Katie Ford Vice President Sport

Over & Out

2010-07-30T03:40:00.000-07:00

For me today it's game over. I'm at the end of my sabbatical year as Vice President of Sport and I just wanted to say thank you.

Please see my leaving speeches for my final farewells and thank you's. It's been a pleasure :)

Lots of love

Fordy xx

Guild Council leaving speech

2010-06-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

It got emotional!

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Good evening Guild Council. I guess in this arena, I’ll be one of the less well-known sabbs, but hopefully you’ll recognise my efforts and achievements this year and will be willing to listen to my farewell speech from what can only be described as an epic year.

Personally I think I’ve experienced a great transformation over the last year and I finally feel settled and content with who I am and what I’ve achieved. As I mentioned in my Sports Ball speech on Wednesday evening, I’ve enjoyed every minute of the rollercoaster and I feel privileged to have been elected for such a prestigious role. From the very beginning, it became evident that I’d be the newbie of the group, who’d had much less involvement in the Guild than the rest of the team but now, I truly feel a part of it.

The depth of knowledge and experience I’ve received over the last year has been phenomenal. This job has given me more confidence in my own ability than I could ever imagine, although the journey I’ve taken to get where I am today has been far from perfect. This position could be described as ultimate limbo between the life of a student and the working world and even though it has been a once in a lifetime opportunity I’d be lying if I’d said it had been an easy ride. I for one am far from being a political busy body and I certainly have struggled with the politic nature of juggling my Guild loyalties and UBS obligations, as most of the sabbs and SMT will know, but I’ve powered through. In doing so, I’d like to start with a review of my year in office.

It’s in my nature to try and give 110% in everything I do and for those who might question the exact value of a Vice President of Sport I’d like to recap on my highlights this year;

• Firstly, the successful execution of a Healthy Living campaign; Including organising a wellbeing zone in fresher’s week, cooking demonstrations in Shackleton Hall and a healthy living section in the ‘exam survival guide’, presented to students at the Vale pre exams.

• Secondly, establishing ‘The Lion’ an 8-page sports insert in Redbrick, producing 2 editions of this great example of student recognition and, securing funding for the sustainably of this publication. For that I can’t thank Redbrick enough.

• Thirdly, reinventing the annual AU dinner as Sports Ball. Just fewer than 450 students celebrated in style at Aston Villa, which is more students than ever before and, ensuring Guild Sport was recognised for the first time, by introducing their very own award, won this year by Aussie Rules Football.

• Fourthly, guaranteeing that from September 2010, the 7 Guild Sport Societies which are BUCS sports will become members of the Athletic Union, enabling an initial transition of Guild Sports, which will hopefully result in all Guild Sports becoming a part of the Athletic Union, so that we will have all sport ‘under one banner’.

• Fifthly, encouraging more representatives than ever before to attend Sports Forum, so democracy remains a fundamental element of university sport.

• And lastly, empowering the Sport RAs. This group of students are some of the nicest individuals I’ve met, and as I was writing this speech yesterday I received a message from a few of the members informing me about their sports taster day for fresher’s week in September. They want to engage students who are often forgotten about, so those who don’t quite make the university sports teams or intra-league teams but who still have that burning passion for sport and competition. They used their initiative to extend their remit from intra-league and this captures exactly what the Guild is all about, the empowerment of students and enhancing the student experience.

On reflection, I wish I’d had more involvement in the Guild and student democracy. I think confidence was the only thing holding me back and if I had my time again I would jump at the change of being a part of Carnival or Kids Adventure and most certainly run for a club captaincy and other volunteering roles with UBS.

This establishment is incredible and both the students and staff members who hold the foundations of the Guild are remarkable people and I feel honoured to have worked with both. I can honestly say that my relationships with both staff and students has led me to be successful this year and I certainly could not have done it alone, So without further or do I’d like to move on to my thank you’s.

Firstly it’s going to have to be my sabbatical team.

When I first started working at the Guild back in July, I’ll have to be extremely honest and admit I wasn’t sure whether we would make a good team as we are incredibly diverse with varying personalities, but these six have become my family who have supported me through everything, be it personally or professionally. We’ve had our up and downs, but these guys, I can honestly say will be friends for life. I’d just like to say a thank you to each of them individually;

Fabian, the leader of our pack, is one of the most genuine, kind-natured, intelligent, yet modest people I know. This guy has comforted me when things haven’t gone my way and played the supportive big brother role when I’ve needed him. I couldn’t have asked for a better President and I know the others will echo my view.

Brigid, the sweet yet incredibly powerful young lady amongst all the University big wigs. She has been a true credit to our team this year and even when things have got tough, she professionally never let her guard down and rolled with the punches. A true crusader, who still knows how to let her hair down; especially on a memorable (or not so much) outing with the sabbs, to Harborne one evening.

Emma Packman. This fellow lady certainly has some fire in her belly but her passion and dedication to her role could never be questioned. I can see that amongst student groups she has really delivered significant change and she should be extremely proud of her achievements and the relationships she has built. I’ve loved shouting to her through our terrible partioned wall and

I’ll be extremely sad when that will be no more.

Ed, I’ll avoid any small jokes as I’m sure the others will have exhausted these, but on a serious note I really have admired the professional approach he has brought to his role this year. He is clearly well respected by all the RAs and he has worked extremely hard to promote the SHAC. Despite all his achievements, the thing that made me really fall for Ed, was reading a comment he made in my appraisal, when asked to comment on my achievements, he commented that I came onto work looking stunning a couple of days after splitting up with my ex-boyfriend, suggesting I am not one to sit around getting gloomy and losing self esteem. Legend!

Johnny, the tough yet loveable VP Welfare. I couldn’t be happier he has been re-elected next year, but boy am I going to miss him. I’ve loved our chin wags and I really feel we have bonded over the last few weeks. He is such a sweetheart and he should be extremely proud of his achievements this year. I can’t wait to see what else he is capable of!

Last but not least is Tom. This boy has been my rock and I really couldn’t have got through this year without him. Back in October we both experienced difficult challenges and at this point we really bonded and helped each other through it. I’m extremely proud of him for all his efforts and achievements this year, especially with regards to the elections and I know with his sweet and sincere nature he’ll go far in life. I do have to give him a special thanks though for the counselling sessions after ‘Fordy fails’ a common phase amongst the sabbs.

So again thank you to all my sabbs, it’s been a blast.

