The Mayor of Worcester has hailed the University of Worcester’s role in bringing a vibrancy to the City and in inspiring the next generation of learners on a recent tour of its facilities.
Mayor of Worcester, Tor Pingree with University Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor David Green CBE DL, in The Hive.
Councillor Tor Pingree said the institution brought a youthful presence to Worcester through its students but also sent a powerful message to the City’s young people by showing them the opportunities available to them.
Her tour, led by Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor David Green CBE DL, included the Art House, the University’s City Campus and The Hive, the University and Worcestershire County Council’s shared library.
She also visited the University’s Severn Campus, which focuses on health and wellbeing, and had a chance to experience the brand-new simulation suite used to train future healthcare professionals.
During her visit, the Mayor also got to try out an Anatomage table, a state-of-the-art touchscreen system used to help train future health professionals through highly detailed digital anatomy.
“I’m always impressed by the University being so open and visual and present in the community,” said Cllr Pingree. “I think The Hive is a good example of this because I used to come here when I was younger and I really liked that, even though I was in high school, I was studying alongside university students and part of that made me want to go on and go to university. It adds a massive benefit to the community that you don’t necessarily see because it’s in young people’s minds. It’s nice to have that in the community. It’s inspiring young people.”
“The University is really good for the high street and keeping the city alive,” added Cllr Pingree. “We’ve got an ageing population in Worcestershire and it’s nice to have lots of people being brought in; the University brings vibrancy and life.”
Cllr Pingree said she was also impressed by what she had seen on the tour of both the architecture and the thought that had gone into the sustainable aspects of the facilities.
“What the University does on sustainability is really impressive,” she said. “I only see the buildings from the outside, and all of the green spaces and the thought put into biodiversity there. But I hadn’t realised how much of their design is intended to incorporate green elements into the internal architecture to make the buildings more sustainable.”
Cllr Pingree added: “I’m really impressed by the way that facilities have been built to incorporate the natural environment and get the most out of the environment, while also having the least impact on it.”
The tour explained how old buildings in the City had been repurposed into modern teaching facilities. “It’s good to see buildings given a new purpose – it’s nice when the University’s taken over buildings because it revitalises them,” said Cllr Pingree.
Images above:
Photo 2: Mayor of Worcester, Tor Pingree, has a go on an Anatomage table – (left to right) consort to the Mayor, Alaric Stephen, University of Worcester Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor David Green CBE DL, Mayor of Worcester, Tor Pingree, and Dr Leo Donnelly, Principal Lecturer in Anatomy.
Photo 3: Senior staff at the University of Worcester with Mayor of Worcester, Tor Pingree (centre, in green jacket)