NO STRANGER to students keen on volleyball at Exeter College, Arthur Mosley is a familiar face around its corridors on Thursday evenings when he comes back to his former workplace to teach the sport as part of the College’s Enrichment programme.

Yet the coach, who worked for 21 years full-time in the Sports, Leisure and Tourism faculty, at various times as Acting Head of Faculty or Deputy, has a past which has earned him admiration on both a national and international scale over the years.

It culminated this month with his induction into the Don Anthony Hall of Fame – aimed at paying respect to some of the greatest sporting heroes in the history of the game in Britain.

And with a professional history which includes being Captain of the British team between 1967 and 1969, playing for England at international level until 1971, and in that time achieving 51 international caps, Arthur certainly has the credentials.

Not one to rest on his laurels, however, having just returned from the Hall’s official launch in Kettering which saw him reunited with friends he’d not seen in decades, it’s back to the sports hall for 66-year-old Arthur who recalls how his own passion for volleyball began on a school trip to Paris when he was 16.

Arthur says: “We were staying at a boarding school when we saw some students playing a game in the school playground which we’d never seen before. We didn’t know what it was, so we went to have a look and before we knew it they were inviting us to join in.”

Returning home, Arthur soon began playing volleyball recreationally in Chelmsford where he grew up. But it was when he began his teacher training at Aviery Hill College of Education in Eltham that a happy coincidence would see him take his hobby to national level. The PE lecturer was Don Anthony, who was also the Chair and Founder of the English Volleyball Association.

Arthur began to take the sport seriously and, playing more and more, made it into the England team.

“My first international trip was to Belgium to compete in a Western European tournament,” recalls Arthur. “For the next six years, I repeated that experience all over the world, everywhere from Finland to Israel.

“I was 22 years old. To have an opportunity to do all that travelling with your peers and friends who all shared the same interest at that age, and to be able to do so playing the sport you loved, was just fantastic.”

Encouraged by the players he sees rising through the ranks year after year at Exeter College, he says: “Some of my past students at Exeter College have gone on to play at international level, or have been selected to play for England’s junior training teams, so I always consider that a possibility with each new intake.

“What really excites me about having the opportunity to continue teaching volleyball to new generations is that I have always gained a great deal pleasure out of the sport, and I love being able to give others the chance to do so too.

“Not all of them will go on to play at a high level by any means. But even for those who won’t, it is nice to know that they are having a thoroughly enjoyable time engaging in an activity which they may otherwise never have had a chance to try.”

Of being inducted into British volleyball’s official Hall of Fame, he adds: “It was a great experience. I met up with a lot of old friends and it was a tremendous day. Don was, and remains, a huge inspiration to me, so I feel particularly honoured to have been recognised in this way.”

IT WAS a battle of two counties as Foundation Studies students from Exeter College as they worked their way through games with opponents from five colleges in the South West, only to be pipped to the post at the eleventh hour by Cornwall College during the recent BSC South West Ability Counts Five-A-Side Football Competition held at Torquay.

In his first competition as a Five-A-Side football tournament coach, tutor Andy Whitt admits he was as nervous as some of the members of the two Exeter College teams entered as the tournament began.

In the event, however, the Vocational Studies team, coached by himself, and the Skills For Living team, coached by fellow tutor Nick Couzens, excelled.

On the day, they scored 27 goals in the seven matches they played against Bridgwater College, Weymouth College, Weston College, Bicton College, South Devon College and the day’s overall victors, Cornwall College.

Andy says: “Nick and I motivated the teams with bags of energy, excitement, enthusiasm and get-up-and-go beforehand, so they would have the confidence to show the rest of the football teams from across the whole of the South West that we were best.

“The first match was against Cornwall College. We thought it was going to be easy, but we soon came crashing down to Earth with a 5-2 loss. After a team talk, however, we went on to win the next three games – one of them 10-1 – only to be beaten in the final one by Cornwall again.”

