The Easter holidays were unusually busy for Newbury College after the Monks Lane campus was approached by Carnival Films, the production company responsible for the popular ITV period drama 'Downton Abbey'.
The international phenomenon has famously been filmed at Highclere Castle for the past six years with various local sites used for location shoots, and as the show draws to its concluding series, producers took advantage of Newbury College's extensive campus and on-site facilities to create a temporary 'Unit Base' to house cast and crew during filming in the local area.
Dr Anne Murdoch, Newbury College Principal, said "We have a lot of interest from local businesses and community groups to make use of our campus and we always do our best to accommodate. In the past our sports hall, performance space and other excellent facilities have played host to the England U19 Cricket team, the Queen's Awards and the annual West Berkshire Work and Careers Fair, to name but a few, and we are really excited to be playing a supporting role in this global success."
Staff and students have become accustomed to seeing people in unusual costumes around the site since the reintroduction of the Performing Arts curriculum in September 2014 and The Watermill Theatre's use of the Forum space for Calamity Jane rehearsals last year.
With the introduction of Production Arts, Event Management, Music Technology, and 'A Levels' in Drama and Theatre Studies planned for this September, Newbury College is looking forward to working with even more organisations from the creative arts industry.
For the second year in a row, as part of the College’s May Open Day, Animal Care students at Newbury College are organising a charity dog show which will take place on Saturday 16 May. Dog owners are invited to enter their beautiful pooches, with all proceeds raised at the event going to the National Dogs Trust and RSPCA.
There will be six categories at the competition: most obedient, best groomed, most accurate on an obstacle course, cutest big dog, cutest little dog, and waggiest tail. The winning dog of each category will receive a rosette for their achievements. Members of the public are welcome to attend to spectate and those looking to bring along their dogs to compete should register on the College’s website.
The students are organising the event as part of their ‘Skills Project’. The Skills Project helps learners put into practice skills they have learnt on their course. Skills Project co-ordinator, Sian Ellis, who has helped the students organise the event said, “Following last year’s successful Dog Show, the Animal Care students are aiming to raise even more money for charity this year, whilst embracing their love of animals. The event will also build on their vocational skills and prepare them for future employment”.
To register your dog to take part please visit the Newbury College website by Saturday 2 May. There is a charge of £2 per dog to be paid on the day.
Founded in 1891, Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK. Their mission is to bring about the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction. Each year they care for around 16,000 dogs at their nationwide network of 18 Rehoming Centres.
Newbury College Interactive Media students took the fantastic opportunity to visit the Bristol-based Deal or No Deal studios recently to learn more about the television production industry and how the popular Channel 4 gameshow is recorded.
Students joined the audience to watch the recording of two shows before being invited to ask questions about both the programme and the television industry to the programme’s Director and other members of the production team.
Lecturer of Media at Newbury College Danny Mason who organised the trip said, “Studying Interactive Media is a potential progression route for students into the television industry. Students were treated to a fun and educational trip to the Deal or No Deal studios and they learned what goes on behind the scenes. The students found this to be a great experience and a few of them were even included in the filming of the show”.
Three of the Interactive Media students, Ross Slade, Charlie Beamish Knight and Jade King, took part in a short audition to become a Pilgrim; Ross was successful and was invited to take a box to the show’s presenter Noel Edmonds.
The achievements of Newbury College motorsport apprentices received well deserved recognition in the 'In Newbury' magazine, including interviews with apprentices at Williams and Xtrac.
The College's engineering courses are very popular, with around 60 full-time and 350 part-time students studying at any one time. We also offer bespoke courses for clients, ideal for those businesses wanting to adapt the training to their industry.
For more information and for the chance to read the article in the 'In Newbury' magazine please visit http://www.innewburymag.co.uk/#20