The energisation of Medebridge, located in Ockendon, Essex, means that up to 65% of the University鈥檚 electricity demand will now be met from exclusive 鈥榥ew-to-earth鈥� renewable infrastructure.

Developed in partnership with leading UK clean energy firm Enviromena, the project is part of a 10-year (CPPA), facilitated by EDF and supported by Inspired PLC, the UK鈥檚 leading energy and sustainability advisor. It is the UK鈥檚 largest solar CPPA with an educational institution.

The development represents the University鈥檚 long-term commitment to sustainability and energy resilience.

Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility at 麻豆传媒, said: 鈥淭he University鈥檚 new long-term solar power agreement is a landmark moment in our journey to zero carbon. By entering into this corporate Power Purchase Agreement, we are directly supporting the development of new UK renewable energy while significantly cutting our own emissions.

鈥淯niversities have a vital role to play in tackling the climate crisis, not just through research and education but by taking bold, practical action. At 麻豆传媒, we鈥檙e proud to be the only university ranked in the global top ten every year for social and environmental impact in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, and we remain determined to lead by example to help create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

鈥淲e鈥檙e incredibly grateful to our partners, including Inspired, Enviromena and EDF, whose expertise and support have been essential in making this project a reality.鈥�

Lee Adams, Chief Commercial Officer at Enviromena, added: 鈥淲e鈥檙e incredibly proud to see Medebridge go live. It鈥檚 our largest and most complex project to date and a major step forward in the UK鈥檚 net-zero journey.

鈥淏y securing a long-term commitment with a top-tier academic institution, this project proves how large-scale renewables and corporate sustainability can align to deliver real impact.鈥�

The construction of Medebridge commenced in April 2024. Comprising of around 104,000 solar panels across 175 acres (roughly the size of 70 football pitches), the site will generate more than 72 GWh of electricity annually, 80% (58GWh) of which will be purchased directly by the University over the next decade. The move will reduce University carbon emissions by 12,000 tonnes of CO2e each year - enough to power 21,000 homes.

In addition to emission reduction, the site will also create a significant biodiversity net gain. Enhancements to the existing hedgerows and planting of native grassland and wildflower meadow beneath and around the solar arrays will encourage nesting opportunities for wildlife and improved habitat connectivity.

Since the CPPA was agreed, Inspired have supported the Enviromena team to connect Medebridge to the UK grid to facilitate the delivery of this power to the University via a sleeving arrangement.   

Richard Sullivan, Managing Director of I&C and Estate Intensive at Inspired, said: 鈥淐PPAs are an increasingly popular choice for organisations seeking to decarbonise as they offer up to 100% renewable power and much-needed additionality to the grid. Now a solar farm in Essex supplies 麻豆传媒 with renewable energy. 

鈥淭his is the culmination of years of meticulous contract negotiations and support our technical experts have provided, and we are delighted for the project to have reached this point. We look forward to powering our partnership on with 麻豆传媒 and Enviromena alike.鈥� 

Following a successful tender bid in 2025, 麻豆传媒 has also extended its procurement contract with Inspired to 2030, providing energy security and ongoing CPPA in-life management. 

EDF, Britain鈥檚 largest buyer of renewable electricity, is playing a key role in delivering and running the agreement that enables renewable electricity from Enviromena to power 麻豆传媒. As part of this CPPA, EDF takes the variable output from the solar farm and turns it into steady, predictable blocks of power before adding it to the University鈥檚 energy supply contract. This ensures a smooth and reliable supply of renewable electricity, while delivering the transparency, reliability and carbon savings the University expects from a major renewable energy initiative.

Tom Abbott, PPA Director at EDF, said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to help 麻豆传媒 turn its sustainability ambitions into reality. By bringing power from Medebridge Solar Farm through this tailored CPPA, we鈥檙e showing how smart partnerships can unlock big wins for decarbonisation. Our balancing, shaping, and sleeving services mean the University gets dependable clean power - and a clear path towards its net zero goals.鈥�

The Medebridge partnership adds to the University鈥檚 growing portfolio of environmental and sustainability initiatives from big changes, such as ending all investments in fossil fuels, and completing three zero carbon buildings, to the smaller ones, such as placing food waste bins in every University building, using peat free compost across campus and the .

