Jen Keywood – Page 2

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Alienware Visits Penryn Campus

January 24, 2025

The Dell Tech Explore Tour EMEA will touchdown at Penryn campus to showcase their Alienware Intel gaming equipment. Inside the tour bus you will be able to explore their latest immersive technology and get hands-on experiences with their Dell computers and accessories.

You won’t be able to miss the futuristic roadshow truck, it will be parked outside the Exchange on Tuesday 4 February, from 10:00am until 16:00pm, and looks like a spaceship.

Here’s a sneak peek at what you can find onboard:

The bus is equipped with a variety of Alienware gaming devices, as well as monitors, client peripherals and other accessories.
AI Photo Booth: Take a selfie alone or with friends! Receive an AI generated photo to post on your favourite social platforms.
‘Spin to win’ entries to a draw where you could win a Dell laptop
Get a chance to win Alienware swag
Check out the latest Dell accessories.
And more!

Image of a alienware gaming equipment inside roadshow tour bus with blue neon lights

Image of a large, futuristic looking grey tour bus with Alienware Intel written on it.

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Stannary Bar Recognised as a Safe Space for Transgender and Non-Binary Community

January 15, 2025

The Stannary Bar has officially been recognised as a Safe Space for the transgender and non-binary student community, earning membership of the Transparent Presence Business Ally Scheme. This initiative, led by Transparent Presence CIC, is a plaque-based recognition program for UK businesses that are either nominated or self-refer to demonstrate their commitment to inclusivity and safety for transgender and non-binary individuals.

As a member of the scheme, The Stannary Bar has committed to the following principles:

Serving everyone respectfully and inclusively, regardless of gender identity or sexuality.
Respecting everyone’s names, identities, and pronouns at all times.
Using gender-neutral language when unsure of an individual’s pronouns (e.g., using “they” instead of “he” or “she”).
Challenging discriminatory attitudes, including LGBTQ+ phobia, to ensure a safe environment for all.

The Bar hosts numerous inclusive events, such as Strut the Plank with House of Damnation last April, featuring live performances by drag artists. These events aim to foster a sense of community and celebration while upholding inclusivity and diversity.

Elliot Kenton, Co-Founder and Director of Transparent Presence CIC, expressed gratitude for the support during Strut the Plank:

“Thank you for the teamwork and effort that made Strut the Plank such a fantastic night. It was a privilege to feature such talented performers! The event was a safe and welcoming space for everyone, including those with neurodivergent needs and guests from a wide range of age groups. The free drinks were much appreciated, the bar staff were exceptional, and the professionalism of sound engineer Skye received high praise.”

The Stannary Bar is proud to lead by example, ensuring its environment remains welcoming to all.

Stay updated with upcoming student events by visiting the campus events calendar at www.fxplus.ac.uk/events.

Celebrated Strut the Plank Performers:

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Construction Commenced at Camborne School of Mines for Two New Projects

January 10, 2025

Construction work has commenced at Camborne School of Mines (CSM), on two projects, part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund*.

The Critical Minerals Equipment Hub will provide a new and nationally unique facility for the Geo-Resources sector, providing state-of-the-art and green mineral processing and analytical equipment and expertise, which will be accessible to the region’s business, research and development sectors.

The pioneering Geotracer Facility, part of the Entrepreneurial Futures project, will also be established to trace river and marine pollution, land contamination, and groundwater sources using a new multi-collector facility and clean laboratory. This facility will open up entirely new areas of development and innovation for the region.

The CSM Museum entrance will remain open, although access to affected lab spaces and other areas will be restricted while refurbishment work takes place.  

As you may have noticed, the building compound has now been installed near to the Deep Digital Cornwall entrance in car park E on the site of the old disabled parking bays. This will be in place for a period of three months until the project’s expected completion date, on 4 April 2025. Please use the diversion signs. 

Thank you for your patience while this work takes place to enhance the CSM research space. Any queries regarding the works should be directed to the Estates Helpdesk on 01326 255686 or EstatesHelpdesk@fxplus.ac.uk .

