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Great War Talk to Honour Tragic Beechey Brothers
Eight Lincoln brothers joined up to fight for king and country in the Great War – but only three returned. The story of the Beechey family of Avondale Street in Lincoln will be told next week by author Michael Walsh, whose book ‘Brothers in War’ (2006) tells the tragic story of Barnard, Charles, Frank, Harold and Leonard Beechey who were all killed in World War One. Mr Walsh will give a talk on the subject at Bishop Grosseteste University on Monday 10th November organised by the City of Lincoln branch of the Historical Association and the university.There will also be a special Lincolnshire at War exhibition, supported by the Lincolnshire County Council Archives, which will feature a selection of the Beechey brothers’ letters on display alongside other First World War artefacts. This will be the first time these documents have been put on public display outside of the archives. Descendants of the Beechey brothers will be attending the event, which takes place in Armistice Week and two days before The Last Post is premiered at Lincoln Drill Hall.The Last Post is a new play which has been written for the Lincoln Mystery Plays Company, based on hundreds of letters home written by the eight brothers that are kept in the Lincolnshire Archives. The Beechey Boys WW1 event begins in the Robert Hardy Building at BGU at 5pm on 10th November with refreshments and a book signing by the author supported by Waterstones, and the talk will start at 6pm. There is a £3 charge for the event but BGU staff and students and members of the Historical Association can attend free of charge. The talk is just one of a number of historical events regularly staged at BGU, which will launch a new joint degree in Archaeology and History from September 2015. We currently offer single honours History but the new joint honours degree will offer a wide variety of modules across the subjects of archaeology and history. We have particular strengths in public and community archaeology and students will also gain skills in these areas as they study Britain’s Roman and mediaeval past. -
BGU Goes Global as Conference Celebrates Internationalism
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln celebrated the breadth of its international activity by staging a BG Global conference on campus yesterday (22nd April). The keynote speaker was Vivienne Stern, Director of the UK Higher Education International Unit, who spoke about issues affecting the higher education sector in internationalisation and attracting international students to the UK. The conference also provided an opportunity for BGU to launch its Internationalisation Strategy, which has been developed by the university’s new International Manager Wayne Dyble and a group of colleagues from across the institution. Dr Ruth Sayers, Executive Dean for Learning Teaching and International at BGU, welcomed the delegates, some of whom were the university’s students. She described the range of activities represented at the conference as impressive, including presentations on international research activity, mobility programmes overseas, institutional partnerships and special projects. BGU has a long history of working with partners in many international settings, including China, Nepal, Thailand, the Gambia, Norway, Uganda, Brazil, Tanzania and India. The conference also offered academic staff an opportunity to discuss how they are internationalising the curricula in innovative ways, supported by a project led by the Higher Education Academy. “The conference represents a sea change in our international work,” said Dr Sayers. “We celebrate the many activities that have gone before, but we look forward to a much more strategic future, in which internationalisation will permeate all our activities and the new International Office will drive forward the strategy that was launched at the conference.” -
Former Archbishop of Canterbury to Speak at BGU
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, The Rt Rev Rt Hon Lord Rowan Williams, will be in Lincoln next month to give a lecture at Bishop Grosseteste University. He has been invited to speak by the Lincoln Theological Society on Tuesday 7th April and the subject of his talk will be Centenarians, Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton. Lord Rowan Williams was Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012 and is now Master of Magdelene College, Cambridge. His lecture will take place at 7.30pm in the Robert Hardy Building at BGU. Bishop Grosseteste University is also staging a series of lectures to mark the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta. Magna Carta itself will be the subject of a talk by Dame Pauline Green on Wednesday 29th April at 2pm. Dame Pauline is the first female president in the 120-year history of the International Co-operative Alliance. Tickets for the Lord Rowan Williams lecture cost £5 and include wine, juice and car parking. To book visit the Lincoln Minster Shop, send an email to shop@lincolncathedral.com or visit Unicorn Tree Books in Lincoln Central Market. To book a place at Dame Pauline Green’s lecture contact Jessica Lyons by calling 01522 583681 or emailing jessica.lyons@bishopg.ac.uk. This lecture is free of charge and refreshments are provided. -
Ruston & Hornsby Heritage Lottery Fund Project
