1. Published Fortnightly - Issue: 214 Edited by: Tom Walters, Helen Ward & Alan Goldsmith Friday 1 May 2015
college news | the latest stories | achievements | innovations | and more!
ChichesterMatters
The College STEM team have
been celebrating this week after a
balloon was successfully launched
into the stratosphere
Armed with three go-pro cameras, a
black box and seeds, the College STEM
team, comprising staff and students from
the Science, Technology, Engineering
and Maths departments, launched
a high-altitude weather balloon after
receiving permission from the Civil
Aviation Authority.
After a launch date and time was agreed
the balloon was released at 7am on
Wednesday 22nd April amidst a crowd of
staff and students who all had a hand in
the project. The balloon, and its payload,
was quickly whisked away by the brisk
morning wind in a westerly direction,
where it would travel for several hours
across a large swathe of central southern
England.
Followed by an excited and expectant
team from ‘mission control’, set up in
the main College canteen, the balloon
quickly gathered momentum, ascending
at one point at over 20 metres per
second.
With the balloon taking a westerly
direction it was soon flying over
Hampshire and towards Southampton,
where at one point it flew directly over the
Rose Bowl – the famous cricket ground.
Not that anyone would have seen it of
course, as at that point it was flying at
over 30,000 metres, twice the height of
conventional commercial aircrafts.
College Stem Team
in Space Race
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 …
Final launch preparations High altitude on-board photograph, showing the curvature of the earth

2. 2
Chichester Matters | Issue 214
… CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
After several hours in the air, the
balloon, now flying at about five metres
per second, flew over the New Forest
before picking up the strengthening
winds of the jet stream, high in the
stratosphere, which then briefly blew
it in a north-easterly direction before
bursting at approximately the moment
it was predicted to do so. A special
parachute attached to the balloon
was then deployed for its long and
ultimately safe, descent to earth.
On the ground, a team from the College
were in constant communication with
‘mission control’ in a van which was
roaming around Dorset and west
Hampshire waiting to retrieve the
balloon. Luckily for the team, and
to everyone’s delight, the payload
was found completely intact which
ensured that the project, at least until
the camera footage was collected and
verified, was an unbridled success.
Andy Chater, Head of Engineering, said
of the experience: “With all equipment
intact and with the data already looking
impressive I think we can safely say
that we have had a 100% success rate
for the ‘mission’.
“One of the best aspects of the event
is that all departments within the STEM
team have worked together, co-operated
and talked. It is something which the
STEM agenda hopes to facilitate and,
with the success of the event in mind, we
are incredibly proud of the achievement.
“A huge amount of thanks has to go to
Steve at Empire Welding who has been
amazing in supplying all of our helium
for free and is very interested in our
projects”, Andy added.
The ‘mission’ is part of a much wider
Global Balloon Challenge, which
includes prizes for highest altitude, best
images, best videos and best team.
For more information please visit:
http://www.balloonchallenge.org/
what-is-a-hab
The College STEM team, along with
a bunch of eager students, are now
waiting with baited breath to see if their
considerable efforts will be rewarded.
We live in hope!
College
Election
Debate a True
Success
Chichester’s four opposition
candidates for this year’s general
election were present in College
yesterday in what turned out to be a
fantastic debate in front of a packed
audience
Labour, The Liberal Democrats, The
Green Party and UKIP were all in
attendance in an event organised by
the Colleges’ Student Experience team.
Added to the success of the election
events earlier on in the month, the
debate aimed to add to the great work
that had already been done to increase
voter registration amongst the young
people who are able to vote. It also
aimed to increase awareness of the
policies of the different political parties
involved in this year’s election, both
for our student population but also our
staff members.
However, despite the great turnout
from the opposition parties the MP
for Chichester: Conservative Andrew
Tyrie, ignored all attempts by the College
to attend the debate. Despite this,
the opposition members provided an
excellent discussion into both their local
policies and also the main ideas of their
respective parties in general.
Faced with questions as diverse as
immigration, housing and the funding
cuts to further education, the candidates
each gave their honest and open views
on each, which ensured an interesting
and lively debate.
In front of the candidates was a packed
audience of interested students which
gave the debate a fantastic foundation
and legitimacy for those in attendance
with two of the candidates remarking
afterwards how they were startled at
how many people were in attendance.
