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Salford Advantage Fund

Creative Encounters: Connecting young minds to the creative industries of Greater Manchester

The Creative Encounters 2024 Project engaged 129 students from three schools in Salford, offering them experiences in four creative disciplines: Art, Design, Photography and Textiles. Most groups participated in three online sessions led by Lead Artist, Jack Brown, who collaborated with independent creatives from across Manchester. Jack has supported the programme and watched it grow over the past six years, Jack has said:

‘I really enjoy building long-term working relationships with the different arts departments and their teachers. I’ve been working with some teachers for over six years now, and we’ve built a trusting partnership that allows for more experimentation and risk-taking. This has led to exciting innovations within the project. For example, a last-minute date changes once prompted me to create an impromptu ‘DIY lighting’ photography workshop, which, unexpectedly, became one of the best workshops I now run.’

The programme also included an in-person visit day, featuring a workshop hosted by one of the university departments, a guided tour of the degree show and a student life session with Student Ambassadors. In cases where an on-campus visit wasn’t possible, students participated in an online careers’ session instead. Jack has said some of the benefits of going online have been, ‘the Q and A’s between students and arts professionals work better online that they did face to face, it feels like students have more time to prep questions, everyone feels less self-conscious and the artists/creatives give better answers too.’

Students who participated in the programme were asked, ‘what extra knowledge did you gain through this activity?’ and they were met with a flurry of positive feedback:

‘University is not just working but gives you an opportunity to make connections’

‘The programme made me think more about my future’

‘I gained some new ideas while I was checking other artwork’

‘There is a lot more ways to express my ideas in exhibitions/displays’

Teachers were asked about whether their pupils that took part in the programme now have learnt about the benefits of higher education. The improvements that teaching staff have seen in their pupils since taking part in the Creative Encounters project have been quoted as:

‘Pupils have had a creative burst, many thinking about skills learnt in sessions and applying them in class’

‘Confidence when discussing and creating ideas. Students have spoken about careers in art’

‘Some students used the work created in the sessions to support their coursework’

To see how the programme has developed over the years, check out the Encounters web page.

We hope you are inspired by what you have read today. Funds like this help to support our students to enhance the student experience, academic developments and the University’s environment. Projects the Salford Advantage fund has supported in the past has included improving student facilities, creating new opportunities and have fostered community engagement. Every gift makes a difference in our students’ journeys. Learn more about our causes and donate here.

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Uncategorized

Celebrating John Galloway and the inspiring work of Speed of Sight 

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievements of John Galloway, co-founder of Speed of Sight, who recently received an Honorary Degree from the University of Salford in July 2024. This recognition is a testament to John’s relentless dedication to empowering individuals with disabilities, allowing them to experience the thrill of driving, through the charity he founded with Mike Newman in 2012. 

Speed of Sight, inspired by Mike’s journey as a blind racing driver, has become a beacon of hope and joy for countless individuals who, due to medical reasons, will never be able to drive legally on public roads. With seven specially designed vehicles, including four racing cars and three all-terrain buggies, Speed of Sight offers exhilarating driving experiences nationwide, making a real difference in the lives of those they support. 

“The University of Salford has been a great supporter helping with placements, volunteers, fundraising, and projects,” John said in his graduation speech, acknowledging the role the university has played in the charity’s success. This support, coupled with the dedication of numerous volunteers and corporate partners, has been instrumental in enabling Speed of Sight to continue its mission. 

On the 12th of August, Speed of Sight hosted a track day at the Three Sisters Circuit, one of the UK’s most versatile race circuits. The event, sponsored by Simple Life, part of the Sigma Capital Group, saw participants, volunteers, and supporters come together to create an atmosphere of excitement, and joy.  

