Friday 22nd March at 5.00pm

Llandaff Campus plunged into

darkness following an initiative

organised by Richard James,

the Energy & Environmental

Engineer.

The idea was to turn off all the

lights and electrical items at

their source. After the weekend

the energy consumption was

then compared to previous

weeks to ascertain the cost and

environmental savings.

Both staff and students really

bought into the idea and

enthusiastically took part in the

black out.

Fifteen students, ten staff and

one member of the SU partici-

pated, with some taking up to

three hours to complete their

check of allocated buildings.

Cardiff Met has a Black Out. It all went dark at Llandaff Campus.

Stubbing it out at Plas Gwyn.

Supporting National No Smoking Day - 12th March 2014.

Lisa Ah Mun, (pictured centre

resting her foot on a student!)

recently championed a

No Smoking Day on the Plas

Gwyn Campus.

Students were encouraged to

give up for a day with the

enticement of an inter-block

sports tournament, chocolate

lucky dip and cigarette amnesty.

A fun approach to quitting

smoking was had by all, with

anyone spotted smoking on the

campus throughout the day

encouraged to don a visi vest

and collect 10 cigarette butts!

Stubbing it out.

Plas Gwyn goes smoke free!

1

Upgrade of Data Projectors.

More efficient and cost effective.

2

The arrival of Mobile Printing

Print from anywhere, anytime!

3

Compliments.

Everybody likes a compliment.

4

Easter Recipe.

A delicious recipe from a student. 5

E&F staff in Photos.

Jumpers, Chairs & Boyzone!

6

A Year of Resolutions.

It’s not as easy as you think. 7

Meet your Colleagues.

Richard and Adrian.

8

Inside this issue:

Breaking News:

Its Double Points time!

The whole of April is double

points time in Cardiff Mets

Catering outlets.

Don’t forget generally to

present your staff ID card

whenever you purchase any

item from Catering and watch

your points quickly build up.

During April double points are

available on:

Any Eatwell products across all

campuses.

A 5 Item Breakfast before 9am

at either Cyncoed K1 or

Llandaff Atrium.

The Estates &

Facilities Times Not just business as usual.

The good news is that we

saved up to 25% of night time

energy consumption, with 575

items being turned off, and

645kg of carbon being saved.

If we all just turn off every-

thing as we leave on a Friday,

tens of thousands of pounds

would be saved annually, and

more importantly make a real

dent into our carbon footprint.

Newsletter Date:

01/04/14

The Estates &

Facilities Times

Page 2

* Future proofing the rooms - The new

projectors are HDMI ready and now

able to accommodate room cabling up-

grades as they happen. With the inevita-

ble demise of VGA cabling, this was

seen as paramount to teaching delivery

and the student experience.

* Energy/Cost Efficiency - The new

projectors use less than one watt of

power consumption in standby mode

and last up to ten times longer.

Richard James, Cardiff Met’s energy

manager says:

“The new projectors are an efficient

LED product which alongside improved

If you are interested in cycling to work

and do not currently own a bicycle, or

would like to upgrade your current one,

then hang on until late April.

Cardiff Met will be launching its annual

Cycle to Work window when staff can

purchase a bicycle virtually tax free. You

save around 30% of the cost.

The other added benefit is that you can pay

for it over 12 months, with a host of local

cycle stores to choose from.

All of Cardiff Met’s campuses and

Staff Cycling Update.

You can buy a bike this Spring!

Upgrade of Data Projectors.

Contributed by Sophie Rowland - Estates Helpdesk Administrator.

create timetables for the current year 1

Business & Management students that

progress into year 2. This is dependent

upon students making early module selec-

tions. The pilot should identify any pit-

falls with our current business processes

that may adversely effect this, as well as

establishing resource implications, prior

to this being opened up across all Schools.

This is the first time this has been

attempted and requires a lot of work and a

change to the current timetabling process.

The aim is to produce more user friendly

timetables, as students will only see the

sessions that are relevant to them rather than

having to try and pick out their sessions

from a programme timetable which contains

sessions for all modules

Staff are now able to view their timetables

in Microsoft Outlook, which has been very

popular as staff are increasingly using

mobile devices. We hope to do the same

for students, and in the future hopefully

students will be able to access their

timetables via a mobile app which is being

developed by ISD.

The Timetable Unit is participating in a

project to produce individual student time-

tables. A project team has been set up

including staff from ISD, Registry and

Schools in addition to Timetabling. Cardiff

School of Management are participating in

the initial pilot and we have already

successfully created timetables for Year 3

Computing programmes in time for the

start of last September. Since then we have

created individual timetables for Year 1

Business & Management students. The

pilot will continue from April onwards to

controls, will reduce the energy

consumption of projectors by up to 50%.

