Students donate karaoke machine to Age UK Northamptonshire

Second year Geographers were visited by Alicia and Shazia from Age UK Northamptonshire – the county’s largest charity supporting people in later life.

During a Q&A session, Alicia and Shazia shared some really powerful insights about the causes and significant consequences of social isolation among people aged 55+.  They also evidenced how cuts all kinds of local public services have impacted disproportionately on older people. They also discussed the challenges of sustaining important services in a challenging economic climate.

They shared information about forthcoming fundraising and volunteering opportunities, and also left us with a collecting challenge. Alicia and Shazia asked for a collection of trivia games/books to update the quizzes run by local day centres for isolated older people. 

Games and trivia books donated by the students

 They also put out a plea for a karaoke machine to be used at a local day centre… This seemed a long shot but our students rose to the challenge so we were able to donate a karaoke sound system to the day centre! We look forward to hearing which songs were most popular!!

Students donated a karaoke sound system to the local Age UK day centre

Behind-the-scenes at Northampton food bank

Second year Geographers visited Re:store Food Bank in Northampton as part of their sessions on geographies of poverty, deprivation and austerity.

Behind-the-scenes at Re:store Food Bank, Northampton

We were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the food bank. Staff from the food bank provided some affecting first-hand insights into issues of food poverty. They also shared experiences about the challenges of sustaining services for vulnerable and marginalised people in contexts of austerity.

Students carried out budgeting exercises

The food bank provided a budgeting exercise and case studies which really brought home the everyday challenges faced by many people. They also provided some fundraising and collection challenges which we know our geographers will want to get involved in!

Students finding out more about the services provided by the food bank

Geography students learn about Upton, a sustainable urban development

Third year Geography students have been learning about sustainable urban development, with a focus on Upton, Northampton.

Dr Chris Holt outlines the history of the Upton Meadows development

Staff from Geography and Environmental Sciences have been monitoring the site since the initial stages of development. This means that students benefit directly from research carried out by their lecturers.

Dr Chris Holt explains how staff research has been used to inform local residents about sustainability at Upton

This week the students had a tour of the site, learning more about sustainable urban drainage systems, and about the experiences of young people living in Upton.

 

Learning about the sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) at Upton

Students undertake lots of local fieldwork at Northampton, developing a range of subject-specific and transferable skills

Graduates come back to campus to inspire Geography and Environmental Science students

In February nine of our graduates returned to campus to talk with current students about careers.

Some of our lovely graduates

The event enabled our current students to find out more about graduate careers, recruitment processes and life after uni.

You can read the full story here.

First year geographers explore disabled access in Northampton town centre

First year Geography students have recently been putting their fieldwork skills to the test by auditing disabled access in Northampton town centre.

Thinking about possible barriers to access

The exercise is part of a series of classes on 'geographies of disabilities', which aims to help students to think critically about the ways in which people encounter everyday spaces.

Learning how to measure slope angles.

The students reviewed various spaces in the town centre, comparing a range of measurements (e.g. slope angle, width of paths) and observations (e.g. colour contrast) with published guidance on accessibility.

Second year students explore urban geography in Sheffield

Our second year Geography students recently visited Sheffield for a two-day fieldtrip.

A range of geographies explored in Sheffield (credit: Laura Crawford)

The students explored urban green spaces and civic spaces, such as Devonshire Green and the Winter Garden. They also carried out research projects to examine spaces of consumption and urban regeneration.

The fieldtrip was attended by students doing BSc Geography, BSc Geography (human geography) and Joint Honours Human Geography.

Third year students explore Barcelona

Third year Geography and Environmental Science students have had the chance to explore Barcelona this week, as part of a module about climate change.

Students in sunny Barcelona

The students explored a range of issues, including sustainable transport.

Putting sustainable transport modes to the test