A particular highlight was the incredible achievement of young fundraiser Hannah Bevan, who, with support from ESG Director Niamh Waldron, raised over £1,000 through a sponsored blindfold walk—far exceeding her initial target of £400. The day also featured fun activities organized by the fantastic charity Whizz Kidz, adding even more joy to the event 

As John Galloway reflected, these experiences are about more than just driving; they are about accessing outdoor activities, promoting social interaction, and inclusion. This sentiment was echoed throughout the day, as repeat participants and new faces alike shared in the joy and excitement that Speed of Sight provides. 

As we celebrate John’s well-deserved honorary degree, we also celebrate the impact of Speed of Sight—a charity that continues to change lives, one exciting drive at a time! 

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Campus and Community

Salford Racing Team Achieves Record Success

We are thrilled to share the exceptional achievements of the Salford University Formula Student (FS) team, who recently secured 8th place in the prestigious IMechE Formula Student competition at Silverstone. Sponsored by the Morson Group, this competition is an educational engineering challenge that attracts universities from around the world, and encourages the development of enterprising young engineers.

The Formula Student competition is not only a test of engineering talent but also an important stepping stone for students transitioning from academia to the professional world. The students put their creation through a series of rigorous tests, including chassis, noise, and brake tests, followed by an endurance race on the iconic Copse corner track.

For the first time ever, the Salford team passed all the challenges and completed the endurance race, achieving a remarkable 8th place finish— up from their previous best of 31st. This performance is a reflection of the team’s dedication, teamwork, and passion for engineering.

Morson Group is proud to sponsor the Salford Racing Team, and continues to nurture the next generation of engineering talent. This partnership between Morson Group and the University is complemented by two major initiatives: the Morson Engine Room and the Morson Maker Space. These state-of-the-art facilities are equipped with the latest industry-standard manufacturing technologies, providing students with invaluable hands-on experience in design, manufacture, assembly, and inspection. Our collaborative aim is to ensure that Salford engineering graduates are not only well-prepared but also stand out in the competitive job market.

Dr Maria Stukoff, Director of the Maker Space, said she is ‘proud as punch’ of the team, for all their hard work, and making such a fantastic time!

Watch the video of the team here.

Congratulations to the Salford Racing Team for their incredible success!

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Campus and Community

Salford shortlisted for THREE Heist Awards

We are thrilled to announce that our project, “Is Anybody Listening? Our Time, Our Place,” has been shortlisted for the Best Community/Business Engagement Campaign or Initiative at the esteemed Heist Awards. This nomination is a testament to the impactful work being done through this initiative.

The Heist Awards, have a long history of highlighting innovative and effective campaigns across the sector. They celebrate projects that make significant contributions to community engagement, student recruitment, and overall brand building in higher education​​.

“Is Anybody Listening? Our Time, Our Place” showcases the work of UoS alumnus Craig Easton, featuring a touring exhibition that explores heritage through powerful photography. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this project expands on Craig’s exhibition by incorporating a community engagement programme. This programme empowers young people to explore and understand their heritage, appreciate its value, and learn how to preserve and share it through the art of photography.

This initiative stands out in its category for its creative approach to engaging the community and its success in building a deeper connection between young people and their cultural heritage.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement and extend our thanks to everyone involved in making this project a success.

You can now book your tickets for the main event, which will be held on Thursday 11th July 2024 at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. Book now to make sure you don’t miss out on your place at the event of the year: book my tickets.

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Salford Advantage Fund

Business Career Connect: Bridging Insights and Networking for Future Professionals

The Salford Business Schools’ student-led Business Society recently hosted the ‘Business Career Connect: Insights and Networking Event’, which was made possible by philanthropic donations to the Salford REVIVE grant. The event was designed to give students invaluable insights into diverse business sectors and to foster essential networking opportunities.