* Cornwall Council has been chosen by the government as a lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 

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First Bus: Penryn and Falmouth Spring Term Bundle Deal

December 20, 2024

The First Bus Spring Term bundle deal will be available for purchase from the 23^rd of December. The bundle will then be activated for usage from the 6^th of January through to the 4^th of April 2025 and is priced at £110. The bundle provides unlimited travel between Falmouth and Penryn using the U1, U1A, U1E, U2, U3, U1X and the U4.

This deal is available for both students and staff, please ensure you use your student or staff email address to activate the deal via the First bus app.

Standard bus fares and other bundles are expected to rise from January 2025 onwards based on national subsidised bus fares expiring.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to purchase the bundle. Please email our team at sustainability@fxplus.ac.uk for any other questions.

N.B. Due to a processing error, we were made aware that students and staff with Falmouth and FX Plus email domains were unable to validate their tickets. As of Friday 24 January 2025, we received confirmation from First Bus that this issue has now been resolved, and you are now able to validate your ticket. Please do this now, and within the 30 days from when you purchased the bundle. Although you will have been able to use your ticket from 6 January, failing to validate it within the 30 days will result in your ticket being cancelled. If you have any further issues, please contact First bus customer services via the online form on the website.

Step 1:

Download the First bus app and ensure you use your student or staff email address (otherwise the bundle will not be activated).

Step 2:

Select the ‘Tickets’ tab at the bottom of the screen and then select ‘Buy’ at the top of the screen.

Step 3:

This will take you to a ‘select region’ option, select ‘Cornwall’.

Step 4:

Select ‘Penryn Campus’.

Step 5:

Select ‘Student Tickets’ (this is also applicable for staff).

Step 6:

Select ‘Penryn and Falmouth Spring Term’.

Step 7:

Purchase the bundle using your student or staff email address. Please note, the description includes bus titles ‘KUL, KUL1A etc’. Please ignore this as these will be getting updated to U1, U1A, U1E, U2, U3, U1X and the U4.

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Celebrating Bonfire Night Safely 2024

October 28, 2024

It is spooky season and bonfire night celebrations are just around the corner. Bonfires and the use of fireworks are prohibited on campus, as well as beaches, and we encourage you to attend a licenced display instead. The advice from Falmouth Fire Station is to not attempt your own bonfire or firework display within the community, particularly not on beaches. Here’s why:

Reasons not to have a fire on the beach:

Local byelaws (you can be fined, and the beaches have CCTV)
Fires leave hot ashes on the sand and remain hot for 48hrs when buried (young children and dogs will be using the beach the next morning and they both like to dig in the sand)
Nails and screws within the wood will become exposed and buried (children and dogs love to dig)
Other people may stumble or trip into the fire

Reasons not to fire fireworks from the beach:

Unsafe/untrained firing of fireworks (without a fixed firing station you cannot control the direction it launches)
Behind the beaches are people’s homes and businesses (the wind direction may take the fireworks into these areas and cause fires)
Large numbers of people gather around the beaches on bonfire night (an uncontrolled firework may go into a crowd of people and cause life threatening injuries)

Instead of attempting your own, check out these licenced bonfire and fireworks events within the community below.

Local Bonfire and Firework Displays:

Falmouth

Tuesday 5 November – 6pm – Falmouth Cricket Ground

Falmouth Firefighters Social and Welfare Club, and members of Falmouth Cricket Club will be hosting this year’s event at Falmouth Cricket Ground, Trescobeas Road on Tuesday, 5 November. Gates open at 6.00p.m for a 7pm start. Entry is £5 for adults and £2.50 for children. Cash only. Follow the link for full details.

Truro

Tuesday 5 November – 5pm – Tremorvah Playing Field

Truro City Council is hosting this year’s annual Bonfire and Fireworks Display at Tremorvah Playing Field on Tuesday, 5 November.

Gates will open at 5pm. The bonfire will be lit at 6.30 pm, followed by the fireworks display at 7pm.

Entry is £3 per adult and £1 per child (under 16). Follow the link for more information.

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AMATA Photovoltaic Extension Set to Save 20 Tonnes of Carbon Annually

August 28, 2024

A Photovoltaic (PV) extension on the AMATA roof at Penryn campus, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 20.3 tonnes per year, was successfully installed last month (July 2024). It is now fully operational and connected to the high-tech campus PV system. The new PV panels are estimated to contribute over £30,000 of financial savings each year.

