Author: Jen Keywood

October 22, 2026

As Bonfire Night approaches, we know many of you are excited to celebrate the season. However, we want to remind all students that bonfires and fireworks are strictly prohibited on campus grounds and nearby beaches. 

This policy is in place to keep everyone safe and to protect our local environment and community. Please respect these rules and enjoy a licensed public display instead.

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🚫 Why bonfires and fireworks are not allowed:  

On campus and beaches:  

• Local byelaws prohibit fires and fireworks – violations can result in fines, and many areas are monitored by CCTV.  

• Hot ashes can remain dangerous for up to 48 hours, posing risks to children and pets who may dig in the sand.  

• Debris like nails and screws from burnt wood can cause injury.  

• Uncontrolled fires and fireworks can lead to serious accidents, especially in crowded areas.  

On beaches specifically:  

• Fireworks launched without proper equipment can veer off course, potentially hitting homes, businesses, or people.  

• Beaches are popular gathering spots on Bonfire Night – a misfired firework could cause life-threatening injuries.  

• Falmouth’s beaches are used from 6am for Fitness and Swimming, fires still burning have left pets, children and adults with devastating injuries. 

Falmouth’s beaches are for everyone to use, please leave only footprints on the sand. 

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✅ What you can do instead:  

We encourage you to attend a licensed bonfire or fireworks event instead. These displays are professionally managed and offer a safe way to enjoy the night.  

Your local display:

This year, your closest display is brought to you by Falmouth Town Council, who will be lighting up the skies above Pendennis Castle on Thursday 5 November at 7pm. Further details, including road closures, parking and full viewing guidance, will be published closer to the event. Visit the website for more details. 

You can find a list of other events held in Cornwall on the Cornwall Live website.  

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📽️ Watch this video:

For more safety advice, take a moment to watch this important message from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service. Let’s work together to keep our campuses and local spaces safe and enjoyable for everyone.

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Photo credit: Image by Hans from Pixabay

September 4, 2026

Bus users with a valid university email address can receive 40% off the Adult Weekly Ticket (usually £40) and 25% off the Young Person’s (19-25) Weekly Ticket (usually £32) when using the Transport for Cornwall app. With the new university discount applied, it brings the cost down to £24.  

Both these tickets offer unlimited travel across all of Cornwall, for seven consecutive days, making them better value than other 7-day unlimited travel options, such as the Town Zone Ticket 7-day bundle (£28). 

The discount also brings the cost of the Adult Weekly Ticket and Young Person (19 – 25) Weekly Ticket in line with the Under 19s All Cornwall Travel Ticket, which is also £24. For persons aged 16-18 and only wishing to travel within the Penryn and Falmouth, the 7-day Town Zone Ticket option remains to be cheaper at £18*.  

To redeem your university discount and receive 40% off the Adult Weekly Ticket or 25% off the Young Person’s (19-25) Ticket, follow the instructions below.  

*Please note the bundles and pricing were accurate as of 1 September 2026 and may be subject to change. Always ensure you do your own research prior to making any purchase. For more information about bus travel and pricing, you can visit the updated Public Transport pages on the FX Plus website. 

How to redeem your discount 

1. Download the Transport for Cornwall app: Download the Transport for Cornwall app – Transport for Cornwall 

2. Create an account using your university email address ending in one of the following: 

• @falmouth.ac.uk 

• @exeter.ac.uk 

• @fxplus.ac.uk 

• @thesu.org.uk 

3. Once your account is verified, the discount will be automatically applied when purchasing the Adult Weekly Ticket or Young Person’s (19-25) Weekly Ticket. 

The university discount will be applied automatically when you are signed in with your university email address and select a Young Person’s or Adult Weekly Ticket, or use codes:  

• Young Person’s (19-25) Weekly Ticket: FALMOUTH29 

• Adult (26+) Weekly Ticket: FALMOUTH28 

Validity 

• The discount is valid from 1 September 2026 till 1 July 2027 

What you’ll pay 

• Adult Weekly Ticket: 40% discount, bringing the price down to £24 

• Young Person (19 – 25) Weekly Ticket: 25% discount, bringing the price down to £24 

July 20, 2026

Penryn University Campus, the campus shared by Falmouth University and the University of Exeter, raises the prestigious Green Flag Award after achieving the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

Falmouth Exeter Plus is celebrating after receiving a Green Flag Award for Penryn campus. The site has retained this accolade now for its 9th consecutive year.

