2022 was a busy and exciting year at the University of Winchester. Read on to relive the highlights.
We warmly welcomed our new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sarah Greer, in her new role at Winchester.
The University and Winchester Student Union were awarded the National Union of Students (NUS) Responsible Futures accreditation for the second time, in recognition of our shared commitment to embedding sustainability and social responsibility in teaching and other activities.
We congratulated Claire Fuller, who was announced as the winner in the Novel category in the Costa Book Awards for her novel Unsettled Ground, a portrait of twins living on the fringes of society. Claire is a graduate of the University's Creative and Critical Writing Masters degree course.
A crafting session for elderly residents of a care home, a bake sale, a 'Chatty Café' and a 'Big Tidy Up' around Stanmore were some of the events organised by students to mark national Student Volunteering Week (7-13 February).
To mark Race Equality Week 2022 (7-13 February), we launched a fourth episode of The Inside Out podcast. In this episode, University of Winchester BAME Ambassadors Shelina and Alisha - with students Maisha, Darren and Elliot - explore privilege, with a particular focus on white privilege.
Our West Downs Centre teaching and learning building was named as one of 18 projects shortlisted for a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) regional South Award.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Sarah Greer was joined by student nurses, NHS staff and local dignitaries at a special event to formally open new clinical training facilities at the University.
Our success in protecting much-loved but vulnerable hedgehogs and their habitats on campus was rewarded with a prestigious Gold Hedgehog Friendly award from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS).
The West Downs Centre was announced as a UK National Award winner at the Civic Trust Awards 2022. The judges commented the building was: "An ambitious scheme that has been delivered to a very high standard. It enhances not just the University campus and teaching facilities but also the wider neighbourhood."
The University and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust launched a partnership to undertake collaborative global health work across the world. The Global Health Hub brings together academic, clinical, charitable and educational skills of staff and builds on the humanitarian and educational mentorship aid to many parts of the world both institutions undertake, as well as the work of the University's Winchester Centre for Global Health.
The fantastic contribution and positive impact made by staff and student volunteers was celebrated at the University's Volunteering and Community Champion Awards 2022, with ten champions recognised for their volunteering and social action in the community.
Winchester Fashion Week 2022 - organised by Winchester Business Improvement District and sponsored by the Faculty of Business, Law and Digital Technologies - saw students from degree programmes including BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing and BA (Hons) Event Management take part in a variety of activities during the week.
University of Winchester research rated 4* or world leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour increased threefold since the last REF in 2014, the results of the Research Excellence Framework 2021 showed. There was also a significant increase in institutional research power, with the University now placed at 98 for research power, compared with 107 in 2014. This represents the 17th biggest increase nationally.
The University was announced as part of a coalition which received over £550k from the Department of Transport for pilot projects to understand how transport can play a role to help people feel less lonely. The University is evaluating three pilot projects to assess what interventions work, and to share learning about ways to reduce loneliness through transport.
Student nurse Cyzel Gomes was shortlisted for a Student Nursing Times Award 2022. One of seven student nurses from around the country nominated for the Mary Seacole Award for outstanding contribution to diversity and inclusion, Cyzel narrowly missed out on the award.
The Lost Art of Staring into Fires, the first anthology from the University's vibrant poetry scene, was launched this month. It gathers together work written between 2010 and 2022 by thirty-seven authors, some current students and others who have gone on to receive critical acclaim.
The University hosted a moving dialogue of reconciliation and peace at a special international event between Bertha Fries, a victim of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's (FARC's) infamous car bomb attack on the El Nogal Social Club in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2003, and Rodrigo Londoño, last commander-in-chief of the FARC before the group disarmed in 2017.
Archaeologists, led by Dr Paul Everill, contributed a paper to Ukrainian journal Arheologia, one of the oldest archaeological editions in Eastern Europe. They responded to a call for support by Dr Tetiana Schevchenko, executive secretary of the journal, who said that the most valuable support that peer-archaeologists could provide to their Ukrainian colleagues would be to contribute papers.
This month the Hares of Hampshire art trail launched across the cities of Winchester and Southampton. The University's giant hare sculpture - Be Your Beautiful Self painted by local artist Jenny Muncaster - was unveiled in its location on the Weirs Riverside Walk.
The University's Sports Stadium at Bar End was the destination for the Queen's Baton Relay when it visited Winchester on 6 July, on its way to Birmingham for the start of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The University ranked in the top 25 in England for students feeling part of a community of staff and students in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2022. The NSS gathers students' opinions on the quality of their courses which helps to inform prospective students' choices and provide data that supports universities and colleges to improve the student experience.
