Campus news
The dramas of the ballet
Northern Ballet’s hit production of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ has survived fire, flood and changing fashions since it first brought Prokofiev’s electrifying score to the stage in 1991.
Ahead of the ballet’s much-anticipated revival earlier this year, an exhibition at the University’s Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery brought together drawings, props, costumes and photographs from the company’s archive to tell the eventful story of the making of a classic.
In 2001 arsonists destroyed Northern Ballet’s headquarters; Romeo & Juliet costumes were lost just three weeks before that year’s first performance. Then catastrophic floods in 2015 wrecked sets and costumes at the company’s stores.
The exhibition drew on items from the Northern Ballet Archive, donated to the University in 2021, which catalogues the 50-year story of the company.
Abolitionists honoured
Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung and fellow alum Khadija Ibrahim beside the plaque.
Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung and fellow alum Khadija Ibrahim beside the plaque.
Campaigners at the forefront of the global movement to abolish slavery have been honoured on the University campus.
Leeds’s history as a hotbed of anti-slavery campaigning has been highlighted with the unveiling of a blue plaque at the University’s Lyddon Hall. Now a student residence, Lyddon Hall was once the home of campaigners Mary and Wilson Armistead. Wilson was a Quaker merchant and president of the Leeds Anti-Slavery Association, and his wife Mary was its librarian.
Founded in 1853, the association staged inspirational lectures by African American abolitionists who visited the city.
MPs demand our students
Our successful MP internship programme is expanding after the demand for Leeds students has outstripped the supply of interns.
Every year 12 Politics and Parliamentary Studies students complete placements in Westminster with serving MPs. After being inundated with requests from new MPs, the scheme will expand to 20 students a year over the next five years.
Course Director Dr Alexandra Meakin (British Politics (Parliamentary Studies) 2006), who completed an internship between 2005-06, said: “My PPS internship was life-changing: I was offered a job with two MPs before even finishing my placement. Now I love getting to place our students in Westminster and seeing their confidence and skills transform during their time immersed in the centre of British politics.”
30 years of teaching and impact
Leeds’s highly influential School for Disability Studies is celebrating 30 years of its groundbreaking course.
Since 1994, graduates have gone on to advise the UN Human Rights Council, lead disability at Sport England, and even co-found the Association of British Commuters. Many have become campaigners for disability rights, including Silent Witness actor and Olivier Award winner Liz Carr (Dip Disability Studies 1994).
The school has also influenced legislation. Data published by Emeritus Professor Colin Barnes (Sociology 1985, PhD 1989) showing how disabled people suffered prejudice in all areas of life was key to the development of the UK’s Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
More recently the UK’s first blind law professor Anna Lawson (Law 1998) advised the UK government on inaccessible transport and is now completing a study on inclusive public spaces, funded by the European Research Council.
Thirty years on, the school’s work is more relevant than ever. Globally, more than a billion people are disabled, a figure that is rising as medical progress helps disabled people live longer and people acquire disabilities as our population ages. Long COVID has created a whole new group of disabled people, while areas of
neurodiversity and mental health are now categorised as disabilities.
And we continue to educate and inspire the next generation of campaigners and influencers. A new online MSc in Disability Studies Rights and Inclusion has attracted students from across the globe.
“The course was developed to be inclusive by design by prioritising accessibility for the diverse needs of disabled students,” said course lead Dr Hannah Morgan (Politics and Parliamentary Studies 1998, MA Disability Studies 1999). “Many of our students already work in the field of disability. The course equips people to professionalise their work and go out to make change.”
I am endlessly surprised by the number of times a leading figure in the disabled people’s movement says with pride: ‘I’m a Disability Studies graduate from Leeds’.
The UK’s first blind law professor Anna Lawson (Law 1998) advised the UK government on inaccessible transport
The UK’s first blind law professor Anna Lawson (Law 1998) advised the UK government on inaccessible transport
A special event celebrated 25 years of Leeds in India
A special event celebrated 25 years of Leeds in India
Event marks a quarter of a century in India
A special event has celebrated 25 years of the University’s work in India.
Since 1999, the University has fostered educational and cultural ties with India through partnerships, academic exchanges and research initiatives which have enriched the experiences of students and staff from both nations.
Hosted by the University's India office, the India25 event in Delhi welcomed business leaders, award winners from British Council Study UK – and distinguished Leeds alumni from a range of disciplines and years of graduation.
During the event, a number of alumni contributed their 'Words of Wisdom', sharing insights, advice and words of encouragement with those navigating the transition from university to the professional world.
An investment in poetry
A £5m investment from Government is supporting the development of The National Poetry Centre, which will be based on campus.
The Centre’s home will be Trinity St David’s Church close to the University’s Woodhouse Lane entrance, more recently used as a nightclub. It will provide space for research, rehearsals and performances spaces, encouraging people of every age and background to enjoy poetry in all its many forms.
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, the University's Professor of Poetry, said: “My highest ambition when appointed Poet Laureate was to create a national home for poetry in my native West Yorkshire. This award is a huge step forward in this; I’m thrilled that so many people see the sense in this idea, and I’m excited to be confidently planning the next stage of development.”
Acting for the environment
The Emmerdale cast and crew are helping the trees in Gair Wood to thrive
The Emmerdale cast and crew are helping the trees in Gair Wood to thrive
Emmerdale cast and crew members have joined forces with the University to ensure a vital ecological corridor continues to flourish. Gair Wood is a University-owned site north of Leeds where more than 60,000 trees were planted last year to enhance the local environment and provide a valuable resource for research and teaching.
Actors and production crew from the TV soap, which is filmed on a purpose-built set nearby, will help to maintain 10,000 of the trees after they celebrated the milestone of their 10,000th episode this summer.
Wedding anniversary
David Gedge formed the band The Wedding Present whilst studying at Leeds
David Gedge formed the band The Wedding Present whilst studying at Leeds
A special concert in LUU will mark 40 years of one of the University’s best-loved bands.
In 1985, David Gedge (Mathematics 1981) formed the band The Wedding Present with his friends Shaun Charman (Economics & Sociology 1986), English student Keith Gregory and PGCE student Peter Solowka.
Now the only original member in the band, David chose to mark the anniversary on campus: “I thought it would be a nice idea to play this concert as a ‘back to where it all started’ event.”
In the first volume of David’s autobiography Go Out And Get ‘Em, Boy! named after The Wedding Present’s first single, he describes the early days of playing around Leeds at venues like the Royal Park, Adelphi, Haddon Hall, Central Station – and the University.
Powering into the future
A new facility has established Leeds as the UK’s leading experimental nuclear institution in the field of multiphase fluid flow, a key factor in the safe operation of nuclear power plants.
The only one of its kind in the country, the facility will help train the next generation of scientists and engineers in their bid to deliver cleaner energy and is expected to attract researchers from institutions and industries around the UK.
The test rig enables high-temperature experiments using new-era nuclear technology, driven by a conviction that nuclear will be a key part of tomorrow’s low-emission energy mix.
Built with Shorthand