I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lov-ers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lov-ers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away

We

Can

Be

Heroes.taking inspiration from

university of cumbria graduates.

2

Editorial.

contents.

we can be heroes.

journalism. 4-5

jen bibby. 6

LISS. 7

tom sinclair. 8-9

teaching. 10-11

lexie ward. 12-13

radiogrpahy. 14-15

returning to the uoc 16-17

musicians. 18-19

peter thompson 20

martin dodd 21

physical education 22-23

in this edition

A hero is someone to look up to, someone to aspire to be like, and with youth unemployment reaching a new

record high of an incredible 22% it seems that just finding a job in the field you studied makes you a hero.

‘We Can Be Heroes’ is a magazine which aims to smash this negative fact

to smithereens and prove that University of Cumbria students can achieve

what they want.

This is the first ever edition of this new magazine which has been produced

by me, a third year journalism student. It is packed with over 20 pages

featuring University of Cumbria graduates who have used the skills they

picked up during their degree to forge a career, and begin to climb the

employment ladder.

University drop out rates are increasing nationwide and our university is

no different, with thousands of students failing to complete courses over

the last few years.

Everybody has a low point during their time at university, and the gradu-

ates in We Can Be Heroes give you advice on how to keep going, and what

great opportunities can be found just around the corner after graduation.

Some have gone on to find their dream job, like Journalism graduate Matt

Kimberley, who travels the world reviewing brand new cars (and getting

paid for it!) Others have gone on to work in a field that they might never

have imagined, like Chris Tolley who works with visually impaired children

at the Action for the Blind charity.

You may even be a graduate yourself, in which case look out for some of

your old coursemates, lecturers and buddies.

Turn the pages for some great advice from mainly students, with some

handy tips and stories from lecturers and others thrown in as well.

Look out for the We Can Be Heroes e-mail newsletter which will be com-

ing your way soon.

Follow us on twitter @wecanbeheroes1

If you know someone who has graduated from the University of Cumbria

and got a great job like the people in We Can Be Heroes, then I would like

to hear about it! Email me at carlisletom@hotmail.com

Tom Little

Editor

4

18

3

Editorial.

contents.

Look out for the We Can Be Heroes e-mail newsletter which will be com-

ing your way soon.

Follow us on twitter @wecanbeheroes1

If you know someone who has graduated from the University of Cumbria

and got a great job like the people in We Can Be Heroes, then I would like

to hear about it! Email me at carlisletom@hotmail.com

Tom Little

Editor

Foreword with

Helen skelton

Helen Skelton has to be one of

the most famous University

of Cumbria graduates and she is a

real hero, having completed some

grueling challenges to raise thousands

of pounds for charity.

Helen has presented Blue Peter since

2008. In 2010 she kayaked over 2,000

miles along the Amazon River and in

2012 she finished a 500 mile trek to

the South Pole for Sport Relief, mak-

ing her a double world record holder.

Helen was recently given an

Honorary Fellowship in recognition

of her outstanding contributions to

broadcasting, the Cumbrian commu-

nity and her charitable work.

“When I was younger I always wanted to be a newsreader because I thought they get to know everything first! I had a look around for university courses but to be honest BA (Hons) Journalism at Carlisle was brilliant. I had such a good time here. It was run by industry people, not academics, so it was very focused on what you had to do. I graduated with a first-class degree.Opportunities are where you look for them. There’s a really good local BBC station here. Manchester is going to be the centre of the media world when

it comes to new media technology and that’s

only a couple of hours down the road.”

21

13

4

Journalism.we can be heroes.

communication is safe as houses

Journalism graduate Evie Copland never ever imagined that she

would be working in communications, but she is now enjoying

doing just that for the Dumfries and Galloway Housing partnership.

Evie, 21, helped produce many publications whilst she was completing her

journalism degree and these skills have clearly come in handy in her role in

her communications career.

“I do all sorts of things. Today I launched a website that I built and basically

filled with lots of copy, but my job can range from dealing with press enquir-

ies to copywriting to producing newsletters and reports. Sometimes I even

go out and visit people in their houses, making sure that they are alright,

seeing why various people do various things when it comes to tenancies. I

don’t think theres one day when I’ve just sat in my office all day! I’m always

out and about, always.”

Dumfries born Evie is a good example of how the skills you learn at univer-

sity are valuable to many different professions. Some say journalists ‘sell out’

by taking up publication and communications roles but Evie said: “It’s all the

good points of being a journalist without all the hassle of an editor breathing

down your neck.”

“You are being a journalist in a sense, because when you go away and write

your press releases you are

going out and speaking to peo-

ple, you are putting the stories

together. Nine times out of ten

when you put out a press release

and its published its almost

exactly what you wrote because

you done such a good job of it

in the first place.”

Evie, who graduated in 2011,

was happy to study near to

home, and she explained why she chose the course she did: “It was a combi-

nation of not going away, not wanting to leave my mum and dad and it was

right at my doorstep, I could continue to work part time at weekends and it

was one of the best journalism courses in the whole country.”

The fact that she was the first of her family to go to university was clearly a

factor in motivating her to succeed: “I was the first person in my family ever

to go to university and personally I always wanted my mum and dad to be

proud of me and the fact that I could be the first was always a good thing as

well, I’m quite competitive like that and I didn’t want my mum to get mad

with me probably as well. If you want to be somewhere and you want to get

your dream job that you can do for years and years you need to grim and

bear it and get on with it.”

“I never ever ever thought I would drop out, but there was times in the sec-

ond year when I thought how am I going to get through, will I get this work

finished? But anytime I went home

twining to my mother she would give

me a verbal slap across the face and

tell me to get on with it.”

The best advice Evie could give to

students was not too drop out. “You’ll

regret it. One hundred percent you’ll

regret it when it gets to the end of the

course and you think I could have

done so much better. Give it your all

in first year and start learning different

things and just make sure you have got the best set of skills you can to move

on.”

Evie joked that if she hand’t taken up the degree she would “Probably mak-

ing jam sandwiches in a children’s play centre in Dumfries hating life!” Evie

is living proof that completing a degree really can change people’s lives.

Evie meets one of her heroes - Radio One DJ Annie Mac

Evie (purple) launches a project in Gretna with the local council

5

Journalism.Accuracy pays off for sarah

Whitehaven born Sarah Robinson is now a reporter for her

hometown newspaper ‘The Whitehaven News’ writing a

whole host of articles, from court and council meetings to human

interest features and beauty columns.

