing
Sisters reluctant to let the ‘old world
ethos’ disappear. In 2013 Inside Out was
launched by Amazon as a paperback and
e-book.
My professional journal advertised a BSc
Hons degree in Health Studies, available
at Anglia Ruskin University over two years,
taking my Diploma in Radiography into
account. In 1992 my computer skills
reached the dizzy heights of attempting
a Daley Thompson decathlon program
on a ZX Spectrum, so the introductory
pre-degree course on word-processing
and statistics became imperative! We were
a mix of about 25 health professionals
and I teamed up with a midwife, health
visitor and therapy radiographer. We four
supported each other as we struggled
to re-learn, ultimately enhancing our
respective careers by graduating in 1994.
I was now working in a multi-disability
centre, aiming to rehabilitate teenage
and adult clients who had suffered lifechanging traumas; stroke victims, head
injuries and chronic conditions such as
Parkinson’s and Huntingdon’s Chorea. I
had developed new skills, coaching clients
in communication, writing and computing,
thus releasing some of those boundaries
which rendered them feeling helpless in
their new hostile worlds.
In 1996 I joined the charity Home Start
as an organiser, training volunteers and
assessing families with small children,
who needed support. Four exciting years
revealed life in all manner of perspectives
until a hearing problem, resulting from
contracting mumps, became so severe
that even hearing aids were little help.
Inside Out tells the tale of a shy,
16-year-old schoolgirl, entering
the harsh disciplinary world of a
General Hospital in the 1960s.
I am not sure when I started to write
– conjuring with the written word had
always given me satisfaction. I began
taking a notepad on dog walks so
thoughts, which appeared in a flash,
could be trapped before flitting away.
Poems were published with Random
House Anthologies and a children’s book
in America. However, I knew I wanted to
write a novel but it wasn’t until I read, Call
the Midwife that I realised my first love
of radiography was sorely neglected in
the hospital genre, so I set about putting
that right. Inside Out tells the tale of a
shy, 16-year-old schoolgirl, entering the
I’d had a cochlear implant the previous
autumn, which so improved my hearing
that I was able to tackle press interviews
with renewed confidence. To my delight
I even managed an interview with BBC
Radio Essex. During the book launch,
I was delighted to accept an invitation
to become Patron of a charity for deaf
schoolchildren in Sierra Leone. This had
been set up in 2009 by a small group of
East Anglian people who, when visiting
the school, had been overwhelmed by the
wonderful work of Sister Mary Sweeney,
who has devoted her life to improving the
prospects for these 250 students.
I have turned full circle since obtaining
my degree at Anglia Ruskin, becoming the
Patron to Friends of St Joseph’s School
for the Hearing Impaired in Sierra Leone,
also based in East Anglia. Seeds can be
sown as late as mid-life by taking a step
sideways and returning to education, as
they still have time to take root and even
flourish like Inside Out and the Patronage
of St Joseph’s School.
Patricia Toulson
BSc Hons Health Studies 1994
Aspects Spring 2014 7
Greg Goff, Producer/Director
A happy accident
outside London with offices in Plymouth,
London, LA and Abu Dhabi, making about
200 hours of broadcast television a year.
I’d never dreamed of working in TV, it was
an accident – a happy accident.
Interviewing someone who
killed 13 people back in
the 70s, for three hours in
prison in California was an
experience I’ll never forget.
When I first arrived at Anglia Ruskin
University (back then it was called APU)
in 1996 I was embarking on a BA Hons
course in Spanish and Graphic Arts. By
the end of my first year, for many reasons,
I was unsure whether the art side of things
was right for me. The staff were extremely
helpful and patient, allowing me to swap
the art for French and as a bonus, being
half French, I didn’t have to repeat my
first year! So I ended my degree with a
BA Hons in French and Spanish, having
squeezed a huge amount of learning and
experience in to my wonderful four years
at Anglia, Rennes and Granada.
However, being the indecisive kind of chap
I am, I was still very unsure as to where
this would lead me in terms of career.
Following a year spent teaching English
in Central China, I returned determined
to find myself a career. People around
me where saying “you’re lucky, you have
languages, you can do anything”. My
general response would be “Yeah, but
what?”. One day an editor friend called
out of the blue saying “Greg, my company
need someone who speaks French – give
my boss a call”. I phoned and was asked
if I wanted to go to Paris for five weeks
helping film a holiday programme as a
runner, leaving the next day. Well, I wasn’t
doing much else so that was me hurled in
to the world of TV!
I did a few jobs for this company – filming
in the South of France, Madrid, even
spending five weeks back in China, all
using the languages I had picked up
over the years – but once that came to
an end I struggled to find another job. I
realised media is really competitive, plus
I didn’t want to move to London as I’m a
country boy at heart and was living in the
West country where I am originally from.
So I ended up in a call centre for nine
months until a chance arose to work for
a company in Plymouth called Twofour
Broadcast Ltd. Back then it was a team of
50 people making TV shows out of a barn
conversion in a field. Today it is part of the
biggest independent production company
I am now a Producer/Director and worked
on many wonderful shows. Last year
I directed the fifth series of Channel 5
series Born to Kill?, investigating the
nature/nurture argument for serial killers.
Interviewing someone who killed 13
people back in the 70s, for three hours in
prison in California was an experience I’ll
never forget. I spent three months filming
in the Caribbean for a Sky documentary
and I’ve been chased by a cobra in the
jungles of Sri Lanka. I’ve been fortunate
to work on documentaries following
Walking with the Wounded, the charity
that sent wounded servicemen and
women on expeditions to the North Pole,
up Everest and, just before Christmas, to
the South Pole. Prince Harry is patron and
completed the expedition with them.
Not that every day is spent filming at
Buckingham Palace – there’s lots of
16-hour filming days in UK cold wet
rain, but I wouldn’t swap it for the world!
Even though I’m not doing a ‘French
and Spanish’ job, I do use my languages
constantly and have been lucky enough to
travel the world for ‘work’ – not bad for a
happy accident!
Greg Goff
BA Hons Languages (French & Spanish)
2000
8 Aspects Spring 2014
Alec Grimshaw, Ward Manager
Alec Returns to Study
– From a Distance!
focus on meeting the module criteria, a
critical aspect when balancing a working
life with study.
Distance learning at Anglia Ruskin allows
students to study whilst juggling work and
family commitments and can be accessed
online anywhere in the world. It’s a fantastic
and flexible way to get a qualification and
improve your career prospects, but what
is it like to actually study on the course?
Alumnus Alec Grimshaw gave us an insight
into his experiences as a mature distance
learning student.
Alec currently works as a mental health
Ward Manager on a sub-acute recovery
unit in the Cambridge and Peterborough
NHS Foundation Trust. The unit supports
adults aged 17–65 who are experiencing
an acute episode of severe mental illness
or disorders. The demanding nature of
the work can lead to a relatively stressful
and busy work life for staff. With this in
mind, Alec was drawn to distance learning
as it is delivered over the internet without
the commitment to physically attend in a
classroom.
He chose to study a BSc (Hons) Mental
Health Care to top up his diploma to a
degree and work towards the eventual
aim of a Masters. The modules on the
course appealed as they provide students
with the ability to build confidence, bring
evidence based practice into the work
place and incorporate research into
modern health care methods.
Alec attributes a pivotal element of his
distance learning success to his tutor,
Sally Goldspink. He felt completely
supported throughout the modules,
which in turn helped discipline Alec into
managing his time effectively and ensured
he was meeting the required deadlines.
The on-line contact time allowed his tutor
to give weekly tips and advice, which were
very valuable, and if Alec had a problem
or wanted clarification he could email Sally
for a quick and detailed response. The
availability of advice and support allowed
him to keep on top of his workload and
Having now completed, Alec feels that
distance learning has had a positive
effect on his career while allowing him
to fit in study around work and quality
time with his family. It has widened his
perspective when reviewing mental health
care provision, particularly through his
dissertation which focused on researching
current publications and literature to
review the delivery of care in his fulltime job. The research improved Alec’s
knowledge, acknowledged weaknesses
in the health care process, and allowed
him to develop his new understanding
into best practice, proving that distance
learning is as challenging and rewarding
as a full-time course.
Distance learning has been an invaluable
experience and Alec acknowledges that,
much like in full time courses, learning
online requires discipline, enthusiasm
and dedication to ensure you receive
the maximum level of benefits from
the course. He believes that those who
work in healthcare and choose to study
a distance learning course, specifically
delivered by the Faculty of Health, Social
Care and Education, can help support
and improve health care provisions and
services in the community by studying
and simultaneously applying the skills
developed into their working lives.
Alec hopes to attend graduation and we
look forward to seeing him receive his
award.
Aspects Spring 2014 9
Ian Rawlinson presents a
solo exhibition of his artwork
The exhibition, entitled Vessel, takes
place at Williams Art in Cambridge in May
2014 and will feature a selection of new
paintings and prints together with a short
film, which takes place and memory as its
theme.
Whilst making this body of work,
Ian researched and explored many
connections with his past. He was born
in Cambridge in 1963 and grew up in
the city during the 1960s and 1970s. Ian
studied art on the Foundation course at
Cambridge College of Art & Technology
(CCAT), leaving in 1982 to further his
studies at the Royal College of Art. Since
graduating from there in 1987, he has
lived and worked in London.
To date Ian’s work has been shown in
many group and solo exhibitions both
in the UK and internationally. He has
travelled and worked in Europe, the USA
and Mexico and has taught at art colleges
throughout the UK, including a return to
Cambridge to teach at Anglia Polytechnic
University during the early 1990s. Ian
has always intended to show his work
in Cambridge, but it was only during his
research and making of the film Vessel
– when he visited Williams Art – that the
concept for the exhibition really gained
momentum.
