Opening our doors
Many of our facilities, services and events are open to the public. Having a major university on the doorstep can be a real benefit with everything from libraries to sports facilities on offer.
- We offer public access to the full range of classes and sporting facilities at our Headington, Wheatley and Harcourt Hill campuses. The Centre for Sport at Headington has just had a major revamp, with some of the best facilities in the region, including a state of-the-art climbing wall.
- Our public lecture programme is one of the biggest and best, bringing a unique selection of speakers to Brookes, from national figures to some of our most respected academics. Recent events have seen visits from Kate Adie, Ray Mears and university Chancellor Shami Chakrabati.
- Brookes Science Bazaar attracted 500 adults and children in 2009 who got hands-on with science and engineering challenges.
- We hold a community event every December for older members of the community who have supported Brookes down the years. ‘No Mince Pies’ is organised jointly by Oxford Brookes and the Students’ Union and features performances from students across the university including the Orchestral, Choral and Jazz Societies.
Volunteers and community-based learning
Volunteering is an important part of the lives of many of our students and staff and a big part of how we work with our neighbours. In 2009, Brookes contributed 14,240 hours of volunteer time to a huge range of different projects, and we helped to establish 100 partnerships with third sector organisations.
Every year our students find themselves involved in a host of different volunteering activities from children’s playschemes to community festivals. Some are able to use their academic courses to help people, for example some of our law students volunteer with the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Oxfordshire Youth Offending Team and the Oxfordshire Short-Term Advocacy Service which helps disadvantaged people to find out about their rights.
The Brookes Student Innovation Fund raises money from former students to support community projects. In 2009, donations of more than £12,000 have supported student-led projects including an ‘eco shelter’ for the Barracks Lane Community Garden in East Oxford, a music project to teach DJing to young people disaffected by school or society and a drop-in cafe in a youth centre in Botley.
Community-based student research projects are another example of how Brookes brings real benefits to Oxford. Students have worked with Thames Valley Police on their Neighbourhood Policing project, looking at how communities form perceptions of crime and disorder. Another project, with the Royal British Legion, examined the extent of homelessness among ex-service personnel in Oxford.
