• Tuesday 2nd June 
• 3pm-6pm 
• Outside the CSU, Exton Park, Chester 

Mark the date in your diary! Expect live bands, therapy dogs, food stalls, a Red Bull Mini, sustainability swap shop, games and a lot more! Come along and enjoy some summer vibes.

We are excited to announce that over the next four months work will be undertaken to enhance the provision at Seaborne Library, Exton Park.  

Lower Floor 

The book collection (including oversized and art collections) will be merged into a single collection downstairs, making it easier for you to locate the items you need to carry out your studies. New shelving will be put in place with quiet study spaces by the windows.  

Starting this week, there will be limited access to the School Experience Collection and Art Collection. 

A research suite will be created in a new location with easier access to print services. Facilities will include three study pods (including a Teams room facility) and a large study area accessible via your student ID card. The existing postgraduate provision will be relocated to this area and extended to students who are undertaking their final year of undergraduate study. A common room will be opened in the lower hub space. 

Work on the relocation of the Postgraduate Suite is starting this week, which means this area is now partially closed. 

Upper Floor 

A range of study spaces on the upper floor will be created to provide access to new computer labs with additional PC provision for you outside of scheduled teaching. We'll also create a range of bookable pod spaces alongside group and individual study spaces.  

Access to resources during the works 

Throughout this period, there will be limited access to the Seaborne book collection. If you need access to physical books during this period, we recommend collecting them during your next visit to Exton Park. You can also access our extensive digital resources, including eBooks and eJournals, which will remain available throughout the refurbishment.

Thank you for your patience while we carry out the works. 

We’re pleased to announce that the Binks refurbishment project has now been successfully completed. The refreshed area offers new and improved social and dining spaces for both students and staff, creating a welcoming environment to relax, connect, and spend time together. 

With these new facilities now available, the Grosvenor Common Room will return to its original purpose as a shared space for residents of Grosvenor House only. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding while the refurbishment work was taking place and while temporary arrangements were in place.

Have you completed a placement or internship during your time at the University?  

We value your feedback and would like to encourage you to leave a review of your experience on HigherIn. Reviews take just five minutes and are completely anonymous.  

By reviewing your placement, you’ll help us to: 

• Provide a unique insight into your company for students following in your footsteps.  
• Help us improve our employability support. 
• Make a difference! Higherin.com plants a tree for every review submitted.  

HigherIn are giving away £250 gift vouchers to four lucky students who share their review.  

Deadline: Submit your review by 30th September 2026.  

Your participation also helps us qualify for the ‘Top Universities for Work Experience 2026-2027’ Table.  

Whether your experience was through an internship, placement year, insight day, spring week, or virtual programme, your perspective matters and could genuinely help another student.

We’re thrilled to announce that the University has won one silver award and three bronze awards at this year’s Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs).

We won a silver award for Halls & Student Accommodation at the awards ceremony last week. We also won a hat-trick of bronze awards for Postgraduate, Student Support and University of the Year.

All activeCHESTER Sports Hall sessions are cancelled until 8th June due to exams taking place in the Sports Hall.

Many of your favourite sessions will still be running, and the Sport and Active Lifestyle team have added further sessions to support your wellbeing during the assessment period.

Apply to become a student Peer Mentor and help new undergraduate students settle into the University of Chester next academic year.  

All students who have completed at least one year at the University of Chester and will be continuing their studies at the University in the following academic year are eligible to be a Mentor. 

This flexible volunteering role gives you the opportunity to: 

• Make a positive difference to your fellow students’ university experience. 
• Develop key employability skills such as communication, time management and problem solving.  
• Expand your university network and meet new people.  
• Increase your awareness of the university support services available.  
• Accumulate hours towards the University of Chester Volunteer (UCV) awards. 

Any questions? Please email the team at: peermentoring@chester.ac.uk 

Students from the University’s MSc Health Services Management programme have taken part in a series of interactive community research-based workshops exploring the powerful role of food in wellbeing, social connection and cultural understanding. 

The workshops formed part of the Food Practices and Social Integration research project, delivered in collaboration with Theatre Porto in Ellesmere Port and led by Dr Isabel Ellingford, which is supported by the University’s Culture and Society RKEI Breaking Boundaries Community Engagement Grant. The project examines how everyday food practices can support social integration, inclusivity and stronger community connections.

Join thousands of UK students who are gaining real-world experience while improving the health of the nation!   

Be Part of Research matches you with vital studies on the topics you actually care about – from mental health and managing stress, to fitness or vaping. Simply sign up online and select your interests. They’ll notify you about relevant studies, then you decide if you’d like to take part. 

Taking part in research is a fantastic way to discover how health research really works, while playing a vital role in improving lives.

Find out more or sign up to Be Part of Research today.

