Summary of the tablecloths

Full text from the tablecloths:

General campus provision: Mike Roberts

Integrate Westwood

Lack of ‘informal’ play space

Not a lot apparently happening- not signposted! – A lot of activities behind closed doors and beyond walls.

Bit boring! What’s going on?

Balance.
Maintain green spaces

Find ways to open up spaces

Need to arrange spaces so that visitors can explore / find newness around every corner.

Different customers and different times
- How do we accommodate their needs
- Signage – clear and easy for visitors
- Parking – consistency

Open air activities in piazza during summer – children’s/family, dance, craft

Operate/’work’ outside of 9-5 Mon-Fri
Laundry facelift
Spring fair
Famers’ market
Events for wider community
Join up activities

Anne M: ‘Spring fair’
Enhance Bluebell and surrounding area

Laundry – facelift

Send out leaflets to local residents about the walks around campus, lakes and fields.
Advertise the cafes and bars so that people know they are open to the public.

Improve the path to University House. The water course is very untidy and the planting is drab.

Encourage staff to come onto campus at weekends to take in the nature walks and maybe have more outlets for food and drink which would be suitable for children. Playground for children.

General campus provision: Nicola Owen

Geography / structure
Restaurant / food outlets
Cafés

Clear sense of identity / speed
Direction / wayfinding
Clear ‘centre of gravity’
‘Sense of place’
Welcoming / safe feeling

Orientation
Arrival
Pedestrian routes
Legibility

Central ‘hub’
Massive garden
Visitor centre / history
Wildlife
Interpretation
Landscape
‘Piazza’ works well

Areas to consider:
Play areas
Fun days
Generate revenue for wider comm

Facilities
Nursery – limited spaces, waiting time
Arts Centre
Rock climbing
Outside space – sculpture, woods
Athletics
Academy – provision, IGGY

Signpost – join up events, physical

Awareness – where to promote – facilities to attract families / unit

Coordination / scheduling of the overall offer

Look at opportunities to generate income through family provision

If we want to attract (continue and more) families / particularly overseas to work on campus need provision including language courses, good signposting to local provision, crèche facilities

Campus at weekends: Ian Rowley

Pedestrian area around Rootes / AC

What do students want at the weekend?

Markets

Nature trails for schools

Concrete areas i.e. Piazza need softening

Bring together differenct areas of campus – more free flowing

More events for local schools / community – offer local groups space to promote themselves

Community Centre / Central meeting space – not everyone wants to watch sport

Retail outlets open for longer hours and earlier on Sunday

Open the bars at the weekend!

Conferences are here at weekends evenings need to make them welcome

Arts Centre looks too industrial now and not very welcoming

Shop and food outlets opening times at weekends often shut very early especially Sundays

More branded outlets will encourage local people onto campus like Costa etc Also encourage more student usage

Look at locations near Lakeside / Heronbank

Show we are open to the public
- Sports Centre forbidding not inviting
- See connections with other areas / land marks
- Piazza to be more inviting
- More footpaths / better footpaths
- Open days for local people

More BBQ areas – particularly popular in the Summer

Walks around the campus – better and more footpaths

Signage for toilet facilities

Signage for sculptures

Signage of bicycle racks – and more of these

Family areas e.g. playground etc (linked in with family provision)

Picnic tables

More opening out to open spaces e.g. Piazza – Terrace Bar, Curiositea

Opening Hours – evening and weekends for Costa and Curiostitea

Car parking:
- Free at weekends and evenings
- Free for those who are Sports centre members (as they have in gyms)
- More of them

What do local events use at the weekend
- Sports facilities
- Library
- Arts centre
Market them better – consult users on how to improve access

Open – no barriers
Welcoming – want to go there
Different and attractive
Safe to walk around day and night
Well signposted
Walks – short and long
Good food 7/365
Space

Arts Centre
Feel clustered
No daylight / volume / space
Lack of signage outside – inside
Make available public entertainment
Newspapers / reading corner
Flowers not visible

Buildings cleanliness (green mess on façade)
More benches along walks
More flowers / bushes

Open buildings for access – gents / ladies
But limited access to maintain security (and energy) shut down the non used spaces

Signage

Communicate to the wider community that the campus is a public space (Diamond Jubilee Road)

