Campus in the City - Take 2!
The Campus in the City Shop in Lancaster
The shop is used to bring University research and activities directly to the heart of the community.
In its second year, Campus in the City expanded upon the successes of 2014, with five local organisations as project partners. Lancaster City Council offered the empty shop at 5, Cheapside rent-free and construction students from Lancaster and Morecambe College renovated it before the project began. The Lancaster and District Chamber of Commerce and Lancaster Business Improvement District helped the team to network with local businesses, and the Dukes Theatre offered equipment and staff time for a season of film screenings.
Running for 10 weeks, Campus in the City welcomed 5,765 visitors to 62 different events, hosted by academics and students. 99% of those visitors said that they would like to see the project repeated in 2016 and 94% of the academics who hosted events said that they would participate again. The project caught the attention of local and national media, including being featured twice in the Times Higher Education Supplement twice.
One of the highlights of the Campus in the City project was the return of the History Department’s ‘Streets of Mourning’ project. Over two days, the project team showcased their work with schools and other local organisations to highlight the local impact of World War I and demonstrated the ‘Streets of Mourning’ website which allows Lancaster residents to discover what happened to the residents of their house as a result of the conflict. Actors dressed as soldiers were on hand to talk about life in the trenches, and George Green (English Department) shared his grandmother’s memories of life during the war.