Further to this I have to mention the non-sabbs for all their hard work and contribution to the Guild.

Now to thank the Senior Management Team. All have been extremely supportive and that is why currently the role of VPS is housed in the Guild. One lady in particular has been my main Guild support for Sport and I have to mention her specifically as we have championed battles together and words can’t really describe how grateful I am for all her hard work. All three of SMT make a fantastic unit and the Guild is lucky to have such experts in their respected fields.

I’d also like to thank Guild marketing for all their work on Sports Ball and my Healthy Living campaign and this department certain needs more recognition.

In addition, Stu Dev has been fantastic, thank you for putting up with any misbehaving AU clubs, and lastly I must thank UB Sport for their hard work this year, specifically the club development team and as they can’t be her today I’ll thank them personally at a different time.

I will certainly be leaving this year on a high and the fundamental highlight of my year was seeing clubs and sportsmen and women being recognised at both University Sports Awards and Sports Ball last week. To hear everyone had fun and enjoyed themselves was incredible and that such a small token of adding personal photos of each team to each table really made them feel special made everything worthwhile. I am so proud of my clubs and societies and I’m really going to miss liaising with them on a daily basis.

I’d like to wish the sabbatical elects the best of luck next year. Enthusiasm and hard work are essential and as long as you have that drive behind you and keep students at the root of every decision you make I’m sure you will do us proud.

Julian, I’d like to see you give everything to your VPS role and really appreciate the nature of the opportunity you have been given. I look forward to working with you in July to build on all the efforts of previous VPS’ and the foundations that they have put in place for you. I have no doubt you will bring a new element to our role, good luck!

Guild Council, on a final note I’d like to see you take more of an active role in promoting UB Sport and our Guild Sport Societies next year. With the ever important drive for new sport facilities, this presents an opportunity for real student activism, so please get behind our athletes and help them strive for much needed investment. Sport affects thousands of students on our campus and as our representative body it is your job to support them.

Thank you for electing me and thank you for this life-changing experience. A year which I’m sure I will never forget.

SPORTS BALL SPEECH

2010-06-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

What an amazing night, thank you to everyone who was a part of it.

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Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Sports Ball 2010.

I am delighted that tonight we have over 400 students, celebrating university sport and the successes of the 2009/2010 season and boy, do you lot scrub up well. Every one of you is integral to the budding successes of UB Sport and I’ve been lucky enough to witness the hard work, dedication, commitment, pride and the sense of unity amongst Athletic Union clubs and Guild Sport societies. So please give yourselves a round of applause!

After taking office, many months ago, it became evident that the value of the student experience had become significantly more important than ever before in an ever exhausted economic climate. A graduate’s employability is often heavily dependent on extra-curricular activities and I believe that university sport fundamentally shapes one’s identity, moulding necessary life skills. Whether you see yourself as a leader, or simply a part of the team, you ARE UB Sport and your involvement will have helped set your future.

For this reason alone, I took it upon myself to revamp the previous AU Dinner and bring to you, an event specifically recognising, celebrating and focusing on you, the students. No smoosing sponsors and no VIPS, this is your time to shine, celebrate with team mates and party before the summer break.

So, why don’t we find out who we have here with us tonight?

Do we have any National Champions?

Any BUCS medallists?

Athletic Union clubs?

Or Guild Sport Societies?

I welcome every single one of you and please feel free to mingle with other clubs during courses and knowing it’s inevitable, at the after party!

This year has been incredible for University Sport and I for one feel privileged to have been a part of it. The demand for student involvement in sport, be it in the Athletic Union or the Guild, via intra-league and active lifestyle programmes or volunteering, increases year on year. This was evident at the sports fair back in September, where you showcased your talents to prospective members. Their day was filled with suspended kayaks, rowing boats, martial art demonstrations and a significant amount of Kukri and University stash. One special mention from that day, were the some would say confident but I’ll say cocky, water polo members braving polo costumes, trunks and dicki bow ties, definitely grabbing people’s attention. No matter how you recruited members, you encouraged a range of students from different backgrounds to share your enthusiasm and passion for sport.

My first thank you of the night has to go to the club captains. I’m sure many of you are here celebrating tonight and I for one did not want your achievements to go unrecognised. The majority of you have sat through numerous sports forums and club development training sessions and your commitment has been far beyond impressive. All your members have been lucky to have such passionate leaders and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you all.

Secondly, I’d like to thank UB Sport, the Guild and my sabbatical team for all their support throughout the year. Students are at the heart of everything they do and I’d like you to take a moment to thank them for their contribution to your university experience. (Applause)

Thirdly, I’d like to thank Zena Wooldridge, Director of Sport for her continued devotion to UB Sport. Zena, who is extremely hard working, identifies with all areas of UB Sport and has been a real figurehead to champion sport to the University over the last few years. She is a true crusader. For this I think we should thank her. (Applause)

This year in particular we’ve seen the relationship with the university blossom and they firmly recognise the prestigious nature of higher education sport, recognising the true camaraderie of sportsmen and women and the sense of gratification behind sporting the university crest, watermark or UB Sport logo. Progressing from this, in the next few years, we will hopefully see investment in new facilities to match the impressive performances from our athletes.

I’ve had a number of highlights throughout my year in office but there are three in particular I’d like to mention. Firstly, the relationship shared with Redbrick this year has been outstanding. We produced two 8-page sport inserts in the weekly paper, both in December and March. We provided coverage of the BUCS Championships, reported solely on a wide range of university sports and, raved about your accomplishments to a greater degree than ever before.

Secondly, the confirmed transition of Guild Sport societies to UB Sport. There are approximately 21 Guild Sports, and all seven BUCS sports that were previously housed in the Guild will become a part of the Athletic Union from September, with the view of moving all sport societies over to UB Sport in the next few years, allowing for ‘sport under one banner’. These sports include; Gaelic Athletic Football, Rifle, Snooker and Pool, Ultimate Frisbee, Brumsurf, Mountaineering and Ten-Pin Bowling.

Thirdly, we have currently regained our top three spot in the league table for British Universities and Colleges Sport…BUCS. In doing so we have overtaken the likes of Bath, Durham and Edinburgh to rightfully regain our top spot, and that is all down to you. The finalised rankings will not be confirmed until mid July, but hey, why not be optimistic.

Tonight brings the 2009/2010 season to a close and I hope, should you be returning in September or leaving for pastures new, that every time you reminisce about memories and experiences with your clubs at the University of Birmingham, that you’re filled with a certain sense of pride. It’s a brilliant University and by heck you’ve done us proud.