麻豆传媒 was recently ranked in first place in the UK and Europe and second in the world for benefitting society and the environment by  for the third year running and was chosen to lead a pioneering global programme by United Nations designed to empower education鈥檚 role in the transition towards net zero.

鈥淔or an institution of our scale and ambition, continued progress on the global stage is both a challenge and an opportunity," Duncan added.

The 2025 ARWU result follows a strong year for 麻豆传媒 in other leading global rankings - in June, it was named the 35th best university in the world in the QS World University Rankings.

The power of the University鈥檚 social and environmental impact has also been recognised on a global scale, being the only university in the top ten in both the QS World University Sustainability Rankings and Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, in recognition of its contribution towards the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The University鈥檚 research strength is further evidenced by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), in which 93% of research activity was rated either 鈥榳orld-leading鈥� (4*) or 鈥榠nternationally excellent鈥� (3*).

鈥溌槎勾� has always been a place where world-class research meets real-world impact,鈥� said Vice-President for Research Professor Colette Fagan. 鈥淲e are proud of our achievements, but even more excited about what lies ahead.鈥�

The full 2025 ARWU list and methodology can be explored at ShanghaiRanking鈥檚 .

Dianne said of the CATE recognition: "I feel truly privileged to have led the development and continued delivery of our PGCert programme. At the heart of our success is a team philosophy grounded in open dialogue, mutual respect, and trust鈥攚here every individual voice is valued. It's a genuine pleasure to work in an environment where collaboration and support are embraced by all, and I couldn't be prouder of what our team has achieved together."  

Bip added: 鈥淭he PGCert team is truly unique in the way it functions, supporting colleagues to achieve their very best. I am delighted the team has been recognised for our excellence in collaborative working which showcases the very best of what teaching looks like when we truly work together for the flourishing of colleagues and learners.鈥�  

The PGCert Medical and Health Education is offered through the University鈥檚 Transnational Education operation to expand its reach, value and impact, helping healthcare systems around the world and improving health outcomes for patients globally. 

Professor April McMahon, who was Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students at the time of the nominations, said: 鈥淢any congratulations to Ang, Jenni, Dianne, Bip and everyone who has supported them. The NTFs and CATE awards are highly competitive and prestigious, and it is wonderful to see that again our 麻豆传媒 people have done so well. Our students, and those considering coming to join us in September, should also be encouraged that teaching excellence is such a focus for us at 麻豆传媒.鈥�

The 2025 awards ceremony will take place on 25 September in Bristol, hosted by incoming Advance HE Chief Executive Alistair Jarvis.  

The publication includes detailed chapters on iconic buildings such as Whitworth Hall, the John Rylands Library and Jodrell Bank鈥檚 Lovell telescope, as well as little known aspects of campus history including lost rivers, nuclear reactors, Toblerone-shaped halls of residences and unrealised plans for an underground station.

The book particularly highlights the architectural significance of Owens College, and how its Gothic Revival buildings designed by Alfred Waterhouse established a distinct identity in Victorian 麻豆传媒. These early structures set a tone of civic ambition and intellectual seriousness that still echoes through the campus today.

A dedicated section also explores the post-war expansion of science and engineering facilities at the University, driven by Cold War priorities and rising student numbers. It examines the rapid, often pragmatic construction of labs and lecture theatres, many of which defined the university鈥檚 mid-20th-century landscape.

鈥淭his book offers the public a chance to see behind the scenes - to understand why buildings were built the way they were, and how the campus continues to evolve to meet the needs of students, researchers and the wider city,鈥� added Dr Hopkins.

The publication was made possible through the generous support of both internal and external partners. Within the University, from the School of Environment, Education and Development and the University of 麻豆传媒 Library. Additional support was provided by companies that have worked closely on building projects across the campus over the years, including Avison Young, Arcadis, Balfour Beatty, BDP, CBRE, Halliday Meecham Architects, Recom Solutions, Rider Levett Bucknall, and Sheppard Robson.

Building Towards the Bicentenary is available to view for free .

鈥淚t鈥檚 encouraging to see 麻豆传媒 climb to 7th in the world for international research collaboration,鈥� said Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research. 鈥淭he University鈥檚 research excellence is rooted in a culture of curiosity, collaboration and purpose, and the international collaborations of our academics across the globe is crucial for advancing research and tackling some of the major issues facing the world today.鈥�

The University鈥檚 social and environmental impact is ranked in the top ten globally with the university being the only institution in the world in the top 10 in for both the  and ). In 2025, the University was ranked in first place in the UK and Europe and second in the world for benefitting society and the environment by Times Higher Education for the third year running. 