Ian Rawlinson was already making of
a series of paintings about places of
transition when he decided to expand
upon these ideas by making a film about
his artwork. He intended to use a small
amount of footage of his former hometown
to set against the present day images of
his paintings. However, the film quickly
took on a life of its own and his initial
search for old images of Cambridge soon
expanded into a poignant journey into
his past. He focused on an area known
locally as the ‘Kite’ – an area which had
greatly changed since the time that he
lived in Cambridge. Situated opposite
Anglia Ruskin University and referring to
the kite shape formed by the main roads
that enclose the area, this parcel of land
was the subject of city planning debates
for many years before being redeveloped
to incorporate the Grafton Centre during
the early 1980s.
a new development, as have some old
place names. Even the thought of where
a building once stood still evokes its
presence. The mental map remains. The
past is not destroyed, it's just merely
removed from physical sight”.
Memories of the ‘Kite’ before the
redevelopment are the main influence
on his film. Ian provides further insight,
stating that “Despite all the change, what
began to fascinate me is that pieces of the
past still poke through into the present.
A road name can inspire memories, as
can a section of old brickwork; an old
landmark has been incorporated into
Vessel runs from 7–25 May 2014 at
Williams Art, 5 Dales Brewery, Gwydir
Street, Cambridge CB1 2LJ.
Ian has also made a series of paintings,
prints and drawings which reference a
street map of the 'Kite’ from 1980. These
assorted works will be shown alongside
paintings from his earlier Frontier series.
Further information
www.ianrawlinson.com
www.williamsart.co.uk
10 Aspects Spring 2014
Alumni updates
a ‘click’ sound and relies on marking
desirable behaviour and rewarding it.
Olivia said: “Looking back at my four
years at Anglia Ruskin, I have learned so
much that I can now apply to my future
in equitation. I feel I’ve achieved a great
deal and made the most of my time at
university, pushing myself further than just
finishing a degree, and laying down the
groundwork for an incredible and exciting
future.”
Olivia Turner (BSc Hons Animal
Behaviour & Animal Welfare 2013) has
won first prize at the International Society
for Equitation Science conference in the
USA for a presentation on the welfare
of horse training. The conference –
Embracing Science to Enhance Equine
Welfare and Horse-Human Interaction –
attracted 110 delegates including equine
practitioners, students, researchers and
academics. Olivia’s presentation was
based on her dissertation – Exploring
Clicker Training: a Method of Positive
Reinforcement to Improve the Welfare of
Horse Training. This method involves the
use of a mechanical device that creates
Ian Blackshaw – visiting Anglia Ruskin
Professor, Honorary Award holder and
alumnus – has been appointed Visiting
Fellow at the prestigious Centre for
Intellectual Property Law at the University
of Pretoria, which is sponsored by the
leading South African Intellectual Property
Law Firm of Adams & Adams. He will
be collaborating closely with the Head of
the Centre, Judge Louis Harms, a former
Deputy President of the South African
Court of Appeal, and also with the Director
of the Centre, Prof Steve Cornelius, who
welcomed the appointment saying: “It
is good to have Professor Blackshaw on
board who, with his membership of the
World Intellectual Property Organization
in Geneva, Switzerland, brings a wealth
of international legal expertise and
experience to the Centre, which, we are
sure, will add considerable value to its
research and other activities.”
Alumni Tours
We welcome alumni to come back and
visit us and we hope to be offering some
campus tour dates shortly. Please get
in touch if you would be interested in
revisiting your campus and we’ll make sure
you receive details. You can keep in touch
with us via email, Facebook, LinkedIn,
Twitter, our website or the Alumni
Directory. Details on the back page.
Photo: Robert Gershinson
Josh Winning (BA Hons Film Studies &
Communication Studies 2005) has become
accustomed to interviewing Hollywood
stars such as Jodie Foster since setting out
on a career in freelance film journalism,
but has now turned his hand to fiction. He
has released his first novel, Sentinal, which
has already garnered excellent reviews from
customers and currently holds a five-outof-five star rating. Josh has plans to turn
Sentinal into a trilogy and is already several
chapters into writing the second book.
After graduation Josh continued his studies
at Brighton before moving to London and
‘jobbing it’ in TV listings for two years. On
advice from his ex-tutor from Anglia Ruskin
Aspects Spring 2014 11
Obituaries
he eventually tried his hand at writing
articles for film magazines, which led to a
full-time career as a freelance contributor
for Total Film and Little White Lies. Josh
remarked: “It was the best decision I’ve
e ever made. I mostly work contributing
to Total Film, which is a dream job – you
never know which industry bod you’re
going to get to talk to next.”
Jason Campion (BSc Hons Computing
2013) has successfully negotiated the
tough recruitment process at Hewlett
Packard to secure a place on the graduate
programme as an Information Analyst.
Whilst a student, Jason took on several
roles through our Employment Bureau,
including a seven-month assignment in an
IT support role. He remarked: “I gained a
huge amount of experience and developed
my communication skills from the roles. My
course gave me a great all-round foundation
in computing and I received great support
from my lecturers. I also received a lot of
support from Student Services during the
application process, including help with my
CV, interview technique and presentation
skills, which contributed greatly to me
getting the job.” We wish Jason continuing
success in his career.
Martyn Wynn-Rayner (BA Hons Photo
& Digital Media 2005) is now principal
photographer and managing director of
The Works Studio Ltd, based in Croxton,
Cambridgeshire. The studio was set up
by Martyn in 2011 with three main studio
spaces and a total footprint of nearly
4,500sq ft. They offer studio facilities to
anyone wishing to hire photographic studio
space. www.The-Works-Studio.co.uk
Michael Towers (BA Hons Modern
History 1990) studied at our predecessor
institution CCAT and had a ball doing so.
He would love to hear from fellow History
students or anyone he met during his stay
in Cambridge. Please email
alumni@anglia.ac.uk if you would like us
to pass on a message.
Jane Ware and family
Jane Ware
It is with much sadness that I have to
announce the death of my wife Jane
Ware (née Coleman) aged only 43. Jane
studied Music at Anglia Ruskin from
1989–1991 and graduated with the first
1st-Class honours degree the department
had ever awarded. She went on to work
for the Royal National Institute for the
Blind, becoming their Braille music
trainer and publishing an authoritative
Braille music manual.
I met Jane in 1990 in the Cambridge
University orchestra, where we both
played viola. We were married in 1994,
living first in Cambridge and since
then in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. We
continued to play in lots of orchestras
together. We remained in touch with
many of Jane’s friends from college –
she was always much better than me at
emails and Christmas cards!
Our first child, Katie, was born in
2003, and Thomas in 2006 and Jane
was a loving and devoted full-time
mother. In recent years she volunteered
at both of their schools, reading and
teaching cookery with their classes.
After spending less time playing viola
when the children were born, she had
just started playing regularly again
with Sinfonia of Cambridge and the
Huntingdonshire Philharmonic.
Jane died of Sepsis on 28th October
2013 in Hinchingbrooke Hospital,
Huntingdon, after a sudden and
unexpected illness.
Andrew Ware
David Watt
David Watt (Foundation Public Service,
2011) passed away peacefully in
Addenbrooke’s Hospital on Tuesday,
10th September 2013, aged 28,
following a tragic accident. A loving
long term partner to Sophie, David died
surrounded by family and friends.
12 Aspects Spring 2014
Jonathan Woods, Managing Director
From Business Degree
to Business Success
I chose to study at Anglia Polytechnic
University (APU), as it was then, because
I wanted a course that could combine
my love of the German language with
a generic Business Studies education.
When applying for university I didn’t know
exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew an
all-round business degree would give me a
solid grounding for the future and the APU
course offered a fantastic combination of
both business and German. The course
was also luckily based in Cambridge, a
city I knew well having visited it regularly
as a child.
Prior to starting my degree, I took a gap
year to work at a school in Germany to
help strengthen my language skills, giving
me a good head start to the German
aspect of my degree. The business
element was, however, totally new to
me and was my greatest challenge. The
modular nature of the course was great
as it allowed me to learn about many
different aspects of business and I quickly
discovered what I was most interested in.
After graduating I started my professional
career as International Sales & Marketing
Executive at Cambridge University Press.
Working within the Schools Education
team, I was responsible for marketing and
sales activities to international schools
across the globe. The role allowed me
to visit many great European cities to
promote our publications to the growing
number of English speaking International
Schools. My German came in handy on a
few trips to Munich and Vienna.
Working for a large international publisher
gave me valuable sales, marketing and
budgeting experience, but after four years
in the role it was time to branch out on my
own. The opportunity arose by teaming
up with fellow APU alumnus Simon Jones
(1998). Simon founded Studio 24 in
1999 and shortly thereafter invited me to
join him as co-owner when the business
became a limited entity. It was in July
2004 that I joined the business full time,
when there was barely enough money to
sustain two small salaries.
Studio 24 is now a full service digital
agency. The term ‘digital’ essentially
means we offer web design, web
development and search marketing
services. We work with professional
organisations across various market
sectors and have a client base that
includes the University of Cambridge,
Crossrail Ltd, Cambridge Building Society,
Medical Research Council, Bauer Media
and Anglia Ruskin University. Studio 24
has grown from just Simon and myself to
16 employees in the space of eight years.
We have seen year on year growth and
the agency now generates a turnover in
excess of £1million. We have also won a
number of awards over the years, which is
fantastic for our team.
I think we have been successful as a
business because we started and remain a
specialist web agency. Many agencies that
we compete with tend to have come from
a graphic design background and therefore
don’t really understand the complex nature
of the web. By remaining a specialist
agency, our team and skills have grown
alongside the ever changing nature of the
industry.
Whilst Studio 24 is still a relatively small
business, I have always felt that it’s
important to put something back into the
local community. We have been a major
sponsor of the Cambridge Film Festival
for over 6 years and also support the
Elizabeth Coteman Fund and Chariots
of Fire charities. Next year will see the
company’s 15 year anniversary. With
the rate that the digital marketplace is
changing, I am already looking forward
to the next chapter in my career.
