Hopes new university will inspire city as scores attend open day

Scores of people were able to get a glimpse of Peterborough’s academic future at the first campus open day at the city’s new university.

Around 2,000 people were welcomed to ARU Peterborough, on the Embankment site off Bishop’s Road, to find out more about what the new university will bring to the city. Guided tours were given of the new teaching building, including the state-of-the-art facilities, and communal areas like the café and terrace.

The day was a celebration of the first teaching building being completed, ahead of the university’s opening next month.

The Community Day also showcased some of the courses and skills on offer. That included testing out virtual reality (VR) technology used in the university’s mobile gaming and computer science courses and using computer code and artificial intelligence (AI) to help robots navigate a maze.

People tried nursing and midwifery skills in the dedicated teaching labs, and biomedical scientists demonstrated the latest in disease diagnosis and treatment.

Young visitors were entertained by the Cambridge Science Centre, where different tricks and experiments were carried out with colour, light, temperature and weight. More fun was had with balloon modelling, a giant bubble show and the chance to taste a cloud. Live music and food and drink rounded out the entertainment.

Professor Ross Renton, Principal of ARU Peterborough, said: “After years of hard work behind the scenes, it was a wonderful moment to welcome over 2,000 members of the local community into University House to experience Peterborough’s new university for themselves.

“From day one we’ve said that ARU Peterborough will address skills shortages and boost social mobility in one of the most extreme cold spots for higher education progression in the country. We know there’s no shortage of talent here in Peterborough, and our city’s new university will unlock this potential both in Peterborough and the wider region. We are delighted that almost half of all applications so far are from people living in PE postcodes.”

Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: "This is an important milestone in the history of our city. There are many residents in Peterborough for whom university has previously not been an option. The opening of ARU Peterborough will make university more affordable and accessible to our residents, allowing them to command greater wages in their working lives and increasing the economic prosperity of the city as a whole."