Around 2,000 people from the local and wider community were welcomed onto campus last weekend for the first University-wide Community Festival.

The free event opened up the doors of the University for the public to come inside and find out more about our work through interactive, fun activities.

The sun shone as members of the public, young and old, took the opportunity to get hands-on, go behind the scenes and find out more about the work and exciting research undertaken at the University.

The flight simulator proved to be one of the most popular attractions of the day with many visitors enjoying the opportunity to take control of an aircraft and land it safely at an airport. From discovering how drugs get to the right part of the body and using tiny materials to treat diseases, to the art of a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and creating new songs, visitors enjoyed a wide variety of engaging activities. Like many other summer festivals, the helter-skelter and face painting were as popular as ever with the younger visitors!

Dr Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility said: “It was a real pleasure to see our local community on the University campus, getting involved and finding out more about the work of the University. The event also provided a valuable opportunity for our staff to share and exchange knowledge with members of our local community.”

Melissa McNally, a visitor to the event, said: “My son and his friend loved the whole festival. The staff and helpers were amazing – helpful, knowledgeable and engaging – a brilliant day!”

To see the full Festival programme visit the social responsibility website.

Photographs of the event are available on the social responsibility Facebook page.