Jonathan Woods
BA Hons Business & German 1999
Managing Director – Studio 24 Ltd
www.studio24.net
Aspects Spring 2014 13
Patsy Rathbone, Artist
Artist designs
for the home
Renowned artist Patsy Rathbone
completed both her BA Fine Art degree
and Masters in Fine Art at Anglia Ruskin
University and has since launched
The Home of Rathbone, a business
that specialises in unique personalised
wallpaper prints that she designs and
makes, primarily for display within the
home.
Whilst studying here, Patsy won the Dr
Supanee Gazeley Prize for Fine Art in
2009 having also been awarded 2nd prize
in the Searle Award for Creativity in 2008.
These awards were early indications
of Patsy’s creative abilities, setting a
precedent for her following artwork
created and displayed at exhibitions both
during and after her Masters degree. The
Re;Location exhibition in 2011 showcased
her You Should See My House project,
where every part of the interior of the
caravan on display was covered in a toile
de jouy print, including furniture and
objects (see below).
Patsy remarked: “The idea for The Home
of Rathbone was born out of the idea
that everyone likes to personalise their
home and a bespoke paper is a great way
to do this. Knowing I was an artist and
had an interest in interiors, my friends
were always asking me for advice about
decorating their homes. I decided to take it
one step further and see what happened.
Most people wouldn’t consider the idea of
commissioning an artist to make something
bespoke for them, they think it would be
prohibitively expensive, but this is not the
case. It’s a really creative process and the
projects are always collaborative. They
start with a discussion with each client
about the space, the existing furnishing
and what they like. Some projects are
based around family photos – these prints
become personal archives. Others have
more oblique connections to their lives,
either way they are the ultimate personal
statement. This works for businesses too”.
To find out more please visit her website
www.homeofrathbone.co.uk
Anton rows
the Amazon
Now Head Coach/Boatman for Clare
College, Cambridge, Anton Wright
(BSc Hons Sports Science 2011) has
recently completed an epic adventure
rowing the Amazon with colleague
Mark de Rond, covering more than
2000 miles in 31 days.
The journey allowed Mark, a
researcher in organisational behaviour,
to act as a one-man laboratory
to test out theories in extreme or
unusual situations and bring what
he learned back into the classroom.
This included challenges such as
battling through a massive three-hour
storm that destroyed their rudder
and carried off their bucket-toilet and
negotiating ‘Pirate Alley’, a section of
river notorious for hostage-taking. The
pair also raised funds for the Leonard
Cheshire Disability charity and they
have been awarded a Guinness World
Record for being the first in history
to complete long-distance rowing
unaided. Check
www.rowtheamazon.com to learn
more about this amazing adventure.
Huge congratulations to the guys on
their efforts!
14 Aspects Spring 2014
Students meet Brand Leaders
at event in Cambridge
On Friday 8th November the Brand
Leaders event in Cambridge was opened
by our Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael
Thorne, and Lord Ashcroft International
Business School (LAIBS) Deputy Dean,
Professor Gary Packham. They welcomed
students to an afternoon of career guidance
and advice delivered by visiting alumni
speakers and by Karen Hester, Operations
Director of Adnams plc. The concept
was born at an alumni reunion in the
summer and organised and promoted by
the Student Experience & Placements
Team, Employability Services and Alumni
Relations. The Vice Chancellor’s message to
students was that they had made the ‘right
choice’ by investing their Friday afternoon
in learning about career opportunities
and preparation for the work place from
successful business professionals.
Throughout the day, 120 students took
part in lectures, seminars and networking
designed to provide careers insight and
enhance employability skills. Karen
Hester, Operations Director of Adnams
plc and winner of Lloyds Banking Group
First Women Businesswoman of the Year
Award, delivered an inspirational address
around the themes of people skills, the
importance of organisational values,
overcoming challenges and knowing your
worth. Our alumni speakers were drawn
from a variety of career backgrounds and
Anglia Ruskin courses.
of a business team at Bosch exploring
how business models can be reconfigured
to generate revenue streams. Aline
challenged students to think of themselves
as ‘business models’ and how their
expertise might be configured to create
value for potential employers.
Nevena Zorova (MA Marketing and
Innovation), Events Manager at ProQuest
and formerly Chair of our student business
society EBAC, stressed the importance of
‘getting involved’ in the classroom but also
taking advantage of extra-curricular activities
that are provided, referring specifically to the
ABInbev Best Beer competition.
Lydia Walentowski (BA International
Business) from the Storck confectionary
company explored the importance of
‘selling stories’ in Category Management in
confectionary retail.
The presentations were followed by breakout sessions where students could quiz
speakers about their careers and gain
specific advice on application and interview
techniques. These sessions were supported
by excellent presentations from the Alumni
Relations and Employability Services teams.
Aline Gehring (MA Marketing and
Innovation), Project Manager at Bosch,
explained how her Masters thesis had led
directly to employment and the creation
Anneka Haak (MA Marketing and
Innovation) from BMW motorcycles division
kicked off the afternoon with an in-depth
analysis of the creation of an attraction
at the BMW plant designed to promote
electric mobility.
Rebekka Spalek (BA International
Business) Recruitment Director of IQPC
provided insights from the recruiter’s
perspective of how to present your job
application in the best possible light, the
importance of pro-active job search and of
building an on-line profile.
Our final formal sessions of the day had
marketing themes. Nicole Boroczinski
(BA International Business and MA Global
Communications) Product Manager at
Volkswagen explained her role in managing
a portfolio of automotive brands throughout
their life cycles and how product managers
must not be afraid to deliver the ‘last rites’
to under-performing brands.
The final presentation was by Alena
Linhartova (BA International Business
Strategy) who, via the ABInbev Best Beer
competition, was recruited as a Global
Management trainee and is now ABInbev’s
Regional Development Manager for
Southern England. Alena’s session explored
how to promote responsible drinking whilst
Aspects Spring 2014 15
An interview
with Karen Hester
Services. In 2007, she was again
promoted to Operations Director and her
remit has since expanded to include HR,
IT, pubs and hotels, and shops.
driving sales growth and her employability
message stressed the importance of having
an open mind to possible career directions.
A networking session at 6pm allowed
students to mix with our alumni speakers
and with LAIBS, Employability Services,
Alumni Office colleagues and members
from our student business society EBAC.
We were able to sample the Becks Blue
(alcohol free beer) kindly donated by Alena
from ABInbev. At 7.30 we drew the event
to a close with some students still in deep
conversation with our guests, over six
hours after the event began!
This was the first time such an event
had been attempted in LAIBS. It was an
outstanding success with more than 120
students attending. LAIBS were able to
showcase the outstanding success of our
graduates to current students and connect
classroom lessons with real-life practical
applications. Our speakers reinforced key
messages delivered by the Employability
Services team and for our Alumni Relations
team it was an opportunity to showcase
their role, as David Abbott explained:
“Speaking with students allowed us to
explain why they should be excited to
connect with the alumni in our network
and how creating a professional network
of contacts can help shape their careers.”
Vicky Dodd, Student Experience &
Placements Manager for LAIBS, commented
“It has reinforced to students how valuable
it is to participate in extra-curricular events,
to improve their networking skills and most
importantly have fun!”
‘Brand Leaders 2013’ has hopefully created
a template for future events to be rolled out
in both Cambridge and Chelmsford.
Tim Froggett
Senior Marketing Lecturer, Cambridge
We recently had the opportunity to ask
Karen a few questions:
So Karen, what did you study at
Lowestoft College?
I studied a Diploma in Management
covering finance, marketing, supply
chain, customer services and human
resources.
Karen studied at Lowestoft College, a
former Regional University Partner of
Anglia Ruskin University. Today she
is the Operations Director at Adnams
plc and her role is to oversee 400
members of staff, ensuring the smooth
running of all day-to-day operations
at Adnams Brewery, hotels, pubs and
Cellar & Kitchen Stores. She has come
a long way since her first position at the
company in 1988 as an office cleaner.
Prior to Adnams, Karen’s work
experience included serving in the
Armed Forces and running her own
goods importing company for UK
services personnel and their families in
Germany. At Adnams, she started as
a part-time cleaner in 1988. Once her
children were at school she was able
to work more flexibly and was offered
a post as a Procurement Clerk and
then became involved in Transport and
Logistics (helped by her armed services
experience). She was promoted to
management-level within a short time
of being in the Transport and Logistics
department and later became Head
of Logistics and Director of Customer
What made you decide to return
to education?
I felt I needed to gain qualifications as
well as experience. Having been with the
same organisation for some time I felt
it would also help having some external
training to meet others not specifically in
the same industry.
How have your studies helped you
to get to where you are now?
It broadened my mind and enabled
me to explore other industries and best
practice as well as trained me
in structured analysis.
What have been your top three career
achievements?
¢¢
Project managing and delivery of the
most eco building in the UK
¢¢
First senior woman in the
organisation
¢¢
East of England Business Woman of
the year in 2008, progressing to First
Women Business of the Year 2013.
Do you have any advice for other
students and new graduates, especially
those studying in your field?
Work hard, play hard. Never believe you
are too old or wise to learn more.
16 Aspects Spring 2014
New Honorary Award holders
join our Anglia Ruskin family
Victoria Brignell
Warwick Davis
Tony Jones
Patrick McKenna
www.oliverphotography.co.uk
Sarah Reeve
KT Bruce
Nic Benns
Philip Pullman
Prof Jorgen Randers
Philip Reeve
Louis Smith MBE
Kim Taylor
Frank Van Wezel
Bob Weston
Denise Whiffin
Dr Rowan Williams
Dr Paul
Zollinger-Read CBE
Aspects Spring 2014 17
In October 2013 we were delighted to welcome 15 new Honorary Award holders at ceremonies in Cambridge, Chelmsford
and Peterborough. As always, some were our own alumni, demonstrating the success our graduates go on to achieve.
Please go to www.anglia.ac.uk/honoraries to read full profiles of all our new Honoraries and those who have been awarded
previously.