This wouldn’t have been possible if she hadn’t taken her tutor’s advice that

the most important things in journalism were: “Accuracy, accuracy and

accuracy!”

Sarah, 25, explains: “Over the three years of studying I realised that when

I was writing articles to a tight deadline I would make silly mistakes in my

copy, with spelling, grammar and punctuation and so on. This is not useful

when being a journalist, as you have to be able to write accurately all the

time!”

She even went as far as to say: “There were several times when I doubted

whether I could ever be a good journalist if I failed to get the basics right.”

However Sarah plugged away and tried to do as much work experience as

possible at the newspaper that she now works for. “Try and get as much

experience in newsrooms as possible. It is so important to be able to work

under pressure, to understand what you are writing about and be confident

in asking people if you don’t know something.”

“When I first started my job I

felt as though I needed to know

everything, to prove my worth.

But when you’re working with

journalists who have over 30

years experience, it is a humbling

experience  - as you do need to

ask for help sometimes.”

However being one of the younger members of the newsroom has had it’s

benefits: “As I am one of the younger reporters in our office I also manage

the paper’s Facebook group site. This involves uploading articles, contacting

people via the social networking site and gathering article ideas.”

Although Sarah’s Christian missionary work has opened her eyes to the

opportunities of working abroad she remains content in her West Cumbrian

habitat: “When I first moved back to Whitehaven I said I would only stay

here for two or three years.”

“It is now coming up to four years and I’m still here! I feel at the moment that

I still have a lot to learn and so I’m quite happy in the job I’m in.”

Matt’s motoring through his career

A childhood dream was achieved when Journalism graduate

Matt Kimberley became a motoring journalist for the Press

Association.

Matt had always dreamt of driving and reviewing cars for a living and he is

doing just that all over the world.

He returned in style to the campus where he learnt everything in a

Maserati sports car, and offered advice to current journalism students on

how to go about making the most of your journalism skills. Whilst at university Matt was able to write motoring stories and car

reviews for the local press and this gave him the opportunity to practice and

perfect the skills needed to be a motoring journalist.

Matt’s quick rise to the job he always wanted is proof that determination

and persistence can pay off in the end.

6

Jen.FDA Costume Design lecturer Jen Bibby is

passing on her expertise to budding

students in at the very site where her suc-

cessful fashion career began. She started

her education at the UoC’s Brampton Road

campus, doing a foundation course and the rest

is history as they say!

“I went on to do a BA in fashion design

at Cheltenham college of art, and moved

to London where I went straight in to

education where I worked in a social

priority school, learning a lot on the

job. Then I went to do my PGCE,

and set up my own company in

1980 called Bibby at Greenwich,

with very little funding, attracted

backers, and then came back

up to Cumbria, where I did my

BA Contemporary Fine Art,

quickly followed by my MA in

Contemporary Fine Art while my

daughter was growing up.

I continue my education now by doing the

practice and continuing it, linking perfor-

mance with all skills I learnt throughout my

life. It wasn’t a happy coincidence that I ended

up back here, I tried to organise that so that it did

happen.”

One of my students from last year now works in a

theatre in Germany, and she has got a full time costume

post at a very prestigious theatre. Quite a few others

have gone on to do their MA or work the seasons at dif-

ferent theaters throughout the UK. I have had design

students who have gone on to work in export market

in China, doing designs for George and many other

quite prestigious companies, or set up their own labels. They have got to be

prepared to travel.

I think what motivates my students is my enthusiasm for my subject, me

burning the candle at both ends being very motivational and with all they

do and putting 110% in to my practice. If a student was losing motivation

I’d talk to them and see what was upsetting them and then try and address

that, and to see where this is coming from and see if I could solve

the problem.

Students could go and work in theatre, they could go and work

in TV, film, in a costume capacity. They might want to set up

their own costume company where they’re actually making

things and giving them out for hire. They may want to work

in a wardrobe capacity where they’re supporting theatres up

and down the country. They may wish to branch out and do

catalogues of producing clothes that would support other

companies, really it is up to them how they see their work and

individual practice going and I very much put the onus in them

to find out what kind of work they want to do and then try and

find out a way in which they can fulfill that role.

I usually maintain my student numbers, there might be the odd one

who decides after a term that they want to specialise in another area,

and in a way my course becomes a bit diagnostic in the first year when they

realise they don’t want to do this and they want to go and concentrate on

another area.

Of course there are low moments when you’re studying, I think we wouldn’t

be human if we didn’t have those low moments, its picking yourself up and

having that belief in yourself. I think one of my roles here in the univer-

sity is to instill that feeling in the students I teach to have great belief in

themselves and their abilities and that they’re going to do it. You get

loads and loads of knock backs in life and you’ve got to be able to

bounce back and say no, I know who I am and I’m going to do it.

Everybody has gotta have that feeling because it is the only way,

you have got to have that belief in yourself and your abilities.”

costume design lecturer goes full

circle to where it all began

we can be heroes.

7

LISS is a vital department of the University of Cumbria which

exists solely to benefit and advise students in their university

studies, life, and career prospects. The service is even available to

students three years after they have graduated.

Joanne Watson is a Careers and Employability senior advisor for LISS and

she is the main port of call for many advice seeking students. She guides you

through the ins and outs of the LISS service.

What is LISS?

“We are quite a big service in terms of different functions, on the student

services side you do have advisors who help with the finance and budgeting

side. Funding can be big reason why people drop out. We also help out with

learning difficulties and disabilities, for example if someone had dyslexia we

can help out with that, and you can get funding to put extra support in place

and make sure that you can succeed on your course.

We have got academic skills staff and information specialists, support with

things like writing your dissertation. We do group work sessions, coming

into classes, but they can also have one-on-one advice as well, through email

or in person.”Thinking about dropping out?

“From my perspective, as a careers advisor it is about looking at whether

the course is the right place to stay. Some people come in adamant that they

want to leave so you then ask why, and signpost them to the right area. I look

at what you want out of a career and your life.

You may have had a different image of the course and it wasn’t what you

expected. If you really want to be practical and there isn’t a lot of practical

opportunities on the course then we may advise that lots of practical oppor-

tunities arise later in the course.

We would see students who are thinking of withdrawing or who want a

change of course and it’s not a bad thing that they get some impartial inde-

pendent advice if they are thinking about it. Earlier is better and we would

always say speak to your tutors and family and friends and stuff.

Quite often I’ll speak to students and weigh up the good and negative points

of the course, ask what’s going wrong and quite often refer people on to the

councillors or finance people all within LISS that can help people with the

different aspects of why it isn’t working.”Can LISS help my career prospects?