Around 30 students representing the Business School, encompassing disciplines such as business management, law and marketing, actively participated in the event. Guest speakers came from various careers, such as, finance, accounting, marketing, sports, HR and sales, including successful alumni speakers. These sectors were represented by organisations such as Deloitte, Waterfall Marketing, TLT LLP and Imprint Films. They shared insights into their fields, detailing how they entered into their respective careers and gave advice to attendees about how they can follow their career paths, whilst also helping students from different disciplines understand their available career options. Following the panel discussion, attendees had the opportunity to network. which enabled them to connect individually with speakers. Students indicated that several of them have established LinkedIn connections with the speakers, developing their networks and providing opportunity for future learning and employment opportunities, demonstrating their enthusiasm for exploring various career paths.

‘Business Career Connect: Insights and Networking event emerged as an indispensable platform facilitating students’ professional growth, encapsulating the essence of collaboration between academia and industry. The event’s success was made possible through the support of the Salford Revive Grant, covering essential aspects such as hospitality, venue adornments, and potential speaker and travel expenses, the event epitomized professionalism and efficacy in execution, accentuating its significance in nurturing future business leaders’ – Ahmad Ali, L6 BSc Business Management student, Salford Business society

Thank you to the generous contributions from the Salford REVIVE grant, the event contributed to Salford Business School’s calendar of extracurricular events, and as a student led event, it provided enhancement to the student experience. This is now being considered as annual event for the Business Society.

If you are inspired to help fund projects like this one or want to know more about a variety of different causes, you can find out more here. However you may choose to support us, your donation will make a big difference to what we can achieve.

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Students and Scholarships

Scholar Spotlight: Matt

Matt Turner demonstrating his Architecture work.

Matt, an Architecture student, secured the Roysia Bursary during his third year at the University of Salford. The Roysia Foundation is a U.K. Charity dedicated to facilitating positive change in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Their focus is on promoting the value of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine, particularly with young people from diverse backgrounds. They have supported University of Salford students by providing bursaries since 2022.

As Matt comes to the end of his academic journey, he says, ‘as I reflect on the journey that the bursary has facilitated, the financial assistance received has been instrumental in various aspects of my academic pursuit. It enabled me to acquire essential model making equipment and materials, as well as digital model making and rendering software for my personal laptop.’ It is great to hear that Matt has been able to purchase valuable resources with the funds from Roysia.

The bursary has allowed Matt to be able to focus more on his academic studies, ‘focusing wholeheartedly on my studies without the need for part-time employment. This uninterrupted focus has been pivotal in my academic success, enabling me to delve deeper into my coursework and pursue additional learning opportunities.’

Matt is proud to share that he has produced some great work this academic year that has yielded fruitful results,

‘I am proud to share images of the site model that I’m currently constructing for my Design Studio module. The base has been constructed out of foam using a CNC router machine. In constructing this, I have gained valuable experience of various software that I had not previously used and although the model is not finished yet, I’m proud of how it turned out. The timber is me just trying some simple forms on the site in order to build a concept from.’

As Matt prepares to embark on the next chapter of his journey, he says, ‘I am confident that the skills and experiences gained during my time at the University of Salford will serve as a solid foundation for future endeavors. At the end of the academic year, we will be having an end of year show where my work will be pinned up and presented.’

We wish Matt he best of luck with his future goals and look forward to celebrating his achievements at graduation this summer.  

More information

Donor-Funded Scholarships and Bursaries make a huge difference to our student’s educational experience, it allows them to gain valuable experience and purchase materials to help with their studies, that may not have been possible before.

If you want to read more stories like Matts, click the drop under ‘Students and Scholarships’. If you want to help fund our scholarships, we would love to hear from you, you can email us at supporters@salford.ac.uk or simply donate here.

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Uncategorized

Haworth Trust Life Drawing Class

The University of Salford and the Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology are once again indebted to the Haworth Trust for providing the funding to host The Haworth Life Drawing Series and exhibition in this academic year. The Life Class is organised and administered by the BA (Hons) Fine Art programme.  It is now in its ninth year. Founded by Jeremy Haworth in 1990, the Haworth Trust gives financial support to deserving young people with exceptional talent who are determined to make a career in the arts, especially in painting and music.

