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Career Advancement at FX Plus

January 21, 2022

Falmouth Exeter Plus is supporting a change of career direction for Estates team member Charlotte Putnam.

Charlotte, who has been working for Falmouth Exeter Plus since 2018, said the whole move was inspired by working on her grandmother’s home.

She explained: “My grandmother left her property to us and it needed quite a lot of renovation so I did a weekend course in plumbing. I had always wanted to do something like this and the course made me even more keen.”

Charlotte, who had been working with the Estates Helpdesk team, knew she would need a lot more training to realise her aims. She requested and is now a Junior Engineer on the Plant team and recently started a four-year Mechatronics course studying for an Engineering Technician Diploma.

“FX Plus has provided me with the opportunity to do this,” she added. “The fact they are really keen on training their own people makes you feel valued.”

Chris Piper, Head of Estates Operations and Charlotte’s manager, said: “When Charlotte approached me this seemed to be an ideal opportunity to support her in her chosen career path and for Falmouth Exeter Plus to benefit from her skills and enthusiasm. This training package also supports the national drive by WISE.”

WISE aims to support more women to be successful in the UK’s scientific, technology and engineering (STEM) workforce.

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

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Excellence Awards

November 23, 2021

Falmouth Exeter Plus has scooped five of the ten in this year’s Falmouth University Staff Excellence Awards.

Paula Sanderson, Falmouth Exeter Plus Managing Director, said: “Congratulations to all Falmouth and Falmouth Exeter Plus winners. These awards are a testament to the continued hard work everyone is putting in to ensure students and other campus users receive a top quality service even during a global pandemic. It’s great that so many individuals and teams from Falmouth Exeter Plus have been recognised for their part in this.”

The Falmouth Exeter Plus winners are:

Collaborative Working:

ATS Cleaning Team

  • Lauren Bowers – Casual General Assistant: Cleaning
  • Melissa Hall – Cleaner
  • Liam Jarvis – Cleaner

When the Asymptomatic Testing Site centre was established at Penryn campus, Lauren, Melissa and Liam took on the challenge of ensuring an efficient and effective cleaning operation. This meant changing shifts, undertaking additional training and putting the health and wellbeing of others before their own. For six months, the team worked hard to ensure that students and staff could be tested safely.

Raising Service Standards:

IT Services Customer Service Excellence Team

  • Chris Accleton-Pennell – Software Development Engineer
  • Natasha Davey – Service Desk Technician
  • Gary Egan – Operations Manager (Launchpad)
  • Gemma Prisk – Service Excellence Manager
  • Mark Rosevear – Platform Engineer
  • Emily Stanbury – IT Project Manager
  • Lewis Williams – Network Engineer
  • Azhlee Wonnacott – Estates Helpdesk Assets & Data Co-ordinator

The IT Services Customer Service Excellence Team was established to embed service excellence across the department, and in May 2021, it was officially accredited as meeting the Cabinet Office backed ‘Customer Service Excellence’ standard. The team has raised the bar on service standards and taken a leap forward in the way it engages customers, helping to create a culture of continual service improvement.

Business Improvement:

Cornwall Plus Team

  • Marc Chadburn – Events Officer
  • Debbie Lilly – Sales & Marketing Manager
  • Roschen Pharo – Halls Officer (Reception)
  • Lorna Sullivan – Head of Operations (Events, Conferences & Summer Accommodation)
  • Sam Woods – Senior Operations Manager (Maternity Cover)

Following the implementation of a revised strategy, the Cornwall Plus Team had a record-breaking year in terms of sales – smashing targets to exceed £1m in income over the summer. Improved customer management helped the team to win gold in the Cornwall Tourism Awards’ ‘International’ category, and efficiency savings across the service resulted in a significant increase in the profit margin per room.

Supporting staff and student mental health & wellbeing:

Staff Wellbeing Drop-in Sessions Team (a mix of organisations including our own Becky Nesbitt).

