Latest news with #northeast
CTV News
14 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Rain in the northeast for the foreseeable future
Rain in the northeast for the foreseeable future With heavy rain on the way to the northeast, Rick Wyman has all the weather forecast details you need for the next seven days.
CTV News
20 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
North Bay and area under heavy rainfall warning
With heavy rain on the way to the northeast, Rick Wyman has all the weather forecast details you need for the next seven days.
Reuters
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
UK farm swaps milk for cow cuddles as floods and food prices take their toll
ARRAM, England, June 19 (Reuters) - Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its cows and instead charge visitors to cuddle them. Dumble Farm started as a dairy farm in the 1970s, but in recent years flooding washed out crops and killed off the type of grass the cows like to eat, while milk prices below cost of production proved an insurmountable challenge. "The amount of flooding and the pressures on our land were just making it unsustainable for us to carry on," said Fiona Wilson, co-owner of the farm. Agriculture is one of the sectors worst-affected by climate change, with farmers in Europe and elsewhere suffering under increasing heat, drought and flooding. In 2022, Dumble Farm sold all but a few of its dairy cows and, in a scramble to reinvent itself, began offering "cow cuddling" experiences to fund a wildlife conservation scheme. For 95 pounds ($127.80), visitors can cuddle, brush and stroke the cows as they lie down on a straw-covered enclosure inside a barn. The experience includes a safari to see Highland cattle. "It's been so worth it, just to get so close to the cows, and they are so loving and gentle," guest Emma Hutton, 25, said after she spent some time cuddling one of the cows. It took over a year to train the cows to feel comfortable with cuddling, but now the animals have fully adjusted, farmer James McCune said. "They like being pampered. They are like big dogs... It's more of a spa day for the cows," McCune said. The farm uses the proceeds to create habitats to protect wildlife and support declining species, such as lapwing birds. "It's great that we can fund the conservation scheme by having visitors to the farm, and that's really the bigger picture," Wilson said. ($1 = 0.7433 pounds)
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Getting in is just the start: Northumbria University's ambitious push for social mobility
From support for an outreach centre that helps children as young as seven with their schoolwork to academics researching the benefits of a universal basic income, a commitment to driving social mobility and tackling inequality is deeply ingrained in Northumbria University's DNA. Participation in higher education remains lower in the north-east of England than in other parts of the country, and while Northumbria has an impressive record on access – 40% of its students come from areas with low rates of higher education participation, the highest of any research-intensive university – it's constantly striving to ensure students from all backgrounds can excel. For vice-chancellor Prof Andy Long, what makes Northumbria stand out is its recognition that social mobility for universities is not just about students getting in – the business of 'widening participation' – but getting on: making sure they have all they need to do well both in their studies and when they graduate. Long has set an ambitious new target: making sure that by 2030, students from low-participation backgrounds are just as likely as any of their peers to be in highly skilled work or further study 15 months after they graduate. 'It's no good just chipping away at the gap in outcomes,' he says. 'We want to eliminate it.' That means making sure courses are taught flexibly in a way that fits around other demands students may be juggling, such as caring responsibilities or doing part-time work to support themselves. Students facing extra challenges, such as care leavers or caregivers, are given additional support through schemes such as NU Belong or the Higher Education Without Barriers fund. Most important for Long is a drive to include meaningful experiential learning – learning by doing – in every programme, so students who may have no links with the world of work associated with their studies have the opportunity to realise they could flourish in it. Final-year law students, for instance, work alongside a qualified solicitor from the student law office doing pro bono work in the community, while business school students act as 'consultants' for local companies. 'I've spoken to law students who will tell me they don't know anyone who works in the legal profession,' Long says. 