“If students engage with networking and getting contacts and experience

it will help you to get a job. We do have a vacancy service, with full-time,

part-time, temporary and permanent jobs that we advertise that students can

register for.

There are lots of Blackboard resources available as well, and we are collecting

information on websites with job opportunities and advice on how to get a

job. We offer the service for up to three years after people graduate so it’s an

ongoing thing. It is really important that the university that you have been

to can offer some advice and help. If students engage with networking and

getting contacts and experience it will help you to get a job.

We have a ‘Mashup’ and a blog, students can follow us on Twitter and if we

do hear of interesting jobs we Tweet them and we have a LinkedIn page also.

It is interesting to see where alumni have gone on LinkedIn.”

LISS.lIss provides the support you need

to get through your course

Joanne Watson, Careers andEmployability advisor

LearningInformation andStudentSupportwe can be heroes.

8

tom sinclairYou may have noticed all of the funky design work that has

recently given the Students’ Union a fresh new look. The man

behind the popular re-branding of the Union is in-house designer

Tom Sinclair, who graduated from the university in 2010 with a

degree in Graphic Design.

Tom, 24, speaks in his own words about how putting the effort in to complete

his degree gave him the skills to return to the ‘friendly’ campus where he

feels most at home.

“I am currently the in-house designer at the University of Cumbria

Students’ Union. My job is to look after the Union Brand and the various

advertising campaigns we launch throughout the year for the Unions various

events. It is also my job to produce regular communications to the Union’s

membership.

I’m originally from Newcastle, and chose to study here because I felt at home

on the open day, unlike other places I visited such as Leeds which seemed

very cliquey and offered a tense atmosphere. Brampton Road courses were

a nice size meaning plenty of one-on-one time with tutors, it also had a

fantastic arts library.

I like my job, and I always liked the Brampton Road campus so to come back

here to work isn’t a problem. I am also grateful I was able to get a job in what

I studied in, the North of the country, especially in the midsts of a recession.

I think this is a good spring board for me to go onto bigger and better things

in the future.

Doing a creative course means your work is judged all the time on nothing

but opinion, there is no right answers. Working hard and getting nowhere is

very demoralising and in design that happens a lot.

Conversely there is no better feeling than working hard and getting some-

thing right, having your work universally acclaimed by a panel of tutors you

respect is wonderful and often these instances are enough to forget the bad

times.

In the short term I want to find a design job in a studio, the drawback of my

current job is being the only designer and a job in a design studio would be

great for me to learn a few things and improve as a designer. In the long term

I would like to go freelance full time, or set up my own studio, then eventu-

ally perhaps teach. That is another reason I value my current job, it seems like

a good stepping stone into lecturing as it is good evidence I can put students

at the heart of what I do.”

Tom returns to give the Students’ union a fresh feel with his design skills

we can be heroes.

9

tom sinclairTom returns to give the Students’ union a fresh feel with his design skills

Above: Tom Sinclair working in his office based at Brampton Road

Below: An example of the recently launched new SU branding that Tom created

10

teaching.Thirty-one year old Jonathan Knott was working in local bars

and shops before he was inspired to go into teaching after he

started looking after his young godson.

Knotty, as he is affectionately known, explains what made him complete

the degree which led to him

becoming the year five teacher

at a “great village school just

outside Carlisle.”

“I’m originally from

Middlesbrough but I’d been

living in Carlisle for two years

prior to the start of my course.

I’d had so many different jobs

that I was looking for some-

thing that I wanted to make a

career out of, I was working in

bars and retail in Carlisle and

really didn’t enjoy it anymore.

I started looking after my

two year old Godson quite a

lot and enjoyed it so much it

made me start thinking about

teaching.

I went to UCLAN when I was

19 and didn’t try at all. I stud-

ied Journalism and quickly

realised that it wasn’t what I

wanted to do, yet carried on

for two years. Higher Education is so expensive now that you need to be sure

that you are studying something that is going to enhance your chances of

getting a job that you really want. If you are stuck on a course that you don’t

enjoy that won’t lead to a career in you love, it is be hard to motivate yourself.

If you decide that the course is the right one for you, stick it out and do your

best. It is worth it in the end.

Pretty much everything I have experienced and learned in the last 12 years

goes in to making sure I am as good at my job as I can be. It’s not just the

things you learn in the classroom at uni that come in handy, but also how to

handle people, learning self-discipline, managing time and money and the

other things that university life teaches you that go into making you appeal-

ing to employers.

Placements in schools were the most

important part of my course. Being in

a school, and actually doing the job,

provided great insight into what being a

teacher was all about. It was a chance to

put into practice the things that we were

taught in lectures and seminars, which can

sometimes seem irrelevant when you don’t

have a chance to apply them.

The low point on my course was towards

Christmas in my 2nd year. It had been a

long time since my last placement, and

was a long time until my next. The assign-

ments were coming thick and fast at a time

when the initial excitement and enthusi-

asm had died off, and the light at the end

of the tunnel seemed a long way away. I

just kept plodding on. Sometimes you just

need to remind yourself of why you are

there, what you are trying to achieve by

being at university.

If I hadn’t done this degree I’d probably

still be doing a job I hate for an awful wage. My ambitions within teaching

are that I would like to progress to subject leadership and eventually become

a Head Teacher. For now I’m still learning on the job every day, and trying to

continue my development as a professional.”

Retail and bar work was knott enough

we can be heroes.

‘Knotty’ in action for Unisun Athletic FC

“Placements in schools were the most impor-

tant part of my course. Being in a school, and

actually doing the job, provided great insight

into what being a teacher was all about.”

11

teaching.persistence pays off for daz

After sending off an incredible 30 job application forms, Welsh

born Darren Glynn landed his first job at a local primary

school teaching year five and six children. Here is what he had to

say about how determination pays off when it comes to the teaching

profession.

“I am currently a year five and six teacher at a local primary school. I

work with children from an under privileged area and I absolutely love it. I

arrange a lot of sporting opportunities such as trips to rugby matches so that

the children can have a range of experiences.

I was very determined and sent off about 30 application forms and had a job

by the middle of May. I also spent the whole three years moulding my CV. I

made sure I had a range of experiences that I thought prospective employers

would appreciate. I also did a lot of volunteer work and did voluntary place-

ments in a special needs school. It is so competitive so it is important to try

and stand out from the crowd.

