A sixteen-strong dancing flash mob of students descended on the Students’ Union this afternoon. 

The group of students aimed to raise awareness of the upcoming sporting week in March, that coincides with the Games and Guild event.

The week of events will begin on Friday 27 February, and will include a ‘mix of able bodied and disabled sport’.

Events will include Wii games, wheelchair basketball, parkour and ‘don’t drop the ball’ table tennis.

Organiser of the flash mob, Ben Latham, a third year Outdoor Leadership student, explains what he hoped to achieve with today’s flash mob:

Participants are needed for the event, and you can register your interest by emailing SUClubsandsocs@uclan.ac.uk or by phoning 01772 894 860. You can also visit UCLan Students’ Union Activities for more information.

The fire rages in the disused church

Twelve UCLan students have been evacuated from their accommodation on Moor Lane, following a huge fire which began last night in the neighbouring disused Spiritualist church.

The Ethical Spiritualist Church, on Moor Lane, close to the Adelphi pub, had been burning from before midnight.

The fire brigade are thought to have been called at 11:01 pm, and the fire is being treated as suspicious.

A tweet by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The fire investigation at the Old Spiritual Church is still ongoing, however, at this moment in time we are treating it as suspicious.”

Up to seven fire engines and 40 firefighters attended the fire, along with several police officers, all who were unable to comment at the time.

Smoke from the fire hung across the city, and was visible from neighbouring student accommodation.

Mikki Wright, a first year TV production student, was an eye-witness. She said: “I live in IQ Kopa and looked out of my window to see loads of smoke, so I called in my flat mates and we could see flames and decided to go outside and see what had happened.

“We saw the roof had completely gone, then went and watched at the front where there were around eight fire engines, a few ambulances and a few police cars including an unmarked police car.

“The fire was huge and the smoke was covering us and there were huge sparks of fire flying around above us.”

It is thought that the students who had been evacuated are still not able to return yet. A statement from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) said:

“The students were given emergency university accommodation overnight. We are continuing to offer support to those who were affected by this incident.”

The cause of the fire is yet to be explained.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “Nobody is allowed in at this stage until an assessor has declared the building as safe.

“Around 30 people were evacuated, mostly students.”

Photos and video below show the extent of the fire, but it is thought that neighbouring buildings are unharmed.

In a statement on their website, Lancashire Fire and Rescue’s Incident Commander Tony Crook said: “The firefighters did an excellent job using the resources they had to stop the fire from spreading to any other building.

“The residents who were evacuated will be allowed to go back in to their homes once a structural engineer has declared the building safe. The cause of the fire is not yet known, however, we are working with Lancashire Police to determine the cause.”

Words and video by Hannah Breeze, photographs in slideshow by Dave Stubbings. Other photo by Alex Pamphilon.

Nominations for the UCLan Students’ Union election season open today.

The nomination peroid will be open for one month, until March 5.

Students can run for one of five Student Affairs Committee (SAC) roles; President, Education Officer, Media Officer, Campaigns Officer or Activities and Participation Officer, or for a place on the Student Council.

This year’s current SAC, explain why they think it is important to run for their respective roles.

You can view the full election timetable here.

Pluto, PSTV and Frequency Radio will be bringing you all the latest on the Students’ Union Elections as they happen, with live-coverage of results and question-time events, as well as interviews, videos, photos and more.

Words and video by Hannah Breeze



Students are finding their cars have been attacked. Photo: Alfred Hermida (Flickr)

Student cars have been targeted in the Plungington area of Preston.

Last year, numerous reports were made of cars being broken into; especially students parking on Greenbank Street, Murray Street, Gordon Street, Ashmoor Street and Hawkins Street.

None of these areas had overlooking houses, industrial buildings, lighting and or CCTV.

Since the start of the New Year, two vehicles have been broken into that were parked on Hawkins Street.

In all but one case, the cars targeted have been student owned.

“The noise in Preston makes you nervous to move your car – today I walked out of my house and there were eggs on the windows and with a number of teenagers living in the area, it does make me nervous to leave it,” said Wildman Street resident, Anneka Nicholl.

