"I count myself as one of the lucky ones.  I got to go to university when, not only were tuition fees 'reasonable', but so were the accommodation costs – albeit not with an en-suite!  I thoroughly enjoyed my time studying Geography and Environmental Management at UWE.  I made lifelong friends through housemates, course mates, and rugby teammates. 

Bristol is still one of the most vibrant cities in the country, and in the early 2000’s, there was a plethora of opportunities for young students.  So I was extremely happy to hear that Mr Graves and I had secured spots to attend the South West Geography Conference being held at UWE, a free event for all geography teachers kindly supported by the GA Sheila Jones Legacy Fund. 

As you can imagine, there have been some significant changes since I left in 2006.  The Frenchay campus has since been expanded and looks amazing.  Large facility buildings are flanked by open spaces, trees, benches, and wildflower gardens.  Accommodation on site now consists of large apartment buildings with all the facilities needed for student living.  Gone is my mini estate of student housing - Carol Court - made up of rows of red brick houses which housed 6 of us sharing one kitchen and a small living space.  However, it was surrounded by large grass areas and also right next to my geography block for a convenient 2-minute commute! 

The conference was held in the UWE Bristol School of Architecture and Environment where we enjoyed the opening lecture by Steve Brace (CE Geographical Association) on the up-and-coming changes to the geography curriculum.  Then we had the pleasure of a lecture by Tim Marshall, author of Prisoners of Geography.  His vision to use maps in a way that challenges your previous thinking is a great skill he possesses, and it was the most captivating talk on geopolitics I have ever witnessed.  We also got the pleasure of one of my old lecturers, Dr Chris Spencer, on the teaching of tectonic events.  He was not amused when I said how long ago I had studied his course! 

Our final lecture was by Dr Becky Collins (University of Bristol) on remote sensing and the amazing data we can now collect, in real time, on changes to our planet. 

Throughout the day we also had workshops varying from AI, GIS, fieldwork, and geosocial changes in urban spaces.  I took photos and shared them with my uni friends, recalling fond memories of our first week on campus and agreeing how brilliant it is to see how our university has grown.  I am proud to be a (very) small part of its history.

Mr Graves and I were grateful to the team at UWE for putting on such an inspiring day.  For me especially, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane."

Article provided by:  

Mrs Nicol-Boyle, Teacher of Geography