Whilst at university I did have a few low points. I got a couple of disap-

pointing grades in first year when I put a lot of effort in and also I studied

in London on placement for five weeks and half way through I found the

combination of workload and being away from home too much. I overcame

this with the support of family and friends as well as knowing that all of the

hard work would pay off.

If you are set on a career do not let anything get in your way. Everybody goes

through tough points but the reward is incredible at the end of it and worth

all the hours of blood sweat and tears.

In future I would like to continue promoting sport within primary schools,

while obtaining outstanding teacher status through OFSTED observations

and eventually end up as a head teacher.

I met Knotty in my first year and immediately became friends. He helped me

through some of the low points and we would often discuss ideas and share

experiences.

Being manager of the University of Cumbria football team added something

additional to my CV, while the experiences with the team provided a much

needed release from the intensity of university work.

Being involved in the Unison Athletic local football team has given the

opportunity to develop my man management skills. I have made a lot of

friends and am currently assisting one of the players by allowing them to

come and do a placement with me at school.

In future I would like to continue promoting sport within primary schools,

while obtaining outstanding teacher status through OFSTED observations

and eventually end up as a headteacher.”

Sunday league football team-mates Darren Glynn and Jonathan Knott both stud-ied Primary Education with QTS, and have now gone on to teach in local primary schools very soon after graduating.

They gave away their secrets on how to get a job in the teaching trade amidst pub-lic sector cuts and economic uncertainty. The pair’s footballing skills seem to have come in handy along the way as well!

Darren playing for the UoC football team that he also managed.

12

Lexie Ward is one of many students in We Can Be Heroes who

have returned to the place where they once

studied, and Lexie’s enthusiasm to bring a new

dimension to the theatre was evident from the

moment she started speaking of her plans for

the place.

The 24 year old built a vast portfolio of experi-

ence since graduating in 2009 and her hard

work and passion has landed her dream

job.

“My job at the minute is the-

atre manager for the Stanwix

Arts theatre here at the univer-

sity and that entails running

the front of house teams, as we

have 72 shows on this year, so

organising rotors and making

sure every shift is staffed, mak-

ing sure we have all the correct

requirements such as tickets,

posters for every show.

I also am in charge of any visiting directors who have come to work with the

students making sure they have got contracts, accommodation, but all the

shows we put on we have the rights for.

I am also at the minute trying to promote the theatre as a venue for touring

theatre companies, for the first time in a couple of years. I want to make sure

we have more regular events happening at the theatre.

When I was on the course it was more tailored towards performing arts but

there was a wide scope to do other things as well. I spent a lot of time when

I wasn’t on my course helping other shows, in terms of ‘teching’ them,

being front of house and box office manager, getting to grips with

everything else that goes towards putting on a show. I learnt a lot

about producing and directing whilst I was here which is very

useful now, because I know what companies require and

what they want. That is really helpful in terms of getting

my job done.

It is very difficult to find a job in the theatrical indus-

try without having experience. I worked at Vision

Express. I am from Huddersfield but I really

love Carlisle and I was really keen to do more

theatre things up here because I have done a lot

of shows and been involved with lots of clubs here

and I really like the area so I want to stay. I worked in

the opticians during the day and at night I did about

a million-and-one things with local theatre to keep my

experience levels up! I did a lot of productions

at the Green Room theatre and I was made

Director of Productions. I did a touring show

with Lakeland Opera and a new musical called

Miser which premiered last year. I also directed

another regional tour which made 40% profit. I

can’t speak highly enough of building such experience. When this job arose

I felt confident enough that my work outside of my retail work would stand

me in good enough stead to apply for it.

In the very first term I found it most difficult because on our course when-

ever you get into second and third years you are constantly doing show after

show but first year is more about training you up for that. I felt that first year

at that time wasn’t heading in a direction. I was applying to go into third

year shows but was unsuccessful but I had a good talk with my tutor and he

said just stick it out it’s going to progress, and he was right and by the end of

Performing Arts graduate Lexie Ward has

taken to an off-stage career like a duck

to water and is relishing her new role as

Theatre Manager for the Stanwix Arts The-

atre at the Brampton Road campus

lexie.we can be heroes.

13

the year the shows were kicking in and I was starting to get involved on the

technical side a lot more and then I was busy for the next two years so it was

fine!

Its quite scary to go and say to your tutor I’m not actually happy but they

want to help you and make sure you’re enjoying the course and make sure

it’s the right course for you. They couldn’t have been better in reassuring me

and making suggestions and helping me. He suggested that I could try some

stage management with second year shows and I ended up loving the stage

management, and I have continued to do so ever since. Seeing the tutor

ended up being the best thing I could have done.

My advice in general is if you’re passionate about the course you’re doing

keep finding opportunities to gain experience in it, it doesn’t necessarily

have to be in uni, get in touch with the local organisations and do work for

them. I did that with local theaters, operatic societies and a dance troop and

it all reinforced what I was doing on my course. It was

a lot of fun and I’m still with that dance troop seven

years on now!

I would really advise anyone if you’re feeling low and

you think the course isn’t for you, think about what it is

that you want to be doing in life, and if you can’t find it

on the course see what is available in the local region.

Carlisle and Cumbria are begging for a cultural influx

at the moment which is why I stayed up here because

I wanted to be part of that, and which is why I was so

glad to get my job here, I love it.

I love working here and it’s really nice because a lot of

the tutors that were here when I was a student are still

here so in a way it wasn’t like going into a completely

new job because I knew a lot of the people up here and

I absolutely adore it. It is something I would have done

without being paid, it’s what I do in my free time any-

way so getting paid for it is amazing. I absolutely adore

it and everyone was really nice when I came back.

Some things have changed but I have been able to put

my own little changes in to revamp it and I’m loving it.

My ambitions for here are to get this place, I’d love to

see it known in Carlisle, because we put on so many

shows here and so many varieties of productions, but as soon as you go into

the city centre nobody has heard of Stanwix Theatre. This is a real shame

because we have got trained professional actors and actresses working on

theses courses now and they put on shows of such a high standard. To the

people of Carlisle you have basically got the Sands Centre which does ginor-

mous things (in a sports hall!) and the West Walls Theatre which I adore

because that’s my little theatre, but its small and it’s volunteer run whereas

this has a bigger capacity to put on bigger shows and I would love to see it

developing as a centre so people know what this is about and what shows

are on here. I am really hoping to get it known as an actual theatre in the

city and then developing the touring side of it, so that touring companies

actually come to us instead of just the Sands or West Walls, because we are

a great medium sized theatre between those two other venues and then get-

ting it really known, and from there on, who knows!”

