Category: Uncategorized

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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.

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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Falmouth University & the University of Exeter Student & Staff 2024 Commuting Travel Survey

April 9, 2024

On behalf of Falmouth University and the University of Exeter (Cornwall), FX Plus is delivering a campus wide commuting travel survey to gather insights into how students and staff are travelling to and from our Cornwall campuses. 

We encourage all staff and students at Falmouth University, the University of Exeter (Cornwall), FX Plus and the Student Union, to complete this survey. Your responses will provide us with valuable information for campus planning, services, and infrastructure improvement, and will also help improve our carbon profiling as part of the university’s net-zero strategies. 

The aim of the survey is to better understand the commuting travel behaviours across our Cornwall campuses. It is applicable to all students and staff based in Cornwall, who are commuting and travelling to our Cornwall campus. This includes Falmouth University, the University of Exeter (Cornwall), FX Plus and the Student Union.

If you are a University of Exeter Cornwall based employee or student, please fill in this survey, and do not fill in the University of Exeter Devon based staff survey.

Everyone who completes the survey, and enters their email address at the end, will be in with the chance of winning a £100 Amazon Voucher. Please provide your email at the end of the survey to be entered into the prize draw. We have three £100 Amazon vouchers to give away! 

Data Protection Act: This information will be recorded and processed by the Falmouth Exeter Plus to:

  • Help understand the journeys being undertaken by students and staff travelling to and from our campuses, including distances travelled.
  • To support the planning and development of initiatives and projects to support sustainable travel to our campuses
    Your data will not be shared or used for any other purposes.

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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Archivist Appointed to Catalogue Collections Relating to Political Movements in Cornwall

March 4, 2024

The Archives on Penryn Campus, shared by the University of Exeter (Cornwall) and Falmouth University, have appointed a new project Archivist and work has begun to catalogue four key Collections relating to Political movements in Cornwall in the mid twentieth century, from our Institute of Cornish Studies Archives: the papers of Mary Mann, Len Truran, Royston Green and Dr Adrian Lee.

Cataloguing Archivist, Lizzie Pridmore, has joined FX Plus Archives and Special Collections in Penryn and has launched the one-year project to catalogue the four Cornish collections, with the view to make them more accessible for all. This has been made possible thanks to the £35,000 grant funding awarded by Archives Revealed Cataloguing Grants Scheme, supported by The National Archives, The Pilgrim Trust and The Wolfson Foundation.

Lizzie said: “I am looking forward to getting to know these collections better and as an archivist, bringing order to the collections through cataloguing and then making them available for reading and research is very satisfying! I’m interested in Cornish culture and identities so it’s a real privilege to work with these particular collections and I’m excited about the potential they have for exploring the political ideas that have helped to shape Cornwall as it is today.”

These collections share a common theme in the examination and documentation of the birth and growth of the Cornish Nationalist movement; however, the subject coverage is wide spanning – everything from proposed postage stamps to political posters are covered – including papers of industry, tourism, transport, employment, migration, devolution, language and more.

Having just skimmed the surface of the collection in the week since she joined us, Lizzie treated us to a glimpse of a few items from the collections that have already caught her eye. Below, you can see some of the treasures pictured and we cannot wait to see more in the coming year. Once completed, the collections will be made available for students, staff and the public to view by appointment at the Archives on Penryn campus.

Lizzie Pridmore, Cataloguing Archivist at FX Plus, with one of her favourite finds from the Royston Green collection, an introduction to the Cornish language, Kernewek, looking at the meaning of different place names.

Lizzie Pridmore, Cataloguing Archivist at FX Plus, with one of her favourite finds from the Royston Green collection, an introduction to the Cornish language, Kernewek, looking at the meaning of different place names.

A log book detailing work on the Falmouth & Camborne Liberal Association’s 1966 electoral campaign, from the papers of Mary Mann

Electoral campaign poster for Len Truran, Meybon Kernow
Rules and Aims for the political party Mebyon Kernow
Press cutting from the Cornish Guardian, 7 June 1979, describing the formation of a Cornish Assembly and including a photograph of five members.

From left to right: Electoral campaign poster for Len Truran, Meybon Kernow. Rules and Aims for the political party Mebyon Kernow. Press cutting from the Cornish Guardian, 7 June 1979, describing the formation of a Cornish Assembly and including a photograph of five members.

Poster for a production of a medieval Cornish mystery play, ‘Gwyrans an Bys’, ‘The Creation of the World’, at Piran Round.

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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Get Festive with Food & Drink on Campus

November 28, 2023

We are beginning to get those festive feels on campus as Food and Drink have launched some seasonal specials for everyone to enjoy! Here’s a list of some of the naughty and nice treats to fill your bellies with this winter:

Christmas Meal – Booking Essential!