Improvements such as this help the Uni-

versity to reduce costs and emissions, and

help work towards achieving increasingly

challenging carbon reduction targets.”

January witnessed the launch of the new

facilities for staff and students who choose

to cycle or walk to work at Llandaff Cam-

pus. They are located on the ground floor

of the new Cardiff School of Art & Design

building, and already seeing plenty of use.

Both male and female changing areas have

several sinks, showers and lockers to store

your clothing. The lockers are designed to

be accessed via your ID card and will

automatically open at midnight each night

to stop anyone making a locker permanent-

ly their own.

particularly Llandaff are quite easily acces-

sible via the power of the peddle. More

details about the purchase window will be

sent to all Cardiff Met staff in late April.

September and October will see the annual

cycle, walk or run to work for a free

breakfast event.

This year though we won’t be issuing the

vouchers but plan to be crediting ID cards,

with staff having to pledge to a particular

travel mode to receive the credit.

Exciting New Developments in Timetabling.

Contributed by Elaine Griffiths - Space/Timetable Manager.

The 2013 Christmas recess saw shared

teaching space across campus’ receive a

much needed upgrade to their data

projection facilities. Funding obtained

through ISF (Information Strategy

Forum) has enabled these works to be

carried out in two phases, with phase

two due to take place during the Easter

recess 2014.

Upgrade benefits include:

* Improvement of lecture delivery - The

new projectors are LED and don’t require

bulbs. This means greatly reduced

maintenance and zero waste production.

Page 3

monoprint@cardiffmet.ac.uk for black

and white printing.

The document will then appear on your

print list the same as if you’ve sent it from

your office pc. It could prove most useful

if for example you are on another campus

and send an agenda for a meeting from

your phone to a nearby printer. It should

also free up student pc’s as they can just

go direct to the printer and collect.

Further instructions and flyers are availa-

ble at printers, along with a 5 minute

guide. Or just pop into your Print Studio.

Meet John Cappock. Cardiff Met’s new Chief Operating Officer.

What is mobile printing you may ask?

With the new fleet of Cannon copiers, staff

and students can now print directly from their

phone or tablet (Apple Ios, Android, Black-

berry, Windows mobile) using wi-fi or 3G.

Using your Cardiffmet email address, to

attach the required document (Microsoft

Office, PDF, JPEG, PNG and Rich Text only)

and send your print directly to the print queue

from anywhere on or off campus.

Send to:

colourprint@cardiffmet.ac.uk for colour.

Mobile Printing has Arrived!

Contributed by Rachel Roberts - Print Service Manager.

I am the University’s Chief Operating Officer, and have responsibilities for Finance,

Human Resources, Procurement, Library & Information Services, Estates & Facilities,

Student Recruitment & Marketing, Registry and Secretariat.

I joined the University in November. I am originally from a small seaside village called

Skerries, near Dublin, and have a BA Degree in History and Philosophy and an MA in His-

tory from University College Dublin. I am a Chartered Accountant and originally trained as

an accountant within the NHS. I have worked in a number of sectors including Local Gov-

ernment, Higher Education and a number of Charities and the Civil Service. From 2005-

2010 I was Director of Resources at the Universities and Admissions Service (UCAS) and

prior to joining the University I was Director of Finance at the Intellectual Property Office.

I live in Bristol with my wife Sam, and sons Jack (16) and Louis (10). We live in a fairly

old house with a big garden which keeps me busy. In my spare time I also do some cycling,

and am trying to do my bit for the environment so I have recently started cycling to work

(using the train as well!) around three times a week. I enjoy watching motorsports, and

karting with my children, and we are off to watch the World Endurance Championship

Le Mans series. I am also a regular platelet donor. This is a form of blood donation which

helps people with cancer of compromised immunity. My favourite holiday destination is

Lanzarote, but this summer I have been talked into trying Minorca.

Conference Services Update.

Spring & Summer Events 2014.

The next few months are going to be a busy

time for our Conference Services department

with some interesting bookings on the

horizon.

April 8th will see one of the years biggest

events when Cyncoed Campus hosts the an-

nual UCAS Higher Education Fair in the

NIAC stadium. This normally attracts around

7,000 teenagers from all the schools in South

Wales and is a real showcase event for

Cardiff Met.

June sees the Open University using Llandaff

Campus as its base for its examination

period running from the Tuesday 3rd until

Friday 13th (you don’t want to take an

exam on that date!).