More signage to help visitors
- Directions for walks
- Energy trail signage (GPP Energy)
- Explain biodiversity – grass not cut and wild flowers
- Big sign “Welcome to Warwick University”

Encourage societies to come
- Exhibitions / sports
- Families
- Classic cars
- Open Uni theatre
- Wildlife Trust walks

Communicate it is a public space
Leaflets available in Coventry, Leamington, Warwick, internet

SU
Change name / 2nd name to incentivise the public to walk in and browse shops

Widening Participation
Can we encourage families to come to campus at the weekend (playground, country park, cycling tracks) and schools to bring children on class visits (nature walks, arts activities) to inspire ambition and aspirations?

How do we involve students in this debate (and academic staff?)

Who inhabits the campus?
Who could inhabit the campus?
Who do we want to inhabit the campus?

Are the places on campus special enough to attract people?

Is the campus accessible? Parking?

Do we promote what going on on the campus effectively to the local community?

Current visitors come to campus to use Arts Centre or Sports facilities and then leave. How do we encourage them to explore?

Major outdoor events to be held on campus to attract local residents.

Attracting the local community: Mike Glover

Need a University Centre / focus etc
Senate House:
- Centre of visitor activity
- Group social activity
- Not beer

Multi-purpose facility (social space) – museum / exhibition space in centre - Community meetings – Chaplaincy – micro community that’s successful

Entrance point
Visitor centre (welcome)

Activities (need more)

Event series:
- Families
- Staff
- Students
- Local community

CSR events

Invest £ marketing

Wayfinding – poor

Senate House to be community facing hub

Encourage clubs and societies
Cycling clubs
Cycling centre & track

Showcasing history of University
- Providing suitable spaces for existing groups to run events
- Encouraging existing groups to be more open access

Exhibition space for University research
- Promoting it to the local community

Notes:

General questions:
1) Why would the University want to do this
2) Who in the local community

1. Sport but ? activities and advertising
Disabled sports facilities – under-advertised
Conference facilities – could they provide a meal
Local business
Pricing of tennis e.g. Lifelong Learning
Advertising diverse local community
Arts centre
Natural landscaping with X Sculpture trail
School outreach

2. Community competitions – food
Lifelong
2 way interaction
? Are facilities tailored to local need
Need to demonstrate open access
Play area
Road and parking situation ? Weekend
Need a survey on perception of the University
Brochure on Warwick campus to demonstrate opportunities
? Library provision could we provide support
Rework open day and Science family day
Targeted events perhaps local residents club?
Local fora – give feedback to University
Provide venues for use by local groups

? Issue of changes for community organisation
Move path better signage
Open sports facilities to local groups
Slick route for local groups to link it to University and book facilities
Provide offer for e.g. Language Centre

Demonstration space for Community interaction

Adult learners week / family learning week

Engaging with community volunteers

? Food / drink venue around Arts Centre variety including ethnic offer

International food day

Toilets / changing facilities which are accessible
Local talent show

Graffiti Festival

Warwick Prom

Attracting the local community: Ken Sloan

Our priorities

- Leadership
- Relationships
- Community
- CSR
- International students

What we do well

Arts Centre
Cinema
School children (organised through schools) and families – staff!

Sports Centre
Local football
Open facilities
Birthday party @ climbing wall
Food and drink
Nature and history

Problems

Transport – problem with getting kids here

Perception – is it private?

How do you upsell?

Communication

Weekend and vacation functionality is restricted / limited

Visibility of the offer

Accessibility (no parking)

Do we want the local community? Targeting?

Make £

Relationship building

Widening participation – student fees – WP access targets

Next steps

Identify what’s going on and what can be done

Put things in place and promote

Crazy golf

Solutions

Programme of proactive initiatives – public engagement through research – families

Making money

UTC – funding help – ‘community rates’ – internal comms and communication

Promoting things actively

Host Godiva festival?

Big screen?

Museum?

Think tank / demo centre

Playground

Crazy golf

Target children

Food Provision: Robin Green

Rip off Borough market London – or at least take SMT to visit/experience it

There is good food but very similar offerings

What do you like about the food venues on campus?