This installation adds to the total PV output capacity by approximately 13%, bringing us to almost 1,000 kWp across Penryn campus. This latest addition of PV panels, along with those previously installed on the Daphne Du Maurier building (October 2023) and the roofs of Peter Lanyon and the Sports Centre (July 2023), forms a key part of our carbon reduction programme.

Fergus Chan, Carbon and Energy Manager at FX Plus, said: “we are really pleased to have completed this project, which forms part of our carbon reduction programme to reduce Penryn campus’ demand on energy drawn from the grid by increasing our own ability to generate renewable energy here on campus.”

The PV system at Penryn campus, now spanning across four buildings, will reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 169 tonnes each year. In addition to reducing the universities joint impact on the environment; the financial savings are great, too. In total, the investment is predicted to generate a £145,000 annual cost saving. These calculations are based on 18p/kWh but savings could be greater than this whilst the current unit rate continues to rise. 

To date (August 2024), we have recorded a 60% reduction in our relative energy emissions (electricity & gas) against our 2005/2006 baseline on Penryn Campus (based on per meter squared). The campus PV system is one of the main projects contributing towards this success, as well as other sustainably driven modifications such as LED and electrical upgrades, analytics, and sub-metering upgrades. 

Together, the Universities and FX Plus Estates and Sustainability teams, are tirelessly looking into new technology and finding new ways to introduce green energy initiatives, improve energy efficiency and reduce our campuses reliance on fossil fuels. For more information about this, contact sustainability@fxplus.ac.uk.

Image of the new PV panels on the roof of the AMATA building, looking out across the treetops towards Penryn.

The PV panels pictured on the roof of the AMATA building, surrounded by trees with the Exchange campus building in the background.

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Penryn Campus Celebrates Green Flag Award for Seventh Consecutive Year

July 30, 2024

Falmouth Exeter Plus are pleased to announce that Penryn campus has been honoured with the coveted Green Flag Award for the seventh year in a row.

“I was thrilled to hear that we have once again received the prestigious Green Flag Award, marking our seventh consecutive year of recognition. This accomplishment highlights the exceptional dedication and care shown by the Falmouth Exeter Plus Grounds and Gardens and Facilities Management teams in maintaining our beautiful green spaces,” said Stuart Gaslonde, Executive Director and Director of Infrastructure at Falmouth Exeter Plus.

The Green Flag Award, administered by Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, is a benchmark of excellence for well-managed green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

“This award is a testament to the hard work and passion of our staff, as well as the invaluable contributions of our volunteers who actively participate in various conservation and sustainability initiatives on campus. Their efforts ensure that our campus remains a vibrant and welcoming environment for all. Thank you to everyone involved in achieving this milestone. Your commitment to excellence is truly appreciated,” adds Stuart.

Each year, the Falmouth Exeter Plus teams implement all sorts of green initiatives that have contributed to this years’ award. One of which is the Wildflower Planting Project at Penryn campus, which recently celebrated over 1,200 wildflower plugs being planted throughout January through to June 2024. The project was first initiated the previous year, by Abishek Dixit and Alastair Garnett, Gardeners at Falmouth Exeter Plus, and is supporting biodiversity on campus and helping wildlife thrive.

“This summer, we’ve seen Goldfinches, Meadow Brown Butterflies and Buff-tail Bumblebees feasting in the wildflower meadows that we planted last year!

“Our new (2024) plantings of Ox-eye daisies, mallows, self-heals, yellow rattle, and many more native wildflower species will further support bees, butterflies, and birds on campus grounds,” explains Alasdair.

Penryn campus is set in 100 acres of countryside, with the grounds and gardens boasting a unique collection of herbaceous beds, subtropical planting and a fruit producing orchard. The site also features outside spaces with historic relevance, such as the Tremough Grotto and Star Pond which was built in 1944 by US forces based here prior to the D-Day landings, an 18th Century lime avenue, and a drive with Pinetum native woodlands and historically rare rhododendrons which were cultivated on the site in the Victorian era.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved at Penryn campus on achieving a Green Flag Award.

“Penryn campus is a vital green space for the local community to socialise, enjoy nature, for children to play safely and it provides important opportunities for users to improve their physical and mental health.

“We know that staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that it maintains the high standards of the Green Flag Award, everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.