Thank you for electing me as your Vice President of Sport, I’ve had a cracking year with phenomenal experiences and I’ve enjoyed every minute of the rollercoaster.

Enjoy the festivities and let’s make this a night to remember!

Why the mybham sports tab is unfortunately not possible in my term in office

2010-05-27T03:07:00.000-07:00

The overarching plan is to simultaniously lobby for both a Guild tab and a Sports tab on the student portal. As we have decided to take this approach, Fabian (our Guild President) has taken the lead on this for me and after many discussions with senior members of University staff, it has been decided that the University will 1) restructure the website 2) then take these tabs into consideration. It is however, on their radar and they do see the importance of it.

Fingers crossed for the mybham sports tab next academic year 2010/2011.

Term 2 Report

2010-04-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

Vice President of Sport Term 2 Report (January-March 09’)

Content:

• Campaigns/main projects

• Other projects

• Remit specific meetings

• Vice President specific meetings

• Training

• Miscellaneous

Abbreviations; UBS (University Birmingham Sport), BUCS (Birmingham Universities and Colleges Sport)

Campaigns/Main Projects

• Healthy Living Campaign (cooking demonstrations)-I organised for a nutritionist from ‘can’t cook will cook’ cookery school to provide cooking demonstrations at Shackleton Hall on 27th & 28th January. She rustled up 3 dishes within an hour, showing hall residents that cooking healthy, quick, easy and cheap dishes isn’t out of anyone’s reach! In association with the Mentors, we awarded one lucky student a free cookery lesson for their flat, just for simply filling out a questionnaire. Thanks to the Mentors for this joint campaign and if you need any more information please visit http://www.cantcookwillcook.co.uk/

• The Lion-Redbrick Sport Supplement- Edition 2; the BUCS commemorative edition, was inserted in the week 10 edition of Redbrick. 6 pages were dedicated to coverage of 15 different teams at the BUCS Championships held in Sheffield. I acted as editor in chief of this publication and to date this is the best coverage of the event we have ever had. Also I arranged for the photographers and reporters to attend the four day event so we didn’t have to heavily rely on captains submitting reports.

• Transition of BUCS Guild Sport Societies-Throughout the term I’ve had numerous meetings with both the societies and University staff to decide upon the fate of the 21 Guild Sports identified for the transition to UBS; in order to ultimately achieve ‘Sport Under one Banner’. It had been decided that there will be a 3 phased approach to this transition; phase 1-BUCS sports, phase 2-competitive sport, phase 3-recreational sport. Phase 1 will be implemented as of September 2010 and the 7 BUCS sports will either make a full transition over to UBS (so derecognised as a Guild Society) or a part transition (i.e. remaining part of the Guild in addition to UBS). Ultimate Frisbee, Gaelic Football, Pool & Snooker, and Rifle will become sole UBS clubs and BrumSurf, Mountaineering and Ten-Pin Bowling will hold a joint membership (as Brumski and Lifesaving). These clubs will be able to tap into UBS resource and service provisions and will be able to use UBS branding. For Transitions 2 & 3, the trial of phase 1 will have to be reassessed in a year’s time and UBS will have to assess the feasibility of housing more clubs. Realistically this process is long term and will hopefully be aided by new facilities.

• Sports Ball-The changed venue, Aston Villa football ground, has been booked and tickets have gone on general sale, available from Joe’s Bar. This term required advanced planning for the new event to accommodate 492 students rather than the 300 previously. The menu has been decided, entertainment booked, new awards added (Guild Sport Society of the Year and Intra-League Team of the Year) and planning will continue until the night of the event 9th June 2010. If you would still like to purchase a ticket please contact s.thomson@guild.bham.ac.uk

• Sports Relief-In conjunction with Kukri and UBS I organised a mile walk around campus for Sports Relief on 19th March. Starting just outside Chancellor’s Court, the course was marked out using Kukri inflatable sofas and cones and the officer election candidates willingly offered to help map out the course whilst campaigning. The route was similar to that of the Corporate Relay and we had hundreds of staff and students take part. We raised nearly £300 in 25 minutes and the statue in Chancellor’s Court received a Kukri makeover, whilst I was let loose with a mega-phone! Many thanks to Ross Armstrong (Athletics Captain) who led the route, Kukri for donating the sofas and the Lion for making an infamous appearance.

Other Projects-Remit Specific

• Sports Forums-On 4th February and 4th March I chaired Sports Forum in the Munrow Lecture Theatre. In total there have been two sports forums per term and attendance has been greatly improved from last year. Sports Forum is a great opportunity for the VPS to communicate events, policies and important information to club captains, sport RAs, Guild Presidents and Intra-League reps.

• Sport RA training & Sport RA Executive-Building on the RA training the Sports Officers received in December, it was felt that it was extremely important for the officers to meet with the Intra-League Coordinator and discuss their roles and responsibilities with regards to Intra-League, registration, score submissions, finances etc. In addition to this the 13 officers created a sport RA Executive where they meet monthly to discuss their objectives for the year. The reason for creating this sub-group was the realisation that being a Sport RA means more than just intra-league. Their main objectives for this year include; a sports day, a charity event and organising a sports tour for 2011. I oversee all the training and this executive.
• Exam Survival Guide (Healthy Living Campaign)-The VPS and VPW have been working together on this project to provide information about mitigations, stress-relief, time management, exercise and nutrition within the exam period. The booklet will be distributed to first years in halls in the first week of term 3.
• Transport Services Enquiries-Following the Mini Forums for Guild Societies in term 1, I collated the information from all societies who use their services and I approached Transport Services with student concerns and issues. For more information on this subject and to read my report please see my blog; http://www.katiefordvps.blogspot.com/
• Kukri Sponsorship for societies and RAs-Kukri have agreed to charge societies and halls equal prices for stock as AU clubs. I oversaw this process.
• Wednesday Afternoon Sport Policy-The policy currently in place needs updating and I provided clubs with a questionnaire in order to collate the relative information necessary for benefit. Many clubs need to travel across the country to compete on a Wednesday and due to travel time, have to miss lectures on a Wednesday morning. UBS and the VPS are tackling this matter head on by approaching ‘problem schools’ who tend to place unrepeated lectures/exams and coursework submissions on a Wednesday.
• Facebook Project-As part of the UBS marketing strategy, Club Development will be asking all clubs to move away from website use towards a generic use of Facebook fan pages, as a part of the wider BUCS Facebook project. All clubs will be asked to house a generic site for prospective students and parents, and to also keep a private page for members only. In addition to this we have specific Facebook projects for Athletics, Squash and Table Tennis, which I have been involved in. In addition to this we have a general Facebook fan page ‘University of Birmingham Sport’ with over 1,000 fans!
• Sports Nights-Four successful event nights were held at the Guild. £1 from every ticket sold contributes towards the Sports Ball event. On 24th March the final Sports Night in Old Joe’s was celebrated.