Visited Brum University recently – saw fruit and veg staff, staff only restaurant is excellent (quality and variety)
Also banners across University promoting to the community to come for Sunday lunch at the Uni restaurant

What scope for supporting local food entrepreneurs / new business?

Bring the Radcliffe / Scarman / Arden dining experience onto campus. Lunch and dinner for students.

We don’t actively promote / encourage outsiders to come and eat here.

Healthy food as well.

Happy eating?
What would bring interest in the food places? What food and types of place.

More international flavour to our food provision – to meet needs of our diverse community.

What about ‘themed’ food days / weeks?

Bring new suppliers onto campus to show what they can provide?

Host farmers’ markets?

Authenticity

Quality of the eating environment just as important as the food.

Food and Drink

What would bring people to eat on campus?

- Where?
- What sort of food?
- People on campus?
Quality is poor. Variety. Choice.
More international
Price is wrong

Opening hours

Noodle bar?

QUALITY
PRICE
VARIETY
SERVICE

Promote what we have

Eat where? (And not)

Xananas

Food not exciting
More variety in outlets
Look at outlets in St Pancras station by way of example

Need to improve dining environments

Quality authenticity of food important

Variety and quality at the right price = value

Meeting the needs of our international students (35% of all students) and academic staff (30%)
- More rice based meals
- Hot lunches
- Cheap south Indian vegetarian outlet / Lebanese restaurant
- Halal more available
- Greater authenticity
- More fun excitement and passion “value food more”

UK students much more satisfied than international students with catering (source: student barometer)

Food and Drink: Mike Roberts

Attract more eaters
- Market to companies on the science park
- Special deals to encourage experimenting with other outlets, especially within / across Departments (Humanities, Social Sciences etc)

What about a loyalty card – pay for 5 meals get 6?
- Already done but only on a meal deal

Venue with indoor / outdoor play area to attract more families

More external marketing to local community

- More mobile outlets / food carts
- Too expensive currently – review price – the SU seems to manage to not overcharge
- Is offer attractive to the market?: better healthy options, cheap noodle bar, need genuine halal and kosher outlets
- More variety and catering for non British staff and students (we are not international enough in our provision) – outlets and meeting catering
- More variety at all times of the day and week not just 9-5 Mon-Fri – term time only
- Change offer as demand changes
- Better choice of places for corporate and family visitors (sometimes but are these the biggest most reliable audience)
- Better seating and comforts in University House and outside seating

Longer opening hours and open during holidays

Price and quality – too expensive, quality not great – agree – compared to?

Cater for more selective eaters e.g. vegans, pescatarians

Really great places??

Smoothie bar?

- Almanack
- Restaurant 23 Leamington Spa

Pop up restaurants – opportunity for diff caterers / diff food

Current offering? Like? Regularly?

Use every day.
Have to use Westwood but food offer poor.

Hot drinks in University owned outlets are not very nice. Investing in ‘Costa’ type drink making facilities would draw more users from the competition. – mbut very expensive. – Really inconsistent.

Uni House getting very boring

Bar Fusion – food better than either service or layout.

Need to improve queuing / speed of payment etc in many venues.

Not enough variety (diff cultures / cuisines)

10% discount offering re catering @ Warwick not consistent (at Westwood only seems to work when you buy a drink with whatever else)

Use Costa 4xweek (proximity to office)
UH Café 1xweek
Bread oven 1xweek
Nothing else
Café library
Uni House – use this a lot gets very busy
Arts Centre (not atmosphere, eating in a corridor)
Food @ Arts doesn’t match calibre of venue
Opening times e.g. Gusto not open on a Sunday – 12.30-20.00? – meal after events?

Arts Centre bar = good café = bad

Vegetarian options tend to be a bit rubbish. Like the cheese and onion pasties though.

Assumption Varsity owned by University

Visited Varsity a few weeks ago and they had no beef or steaks. Last night they had no beef or steaks either.

Good on fairtrade drinks but what about food?

What might be popular?

Bring back the “tea lady”!

More outside eating spaces

More pleasant eating spaces

More brands:
- Nandos
- Wagamama
- American ribs and BBQ
- Why so much Costa coffee?