Anglia Ruskin 1997 alumnus Nic Benns
is an Emmy award-winning and BAFTA
nominated director of film and TV titles
and advertisements, collaborating on
opening sequences with leading directors,
including Richard Curtis, Kevin Spacey,
Dustin Hoffman and Ridley Scott on films
such as Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,
Alien vs Predator and Love Actually and
TV programmes Ripper Street, Luther, and
Great Expectations.
Victoria Brignell is a radio producer
with the BBC and a disability champion.
Producer for In Our Time, presented by
Melvyn Bragg, she has worked on many
programmes including: The Westminster
Hour; Analysis; Woman’s Hour; You and
Yours; and Start the Week. Victoria feels
that, if she were not disabled, her life
would certainly be simpler and she would
have more opportunities, but she wouldn’t
be any happier.
Warwick Davis was awarded for his
services to drama and his work to change
the way that short people are represented
in film and television. The actor, who has
starred in Willow, Star Wars, Life’s Too Short
and Harry Potter, is currently appearing in
the West End musical Spamalot.
Tony Jones has pursued a long and
successful career establishing and
programming art house world and
independent cinemas. His award is
in recognition of his being the most
significant figure in independent film
exhibition in our region.
Patrick McKenna’s business, Ingenious
Media, is one of the UK’s leading
investment and advisory groups. From
1990 to 1997 Patrick was Chairman
and Chief Executive at Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s Really Useful Group. He is now
also Chairman of television company Hat
Trick Productions, Chairman of the Young
Vic and a member of the UK’s Creative
Industries Council.
Philip Pullman is a renowned author
and illustrator, known worldwide for his
fantastical storytelling for children and
adults, having published 31 books and
two plays. His most widely recognised
work is the His Dark Materials trilogy,
comprising Northern Lights (known in the
USA as The Golden Compass), The Subtle
Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
Frank Van Wezel is the founder and
Chairman of Hi-Tec Sports plc, an
international business with around 400
employees generating global sales of more
than $250 million with its UK office based
in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Frank was
awarded in recognition of his dedication,
passion and commitment to the UK and
global sports industry.
Prof Jorgen Randers is a leading climate
change expert and was awarded for his
continued services to climate strategy and
sustainability. Professor of Climate Strategy
at the BI Norwegian Business School,
his research interests have been system
dynamics and sustainable development,
with a focus on climate change over the
last decade.
Bob Weston is the founder and owner
of Weston Homes. Since it was set up in
1987, the company’s impact has extended
across the South-East of England where,
beyond the core business, Bob has been
a major supporter of charities within the
communities where Weston Homes builds
developments.
Anglia Ruskin 1987 alumnus Philip Reeve
is one of the leading writers for children
and young adults and an important
writer of junior science fiction. His first
novel, Mortal Engines, was an instant hit,
winning the Blue Peter Book of the Year
Award.
Olympic gymnast Louis Smith MBE had
his first major success at the age of 15
in 2001. Bronze at the 2008 Beijing
Olympics, his first adult Olympic challenge
made him only the second black male
gymnast to win an Olympic medal. This
success culminated in his silver medal on
the pommel horse at the 2012 Olympic
Games in London.
Inspirational school head Kim Taylor was
seconded as acting head teacher to Spring
Common School in Huntingdon while
working as General Inspector for Inclusion
at Cambridgeshire County Council. A state
special school for 127 children aged 2–19,
it had been placed in special measures
in 2006 but after one year in the role
the school was deemed by Ofsted to be
‘satisfactory’, by 2010 it was judged ‘good’
and by 2012 was ‘outstanding in every
respect’.
Denise Whiffin has worked tirelessly
to create J’s Hospice, the region’s firstever hospice service for 16-40 year
olds. Established in memory of her son
Jonathan, who was diagnosed with
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the
age of three, today, the Hospice operates
across Essex and beyond, providing
respite care, home services and life
improvements for this age group.
His Grace Dr Rowan Williams. The Rt
Hon the Lord Williams of Oystermouth PC,
FBA, FRSL, FLSW is a very public figure,
having retired as the 104th Archbishop of
Canterbury at the end of 2012 after ten
years of intensely public service.
Dr Paul Zolllinger-Read CBE has
made an enormous contribution to the
development of medical education in the
East of England over the last 25 years. He
is a doctor in practice in Braintree, Essex,
as well as being Chief Executive of NHS
Cambridgeshire.
18 Aspects Spring 2014
Development News
Pathway to
the future
Your name
here
Pathway to
the future
Your name
here
pThe leaflets show the
locations of the pavers in
Cambridge and Chelmsford
t 4-line paver
Pathway to the Future appeal
We have been celebrating over
the last 12 months to mark our
21st anniversary of University
status. As part of this, we have
launched a special appeal to
boost support for scholarship
and hardship bursaries and at
the same time create a highly
visible tribute to our students,
staff and friends of Anglia
Ruskin, which will be a focal
point at our University for years
to come.
We shall be laying a brick
pathway on both Chelmsford
and Cambridge campus in
locations which will be highly
visible to all visitors and
students. In Chelmsford our
new pathway will be in front of
the Lord Ashcroft building and
in Cambridge it will be in front
of the Helmore reception area.
The idea is for people to buy a
brick which will then be
personalised before being laid
as part of the pathway. Your
brick can record your time
at Anglia Ruskin, carry an
inspirational message to future
students or make a dedication
to someone who inspired you
at the university or elsewhere.
For a donation of £55 your
gift will be recognised on a
standard 2-line paver, or a
larger 4-line paver for £100.
If you would like your name
to be part of a permanent
pathway you can order your
brick by using the form on
the mailing sheet. If you
prefer to order online, please
go to www.anglia.ac.uk/
makingadifference and
clicking on Pathway to the
Future.
Aspects Spring 2014 19
Your support in action
Alumni-funded
individual
scholarships
Telethon 2013
– A big thank
you from us
The generosity of our alumni
continues to strengthen
support for students and
life-changing research, as
demonstrated in our third
annual telephone fundraising
campaign. Last November and
December, 40 current students
spoke with 1,279 alumni over
a three week period. Students
gained invaluable advice
for their studies and future
employment as well as raising
much-needed funding. Over
£53,000 was pledged, with
72% of donations fulfilled at
the end of calling. If we didn’t
get a chance to speak with
you, or if you’d still like to fulfill
your pledge and be a part of
this year’s success, please visit
www.anglia.ac.uk/
makingadifference
students to begin their journey
at Anglia Ruskin with fewer
financial constraints. With more
than 100 applications for these
scholarships each year, the
need for continued funding is
great. Amy Crawford (BA Hons
Social Work) tells how your
support is making an impact:
“I was expecting to receive
student finance and gave up
my job as a nurse to study this
degree, which is my lifetime
ambition. I felt so touched and
happy that there are people
out there who want to support
students like myself. This has
given me a massive uplifting
boost and I cannot express how
truly grateful I am. Thank You!”
Alumni Support
Fund Scholarships
Over the last three years, 20
students have received Alumni
Support Fund Scholarships
financed solely through
alumni donations during our
Annual Fund Telethons. These
scholarships allow talented
Amy Crawford
We currently receive a
number of donor-sponsored
scholarships for our students.
Two of these scholarship funds
were set up by very successful
alumni, John Owens and
Hasmukh Patel. These two
donors alone have provided
nearly £10,000 in grants in
the 2013/14 academic year
and we are extremely grateful
to them for their support.
Since 2012, alumnus Hasmukh
Patel has very generously
donated money to us through
his pharmaceutical company,
Auden McKenzie. This money
has been used to provide
scholarships to students in
either their second or third year
who are financially struggling
to the extent that they may
be forced to discontinue their
studies. This year he donated
£5,000 and from this we have
been able to grant £1,650
to Amber Cudmore (BA Early
Childhood Studies), Nicola
Murray (BSc Midwifery) and
Sophie Goldsmith (BA Drama
& Film Studies).
Alumnus John Owen has very
generously donated £5,000
which has been awarded to
three outstanding students
to recognise their academic
excellence. Yasmin Jeffcoate
(Law prize), Tony Carter (Law
prize) and Samuel Holmar
(Art prize) will each receive
between £1,000 and £1,500
as a reward for their hard work
and educational achievements.
Since graduating with a BA
(Hons) Geography in 1977,
John has gone on to success
at professional services firm,
PwC. He has confirmed that he
will be providing a similar fund
in the 2014/15 academic year.
Yasmin Jeffcoate said that,
in receiving this recognition
and financial scholarship,
“I am blessed to have received
this award and am grateful to
John Owens for his generosity
in making these scholarships
possible… a weight has been
lifted off my shoulders.”
Nicola Murray (BSc Midwifery),
one of the Auden McKenzie
scholarship winners
We are seeking to expand
donor-sponsored scholarships
so that we can support even
more students. These can
be of any size, from a £100
book grant through to larger
amounts. If you would like
more information about how
you could fund a scholarship
do please contact the
Development Team by emailing
giving@anglia.ac.uk or by
telephoning 0845 196 4728.
20 Aspects Spring 2014
Faculty of Arts, Law & Social Sciences
New MA TESOL and
Materials Development
Demand for professional English Language
Teaching and materials writing is greater
than ever before. Our new MA TESOL and
Materials Development meets the needs of
this growing sector.
The course has been developed to train
local, national and international leaders in
language pedagogy, curriculum design and
materials writing, all of which are rapidly
expanding areas of Applied Linguistics.
This specialist Masters offers language
professionals the opportunity to build on
their qualifications and knowledge with
modules in:
¢¢
Materials and Course Design
¢¢
Selection and Evaluation of
Instructional Materials
¢¢
Classroom Theory and Practice
¢¢
The Process of Materials Writing
Ideal for home and international teachers,
teacher trainers, (applied) linguists with
teaching experience, English language
teaching (ELT) consultants and materials
writers, the MA TESOL and Materials
Development can be studied part-time or
full-time on our Cambridge campus.
Our MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL
may also be of interest, offering a
combination of the theoretical and
practical aspects of language learning and
teaching, focusing strongly on classroom
application. To find out more, visit:
www.anglia.ac.uk/tesol
Take advantage of our Alumni
Postgraduate Scholarship and save
£1,000 on your Masters course fees.