Speaking after the event, Student
Experience Manager Lisa Humphries
said:
“Following weeks of running our
Generation Vote campaign to ensure
students and staff know the importance
of their vote, we were delighted to
welcome four of the local candidates to
the College for a debate.
Over 250 students and staff attended
this event and asked some very
interesting questions on a number of
subjects with many people saying that
seeing the debate had helped them
decide who to vote for. We feel that the
campaign has been a huge success
as we believe more students have
registered to vote than previous years”.
If the size of the audience and the
quality of the questions posted to the
candidates beforehand was anything to
go by then the young people’s interest
in politics is definitely on the rise. This
can only be a good thing.
View down as balloon passes the Isle of Wight and Southampton

3. 3
Chichester Matters | Issue 214
Election
Special
#GenerationVote
Last month saw four events take
place which aimed to increase
voter turnout for 18-24 year olds
In 2010 only 44% of 18-24 year olds
voted in the General Election. It is, in
many ways, a national tragedy.
Not only are young people missing
out one the most important and
defining aspects of our society but
they are also missing out on their
chance to have a say in the future
direction of their country.
This is worrying for many reasons,
none more so than its ability to
create a young population who are
cast adrift from the political process,
institutionalised into having no
interest or reason to vote.
Which is why, combined with a
national campaign formulated by
the NUS called #generationvote,
the College has worked hard to
implement a campaign to get young
people to not only register to vote but
take an active interest in politics.
Over the past few weeks the Student
Experience team have organised and
implemented four sessions, two at
our Chichester campus and two at
Brinsbury, with the aim of giving the
student population the necessary
information to make informed
choices.
Jamie Bunce, Student Experience Co-
Ordinator, said of the events: “We did
two events here (at Chichester) and
two at Brinsbury. They went really well!
I was really surprised at the amount of
students who told us they have already
registered to vote and we had some
really interesting conversations.
“Over the two sessions we had a lot of
interest and it was well received by our
students who gave some really positive
feedback. We had a lot of 16 and 17 year
olds who were unaware that they could
register to vote at their age and those
who were over 18 provided us with some
very interesting debates on registering
and voting”, he said.
Mirroring the apathy of the general
population, the views of the young
people in attendance spoke of confusion
and a lack of understanding in the
policies of the main political parties.
Speaking to Jamie, one of the main
reasons behind 18 – 24 year olds not
voting is because they don’t have a great
understanding of the political parties
and their policies, apart from what they
hear in the news which, predictably, isn’t
always as unbiased as we would like.
During the event, one student explained
to Jamie: “I would like to vote but I
wouldn’t know who to vote for and I think
it’s quite a personal subject and you
need to know, not just tick a box. I have
looked at the information on the table
and I would like to think I would vote for
Labour but I’m not sure because I don’t
agree with a lot of their statements”.
The events, more than anything, were to
encourage the students in attendance
to register to vote. Party politics and
policies aside, it is the encouragement
of young people to take ownership
of their own democratic future which,
arguably, is the more important aspect
of this campaign. Something with which
Jamie fundamentally agrees:
“The most surprising information from
today was the amount of students we
spoke to who informed us that they
have already registered to vote. They
did say they were not sure if they would
actually go ahead and vote but it is
definitely a step in the right direction”.
As well as these events, the following
day saw Coasters, the main College
refectory, taken over by a live debate
involving candidates of all four of the
opposition parties for Chichester;
Labour, Liberal Democrats, the Green
Party and UKIP. See the full ‘Election
Debate’ story on page 2.
The aim is to ensure everyone gets the
opportunity to hear what the candidates
have to say and ask as many questions
as possible. Each candidate will also
be given two minutes at the start to tell
the audience why people should vote
for them.

4. 4
Chichester Matters | Issue 214
BTEC Student
in Double
Celebration
A talented Chichester College
student has been celebrating after
securing two unique titles
Chichester based Katie Wawman, 17,
who studies on the Level 2 BTEC in
Business Studies course is celebrating
after being shortlisted for a national
BTEC award and winning a World Cup
title in Taekwondo.