July sees the start of the Language School

invasion with 150 students from Italy,

Spain and further afield studying and

living on the Cyncoed Campus for 2

week periods at a time.

Later in July, Cyncoed Campus is hosting

the Father & Son Residential weekend

which is a great bonding session for all

involved and is residential on the Cyn-

coed Campus. July also sees the Welsh

Schools Athletics largest event of the

year with the SIAB Tournament includ-

ing all manner of track and field events.

Into August and Plas Gwyn will resonate

to the sounds of the Amici Coro, who are

a Surrey based Chamber Choir . At the

same time Cyncoed will be making

different noises as members of the Wales

Tang Soo Do society practice their

Malaysian martial arts.

The Estates &

Facilities Times

Page 4

Following the success of the first phase of the Plas

Gwyn refurbishment programme, its fantastic to be

able to confirm that the design for phase two has been

approved. This summer work will focus on the forty

eight bedrooms and six kitchens in Radnor block

giving them a much needed facelift.

The design will be similar to the Pembroke facelift

(kitchen illustrated alongside) but will include a new

accented colour to run throughout the scheme.

Feedback from last years improvements have been

really positive, and have helped develop the new

design to include student suggested additions e.g. extra

storage space in kitchens.

Invitations to view will be sent ahead of the start of the

academic year. Further details to follow

A Big Thank You

I would just like to say a big thank you for the open day on Saturday 15 th March which

we attended with my son and were completely overcome by the friendliness of the

people involved. From the fantastic welcome greeting we had from the various

students guiding us to the registration desk, to the spokesman for the day who chatted

to us and sent over a student to talk to my son about the Product Design course.

We also had the same vibe whilst checking out the student accommodation. A young

student warden showed us around the accommodation and again was so friendly it

made such a lovely and special day. It was a very memorable day and helped make

up my son’s mind as to which uni will be his top choice. I also feel that this would be

the right place for him with such a nurturing and friendly environment and that its safe.

Also the Welsh cakes were yummy. They will be on my shopping list!

Yours sincerely Mrs Sabine Bell

Congratulations & Huge Thanks.

The advice from Accommodation

Services at the CSAD Open Day was

especially valuable and was delivered

with patience and clarity endless times

over, as if each was the first.

Their involvement throughout the three

days was hugely helpful to us.

Professor Gaynor Kavanagh

Dean of CSAD

Estates & Facilities Compliments.

“Everybody likes a compliment.” Abraham Lincoln.

Student Warden Training Programme.

A calendar of training events.

Every year we look at enhancing the Student Warden

Training Programme and for this coming academic

year Senior Warden, Dr Neil Hennessey has brought

together an educational and entertaining programme.

April will see the new warden team undertaking Mental

Health Awareness training, along with their First Aid in

the Workplace certificates.

In September training restarts with Conflict Resolution,

Drug Awareness and the Alcohol Toolkit. These events

are supported by team building exercises, and social

activities to help them bond as a group for the start of

the new academic year.

Phase Two of Plas Gwyn Refurbishment.

Work due to start this summer.

Page 5

From May 1st 2014 there will be a new fleet of vending machines

across the Cardiff Met estate.

The vending contract has recently been tendered and was awarded

to BVS Limited a local Welsh company located in the Swansea

area.

On Cyncoed Campus additional machines will be located in the

gym and NIAC offering a range of sports and energy replacing

supplements. These supplements will be the same as the ones al-

ready provided to the Welsh FA, Cardiff City (they need them!),

Celtic FC, Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets.

They are designed to boost performance either pre or post training

depending on what the athlete opts for and will be ideal for staff

and students who are committed to their training regimes.

Get Fit For Summer

Its time to think about getting fit for sum-

mer, and you can do that in work! Sports

Facilities are hosting increasing numbers

of classes for staff to participate in:

Llandaff Campus:

Monday / Wed - Express Circuits 10-10.30

Tuesday - Yoga - 5.15pm-6.15pm

Tuesday / Friday - Boot Camp 12.45-1.30

Cyncoed Campus:

Monday - Power Bag - 12.00pm-12.45pm

Tuesday - Boot Camp - 7.15am-8.15am

Thursday - Core Class 12.45pm-1.30pm

News in Brief.

Stories from around the campuses.

Butternut Squash & Orange Soup. Created by Caroline Marin, a CSHS

student who developed an Eatwell soup that is now sold across all our campuses.

Melt butter and sauté onions for about 1

minute.

Add the vegetables, orange peel, stock

and orange juice and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for

30 minutes until vegetables are soft.