Bishop Grosseteste University is involved in helping to save the records of Ruston & Hornsby which was a major Lincoln company, exporting products all over the world (Siemens being the successor company). Students and volunteers alike are working on the current project, scanning over 150,000 photographic negatives of engineering plans and products. The negatives are in danger of being lost as they have a limited lifespan and are now beginning to decay. This will contribute towards an online catalogue on the ‘Lincs to the Past’ website which will not only preserve the images but will make them freely accessible worldwide. The project is being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is being steered by The Lincolnshire Archives. A major partner in the project is also the University of Lincoln, who now owns the archive. Above images: (left) Volunteer working with the archives; (right) 56-3134C: Men working on machine parts (c.1956) (Copyright: University of Lincoln/Lincs to the Past) Useful Links and Further Information Lincolnshire County Council - Ruston & Hornsby Article Lincs to the Past - Ruston & Hornsby Project For further information on the project please contact: Dr Andrew Jackson [andrew.jackson@bishopg.ac.uk] or Jane Rogers [jane.rogers@bishopg.ac.uk]. For further information on History programmes at BGU please contact: Dr Craig Spence [craig.spence@bishopg.ac.uk] -
Archaeology Lecturer Made Member of Chartered Institute
Bishop Grosseteste University lecturer Dr Craig Spence has been made a member of the new Chartered Institute for Archaeologists – and he’s looking forward to strengthening relationships between the institute and the university. The CIfA has been awarded chartered status and Dr Spence, Senior Lecturer in History, Archaeology and Heritage Studies at BGU, thinks the change is timely. The university has launched a new undergraduate joint degree in Archaeology and History alongside its existing Master's in Community Archaeology, and the courses will benefit from closer links with the CIfA, says Dr Spence. “One of the aims of the new degree is to provide students with employability skills to prepare them for working life in the field,” he said. “The CIfA will support this with its Student Member status opportunity. As members, students receive direct support and information from the institute and, once graduated, are eligible to apply for full membership and all the benefits that come with it.” The CIfA’s Student Membership gives budding archaeologists access to training opportunities and a variety of magazines and journals as well as use of Society of Antiquaries of London library. “We encourage all of our students to make use of this fantastic opportunity and I’m looking forward to further developing a relationship between BGU and the CIfA in the future,” Dr Spence added. The CIfA, which achieved chartered status last month, is a national professional organisation which represents the interests of archaeologists both in the UK and overseas. It sets standards, informs on professional practices and provides its 3,100 members with up-to-date information and developments in the field as well as training and networking opportunities. The new BA (Hons) Archaeology and History joint honours degree at BGU is the first of its kind in Lincolnshire and will allow students to get hands-on with the past and explore civilisations and societies from throughout history in a practical and interesting way. BGU currently offers single honours History and the new joint degree which starts in September 2015 was launched last October by Julian Richards, well known for his TV appearances on Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings. To find out more about all of the history and archaeology courses on offer at the university contact Dr Craig Spence: craig.spence@bishopg.ac.uk. -
Research at BGU Recognised as ‘World Class’
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln is celebrating after learning that research undertaken by its staff and students has been judged to be ‘world-leading’. Results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), a system used to independently assess the quality of research undertaken in all UK higher education institutions (HEIs), have been published today (Thursday). They show that research in Education, English Literature and History and have been judged to be world-leading and given the highest possible 4* rating.The University’s Vice-Chancellor, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, said: “We are delighted with the outcome. To have our research in these key subjects judged by experts to be world-leading is a fantastic achievement.” Professor John Sharp, who led the submission to REF 2014 on behalf of the university, paid tribute to his colleagues’ hard work, over several years, to develop the research. “Bishop Grosseteste University is committed to undertaking research that can be applied in ways that benefit our students and the general public and is useful to others,” he said. “The dedication and passion for research shown by staff and students from across the university has been rewarded by this result; to be recognised as undertaking research that is judged to be world class is very pleasing indeed.” The REF 2014 outcome is a further boost to Bishop Grosseteste University’s plans to grow its research as part of its overall new five-year strategy. -