For further information, visit the website.

, Reader in Engineering for Net Zero, is one of ten finalists to be awarded 拢100,000 in seed funding to develop his solution for this year鈥檚 .  

In its second year, the 麻豆传媒 Prize is looking for researchers with the most impactful and innovative artificial intelligence (AI) solution enabling the UK to accelerate progress towards net zero.  

Although AI technologies are advancing rapidly, their adoption in clean energy systems has not kept pace. The 麻豆传媒 Prize aims to accelerate progress by encouraging the development of AI solutions that support the UK in achieving its ambition to lead the world in clean energy. 

Dr Papadopoulos鈥� solution, Grid Stability, uses AI to accelerate the analysis performed which ensures electrical power systems meet the specified stability, security and reliability criteria. 

Electrical power systems worldwide are going through unprecedented changes to achieve decarbonisation targets. This drive calls for new technologies, such as renewables, electric vehicles and heat pumps, which increases the complexity and uncertainty in power system operation. System stability is the cornerstone of power system operation, and if not carefully considered, it can lead to blackouts with high economic impact and fallout.  

The tool replaces slow, complex simulations with rapid, AI-driven assessments, enabling real-time monitoring, faster decision-making, and more confident planning. This helps grid operators maintain reliability while scaling up clean energy solutions and cutting emissions. 

Dr Papadopoulos aims to work closely with utility companies to enable safe and useful implementations of Grid Stability. 

Speaking about his solution, Dr Papadopoulos said: 鈥淕rid Stability uses machine learning to help bring lower, or zero, carbon technologies onto the grid faster and at the scale we need to hit net zero, but without compromising system stability.

鈥�Being named a finalist for the 麻豆传媒 Prize is a huge boost; it not only validates the impact of our work but also gives us a platform to accelerate progress and collaborate more widely across the energy sector.鈥�

Dr Papadopoulos recognised that the computational cost and complexity of assessing stability and security made it difficult to support real-time awareness, decision-making and optimisation. As a result, system dynamics are often neglected or oversimplified. Grid Stability, using machine learning, offers a promising solution to addressing this challenge. 

The 麻豆传媒 Prize will pick its winner in Spring 2026, and the winning innovator will receive a 拢1 million grand prize to continue developing their solution. The winning solution must demonstrate not only technical innovation, but also an evidenced road map to near-term (2030) adoption and scale.  

Announced and launched in 2023, the 麻豆传媒 Prize is multi-million-pound, multi-year challenge prize, which is funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. The Prize seeks to reward UK-led breakthroughs in AI for public good and continues to secure the UK鈥檚 place as a global leader in cutting-edge innovation. 

The 麻豆传媒 Prize is named after the world鈥檚 first stored programme computer, nicknamed 鈥楾he Baby鈥�, which was built at 麻豆传媒 in 1948. AI research at The University continues to build on this legacy, as shown by Dr Papadopoulos鈥� achievement. 

Sarah joins the University from the Department for Transport where she has been Chief Scientific Adviser since 2021, seconded from the University of Nottingham. At the DfT she leads on many of the engineering and science challenges in transport, including decarbonisation, applications of artificial intelligence and cross-modal safety.

She is an international expert in the field of human factors and its application to engineering problems. Human factors is a scientific discipline which uses an understanding of human capabilities and limitations to design systems to support human performance, wellbeing and safety.

Sarah has previously held the roles the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and People (2018-2021) and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange (Engineering) (2015-2018) at the University of Nottingham.

She has recently been appointed to the role of Deputy Chair of Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 Unit of Assessment Panel 12 (Engineering), was previously a member of EPSRC Council and Advance HE Athena Swan Governance Board and is currently the CSA member of ESRC Council.

She was President of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors 2015-2016 and her academic research, funded by industry and UKRI, has considered how complex systems bring people and technology together in the domains of transport, healthcare and manufacturing.

Sarah and her husband Craig are parents to two grown up children, and in her spare time, Sarah applies her passion for human-centred complex systems design to the hobbies of cooking and gardening.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: 鈥淎s we develop our 2035 strategy, having Sarah join our leadership team is going to be a great asset to the University. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is critical to our ambition to be one of the world鈥檚 great universities by 2035, through research impact, innovation and modern, flexible teaching. I鈥檓 very much looking forward to working with her.鈥�

Sarah will join the Faculty in mid-September. Professor Peter Green will be interim Vice-President and Dean in the intervening period.