Andy says: “I was so excited on the day that I couldn’t take photos because I was shaking so much. The tension was incredible. The students gave it their all and we came a magnificent second. It was a great day for both teams and for Nick and myself. It was a proud day for Exeter College.”

Pirates and Pudsey Bear were the fancy dress themes for one of the many groups of students from faculties across Exeter College raising money for Children In Need today.
Three classes of BTEC Level 2 Health And Social Care students – around 50 in total – were among those touring the College campuses and city centre with collection buckets, many of them in T-shirts they had spent hours designing especially for the occasion.
Lucy Northcote, aged 16, of Crediton, had decided to turn herself into a Pirate Pudsey for the day and said of her costume: “My mum bought the pirate’s patch, I bought the waistcoat, I have borrowed the Pudsey Bear from my little brother James, and the neckerchief is actually one of my Grandad Norman’s handkerchiefs.”
“Raising money for Children in Need is really important because of the children it will help,” she continued. “At the same time, it’s good fun.”
Melissa Marks, aged 18, of Exmouth, added: “I watched Children In Need on television last year. It was sad in parts and I got quite emotional when I saw some of the footage of the children who need help. But at the same time they always make sure the day is a lot of fun.
“It’s good to know that I’ll be helping some children like them with the money raised today. I’ve never done this before, so it’s all very exciting. We are going to raise as much money as possible and we are going to ask everybody we see.”
Dressed head-to-toe in pirate attire, Heather Saunders, aged 16, of Feniton, continued: “I watch Children In Need every year on the television and I love it. You get to see all the different pop stars and actors performing for charity. It’s nice to think that all those famous people are really wanting to help raise money for children who need it too.
“Today, we’re all going to go around town looking like Pirates and Pudseys and we are going to raise as much money as possible. I’m really looking forward to it – it’s not every day you get to dress as a pirate!”
Lauren Fox, aged 16, of Bovey Tracey, had opted to dress as Pudsey Bear. Adding the finishing touches to her bright yellow face paint, she said: “It’s such an important day every year, because by helping Children In Need you are helping children who have all sorts of problems. It makes me feel good to know that I’m helping by doing this, particularly as some of the children are my own age.”
Health And Social Care tutor Helen Brant was delighted with her students’ enthusiasm. She said: “Today, as part of their coursework, they are learning the skills of planning and preparation and teamwork that they will need when they go into their chosen careers. They are also learning more about both themselves and others through.
“In addition to enjoying and achieving, they are making a very positive contribution to the wider community, and my colleagues and I are very proud of how much effort they have gone to to make this day a success.”
Among the many other students studying on courses across the College hoping to raise as much money as possible for the famous children’s charity were those currently taking their Level 1 NVQs in Hair and Beauty and Catering at the College.
They had made their own cakes and Pudsey Bear cookies and were selling them to customers from a number of cake stalls dotted around the campus all day.
Laura Dellar, aged 18, of Exeter, was manning one of them along with Abi Freeman, aged 16, of Exeter, and Karla Ward, also aged 16 and from Exeter.
She said: “I think it’s good because we have all worked together preparing for today, making the cakes and getting things ready. It is great being able to dress up and have fun knowing that all the money you are raising is for a really good cause.”

CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS in Exeter city centre and Ottery St Mary will be able to join in a festive string-along over the next fortnight as amateur guitar players from Exeter College show off their fretwork skills for charity.

Members of Exeter College’s evening class Guitar Group will be giving up their free time over two weekends to strum some of the nation’s favourite seasonal songs and raise as much money as possible for Exeter Leukemia Fund (ELF).

They can be heard playing live outside Debenhams in Exeter from 12pm to 3pm on Saturday, December 4, and from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday, December 12, at Otter Nurseries in Ottery St Mary.

Speaking on behalf of Skills Support and Adult Learning, Danni Goff says: “Not only are these two days going to be a lot of fun for all concerned, but they will also help give class members the confidence to play in public should they wish to do so in future. At the same time, they will be raising money for this hugely important charity.

“We hope that as many people as possible will be able to come along and offer their support as possible, and that they are able to find time to enjoy the music as a short break from their Christmas shopping.”

