Autumn Edition 2016/17 The official magazine of the The Cestrian University of Chester alumni community COCKTAILS ARE NO 'WHISKY BUSINESS' PAGE 12 NEW TEACHING ALUMNI SUCCESS RECOGNITION FOR LABORATORIES IN RIO 2016 UNSUNG HERO PAGE 9 PAGE 14 PAGE 28 Introduction WHAT’S INSIDE? Canon Professor TJ Wheeler DL 6 Welcome to the Autumn Shrewsbury Flower Show this 2016 edition of The Cestrian, summer, you may have spotted the University’s magazine for the UCS entry ‘Home Grown,’ its alumni community. As I which won ‘Best in Show’ and a write, another generation of silver trophy! 10 students is just beginning the Last academic year ended higher education journey which with one of my personal you have all experienced. I highlights, the installation hope they will embrace the of the Alumni Window and opportunities which lifelong a special Donor Reception learning brings as they service, which completed the 15 eventually become alumni. University’s celebration of its 9 The University has had 175 year history. Thanks again another busy year which has to all those who contributed seen a number of significant towards this project. It will developments taking place. serve as a colourful reminder of Programmes were successfully all those who have worked and launched in the new Faculty studied at this institution. of Medicine, Dentistry and A record number of alumni 18 Clinical Sciences, and jointly returned to celebrate their with Reaseheath College, with various anniversaries at this 6 Window unveiled 10 Alumni stars of whom we have entered into year’s annual Alumni Reunion. to donors at special recruitment campaign a strategic alliance, we are in I hope that you enjoyed Chapel service the process of establishing our catching up with old friends, 15 Cestrian Award winners ninth faculty, that of Agriculture and perhaps making some new 9 New teaching thank the UCAA and Veterinary Science. ones too. laboratories at Facilities have been Finally, the new academic Thornton 18 Annual Alumni Reunion enhanced throughout the year began on a sad note campuses, including an with the passing of Gerald extension to the Seaborne Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke WELCOME Library and new catering of Westminster. His Grace was TO THE AUTUMN 2016 facilities at the Parkgate installed as our Foundation EDITION OF THE CESTRIAN MAGAZINE. Road Campus, refurbished Chancellor in 2005 in Chester For many of you, this issue of The Cestrian laboratories at Thornton Cathedral, and remained will be your first sight of the Alumni Window. Science Park and a new a tireless supporter of the Our aim was to mark the 175th Anniversary Learning Resource Centre at University until his death. Our and leave a lasting testament to all staff and Kingsway Campus. thoughts are with his family students who have been influenced by their time here. Recruitment to our new at this sad time and I will be We would like to thank everyone who helped us to make this Foundation School, offering attending a memorial service possible and hope you enjoy reading about what the images a new way to access higher in his honour at the Cathedral symbolise on page 6. If you would like to see it for yourself, please education, has exceeded on November 28. I hope to do call us to arrange a visit. We would be delighted to see you! Holding a special event for donors to participate in the blessing expectations and student update you on his successor’s of the Window, the two Memory Lane events at Chester and numbers have increased appointment in the spring Warrington, followed by a very well supported Annual Reunion by 108% at the University edition of The Cestrian. has ensured we have met a lot of alumni this year! Many have Centre Shrewsbury (UCS), our new sister organisation in Professor Tim Wheeler, DL kindly donated memorabilia and photos for our archive, and we Vice-Chancellor and Principal, are very grateful for these additions. We are always looking for Shropshire, which is extremely University of Chester volunteers and have a few vacancies on our Committee, so if you promising. If you happened Chair, University of Chester Alumni would like to be more involved, do get in touch. to visit the prestigious Association (UCAA) Fiona Roberts, Alumni and Development Manager Alumni and Development Office To obtain this publication CREDITS: contact information: ISSN 1750-6662 Editor: Amy Owens, Fiona Roberts, Helena Astbury, Amy Owens in an alternative Corporate Communications [email protected] format, please call Design: Suzanne Fletcher, Graphics, LIS Telephone: 01244 511091 01244 511344 or email Photography: AV team, LIS; contributors www.chester.ac.uk/alumni [email protected] 9 771750 666006 2 The Cestrian 2016/17 Nic Leeds with his kiwi berry vines. Photo courtesy of @Adam Fradgley / © Exposure Photography. New super-food proves fruitful for Business graduate They are sweet, juicy and healthy, and they look very much like their larger cousin the kiwi fruit, however kiwi berries have one obvious benefit – no coarse, furry skin that’s tricky to peel! The official name of the berry is Actinidia argute and it grows in wild parts of China, north-eastern Siberia, Korea and Japan. Similar in proportion to a gooseberry or grape, Kiwi berries are “They are a very quick growing plant and they take a lot also a fraction of the size and are relatively unheard of in the UK. One of pruning, training and tidying up. If you don’t do the University of Chester graduate is hoping to change that, however, untangling, you suddenly realise what you’re faced with. and even based his dissertation on ‘a product launch strategy for kiwi It took us a while to realise that. We didn’t allow that to berries in the United Kingdom’. happen and this year, the vines looked quite neat and tidy.” Nic Leeds, who graduated with a BA (Hons) Business Studies in 2015, is the man in charge of growing kiwi berries at Wither’s Farm- his family’s 350-acre fruit farm in Ledbury, Herefordshire. With the nation becoming increasingly conscious about their Nic’s dad, George, began growing the berries in 2008, after health, this super-fruit, packed with vitamins and antioxidants, is a discovering them during a visit to another farm in Belgium. Wanting great as a snack, in chutney or as a sauce to accompany fish. to bring a new type of fruit to the UK and diversifying his own produce The berries have also been well received by supermarkets up on the farm, he brought some home to the UK and planted a very and down the UK. Wither’s Farm now supplies kiwi berries to 200 small patch to begin with. Pruning and spacing were all issues at first, Waitrose stores in the UK, as well as some Tesco, Marks and Spencer but by 2012, the family had planted a whole field of kiwi berries. and Co-op stores. The vines which stand at 7ft tall, still take a lot of looking after. Nic, added: “The berries are harvested towards the end of Nic, explained: “The branches tangle a lot. By the time you’ve summer so they’re usually in the shops in the autumn. We’re really finished untangling the whole field, you have to go through and do it happy with this year’s crop as we picked more than last year. We’ll all again. It’s constant untangling! see how they get on at the supermarkets!” Autumn Edition 3 The group gathered together at the University’s Business School, based at the Queen’s Park Campus, Handbridge, for their induction session. Trailblazing degree Thank you! Around 16 years ago, the then apprentices start work Chester College entered into a partnership with MBNA to provide an affinity credit card A pioneering cohort of degree apprentices Manager status. This combination gives a unique exclusively for alumni. The have started their journey at the University of undergraduate and postgraduate offering in the idea was that money could Chester – the first group in the UK to take a UK for aspiring managers and leaders called the be raised for the College as new and non-traditional approach to gaining a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship. each card was used. Over degree by studying in the workplace. Degree apprenticeships were launched by the years the total raised was Recruited as employees by a range of the Government enabling groups of businesses, £16,289.60. However, much companies, specialising in everything from universities and colleges to develop practical, has changed since then; the energy to IT and from manufacturing to vocational degree courses which will allow credit crunch, switching cards textiles, the group will enjoy a specially tailored people to combine both the academic study to benefit from special deals programme for their workplace which leads to from a traditional university degree and the etc. and this scheme has now a BA (Hons) degree in Business Management practical experience and wider employment come to an end. and Leadership - attending the University for 12 skills vital for career success. We would like to thank days, alongside their job. The University had already worked with Airbus all those who participated The apprenticeship degree has been on creating the degree apprenticeship ahead of in the scheme, and hope aligned with the Institute of Leadership and the government drive for this type of study and that they have enjoyed using Management professional qualifications, has conducted underpinning research which will their cards while at the enabling the group to come away with an ILM be presented to the House of Commons with the same time supporting the Diploma at levels 4-6 and achieve Chartered University Vocational Awards Council.