University’s efforts to help the community is recognised by award judges

The University of Northampton has added two more prizes to its burgeoning trophy cabinet after success at an industry awards event.

The uni was highly commended in two categories at the 2021 AUDE Awards, on Thursday 15 April, after colleagues and students oversaw a number of community-minded initiatives.

These included housing rough sleepers, key workers and vulnerable people in halls of residence; assisting the Red Cross; health students volunteering on the Covid frontline and the setting up and running of a campus Covid testing centre.

UON was runner up in the Estates/Facilities Team of the Year and Reaching Higher categories of the awards, which are organised by the Association of University Directors of Estates.

The Estates/Facilities Team of the Year commendation was in response to the team going above and beyond the call of duty to help the community during the pandemic – read about their amazing efforts.

The Reaching Higher commendation recognised the University’s wider response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more about how the University responded to the crisis.

Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford, said: “We have a strong ethos of ensuring we bring value to society at Northampton and beyond. Amongst the wall-to-wall news coverage of seemingly never-ending guidance and U-turns about coronavirus, positive, spirit-lifting stories have trickled out from UON. I think it’s fair to say we have occasionally led the charge here.

“Kicking off a year of civic good deeds, we gave 400 vacant student rooms to accommodate NHS staff and social care patients. Later, this offer was extended to help house vulnerable homeless people and those escaping domestic abuse. And the good news didn’t stop there.

“We supported the Red Cross when they needed a base to store food for delivery to vulnerable people across the county.

“Waterside Campus housed an assessment clinic for people with Covid-19 symptoms who needed to see a healthcare professional and coronavirus testing centres.

“We introduced a check in and chat telephone support service for students unable to return home, and also committed to delivering a net zero carbon campus by 2030.

“This is evidence, if it were ever needed, that when the chips are down, UON people think less about what it’s like living in infamous times and focus instead on rolling their sleeves up and helping when help is needed most.”

The full list of campus and estates-related awards the University has collected since moving to Waterside in 2018, is as follows.

2021

• Highly Commended, Estates/Facilities Team of the Year, Association of University Directors of Estates
  Estates & Campus Services, University of Northampton
• Highly Commended, Reaching Higher, Association of University Directors of Estates
  University of Northampton

2020

• Rose of Northamptonshire, People of Northamptonshire
  Estates & Campus Services, University of Northampton
• Green Accreditation, Investors in the Environment
  University of Northampton
• Highly Commended, Property Week
  Waterside Student Accommodation
• Highly Commended, Civic Trust Award
  Waterside Campus

2019

• Commendation, Innovation within Security, Association of University Chief Security Officers
  Security & Community Safety Team, University of Northampton
• Client of the Year, Education Estates
  University of Northampton
• Highly Commended, Innovation in Delivering Value, Education Estates
  Waterside Campus, University of Northampton
• Highly Commended, Inspiring Learning Space, Education Estates
  Learning Hub, Waterside Campus, University of Northampton
• Winner, Higher & Further Education, Architects Journal Retrofit Awards
  Engine Shed, Waterside Campus, University of Northampton
• Winner, Design through Innovation Award, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyers
  Learning Hub, Waterside Campus, University of Northampton
• Winner, Impact Initiative of the Year, Association of University Directors of Estates
  Waterside Campus, University of Northampton
• Highly Commended, Estates & Facilities Team of the Year, Association of University Directors of Estates
  Estates & Campus Services, University of Northampton
• Highly Commended, Emerging Talent Award, Association of University Directors of Estates
  John Howes, Estates & Campus Services, University of Northampton
• Winner, Adaptive Re-use Award, Association for Industrial Archaeology
  Engine Shed, Waterside Campus, University of Northampton
• Winner, Construction Project of the Year, East Midlands Property Awards
  Waterside Campus (University of Northampton) and Bowmer & Kirkland