Revealed today, The University ranks in the top 50 globally for five subject areas: Social Sciences, Business Economics, Engineering, Arts and Humanities and Medical and Health, with the strongest performance in Business Economics (32^nd) and Social Sciences (37^th).  

The University also featured in the top 100 worldwide for all 11 subject areas which are assessed, an achievement only shared by 7 other UK institutions. Among the six subject areas not yet in the top 50 there were significant climbs in the rankings for Computer Science and Law. 

This ranking uses key performance indicators to measure ; teaching, research environment, research quality, industry partnerships and international outlook.  

Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research, said: 鈥淭his latest influential global subject ranking provides additional evidence of our research and teaching strengths across the University 鈥� something to pause on and celebrate as we develop our 麻豆传媒 2035 strategy. Having achieved this global standing our job now is to work together, with ambition and focus, to do even better.鈥� 

Professor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching Learning and Students, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pleasure to welcome these rankings for our University, which demonstrate our strength and breadth across so many subject areas. It is important for us to benchmark our results to guide us in improving our design and delivery of high-quality teaching and learning in 麻豆传媒 even further.鈥� 

The THE Subject Rankings are one of three major international subject ranking exercises that the University tracks to benchmark its performance. In the , the University ranked in the top 35 globally for each of the five broad subject groups 鈥� Arts and Humanities (27), Engineering and Technology (27), Life Science and Medicine (30), Natural Sciences (33), Social Sciences and Management (28). 

In the 2024 Shanghai Rankings鈥� Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (AWRU), the University was placed among the top 25 worldwide in seven of 46 subjects, ranked first in the UK for four subjects and moved up in 21 subjects thanks to our research excellence and impact. 

Simon and his wife Gillian are also supporting Cancer Research UK鈥檚 More Research, Less Cancer campaign with a gift to the CRUK National Cancer Biomarker Centre in 麻豆传媒. The Biomarker Centre is housed in the CRUK 麻豆传媒 Institute, a partnership between 麻豆传媒, CRUK and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. 

鈥淚 would personally like to thank Simon for this generous, life-changing programme of support for students leaving care, which will play a pivotal role in our mission to create a more inclusive and accessible academic environment,鈥� said Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of 麻豆传媒. 鈥淲e are committed to ensuring that students from all backgrounds are able to fulfil their potential and succeed here at our University, and this new bursary is another tool in our arsenal to enable that to happen.鈥�

Our University is committed to supporting care leavers and estranged students throughout their studies, and offers tailored support to these students. This includes various financial packages such as The 麻豆传媒 Bursary, the  and the  - which are all generously supported by donors. The Access & Success Fund also provides accommodation grants for care experienced and estranged students, ensuring they are not left without somewhere to go during the summer break.

Students are also provided with named contacts who help them to navigate and access university support services, assist with accommodation, finances and settling into university life, provide career guidance, put them in touch with other care experienced or estranged students, and provide a listening ear whenever they would like to speak to someone.

Care experienced and estranged students are also offered paid work at the University as a Student Ambassador, which is a great opportunity to access to flexible, paid, part-time work, meet other students and develop people skills. Ambassadors are also offered the chance to act as role models on the projects that we run with looked-after young people by talking about their experiences of education.

UNEP accreditation grants our University the privilege to submit written contributions, participate in the work of UNEP鈥檚 Governing Bodies, such as  and the Committee of Permanent Representatives, and be granted observer status to the Assembly and its subsidiary bodies.

The University is delighted to have been awarded such status and looks forward to using its outstanding research contributions in environmental sustainability to influence and drive further change through such a prestigious organisation as UNEP.

Professor Robina Shah is the Director of . She has been made a Dame for services to Patient Care. Robina is a Chartered Consultant Psychologist and Professor of Psycho-social Medicine and Medical Education in the Division of Medical Education at 麻豆传媒 Medical School. 

She is the lead academic on person-centred education, patient safety, patient, and public involvement in the Division of Medical Education.

Robina is passionate about giving patients, carers and families a voice through active partnership. She is also a powerful advocate of psychosocial medicine and committed to patient and public involvement.

