Onslow FC, who play and train at the University of Surrey owned Sports Park, have provided youth football to the community surrounding the university since it was founded in 1986.

With age groups ranging from under 7s to under 18s, the new deal sees the Sports Park provide branded playing kit for a number of teams as well as continuing to host matches and training sessions.

Onslow FC Chairman, Chris Woodhatch, said: “This is brilliant news for the club as having the Surrey Sports Park logo on our shirts means that Onslow FC can continue to offer local children the opportunity to train and play on some of the best pitches in the region.

“The majority of our players live and go to school within a stone’s throw of Surrey Sports Park, so it is great that our neighbours are helping us to keep football alive in the local community.”

Surrey Sports Park Head of Marketing and Communications, Matt Burton, said: “We’re delighted to be sponsoring Onslow FC for the 2014/15 season.

“The club have been based out of University of Surrey sports facilities for over 25 years, and we’re pleased to be able to continue to support grassroots sport and the development of these young boys and girls.”

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Here is a comprehensive list of all the events available, plus we shall be doing a daily roundup with more extensive details on each individual event.

Sunday 12 October
Sheila Hancock: Miss Carter’s War
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, 6.30pm, £19.50

Monday 13 October
Jessica Fellowes: A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey
Clandon Park, 11am, £14, £12 Concessions & Under 16

Literary Lunch with Victoria Hislop
Jamie’s Italian, 12pm, £24, £22 Concessions & Under 16

Charles Spencer: The Killers of the King
The Electric Theatre, 7pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Ian Buxton: 101 Legendary Whiskies
Bar des Arts, 7.30pm, £9, £7 Concessions

Richard Madeley
The Electric Theatre, 8.30pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Tuesday 14 October
Kate Adie: Fighting on the Home Front
The Electric Theatre, 12pm, £10, £8 Concessions, £7 Under 16

David McKie: What’s in a Surname?
The Electric Theatre, 2pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Afternoon Tea with Santa Montefiore
Radission Blu Edwardian, 3.30pm, £19, £18 Concessions & Under 16

Richard van Emden: Tommy’s War
Griffiths Lecture Theatre & The Lewis Elton Gallery, University of Surrey, 6.15pm, £2, Students Free

Sophie Hannah: The Monogram Murders
The Electric Theatre, 7pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Turning Your Life Into Literature: Workshop with Debbie Taylor
The Electric Theatre, Farley Room, 7.15pm, £18, £15 Concessions, £13 Under 16

Kevin Pietersen: The Autobiography
The Mandolay Hotel, 7.30pm, £19 including a copy of Kevin’s autobiography (RRP £20)

Richard & Judy Book Club: Meet the Authors
The Electric Theatre, 8.30pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Wednesday 15 October
Letters to the Midwife: Philip Worth & Suzannah Hart
The Electric Theatre, 2pm, £7, £6, Concession, £5 Under 16

Simon Heffer: Simply English
Radisson Blu Edwardian, 6.30pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Girls’ Night Out: Cathy Kelly & Freya North
The Electric Theatre, 7pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Writing Short Stories – Workshop with Sue Moorcroft
The Electric Theatre, Farley Room, 7.15pm, £18, £15 Concessions, £13 Under 16

Amnesty International Event- Christina Lamb: I am Malala
Guildford Institute, 7.30pm, £7, £6 Concessions & Under 16

Andrew Marr: Head of State
The Mandolay Hotel, 7.30pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Jim Al-Khalili & Johnjoe McFadden: Life on the Edge, The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology
The University of Surrey, 7.30pm, £8, £5 Concessions & Under 16

General Sir David Richards: Taking Command
Radisson Blu Edwardian, 8.00pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Sophie Kinsella: Shopaholic To The Stars
The Electric Theatre, 8.30pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Thursday 16 October
Truly, Madly, Deeply: Author Coffee Morning
House of Fraser, 10am, £9, £7 Concessions & Under 16

The Countess of Carnarvon: Lady Catherine and The Real Downton Abbey
The Electric Theatre, 12pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Penny Junor: Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son
The Electric Theatre, 2pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Jacqueline Wilson: Opal Plumstead 100th Book Celebration
The Electric Theatre, 6.00pm, £5

Suzannah Dunn: May Bride
The Guildhall, 6.30pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Author Cocktail Evening
MKB, 7pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Amnesty International Event: Poems That Make Grown Men Cry
Guildford Institute, 7pm, £7, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Great Lost Albums: Mark Billingham & David Quantick
The Electric Theatre, 7pm, £7, £6 Concessions & Under 16