Katie, who has been praised for
her hard work, commitment and
enthusiasm by her course lecturers,
is understandably elated that she has
been recognised for her hard work
since starting on the Business course.
Speaking after hearing of being
shortlisted, Katie said: “It feel honoured
that I have been shortlisted for the
BTEC award, especially when I know
that there are several other hard
working BTEC students who could
have been nominated. However I am
overwhelmed that my hard work and
dedication has been noticed. BTEC has
given me several of opportunities which
I am very grateful for”.
For Katie, the decision to pick the BTEC
Business course to study at College was
an easy one and hopes she can use it
gain employment in the future: “I believe
that doing BTEC Business will help me
succeed in the future. I have ambitions in
the future of running my own successful
business. After completing BTEC Level 2,
I want to proceed to Level 3 continuing
and furthering my knowledge of the
business industry.
Despite her success in being nominated
for such a prestigious award, it isn’t only
her academic skills which have resulted
in success. Following in her dad’s
footsteps Katie took up Taekowndo when
she was only twelve years old and has
never looked back, as Katie explains:
“This was my dad’s hobby when he
was younger and I took a keen interest
to the martial art itself. I have been
fully committed and dedicated with
my training which has help lead me
to becoming a National and World
Champion.
“I am currently in the England National
Team and I am a 2nd Dan black
belt in Taekwondo. In August 2014 I
competed in the World Cup in Jamaica
and was successful enough to win
1st place in sparring and 3rd place in
Patterns (receiving a gold medal and
bronze medal). I am also going to Italy
to compete in the Taekwondo World
Championships in May.”
With such an incredible amount of
success at such a young age, Katie’s
family are understandably proud of their
rising star: “As well as being proud they
are also very supportive and encourage
me to do well. They are very pleased
that my hard work and dedication are
being noticed and that I am being
rewarded. They believe my successes
are helping me to become a better
person whilst developing me for my
future.”
With the Taekwondo World
Championships in May and the BTEC
award winners due to be announced
at the start of July, the next few months
could yet prove to be even more
successful for this talented student.
Adopt a Park
Community
Project
The Skills for Work Students,
part of Foundation Learning
at the Brinsbury Campus have
‘Adopted Horsham Park’ as part
of Horsham District Council’s
‘Adopt a Street’ programme
The students decided to support the
project, not only to improve the local
environment, but to use as a case
study for their OCR qualification.
The initiative encourages and
supports residents to “Adopt- a-
Street” and take extra care of their
street or an area they particularly
value.
Each month, Horsham District
Council clears around 14 tonnes of
litter and fly tips from public land and
streets across the district!
Horsham District Council supply all
the equipment that is needed, for
‘Adopt-a-Street’ groups of volunteers
or for individuals who just want to
make a difference to where they
live and help to spread the anti-litter
message.
Students risk assessed the areas before
starting the project
This week, on their weekly clear up, the
students found a purse and were able to
unite it with its owner by handing it into
the police.
The group have received so much praise
from the local community when they
have worked in the park and it really
makes a big difference to the area. The
students could not believe the amount
of cans, bottles, shoes, etc. there are
discarded in the bushes and trees,
where wildlife should thrive.
For more information:
If you are interested in joining the
scheme or you would like to get a
group of volunteers together please
contact:
Karen Grisley at
karen.grisley@horsham.gov.uk
Tel: 01403 739387 / 07989442376

5. 5
Chichester Matters | Issue 214
Geography
Trip to Bude
On the 12th -15th March 2015
A-Level Geography students
headed to Bude, Cornwall, to
collect field data to use in their
upcoming Unit 2 exam.
Whilst we loaded a box of dog biscuits,
jugs, tape measures, wellies and
clip boards on to the coach, we got
some funny looks. However this was
all essential equipment needed to
investigate how Cornwall is regenerating
its’ economy and managing natural
disasters from an increased risk of
flooding in areas such as Boscastle
Village.
The Eden Project was built through £141
million of public, private and Lottery
funding and is widely considered to be
a successful venture, with the tropical
biome providing a spectacular centre
piece. To test and evaluate the impact
the Eden Project has had on the wider
Cornish economy the students visited
the attraction on the Friday 13th March.
