During the week of November 29th to December 3rd, Cirencester College staff and students celebrated 'Kibera Week'.

Named after the vast Kibera slum in Nairobi, and incorporating World AIDS Day and the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the aim of the week was to raise awareness of issues of aid, development, and global responsibility, and  to raise funds to support Kigulu, a refuge and school for AIDS orphans in the slum. Inspired by Archaeology lecturer Aidan Scott's report of his visit to Kigulu in summer 2010, staff and students joined in with gusto to raise over £2,000: cakes were baked and sold; legs waxed for charity; games were played for entrance fees; a bring and buy sale held; Kibera lunches made and consumed; there was busking, dressing up, 'Three Wise Monkeys', a lecture on British Colonialism and Kenya; and a wide range of lessons and tutorials devoted to the week's themes.

We hope that this will be the beginning of a long-term relationship with Kigulu and Kenton schools, so ideas for future events will be welcomed, and we hope to hold the 'Kibera Abseil' (postponed owing to bad weather) in spring 2011. We have sent our first contribution of £1200 in time for Christmas: it will feed the whole school for 3 months. A huge thank you to everyone involved in such a fantastic effort: those who took part in the activities, those who gave money, and the large number of College staff who pitched in to make sure everything could happen.

For more information please contact Janet Williams on 01285 640994.

Having recently honed their tracking skills the Level 3 Countryside Management students went on to put their new skills to the test.

At a secluded spot in Wooton-Under-Edge the group hit the ground looking for sights and sounds of the local wildlife. Visual surveys revealed tracks, scat, damage, nesting sites and trails that led them to believe the following wildlife frequented the site:

• Roe deer
• Muntjac deer
• Foxes
• Badgers
• Rabbits
• Squirrels
• Moles
• Mice
• Dogs

The group then positioned remote sensor cameras to confirm their finds.

“After trawling through a few thousand photos I was pleased with the results” said Course lecturer Phil Tanner. “We have some great shots that confirm the presence of many of the species identified in our survey. The most exciting pictures we captured were a set of three pictures that show a large, dark-coloured animal moving through the vegetation.”….It remains unidentified… Student Harry Gardner was pleased to point out that the group had done the job as well as the cameras despite the difference in cost. Knowledge is power!

If you would like to know more about our Countryside Management courses please contact Student Services on 01285 640994.

Students from the second year of the Btec National Extended Diploma are exhibiting a selection of their work at the New Brewery Arts Theatre Space, Cirencester.

As part of their Collaborative Arts Unit, three of the students have organised and curated the show themselves. The exhibition contains both experimental work and developed pieces across disciplines including: Photography, Printmaking and Mixed Media work.

We are delighted to invite you to the Private View Tuesday 8th November 5-8pm or visit at your leisure at the times specified below.

A2 Geography and AS Environmental Studies students recently enjoyed a field day spent exploring plant zonation and succession in the sand dunes at Oxwich Bay, South Wales.

College students were joined by a group of Year 11 geographers from Deer Park School.  Course Leader Tom Bint said, "We were delighted to be joined by a group of students from Deer Park who not only enjoyed the opportunity to enhance their fieldwork skills but also gained a hugely useful insight into AS/A2 Level Geography."

Cursed with the kind of weather only the hardiest of geographers could enjoy students nevertheless braved the blustery conditions to clamber through the extensive dune system, analysing vegetation and dune characteristics along the way. Their reward at the end? A guided walk through the floating bog of Oxwich!

A long day, but well worth it and it's fair to say that the burger stop on the way home rounded the day off nicely for many!  For further information please contact Tom Bint on 01285 640994 or email Tom on tvb@cirencester.ac.uk.

 

Last week Countryside Management Students volunteered both their skills and their muscles to assist with the Cotswold Water Park’s ongoing reed bed management plan.

The group travelled to the beautiful Waterhay site on a crisp and foggy morning but soon found themselves working up a sweat... The students were a bit taken aback when they saw the scale of the project that lay ahead but with gusto and without a moment’s hesitation each and every one engulfed themselves in the reeds searching for alder and willow to be felled.

Lecturer Phil Tanner explains: “It was an interesting project as all of the students have experience of coppicing which they have done to encourage re-growth of trees at the local woods. Today, though, they were felling the trees to prevent them from re-growing to produce a better wetland habitat”. As the trees were felled the students coated the stumps with a herbicide to prevent re-growth and the felled trees were subsequently burnt on a managed fire!"

At the close of the day, hot tea in hands, the group looked back on a very rewarding day, still smiling as the sweat dried! One student Ben Clarke explained, “It was a great area full of wildlife and an amazing area to work in, it was a good experience and we all enjoyed the day out and benefited from it”. Senior Reserve Warden Phil Sheldrake was delighted with the students' work and said, “I just wanted to say thank you all for today - you all did a fab job and we are making good progress this year so far”.

For more information about the Countryside Management courses please contact Phil Tanner on 01285 640994 or email Phil on pat@cirencester.ac.uk.