For more information and to apply,
visit: www.anglia.ac.uk/pgscholarship
WIRED: Discussion
with Sean Bobbitt,
Cinematographer
In December, we were delighted to
welcome Sean Bobbitt to introduce
a full screening of his film Hunger,
discussing the filmmaking process and
talking in detail about specific scenes.
He also talked about his long-standing
collaboration with Steve McQueen.
Sean Bobbitt, BSc is a Texas-born British
cinematographer who began his career as
a news cameraman in the early 1980s
and was nominated for a BAFTA Award
in 2004. In 2008, Sean extended his
collaboration with Steve McQueen through
Hunger, a hard-hitting film about the
Northern Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands.
He won a BIFA and was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award. The pair went on
to make Shame, for which Sean was again
nominated for a BIFA and won the Carlo
Di Palma European Cinematographer
of the Year Award at the European Film
Awards. They collaborated once again
on 12 Years a Slave, which has received
critical acclaim and won Best motion
picture (drama) at the Golden Globes
2014.
Sean recently shot The Place Beyond the
Pines, starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes
and Ray Liotta; Byzantium starring Saoirse
Ronan, Gemma Arterton and Jonny Lee
Miller; and recently concluded five years
of work with Michael Winterbottom
on Everyday. In early 2013, Sean also
completed work on Oldboy, the Spike Leedirected American remake of the 2003
South Korean film.
The WIRED event was attended by Anglia
Ruskin students who were thrilled to be
part of the evening.
MA Film and Television
Production
Applications for our MA Film and
Television Production have increased in
2013–14; this industry-relevant course
is a mix of production and directing,
combining practical experience with
theory. With many of our graduates going
on to forge successful careers in the
creative industries, our courses focus on
the development of skills and knowledge
that are highly valued by this diverse
sector.
For further information on our creative
courses visit www.anglia.ac.uk/creative
or contact Liz Hearmon (liz.hearmon@
anglia.ac.uk).
Exciting programme of
Arts events for Spring/
Summer 2014
If you live locally or are planning to
visit Cambridge, look up our exciting
programme of Arts events for Spring/
Summer 2014. The eclectic line-up
features an array of events across
theatre and dance, music, film and the
visual arts. From children’s theatre to
Shakespeare, classical music concerts
and art exhibitions, there is something for
everyone.
The brochure is available for you to browse
online. To find out more about what’s
on this season and to book tickets visit:
www.anglia.ac.uk/mumfordtheatre or
phone the Box Office on 0845 196 2320
(Monday–Friday, 2.00-5.00pm).
Aspects Spring 2014 21
Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education
Working collaboratively
to improve perioperative
patient safety
Student Innovation Awards
In the summer of 2013 nursing, midwifery
and operating department practice
students were presented with an award
from our University in recognition of their
contribution to improving the patient
experience. Education leads from five
Acute Trusts in Essex presented their
healthcare students to David Humber,
Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of the
Faculty, at a celebration event held at our
Chelmsford campus.
All students were presented with a
certificate and a prize for their motivation
and commitment to improving patient
care. The students were asked to present
innovative ideas to enhance the patient
experience within their local trust; both
faculty staff and Essex NHS trusts were
inspired by the commitment of their
healthcare students who submitted
innovative solutions to everyday clinical
problems.
These proposals were reviewed by Essex
Trusts and 37 individuals and one group
proposal were accepted by their respective
trusts. Some examples of the innovations
include: welcome packs for emergency
patients, antibacterial wipes on food trays
to promote hygiene, the ‘who’s who?’
poster identifying the differing uniforms
worn by healthcare staff, a universal drug
trolley to promote safety in medicines
administration and the development of a
chart explaining clinical observations to
patients. To see a video showcasing some
of the students’ innovations please visit
www.youtube.com/FHSCARU
During October 2013 staff from our
Allied Health and Medicine Department
worked with leading medical organisation,
Covidien, to produce an educational video
that highlights safe patient positioning
in the operating theatres. Staff involved
included Head of Department Sue Lord
and Senior Lecturers Angela Cobbold and
Jenny Al-Hashemi.
Over the years Covidien has worked
in collaboration with many medical
professionals and healthcare organisations
to identify clinical needs and improve safe
patient care. They have designed and
developed leading medical advances such
as pulse oximetry, electrosurgery, surgical
stapling, laparoscopic instrumentation
and embolization devices. Covidien were
approached by the European Operating
Room Nurse Association (EORNA)
to produce the educational patient
positioning video.
The video took place in our Postgraduate
Medical Institute, utilising its purpose
built healthcare facilities to act as the
perfect aesthetic environment. The film
will be launched next year at the EORNA
conference.
Author of the month
Sara Knight, course group leader for workcentred learning in our Department of
Education, was selected as SAGE author
of the month for October 2013. Sara’s
books were featured on the SAGE website
homepage for the month of October,
and featured her published chapter in
Abenteuer, Natur und frühe Bildung (see
the summer 2013 edition of Aspects for
further details).
Sara, a former nursery teacher in main
stream and special education, contributed
to the development of Forest School as
an early years intervention across the UK.
She has published several papers and
three textbooks on this subject, and has
been a keynote speaker at conferences in
the UK, Europe and Canada.
Postgraduate Study
Did you know we now offer the following
Masters courses?
¢¢
MSc Adult Critical Care Nursing
¢¢
MSc Advanced Pre-Hospital Trauma
Care
¢¢
MA Advanced Social Work
¢¢
MA Early Childhood Professional
Studies
¢¢
MBA Educational Leadership and
Management
¢¢
MSc Military Veterans and Family
Studies
¢¢
MCh Orthopaedics
¢¢
MCh Otorhinolaryngology
To find out more please visit
www.anglia.ac.uk/fhsce or to
download our CPD brochure please
visit www.anglia.ac.uk/fhsce/cpd
Student blogs
We have recently launched a student
blogging website which features our
current students giving insight into their
life as a student nurse, midwife, ODP
and trainee teacher. Further information
can be found at:
http://student.blogs.anglia.ac.uk/
If you wish to contribute as a guest
blogger about your time at Anglia Ruskin
University then please contact
jonathan.secker@anglia.ac.uk
22 Aspects Spring 2014
Faculty of Science & Technology
which gained recognition in September
2013, highlighting an important public
benchmark of quality. Recognition assures
both prospective students and employers
that the course provides graduates with a
sound grounding in biology.
Dr Keziah Latham and Dr Peter Allen with
their awards
Fellowship of the College
of Optometrists
Two Vision and Hearing Sciences staff
members have been awarded Fellowship
of the College of Optometrists. Dr Peter
Allen and Dr Keziah Latham were awarded
their Fellowships at the diploma ceremony
on 5th November 2013.
Fellowship is the College of Optometrist’s
highest qualification and is a prestigious
award, based on achievements in the
workplace, as well as success in exams,
and an acknowledgement of commitment
to the profession, experience and
accomplishments.
Animal and Environmental’s
Society of Biology
recognition hat-trick
Anglia Ruskin’s BSc (Hons) Animal
Behaviour and BSc (Hons) Marine Biology
with Biodiversity and Conservation have
gained recognition on the Society of
Biology’s Degree Recognition Scheme.
The courses join BSc (Hons) Zoology,
Dr Andrew Smith, Course Leader in
Life Sciences, said: “Society of Biology
recognition for our Animal Behaviour BSc
and Marine Biology with Biodiversity and
Conservation BSc is excellent news for the
department of Life Sciences, our university
and the team who have developed them
over the years. This latest achievement
means that all three undergraduate
degrees offered by Life Sciences’ Animal
and Environmental Biology course group
have professional recognition, and we are
proud to be able to display this on our
webpages and course documentation.”
Quality of Life Audits in
Great Notley Garden Village
A lecturer from the Department of
Engineering and the Built Environment
is working on a research project that will
audit the quality of life within an Essex
village. In 2003 several major developers
and their advisors suggested that they had
good records of accomplishment in the
planning, designing and building of new
sustainable communities. A decade on
there has been little measurement of these
claimed successes, particularly regarding
quality of life.
Research is important in this area so that
strategies on this growing urban and rural
major development form can be created.
Of the few research projects commenced
a decade ago, one was based in Essex at
a newly evolving precinct – Great Notley
Garden Village, Braintree. Dr Richard
Moore is now undertaking a GSI grant
funded audit of quality of life in Great
Notley. Not only will earlier results be
compared with new findings to see how
the community has evolved, the findings
will help to form guidelines and a checklist
toolkit for future developments of these
communities.
Strengthening links
with Royal Institute
of British Architects
Anglia Ruskin University is now part of the
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Core Continuing Professional Development
(CDP) programme and will host national
events as part of the RIBA network. The
Department of Engineering and Built
Environment already has links with various
professional institutions hosting events at
our university, including CIOB, RICS, CIAT
and RIBA East.
Andrew Claiborne, Course Group Leader
for Architecture and Planning, said: “This
collaboration, following discussions with
RIBA East, is a Department initiative
providing an opportunity to broaden and
reinforce our relations with professional
institutions, local practices, practitioners
and with possible student employers.
The CPD events being offered by the RIBA
Core CPD programme compliment our
own current series of Department CPD
events and is a wonderful opportunity
for publicising our university and our
Department to the professions within our
allied industries.”
Future events in the RIBA Core CPD
programme include seminars on changes
in building regulations, information on
sustainable design and understanding
accessible housing.
Aspects Spring 2014 23
Lord Ashcroft International Business School
Local businesses receive
CEDAR windfall – Anglia
Ruskin enterprise scheme
awards £120,000 to startups in first three years
Three fledgling Cambridgeshire businesses
are starting 2014 with a welcome boost
after receiving funding from our Centre
for Enterprise Development and Research
(CEDAR). Thomod, Nowomics and Ocean
Array Systems impressed the judges in
the final of CEDAR’s Enterprise Fellowship
Scheme and shared £30,000 of funding.