EVERYONE is invited to Exeter College’s next free Open Event, which takes place at its Centre for Creative Industries (CCI), off Queen Street, and on the nearby Hele Road campus in Exeter, tomorrow (Tuesday, November 30).

Between 5pm and 8pm, visitors will be able to find out more about the many courses and opportunities available, whether they are interested in studying for A levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB), vocational studies, apprenticeships, or Higher Education.

Throughout the evening, Principal Richard Atkins and Deputy Principal John Laramy will be giving a series of presentations entitled Preparing for 2011 Entry To College, giving an insight into College life, and staff and students from the faculties will be at hand to talk to about the various options and to offer useful advice.

Please click here for more Open Eving information…

Foundation Studies students at Exeter College have raised over £200 by organising two 5km charity treks across Woodbury Common for the Help For Heroes charity, a charity close to their hearts.

Currently studying for their Level 1 BTEC diploma in Public Services, the students – led by team leaders Robyn Whittaker, aged 17, of Cheriton Bishop, and Reece Baker, aged 18, of Exmouth – called upon the support of other College colleagues, including those attending the Positive Pathways course and the Learn 2 Work programme, to also take part in the exercise.

During two one-day events, with Foundation Studies staff as course marshals, students paid £3 each to join the fundraising walk, which saw them braving the cold and drizzle cross-country to earn their Help For Heroes wristbands at the finishing line.

Afterwards, £203.27 was handed over to Lynda Milne, Exeter Area Co-ordinator for Help For Heroes, by Robyn.

Robyn said: “There was a little bit of rain for us, but it was a good day and I am really pleased with everyone who organised this, and everyone who took part. They all put in a lot of effort.

“Now we have done this once, it would be nice to organise an even bigger event and raise even more money,” continued Robyn. “As Public Services students, we understand why Help The Heroes is such an important charity to those it helps, and we all recognise that one day we might be in that situation ourselves.”

Lynda added: “I would like to thank all the students involved in these two events. The two group leaders took responsibility from the start, for everything from contacting me in the first place to tell me what they would like to do, to picking up collection buckets and wrist bands, and making sure everything ran smoothly on the day. They should be very proud of themselves.

“From the Help For Heroes point of view, every penny counts, and the chances are that the money the students at Exeter College have helped raised will one day help someone from their town or county.”

EXETER COLLEGE Foundation Studies students have been encouraged to do a little ‘blue sky’ thinking and put forward ideas as to how the Exeter Urban Garden will look once completed.

Geoffrey Brown, newly-appointed as the project leader, was keen to welcome ideas, visions and inspiration from the College’s Foundation Studies Garden Group as to what they would like to see incorporated into the design.

Meeting with them today (Tuesday, November 30), he sifted through all their plans before asking the students to vote for items they collectively wanted to see featured in the garden.

Delighted with the huge array of suggestions put forward for the ‘Grand Design’ competition, Geoffrey said: “The students had such original ideas. There were thoughts about installing swings and a trampoline, chicken and rabbit runs, and a mock campsite in which to practice camping and bushcraft skills.

“A herb garden, raised beds, compost bins, a pond, a picnic table, and a farmers’ market where grown produce could be sold were also ideas brought to the table. And there was even mention of installing a Jacuzzi and a mini-golf course!

“While not all of these ideas are practical for various reasons, they certainly showed off the students’ imagination. We will now decide together how to take some of these ideas forward.”

Exeter College’s Sustainability Group received £25,000 worth of funding from the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) in summer to proceed with the proposed Exeter Urban Garden Project on a designated site at its Hele Road campus.

Situated within mature, walled grounds behind some of the College’s oldest buildings to the front of the main site, the aim will be for students and staff to regenerate an area of disused land, transforming it into a vibrant, sustainable garden and outdoor learning space. It will be accessible to those who use the College on a regular basis, and the wider Exeter community by agreement.

As the garden develops, it is expected to become not only a focal point of the College’s ambitious Sustainability Programme, but also a best practice example of sustainable living for the wider Exeter community.