“I worked in the opticians during the day and at

night I did about a million-and-one things with

local theatre to keep my experience levels up!”

14

radiography.Radiographer Dan Shaw used his initiative to get through

the toughest time on his course, by asking

qualified radiographers he was working with on

placement about the many essays he was work-

ing on in the evenings.

Dan, 21, said that the low point on his course

came in his last year of university, when he

was basically working full time from 9-5 on

placement, and as a result it was difficult to find

motivation to get on with essays in the evenings.

“I started all of the

essays, including

the dissertation,

early so that I

would have plenty

of time to do this.”

“Also I took being

on placement to my

advantage asking

qualified radiog-

raphers advice on

certain subjects

and by looking up

information found on placement to help with essays. Also by setting aside

time to do each essay after placement.”

All of this hard work paid off with Dan now working as a radiographer in

Gateshead. “I take x-rays for all types of patients: GP patients, A/E, inpa-

tients, and more. I also work in theatre cases. I also help in teaching new

students on radiographic technique.”

Having experienced the stresses of the high workloads that a Diagnostic

Radiography degree can entail, Dan gave some sound advice to current

students: “Start your essays as early as you can, so you do not stress

yourselves out when close to hand in date and also risking

the quality of the essay. Ask for advice from other

radiographers while on placement and use them to

your advantage.”

Dan was always keen on having a career and is

clearly happy to have achieved a lifelong ambition.

“I chose my course as I have always had an interest in

medical science and technology. And that it allowed me

to work with the public and that you see something new

everyday. Also that this course gave me a better chance to go

straight into a job after university.”

Learning about radiography wasn’t enough for Dan, who used his

time at university to develop his social skills. “While at uni-

versity, I have learnt the knowledge of human anatomy

needed for my job, as well as correct radiographic

positioning which is need for my job. But also

the social aspect of university has helped in

working with the public, which has improved

my communication skills. This is vital when

giving clear instructions to patients.”

Ambitious Dan wants to continue develop-

ing as a radiographer and learning new things.

and specialise in ultrasound or CT or MRI scanning, but his

long term ambition is to pass on his knowledge to others: “I also have a keen

interest into doing mentorship courses, as I would love to one day become a

clinical tutor, so would be able to teach students.”

the secret to juggling placements

and essays, with dan shaw

“A s k f o r a d v i c e f r o m o t h e r r a d i -

o g r a p h e r s w h i l e o n p l a c e m e n t

and us e them to your advantage.”

we can be heroes.

15

radiography.

the ups ‘n’ downs of radiography

Becky Shields and Dan both graduated from the Diagnostic

Radiology course in 2011, and Becky is also working as a radi-

ographer now. Twenty-one year old Teesider Becky explains the ups

and downs of learning to be a radiographer.

“What appealed to me about radiography was that there is an aspect of

care in dealing with patients but also a technical and skilled aspect.

The course I did was very focused on a particular job, so learning skills such

as radiographic technique, justification of x-rays, understanding and recog-

nising pathology were all essential.

The most important thing that I learnt is that I have a duty of care towards

the patient in everything I do. This is important not only for the patient to be

satisfied with the care they receive, but also personally knowing I have done

my best for that patient, and for legal reasons.

I did have a couple of low points on the course, around the time of a couple

of exams in particular, and during dissertation research and writing. I

got through it with the help and support from peers, friends, family and

tutors.”

What is Radiography?

Radiographers are essential for delivering a fast and accurate diagnosis of trauma and/or  disease, and for the treatment and care for patients with cancer.

Diagnostic radiographers such as Dan and Becky are responsible for acquiring the images for diagnosis.

They take the lead responsibility for the management and care of patients undergoing the whole range of imaging examinations, eg, x-ray, ultrasound, mag-netic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT). Often this also includes the associated image interpretation.

“On completion of the course you are eligible to apply for registration as a fully qualified radiographer with the Health Professions Council and the Society and College of Radiographers.” UoC website.

Dan (on table) learning the basics of Radiography

with another student.

16

back in the uoc

American Ben Wohl nearly deferred the final year of his

Journalism and Creative Writing degree, but it’s a good

job he didn’t as his expertise is now helping the Students’ Union

connect with students better.

Ben, 29, is the Research and Communications Facilitator at the

Students’ Union, a job which he believes his skills suit

perfectly, because he learnt how to write for different

audiences during his degree, then gained PR and

communication qualifications afterwards.

However he didn’t have the smoothest start to post university life.

“After university I was unemployed for around six months. I think

the real turning point for me was a placement I did through the City

Council. I went to their communications team, had an admin person who

had kids and took every summer off and they got somebody in, which one

year turned out to be me.

It was only 18 hours a week for a month, so it was hardly anything, but it got

me thinking about communications as a concept and realising that if my degree

made any sense it was communications and I had really learnt how to manipu-

late language.

I grew up in Wyoming in the USA, and I came to Britain in 2003 to do some

volunteer work in Scotland and then met my partner and we moved to Carlisle

soon after that. We moved here because my partner heard good things about the

fine art course here and wanted to study here.

I was really interested in the joint honors course because I wanted to study crea-

tive writing really or English, and I was interested in writing and using words

but I was also aware that creative writing as a degree was useless.

I almost deferred my final year, I got to the beginning of third year and

I knew I had three final projects essentially, one for journalism, a

dissertation and a big project each semester for creative writing. I

went in to my tutor’s office and said I’m not sure if I can do

this and I’ve got too much going on and had a ridicu-

lously busy month. I almost said I need to defer a

year but he said just wait a couple of weeks, I know

you’re busy but it will be okay.

At the end of the first year you feel great, and

most of the second year you feel great but

second semester second year they turn up the

pressure, you’re working really hard but that really

good feeling you had is easing away, and by the end

of second year you feel really crap. I think every-

body goes through that cycle.

I went and talked to people, I looked at the options and

took advice and I think what really got me through was

building good relationships with my tutors so that they

knew me and I knew them. Being involved in lots of stuff

also really helped, because it kept things interesting. In

creative writing we had so much freedom to do what we

wanted and that really did help.

Writing, interviewing, structuring stories: the journal-

ism degree taught me how to structure a story. Another

thing I learnt, which is a strength of the journalism course here,

is design. I got involved with using Quark and InDesign quite early and I loved

doing that design and a lot of journalists don’t do that. Being able to put together

a good poster is invaluable because you never know when you will be doing a

project that needs a poster. It’s something that I learnt at Brampton Road that not

a lot of other journalists ever get a look in at.

