Spring 2025 • northumbria.ac.uk
Issue 33
ROYAL HONOUR
BLAST OFF AT SPACE CAMP
NO BARRIERS TO SUCCESS
OBE for Professor making a difference for children and families
Out-of-this-world careers event for youngsters
Lois and her guide dog Buster celebrate at graduation
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Find out more on page 13
Read all about it on page 31
New centre marks milestone in North East’s creative ambitions THE CENTRE FOR WRITING WILL BE BASED WITHIN NEWCASTLE’S HISTORIC CULTURAL AND CREATIVE ZONE KNOWN AS CREATIVE CENTRAL NCL
The North East is fast gaining a reputation as a creative powerhouse, and with high-profile industry and government investment in the region announced in recent months, Northumbria University is playing a key role in this cultural revolution. In January this year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced it would be investing £5 million in a new centre for writing in Newcastle — a project Northumbria University is leading alongside the charity and writing development agency New Writing North. Having worked together for over a decade, the two organisations have teamed up with local government and national publishers to make the centre a reality. Set to be based within Newcastle’s
historic cultural and creative zone, known as Creative Central NCL, the centre will support the development of a new generation of northern writers, provide space for local communities to connect with writing, and become a hub for creative industries, in the North of England. As the only higher education institution partnering on this development of the centre for writing, this offers an exciting opportunity for Northumbria to be at the forefront of the growing publishing industry.
Home to world-leading researchers with a wide variety of expertise, the University is in a unique position to provide the knowledge and skills needed to support the development of creative industries in the region. Dr Heather Robson is Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor of Northumbria’s Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences and explains: “This is an exciting time for the North East — we’ve seen global organisations such as Warner Music UK demonstrating their confidence in the region by investing here,
plans for major developments such as the £450m Crown Works Studios in Sunderland, as well as an increase in new creative SMEs and start-ups in the region. “As a university we have a deep knowledge and understanding of the creative industries and how they fit into the economy and infrastructure of society. Through our academic research we can look at the industry though a different lens and help identify future needs and requirements. And through our
teaching we can then provide the skills needed to meet those requirements — training the next generation of writers, artists, film makers, producers and creatives. Continues on page 2.