Other Projects-VP Specific
• Know Your Guild-This campaign was aimed at promoting all Guild Services such as; The Get Involved fair and workshops run by societies, a focus on volunteering, the healthy living cooking demonstrations, Job Zone, Selly Oak photography competition, Officer Elections, Sexual health awareness and guidance week and the Guild Awards.
• Democratic Structure Review & Referendum- Following discussion and decisions made as an officer team to radically change the democratic process of the Guild, 2155 students voted in the Referendum with an 80% vote in favour of the new democratic decision making model. For more information on the approved model please see the following link;

http://www.guildofstudents.com/content/245173/your_voice/democratic_review
• Officer Elections-On 19th March the new officer team for 2010/2011 was announced. Please see the following link for more information; http://www.guildofstudents.com/content/188445/your_voice/elections

All current officers supported the VPDR who was leading on the campaigning/election process.

• Officer Review-We met with an external facilitator to discuss our roles, responsibilities and the effectiveness of our elected positions. We gave feedback on our own positions and the other six sabbatical positions. This information was collated and we are waiting on the outcome to discuss a re-vamped officer model for 2011/2012.

Remit Specific meetings;

• Management team-Fortnightly meetings with the Director of Sport and the main managers of UB Sport; Club Development, Marketing, Performance & Fitness and Facilities.

• Management group-This group met to discuss disciplinary and to keep members informed of current affairs. Membership includes; Individual rep (student), team rep (student) and staff members from Club Development.

• 1-2-1 with Club Development staff-To discuss clubs on a general scale, events such as Sports Relief, Sports Ball and Volunteering Conference.

• BUCS Regional meeting (Midlands)-Held every term to discuss relevant issues relayed from the BUCS Advisory Group. Items discussed included; competitions update, Championships in Sheffield, Wednesday afternoon sport, Sports England, BUCS organisational set-up & planning ahead for 2010/2011.
• BUCS Nations and Regions Sub Group-Although I’m not a formal member of this group I was asked to attend by the chair. The main issue discussed was the regional split of BUCS leagues, especially Premier League. A new model has been proposed to the Advisory Group and updates have yet to be released.

• Discussions with Carnival (charity fundraising events)-I met with members of their committee to discuss the possibility of holding events to raise money for the BUCS affiliated charity Right to Play. We made initial plans to hold a ‘slave auction’ in the Guild, however there was not enough student interest. On a positive note, Carnival is interested in organising sports events to raise money for charity in the near future.

• Budget Reviews-I met with Club Development staff to agree on budgets for 2010-2011 for Guild Sports making the transition to UBS, and all other UBS clubs.

VP Specific meetings;

• Sabbatical Officer Group (SOG)-All 7 sabbatical officers and the Chief Executive meet weekly to discuss any issues which require team decisions e.g. approving funding for the second edition if ‘The Lion’.

• Team 10-Similar to SOG, however the other Senior Managers join this weekly meeting. Here we discuss the Guild strategic plan.

• Guild Officer Group (GOG)-All Guild officers meet to discuss motions pre-Guild Council.

• Guild Council-A monthly meeting to discuss officer progress and communications and for motions to be discussed by representatives from all student and departmental groups.

• Finance Committee-Meets each term to discuss the financial implications of new and current projects.

• Entertainments Committee-Meets each term to discuss current events, upcoming events and possible events in the Guild.

• Student Groups Committee-This meeting is chaired by the Vice President Student Activities and Development (VPSAD) and holds membership with the VPS, VP Democracy and Resources (VPDR), two student members and a member of Student Development staff. New societies are agreed upon, societies are derecognised, grants are allocated and policies and procedures are discussed.

• Elections Committee-This meeting is chaired by VPDR and the committee regulates the election processes. With regards to the officer elections we met daily for a two week period to discuss complaints and procedures. In addition to this I attended the election training and provided wellbeing packs for candidates.

• Building Development-The VPS and VPDR attend Building meetings to keep up-to-date with phase 2B (Joe’s Bar) and Phase 3 (membership services) works.

Training

• Fundraising/AGM training for club captains-These meetings allowed clubs to share best practice and to ensure AGMs were executed in the correct manor.

• Social Secretaries meeting-This meeting allowed me to communicate any social events on a grand scale and to promote the use of the Facebook group to encourage joint socials and more support at home matches.

• Mentor training (Volunteers scheme)-Certain sport student volunteers were selected to mentor volunteers new to the UBS scheme.

• European Young Volunteers in Sport Conference-23rd-25th March-Along with student volunteers I helped support this event and we gave a presentation on the UBS organisation.

Personal Training

• Officer Away Day(s) (Harborne Hall)-To discuss the strategic plan, our term 2 plan, survey evaluation and the democratic structure review.

• Trustee Board Away Day-To discuss the strategic direction of the Guild, improvements and suggestions and survey evaluation.

• Podcast training-Hosted by the University Media centre. The VPSAD and I recorded a podcast to dismiss all myths about Gradball 2010. This podcast will feature on the Guild of Students website.

• Anti-terrorism training (Police) - I attended a workshop aimed at improving awareness and building positive relationships with the Guild.

Miscellaneous

• Facilities Update- The project has been accepted to proceed to next stage of design and business planning, in anticipation of the final go ahead from University Council in December. The plan is to start preparing the site from next summer, for build completion in early 2013.

• Facebook projects-Social Secretaries & Sport RAs-I’ve set up Facebook groups to facilitate communication within these certain groups, easing a sense of unity and building on relationships.

• David Gill Event ‘The Business of Sport’-I attended this Alumni panel discussion. The University's new Education and Sport Chair Professor Kathy Armour, former CEO of West Bromwich Albion, Michael O'Leary and David Gill discussed topics including elite football and profit, footballers as role models, globalization, community engagement and corporate responsibility. The discussion was chaired by Vice Chancellor, Professor David Eastwood.