  • Tom Ingate – Senior Lecturer: BA Press & Editorial Photography
  • Clare Manser – Partnership Wellbeing Programme Lead
  • Rebecca Nesbitt – Coordinating Chaplain

A collaboration with the mental health of staff at its heart, the staff wellbeing drop-in sessions were introduced to give staff a safe and friendly place to talk and be part of a community at a time when the pandemic had taken away the possibility of meeting in person. The team organising the sessions responded flexibly to meet the needs of those joining and made attendees feel heard and connected.

Going the Extra Mile:

Security & Night Services Team 

  • Misbah Abrahamjee – Security Team Supervisor
  • Cameron Brown – Night Services Officer
  • Nick Brown – Night Services Officer
  • Lois Craze – Customer Services Supervisor
  • Max Davidson – Night Services Officer
  • Richard Eddy – Post Room Officer
  • Liam Fairley – Casual Security Officer
  • Jess Goulding – Customer Services Manager
  • Ellie Grey – Night Services Manager
  • Daniel Hawkey – Security Operations Manager
  • Eddy Heffer – Campus Patrol Officer – Dedicated Days
  • Zoe Jenkins – Deputy Night Services Manager
  • Dean Jennison – Night Services Officer
  • Kyren Kennedy – Night Services Officer
  • Paddy Layland – Security Support Officer
  • Stewart Ledbury – Campus Patrol Officer
  • James Lowe – Deputy Night Services Manager
  • Lee Mitchell – Night Services Officer
  • Stephen Newton – Night Services Officer
  • Helen Olver – Night Services Officer
  • Tom Pascoe – Campus Patrol Officer
  • Claudio Pavan – Security Support Officer
  • Graham Phillips – Night Services Officer
  • Ryan Pill – Campus Patrol Officer
  • Nick Richards – Night Services Officer
  • Stephen Templeton – Campus Patrol Officer – Dedicated Days
  • Carl White – Night Services Officer​​​​​

The Security & Night Services Teams continued to support the campus operation during the pandemic and worked together under challenging circumstances to ensure the safety and security of campus users in line with Government guidelines. The teams also took on a range of additional duties to ensure that everything ran smoothly, including assisting the Estates team and delivering post and IT equipment to staff who were working from home.

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

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Cornwall Plus Finalist in Tourism Awards

May 18, 2021

Cornwall Plus is a Finalist in the Cornwall Tourism Awards 2021 for the International Experience category, a fantastic achievement especially in these challenging times. The team is honoured to be chosen and is looking forward to the Awards Ceremony on Thursday 25 February when the final results will be announced.

The team has fostered effective international relations by actively participating in international and global travel trade fairs to network and better understand international markets and the cultural needs of visitors, to bring summer language schools and special interest groups to Cornwall.

Last year, Cornwall Plus gained the ‘We’re Good to Go’ Industry Standard by VisitEngland and achieved a Silver award in the Green Tourism Accreditation Scheme which acknowledges their commitment to being responsible, ethical and sustainable. This assessment recognises the positive action taken to reduce the impact of Cornwall Plus on the environment and the accessible and inclusive measures taken to support visitors and staff.

There have been recent enhancements to the Cornwall Plus team, with a strengthening of the service following amalgamation with the Universities’ Events team and the appointment of Lorna Sullivan to the new position of Head of Operations (Events, Conferences & Summer Accommodation). We wish Lorna, the very best of luck in her new role.

The team is delighted to welcome guests back this summer and room bookings will be open very soon.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media for updates – InstagramFacebook and Twitter.

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

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Biodiversity Day 21

May 6, 2021

Saturday 21 May is #BiodiversityDay. Our Grounds Team works hard to encourage biodiversity on our beautiful campuses. We have bee hotels, plant bee friendly plants, leave areas unmown and seed with wildflowers, leave some dead trees in situ so creatures can make them their homes and more. Recent new planting has included herb and daisy beds outside The Exchange and herb and flower beds near The Stannary.

Wildflowers encourage more insects which, in turn, support more birds and bats. We have seven species of bat on campus, including pipistrelle, long eared and horseshoe and they regularly feed on insects in the wildflower areas around Glasney Village (the student and holiday accommodation).