By combining the fun of LEGO with
the practicality of flat-pack furniture,
Thomod is a bespoke, flexible shelving
system (http://www.thomod.com). The
judges awarded Thomas and Alanna
Lawrie-Fussey £12,500 to further
develop their versatile interior design
product.
Nowomics founder Richard Smith
received £10,000 to help grow his
company, which is an online aggregator
of biomedical data to deliver real-time
updates to researchers working in
life sciences (http://nowomics.com/).
Subscribers can follow specific genes,
diseases or keywords for a feed of the
latest papers and data relevant to their
research.
The judges also awarded £7,500 to
Tom Clark and Nicola Pearson of Ocean
Array Systems, which helps developers
of wind, tidal and wave devices to
substantially reduce operational
risk and cost of energy (http://
oceanarraysystems.com/). A fourth
finalist, Oxy-Sens, will receive £5,000
if they can achieve £5,000 of sales by
the end of March.
Funded by a private benefactor
and organised by our Lord Ashcroft
International Business School in
Photo: Neil Randall
CEDAR judges
Cambridge, CEDAR’s Enterprise Fellowship
Scheme has now given away £120,000
to local entrepreneurs since it began in
2011. In addition to financial backing,
successful businesses receive mentoring
support; entry to the CEDAR Enterprise
Fellowship network; specialist training
and development support; access to
Anglia Ruskin’s StartupLab; academic and
business advice from the CEDAR team;
and legal support.
Professor Lester Lloyd-Reason, Director
of CEDAR and member of the judging
panel, said: “This is the third year we have
run the Enterprise Fellowship Scheme,
which has grown and become stronger
each year. In total we have helped 12
Cambridgeshire-based businesses grow
with mentoring support and awarded
£120,000 of funding. In addition to the
businesses that win funding, we assist all
of the finalists with their business ideas
through mentoring and connecting them
to other appropriate funders. We will
continue to help all CEDAR Fellows realise
their business dreams and look forward to
watching their ventures grow.”
Fellow judge Walter Herriot OBE said:
“The 2013 Enterprise Fellowship Scheme
was the strongest yet with some excellent
business ideas and applicants. The judging
panel had extremely difficult decisions to
make on how to use the £35,000 funding
to best help the finalists.”
Business school
competition attracts
young business talent
Talent@ 2014, the annual business talent
challenge for schools and colleges run
by Lord Ashcroft International Business
School, attracted record entrants from
the 400 schools and colleges invited to
take part. Winners share a cash prize
of £1,000 and a further £250 for their
school or charity.
In the grand final on Monday 20th
January in Cambridge, ten teams
competed for the title of Business Talent
2014 and the £1,000 first prize in a series
of interviews and presentations. Students
as young as 14 years old played the role
of marketing consultants advising festival
organisers how to grow the profitability of
their event. ‘Strictly Business’ from Ernulf
Academy, St Neots were the winners,
with Castle Manor in Haverhill taking the
runners-up prize.
The fictional case study was written
by Anglia Ruskin staff and judges
included Robin Chappell, co-owner of
Cambridge-based confectionery business
ChocolatChocolat and independent trainer
and ex-police officer Noel Gray.
Next year’s event is open to schools and
colleges nationally and will be launched in
November 2014. To register your interest
in taking part, either as a contestant,
advisor or judge, email
laibs-talent@anglia.ac.uk
24 Aspects Spring 2014
Regional News
College of West Anglia
The project should be completed by summer 2015 and will create
a new 140,035m2 teaching centre with state-of-the-art teaching
and IT facilities for a range of curriculum areas, including health
and social care, hair and beauty and uniformed services. It will also
include a new main entrance and reception area and a complete
refurbishment of the existing A and B buildings, with the expansion
of the restaurant, social areas and learning resource centre.
The government money will allow the college to cater for
several hundred additional students and apprentices, and this
announcement marks a terrific 2013 for the Isle campus, which
has seen the completion of its new £7.2m technology centre and
another £440,000 invested in new kitchens, changing rooms
and carpentry area.
CWA receives government funding
for new teaching centre
The College of West Anglia is to receive £4.6m from the government
towards funding a £5.5m project to build a new teaching centre and
refurbish existing buildings at its Isle campus in Wisbech.
Principal David Pomfret said, “This is fantastic news for the
college, Wisbech and the Fenland area. Following the completion
of our new technology centre last April and further improvements
in the summer, this funding will allow us to complete the
transformation of the campus and provide some excellent
educational and training facilities for Fenland”.
University Centre Peterborough
It’s never too soon to go to university!
University Centre Peterborough (UCP) was buzzing with over
seventy 7 to 14 year-old school children from Peterborough and
the surrounding areas last November. They came to take part in
workshops and activities organised by UCP and Peterborough
Regional College (PRC) as part of the Peterborough Children’s
University.
The Children’s University is a national project that recognises
the achievements of young people who take part in high-quality
out-of-hours learning activities. UCP, PRC and Anglia Ruskin
joined forces to provide some fascinating interactive workshops.
In the Dragon’s Sock activity (like Dragon’s Den) students worked
in pairs or teams and were asked to come up with products
using a sock. Their task was to plan their product, identify target
audience, identify costs, etc. and then pitch the idea to two
judges (UCP staff). Another session was Roving Reporters, where
students became journals tasked with writing a news story on the
other activities.
An enjoyable time was had by all the students who attended,
and Kelly Joiner, Year 6 Teaching Assistant from Orton Wistow
Primary School, said, “Thank you for organising such a wellthought-out and smoothly operated event. Feedback from both
my own children and pupils from school has been nothing but
glowing. I was particularly impressed by the enthusiasm and
vigour shown by your staff in delivering the sessions. We will be
banging down the door for the next event you run, so be prepared
for an invasion of Orton Wistow Primary school children!”
Aspects Spring 2014 25
Sports Report
This has been a busy year for our sport
clubs and one that looks to finish with
some trophies. We have 24 teams across
nine different sports and there have been
plenty of wins for Anglia Ruskin.
Women’s Badminton started their season
in winning fashion and they haven’t looked
back since, currently sitting top of their
league and on course to win the league
and promotion.
It has also been a promising season
for our Men’s Football teams with the
first teams from both Chelmsford and
Cambridge top of their respective leagues.
The second and third teams have also had
good results and are chasing promotion at
the end of the season.
There have been plenty of wins in
Mildmay Sports Centre for the home
teams, with Netball first team top of their
league and Basketball looking strong in
their first season of BUCS. Basketball
aren’t the only team to make their debut in
BUCS this year. Our Chelmsford campus
has seen a big increase in the number
of teams competing in BUCS with a new
2nd Netball and Men’s Football team.
Chelmsford Cricket have also completed
their first indoor BUCS season and are
currently preparing for the outdoor season.
Our teams and clubs have also had
success in other competitions. This year,
Men’s Volleyball entered the Student
Cup and qualified for the national finals
weekend, where only the top 16 teams
qualified. The Judo Club have continued
to have a strong year with a particular
highlight being Matt Kavanagh (2nd year
Law student and Anglia Ruskin Sports
Scholar) becoming the 2013 British Junior
Judo Champion at u81kg.
As we move to the business end of the
season, we hope our teams will continue
with their success and end the season
on a high. If you would like to come and
Active Anglia members of the Football, Netball and Rugby Clubs line up in their new kit
support our teams, matches take place
on Wednesdays and you can find all the
fixtures and results online at
www.anglia.ac.uk/sportsclubs.
Alternatively, follow all the action on
twitter, #ARUmatchday.
As well as our teams having a successful
campaign, our clubs have grown in size
with a total of over 700 members joining
our 23 clubs. This year has also seen the
start of our new three-year kit deal with
Tusk Teamwear for all our teams and club
members. If you want to check out and
buy the new club kit, visit;
www.rhino-teamwear.com/aru
Upcoming Events
We have our 5th Annual Varsity
competition on Wednesday 30th April,
held in Cambridge this year. Varsity is
between the campuses in rugby, football,
netball, cricket, badminton, basketball
and cheerleading. This year’s event will
also include a Peterborough Netball and
Football team.
Cambridge have won the last 4 varsity
competitions and this year Chelmsford
are determined to cause an upset and
win bragging rights over Cambridge. More
information can be found on the Students’
Union website:
http://www.angliastudent.com/sport/
varsity/
We also have our long standing and
traditional ‘old boys and girls’ events
taking place in Cambridge and Chelmsford
which is a great opportunity to catch up
with old friends and a chance for the
alumni to show the current students that
they still have their sporting prowess! In
Cambridge the Anglia Cup tournament
is in its 20th year and the team which
originally founded the tournament are still
returning to play. The event dates are:
Chelmsford – Saturday 5th April 2014
and Cambridge – Sunday 11th May 2014.
More information can be found on the
Students’ Union website:
https://www.angliastudent.com/sport/
26 Aspects Spring 2014
Global Sustainability Institute
Why getting your
book published can
be depressing
Few topics are debated or researched
today without the generous use of
statistics. Which statistics get selected,
and what the basis of them is, is therefore
crucial in many fields. The Global
Sustainability Institute (GSI) at Anglia
Ruskin University is an interdisciplinary
research centre, including within its scope
a hard look at data in both economics
and environmental science, each a
hugely controversial area and even more
controversial when put together.
Fortunately, however, some of the
necessary work has already been done.
The Institute’s Visiting Professor, Victor
Anderson, addressed some of the relevant
issues on sustainability and the world
economy more than 20 years ago, and
wrote a book, Alternative Economic
Indicators, which was published by
Routledge in 1991. Now the publishers
have surprised the author (and his
colleagues) by re-publishing the book,
with no amendments or revisions, 22
years later, in a series called Routledge
Revivals. The series puts back into print
some of Routledge’s more famous books
and authors, but they have also found
room on their list for Alternative Economic
Indicators, on the grounds that its analysis
of economic, social, and environmental
statistics is still relevant to current debate.