 

Staff and students recently celebrated the College's 2nd Annual 'Kibera Week'. 

Named after the vast Kibera slum in Nairobi, the aim of the week is to raise awareness of issues of aid, development, and global responsibility, and  to raise funds to support Kigulu, a refuge and school for AIDS orphans in the slum. The week was originally inspired by Archaeology lecturer Aidan Scott who visited Kigulu in the summer of 2010.  

To raise funds staff and students baked cakes, dressed up, dressed down, busked and took part in lesson discussions and tutorials.  Other events throughout the week included:

• 'Star in a Car" - not on 4 wheels though, students participated in a X Box Challenge for a £1 a time to be the fastest round a virtual track.  The fastest time of 1:27:021 belonged to Pete Moore.
• On Tuesday students and staff enjoyed a lunchtime concert in the Sundial Theatre in which many of the College's talented musicians took part
• 'Kigulu Lunch' gave everyone a taste of the children's staple diet in Kigulu of beans and rice
• On Wednesday students and staff including Principal, Kim Clifford bravely donated £5 to abseil down the Castle walls in Cecily Hill, at times in treacherous conditions including a downpour!

The fund raising will continue in to next year when Stuart Williams will be leading a group of students and staff in a charity bike ride, 500km along the Loire valley in France.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in such a fantastic effort: those who took part in the activities, those who gave money, and the large number of College staff who pitched in to make sure everything could happen.  In all students and staff raised an incredbible £900 towards supporting Kigulu.

 

Cirencester College Biology students recently enjoyed a day of lectures by world class scientists on Genetics at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Professor Russell Foster and other science colleagues described how our bodies adjust to the differing demands of 24 hour cycle. Whereas Professor Fancesco Muntoni, summarised the results of recent research which may potentially revolutionise the treatment of the devastating disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

AS-level student Alex Hayward said: “The trip to London was incredibly interesting and was a lot of fun. There were five excellent lectures on different parts of biology and genetics. The day was very diverse and addressed aspects of biology that will help me in the future as an aspiring biologist.”

This trip has been an annual pilgrimage for Biology students at Cirencester College for the last four years, giving students the opportunity to enhance their studies with specialist lectures in London. If you would like to find out more about studying A level Biology at Cirencester College please contact Stephanie Warren on 01285 640994 or e-mail smw@cirencester.ac.uk.

The cast and crew of Wind and the Willows, promise to put on a comical and upbeat performance, with their own modern interpretation of this classic story. They have put their skills to work in creating props, costumes, masks and a host of extraordinary vehicles, to ensure a wonderful revisit to those childhood memories of this delightful novel - live on stage.

Everyone is invited to join Ratty, and his new friend Mole, as they idle away the hours on the river bank, little knowing that they (along with wise old Mr Badger) are about to embark on a glorious adventure. In pursuit of his latest obsession, the motor car, the incorrigible Mr Toad turns their tranquil life upside down and lands himself in a whole heap of trouble – “poop poop”! But beware of the Wild Wood - full of naughty weasels and misbehaving stoats, as they might come after spectators too!

This production promises to be a perfectly enchanting Christmas treat for all the family, punctuated with jokes for the adults without bewildering the tots. The show runs every day from the 6th to the 9th December at 1pm, with an additional show on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm.

Tickets can be purchased at £4 tickets for all 1pm showings; tickets from £5 for 7.30pm shows. Contact The Sundial Theatre's box office on 01285 654228, or visit http://www.cirencester.ac.uk/sundial

 

Photo: Cirencester College students with centre front
CC Student Union President Amber Pomagalski and Kim Clifford CC Principal  

Twenty years after Cirencester College first opened its doors to provide education and training opportunities to the local community it celebrates its new status as a Sixth Form College.

This is another milestone for the College in recognition of its excellence in education, after receiving Beacon Status in 2004 for delivering high quality teaching and learning, which was then fully endorsed by Ofsted in 2006 with an ‘outstanding’ inspection across the board. Thanks to the support of local partnerships schools, employers and the community, Cirencester has now become one of only a handful of General Further Education Colleges across the country to gain Sixth Form College designation, after completing a very rigorous application process.

Principal Kim Clifford explains:

“We are delighted to have been re-designated as a Sixth Form College; it is a huge recognition of Cirencester College’s excellence in sixth form education and strengthens the College as a respected 6th Form College for Cirencester and the surrounding areas. This gives Cirencester College a unique position in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire as one of only 3 Colleges to hold this prestigious status in the South West.

This will not change the exciting range of courses and opportunities that we offer, nor will it affect our courses for adults, who are looking to improve their employability or professional skills and qualifications.

As a Sixth Form we will continue to expand our apprenticeships and we have exciting new developments in our Higher Education offering to include Business, Finance, Criminology, Heritage, Media, Sport and Art. All this is good news for the community in providing cost effective solutions in difficult times.”

For more information please contact Libby Reed, Assistant Principal, External Affairs on 01285 640994 or email Libby on ear@cirencester.ac.uk.