Big screens in venues for sports coverage
+ Quiet areas too

Any examples, no nos?
- KFC “junk” food

Ice coffee – they already do this in some outlets – only occasionally, short season

Healthy options – salad choice like University House available elsewhere

Food court – diversity of choice – Chinese – indian

Dinner offer for Arts Centre events attendees

Better real international food
e.g. Habibis in Coventry or sushi

Competition for Varsity

Cheap pub on site for students – Weatherspoons?

Big name chefs?

More outside eating space

More focus on library area – this is new centre of campus

Gustos – more intimate dining with booths/privacy – less open canteen feel – same for Uni House

Pudding / deserts

Diff needs of difference groups?

The pressure in the day
Leisurely in the evening – Students are often in Uni House in the evening (Learning Grid)

24/7 students – including weekends
- 365 days staff – 4992 – no vacation shutdown – agree
No family orientated venues with facilities for children, play area. Like the Almanack? – yes

People in Argent Court like coffee too…

Science Park

Special diets: vegetarian / halal/ gluten/dairy free

What about a mobile offering?

Casual meeting spaces e.g. Uni House café

Outlets that meet the needs of cultural groups e.g. Ramadan and breaking fast – event driven

Families: Darren Wallis

Family ‘user types’
- Families living on campus
- Visiting people on campus
- Visiting academics bring children for short times
- Working parents
- Staff who could visit out of work hours with their children
- Users of sports/arts etc bringing family to campus for one thing could stay
- Local community in general

‘Family offer’ not communicated in one place

Arts centre activities
Sports – rock climbing, pool, tennis

Need dedicated play area neat food and facilities – area for parents – comes top in exit questionnaires

Mad science
Circus
Outdoor concerts for families
Family fundays could work
Cryfield pavilion could be utilised
Nursery
Chemistry outreach events
Lots of programmes bringing school children onto campus but limited offer to keep them here or bring them back

70 families live on campus
Could be better link up with local authority to assist with getting kinds into schools and consider school term times with academic start dates

Demand of accommodation outstrips supply and nursery places

No holiday clubs and play area

Co-ordinated approach?

Synergy between departments, services and outlets

Sports provision for under 5? 10? 14?

Families: Darren Wallis notes

Do we want more families? Assume yes – weekend, evening, term time – separate space and time

Purposes: financial opportunity – community draw for staff and students

Facilities
Hygiene factors – Accommodation, nursery, sports

Childcare for 5+

Communication of current and potential offer
Join the offer up
Sign posting from one event to the other

Playground – limited to social space / eateries
(access route in through sustrans walk /cycle)

Not giving it all away – more family orientated activities to generate revenue – bonfire, funday, fun fair to reflect the seasons

Play area

Communication of the offer

Promotion of the offer

Central welcoming space

Food offer / eateries

Family fun day

Do we have family friendly space

Courses generate revenue

Improve for those that live here

Link into outreach activities

Accommodation

IAG for families / support – what’s the package

Requirements:
Play area
Sports facilities not designed / appropriate
Social areas

Families: Andrew Smith notes

Group characteristics
Live nearby or have been on campus / live on campus
Young children
Arts Centre visitors, tennis

How family friendly for post grads on campus

Babysitter for on campus children
- Link with Unitemps (CRB) – they do? – need to formalise But Unitemps rates
Childcare series on holidays and after school
- Mad science }
- Sports clubs: climbing, tennis} Not cheap. Don’t always fir work hours
- Like nursery but for older children

International visitors especially need help with the organisation

Arts Centre – not enough whole family activity – things for kids, things for adults
Picnic and fireworks
Family days – bouncy castles
Open air cinema – children films
Communication – “scatter gun”

Newsletter of family things listing events
Children welcome
Periodic – first Saturday of the month
Coffee mornings – Saturday mornings: stay and play, events Halloween

Chaplaincy

Swap shop of used clothes – visitors could buy on arrival and sell at end

Academic events for kids

Bring your child to work days

Very little nappy changing facilities on campus

UTC/IGGY – integrate in campus events

Running sports teams for children

Children’s menus in some catering outlets

Students and families find non central location of campus inconvenient – lots of complaints from students

Do we know enough about families on campus

“Top tips” for families and children on web – especially if you’ve just moved here from overseas
- Healthcare
- Local provision
- What’s on

Healthcare not ideal for families – especially for pregnant women – no prenatal clinics