• Jamaica Event & Aviva Athletics-On 20th February I was invited to the official signing of the contract between Jamaica AAA, Birmingham City Council and the University to host Jamaica Track and Field Pre-Olympic camp, on campus in 2012. In addition to this I attended the welcome dinner held in Council House and the Aviva Athletics competition held at the NIA.
• BUCS Championships-I attended both the Hockey and Lacrosse Finals in Sheffield and I was lucky enough to see both of our Women’s teams win Gold!
• Competing in BUCS Championships-I competed in the Water Polo finals against Cardiff, Loughborough and Cambridge and we secured the Silver medal. I also competed in the Swimming Short Course Championships as a last minute entry!
• Annual General Meetings (AGMs) - I attended various club’s AGMs.

• Minibus Driving for Gaelic Football and Men’s Water Polo-I volunteered to drive the minibuses for the first round of BUCS competitions.

• Personal Skills Award (PSA) Interview Panel- I was asked to sit on the interview panel for the PSA practice interviews and to nominate a student for PSA student of the year.

• Burn FM interview-I was grilled on my manifesto pledges and the main sport stories in the headlines e.g. the John Terry and Tiger Woods scandals.

• Guild Awards-I presented the award for the ‘Most Outstanding Society’ to Redbrick at this prestigious event.
• Elections Results Night-I announced the election result for the VPS candidates.

Redbrick deliver 2 outstanding editions of 'The Lion' and are voted Outstanding Society at Guild Awards!

2010-03-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

Manifesto pledge DONE.

Redbrick brought my vision to life with 2 supplements of the Lion; edition 1 in December and edition 2 in March. I want to take this opportunity to thank Redbrick Sport, especially Ben, Tom, James and Simon for all their hard work over the last few months. I never envisioned such a professional and representative sample of University Sport journalism and all I can say is good luck topping it next year! Fingers crossed for a continuation rather than change. Hopefully we will see the Lion return in December 2010.

I can say in all honesty that working with Redbrick Sport has definitely been one of the main highlights for me this year and I can't thank them enough for letting me have such an involvement in the process, including the removal of a very embarrassing and revealing photo of myself and the waterpolo team post match!

I hope that the relationship I have now embedded with the flourishing society remains next year and that it only develops further.

http://www.redbrickonline.co.uk/

Transport Services and their relationship with societies and sport teams

2010-03-04T03:18:00.000-08:00

Transport Services-below are general tips and information resulting from a meeting with the Guild and Transport Services
Issues discussed;

• Damage invoice sent to clubs with a lack of evidence to support the invoice

Response from transport services-The majority of minibuses are hired in externally as the University only own 2 minibuses, therefore invoices are produced by these external companies and not by the University. Payments have to be made within 10 days of the invoice being sent to the University; therefore there is only a limited amount of time before the money needs to be docked from the societies’ account. With regards to the provision of evidence, Transport Services are looking in to it.

Action Points-when a minibus is hired, an information pack is provided with the keys and included in this is a damage form, if the minibus is damaged BEFORE you start your journey it must be reported on this form and reported to Transport Services/Security. This is your responsibility.

Transport Services are also looking into an appeal’s process and ask you contact them as soon as possible if you need to appeal. They also agreed to sending a breakdown of damage costs and sending on all information to student development. Unfortunately it is not possible for Transport Services to provide estimates for damages.

• Minibus training and the change in procedure

Response-Transport Services have tightened up their policy/procedure to pass minibus drivers. Unfortunately societies have to pay for a secondary test (if applicable) due to the costs incurred for an external examiner. Transport Services ensure that the number of incidents in minibuses have significantly reduced this year, thus the safety of students is greater.

Action Points-The theory training will be significantly improved and extended. Also, the main contact at Transport Services will also be present at training to answer any operational questions.

• Out of hours contact

If an issue incurs at a weekend and security is unable to deal with the situation, a member of staff from Transport Services will be contacted. If the minibus breaks down, the tax disc displays an emergency contact number and more information is contained within the pack provided.

General tips and information;

1. Transport Services request forms must be handed in 1 week in advance and must be signed off by student development or club development (UBS).

2. Let Transport Services fill up the petrol tank, unless specifically requested, as there is the risk you may be charged petrol costs even if you have filled up. They use the same rate as Tesco Express so you will not be charged at a higher rate.

3. Minibus training-all who are signed up for the training must attend as the training costs £235 for half a day and if this price is split between 3, rather than 1 or two this obviously means less cost for your society.

Jamaica Track & Field pre-olympic camp will be hosted on our campus in 2012!

2010-02-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

On Saturday 20th February Birmingham University made sporting history.

Jamaica, the University and Birmingham City Council signed an offical agreement stating that Jamaica track and field would be hosting a pre-olympic camp for 2012 right here on campus.

A special bond has flourished between Howard Aris, president of Jamaica's Amateur Athletic Association, Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council and our very own Vice Chancellor.

The weekend was perfect to host the signing as it tied in with the Athletics Grand Prix held at NIA, where some of the Jamaican athletes, such as Novelle Williams (400m) were competing. I was lucky enough to attend both the signing and the Athletics and I was even treated to VIP treatment at the NIA. One pleasure I will certain treasure. It is also important to add that some of our very own sporting starts such as Ed Aston and Louise Hazel were competing at this event.

Post the athletics I was invited to the legacy dinner at Birmingham's Council House. Here the council, Jamaica's Amateur Athletics Association and the University celebrated the unity in style. We were treated to rum punch, a delicious 3 course dinner and a charity auction which included the sale of Bolt's signed competitive vest and an all expenses paid trip to meet the man himself.

All in all a perfect day of Olympics heaven!

It's a knockout!!-HOCKEY BIG EVENT

2010-02-14T06:33:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 17th February 12.15-6.30pm-Message from Hockey

All Brum teams are at home in their respective KO games this wednesday. This is the perfect opportunity for everyone, hockey player or not, to come down and cheer on the university players against some lesser institutes!

Itinerary- banter and a love for your Birmingham (this last one in particular is compulsory)

Wednesday-Hockey will win BUCS!!!