The Haworth Trust enables the school to host a Life Class for 20 weeks per academic year on Wednesday afternoons and a further 10 specialists ‘Masterclasses’ which take place on alternate weeks on Wednesday mornings.

The Fine Art team have observed a resurgence of interest in traditional techniques of painting and drawing in the last five years. Artists and students alike are reverting to their own bodies as a way of exploring their place in the world. This year approximately 110 students from 10 programmes throughout the school took part in the life drawing sessions.

The Haworth Trust Life Drawing Prize offers students a great incentive to participate in the sessions and a wonderful opportunity to study work, first-hand, in a major European museum/gallery.

The winners and other selected works chosen by the Fine Art team and Greg Fenwick are currently on show in an exhibition at the New Adelphi building.

The exhibition in April was a celebration of the year’s work and awarding of prizes. Historically, the exhibition has been in the old Old Fire Station, but this year, it moved to the New Adelphi building and it was overwhelmingly popular and perpetuated a significant increase in attendance. Feedback from students and academics throughout the building has been resoundingly positive.

 ‘The classes have made a significant difference to the observation skills of the foundation students that attended.  Confidence in mark making gestural and dynamic lines has been much improved. Irrespective of degree the disciple the fundamental fluency of hand eye coordination has revealed itself as key.’ Matthew Morriss, Programme Leader Foundation

Prize Winners 2024

1st Prize Mia Cinus

Mia Cinus 2024

Oil pastel on paper

2nd Prize Maria Scott

Untitled 2024

Acrylic on found cardboard

Maria Scott

3rd Prize Okechukwu Ikeme

Untitled 2024

Acrylic on canvas board

Okechukwu Ikeme

Highly Commended

Rebecca Riley

Harry Mfum

Robert McLeod

Elizabeth Hearfield

Kristen Lai

Ruby 2024

Acrylic on canvas

Kristen Lai

‘We are delighted with the level of engagement and the quality of the work produced by our students, and we are looking forward to their ongoing development in the coming years.’

Dr Angela Tait, Academic Fellow, BA (Hons) Fine Art

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Students and Scholarships

Scholar Spotlight: Caitlin

Caitlin is a second-year Sound Engineering and Production student who was awarded the Gittins Family Charitable Trust scholarship in Engineering due to her excellent academic record and strong application, in addition to her proactive nature. The Gittins Family Trust is a charity focused on supporting students in engineering, manufacturing, and health work and has supported the University since 2022 by providing diversity-focused scholarships to provide opportunities for more women in engineering, and men in nursing alongside students coming from low-income backgrounds.

Caitlin expresses that she ‘felt so lucky to be rewarded with the scholarship’ and was encouraged to apply due to support from mentors from our Go Beyond Event which is focused on supporting the growth and development of Women in Engineering. ‘When I was awarded the scholarship, I was so proud of myself! I had to write a piece on why I think I deserve the scholarship and for other people to see potential in me as well is such an amazing feeling.’

The scholarship funding has supported Caitlin to ‘gain valuable experience to be brought back to the classroom.’ Outside of studying Caitlin has been proactively seeking work experience in the world of sound engineering and production, she reached out to a live music venue local to her and got work experience doing sound mixing for performing bands for a few weeks.

The support from the scholarship has enabled Caitlin to gain access to amazing opportunities such as being a technical manager at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Caitlin has said, ‘this scholarship has helped me to fund my train tickets to be able to work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023 and 2024’.

In addition to working at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Caitlin has worked at ‘Sounds from the other City’ (SFTOC) and Langworthy Live, ‘I feel I have not only gained experience, but I have gained a lot more confidence and have done a lot more events I feel I wouldn’t have done previously.’

Donor-Funded Scholarships and Bursaries make a huge difference to our students educational experience, it allows them to gain valuable experience and purchase materials to help with their studies, that may not have been possible before.