The Perfect Manuscript – Workshop with Alysoun Owen
The Electric Theatre, Farley Room, 7.15pm, £18, £15 Concessions, £13 Under 16

Stuart MacBride: A Song for the Dying
The Electric Theatre, 8.30pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

World War I Fiction: Adele Parks & Anna Hope
The Guildhall, 8.30pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Friday 17 October
David Howell: Old Links and New Ties
The Refectory, Guildford Cathedral , 8am, £15 Surrey Chambers Members, £13 Non members

Matthew Parker: Goldeneye
The Electric Theatre, 12pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Spying Seduction: Elizabeth Buchan & Jane Thynne
The Electric Theatre, 2pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Hannah Ellis: Dylan Thomas: A Centenary Celebration
The Mill Studio, 2pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Ben Collins: How To Drive
The Electric Theatre, 7pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Laura Bates: Everyday Sexism
Radisson Blu Edwardian, 7pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

The Canterbury Tales- From Chivalry to Flatulence: From Chivalry to Flatulence
St Mary’s Church, 7.30pm, £4

Richard Coles: Fathomless Riches
Radisson Blu Edwardian, 8.30pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

Kate Mosse: The Taxidermist’s Daughter
The Electric Theatre, 8.30pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Saturday 18 October
Readers’ Day
G Live, 10am-4pm, £29 (includes lunch and a goody bag of books)

Toby Faber: 90 years of Publishing Excellence; Faber and Faber
Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, 10am, £15

Frank Woodgate: The Art and Scandalous Lives of the Bloomsbury Group
Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, 2pm, £15

Irving Finkel: The Ark before Noah
The Electric Theatre, 5pm, £6, £5 Concessions & Under 16

The Invisible Woman, film screening with Q&A
Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, 7pm, £15

Kathy Lette: Courting Trouble
The Electric Theatre, 7pm, £8, £7 Concessions, £6 Under 16

Sunday 19 October
Go Adventuring with the Famous Five
Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, 11am, £5

Adam Blade: Beast Quest
Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, 2pm, £5

Mayhem with Dennis the Menace
The Electric Theatre, 3.30pm, £5

Paul Merton: Only When I Laugh
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, 7pm, £19.50

Post Festival Event
40th Anniversary Morag Morris Poetry Lecture 2014
University of Surrey, Austin Pearce Building, 6.30pm, £5, £2 Concessions & Under 16

The post Guildford Book Festival 2014 (12-19.10.14) appeared first on Guildford.

The majority of today’s touchscreen devices, such as tablets and smartphones are made using indium tin oxide (ITO) which is both expensive and inflexible. Researchers from the University of Surrey and AMBER, the materials science centre based at Trinity College Dublin have now demonstrated how graphene-treated nanowires can be used to produce flexible touchscreens at a fraction of the current cost.

Using a simple, scalable and inexpensive method the researchers produced hybrid electrodes, the building blocks of touchscreen technology, from silver nanowires and graphene.

The University of Surrey is one of the UK’s leading professional, scientific and technological universities with a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Ground-breaking research at the University is bringing direct benefit to all spheres of life – helping industry to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in the areas of health, medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy.

Dr Alan Dalton from the University of Surrey said, “The growing market in devices such as wearable technology and bendable smart displays poses a challenge to manufacturers. They want to offer consumers flexible, touchscreen technology but at an affordable and realistic price. At the moment, this market is severely limited in the materials to hand, which are both very expensive to make and designed for rigid, flat devices.”

Dr Izabela Jurewicz, Lead author from the University of Surrey commented, “Our work has cut the amount of expensive nanowires required to build such touchscreens by more than fifty times as well as simplifying the production process. We achieved this using graphene, a material that can conduct electricity and interpret touch commands whilst still being transparent.”

Co-author, Professor Jonathan Coleman from AMBER, added, “This is a real alternative to ITO displays and could replace existing touchscreen technologies in electronic devices. Even though this material is cheaper and easier to produce, it does not compromise on performance. We are currently working with industrial partners to implement this research into future devices and it is clear that the benefits will soon be felt by manufacturers and consumers alike.”

The research benefitted from funding and collaboration with M-SOLV, a touchscreen manufacturer.

Image sourced from: http://tinyurl.com/p2lvg8j

The post New research from the University of Surrey points to graphene as a flexible, low-cost touchscreen solution appeared first on Guildford.