12.15 Womens 4ths Vs Warwick 2nds

12.15 Mens 4ths Vs Loughborough 4ths

13.45 Womens 3rds Vs Warwick 1sts

13.45 Mens 3rds Vs tbc...

15.15 Womens 2nds Vs Leeds 1sts

15.15 Mens 2nds Vs Sheffield Hallam 1sts

Quarter-Finals:

16.45 Womens 1sts Vs Brunel West 1sts

16.45 Mens 1sts Vs Oxford 1sts

All welcome-Bournbrook astros

VPS elect...the hunt is on!

2010-02-03T06:02:00.000-08:00

Interested in standing in the officer elections to become the new VP Sport for 10'/11'?

What objectives do you think you could bring to the table? What improvements would you like to see made to the Guild and UB Sport?

Nominations open TODAY until 22nd February. All you need to do is pick up a nomination form from the Guild reception. Campaigning starts 5th March and voting is between 15th and 19th March. Results night is 20th March.

For more information please come and see me for an informal chat and a coffee :) just email me at vps@guild.bham.ac.uk and we can arrange a time.

Fordy x

Term 2 Begins!

2010-01-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a brief overview of events/plans for term 2;

Healthy Living Campaign-Cookery Demostrations Wed 27th and Thursday 28th 6-7.15pm in Shackleton. For all 1st years very worried about being able to move away from catered halls and into a house where they need to learn to cook for themselves! A nutritionist from can't cook will cook with help give a few useful pointers at these demonstrations and then all those who attend will be entered into a prize draw to win a cookery class in your flat with the nutritionist. So you and your housemates can learn some tips together :) Look out for the flyers around halls in the next few weeks.
'The Lion' edition 2 with a focus on the BUCS championships.
Sports Ball promotions
BUCS CHAMPIONSHIPS-MARCH
Right to Play charity event
Update on the my bham sports tab
Update on the Guild-UBS transition

Highlights term 1

2010-01-10T08:20:00.000-08:00

Firstly I thought I's start off with a quick summary/highlights of last term;

The Lion piloted in week 10- An 8-page insert, dedicated to back to back coverage of the hollistic approach to sport at Birmingham University. This covered info on Guild sports such as Gaelic football, info on our sport scholars, intra-league sport, student coaches and big events...no more boring generic articles on rugby and hockey, sport at Birmingham University is so much more!
Sports Forums- Based on the previous model set up by VPS', sports forum has been much more representative over term 1. By moving the location of the meeting we have seen more club captains and reps from club development, intra-league, RAs and Guild sports represent their constituants.
Relations between the UB Sport and the Guild-Improvements have been made to ensure their is a common understanding between both parties. A great deal of progress was made with regards to the transition of Guild Sports over to UB Sport, so that all sports clubs would be housed/managed under the same brand, however as the Guild already supports club development, this relationship would not be altered.
AU dinner-Now known as the Sports Ball. The decision for the event to be split into a student's recognition/celebratory ball and a networking/awards evening, to aid the promotion of the brand to external parties was decided by management team based on feedback from students via sports forum and emailed forms sent out to all clubs/teams. The ball is set to move location off campus and this will be finalised in the next few weeks. Marketing for the event is being processed.
Training-One of my favourite aspects of the job. Leadership training took place late Novemeber for Club Captains. The training was really successful and students expressed the need for training on a greater scale. From this I plan to create a modernized plan for 10'/11'. In addition to this I extremely enjoyed leading on the RA training for sports officers in December. From this we have planned more intensive training regarding Intra-League for early January.
Facilities-The wheels are in motion. The business plan for the re-development is close to completion and will be discussed with the University in term 2.
VP highlights-away from the sport...flashmob, planning of Know Your Guild, Student Groups committee, building re-development group, RA training weekend and finally the democratic structure review...we have finally cracked it! Look out for the model being brought to students, in the very near future!

Sports Personality of the Year 2009

2009-12-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to witness the prestigious event, this Sunday live from Sheffield Arena. No VIP tickets as perks of the job, but just a great way to spend some quality time with my sports mad dad :)
11,000 spectators were fighting off the X factor grand final (I did have to rush home and watch it on sky planner mind) to be sat in the same arena as some of our country's finest. Chrissy Wellington, Dame Kelly Homes, Freddie Flintoff, Rebecca Arlington, Chris Hoy etc. and they weren't even the sportsmen and women nominated for the main award!

Few tear jerkers with Seve Ballesteros winning the lifetime achievement award and Major Phil Packer recieving the Helen Rollason award, but both were extremely well deserved and the crowd provided a continual standing ovation.

The night came to climax when Ryan Giggs was named the Sports Personality of the Year 2009. Although deserved, I did feel Jenson Button was more deserving after the struggle faced with Brawn GP this year. Guess it just shows how dominating football can be amongst the UK population!

Nike Selects-THURSDAY 3RD DEC

2009-12-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Think you have what it takes to be an inspiration to all women intersted in sport? Could you engage women with no interest in sport what-so-ever? Are you a powerful, strong, confident, individual, creative enough to promote new initatives at the University to bring a new and unique dimension to Women's health and fitness? If YES then follow this link and find out more information about becomnig a NIKE SELECT http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikewomen-en_GB/2009/10/30/get-selected

A represntative to Nike and the University, you would be the face of a new Nike campaign! Apply online via the link or come on down to the Hub (Shackleton) on Thursday 3rd December 6-7.30pm for a Nike Selects preview! There will be a dance instructor ready to start a brilliant class, so bring along your kit!

VPS as special guest on REDBRICK SPORTS PODCAST!

2009-11-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

Hi alll,

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of recording Redbrick Sports 4th podcast with Ben Whitelaw and Tom Clarke.

Check it out here http://www.redbrickonline.co.uk/sports/sports-strike-back/ for results, a quick fire quiz, pie and mash and parkin pigs and a heated debate on fair play.

My housemate and I had nice giggle listening back to it this morning so enjoy!!

Results 09'

2009-11-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

Hi all just a quick reminder to check out all the results from the season so far. Follow this link http://www.sport.bham.ac.uk/athleticunion/fixtures.shtml for more info.

A big congrats must go to Women's Lacrosse who remain undefeated and Rugby League who beat Hull on 4th Nov 26-12...great performances!

Also to the swimmers who competed in the BUCS Short Course Champs in Sheffield. Records broken, numerous pbs and a handful of finals...brilliant results! This meet is extremely competitive and when you have the likes of Liam Tancock competing, you realise just how elitist this meet is. Congratulations!

Manifesto success 2!