Exploring the Magna Carta at BGU Lecture
Exploring the Magna Carta at BGU Lecture The President of the International Co-operative Alliance will give a talk about the Magna Carta at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln to mark the 800th anniversary of the signing of the famous document. Dame Pauline Green will use her lecture on Wednesday 29th April to draw parallels between the Magna Carta and the modern co-operative movement. The Magna Carta is credited with laying down the core principles of British democracy, and its influence spread around the world as emerging nations searched for an equitable and just governance system. Democratic principles also lie at the heart of the co-operative business model developed 600 years after Magna Carta by a group of mill workers in Rochdale. The ‘Law First’ of the Rochdale Pioneers spawned a modern model of business that has reached all parts of the globe. Dame Pauline Green is the first female President in the 120-year history of the International Co-operative Alliance. She was elected in 2009 and re-elected for a second term in 2013. In her lecture she will argue that the co-operative movement is the best ever initiative for taking people out of poverty with dignity that the world has ever seen, and one of the UK’s most enduring exports. The lecture will take place at 2pm on Wednesday 29th April in the Robert Hardy Lecture Theatre at BGU. The event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be served. To book your place contact Jessica Lyons by calling 01522 583681 or by emailing jessica.lyons@bishopg.ac.uk. -
Extra Funding to Encourage Young People into University
More young people will be encouraged to study at university thanks to new government funding which has been secured by Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. Today (Thursday 8th January) the university was promised £24,000 over two years to support its collaborative work with other universities and colleges to widen participation in higher education. The money will be used to extend and increase BGU’s widening participation activities across the region and enable the university to engage with pupils from more schools. BGU is involved in three networks which work to improve access to higher education to young people from all backgrounds. “This new funding of £24,470 from HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England) will provide a great boost to our widening participation activities,” said Karen Richardson, Head of Student Recruitment and Admissions at BGU. “Hopefully we will be able to reintroduce summer schools and help to raise the aspirations of students who would not otherwise think that studying at university was for them.” Lincolnshire is characterised by comparatively high attainment at GCSE but low levels of participation in higher education – only 32% of 18-year-olds go on to higher education courses at university or college compared to the national average of 38%. * BGU’s widening participation activities target people from disadvantaged socio-economic areas, people with no history of higher education in their family, black and minority ethnic groups, males (for teacher training courses) and mature students. The university currently runs two access to HE programmes: First Steps 2 Study and Next Steps 4 Study. First Steps 2 Study is aimed at Year 9,10 and 11 pupils and involves a student ambassador from BGU, campus visits and a visit to the school, while Next Steps 4 Study targets Year 12 and 13 pupils who take part in debates, workshops, seminars and presentations both at school and at the university. BGU is a member of three networks involved in widening participation: the North East Midlands Collaborative Outreach Network, the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers, and Magna Carta – Education for Liberty (which is led by the University of Lincoln). Other partners in the Magna Carta – Education for Liberty network include Lincoln College, Boston College, North Lindsey College, Grimsby Institute and Grantham College. Partners in the North East Midlands Collaborative Outreach Network include BGU, the University of Nottingham, the University of Derby, Nottingham Trent University, West Nottinghamshire College, Central College Nottingham, Loughborough College and Stephenson College in Coalville and Nottingham. The funding announced today is part of a new £22 million national scheme involving 226 higher education institutions and reaching 4,300 secondary schools and colleges. The National Networks for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO) will deliver a nationally co-ordinated approach to working with schools, universities and colleges to help people access higher education. Greg Clark, Minister for Universities and Science, commented: “A record number of students entered higher education in 2014, with entry rates for students from disadvantaged backgrounds increasing by over 10% to its highest ever level. “However there is still more work to do to ensure all students who want to study hard can benefit, irrespective of their background.” * Latest HEFCE statistics for 2011/12. -
Awards for Heritage Sites Helping Visitors to Learn