“It is important that our free to use spaces are maintained to the Green Flag Award standard, making them accessible for all members of the community while ensuring the environment is protected.”

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Wildflower Planting Project at Penryn Campus 2024

June 13, 2024

At the start of the year (January 2024), the FX Plus Grounds and Gardens team set themselves the target of planting 1,200 wildflowers over the course of the year.

“It was bit of an arbitrary number that meant beating how many we got into the ground the year before,” explains Alasdair Garnett, Gardener at FX Plus.

Through a combination of the conservation volunteering sessions and the continued planting in spare bits of time, we are proud to announce that this week, on 11 June 2024, the team achieved their target.

The honour of planting wildflower number 1,200 was undertaken by Abhishek Dixit, who first initiated the project and conservation volunteering sessions with Alasdair and has just started back with us as part of the Grounds and Gardens team.

All this planting is supporting our biodiversity efforts and helping wildlife thrive on campus.

“This summer, we’ve seen Goldfinches, Meadow Brown Butterflies and Buff-tail Bumblebees feasting in the wildflower meadows that we planted last year!

“Our new plantings of Ox-eye daisies, mallows, self-heals, yellow rattle, and many more native wildflower species will further support bees, butterflies, and birds on campus grounds. 

“We’ll keep planting, and if the weather and time permits then we could end up doubling that number by the end of this year (2024) – you’ll have to wait and see,” says Alasdair.

Below, you can see a photo of wildflower number 1,200 going into the ground and marking this wonderful milestone, as well as some of the other wildflower planting on campus.

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Sustainability Café Menu Refresh

June 12, 2024

Introducing our latest offering: the refreshed menu at the Sustainability Café!

The Food and Drink team are excited about their new array of plant-based delights, featuring low-cost options and exciting vegan additions. Proudly certified by the Vegetarian Society, the Sustainability Café is exclusively vegan and vegetarian. Our catering team has crafted this menu to cater to the increasing appetite for plant-based cuisine, ensuring there’s something for every budget.

The new menu features vegan breakfast Belgium waffles with tantalising Biscoff sauce and Biscoff crumble or opt for Belgium waffles loaded with plant-based yoghurt and berry compote. For just £2.50, savour our scrumptious vegan yogurt pots with granola and berries.

For lunch you can choose from a range of flavoursome vegan multi-seed bagels served with salted crisps and a side salad (£5.50).

For something warming, try the new plant-based homemade soup of the day at the affordable price of £2.50, or enjoy our vegetarian offering of mature cheese on toast with a choice of chutneys and dressings, also at £2.50.

Indulge your sweet tooth with our freshly baked vegan pastries and a selection of locally made cakes, including vegan and gluten-free options. Pair your treat with a pot of ethically and sustainably sourced Nuditea ‘tea of the week’ for just £1.50.

In the café, sip on Cornish coffee, roasted in Redruth, with dairy free milk alternatives including oat, almond, soya, and coconut milk. Don’t forget to bring along your reusable cup, or ask us about our circular returnable cup scheme.

View our new menu here.

Remember to share your feedback through our ‘Rate Us and Win’ kiosk. Plus, every month during term time, you have the chance to win a £50 voucher in our prize draw!

Stay in the loop with menu updates and events by following the @foodandddrinkoncampus team on Instagram.

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Sustainability Café Achieves Vegetarian Society Accreditation

April 17, 2024

We are thrilled to share that the Sustainability Café on Penryn campus has achieved accreditation from the Vegetarian Society for producing a fully vegetarian and vegan menu offering.

This accreditation marks a significant milestone in our commitment to offering sustainable and ethical dining options to you, our valued customers.

With this accreditation, you can trust that our vegetarian and vegan offering meet the stringent standards set forth by the Vegetarian Society, ensuring the integrity and quality of our products.

This accreditation reaffirms our dedication to promoting environmentally conscious practices and supporting the global shift towards plant-based lifestyles. By choosing our accredited vegetarian and vegan food, you can not only enjoy flavourful meals but also contribute to a more sustainable future for our planet.

We extend our thanks to the Vegetarian Society for their recognition and support, and we look forward to continuing to innovate and expand our range of vegetarian and vegan options. Join us in celebrating this achievement as we strive to make a positive impact, one delicious meal at a time.

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