Stuart Gaslonde, Executive Director at Falmouth Exeter Plus, said:

“It is fantastic to see the Penryn Campus recognised with this award once again. Our grounds and gardens are a much-loved part of campus life, enjoyed by students, staff and visitors throughout the year.

“This achievement reflects the expertise and commitment of the teams who care for these spaces every day. Their work helps make Penryn Campus a special place to study, work and visit, while also supporting our sustainability ambitions, enhancing biodiversity and creating opportunities for people to connect with and enjoy the natural environment.

“My sincere thanks to everyone involved. This award is a reflection of your hard work and dedication and of the pride taken in making Penryn Campus such a special place.”

The Tremough Estate, now known as the Penryn University Campus, spans 100 acres of countryside and combines historic sub-tropical gardens with new landscapes that are open for everyone to enjoy.

Steeped in history, the estate is renowned for its 18th-century Lime Avenue, historic Pinetum, native woodlands and rare rhododendrons first cultivated here during the Victorian era. Visitors can also explore the walled garden, fruit-producing orchard, and Italianate gardens and terraces.

The gardens boast vibrant displays of flowers, shrubs, cacti and succulents. Their quality was recognised at the 2026 Falmouth Spring Flower Show, where the Grounds and Gardens team won two trophies, four gold medals, seven silvers and six bronzes.

New for 2025/2026, and as part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, 140+ trees have been planted across campus, including a new orchard of Cornish apple varieties near the wooden walkway below AMATA and Japanese cherry trees to celebrate UK–Japan friendship.

Wildflower areas have also been expanded and enhanced to increase biodiversity and support local wildlife. Much of this work has been made possible through the support of students, staff and volunteers, whose contributions continue to help the grounds thrive.

Paul Todd MBE, Green Flag Award Manager at Keep Britain Tidy, said: 

“Parks are essential public spaces that support our wellbeing, our communities and our economy. Yet for millions of people, particularly in the most deprived areas, local parks simply don’t feel safe or welcoming.

“With public services under pressure, investing in parks is not a luxury, it’s a practical, preventative solution and one of the most visible ways to improve people’s quality of life.

“Falmouth Exeter Plus has shown what can be achieved when parks are properly supported and managed. As we celebrate 30 years of the Green Flag Award, we want every community to have access to green spaces like this that are safe, welcoming and maintained to a high standard.

“Congratulations to everyone involved.”

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under contract from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

May 18, 2026

To mark International Day for Biodiversity (22 May), we’re celebrating our impact and the positive steps being taken to support wildlife across our campus.

Throughout the 2025/26 academic year, a range of initiatives have been introduced to help enhance habitats and increase biodiversity, including:

📅 6 Tree planting and wildflower planting events attended by 48 volunteers.

🌼 2,129 wildflower plugs planted so far.

🌸 80m² of wildflower turf laid, featuring over 30 different flower species.

🌳 144 trees planted over the winter months including 26 different species.

🐝 50 bee bricks built into the new wall in the Walled Garden, with a further 20 installed across Penryn Campus.

🦇🦜 16+ New bat and bird boxes put up to support nesting and roosting.

🦔 3 Hedgehog houses introduced to encourage safe habitats and 2 hedgehog tunnel tracking events to better understand which areas of campus are supporting healthy ecosystems.

These actions form part of our ongoing commitment to supporting wildlife on campus and creating richer, more resilient natural spaces for everyone to enjoy. For more information about sustainability initiatives at FX Plus visit: https://fxplus.ac.uk/content/campus-information/sustainability/

April 17, 2026

Following discussions with Go Cornwall, and thanks to feedback from students and staff, we are pleased to announce that the bus operator has agreed to freeze bus prices for 19-25 year olds until the summer. This means if you are aged 19-25, unlimited one day travel on Cornwall’s bus network is £8.

In addition, bus users with a valid university email address can now get £20 off the Adult Weekly Ticket (usually £40) when using the Transport for Cornwall app. With the new university discount applied the ticket offers unlimited travel across all of Cornwall, for seven consecutive days, for just £20.

The university discount now makes the Adult Weekly Ticket better value than many other 7-day unlimited travel options, such as the Young Person’s (19-25) All of Cornwall 7-day bundle (£32), Town Zone Ticket 7-day bundle (£28) and Under 19 All of Cornwall unlimited 7-day bundle (£24).