What helped me was working with an open mind. Remember that when you’re

a student you’ll be on a real high at times but at others you’ll feel down. The first

six months to a year of job hunting will be hard, and don’t worry, just keep grow-

ing your skill set.”

ben is back for more

we can be heroes.

“What helped me was working with

an open mind. Remember that when

you’re a student you’ll be on a real high

at times but at others you’ll feel down.”

All of the Journalism or Journalism and creative writing graduates featured on this page were once University of Cumbria students, however what

makes them extra special is the fact that they have returned to the university to work. Despite all studying in the same field they all work here in dif-

ferent capacities: teaching, communicating, and content managing!

17

back in the uocBBC burrows passes on key skills

Tom Burrows was a self confessed technophobe when

he arrived at the University of Cumbria as a student,

but after a three year transformation he is now passing

on his journalistic expertise the next batch of student

journalists.

Midlands born Tom, 23, gained a wealth of experience after gradu-

ating, through taking up various roles at BBC Radio Cumbria, as well

as producing videos for local businesses. Tom reveals what gives him

a passion for journalism and how he feels about being back at the

campus where it all began.

“I started in last September as an advisor on multi-

media journalism for the journalism course.

This involved working with the first years on

producing publications, advising them on how to source news and write stories

properly.

It was a bit weird coming back here to teach because at first I didn’t feel that

qualified to do it, and it was quite frustrating because I wanted to join in and

write for the student paper! But now that I have done a lot more pro-

fessional journalism work I feel a lot more comfortable

and qualified to pass on my knowledge.

I understand what the current students are going

through, as just in to second year I was questioning whether

this was what I wanted to do, I was getting bored of Carlisle

and the work load increased quite a bit, therefore the social

side of it declined. I questioned it for a while but then I gave it a

real go because I wanted to have a decent career with good pay

in the long term.

I interviewed Bobby Charlton who is a personal

hero and thought I wouldn’t mind doing this a

bit more often. I got a buzz from that. In third

year I had interviews with more famous people

such as Stephen K Amos that got published in various places, and I went down to

the tuition fee demonstrations in London and that gave me a big boost.

Even if you are passionate about something then you will get low points and

you just have to work through it, everyone has ups and downs.”jack is back in the place he loves

Jack Templeton always wanted to study in his home-

town, Carlisle, and after achieving that he has also

managed to forge a career here as content editor for

the university.

Jack’s journalism journey had some ups and downs but

after deferring his final year he came back stronger and

more journalism experience to help the twenty-seven

year old graduate in 2007. He discusses what moti-

vated him to end up returning to the university.

“When I was at sixth form I was able get some work

published through a video games magazine and seeing

my own work in print gave me quite a buzz. The course

at Carlisle seemed brilliant and I did want to stay local,

that was important to me. When I came to my interview

for the course it was very welcoming and although the

campus was small it seemed ambitious.When I

started the course I had a specific goal to become a

video games journalist but the course taught me that

you have to have a range of skills and an open mind.

One of the things I tried to do when I was on the course was take advantage

of all the work opportunities available which was working for local media

such as the ‘News and Star’ and CFM. I wouldn’t be doing what I am

now if people hadn’t given me these opportunities.

I deferred my final year and came back with a great sense of focus

and I knew what I wanted to achieve. Whilst I wasn’t studying I did

do freelance work to build up my portfolio. At first I felt a bit odd

about deferring but I think it actually benefitted me as when I came

back my work was of a much higher quality.

Now I work for the university as content editor, which involves

working on the website and with the marketing team to create dynamic

content that is going to get people interested in coming to the university and

applying for courses. It is really rewarding to be working somewhere where I

was a student, and I can help sell the experience of university because I loved

my time here as a student.”

“”18

musicians.

Jake Wedgwood is part of ‘House of Three Hands’, a three piece

alternative indie band who have just signed their first record deal

with Longevity Records. The band formed after Jake, Dave and Alex

(pictured) met whilst studying a National Diploma in Music.

Guitarist Jake, 19, talks about his Music diploma and his journey into the band.

So what is House of Three Hands?

We’re a three piece alternative indie band I think lol, we’re not 100% sure our-

selves what to call our genre so if we say its Alternative Indie it’s kind of a big

bracket. Playing it safe. We’ve just signed to longevity records to release Three

singles and an EP so we’re chuffed with that. Also we’re doing a headline gig at

the Brickyard later this month with support from Deaf Club who are awesome

so people should come to that… shameless plugging haha! Yeah we’ve got a

good few gigs lined up over the country and a few festivals in line so it should

be a good summer.

Did what you learnt at uni come in handy with your band?

Well we all met at uni so if we’ had never attended the band wouldn’t exist. I think

it’s a course where it’s what you make of it and we had the opportunity to have a

good practice space and a decent studio for us to use every day so it was ideal.

Why did you choose to study music?

I would have failed sixth form massively due to being quite lazy at subjects I

wasn’t really interested in, but I ended up going to the uni because I went for an

open day there with my mate who was doing art. I realised they did music here

and thought yeah that’ll be better for me.

Did you ever have a low point in your course, did you lose motivation?

Towards the start of the second year I think all of us in the band got lazy and

put all the work off to just focus on the band so we ended up being really far

behind. Like massively.

How did you overcome this?

We all worked our arses off in the last month to make sure we were gonna pass

the course, afterwards though we all ended up with high marks so it all worked

out.

What advice would you give to current students?

Erm… don’t fall behind on work? Haha I’m not good at stuff like this!

we can be heroes.

record deal for band formed

at brampton road campus

19

“”musicians.

ben finishes in style by

launching his album

Completing his music course was a brilliant decision for Ben

Mattinson, as his Final Major Project gave him the opportu-

nity to launch his first album - and make a profit on it!

Ben, 26, explains how that benefitted

his music and gives some ‘sound’

(excuse the pun) advice to music

students everywhere.

“I did the National Diploma in

Music Practice and graduated in

2006, at what was then the Cumbria

Institute of the Arts. It was a good

introduction into playing in front

of people. When your doing a

course like that it is very

practical and you are not

overloaded with work,

so we spent a lot of time

writing songs and fid-

dling with the guitar,

which I would have

been doing anyway.

Ive not done music

as a full time job

since, but I have done

a lot of part time stuff with

it. I have gone on to teach private guitar lessons, and drum lessons.