The book started out from a review of
arguments about economic growth and
whether it can or can’t be sustainable
in the long run, including the discussion
in the famous 1972 study The Limits
to Growth, and it then examines the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics
which underlie ‘growth’. For economists,
‘economic growth’ means an increase in
GDP, which measures the total money
value of everything produced in a country
in one year. The book then sets out a
Professor Victor Anderson
series of arguments for not placing too
much reliance on this figure, principally
on the grounds that it does not take
into account the environmental costs of
economic activity, and doesn’t measure
improvements in social conditions
adequately either. Alternative Economic
Indicators then discusses possible
alternatives to a focus on GDP, looking
at proposals to amend or adjust GDP in
various ways, and then at a range of social
and environmental indicators, which it
concludes give a better indication of social
development and its future sustainability
(or lack of it) than GDP growth figures do.
Professor Anderson gained some
publicity recently for saying he found the
republication of his book ‘depressing’,
because it showed how little this subject
had moved on since 1991. The book is
still relevant at a time when it ought to
have been rendered out-of-date through
changes by economists, governments,
and journalists taking on board the
problems about GDP and perhaps some
of the recommendations of the book, or
improvements on them. However, GDP
figures unfortunately still rule economic
debate and decision-making.
For the Global Sustainability Institute,
however, the book has a new use as a
contribution to one of its current main
projects, which also takes as its starting
point, just as Alternative Economic
Indicators did, a critical look at the 1972
‘Limits to Growth’ analysis. A group at GSI
is revisiting the computer model which
was the basis for that influential study,
seeing what the future outlook looks like
now with updated figures, looking in detail
at the basis of the statistics which were
used, and developing a much fuller new
model of their own. Whilst researchers’
reading lists have the 1972 study at the
top, Alternative Economic Indicators is
second.
Dr Aled Jones
Director, Global Sustainability Institute
Aspects Spring 2014 27
International News
Blast from the past: Greek
law alumni relive their
Chelmsford student days
theatre and law library within the Marconi
building. We are happy to report that all
these alumni are now practicing in law
and we would very much like to thank
them for joining us back on campus to
relive their happy memories.
To read the Anglia Law School 50th
anniversary brochure go to the news and
events section of www.anglia.ac.uk/law
Please contact us if you and your former
course mates would like to arrange a
return visit to Anglia Ruskin University.
Last November we were delighted
to welcome back to Chelmsford five
Greek alumni and their partners.
Organised and attended by our Greek
Alumni Ambassador, Dimitrios Beis,
he was joined by fellow course mates
Charalambos Darras, Constantinos
Karachalios, Constantinos Kaiafas,
Vasiliki Pappou, who studied law and
business at Anglia Ruskin between 1996
and 2002.
The group had planned the return visit
to their ‘beloved’ Anglia Ruskin for over
a year and during their afternoon back
on campus we were able to provide
a nostalgic tour of the library allowing
them to relive those late nights of essay
writing. There was also a visit to their
accommodation in Ransomes Way, before
re-introducing them to one of their law
tutors, Michelle McCanna, for a tour of
the updated Anglia Law School which
included the practice court rooms, lecture
Thai Alumni share
their experiences
Law Firm in Bodrum, which provides
consultancy and advocacy in all aspects
of civil litigation, representing individuals,
consumers and business owners.
Yelda provides a point of contact in Turkey
for all alumni, prospective students and
Anglia Ruskin staff, and is very much
looking forward to hearing from you. If
you are based in Turkey or intend to travel
there, please get in touch with Yelda and
say hello!
Two of our Thai alumni, Tuk Chansamut
(MSc International Logistics) and Adisorn
Thamrongsuttiphan (MA International
Business), shared their experience of
studying at Anglia Ruskin University with
our student recruitment partners at a recent
event in Bangkok. Both Tuk and Adisorn
are now working in management positions
in their respective family businesses.
New Alumni Ambassador
for Turkey
We are delighted to announce that we have
a new International Alumni Ambassador
for Turkey and would like to introduce
Yelda Celebi. Yelda graduated in LLB Law
(Hons) in 2006 and now runs the Celebi
Want to be an Anglia
Ruskin University
Alumni Ambassador
for your Country?
We would like to expand our Ambassador
Network to cover as many countries as
possible, so are looking for successful
alumni who would be willing to take on
this voluntary role. Our Ambassadors will
help host events for fellow alumni, serve
as contact points for students in their area
interested in Anglia Ruskin and assist
Anglia Ruskin academic staff and students
travelling or studying abroad.
So, if there is not an Ambassador in your
country and you would like to volunteer,
please email us at alumni@anglia.ac.uk
28 Aspects Spring 2014
Research
co-publication with Dr Tracy Lau (Hong
Kong Baptist University).
¢¢
Professor Rupert Bourne (Professor
of Ophthalmology, Vision and Eye
Research Unit) is the lead on the
largest ever analysis of worldwide
vision impairment and blindness data
which has been published in The
Lancet Global Health journal.
¢¢
Dr Richard Moore (Senior Lecturer,
Department of Engineering and the
Built Environment) is carrying out new
research into planning, designing and
building sustainable communities.
Dr Patrick Geoghegan
The Dr Patrick Geoghegan Health &
Welbeing Academy – a joint initiative
between South Essex Partnership
University NHS Trust (SEPT) and our
Postgraduate Medical Institute – was
launched in October. The role of the
academy is to bring together teams
of researchers who are committed to
practical, real-world research into health
and wellbeing that will provide information
and influence clinical practice and policy
at a local, national and international level.
Esther Rantzen CBE, Patron of the
Academy, said, “It’s a brilliant idea having
all these skills and resources under one
roof, devoted to researching ways to make
people better, sooner and more effectively,
and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Below is a taster of some of our many
research projects.
¢¢
Professor Dave Hill (Research
Professor of Education) has visited
Hong Kong and Australia as a
consultant of part of a major research
bid for the Australian Government
and whilst overseas he also took part
in a research seminar, presenting a
paper, and is undertaking a co-writing/
¢¢
Professor Stephen Moore (Professor
of Healthcare Policy) is leading
on a collaborative project with
Cambridgeshire County Council to
examine to what extent children are
aware of their human rights. The
project involves working with young
people to understand precisely what
they know about their rights. The
research team in Cambridgeshire is
part of a wider European network
which involves partners in Romania,
Spain, Italy, Belgium and Portugal,
including Save the Children.
¢¢
Dr Robert Walker, Professor Kevin
Cheah, Professor Paul Ingle and
Dr Rajshree Mootanah (Medical
Engineering Research Group (MERG))
are conducting a number of externally
funded research projects to help
combat osteoarthritis. Their computer
simulation study to investigate the
performance of a relatively new surgical
technique called the autologous
cartilage implantation has led to
some recommendations in the way
rehabilitation should be carried out
following the procedure.
¢¢
Dr Nancy Harrison (Senior Lecturer,
Life Sciences) is part of the Anglia
Ruskin team leading research with
the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology,
examining breeding pairs of blue tits
and great tits in Cambridgeshire. The
scientists discovered that birds breeding
in urban areas are better able to cope
during unusually cold or wet weather
because they are less reliant on feeding
their chicks from a single food source.
Over the 10-year period of the study
birds living in the traditional woodland
habitat fares significantly better and
produced larger and healthier broods
than their city cousins. However, if
extreme weather events become more
commonplace due to the effects of
climate change, birds living in urban
environments may have the advantage.
¢¢
Dr Jane Aspell (Senior Lecturer in
Psychology) and Dr Lukas Heydrich
(Olaf Blanke’s lab, Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology in Lausanne)
have carried out research which could
lead to new forms of treatment for
people with self-perception disorders,
including anorexia. They have generated
an out-of-body experience through the
visual projection of human heartbeats
and the research is the first to show that
information about the internal state of
the body – in this case the heartbeat
– can be used to change how people
experience their own body and self.
Fitted with the head mounted display,
the real self is allowed to see their own
‘virtual’ body standing two metres in
front of them.
Aspects Spring 2014 29
Staff Snippets
of Seoul (South Korea) in its delivery of
a highly interdisciplinary programme of
Globalisation and Multicultural Society.
Staff Publications:
Dr Aled Jones (Director, Global
Sustainability Institute) co-authored a
major report exploring investment and
growth in India – Capital Markets and
Sustainability: A baseline evaluation of
the Indian Context.
With 5 million people with cataract
blindness in mainland China and a further
half million cases developing every year,
this condition is a significant public health
issue in the developing world. Professor
Madhaven Rajan (Vision & Eye Research
Unit (VERU) is also Lead Consultant
Ophthalmologist in the Cataract and
Cornea Service at Addenbrooke’s Hospital
and recently accepted an invitation from
Lifeline Express, as part of the visiting
consultant programme, to visit the
first-ever Eye-Train in China. Each train
is custom built and equipped with the
latest medical equipment and eye care
technology enabling 13,000 cataract
patients a year to be cured.
Dr Peter Allen (Head of Visual Function &
Physiology Research Group) was awarded
one of the most prestigious honours in UK
optics research when presented with the
Neil Charman medal for Research at the
College of Optometrists’ annual Diploma
Ceremony. Dr Allen was also awarded
Fellowship, along with Dr Keziah Latham.
Liam Kite (Course Leader/Admissions
Tutor, Ophthalmic Dispensing), was named
Lecturer of the Year at the same ceremony.
Dr Francine Hughes (Reader in Animal
and Environmental Biology, Department of
Life Sciences), was invited to be a keynote
speaker, opening the UNESCO Institute for
Water Education annual conference. Her
lecture was on ‘The Restoration of Flood
Plain Forests in Europe’.
Dr Simon Payne (Senior Lecturer,
Communication, Film & Media), had his
film Cut Out screened as part of the 57th
BFI London Film Festival.
Dr Mary Joannou (Professor of Literary
History), was headline speaker at the
Festival of Englishness organised by the
Institute of Public Policy Research. Her
topic was ‘Are women’s voices being heard
in the debates on Englishness and in the
forthcoming Scottish national referendum?’