A traditional Christmas meal will be available in the Stannary, Penryn Campus, on Thursday 30 November (only). Our catering team will be serving succulent turkey, roast potatoes, carrots, peas, stuffing, parsnips, Yorkshire pudding, pigs in blankets, and gravy. If you are plant-based, you can tuck into a nut roast with roast potatoes, carrots, peas, stuffing, parsnips, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. (£12.95) 

To ensure that all catering needs are accommodated as closely as possible, please pre-book your Christmas meal at least two days in advance by emailing foodanddrink@fxplus.ac.uk. This will enable the team to plan the supplies, cook to meet the demand, and thus avoid any food wasted.

Seasonal Sandwiches

From this week onwards (Monday 27 November), Christmas market sandwiches with gammon, or pigs in blankets, or nut roast with stuffing, gravy, and chips will be served in the Stannary (£5.50). These festive favourites will also be available in the Fox Café on Thursday 30 November (only). 

Festive Winter Warmers

Enjoy festive vibes from the Lower Stannary Deli Bar from Monday 27 November, they will be serving mulled wine, mulled apple, mince pies, and cakes. These cosy winter warmers will also be for sale in the Fox Café from Wednesday 29 November.

Koofi Crust-mas

Fancy a less traditional festive feast? Seasonal pizza specials are now available at Koofi starting from £8. Embrace the Crust-mas spirit and enjoy ‘Pigs in Blankets’ pizza, ‘Brie and Cranberry’ or ‘Ultimate Christmas’ with a vegan option. Festive toppings are also available as extras to complement your favourite vegan, veggie or meaty pizza from £1.50. 

Street Food Vans on Campus

From Monday 27 November, a new food van arrives at the Penryn Campus – Nosh Pit, serving artisan international cuisine on Mondays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Bangers on the Go will continue to serve their handcrafted burgers and gourmet hotdogs and will finish for their Christmas holidays in mid-December.

Foodbank Collection Points this Winter

New collection points for Penryn & Falmouth Foodbank will be available at the Lower Stannary Deli Bar and in the Fox Café from 27 November until Monday 18 December. Please see list of current needed items and donate if able to do so.

An image of the Stannary Deli Bar with festive decorations and the food bank drop off signage to the right hand side of the outlet.

Christmas Market – Wednesday 29 November

Come along to the Penryn Campus Christmas Market in the Upper Stannary on Wednesday 29 November from 11.30am until 3pm. There will be lots of talented student makers selling a range of crafts (great for gifts) including handcrafted jewellery, crochet, seaglass artwork, textiles, sustainable clothing, illustrations, cards, tote bags, hot chocolate bags, honey, and more! Do bring some change, as some stallholders may not be able to take card payments. 

Winter Ball With Kona Beach Club

Kona Beach Club presents The Winter Ball, the perfect way to end the term and kick off the festive season. Taking place on Saturday 2 December, 21:00pm – 2:00am, the Stannary will be transformed into a Winter Wonderland with festive drinks, hot food & even a snow machine. There will be DJs playing a mix of music all night long until late. With each ticket, you’ll receive a free drink on arrival & keep an eye out on our socials for drinks deals we’ll be promoting closer to the event – of course, the shot bar will be back in action! Tickets are £14 (+ £2 booking fee), available here.

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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Every Flower Counts

August 8, 2022

We are committed to supporting biodiversity and sustainability on our campuses. Part of this involves twice yearly flower counts which not only give us an estimate of how many bees we support but also to measure the benefits of changing the mowing regime on areas of land.

Since 2020, Every Flower Counts surveys are carried out by the Grounds Team twice a year, at the end of May and the end of July. They help to track changes and to compare different areas, including unmowed grass areas, wildflower turfed areas, seeded areas and more.

Most areas surveyed are the same each year but some vary, depending on which are being left wild/unmowed.

Alasdair Garnett, FX Plus Groundsperson, explained: “The surveys give us a rough idea of how areas are performing. From the latest (July 22) survey, we can see that our grassland is healthy and benefitting wildlife. And, as we’ve seen recently with goldfinches on the Ox Eye Daisy bank, once the bees have enjoyed the flowers the birds get the use of the seeds.

“We use volunteers to manage and improve the big wild areas, raking the cut grass and sowing wildflower seeds, and this year we also have many young plants grown from seed which will be planted from September onwards. We’ll be organising regular volunteering sessions from Freshers through the winter to help with this.”

Plantlife organises Every Flower Counts as a way of supporting plants and pollinators. The survey allows participants to calculate the difference they are making for nature with their Personal Nectar Score.

Counts include the number of individual, open flowers and flower richness – the number of different flowering species present.

The Plantlife results are displayed differently this year, preventing comparison with previous years but the Grounds Team is hoping to be able to compare future years from now on.

The July 2022 results headlines for Penryn Campus are:

  • Number of flowers on all areas surveyed: 2,884,918 (estimate) which gives –
  • Enough nectar sugar to support 112,521 honeybee workers per day.
  • Enough pollen produced to support 15,857 mining bee brood cells/larvae or around 1586 bumblebee larvae.

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’.