Transfer to a blender or food processor

and work until fairly smooth.

Return to the pan and add cinnamon,

cream and seasoning.

Slowly bring to boil, reduce until heated

through, a few minutes.

Add a swirl of cream to each dish if

desired, and serve immediately.

150 Year Celebration.

Cardiff Met is approaching a major

birthday milestone in 2015 having been

in existence as an educational establish-

ment for 150 years.

We were originally based in Cardiff city

centre and started as the School of Art and

Design in 1865.

As a University we are keen to celebrate

our history, and are already planning a

series of events for next year which will

allow both staff and students to celebrate

our heritage.

New Vending Contractor.

Snacks, Drinks & Sporting Supplements - contributed by Andrew Phelps.

,

Serves 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

45ml (3 tbsp) butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium potatoes, diced

750g (1½ lbs) butternut, peeled, seeded

and diced

peel of ½ orange

750ml (3 cups) chicken or vegetable

stock

65ml (¼ cup) orange juice

pinch ground cinnamon

125ml (½ cup) double cream [optional]

NSHS Survey.

In March the Accommodation Services

launched their first participation in the

National Student Housing Survey.

As the name suggests it’s a student survey

seeking to establish opinions on their

experience in Halls and private housing.

To encourage participation an I-Pad Air will

be the prize for one lucky student.

To date around 400 students have respond-

ed, with the survey running until May. Some

of the key findings will be included in the

next edition of Estates & Facilities Times.

The Estates & Page 6

Congratulations Andrew Lee on earning his black belt in Karate after training for 15 years, the grading examination comprised

of more than three hours of intense training! Next up we have Adrian and Chris trying out the new Evac-Chair. Please drop me an

email with any suggestions for a Caption Competition. Those received so far include: “You too could scare the life out of your

friends!” and “Is this Freddy Kruger’s new job?” Bottom left we have members of the Halls team wearing Christmas jumpers and

raising money for Save the Children. Finally we see a very star struck Rachel Bryant and Diane Bryant (clutching her annual Cliff

Richard calendar) with Shane Lynch of Boyzone fame, bizarrely found hanging out in a branch of Superdrug. Rachel was so star struck

that when Shane asked what her name was she replied “Me!”. She then managed to walk out of the shop without her phone and without

paying for a Shane Lynch Gift Set! Eventually she went back to pay!

Estates & Facilities Photo Album. Images of staff around the campuses.

Page 7

Like many people I start the new year with

the greatest intentions of sticking to my

new years resolutions to improve my

health, wealth and soul. Unfortunately

each year by the end of the first week of

January all is forgotten and normal service

has resumed.

This year I decided to take a different ap-

proach and opted to have a resolution a

month, with the theory being that breaking

it down in to more manageable chunks

would make it far more achievable.

What to do though was the question?

I already exercise regularly and eat

healthily, so I needed to look at other areas

of my lifestyle.

Giving up alcohol was the obvious option

for January. Sounds like an easy thing to

do. In theory it is, but cast your mind back

(those who are tee total or pregnant need

not apply) to when you last went a month

without a glass of wine over lunch or a

beer with friends. I was surprised to learn

that for me it was probably a staggering

26 years ago!

I won’t pretend it was an easy month, but

the benefits were surprising. I was more

productive in the day, sleeping like a log

at night and rising early. I also found that

my wallet was a lot fatter, and that I was

far more selective in my diet.

February came next with the decision to

experience living life on £63.30 a week

Staff at Plas Gwyn have recently been decked out in

new polo shirts and fleeces to present a uniformed

look to students and visitors alike.

As you can see by the photo they all look particularly

smart and happy with their new look!

Don’t forget if you ever want to use the Multi Use

Games Arena (MUGA) at Plas Gwyn for any sports its

FREE for you as a member of staff to use. Why not

get together with your colleagues and have a game of

netball or football?

Just give Lisa or Sue a call on 02920 577065 to make

a booking.

A year of Resolutions.

It’s not as easy to do as you might think it is. Contributed by Neil Woollacott.

(mortgage and council tax excluded).

This was a sharp shock to the system, and

one that had me questioning how easily

we often waste money on unwanted items.

I also realised that fuel is extortionately

high, and that food can be bought a lot

cheaper by shopping around. I just about

managed each week, although I did have

the odd steak off my mum, and was forced

by Mr Tan to renew my season ticket.

March was a month for purchasing every-

thing, whether it be food, drink, garden

plants or diesel only from local family

owned businesses. So out went the Tesco’s

and Esso’s of the world and in came the

local greengrocers and butchers.