FX Plus Head Gardener Toby Nenning said: “Wildflowers are really important. We cut down some areas to provide more usable spaces for students, and employees and sometimes it’s for safety – for instance, making sure visibility is clear for vehicles. But we are keen to balance this with wilder areas. Sometimes these spots look overgrown but are actually full of campions, ox-eye daisy, early purple orchid, marsh orchid, field forget-me-not, viper’s bugloss, corn marigold, ragged robin, poppies, teasel and much more.”

It’s a good time of year for wildflowers so why not take time to walk round Penryn Campus, get some fresh air, relax and enjoy…

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

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Hedgehog Bronze Award for our Campuses

February 23, 2021

We’re celebrating Penryn and Falmouth campuses achieving the bronze award with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) Hedgehog Friendly Campus program.

The Hedgehog Friendly Campus project is a UK-wide initiative which aims to turn university campuses into places where hedgehogs can thrive.

Oliver Milliner is Head of Sustainability for FX Plus, the organisation that looks after services shared between Falmouth University and the University of Exeter at Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

He said: “We’re really pleased to win this bronze award, particularly since we have been working to achieve this through a year of Covid-19 restrictions. We hope to move up to silver or even gold next year.”

“Staff and students have an opportunity to play an active role in what we do so if any of you are interested, please contact me at sustainability@fxplus.ac.uk – everyone’s welcome!”

To earn the bronze award, the FX Plus Sustainability and Grounds teams worked together on a series of initiatives that help to protect and support hedgehog life on campus. Some of these include:  

  • Running training sessions for the grounds team and staff on how to feed and support hedgehogs as well as what to do if we ever find an injured hedgehog on campus.
  • Putting up signage and stickers on potentially harmful grounds equipment and information around campus to ensure we check for hedgehogs before trimming bushes etc.
  • Leaving areas across campus for wildflower and growth – hedgehogs love these as they can hide there!
  • Running awareness and information events and seminars for staff and students.
  • Running surveys on campus to assess where hedgehogs are mainly located. This involves setting up small shelters with ink by the entrance to detect hedgehog footprints.

Click this link for more information about the BHPS

To achieve silver, teams need to complete at least seven activities from the BHPS toolkit. Silver focuses much more on putting knowledge of hedgehogs and how to help them into practice on campus. To achieve Gold, teams need to focus on actions that leave a legacy for hedgehogs on campus – real, long-lasting impacts.

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

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Cornwall Plus crowned Gold at Cornwall Tourism Awards 2020-21

February 23, 2021

Cornwall Plus has been honoured with a Gold award, for the International category at the Cornwall Tourism Awards 2020-21.

The Cornwall Tourism Awards a hallmark of quality in the Cornish tourism and hospitality industry, held the annual ceremony online on 25 February, supported by headline sponsor Quality in Tourism. Entrants were judged on their entry submission, digital presence, reviews and external evidence.

Director of Commercial Operations, FX Plus, Lee Hallam said: “Thank you to the Cornwall Tourism Awards Event organisers for this recognition, and to all FX Plus teams for their involvement, hard work and commitment in delivering summer accommodation for groups and holiday-makers. This accolade will help our summer business grow and we are very proud to achieve this award.”

Awards organiser Robin Barker of Services for Tourism said: “It would have been very easy to cancel the Awards this year – we did think long and hard about it, but the level of early entries we received in spite of everything, and the creativity and determination shown by entrants inspired us to find a way to make this happen – and your responses and feedback ever since have completely blown us away. The reactions from today’s winners including words such as ‘overwhelmed’, ‘heartwarming’ and ‘moments of sparkle’ have made it all worthwhile.”

The Cornwall Plus team has gone from strength to strength. Last year Cornwall Plus gained the ‘We’re Good to Go’ Industry Standard by VisitEngland and achieved a Silver award in the Green Tourism Accreditation Scheme, which acknowledges their commitment to being responsible, ethical and sustainable. The team also won Gold with Academic Venue Solutions for ‘Best Accommodation 2019/20’ and a Silver for ‘Best Accommodation’ with the British Youth Travel Association 2019/20.

For further information about summer group bookings for our university rooms, please contact our Business Development Manager, Debbie Lilly – booking@fxplus.ac.uk Online room bookings for couples and individual travellers will be open on the Cornwall Plus website shortly.

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.