Also I have been doing local gigs, which I first picked up whilst on

the course. At one point I was doing three gigs a week and I have

also done a lot of weddings. The more you do it the more confident

you get. Doing it at the Brampton Road campus was some of the first

times doing it as a band which was helpful. Playing at college gets you

used to playing in front of people and builds up your confidence, it is

a very gradual thing, especially if you’re an introvert, the more you do

it the more at ease you feel.

For the final major project I wrote an album, recorded it, promoted it,

did a album launch. The course suited me really well because I played

several instruments which I could develop dur-

ing the course, I became self sufficient in that

I could record all of the music for the album

myself. I recorded ten tracks that I had writ-

ten myself and played all of the instrumental

parts and teamed up with the Music Tech

Diploma students to produce the album. I

came up with artwork and got in touch

with different venues to have my album

launch. I had 150 of the albums made

through an online

company, and I

was able to sell

them off. It was

great for me going

in to do gigs after

the course because

any time I played

live I could take these

albums in and sell them

all off. I made a few hun-

dred pounds profit on that!

There are lots of good reasons for

having this qualification, because at

any point in your life you can fall back

on it. Even if you want to do some basic

music tuition, you can back yourself up

with the qualification and people are more

confident to go for the tuition. You don’t

realise at the time but every time you play in

front of people whilst on the course you are building up a skill set. It

will really benefit you if you stick at it, as it does build confidence and

give you a professional qualification. Now I’m able to go and do a gig

and not be pooing my pants about the situation!

What I do full time is youth work and working for a church, so having

the experience of playing in a band has helped me with that. Skills

are transferable so if you end up with a degree or diploma in music it

shows that you have stuck with something anyway.”The Btec ND Music course is provided by the College of the Arts Carlisle and the course is based at Brampton Road. The

campus boasts some of the extensive specialist equipment and facilities in the north of England. It can provide a route to

higher education at the University of Cumbria.

20

peter.Film and TV graduate Peter Thompson has used his initiative

and the vital skills he learnt on his course to create Cumbria’s

only student radio station- Dynamic Radio.

The station was launched last year after Peter graduated but his first forage

into the radio

world was just

over a year ago

when he and

some friends

started an online

station as a

hobby.

Peter quickly

realised that

Carlisle was

crying out for fresh face in terms of radio. He said: “As well as Film and TV

I do have a passion for music and decided to try and launch a professional

online radio for the city - I wanted something that felt fresh and relied on

interaction as I find the local stations here don’t offer anything really exciting

for students.

Peter’s passion lies with media and he sees

Dynamic Radio as a springboard to bigger

things. “My ambition is to eventually turn

dynamic into a media production company.

I would be running a radio station but also

producing and even possibly distributing films -

including professional films but also allowing students to showcase their own

films via our website.”

Completing his degree certainly gave Peter the platform he needed to follow

his production company dreams: “As someone who took the role of producer

in most of the university projects I was involved with, I learnt about team

management, how to utilise people to get the best out of people and their

skills, something that helps when trying to run a business.”

“A lot of the project management I learnt has came in handy, organisation,

pitching, finance and more. One key thing I learnt is knowledge is often not

as important as people believe, experience and who you actually know are

major factors.”

University wasn’t all plain sailing for the 22 year old

who graduated in 2011. Problems with his student

finance were stressful but his tutors were supportive

and helped him iron these issues out.

Peter added: “The only downside was in some year

one and two projects there weren’t enough people for

extra groups, and I ended up having to take a side

role at times due to someone else producing - this

however reduced as the course went on.”

Despite this Peter was glad that he got his degree and

could’t speak highly enough of the university experience. He was also keen to

dispel the myth that studying TV production is a waste of time!

“I would recommend going to University. A lot of people find film and TV

production a waste of time due to the fact after graduation if your wanting

to work in the industry

you have to start from

the bottom. However all

the experience you gain

from the degree can be

used to climb your way

up and you have more

chance than someone who hasn’t studied and is just starting to learn. It’s a

very competitive industry however so people interested should check it out

but be warned.”

Peter, originally from Carlisle, is already in a position to give back to the

community: “We have also been working with a local youth charity the

Carlisle Youth Zone - we want to give something back to the city, and aim

to be running workshops with local teens and students alongside the youth

zone in the near future.”

making waves in the world of radio

“ W h a t h e l p e d m e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h a n op e n m i n d . Re m e m b e r t h at w h e n your a student you’ ll be on a real high at times but at others you’ll feel down.”

Peter at the Dynamic Radio desk

we can be heroes.

21

martin.students’ union roles give martin

the motivation to move on up

Working at the University of Cumbria Students’ Union

catapulted Martin Dodd into a potential long term career

in the Student Union sector. He actually graduated with a degree

in Business and Applied Social Science in 2010, but it was his two

years as Representation Sabbatical that really set Martin’s university

experience alight.

Martin established himself as one of the most successful and influential

members of the UCSU, and he is now using his expertise in his new role as

Acting Representation Coordinator at the University of Central Lancashire.

“Without a doubt my sabbatical years were experiences I couldn’t dream of.

Whether it be taking our largest delegation ever to the tuition fee national

demo in 2010, part of a journey that resulted in the UCSU being seen as

one of the best in the country, or being lucky enough to attend both days of

Radio One’s Big Weekend last year, it was truly a year to remember! I know

for a fact it helped both my employment and what appears to be initial suc-

cess at UCLan.”

Undertaking vital roles in the SU wasn’t just about finding a career for the twenty-

five year old Cumbrian. Martin had various roles in the Union and the skills he

learnt helped him through one of the more difficult stages of his studies.

“I took a year out to become the Vice President for Carlisle in 2007/08, it

had been a big decision in the first place and even though it was a positive

experience I was nervous about returning to my course a year behind those I

started with and after year where I had been away from academic study.”

“Ultimately I relied on the skills, experiences and relationships developed

during my year as Vice President, working as a Student Ambassador and

meeting a great bunch of my new course mates that I am still in touch with

to this day.”

Martin’s experiences certainly highlight the benefits of becoming an active

member of the Students’ Union, not only from an employability perspec-

tive, but also in terms of learning news skills which can actually benefit your

coursework. So much so for Martin that it changed his career ambitions.

“In the future I would like to continue you my work in the Student Union

sector and if I lucky enough maybe even become a General Manager or

Chief Executive of a Students Union. I also would like at some point in time

to maybe return to UCSU as a staff member, but of course that is a long way

down the line!”