The outdoor spaces of two local charitable organisations were transformed for the summer by staff volunteers. Osborne School in Winchester and the Broadlands Group RDA both welcomed teams of enthusiastic University staff members to tackle a range of tasks outdoors for a day.
Dr Eric Lacey featured in a new podcast series inspired by and accompanying the latest version of popular video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, the Dawn of Ragnarök, which sees players explore the world of Old Norse mythology, fighting to save the son of Odin from the gods' foes, the giants. In Echoes of History: Ragnarök, Eric, who is a senior lecturer in English, shares his expertise in Old Norse literature, language and myth.
Lim Teoh, Head of Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Business and Digital Technologies and senior lecturer in Accounting and Taxation, was one of 54 academics across the country to receive a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship.
Items no longer needed by students heading home for the summer were given a second life, benefitting city charities including Winchester Basics Bank, The Winchester Beacon, Trinity Winchester, Hampshire Paws and Emmaus. Over a tonne of clothing, bedding, kitchen and homewares, and store cupboard essentials - more than 175 bags in total - were donated through our annual Bag it Up campaign to help people in need in the city.
The #TeamHannah Band and Singers recorded Primal Scream's Movin' on Up as their third fundraising single in aid of Shelter. Hannah Williams, Winchester graduate, former Director of Foundation Music at the University and finalist in ITV's The Voice in 2021, worked with the University of Winchester Music Centre and 160 singers and instrumentalists to record the cover.
Along with people across the UK and around the world, we mourned the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September.
We welcomed a new cohort of students to start their studies here at Winchester and welcomed back our returning students as lectures began again for another academic year.
For the fourth time, we supported the Winchester Marafun as its Finish Line partner. This year, the amazing team at the University's Winchester Health Clinic offered free and well-deserved post-race massages to runners, with BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy students from first, second and third years of study.
The West Downs Centre was shortlisted for another award, this time as one of just seven schemes nominated for the 'People's Choice Award' of this year's prestigious Solent Quality Place Awards.
Over 2,000 students celebrated their academic achievements with their families and friends at Graduation ceremonies at Winchester Cathedral, presided over by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sarah Greer. Inspirational individuals receiving honorary degrees included award-winning journalist Melanie Reid MBE, Winchester-based novelist and graduate of the University Claire Fuller, and British Paralympian Aaron Phipps MBE.
On World Mental Health Day (10 October 2022), a new set of best practice guidelines was launched, aimed at ensuring participants in heritage projects and those working with historic remains are well supported during projects. Taking part in heritage projects has become a popular way to improve mental health and wellbeing. Now, a team of researchers led by Dr Paul Everill and colleague Dr Karen Burnell at Solent University, Southampton, have drawn up the AMPHORA guidelines, which are designed to unlock the full therapeutic potential of the historic environment, through Authentic and Meaningful Participation in Heritage Or Related Activities (AMPHORA).
A new University scholarship scheme to support students from ethnic minority groups to study on Education and Health and Wellbeing degree programmes was announced during Black History Month. Under the BECOME scheme, up to 20 undergraduate students from racially minoritised backgrounds, who are domiciled in the UK, will receive £500 per year of their studies and £500 when they graduate.
The University was reaccredited as a University of Sanctuary in recognition of its ongoing successful initiatives to welcome refugees and asylum seekers and support them in higher education study. Winchester became the first University of Sanctuary in the south of England in 2018. A short ceremony at the University saw the Award presented to Vice-Chancellor Professor Sarah Greer by Elizabeth Flint, Chair and Founder of Winchester City of Sanctuary, a volunteer run and led local community group organisation, which is part of a movement of welcome across the UK.
Dr Vicky Randall, subject tutor for Physical Education and co-convenor of the Centre for Professional Learning in Education, helped create a new BBC initiative to inspire primary school age children around the UK to get moving and develop the skills and tools to learn about their mental health and wellbeing. She worked alongside the charity stormbreak, BBC Education and BBC Children in Need to develop resources for BBC Moodboosters.
This month also saw a group of students, academics and members of Research and Innovation represent the University at VentureFest South (VFS), a vibrant annual festival celebrating enterprise and innovation across the region.
We welcomed naturalist, TV presenter, photographer and author Chris Packham to the University this month to talk about how developing a connection with nature can help improve the symptoms of debilitating mental health conditions. Nature on my mind: The impact of nature, wildlife and caring for the environment on our mental health was his first talk as patron of local charity Winchester Youth Counselling. The event raised £4,000, with all proceeds from ticket sales going to the charity.
International broadcast journalist and University of Winchester lecturer Angus Scott swapped the lecture theatre to be in front of a TV camera to cover the World Cup 2022 for ITV Sport. Angus teaches the next generation of journalists part-time on the University of Winchester Journalism degree programmes, including the BA (Hons) Sports Journalism course.
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