Paul Blanchard, Surrey Sports Park CEO, said, “We are extremely proud and honoured to have been selected by England Rugby 2015 as an official Team Base for Rugby World Cup 2015. We look forward to hosting the huge rugby nations of both Italy and Ireland here at the University of Surrey’s Surrey Sports Park, where we will ensure players and coaches can prepare for one of the world’s largest sporting events in the optimum training environment.”

The search for Team Bases was launched via an open tender process in May 2013 and over 90 bids from across England and Wales were received. A mix of rugby and football clubs, schools, colleges, universities and dedicated training facilities will be utilised by the 20 teams, taking the reach of the tournament even further.

In order for a bid to be successful, it must be able to prove it has the following facilities; an outdoor pitch, an indoor training facility, a swimming pool, a gym and a hotel. The facilities must also meet international team training standards and be located on one site or within close proximity of each another. Match venue locations were also taken into account as part of the selection programme, which favoured the Sports Park with its close proximity to Twickenham.

England Rugby 2015 CEO, Debbie Jevans said, “As the organising committee for Rugby World Cup 2015 we are committed to ensuring that all participating teams have the optimum training environments available to them throughout the tournament and in this regard we are delighted to announce our 41 official Team Bases for the event.”

“With a wide range of excellent facilities and locations secured, the teams can be assured of having all their training needs met, whilst allowing us to spread the reach of the tournament even further throughout England and in Wales.”

The Surrey Sports Park Team Base will consist of world-class grass pitches, artificial 3G pitches, a 50m, 8-lane swimming pool, a 120 station gym with dedicated strength and conditioning studio and more.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, said, “I’m delighted that the our Sports Park has been selected for the Rugby World Cup 2015. It is particularly fitting given our international mix of staff and students, encompassing 145 different nationalities.”

“I look forward to welcoming the teams to Surrey Sports Park, one of Europe’s leading sports venues and home to world-class facilities, including three multi-purpose sports arenas, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and state-of-the-art gym.”

Surrey Sports Park has worked closely with England Rugby 2015 over the past year to facilitate detailed site visits, whilst liaising with the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) and Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) prior to confirmation of its status as an official Team Base for Rugby World Cup 2015. With Italy and Ireland based at the Sports Park, Guilford and Surrey have the opportunity to be part of the world’s third largest sporting event and celebration of rugby next year.

Italian international, Luigi Troiani, who was capped 47-times and featured in the 1991 and 1995 World Cups during his playing career and is currently the Italy Team Manager, visited the facilities and hotels that will host Italy during RWC 2015 earlier this summer. He said, “I was impressed by the quality both of indoor and outdoor training facilities at our Team Base and, as everybody in our team, thrilled by the prospective of being part of such a great event as the next year’s Rugby World Cup 2015. England has confirmed its great passion for sports over the years, with fantastic crowds attending the 2012 Olympics and more recently the first stages of the Tour de France. As such, I’ve no doubt Italy will receive a warm welcome by the local community which will help us fighting for an historical qualification to the knock-out stages, which is our aim for next year’s Rugby masterpiece event.”

Michael Kearney, the Ireland Team Manager also had this to say, “The Ireland Team Management are delighted that during RWC 2015 the Ireland team will be based at Celtic Manor and Newport, St George’s Park, Surrey Sports Park and Sport Wales National Centre for a portion of our time at the tournament. Team bases play a vital role in team preparation and it is important that the facilities are of a world class standard while also providing a positive atmosphere for the players and management in between training and team activities.”

A Rugby World Cup 2015 Team Base will consist of and will be utilised by the competing teams in the lead up to, and during the six week event with the Sports Park also hosting teams during the knockout stages of the Tournament.

Paul Blanchard, Surrey Sports Park SEO concluded, “Surrey Sports Park already has a proud history of hosting elite teams and athletes including English Premiership’s Harlequins, 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup champions England and 17 Olympic and Paralympic nations ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

“Guildford and Surrey once again has its opportunity to take its place in one of the biggest sporting tournaments on the planet and we hope the local community will be able to feel a real part of Rugby World Cup 2015 once the teams arrive later next year.”

James Martin

Image sourced from: http://tinyurl.com/pxwgt2q

The post Surrey Sports Park announced as Team Base for the Rugby World Cup 2015 appeared first on Guildford.

The evening is destined to inspire young scientists and engineers, those working in the industry already, or anyone who is intrigued in how science and engineering research becomes a reality.