To be primarily used by those attending entry level, Level 1 and 2, and Skills For Living students, and pupils attending College through its 14-16 programmes for local schools, it will also provide an ideal open art space for students’ Creative Media and Design projects. Completion is expected in May 2011.

STAFF and students are excited by the arrival of a new café, courtyard, and outdoor amphitheatre at Exeter College’s Centre for Creative Industries (CCI) this autumn, which is already proving to be their cup of tea.

Starting off a new academic year in style, the glass-housed, ultra-modern eatery known as The Conservatory is now open for business in the Victoria Yard area of Exeter College’s CCI campus, off Queen Street, and is serving as a refreshing change, especially for regular CCI users including those studying Media, Art and Design, and Engineering.

Named The Conservatory because of its glass walls and light and airy feel, it has been painted a cheerful raspberry and white, with a similar colour scheme running through the carpet – all as chosen by students through their Learner Voice representation. It also features gallery space to be used for work by CCI Art and Photography students in the future.

Its glazed front opens out onto the courtyard and amphitheatre, which, like the new café, have been designed and built in response to students’ requests for further areas in which to relax and socialise between classes on this particular area of the campus.

As well as providing new seating areas, where students are already enjoying meeting for lunch, Media and Performing Arts students based in the CCI will be able to use the amphitheatre for occasional performances in addition to the existing performance space available to them indoors at the CCI Theatre.

Head of Estates Steve Strang says: “When designing the new café, we spoke to our Learner Voice group – who ensure students have their say in College decision-making – as well as students and staff based at the CCI, likely to be its core users, and Exeter College Students’ Union. We asked them what kind of building design they would like to see, the appearance of the external space, and how we should make use of it once transformed.”

Delighted with the outcome, Steve continues: “The Conservatory opened on the first day of the new term, and from the outset the feedback from every student I have heard talking about it has been brilliant.”

Among its student supporters is Rosanna Martin, aged 17, of Chumleigh, who is already enjoying her lunch breaks there with friends. Currently in her second year and taking five A levels at Exeter College, she says: “It looks very modern and it gives us a nice area for lunch and relaxing.”

Raphael Royo-Reece, aged 17, of Heavitree – also in his second-year and studying A levels – agrees: “It’s good that we are able to have a say in what happens at the College, and I think this was definitely a good idea. It has given us somewhere else to sit and relax, and I really like it.”

The Conservatory is one of a number of exciting projects planned at the College.

Deputy Principal Rebecca King says: “We’re already working on our next new project in the city which is refurbishing 26 Queen Street, an important building that has been empty for some time.

“We are looking forward to providing a dedicated Music and Performance Academy for our talented students, due to open early 2011. As with The Conservatory, it is important that we listen to the end users – our students and staff – and continue to invest in first class facilities for the region’s talent.”

Bridgwater-based contractors Henry W.Pollard and Sons originally moved on to the then unused piece of land in Victoria Yard to start building on The Conservatory back in April this year and have just added the finishing touches to their work. In total, the venture cost around £750, 000 for building work and fitting out.

AROUND 160 Exeter College higher education students donned their caps and gowns on Friday 22nd Oct to attend their Graduation Ceremony, held at Exeter Cathedral at 2pm.

Joining them to celebrate their achievements were around 500 guests, including the Lord and Lady Mayoress, and representatives of Exeter College and its Board of Governors, including Principal Richard Atkins, as well as other Devon schools, colleges, and universities.

The guest speaker was Flybe’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim French, who addressed, among others, senior representatives of the universities of Exeter, Plymouth, and Marjon, the Exeter College graduates of 2010, and their families.

The students were awarded qualifications ranging from BA and PGCE to FdSc, FdA, HNC and HND, in a broad cross-section of subject areas offered at the College, including Business Management, Health and Social Care, Performance Production, Legal Practice, Sports Therapy, Education, Early Years, Engineering, and Construction.

The ceremony began with a procession of dignitaries attending within the Cathedral accompanied by music provided by Exeter College Wind Band.