2009-11-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

Healthy Living Campaign-This has now been agreed as a joint campaign with the mentors. Agreed is the plan for cooking demos to be held in Shackleton, in 2nd week of January and from this students will be entered into a prize draw to win cookery classes with a top class nutritionist! Focus will be easy cooking on the cheap. Stay tuned for more information :)

Manifesto success!

2009-11-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I'm exstatic about reporting that I have secured funding for the Redbrick pull-out sports section! After discussions with the sports editiors earlier this evening we came to realise time is of the essence and in order to deliver edition 1 before the end of term, we are really going to have to give it everything!

Currently just writing a plan for the pull-out and I hope to have finalised the design and template by tomorrow. Think review of term 1, an insight into all sport at Birmingham and more intimate interviews and articles about our very own students :)

I'd like to take this opportunity to give my thanks to the editors and their team. They work extremely hard and for all returning students I think we can all agree that a definite improvement has been seen in the quality of the sports section this term. To add to this check out redbrick online http://www.redbrickonline.co.uk/ for live coverage, blogs, more articles and some very entertaining podcasts!

Acorns fun run!

2009-10-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday 18th October-Guild staff and I ran the 5K around campus, followed by the 2K jog with Emma, Fab, Johnny and Ed :)

Was an amazing day, we raised over £60 for Acorns and I blooming loved it!

Ready for the next Sabb challenge!

Sports Forum

2009-10-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

15th October-Over 30 clubs were represented at the forum, from club development, Guild sport societies & intra-league teams.
I proposed changing the format of the forum, so that it was more than just a communication channel.
All members voted, and it was decided that this forum should be used democratically for the VPS to present motions from the student body to the relevant parties involved i.e. UBS and/or the Guild. From this I have a basis to review the structure and I will be working closely with Tom Guise (VPDR) & Guild staff to re-write the terms of reference and present an appropriate format to the next sports forum.

Secondly I asked for feedback concerning the AU dinner. Representatives filled out feedback forms which I will collate and I have sent out an electronic copy of this form to all club captains to forward on to members, so please pester your captains to send this to you, as your feedback is very important to allow me to create the best possible event for all of you! I hope to at least change the name, that is for sure! Deadline for this is 2nd November.

Although I'm hoping for a little more communication and interaction next forum, I felt it went really well and I hope I can only build on the success of this forum.

The provision date for the next forum is 26th November 5-6pm in the Munrow lecture theatre.

I ask that all club captains/chairs attend from all Club Development teams, Guild sports and Intra-league teams, and also the Med Soc sports president and the sports RAs.

cheers

Fordy x

Healthy Livng Campaign gets off to a flying start

2009-10-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last week Guild staff and I met with a nutritionist who provides cookery courses. If we were to go ahead with these courses, my vision is that the courses go out to the students in halls, where they can learn to cook as a group of friends and a flat. Nutrition is a vital component to healthy living and for many students food education has just not been provided for them and they struggle to cook for themselves and provide themselves with the necessary nutritents.

I hope to push this initative forward and deliver the eductation to students at an affordable price.

We are also looking into the possibilty of providing smoothies at the Guild. Would you be interested in purchasing smoothies if they were provided? We had a taster session last week and they seemed to be very popular!

Another idea of mine for the healthy living campaign is the provision of nutritional booklets combined with basic exercise plans. Although I have to look into hte feasibility of this, would you be interested in following an exercise/nutrition plan in either term 1 or 2? Would it be useful to have basic body health checks pre and post the plan to monitor change? Please let me know your thoughts.

Welcome Week 09/10

2009-09-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

What a tremendous week! It was so successful and ran so smoothly and that's down to the lovely staff (from the Guild & UBS) and the student ambassadors/crew who helped make the week possible.

The main highlights of the week for me were;

The wellbeing zone (many thanks to Johnny, all Guild staff and the mentors who helped out that day) which had greater footfall and collection of qualitative data than we were expecting and a load of lucozade and eat natural freebies!
Sports Fair-A big thanks to Lucy Hood, the UBS team and the clubs. Thousands of students entered the Munrow that day and we have such a selection of potential members for the year. Best fair yet I'd say!
Making progress with the Redbrick pull out- I finally was able to meet the new sports editors of Redbrick last week; Ben Whitelaw and Tom Clarke. Both are extremely enthusiastic about their year and I very much look forward to working with them. After discussions with Lucy Hood we decided to work towards termly pull-out sport sections of Rebrick, which is a great step towards improving the communication to our students. Also look out for my VPS section in Redbrick, apparently it's going to be controversial! Both editors have fantastic ideas for Redbrick this year and I can only emphasise that redbrick online is going to be huge this year so check it out! http://www.redbrickonline.co.uk/
General helping out with welcome week :) Just helping out and speaking to students was amazing...even grew to love the red t-shirt! Really feel more settled now and I'm looking forward to the year ahead. Even made it to swimming pre-season training that week so I was made up!

This week we had our first sabb catch up meeting, I had the first of many meetings about sports forum :) (Keep checking my blog for updates) and we discussed the building re-development.
SPORTS FORUM- The agenda will be decided by the individual and team reps and myself for the first meeting 15th October 5-6pm in the Munrow and will be sent out at the beginning of next week. It will be a part of the Guild Democratic Review and I hope that in the long run the student's voice will be heard in sport.
Over and out for now
Lots of Fordy love x

A rundown of last week

2009-09-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

As welcome week is fast approaching all the sabbs are increasingly becoming busier and busier. Last week my main project was preparing for the wellbeing zone event which is to be held TUESDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 11-3PM in the GUILD COMMON ROOM.
A wellbeing fair was introduced by Will (VPS 07-08) and continued by Sparky (VPS 08/09); although I wanted to have my own spin on it by making the event more intimate and interactive. The zones will be divided into the following; nutrition, exercise, general health (mental and physical), sexual health and relaxation. Johnny (VP Welfare) and I have worked really hard on this event as time has been against us and we hope it will really benefit some students looking for a little guidance :) Look out for the relaxation workshops, Wii, freebies and sexual awareness video!

Moving on to my other tasks for the week, one group which I'm really enjoying being a part of is the building re-development. Tom (VP Democracy & Resources) and I sit on the working group and discuss plans for the project. A great deal of hard work and dedication has been given by numerous members of staff over the years to see this project through, and for all those studying at Birmingham for years to come, count yourselves lucky as the design for the re-development really will be top class. I believe the new open plan structure for membership services really will attract more students who may have been reluctant to get involved before, as there will be no wondering where your allowed to wander in the Guild. Since working for the Guild and being one of those students who wasn't a regular user of the Guild, I'm proud to say what brilliant services it does provide and what a lovely place it is to work.