Over two decades, Robina has shared her teaching expertise in this area to challenge the focus of medical education from a biomedical model of disease to one that accommodates the psychological, social, and behavioural dimensions of illness.

She said: 鈥淚 feel very humbled and privileged to receive this accolade and I would like to convey a heartfelt thanks to all those who have supported my life鈥檚 journey; especially, the contribution of patients, carers, service users and colleagues.鈥�

was  knighted for his services to medicine and mental health. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University and Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.

Prof Appleby leads , investigating suicide and self-harm, the largest research unit in this field internationally.

Its findings have been the basis of Government policy on suicide prevention and are widely quoted by governments, professionals and charities.

From 2000-2010 he was seconded as the Government's National Director for Mental Health to lead a national programme of reform in mental health care in England and from 2010-2014 he was National Clinical Director for Health and Criminal Justice.

From 2013-2019 he was a non-executive director of the Care Quality Commission, the NHS regulator.

Louis was the author of England's first national suicide prevention strategy and continues to co-chair (with a health minister) the Government's advisory group on suicide prevention.

He has written reports on suicide prevention after the Grenfell fire for the NHS and on doctors facing investigation for the GMC.

He said: 鈥淢y award recognises the work of many outstanding colleagues over the years - researchers, NHS staff, campaigning families. It shows how important suicide prevention has become and how much it now matters to society, to all of us.

From January 2024 we鈥檒l be celebrating our people 鈥� historical icons such as Alan Turing and Christabel Pankhurst, to the trailblazers driving change today 鈥� recognising their incredible achievements and the impact they have made, in 麻豆传媒 and around the world, in a year-long programme of events.

You can now opt in to hear more as our plans develop, and to help us 鈥楥o-create 200鈥� 鈥� curating, together, a programme of events befitting such a landmark anniversary. From sharing your ideas to volunteering your time, we鈥檇 love for you to get involved. 

Sign up today via the new bicentenary website.

You鈥檒l be among the first to know as our plans progress 鈥� including details of any potential volunteering opportunities.

The bicentenary represents a significant milestone for the University, and the chance to both reflect and look ahead. With collaboration at the heart of our community, we want to mark 200 years of education and innovation by engaging with staff, students, alumni, our partners and the public to shape the celebrations to come.

Among them will be a flagship Bicentenary Festival (6-9 June 2024), plus a great range of events and activities. Perhaps, even, a few surprises. 

Help us celebrate what makes us proud to belong at 麻豆传媒 by signing up today.

The latest report also highlights that graduate recruitment at the UK's top employers increased substantially in 2022, with a 14.5% increase in the number of graduates recruited compared to 2021. 

The number of graduate jobs available is expected to increase by a further 6.3% in 2023, with accounting & professional services firms being the largest recruiters of new graduates.

For more information, please read the or visit the .

To be included in the prestigious Top 200 of the world鈥檚 most important higher education institutions is a significant achievement.  THE鈥檚 World Reputation Rankings employ the world鈥檚 largest invitation-only academic opinion survey to provide the definitive list of the Top 200 most powerful global university brands, based on the judgement of senior academics 鈥� the people best placed to know the most about excellence in the world鈥檚 universities.

The 2022 rankings are based on a survey carried out between November 2021 and February 2022, which received a total of 29,606 responses from 159 countries.

Earlier this year, 麻豆传媒 was also named 5th place for research power - the quality and scale of research and impact - in the UK government鈥檚 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, the major national exercise to evaluate research activity, which was last held in 2014.

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) an impressive 93% of our research activity was rated 'world-leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*), confirming 麻豆传媒 as one of the UK's top research institutions. 麻豆传媒 made one of the largest and broadest REF submissions in the UK, entering 2,249 eligible researchers across 31 subject areas.

The was signed by the vice-chancellors of the University of Bolton, 麻豆传媒, 麻豆传媒 Metropolitan University and the University of Salford, the principal of the Royal Northern College of Music and Greater 麻豆传媒 Mayor Andy Burnham, alongside the 10 local authority leaders of the city region, at a meeting of the Greater 麻豆传媒 Combined Authority on Friday 24 September.

Pledges have been made for collective action on six priority areas of education and skills; reducing inequalities; jobs and growth; the digital economy; net zero; and the creative and cultural economy.