Sara Knight (Course Group Leader for
Work-Centred Learning, Department of
Education), was selected as SAGE author
of the month for October, with her books
featuring on their website homepage for
the month.
Dr Sebastian Rasinger (Principal Lecturer,
Applied Linguistics/Course Leader, MA
Applied Linguistics and TESOL), was
recently re-elected to the executive
committee of the British Association for
Applied Linguistics (BAAL).
Guido Rings (Professor of Postcolonial
Studies), was awarded a prestigious
visiting professorship to join the University
Professor Stephen Bustin (Allied
Health & Medicine) led an international
team of experts in a publication that
appeared in the November 2013 issue
of Nature Methods, entitled ‘the need for
transparency and good practices in the
qPCR literature.’
The Crimson Shadow, the latest book by
Dr Una McCormack (Lecturer, Creative
Writing) in her series of Star Trek novels,
has broken into the top 20 New York
Times paperback fiction bestseller list.
The latest book from Dr Jonathan Smith
(Senior Lecturer, LAIBS), Leadership
Resilience: Lessons for Leaders from the
Policing Frontline was jointly written with
Dr Ginger Charles, who until recently was
a police officer in the Colorado Police.
Toby Venebles, Lecturer in Film Studies
and one of our alumni, released his latest
novel last October titled Knight of Shadows.
Sue Miller (Senior Lecturer, Music/Course
Leader, Popular Music) published a book
on Cuban Flute Style: Interpretation and
Improvisation.
Dr Kevin Roe (Senior Lecturer/HRM
Pathway Leader) has written a book on
Leadership: Practice and Perspectives
outlining some basic approaches to
leadership along with more contemporary
theories.
30 Aspects Spring 2014
Our student successes
Dr Who audio drama graphic
Print by Suzanne Earl
Anglia Ruskin’s Men’s Judo Team
A brand-new Dr Who audio drama – One
Fine Time Lord – produced and edited
by our students, raised over £78,000
for Children in Need. It was released on
the Dr Who Online website and during
November was downloaded over 270,000
times, with fans encouraged to donate to
Children in Need at the same time. The
hour-long drama was written and directed
by former BBC director and current
series producer of Doctor Who Online
Adventures, Brendan Sheppard. The piece
was produced by Kim Bates (2nd year,
Film & Production) and edited by Jared
Lucas (3rd year Audio Music Technology).
Students Catharine Pereira and James
Amey landed two of the roles.
Alex Mellanby, an MA Creative Writing
student, has released his first novel –
Tregarthur’s Promise. The story is aimed
at 11–14 year olds, and starts with a
school hike on Dartmoor that is subverted
by the eponymous Miss Tregarthur into
a mixture of disease, death and other
disasters. www.tregarthurseries.com
Sporting success
Third-year Fine Art student Suzanne
Earl has had her work accepted for an
international student printmaking show at
El Minia University in Egypt, later touring
to the Opera Art Gallery in Cairo. The
show provides an excellent opportunity
for international artistic exposure and
interaction among talented printmaking
students from all over the world.
Participating works will be on display
for 12 months.
Anglia Ruskin Illustration artists swept the
board at the prestigious 2013 MacMillan
Prize for Children’s Book Illustration. In
its 28th year, the Macmillan Prize was
established to nurture new talent and
in 2013 attracted 350 entries from UK
students.
¢¢
Jules Bentley won 1st prize and a
cheque for £1,000 for Monsieur Kibble
Gets a Big Surprise
¢¢
Lara Robinson (recent graduate) took
2nd place for Flora Grows a Problem
¢¢
Wen Dee Tan was awarded 3rd place
for Lili
¢¢
Alex Prewett completed the clean
sweep by winning the Lara Jones
Award, which focuses on books for
babies or very young children, receiving
a cheque for £500 for I’m a …
Two of our Sports Scholars have been
celebrating. James Shane, studying
Primary Education, is the current British
Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS)
1500m champion and has secured ‘podium
potential’ funding from UK sport for the
2013–14 season. Podium potential is one
of two funding groups that make up the
British Athletics World Class Performance
Programme and for this level of funding to
be awarded athletes must have proved their
potential to win a medal in Tokyo in 2020.
Matthew Salisbury, final year Sports
Science student, has secured a two-year
contract with Essex County Cricket Club.
Our Anglia Ruskin Judo Team enjoyed
success at the 2013 Living Sport Awards
in November, taking home the Team of
the Year award. The award was given
in recognition of our team’s sporting
accomplishments over the last five years,
the most notable of which was last
February when our Men’s Judo Team won
the BUCS Judo Championships for the
third successive year.
Aspects Spring 2014 31
Benefits and
services for you
Alumni Memorabilia
Did you know that all members of our
Alumni Network are eligible to receive
discounts on a range of products and
services?
In addition to our University crest pin badge – which can be worn
either on your lapel or as a tie pin – we now have available two other
branded Anglia Ruskin University alumni memorabilia.
For example, you can use our special
discount codes for days out, such as The
Merlin Entertainment Group. Here you
can get reduced prices for 31 attractions
across the UK, including Alton Towers,
Sea Life centres or Warwick Castle.
Our smart business card holder is in brushed stainless steel and we also have a 4GB
USB memory stick, both carrying your University crest.
To purchase these items please visit our online store https://store.anglia.ac.uk/
and search under the Product Catalogue for Alumni Merchandise. Alternatively,
visit us in person in the Development & Alumni Office on the Rivermead Campus
in Chelmsford.
Price in person
Or perhaps you would like to take
advantage of discounts at restaurants and
hotels. You can enjoy huge restaurant
savings at over 6,000 restaurants
throughout the UK and Ireland with a 2
month trial membership to the Gourmet
Society. Receive 2-for-1 meals, 50% off
food or 25% off food and drink at any of
the participating venues, allowing you to
dine and save all year round.
Price inc postage
UKOverseas
University crest pin badge
£3.00
£4.00
£5.00
Business card holder
£8.00
£9.00
£10.00
4GB USB memory stick
£6.00
£6.00
£8.00
In addition, at graduations in 2013 Eva & Eva provided official Anglia Ruskin
University graduation rings, cufflinks and charms, which proved very popular.
A lasting gift to commemorate your graduation and your time at the University, all of
the rings are custom-made for you in your choice of metal and can be personalised
to feature your year, degree initials and inside engraving of your choice.
For more information, please visit www.evalondon.com/anglia or call +44 (0)207
148 7060. Prices start at £30 for charms, £65 for cufflinks and £59 for rings.
You may also wish to view
SpeckyFourEyes.com, the UK’s fastest
growing retailer of prescription glasses
online, founded by an alumnus of Anglia
Ruskin University.
In house, there are discounts at our
Anglia Ruskin gyms and reduced library
membership. And did you know that our
Employability Service offers free career
advice?
To find out more visit: www.anglia.ac.uk/
alumni and click on the Benefits and
Services tab
ALUMNI RINGS
CUFFLINKS
CHARMS
E VA L O N D O N . C O M / A N G L I A
+44 (0)20 7148 7060
32 Aspects Spring 2014
Last Words
Welcome to the spring issue of Aspects.
You may have noticed that this has arrived
a bit later than usual. This is because
we have changed the magazine timings
slightly to fit in better with our university
year and the schedule of when we are
sending out our e-newsletter.
We’ve had a few staff changes over the
last few months and it’s always exciting
when new team members join us as they
bring a new perspective and fresh ideas.
We’d also like to hear from YOU about
what you’d like to see in your magazine
and what you’d like from your Alumni
Network, so please email us with your
thoughts and ideas.
It’s been a very busy seven months
since the last issue, when I spoke about
imminent graduation ceremonies, a new
batch of Honorary Award holders to
welcome and an annual fund telethon
to run. All this has now taken place –
we’ve run very successful graduation
ceremonies, which are always a wonderful
celebratory experience, not only for
graduates, their families and guests,
but also for the staff who have taught
the graduates. As well as ceremonies
in Chelmsford and Cambridge, this year
we also ran a ceremony in Peterborough
for the first time. In total we put on 19
ceremonies with over 16,200 graduates
and guests attending, and also welcomed
15 new Honorary Award holders into the
Anglia Ruskin family (article page 16). Our
telethon was run over three weeks and we
were delighted that our student callers had
the opportunity to speak with so many of
our past students – all really enjoyed the
experience and the students were able
to have some great conversations about
their future careers. In addition, it gave
us the chance to update graduate details,
essential when trying to provide a first rate
service to our alumni.
Planning for 2014 is now well under
way – including for graduations which are
not until October. One of the new things
we are introducing is the opportunity for
alumni to come back onto campus for a
tour. We are still ironing out the details
on this, including the dates to be offered,
but when finalised we will publish all the
information in the e-newsletter, online and
on our Facebook page. Which leads nicely
into my usual request for you to keep
us up-to-date with your preferred email
so that we can ensure you do receive
information on events and opportunities.
Sue Jacobs
Head of Development & Alumni Relations
Development:
Erin Butcher, Ibbie Omideyi
and Neil Summers
I hope to hear from you soon and will
hopefully see some of your on a campus
tour later in the year.
Graduations:
June Petrie and
Nicola McLaren
Alumni Relations: David Abbott,
Maria Mansfield
and Sharon Wuyts
Contact us:
Post:
Development & Alumni Office, Anglia Ruskin University, Bishop Hall Lane, Chelmsford CM1 1SQ, UK
Tel:
UK – 0845 196 4708 (Alumni)/4715 (Development)
International – +44 (0)1245 493131 ext 4708 (Alumni)/4715 (Development)
Fax:
+44 (0)1245 683690
Email:
alumni@anglia.ac.uk (alumni) or giving@anglia.ac.uk (Development)
Website:
www.anglia.ac.uk/alumni, www.anglia.ac.uk/makingadifference, www.anglia.ac.uk/honoraries
Alumni Directory:http://anglia.aluminate.net
Social networking: Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn
Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily
reflect the views of Anglia Ruskin University or the Editor.
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