• Free fitness classes and activeCHESTER sessions 

• Chaplaincy: Art Workshop – Tote Bag Painting 

• Gardening trip to New Brighton 

Visit our Events pages or click on the Events tile on the UoC app to view all upcoming events. 

• Wednesday 27th May 
• 1pm-4pm 
• Room CSE016 School of Education, Exton Park 

Ahead of Pride month, the School of Education would like to invite all LGBT+ students and allies (staff included!) to a screening of The Devil Wears Prada. 

Come along for a fun and chilled afternoon with snacks! 

The University’s Health and Wellbeing Research Institute presents:  

• ‘Madness in Fiction and Art’ with Professor Graeme Yorston 
• Wednesday 3rd June 
• 1.30pm-2.30pm 
• Room CBB115, Best Building, Exton Park

Writers and artists have always been fascinated by mental health. Many of them have had to navigate their own problems – some more successfully than others – and some have come to be defined as much by their illnesses as by their creative output.  

In this lecture, Professor Graeme Yorston draws on his 30 years’ experience in psychiatry and lifelong passion for history and the arts to explore the lives and mental health issues of writers, artists, musicians and icons of cinema and why it is important for their stories to told. 

• Sunday 7th June 
• 12pm-4pm 
• Flat Earth, 21 Newgate St, Chester, CH1 1DE 
• Tickets £5 (includes 3 swap tokens and 20% off drinks during event time) 

Pop along to Flat Earth bar for the perfect sustainable way to freshen up your wardrobe!  

Bring your pre-loved, good quality clothes, shoes and accessories to the sorting table. The organisers will sort through your items and you’ll receive a swap token for each piece, then browse the rails to find your new pieces.  
 
All profits from ticket sales will go directly to Hope House Children’s Hospice.

To celebrate 10 years of Gender Studies at the University, the Institute of Gender Studies (IGS) is hosting a series of events:  

Talks are on Thursdays, free, and open to all – no need to book. Sessions run from 6pm-7.30pm on MS Teams. 

• Thursday 4th June – Family Beyond the Binary with Susie Bower-Brown (UCL) 
• Thursday 18th June – Five Feminists’ raisons d'être: Women blazing a trail, with researchers from the Institute of Gender Studies 

For the Teams links, further information on these events or on any aspect of the work of the Institute, please contact Professor Emma Rees, Director of the IGS: e.rees@chester.ac.uk

Once a month we bring you a round-up of our latest podcasts – all in one handy place. Don’t miss this month: 

• A new ASk Skills Pod episode in which the Academic Skills Team reflect on academic skills support through lived experience, as Anthony is joined by University of Chester alumna Lin Chou (Masters in Art Therapy) to discuss her studies, international student journey, and collaborative research.

There’s still time before the end of term to have a one-to-one writing tutorial and get some valuable tips on how to improve your academic writing. The University’s current Royal Literary Fund Fellow, Caroline Corcoran, is with us until Thursday 11th June. 

Caroline is a professional writer. Prior to writing novels, she was a journalist, working for Stylist, Grazia, Marie Claire, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Mirror, the Guardian and many of the other biggest newspapers, magazines and websites in the country. 

She can help you to:   

• Improve your academic writing   
• Structure your essays more effectively   
• Create effective presentations   
• Organise your thoughts on to the page   

All sessions are free and confidential – Caroline is available 10am-4pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Her office is in CSE107 School of Education, Exton Park.   

• Book an in-person 1-2-1 appointment here  
• Book an online 1-2-1 appointment here  

We will share news about our new Royal Literary Fund Fellow for 2026/2027 (who will start in September) in a future issue of Student Shout Out.

These workshops and webinars are an opportunity to work alongside other students to develop a range of academic skills.   

• Academic writing (Tuesday 2nd June, 12pm-2.30pm, Exton Park)  
• Critical thinking (Wednesday 3rd June, 1pm-2.30pm, Online) 

Sessions are led by an Academic Skills adviser with opportunities to take part and share your ideas and experiences.

• Tuesday 2nd June  
• 2pm-3pm 
• Online (Microsoft Teams) 

Are you an autistic student preparing for work or exploring future career options? Join our live webinar designed to support you in navigating employment with confidence. 

This session will be led by Emma Myles, Inclusion Lead & Trainer at Petty Pool, with additional insights from Jen Heil, Director of Business Development at Smith Goodfellow Ltd. 

It’ll explore: 

• How to identify inclusive and disability‑friendly employers 
• What schemes such as Disability Confident and the Mindful Employer Charter really mean 
• Whether, when and how to disclose being autistic 
• Your rights and reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 
• Access to Work funding, coaching and support 
• Autism‑friendly job search strategies 
• Targeted employment programmes (Change 100, Employ‑Ability, Exceptional Individuals, DWP schemes) 
• What to expect in your first 30/60/90 days in a new role 
• Live Q&A included 

Further information on events being run by Careers and Employability can be found here.