The evening before, we had a talk from
a local entrepreneur who indicated that
most people who visited Cornwall were
attracted by the cultural heritage and
the landscape. With that in mind, the
students investigated where the cars
and people had travelled from to visit
the Eden Project, as well as researching
background data. We found that at the
time we visited, in the main it was only
local people using the facility so during
the shoulder months it was not drawing
in tourists from far away. This fitted with
the pattern of information we had already
gathered and with the hard work done
it was time to sweat out the lunchtime
pasty with a visit to the tropical biome.
“It was great to plan some research and
collect data of your own and find out
some real geography, to discover what
was happening in Cornwall rather than
just reading a book”
Some of the worst flooding ever seen
in the UK devastated the village of
Boscastle in north Cornwall on the 16th
August 2004. During the evening we
visited the local coastguard station in
Bude and interviewed the legendary
‘Cheesy’ who was present at the
Boscastle floods and whose unit had
guided in the rescue helicopters to rescue
the victims. The scale of the air rescue
operation was the largest seen since the
end of World War Two and despite the
damage, miraculously no one was killed.
‘Cheesy’ and the other coastguards
demonstrated the equipment they use to
rescue people and also highlighted the
effect the national cuts to public services
are having on their ability to respond
effectively to events like the Boscastle
flood.
The next day we travelled to the village
to investigate why the flood occurred
and how the risk of future flooding can
be managed. We spent the morning
measuring the River Valency (the main
river flowing through Boscastle) to
calculate the amount of water flowing
in the river and then how much water
could potentially flow in the river before
it floods. At this point the reason for the
dog biscuits became apparent as we
used them to measure the speed of the
river. The next factor to investigate was
the role of geology in the valley which
meant measuring the angle of the valley
slopes and the soil type on the floodplain.
This involved taking a handful of mud and
trying to make different shapes with the
soil. We managed to get a ‘bent worm
with cracks’ meaning we had a soil that
the water could not easily pass through.
The evidence was mounting that it was
the shape and location of the valley with
Boscastle at the river mouth which had
caused the flood to be so severe.
To get an overview of the setting of the
village we walked up on to one of the
hill tops to look down the valley and
sketch and take photographs of what
we could see. This was the perfect end
to what had been a wonderful field trip
and gave us all time to reflect on what
we had achieved over the last three
days. Fieldwork and outdoor learning
are such an important component for
understanding the world we live in and
how humans interact with one another
and the environments we live in and
the challenges we face may one day
be solved by a Chichester geographer
brandishing a box of dog biscuits and a
clip board.

6. 6
Chichester Matters | Issue 214
Kenya
Adventure
On 21st March, at a very early
5.00am, 18 students and 3
lecturers left a cold college
for warmer climes and a very
special mission.
For fourteen days the group
worked in two projects in Nakuru,
Kenya, with African Adventures.
Everyone participated in teaching
children and doing construction
work, which entailed tasks such as
painting, right through to creating
buildings- no mean feat in the very
hot temperatures, with exceedingly
limited tools and equipment. During
our stay, we had the opportunity
for some visits. ‘The Walk’ was the
first project African Adventures
supported and ‘The Hilton’, which is
the ironically named rubbish dump
where hundreds of families and their
children live, whose only meals are
provided by The Walk School.
This trip could only be described as a
life-changing experience for all involved.
The group in project Destiny were able
to purchase and erect guttering and
a water container, while the group in
project Hadassah provided enjoyable and
memorable teaching for all of the children.
Our students really made a difference
to the children’s lives during their stay in
Nakuru. This was observed in the boosted
confidence and abundant smiles of the
children. The children in turn made a
difference to our lives and leaving Nakura
at the end of our visit was very hard indeed.
Apprenticeship
Conference
On 21 and 22 April 2015 the
Apprenticeship Partnership team
held their 3rd annual conference
for all the sub-contractors we
work with.
Sub-contractors are private training
providers who deliver Apprenticeship
training on our behalf across the
country and who receive a cut of the
funding we draw down. They help
us to maximise our Apprenticeship
provision by expanding the
frameworks we offer and increasing
our geographic reach.
The conference serves as a forum for
networking and sharing good practice
as well as providing updates on
funding and SFA requirements. This
year, 20 partners attended and for the
first time we invited both managers
and Assessor/Trainers.