'Our approach ensures they can make those links that then give them the experience and confidence to think they could pursue it as a career.' When it comes to raising aspirations, Northumbria's Allstars guidance programme offers outreach sessions at schools across the north-east and priority access to university taster days and scholarships. And in 2021, Northumbria worked with the charity IntoUniversity, together with Newcastle University, to open the region's first IntoUniversity centre, where seven to 18-year-olds experiencing disadvantage can get support with academic work, university applications and more, plus opportunities such as visits from employers, mentoring and work experience. This centre, in Newcastle's east end, has worked with more than 2,000 students so far – with 64% of leavers going on to higher education – and a second centre, in Gateshead, will open in September. Ryder Architecture, a long-term partner of the university, supports IntoUniversity through Northumbria's Higher Education Without Barriers fund, and offers work experience and workshops with its people. Managing director Mark Thompson says: 'IntoUniversity helps us put more structure around our work with school-age children and young people, and links it to an outcome too, where students are actively encouraged to consider university. Anything that inspires somebody to push themselves academically and want to do more has to be a good thing.' The company, which helped Northumbria University develop its architecture degree apprenticeship, has put colleagues through the course, and has provided work placement opportunities for Northumbria students across the business. 'We do well out of it as well,' says Thompson, who studied at the university back when it was Newcastle Polytechnic. 'There's a business benefit to unearthing people on our doorstep who might otherwise go into different careers.' At Bede academy, a local school in Blyth, Northumberland, and longtime Allstars partner, Northumbria University has been instrumental in the development and delivery of a new T-level course in health. The course is equivalent to three A-levels and designed as an alternative route to university and careers in the NHS and social care. As well as supporting the school with the design of the curriculum and upskilling staff to deliver the course, Northumbria helped create a brand new healthcare training facility that simulates a hospital environment, giving students hands-on experience. 'Northumbria have been absolutely phenomenal in supporting us,' says the school's principal, Andrew Thelwell, who pays tribute to the university's 'strong moral purpose' around social mobility. 'We can't speak highly enough of their dedication, commitment and passion.' But it's not just about the facilities, Thelwell says – or even the professional workplace uniforms the university provides that are worn proudly by the students every day. 'Our students are working alongside university staff at the age of 16 or 17, and building professional relationships with them,' he says. 'They start to see themselves heading towards university – it becomes something very real for them. And that really is transformative.' The first cohort of students are now finishing their first year, and the vast majority are expected to apply for university places. Northumbria will provide support with that process too, and the school is now exploring future partnerships around sports education. It's clear that the university recognises the important role it plays in transforming lives in all aspects of its work, with Northumbria's dedication to addressing inequality extending to its research too. Researchers within its Centre for Health and Social Equity are working to drive policy reform with the Healthy Living Lab, which explores the links between public health and food insecurity, playing a pivotal role in encouraging the government to invest millions in national school breakfast and holiday clubs to better support children and families. Ultimately, Long says, equality of opportunity is an issue for society as a whole. 'If you don't pay attention to this, everybody will be worse off. I want everybody to have the opportunity to succeed, whatever their background.' Find out more about how Northumbria University is shaping futures and driving change
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Overturning miscarriages of justice and boosting local businesses – the power of real-world university learning
When lawyers at Northumbria University's Student Law Office (SLO) were approached by a man who appeared to have been wrongfully imprisoned for eight years for armed robbery, they believed their students could help. At the SLO, students research, interview, and sometimes represent clients on a pro bono basis, all supervised by experienced lawyers. They were right – students successfully worked to get Alex Allan's conviction overturned back in the early 2000s and, after taking his case to the court of appeal, he was paid £170,000 in compensation for the miscarriage of justice. Since then, real-world learning at Northumbria University has been driving change, helping the local community and powering the economy in the north-east. While most cases at the SLO, set up in the 1980s to give students real-world law experience, are less high profile than Allan's, they are no less impactful for the clients at the centre of them. 'We get a lot of demand,' says Dr Jonny Hall, a solicitor who worked on part of Allan's case and is now the university's academic lead for all aspects of experiential learning. Students typically work in pairs, spending some 10-15 hours a week on real-life cases across areas of law including family, crime and human rights as part of their third-year studies. 'They gain skills and experience but also knowledge and attributes,' Hall says. 'The SLO introduces students to the reality of how lawyers might be able to help people.' The SLO is just one example of how the university is integrating real-world learning within its courses, helping both students and those living, working and trading in the local area. The Business Clinic is a similar initiative. Final-year business students consult and advise national and international companies, local SMEs, social enterprises and charities on business problems, from helping a home fragrance business with its latest marketing campaign to supporting the RNLI with a series of events and fundraising ideas to help sustain the future of its base in the nearby seaside town of Cullercoats. 