An interesting experiment that certainly

made me feel more of a part of the local

community - my butcher thought I had just

moved in. It also made me appreciate that

we need to use these local shops or pretty

soon they will be gone for ever.

April is a goodbye to technology with no

access to the internet, i-pad, sat nav, digital

camera, LoveFilm, PS3 or mobile phone.

I obviously need to use a pc in work, but

come 5pm, it will be like a trip back to the

late 70’s for me! I plan on filling the enor-

mous amount of time we spend staring at

screens with DIY, cooking and reading.

My house will be looking fresher, my

tummy a little larger and I am expecting to

have ploughed through two books a week!

The remaining months I still need some

suggestions for, but at the moment I

have thought about:

Month of Charity & Community Work.

No packaged food for a month.

Skip the Gym for a month - Exercise

outdoors.

Car Free Month.

6am Alarm, Cold Showers &

Meditation

I am still looking for suggestions

though, so if anything springs to mind

drop me an email or give me a call.

Alternatively why don’t you have a go

at doing a half year of resolutions?

I can guarantee it’s a fun thing to do,

and will make you feel healthier and

wealthier in numerous ways.

Plas Gwyn’s new look.

As worn in Paris, Milan, New York and Llandaff.

Meet your colleagues.

Introducing Richard and Adrian.

Dates For Your Diary:

28/04/14 Derren Brown - Infamous Tour at Wales Millennium Centre.

18/05/14 Edwardian Picnic with Wild West entertainment - Cardiff Castle.

28/06/14 Armed Forces Day - Bute Park.

12/07/14 FIM Speedway Grand Prix - Millennium Stadium.

07/08/14 Brecon Jazz Festival

Welcome on board to the following:

Eva Huw who is joining Conference Services in April.

James Howell who is the new Deputy Campus Services Manager.

Adrian Dennehy (see below) as the new Security Manager

Sorry to see you go:

Carys Holt who has moved from Conference Services to the School of

Education

Malcolm Thomson the Residences and Accommodation Health & Safety

Officer who is retiring.

Aneta Nowicka and Eirona Collier who are both leaving the Domestic

Halls team for pastures new.

Time at Cardiff Met:

Richard: Started 1st July 2013

Adrian: Started 16th December 2013

Former Employment:

Richard: Principal Sustainable Development

Manager for Willmott Dixon Group

Adrian: Recently completed 22 years service

in the British Army.

Interests:

Richard: My daughter, Elsi was born last

year, so she’s currently taking up a lot of my

time! Any spare time I get is divided between

playing football, trying to play golf, and an

ongoing project refurbishing my home - a

Victorian terrace - to modern energy efficien-

cy standards (yes, I do practice what I

preach!).

Adrian: A keen follower of Newport Gwent

Dragons, spending too little time on keeping

fit and spend too much time on ruining my

house through ill-thought out DIY projects! I

also enjoy making, drinking and sometimes

sharing my own beer. Under relentless pres-

sure from my fiancé (Delyth). I am looking to

learn Welsh so that I can understand her when

she is being less than polite to me, and to

This edition features two new members of

the team based at Llandaff Campus.

Names:

Richard James, Energy & Environmental

Engineer.

Adrian Dennehy, Security Manager.

decipher the conversations that her family

have in front of me!

Did you know?

Richard: I recently proposed to my partner,

Rachel and we’ll be getting married at St

Paul’s Cathedral in 2016.

Adrian: I have fallen down an open sewer in a

Bosnian cemetery! I’m also getting married,

but unlike Richard it will not be St Paul’s

Cathedral. I have no idea where it will be but

it is highly likely to be Welsh speaking,

which frankly terrifies me at the moment as I

will have no idea what I will be saying ”I do”

to!

The Estates & Facilities Times has been initiated to

keep us all aware of what is going on in each others

sections. If there is no article about your area, it is

because no one has spoken to me, please contact me

yourself! Anyone who wishes to contribute articles,

will be greeted with a smiling face and open arms.

A copy of the Estates & Facilities Times is also

available in Welsh if required. Any staff who are

leaving UWIC for pastures new, let me have a

forwarding address and I will send you a copy.

The Estates & Facilities Times next issue will be

circulated from October 2014.

Phone: 02920 41 6712

Fax: 02920 41 6968

E-mail: nwoollacott@cardiffmet.ac.uk

Editor: Neil Woollacott

Deputy Accommodation Services

Manager & Travel Plan Manager.

Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Cyncoed Campus,

Cyncoed Road,

Cardiff CF23 6XD