Martin’s advice to current UoC student’s was to embrace every available

opportunity available during one of the most hectic and rewarding times of

your life.

“Hold on in there and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your

way. Whether it be as part of a sabbatical year for the union like me or any of

the hundreds of other reasons that means students often take a break from

there study, the experience itself doesn’t diminish and often means you just

increase the experiences and friends you meet.”

Martin (front) campaigns against tuition fee rises

“Ho l d o n i n t h e r e a n d t a k e a d v a nt a g e of e ve r y opp or tu -n i t y t h a t c o m e s y o u r w a y.”

we can be heroes.

2222

physical education.

Chris Tolley decided on a change of career to focus on his

passion for sport after originally training in IT, and after

graduating with a PE degree last year he has landed a rewarding job

working with youngsters.

The twenty-eight year old Carlisle lad is Activities Co-ordinator for the

Action for the Blind charity, and he is putting the skills he learned at univer-

sity to good use by providing fun events for partially sighted children.

Toll, as he is known by the Sunday league football team he manages, speaks

about how parts of his course seemed tailor made for his fledgling career at

Action for the Blind.

“I do everything from scratch, come up with the ideas, see how feasible it is,

contact people, do risk assessments, I arrange transport for the families and

kids, everything along them lines really. We do such things as trampolining,

we have a weekend residential in May in the Lakes District”

“The most beneficial task on the PE course was near the end, it was an

organised sporting event session and my group organised a tennis event. We

had to organise literally every aspect of the whole event from scratch. We had

to pay for the facilities so we had to do some fundraising which we achieved

through a quiz night. We also had to liaise with the council and people from

the tennis association, and with local schools. This is exactly what I’m doing

with Action for the Blind job, organising events, so in terms of setting me up

for my career that was incredibly useful.”

“For me another vital part of the PE course is the work placements because

you get to meet people and establish important contacts from different

organisations. We were always told on our course the theory is important but

the practical and experience part, getting to know people and getting feet in

doors is equally important.”

Having got his feet in the door, Chris is keen to make an impact. “I want a

career in what I’m doing with Action [for the Blind] now, making a differ-

ence to people. Helping them to do things that they might not necessarily

do in their own time, it’s nice to make you feel like your actually doing

something to help people.”

It wasn’t all plain sailing whilst Chris was studying though, and like any

of us he had his low points. “I didn’t do GCSE PE and on the theory about

anatomy and biomechanics I struggled with because I’d never done it before

and others on the course had done it at GCSE level so they had a basis to go

from which I didn’t.”

However he didn’t let it stop him achieving his much desired career with

sport and gave some valuable tips to the current PE students.

“Just put the hard work in and then think of the future you could have in

terms of job prospects and money. Build links when your at university and

make the most of it, build links with as many people as you can in that rel-

evant field because you never know you might create a pathway for a job.”

pe degree gives chris the career

change he desired

we can be heroes.

“Build links with as many people as you can in that relevant field because you never know you might create a pathway for a job.”

23

physical education.jordan is aiming to become mr whinn

There are several paths into teaching and having graduated

from the Physical Education degree course, Jordan Whinn is

now relishing the opportunity to become a primary school teacher

as his PGCE year comes to a close.

Jordan, 21, sings the praises of the PGCE course reccomending it as the best

route into teaching and offers some good advice for those considering a

PGCE next year.

“I studied my degree in Physical education at Fusehill Street, pretty

much because at the time I really wanted to be a PE teacher. It was always

my intention to do a PGCE and combine that with my degree to become a

teacher.

I have learnt all about special educational needs, inclusion, things that you

are only going to learn from studying teaching at university. Something I

learnt on the PGCE course which I didn’t doing PE was how to be reflective,

the PGCE has allowed me to really become a reflective learner, I know how

to evaluate and better my teaching. It has also allowed me to become a lot

more creative, doing lesson plans. I wasn’t perviously as adaptable with my

approach to planning lessons but through the PCGE, I now have so many

strategies and approaches that have allowed me to become a more effective

teacher.

On placements you watch other teachers and pick up skills and tips that

they have found in their trade. There is only so much you can pick up in

university through sitting through lectures and reading books but it’s actually

getting out there in to the school environment that really allows you to pick

up skills. It is definitely the most enjoyable part of it as well, going in there

and sitting down with the kids, getting to know what they can and can’t do.

Lot’s of people who do the PE course want to be a PE teacher, whereas I

wanted to be a primary school teacher. It is definitely a very very good

route to take. It stands you in good stead, as when you are applying for jobs

employers look favorable on the PGCE qualification, so I am hoping that will

be the case when I apply for jobs in the next few weeks!

When I was doing the PE course I found a lot of assignments which didn’t

really apply to what I wanted to do in my career. Such as doing biomechanics

assignments that would include a 2000 word essay on how to throw a ball, or

how to do a long jump. It wasn’t something I was interested in whatsoever,

so in terms of low points it would be doing them assignments in the early

hours of the morning. I just got it done and got it passed so I never had to

think about it again; you just have to be need to be tough with yourself and

not give in.

In my first teaching placement I had a bad experience with a teacher who

wasn’t accommodating for students, but to be honest that has been the only

low point and I would recommend this route to anybody aspiring to become

a teacher.

The weeks fly by on this course and you need to remember that the positives

are just round the corner. People say that a PGCE is hard work, but I have

had time to have a laugh as well. You do meet some brilliant characters

and some great mates for life. I keep my social life up, for me that’s playing

football, cricket, going out regularly. If you didn’t do that you would be in

meltdown, it’s a combination of sticking at it and waiting for the good things

round the corner. You must keep social, keep healthy and keep active.”

PGCE student Jordan Whinn chose a

popular post PE route

“The weeks f ly by when you’re on this course and you need to remember that the positives are just round the corner.”

I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And that is a fact Yes we’re lovers And that is that Though nothing Will keep us together We could steal time Just for one day We can be Heroes For ever and ever What d’you say I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing Will keep us together We can beat themFor ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing Will drive them away We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be us Just for one day I can remember Standing By the wall And the guns Shot above our heads And we kissed As though nothing could fall And the shame Was on the other side Oh we can beat them For ever and ever Then we can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We can be Heroes We can be Heroes Just for one day We can be Heroes We’re nothing And nothing will help us Maybe we’re lying Then you better not stay But we could be safer Just for one day I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day And you You can be mean And I I’ll drink all the time ‘Cause we’re lovers And

Heroes.

David Bowie.

april 2012

issue 1

twitter: @wecanbeheroes1

thanks for reading