The free evening will include animated ‘Einstein’ guides who will be on hand from 4.45pm to 6pm and will give tours of some of the more alternative venues on campus. Expect to see the University’s EnFlo wind tunnel, its Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing and Surrey Space Centre where experts will talk through what research is currently being worked on. There will also be an open exhibition area that will showcase other interactive research projects from the University of Surrey.

The main event in the Rik Medlik Building will then see BBC presenter Greg Foot (as pictured above) interview four of the University’s own scientists and engineers. The staff members will discuss their personal journeys of scientific discovery with Greg after recently having seen their research projects become a reality.

Greg Foot is a British science presenter who describes himself as ‘half science geek, half adrenaline-junkie’ after making a name for himself through immersive stunts that include being buried alive, frozen and electrocuted. He has presented the show ‘Gizmodo’ for BBC America, a six-part series for BBC3 called ‘The Secrets of Everything’ and is the resident scientist on Channel 4’s ‘Sunday Brunch’. He has also worked with Scott Mills on Radio1 and has just finished filming a new series for BBC Worldwide.

The maverick scientist said, “I’ll be meeting some incredibly inspirational academics to reflect on how their vision to further scientific research has become a reality. I would urge anyone who loves science as much as we do to join us and learn about the wonderful things happening up on Stag Hill.”

Tickets for the event are available on a first-come-first-served basis and can be booked by visiting the University of Surrey website HERE.

The post ‘Science Daredevil’ Greg Foot heads up Celebration of Science at Surrey Uni appeared first on Guildford.

The £15m of investment is broken down as follows:

• Investment of £5m in the University of Surrey’s 5G Mobile Technologies Arrow Project (£1m in 2015/16 and £4m in future years) 
• Investment of £2.7m in in the Guildford Gyratory project (£2.2m of pre-committed Local Growth Fund (LGF) and 500k from competitive LGF)
• A commitment from Government for a provisional allocation of £3.7m for sustainable transport improvements in Guildford
• A commitment from Government for a provisional allocation of £3.7m for improved access to retail and employment sites in Guildford
• Increase to the Housing Revenue Account Borrowing Limit by £360k to support the development of 12 new affordable homes for rent
• A commitment from the Highways Agency to work with the LEP to understand the transport challenges locally and to develop evidence based long-term plans to bring about much needed local economic growth and development.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Stephen Mansbridge had this to say on the funding, “We are delighted to have secured this funding for Guildford. The growth package recognises the importance of Guildford economically, both regionally and nationally and enables us to move forward on a number of key projects to secure economic prosperity for all. Guildford is one of the crucial regional growth hubs in the South East and this investment is vital for our future.”

5G investment at the University of Surrey

The funding, which is being made available over a five year period, supports future 5G growth across the region and recognises the University’s flagship project, the 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC), as a key driver for economic growth in the region. Together with a consortium of industry partners including Aeroflex, AIRCOM International, BBC, BT, EE, Fujitsu, Huawei, Ofcom, Rohde & Schwarz, Samsung, Telefonica and Vodafone, the Centre conducts research into the development of advanced technologies for a 5G network of the future, to establish a world-leading position in mobile broadband communications and internet innovations.

Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Surrey commented, “We are delighted to hear the excellent news of Enterprise M3’s successful bid in attracting funding to our region. The University of Surrey has been working very closely with the LEP and other key partners to develop an economic strategy for Surrey and Hampshire, which capitalises on the region’s strengths and plays to its potential as a leader in the connected digital economy.”

He went on to say, “The 5GIC is the world’s first dedicated research centre for 5G technology and an international hub for telecommunications research and innovation. Our vision is for the centre to play a crucial role in developments connected with the Internet of Things, intelligent transportation, ‘smart’ cities and Future Internet technologies, with significant benefits for UK business innovation, profitability and efficiency.”

And finished by saying, “This funding, which prioritises the development and expansion of 5G mobile technology in the region, provides an exciting opportunity to accelerate 5G’s impact locally, helping Surrey and Hampshire based companies get a head start on what the new technology will enable, in terms of growth and investment, for both the UK and global economies.”

Geoff French, Chair of Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership made his thoughts known,“I am delighted that we now have the funds to support world leading 5G innovation projects through the Enterprise M3 Growth Deal. “ The Enterprise M3 LEP lobbied hard to secure funding to support the work of the University of Surrey and its partners, which will help reinforce the region’s position as a leading centre for mobile telephony innovation both nationally and internationally. The 5G Arrow centre on the University of Surrey’s campus will harness the market leading technological skills in the region and is truly a ‘next generation’ project.”