If you want to read more stories like Caitlins, click the drop under ‘Students and Scholarships’. If you want to help fund our scholarships, we would love to hear from you, you can email us at supporters@salford.ac.uk or simply donate here.

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Salford Advantage Fund

Univision: Where Creativity Takes Center Stage

Get ready to be dazzled as the School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology at the University of Salford presents Univision, a collaborative entertainment showcase like no other! Inspired by the legendary Eurovision Song Contest, this electrifying event brings together students from diverse disciplines to ignite the stage with an explosion of talent and innovation.

At Univision, it’s not about competition; it’s about collaboration. Students unite to produce a spectacle that transcends boundaries, featuring captivating, diverse performances from music, dance to mesmerizing animations. With expert support in costume design, lighting, technical theatre, and media operations, the New Adelphi Theatre transforms into a hub of creativity, engaging audiences in an unforgettable experience.

But Univision is more than just a showcase—it’s a journey of professional development. Students step into leadership roles, navigate strict budgets, and innovate in their fields, gaining invaluable experience for their future careers. This extracurricular endeavor emphasizes accountability and prepares participants for success in the dynamic world of creative industries. This technical exploration is paving the way for future large-scale projects and sparking interest in new collaborative initiatives between the music and media departments.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday 22 May, and witness the magic unfold at the New Adelphi Theatre, University of Salford. Doors open at 7:00 PM and don’t miss the afterparty, where we’ll celebrate the hard work and achievements of all involved, fostering a spirit of community and camaraderie.

Tickets are available from Wednesday 8May, so grab yours here.

Special thanks to the Salford Advantage fund for their generous support in making Univision possible. Let’s make this night one to remember!

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Student Engagement

Engineering Futures: Inspiring Insights from the Gerry Mason Scholarship Networking Event

Gerry Mason Scholarship recipients had the opportunity to visit Morson Projects HQ earlier this month, where they gained insights in to Morson’s background, the origins of the scholarship, and explored potential career paths. The scholarship was established in 2015 in memory of Gerry Mason, who founded the Morson Group in 1969. The scholarship continues in his legacy by enabling budding engineers to study degree-level courses rooted in STEM. Ged Mason, CEO of Morson International, has said, ‘The Mason family are proud to support the Gerry Mason Scholarship bursary, supporting over 50 students to date. Our partnership with Salford University is delivering real change by attracting new talent to technical sectors and developing the next generation of engineers, as well as helping those from underprivileged background achieve their dream in STEM. I am proud to be continuing my father’s legacy.’

Maria Stukoff, the Director of the Maker Space, set the tone for the event, emphasising the significance of connecting with professionals from Morson Group, ‘to kickstart their professional network and to foster a forward-thinking perspective towards what their future careers in engineering.’ Maria highlighted the unique opportunity for Gerry Mason Engineering scholars to engage with Morson Group’s, engineers, and architects who talked about their different career paths. This interaction promised not only to kickstart their professional networks but also to in still a forward-thinking perspective crucial for navigating the dynamic landscape of engineering. Andy Hassall, Associate Director of Business Development, echoed Maria’s sentiment, underlining the enthusiastic reception from the Gerry Mason scholars, he said, ‘They were engaged and inspired by the information provided on potential career paths, showcasing the positive impact it had on their future aspirations.’

For scholars, the event was more than just an informative session, it was an eye opener to different career paths. Serena, one of the Gerry Mason scholars, encapsulated the essence of the event, ‘I truly enjoyed hearing from professionals in different fields talk about their own experiences, and journeys. I liked hearing that I can explore other areas within engineering.’ It opened their eyes to the vast spectrum of opportunities within the field of engineering, transcending the boundaries of their current coursework.

In conclusion, the networking event at Morson Projects HQ was not just a gathering of professionals and scholars; it was a catalyst for growth and exploration. It served as a reminder that in the ever-evolving landscape of engineering, opportunities abound for those willing to venture beyond the familiar and embrace different engineering career paths.