The first day was taken up with
updates on funding (a very well
received session delivered by Matt
Whelan and his team), sharing
delivery challenges and solutions, a
Trailblazer update and a session for
Assessors on how to write effective
progress reviews. Partners were
also given their latest success rates
in the form of a leader board which
encouraged a friendly, competitive edge
to the event.
On the second day Penny Buckmaster
and Jayne Boyd delivered ‘Licence to
Observe’ to Partner IQA teams.
Feedback from the conference was
outstanding. All attendees said how
much they enjoyed working for such a
supportive and dynamic college and we
received emails saying that many had
returned home buzzing with ideas to
take forward to improve their practice.
The team are already looking forward
to their next conference and have lots
of ideas for making it even better next
year.
Jane Boyd

7. 7
Chichester Matters | Issue 214
London
Marathon
Success
A College staff member has
been celebrating recently after
achieving what athletes have
been trying to do for decades:
beat Paula Radcliffe
Simon Gill, a Financial Accountant
in the College Finance department,
completed the London marathon in
an astonishing time of 2:36:16, a full
thirty seconds faster than the legendary
Paula Radcliffe, still the marathon world
record holder.
Below is a question and answer
session with the College’s very
own ‘marathon man’…
Q. How long have you been running
and what made you start the sport?
A. I started running in 2009 after my
wife and I went to support a family
member running the London Marathon.
I remember it being a sunny day, sat
outside a pub at mile 19, drinking a
lovely cold pint and thinking this looks
like fun. Feeling inspired, I agreed to
help my wife train for a half marathon
she’d entered later that year. She held
me to that promise; I purchased a pair
of trainers and ended up getting the
running bug myself.
Q. Is this the first time you have
taken part in the London marathon?
A. No, this was my 4th London. I’ve
also run the New York, Brighton and
Portsmouth marathons.
Q. How did you feel along the route?
Did you feel weak or tired at any point
or get worried that you may eventually
‘hit a wall’?
A. I‘ve hit the wall once (back at London
2012) and I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the
experience so I always worry it’ll happen
again. This year, the first 14 miles were
great. My legs felt fresh and the noise
of the crowd was deafening which really
pushed me on. The next 5-6 miles I
always find the toughest mentally. My
legs were beginning to feel tired, the
crowds thinned and I constantly worry
about “the wall”. It felt much harder to
maintain my pace and although I felt like
I was slowing it was reassuring that my
watch was telling me my pace was still
good. By mile 20 I was starting to feel
a bit better knowing the end wasn’t far
away, my legs were screaming at me but
my energy levels felt fine and I knew I had
loads of support from family and friends
along the course. At mile 24 my energy
levels started to dip and I’d stopped
smiling or acknowledging the cheers
from the crowd. I was desperate for the
finish line to appear and it became just a
battle to get home. Thankfully the finish
line wasn’t too far away.
Q. Shelagh reported a couple of days
ago that you beat Paula Radcliffe, a
sporting legend, how did that make
you feel?
A. Haha - I’m not sure she was at her
best although she still ran a great race
finishing as the 3rd Brit home. I was
fortunate enough to run with her for half
a mile or so, around the 22 mile mark
and it’s something I’ll never forget. The
noise from the crowd and the runners
on the other side of the road, cheering
her on was unbelievable and quite
how she managed to keep a lid on her
emotions I’ll never know. I was very
lucky to be able to experience it from a
runner’s point of view.
Q. Finally, what’s next for you? Any
races or events lined up?
A. I’ve entered the Berlin Marathon
which takes place in September. It’s
meant to be one of the fastest courses
in the world so I can hopefully improve
my time. My training for it doesn’t start
until the end of June so I’ve thankfully
got a bit of a break to recover and run a
few local 10k’s and Parkruns.
A VERY BIG
THANK YOU
You are probably a little bit sick
of hearing about our Asian cycle
challenge by now but I just want to
say a personal thank you to you all.
The donations, encouragement,
motivation and kind words we received
both during and after our event have
been incredibly moving. It was, and
always will be, the hardest thing that we
will ever do and was life-changing in a
way that I didn’t think was possible.