They range from the grand (Chatsworth House) to the modest (Cottage Museum, Woodhall Spa), and from the famous (Titanic Belfast) to the obscure (the Museum of Hatting). But they are all award winners, and on Friday 4th December 52 heritage sites in the UK and Ireland will receive a Sandford Award in recognition of their education work. Museums, forts, galleries, houses and archives will be among those represented at the annual Sandford Awards for Heritage Education which this year take place at the London Transport Museum, which also won an award this year. The Sandford Awards are jointly managed by Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln and the Heritage Education Trust, and BGU’s Vice Chancellor, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, will present the awards this year. The 2015 winners, which represent a cross-section of heritage sites from across the country, include The Collection in Lincoln, Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields, Black Country Living Museum in the West Midlands, Stockport Air Raid Shelters and the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham. Dr Tracy Borman, Sandford Co-ordinator at Bishop Grosseteste University, said: “The Sandford Awards pay tribute to education excellence and we look forward to honouring another outstanding crop of heritage sites next month. For the first time this year we will also award a special prize: the Frances Garnham Award for Innovation in Heritage Education. “We’re looking forward to another enjoyable ceremony and we’d like to congratulate all the sites who have been successful this year.” The awards ceremony begins at 11.30am on Friday 4th December and the Sandford Award Winners 2015 are: Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields Battle of Bannockburn Bingley Five Rise Locks Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Bruce Castle Museum, Haringey Burghley House, Stamford Canterbury Roman Museum Castell Henllys Iron Age Village Chatsworth House Clitheroe Castle The Collection, Lincoln Colne Valley Museum Cottage Museum, Woodhall Spa Danelaw Centre for Living History, York Discovery Museum & Tyne and Wear Archives Experience Barnsley Falmouth Art Gallery Foxton Locks, Market Harborough Framework Knitters Museum, Nottingham Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hall Place & Gardens, Bexley Harvington Hall, Kidderminster Hatton Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hatworks: The Museum of Hatting, Stockport The Higgins Bedford Holdenby House,Northampton Hopetoun House, Edinburgh The Judge's Lodging, Powys Keats House, London Kent Life, Maidstone Kerry County Museum Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Locomotion, County Durham London Transport Museum Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre National Maritime Museum Cornwall National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port Parliament Education Service Pollok House, Glasgow Queen Street Mill, Burnley Richmond Cultural Education Partnership Science Museum, London Segedunum Roman Fort, Wallsend Sheffield Cathedral Shipley Art Gallery South Shields Museum and Art Gallery Stockport Air Raid Shelters Tatton Park, Cheshire Titanic Belfast Wolves Museum, Wolverhampton The Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere World Rugby Museum, Twickenham -
First-Class Degrees for Husband and Wife
A husband and wife who returned to study in their 40s will both graduate in Lincoln next week with first-class honours. Andy and Debbie Hicks had to juggle studying at Bishop Grosseteste University with work and looking after their two children, and Debbie also overcame a serious illness which forced her to miss most of an academic year. But on Tuesday 14th July they will celebrate their perseverance by receiving their degree certificates at Lincoln Cathedral. They are not the first members of their family to receive first-class honours: Debbie’s son Adam gained a first-class degree from Coventry University last year and her mother Christine Love graduated with first-class honours from Bishop Grosseteste College (as it was then) in the 1980s. Debbie enrolled at BGU to study Education Studies and History but after a year she decided that she no longer wanted a career in teaching, so she switched to the History and Theology joint degree course. “At the same time I found out that BGU offered a single honours degree in Theology,” she said. “Andy worked for the Life Church in Lincoln and it had always been his dream to do a theology degree, so he signed up for the course and combined studying with his job.” It was in December 2013 that Debbie became seriously ill; she needed three operations and was in hospital for much of the academic year. “We also moved house twice, my mother was very ill too and my stepfather passed away, so it was a very difficult time for us. We had just about everything thrown at us so it’s a wonderful surprise now to learn that we both gained first-class degrees!” With honours degrees under their belts Debbie (46) starts a new job next week as a community co-ordinator for the Royal Voluntary Service while Andy (43) is also looking forward to a change in his career. “We both thoroughly enjoyed our courses and we’re going to miss BGU hugely,” said Debbie. “It’s a wonderful university for mature students: it’s small and friendly and we found that the younger students accepted us as part of the group. “We owe a huge debt of thanks to the tutors at BGU, especially Jack Cunningham, who have been fantastic – we will miss them all so much.”
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