To redeem your university discount and receive £20 off the Adult Weekly Ticket, follow the instructions below. For more information about bus travel and pricing, you can visit the updated Public Transport pages on the FX Plus website.

£20 University Discount on Adult Weekly Bus Ticket

How it works

1. Download the Transport for Cornwall app: Download the Transport for Cornwall app – Transport for Cornwall
2. Create an account using your university email address ending in one of the following:

• @falmouth.ac.uk

• @exeter.ac.uk

• @fxplus.ac.uk

• @thesu.org.uk

2. Once your account is verified, you’ll automatically receive a £20 discount when purchasing a Cornwall Adult Weekly Ticket.

The £20 discount will be applied automatically when you have verified your account, are signed in with your University email address and select an Adult Weekly Ticket, or use code: FALMOUTH27.

Validity

• The discount is valid from 12th April 2026 till 1st July 2026

What you’ll pay

Adult Weekly Ticket price after discount: £20

April 14, 2026

FX Plus Campus and Residential Support has been shortlisted as one of four finalists in the Innovation of the Year category at the Association for Student Residential Accommodation (ASRA) Awards 2026.  

The nomination recognises the impact the FX Plus teams have made on the student experience, campus safety, and institutional resilience. It also highlights the collaborative work between Safety and Support, Accommodation Services, and Student Services, who together have created a more holistic and integrated 24/7 student support service for students living in accommodation and during out‑of‑hours periods. This innovative approach has already received significant external recognition through the team’s recent contribution to achieving two UMHC Awards, alongside excellent feedback praising the quality, integration, and student‑centred nature of the services delivered. 

Reflecting on the shortlisting, Natalie Brown, Head of Campus and Residential Support said: 

“This achievement would not be possible without the contribution of each service, or without the strong collaborative approach all teams continue to demonstrate in working more effectively together to deliver a truly student-focused and cohesive service.” 

ASRA Events Officer Jeanette Wilson added: 

“It was inspiring to see so many teams and individuals doing exceptional work across the sector. The standard of submissions was incredibly high, and the finalists were very closely matched.” 

The winners will be announced at the ASRA Conference Awards Dinner on Tuesday 21 April at the Hilton, Liverpool. FX Plus is shortlisted alongside Loughborough University’s Student Accommodation Centre, Bangor University’s Campus Life, and The University of Manchester’s Accommodation Team, reflecting an exceptionally strong field of contenders. 

April 7, 2026

This winter saw us successfully plant 106 new trees across the Penryn Campus, thanks to Forest for Cornwall funding and a fantastic cross campus collaboration.

Staff from FX Plus, the University of Exeter Sustainability Team, and Maisie Williams, a student at the University of Exeter and part-time Sustainability Intern, worked together to organise and deliver the project.

Four volunteer tree planting events were held on the Penryn Campus, bringing together 43 students, staff and local community members to help get the trees into the ground.

Tree species were carefully selected to suit the varied conditions across campus, from exposed and windy locations to areas prone to waterlogging. Pot-grown trees were planted, combining native and ornamental species chosen for their tolerance of specific site conditions.

A new orchard of fruit trees has also been established beside the boardwalk between Old Lane and the Studytel building. All the trees were planted with a layer of mulch sourced from the Penryn grounds and protected with spiral guards. In addition, young hedging whips and ornamental willows were planted to fill gaps and reinforce our existing hedgerows.

“It’s been brilliant working together to add more trees to the Penryn Campus and I can’t wait to taste the first apple from the fruit trees!” said Dr. Rosalind Shaw, Sustainability Manager (Biodiversity) at the University of Exeter.

In total, 16 different species of tree were planted, which will further support wildlife and biodiversity on campus.

This project highlights the power of teamwork across departments and with our wider campus community.

A big thank you to everyone involved and to Forest for Cornwall, whose funding made it possible to purchase the trees and bring this project to life.

Forest for Cornwall supports local residents, businesses and communities of Cornwall to plant woodlands, orchards, hedgerows, parks and gardens. Their projects aim to “tackle the climate and ecological emergencies by supporting the planting of the right trees, in the right place for the right purpose.” You can find out more about them on their website.

Volunteer sustainability events will continue run every Wednesday from 2–4pm at the Penryn campus until May. Visit Eventbrite for more details.