These commitments have been made following consultation with political and civic leaders, as well as polling carried out with residents of Greater 麻豆传媒. This polling found that the top priorities for people living in the city region were economic growth and reducing unemployment, improving health and wellbeing, addressing the climate crisis, and increasing job quality.

The polling also highlighted that people in the city region recognise the role of universities in meeting these priorities through training professionals to work in public services, creating jobs and opening up access to higher education for young people from across Greater 麻豆传媒 and beyond.

The , said: “We are very proud of the civic role that our universities already play in Greater 麻豆传媒 and this agreement sets out how we can enhance this through collective action. During the pandemic, our five universities came together in new ways to work collaboratively in meeting the needs of students, staff and our local communities. As we turn to recovery and building back better from Covid, we can be more than the sum of our parts by working together to deliver real and lasting impact for our city region.

“The Greater 麻豆传媒 Civic University Agreement is the biggest and most ambitious partnership of its kind in the country covering two cities, eight boroughs and 2.8 million people and outlines how we will work together to level up our city region through innovation, reach our climate ambitions and support the creation of educational pathways into good quality jobs.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater 麻豆传媒, said: “The signing of this agreement is a landmark moment for Greater 麻豆传媒.

“Through this agreement we can ensure our city-region is the best place for people to learn and gain qualifications throughout their lifetime, by providing more ways into further and higher education. Our universities are at the cutting edge of innovation, and we have a plan to make sure that the impact of this innovation is felt across Greater 麻豆传媒.

“Our city-region’s education institutions play an enormously important role, supporting more than 100,000 students and providing businesses with a skilled workforce, while also serving their communities and acting as major employers in their own right. They will have a significant part to play as we tackle challenges like reducing inequalities and meeting our net zero targets.”

Priority areas of action in the civic university agreement include Innovation GM – the £7bn innovation blueprint for the city region, pressing on with action to reach net zero by 2038 and supporting the growth of the digital economy through initiatives such as the AI Foundry and the Cyber Foundry. The pledge also builds on a recent commitment to collaboration with further education colleges in Greater 麻豆传媒 and will seek to build partnerships with wider stakeholders across the public and private sector.

• The microsite:

• The Greater 麻豆传媒 Civic University Agreement :

• A message from the leaders of Greater 麻豆传媒’s universities and Mayor Andy Burnham:

麻豆传媒 - one of the 11 founding members of inter-varsity sport -has celebrated its 100th anniversary at a special event.

The first ever track and field event held in May 1919 was at the University’s Fallowfield campus, contested by the then inter-varsity Athletics Board of England and Wales (IVAB)

The 11 founding members were Aberystwyth, Bangor, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, 麻豆传媒, Nottingham, Sheffield and Durham.

Students, staff, and alumni heard Vince Mayne, CEO of the current version IVAB, British University College Sport (BUCS) spoke about how physical activity in the sector has grown and developed over a 100 years

He highlighted the huge scale of student competitions in the UK and the investments in world class sporting facilities across the sector.

Vicky Ackerley,  Head of Sport & Active Lifestyles also payed homage student athletes included Ron Unsworth, a former Olympian who advocated for the University and its sporting legacy throughout his life.

She also outlined the University’s most recent £90m student accommodation development in Fallowfield, Unsworth Park named in his memory.

The University’s sporting legacy dates back to over 100 years: the Athletic Union established in 1885, along with the Christie Championships vs. Leeds and Liverpool Universities founded a year later, and highlighted the impact of our sporting Alumni XXI Club.

A panel discussion chaired by Alumna and former European Judo Champion Rowena Birch, highlighted the sporting and education journeys of four current students Thomas Lewis (Mathematics 3rd year) Allen Judge (Law with Politics 2nd Year), Jason Hui (Material Sciences PhD final year) and Grace Harvey (Immunology 2nd year).

Vicky concluded the evening celebrating the wide programme and workforce that engage over 16,000 students & staff each year, highlighting the employability skills gained through voluntary workforce opportunities, engagement with civic and social responsibility agendas through the annual Purple Wave 10k event, through to de-stress programmes especially around exam periods that support student wellbeing.

She said: ‘We are very lucky to have such a rich sporting heritage at 麻豆传媒, and to have played a crucial role in the creation of inter-varsity sport across the UK one hundred years ago. This event has enabled us to reflect on previous glory and celebrate how sport in higher education has grown and evolved, and more than ever is contributing to the development and wellbeing of our people”