The 5G Innovation Centre’s new building is currently under construction and is set to open in April 2015 (see picture at top for preview).

The post Guildford secures £15m growth package including 5G innovation at the University of Surrey appeared first on Guildford.

They certainly did have an eye for goal as the team notched up a staggering 93 goals in the 18 matches played. Becky Davidson led the way with 19 goals, but Anna Fisher and Amanda Alkema were determined not to let Becky have all the fun by notching up 18 and 16 goals respectively. At the other end of the pitch, a miserly defence ended the season after conceding just 15 goals.

The performance of the ladies was even more impressive considering that half of the squad were new to the club this year. Hannah Lea, one of the new members, said “It wasn’t a surprise that it didn’t take us long to find our feet as the group were so friendly. They made me feel like part of the team straight away. The ladies section of the club has seen a huge transformation over the past few seasons, doubling in size and winning two league titles and promotions in the process, so I have joined at a really exciting time.”

The growth of the club and the ladies section in particular, is testament to the hard work that the club has put in to creating an accessible, friendly and affordable place for players of all abilities to play hockey. Novice players have been able to transition seamlessly from dedicated ‘back to hockey’ sessions into the men’s and ladies development sides, whilst more experienced players have been encouraged to push themselves in the first XIs.

The Spartan’s heavy involvement with hockey engagement activities over the past four years at the University of Surrey and Guildford College has also been key to their success. They have seen an increase in the number of 18-25’s playing hockey in the area and this large group of young members has also provided the club with bags of energy, both on and off the pitch (much to the relief of those who don’t quite have the legs anymore!).

The club chairman, Lowell Lewis, has made it clear that the club is still looking to develop even more. “It’s been great to see so many people take up hockey, but there is still a lot for us to do. There are still very few schools offering hockey in Guildford and many people are still priced out of the sport or feel they can’t commit to playing every week. We will carry on trying to tackle this and make hockey more accessible.”

The domestic hockey leagues may be taking a well-earned break but it is far from quiet at Spartans HQ this summer! The Surrey Spartans Hockey Club is hard at work pulling together plans for the season ahead as the Guildford-based club looks to build on a promising 2013/14 season.

The club is running open pay&play sessions at the Surrey Sports Park throughout July and August to allow people to take part in the sport without the commitment of joining a club. The club are even providing all the equipment so there has never been a better opportunity to give hockey a go.

The club is also working hard this summer to find ways of providing the support needed for their five teams to build on last year’s achievements, whilst still maintaining their focus on the community engagement activities. Surrey Spartans are therefore reaching out to local companies who may be able to support them as they look to grow the participation in the sport even further. To find out about the many ways in which you can support the club please contact the club Chairs, Charlotte Pennels and Lowell Lewis ([email protected]) or download the Sponsorship Proposal Pack from their website HERE.

Good luck Spartan’s for next season!

The post Surrey Spartans Ladies Win League Title! appeared first on Guildford.

The Guardian table is different to most in that it ranks universities on “what matters most to students” instead of, for example, research scores. The total points tally is based on a carefully balanced combination of statistics that include teaching excellence, academic progress, what other students think of the course and what chance do they have of landing a good job afterwards.

The rankings are based on official data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) and on the National Student Survey (NSS), published by Hefce and Surrey’s overall Guardian score came out as 82.5, half a point above the London School of Economics. It ranked very highly in the satisfied with course section (fourth overall) and satisfied with teaching (eighth), but was well down on its top 10 competitors when it came to average entry tariff points and trailed most of these as well in the student-to-teacher ratio.

Ten subjects at Surrey featured in the top ten overall this year and they including Electronic Engineering, ranked first in the UK, with Modern Languages rising fifteen places to third and Drama and Dance jumping eleven places to fifth.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, had this to say, “This is fantastic news and testament to the hard work of colleagues across the University in continuing to provide a very high quality student experience, alongside cutting-edge research in areas such as science, engineering, business, health, arts and humanities. This is a notable success given the highly competitive market we are now operating in.”

“With the launch next year of our new School of Veterinary Medicine and the world’s first research centre dedicated to mobile technology which will lead international research into 5G, there are undoubtedly many more exciting developments for us to look forward to.”

To see the full list of university rankings from the Guardian, please click HERE.

James Martin

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