As I want to keep my posts quite short and to the point, I won't be commenting on every single thing I've done but only what I feel is relevant. Please add me on facebook though, Fordy Vp-Sport, where I hope to keep in touch with the club captains & committees. Keep posted for photos and messages out!

One issue I would like your opinions on is whether YOU would take part in a table tennis league if you had a table tennis table in your halls? Please let me know by completing the poll. If not why not?

On one last note look out for my sabb interview on Birn FM with Frankie Ward :) Many thanks to Frankie for taking time out to interview all us sabbs.

4 days and counting to welcome week! Remember wellbeing zone, sports fair & volunteering for the half-marathon from me! See http://www.birminghamhalfmarathon.com/register2.php

BUCS Conference 09'

2009-09-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

From Tuesday 1st Sept-Friday 4th Sept, I attended the BUCS Conference held at Keele University. This conference was ideal to meet fellow sports sabbs from institutions all over the country along with BUCS staff and insitutional staff. We attended workshops such as BUCS strategy and sports PR, listened to keynote speakers and on Thursday evening attended the BUCS annual awards ball.

The main highlights of the conference were attending the keynote addresses made by Dame Kelly Holmes & Baroness Sue Campbell (Chair of UK Sport). Both women are great inspirations and rolemodels for the sports women of today.

Kelly spoke of her success at Athens in 2004 and how she used her success to help provide support for other talented athletes at 'On camp with Kelly'. Some talented women athletes from Birmingham already attend this camp however if you need more information please follow the link to the website; http://www.oncampwithkelly.co.uk/
Other projects of Kelly's include her work for the DKH (Dame Kelly Holmes) Legacy Trust, where ex-proffessional athletes are supported through their retirement by taking an active role in the community http://www.dkhlegacytrust.org/dkh-p-home.htm

Baroness Sue Campbell touched on the grass roots approach and Sport England's focus on developing sport in primary and secondary schools, which is an important element acting as the feeder system into Universities. Her passion for 'sport for all' really was staged on a great platform and she provided a sense of clarity identifying the specific target groups which need to be engaged.

All in all the conference was a great few days of networking and mind-mapping ideas, bouncing from institution to institution.

COUNTDOWN TO FRESHERS' WEEK!
Remember to look out for the sports fayre-23rd September (1-6pm) located in the Munrow Sports Centre

Also sign up for the half-marathon as a volunteer or competitor (to compete closing date is 11th Sept). The event is Sunday 11th October and the route runs through Selly Oak! The event also conisides with the IAFF World half-marathon. Check out more info at; http://www.birminghamhalfmarathon.com/

Sucess for UBS-Jamaica 2012!

2009-08-27T04:22:00.000-07:00

The University has announced this week that Usain Bolt and the Jamaica track and field team will be coming to Birmingham University and using their facilities for pre-season training, for the 2012 Olympics. For more information check out this link http://www.newscentre.bham.ac.uk/press/2009/08/Bolt_Jamaica_Press_Release_26_08_09.shtml

Weeks 2 & 3

2009-08-21T02:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone I hope you have enjoyed the heatwave over the last few days! Just though I'd update you on what has been happing here in the office.

My main project at the moment is planning for my healthy living campaign & I'm in discussions with both UBS and the Guild concerning how best to approach it. One thing I'm really focused on is impact and change rather than just having short term events & objectives. I realise with healthy living that FUN is a key element and just reciting information already provided will not be enough to make change. As I have already stated nutrition is going to be a key element in my campaign and a nutritional booklet containing recipies will hopefully run alongside a basic activity plan which I hope to distribute within 'packs'.

Other ideas in the pipeline are cookery classes, nutrtional advice within the Guild, and the idea if 'cookalong' with the sabbs! Look out for it :) This year I also plan to work really closely with the sport RAs to discuss ideas for activity without the 'sport'. Really would appriciate ideas so get in touch!

Other on-going projects include the sports/well-being fayre which may be combined. There will hopefully be a booklet handed out at the fayre for essential contacts and I very much hope to promote intra-league more through this fayre so its clearer that if the university team is not for you then this could be the option for you.

I have also had meetings concerning the building re-development, well-being group (for the staff) the Guild democratic structure & a 1-2-1 with the director of Sport. With only being in post for 3 weeks now planning has been key.

This week specifically Emma and I have been to 'developing your members' NUS training at Queen Mary's University London. It was a great opportunity to meet other sabbaticals from around the country and to discuss ideas we had for the up and coming year. Also a great debate on initiations occured. All sabbaticals pretty much had the same point of view that regulations of 'welcome sessions' are key as outright banning of such events will only send them underground where they cannot be controlled. Here at Birmingham we have a social policy which strictly prohibits any forced behaviours or bullying and to be part of a sports team it does not require you to be involved in any social activity, and all clubs agree to this policy. If the policy is abused in anyway disciplinary action will be taken. Initiations are a serious matter and not one our Guild or univeristy takes likely.

Going back to the training, I do have to say that I did not get what I wanted out of some workshops and sessions as the subjects had already been covered with in-house training. However singstar in the union bar was brilliant though and a must here I believe!

Must say I am throughly enjoying my time here so far and I will blog again very soon!

Week 1

2009-08-10T02:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I moved into the VPS office and finally got myself settled. I've added the air fresheners but I still need to make the office my own, I'm thinking a Michael Phelps poster is the way to go :)

So what did I do last week?

I had discussions about Sports Fayre which is taking place on 23rd September from 1pm till 6pm in the Munrow- a date for the diaries! The fayre will not only accomodate the UBS clubs but also Guild sport societies, representatives from Guild Media, Intra-league, Active Lifestyles and volunteering and coaching. For more information about these sectors please visit either the UBS website http://www.sport.bham.ac.uk/ or the Guild of Students website http://www.guildofstudents.com/

Look out for the posters promoting the fayre...thats your very own VPS swimming along.

I had talks concerning my HEATHLY LIVING CAMPAIGN so I'll keep you posted when decisions have been finalised.

I have finalised sports night dates for term 1. These are;

30th Sept

28th Oct

11th Nov

9th Dec

It is all very exciting as sports night no 1 is likely to be in the new nightclub in the Guild and joes!

Tickets for this first night will be sold at the sports fayre by me so come say hello!