For 22 continuous days we cycled an
average of 100 miles every day through
SE Asia’s hot season with temperatures
regularly topping 45 degrees Celsius
where we reached, by the time we got to
Singapore, 2137 miles. Our aim to was
to raise both awareness and money for
Mind and those living with mental health
issues and £5,000 and many messages
of support later, we feel we have
achieved this and more, much more.
Thank you one and all for your support,
very proud to be part of such a
supportive environment.
Tom Walters

8. Chichester College | Westgate Fields | Chichester | West Sussex | PO19 1SB t: 01243 786321 f: 01243 539481 www.chichester.ac.uk
Chichester Matters | Issue 214
Vacancies
The Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations 1999
requires all employers that employ
five or more staff to undertake a
‘suitable and sufficient assessment
of the risks to the health and safety
of employees and persons not in
their employment’.
Risk Assessments provide valuable
information to managers who are
responsible for controlling and
managing risks in the workplace.
How do I complete a risk assessment?
For those responsible, the thought of
undertaking a risk assessment can be
daunting. The HSE have produced a
guidance sheet (available on Chi Drive
– Health and Safety Documents).
What’s a hazard? A Hazard is anything
that has the potential to cause harm
i.e. chemicals, mechanical equipment,
hand tools, manual handling etc.
What is a risk? A Risk is the chance
or likelihood that someone may be
injured by the hazard.
Who might be harmed? Anyone who
has contact with the hazard i.e. staff,
students, visitors or contractors.
How can I reduce the risk? In some
cases changing the way the task is
undertaken or the equipment used
can reduce the risk but in most cases
sensible precautions including training
and supervision should be sufficient.
How do I rate the risk? Don’t over
complicate things, the simplest method
is Low, Medium or High.
Once the assessment has been
completed it needs to be recorded.
The colleges risk assessment
template has recently changed and
those responsible for completing
the assessments are currently in the
process of changing over to the new
format (Chi Drive). Don’t forget these
needs to be completed on high risk
areas by the end of July 2015! Lower
risk areas have until end of academic
year.
Where do I find the risk assessments?
Your Line Manager will happily discuss
the outcome of the risk assessments
and provide you with a copy. If you
are teaching students don’t forget to
discuss and share the information with
them. Preventable accidents occur
when you don’t inform individuals of the
dangers and risks.
If you would like any further information
or would like to raise an issue or
concern, please contact the Health &
Safety Team, we would love to hear
from you.
Marion Paul
& Simon
Health & Safety
TITLE & CLOSING DATE
Housekeeper 07/05/2015
Lecturer in Travel & Tourism 07/05/2015
Hospitality Assistant 07/05/2015
Associate Lecturer in Plumbing 14/05/2015
Student Worker - Brickwork 14/05/2015
Clerical Assistant 14/05/2015
Lecturer In Equine 14/05/2015
For more information about vacancies at the
College, please visit the staff intranet or the
main College website.
Risk Assessment
Legislation
Learn
SAFE
Think
SAFE
Act
SAFE
Come and enjoy a great day!
Sunday 17th May 2015 (11am - 4pm)
Brinsbury
Show
ENTRY: £5 per person (under 16s free)
* There is an additional charge for these activities
&Country
Fayre
Therewillbelotsof“have-a-go”activitiesplus:
AnimalHandling Archery* Blacksmithing&ForgingDemos
DrivingExperienceChallenge Carpentry CompanionDogShow*
Agility&GunDogDemos Craft&Farmers’Market FloristryDemos&Sales
Equine&DogGroomingDemos Furniture&Upholsterydisplays
KnockhundredClogMorrisDancers LaserClays* LiveMusic
PlantSale TerrierRacing Tractor&TrailerRidestotheFarm
TreeClimbing LocalBeerTent MedievalTournament ...andmore!
Brinsbury - The Countryside Campus of Chichester College
Welcome to our New Starters
Alison Bell - Lecturer in Animal Health,
Science and Management
Heidi Porter-Kirby - Childcare Assistant
Aimee Bendell-Thorpe - Student Tutor
Jenna Bennett - Learning Assistant
Lauren Monk - Childcare Assistant
Teresa Taylor - Childcare Assistant
Sarah Wood - Achievement Champion
Laura Bleecker - Lecturer in Accounting
Claire Stovell - Hair & Beauty Assistant