Once the students had collected their certificates, they were invited to afternoon tea at the Thistle Hotel in the city, held within the Cavendish Room and Devonshire Suite.

Julie Skinner, Head of Higher Education at Exeter College, said: “This is the third Exeter College graduation ceremony. It is always a wonderful occasion for students, their families, and the city, in which we are able to celebrate the success of all our higher education students here at Exeter College.

“The cathedral is a beautiful venue which lends itself to such a prestigious occasion and we are looking forward to returning again this year.”

A CITY centre building that has played a vital role in Exeter’s history is destined for a bright future thanks to its recent purchase by Exeter College.

The Grade II-listed property at 26 Queen Street, previously home of the University of Plymouth’s School of Arts, is being transformed into the Exeter College Music and Performance Academy. Part of an exciting building programme at the College, it is due to open early next year.

And among those working on the site for South-West based building contractors Midas is Exeter College’s own carpentry apprentice Tom Perryman, aged 19, of Honiton.

In the first year of studying for a two-year NVQ Level 2 qualification in Carpentry, Tom divides his week between lessons at the College’s Construction faculty in Sowton and work-shadowing expert carpenter George Jepps on-site at Queen Street.

Rebecca King, Deputy Principal at Exeter College, is delighted that one of the College’s own apprentices is involved in the project.

She says: “It is very special that one of our own construction apprentices is able to contribute to the refurbishment of this wonderful building.

“The Music and Performance Academy will be a dedicated centre of excellence for the talented musicians and performers that Exeter College attracts from the Exeter and heart of Devon schools,” she continues.

“The recording studios, editing suites, performance spaces and music practice rooms are designed to cater for all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to rock and pop, and our popular music technology courses, and the facilities will mirror the equipment that our students will face when they are in the industry.

“Likewise, Tom’s experiences working on this building will benefit him as he continues his training with Midas.”

Excited to be involved in the renovation of such an old building, Tom agrees: “I’m really enjoying being an apprentice because it means that I’m gaining my skills while I’m working rather than just in a classroom. When you are among other people who are already experienced in what you want to do, you learn a lot more – and you can always ask questions if you’re not sure.

“I’m also getting to see carpentry of a kind that I wouldn’t normally see on a newer building. At the same time, I’m finding out about the sort of tools used back in the day, as well as about all the modern ones.”

George, who has worked in the building industry for almost 37 years and has been a carpenter for the last 20, first trained as an apprentice himself too so understands what it is like.

He says: “It’s nice having Tom around to pass on my knowledge to, especially as I remember how much being an apprentice helped me. We all have to start somewhere, so if you’re working with someone who can help you as you are learning, then all the better.”

Midas’ site manager Peter Chown – a man with 44 years’ experience in the construction industry and another former apprentice – is also very positive about apprenticeships.

He says: “As an apprentice, you are not pushed in at the deep end; instead, you are eased in gently and trained by professionals.

“From the industry’s point of view, it’s good too, because many apprentices go on to become site and contract managers and remain loyal to their employers. It makes good sense that if you are trained well by your employer, there’s more of an incentive to remain with them once training has been completed.

“Working on this project is proving to be really enjoyable for all of us, not only Tom; it’s not every day that you get to work on a building with as much age and character as this one.”

Still housing a portion of the City Wall in its basement, 26 Queen Street became the new site for The Exeter Dispensary in 1843, three years after the foundation stone was laid by Sir John Buller MP. The stone can still be seen today on the corner of Northernhay Street and Queen Street.

The original dispensary, in Frienhay Street, was founded in 1818 by Dr Henry Blackhall to provide relief for the poor suffering from fevers and contagious diseases, and for children who were unfit to be admitted to the Devon and Exeter Hospital.

More recently, it became office for the National Health Service towards the end of the 20th Century, before the University of Plymouth moved into the building at the start of the 21st Century.

Now undergoing a refurbishment worth an estimated £600,000, Exeter College Music and Performing Arts students will have the use of approximately 465m² of space when the first classes begin there in early 2011.