'It's embedded into the curriculum – we've made it an integral part of their degree – and that's important because students then have the time to devote to it,' Hall says. 'It's not just about learning by doing, it's about students applying the knowledge they are gaining in the real world to further their understanding, skills and future careers. Alongside this, they are contributing to the local economy and community – the benefits really are widespread.' The majority of the university's undergraduate degree programmes already include real-world learning, and Northumbria's goal for the future is for every UK-based undergraduate student to take part in this transformative learning as part of their studies. Many courses, such as nursing, education and social work, already require students to spend a significant percentage of their time on placement, developing the skills they need in a real-life environment. The university has enhanced the way these students train by investing in VR technologies which provide simulation scenarios to help them prepare and rehearse in a safe environment on campus, before they face similar scenarios in the real world. This ethos carries through to other courses. Physiotherapy students help patients with real issues in the Physiotherapy clinic, supervised by a chartered physiotherapist. Law and history students have collaborated to dig into legal archives, while fashion students work with major-label brands on live projects including design, marketing and social media campaigns, many of which have led to employment after graduation. 'It's a really important part of what we're trying to do across the university,' Hall says. 'We're trying to make these kinds of connections to the outside world, and to real experience,' he says. 'Each student goes on an individual journey, and for most I would say it enhances both their learning experience and their career prospects.' This approach has helped Northumbria University drive social mobility and power an inclusive economy in the north-east, an integral part of the university's mission. 'Northumbria places more graduates in highly skilled north-east positions than any other university,' says Prof Graham Wynn, the university's pro-vice-chancellor (education). 'We do this by constantly evolving our education offer to be ever-more responsive to the educational needs of our students and our region.' This creates a pipeline of talent for the area's economy and beyond – the university supplies policing, nursing and social work apprentices in the region, as well as healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and skilled graduates for established and emerging sectors. 'I think Northumbria is a great example of a university that really is very focused on its economic mission and that means making sure students get good jobs on graduating, or create jobs for themselves and other people,' says Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, which has recently published reports on the skills needed by employers over the next decade and the economic impact of start-up and spin-out businesses originating from universities. 'The university works hard to make sure students can show prospective employers what they have done that has real-world applicability and will make them really attractive.' One of the university's great success stories is iamproperty, a business founded by two Northumbria graduates in 2009, with support from the university. It has since grown to become a business with annual revenues of £76m, making it one of the UK's largest residential auctioneer companies, employing more than 700 people. However, back in 2008, founders Ben Ridgway and Jamie Cooke were just two 24-year-olds with an idea. '[The university] was able to give us a small two-man office in the business centre that covered our phone bills, print bills and post bills for that first year,' Cooke says. 'They put us in contact with advisers, helped with our accounting process and legals and that was really, really helpful.' Without the university's backing, he says, it would have been difficult for the fledgling company to get off the ground. 'I'd like to think we would have got there, but I know for a fact that our growth would have been stunted without the support that we had,' Cooke says. 'They knew we were wet behind the ears and they put their arms around us and helped us.' Now, iamproperty recruits graduates from Northumbria University because the founders value the real-world learning students get there. 'We were really looking back to the university as a talent pool to recruit from because we knew the kind of education and the knowledge people were coming out with, and we knew they were hands-on, that they'd had the level of experiences that we had had,' Cooke says. 'We attend all its graduate fairs … to make sure we're bringing in a really high calibre of people with a real base knowledge that we can push on from.' Overall, Northumbria University's emphasis on experiential learning is supporting local communities and businesses, and beyond. The SLO, Business Clinic and success stories like iamproperty are examples of how 'economic powerhouses' such as Northumbria University are powering an inclusive economy that benefits everyone, says Stern. 'There are seeds of tangible, meaningful growth that will mean people in the north-east have access to better jobs, and money and investment coming into the region,' she says. 'And that matters – that really matters. People can feel it in their everyday lives.' Find out more about how Northumbria University is shaping futures and driving change