Lancashire Police’s Jennifer Coupe says the issue with student vehicles centres around students leaving cars for a long period of time with many leaving cars up to a week, meaning it is very difficult to narrow down frames of when the offences are occurring.

With the UCLan campus only ten minutes away from many student homes, students are not using their cars; making it a lot easier for break-ins to take place.

“The vehicles are being targeted by smashing the windows and therefore the offender would reach in and steal property,” said PC Coupe.

The officer has issued advice for all students with cars in the Preston area and has explained that students should “continually check upon their vehicles when not using them.”

“Also by taking all property out of the vehicle would hopefully deter the offender form targeting the vehicle,” she added.

“We appreciate that parking is difficult however we would advice that whenever possible vehicles are left in a well lit area.”

A campaign called It Gets Better has recently been launched by UCLan’s LGBT Society.

With the aim of showing people that “there is actually a greater chance for things to get better”, the video interviews UCLan students showing “real people with real stories with real proof that life does get better; it gets good”.

The video is in aid of Diversity Role Models; an organisation devoted to promoting LGBT role models in schools.

Louise Courtney, who has been described as “the driving force behind the video”, said she wanted to “represent each ‘type’ of being gay; hopefully meaning that whoever was watching would be able to relate to at least one person in the video”.

The video acts as a source of hope for those that have been affected and the society has said that everyone involved was “obviously passionate about this video; both for its meaning and the support we hoped it would give”.

“We kept fighting to make it,” she added, after explaining a number of difficulties they had encountered whilst producing the video.

Second Year student, Louise Courtney explains that she “wanted to show people who’ve come out or are worried about coming out that it’s not always bad coming out.”

“People can surprise you, but even if they don’t and they react bad, you still have friends and people to talk to, and even failing that there is a support network out there, of people like us, who will make it better for you, and make you smile”, she added.

“Everyone worked extremely hard,” said LGBT Chair, Alex Re.

The video was premiered at the LGBT Charity Christmas Ball and can be currently viewed on YouTube.

The society is extremely pleased with the results and hopes everyone shares the successful outcome of the “It Gets Better” video.

Scenes like this will be repeated less often at 53 Degrees

Regular Thursday clubnights at 53 Degrees are a thing of the past following the end Vodka Nationwide’s involvement with the venue.

The decision came following a semester of the events which replaced the Students’ Union’s (SU) event, Promo, which ceased in May 2011.

However poor attendances has seen weekly clubnights been pulled from the 53 Degrees schedule.

Organisers, Taking Liberties, is responsible for the Vodka Nationwide brand.

Managing Director of Taking Liberties, Jim Albentosa said: “After some great initial parties over Fresher’s week the attendance numbers dropped in favour of the established events at Squires and Lava.

“As neither party (Taking Liberties and 53 Degrees) was profiting from the event, we mutually decided to stop.

“The students at UCLan certainly know how to party so I’m sure we’ll be back in Preston for some more events soon.”

SU President, Reni Eddo-Lodge said the end of the arrangement mirrored a national trend.

“It protected the Union from the financial risk of running a Thursday club night in the current recession which has seen a national decline in nightclub and university event attendances.

“Often it is difficult to foresee what may or may not happen with an event, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to gage the desires of students, in an ever changing economic climate.”

“We believe that the problems associated with the weekly student club night as 53 Degrees are a lot more complex than just the event itself.

“On debriefing with Vodka Nationwide they felt that the key reasons for the closure of the event were: heavy drink discounting in the city centre bars had been a major issue, lack of feeder bars supporting 53 Degrees, less students going out less frequently and the growing trend of students wanting fewer bigger events.”

The SU is currently undertaking a survey to find out what students want from 53 Degrees.

However the venue will still be hosting irregular clubnights with other outside promoters throughout the rest of the academic year.

53 degrees is looking past the disappointment of Vodka Nationwide and is currently preparing to welcome one of the UK’s biggest parties this July; The Great Games Party of the UK Corporate Games.

(Audio by Hannah Breeze)

UCLan’s Islamic society will host a conference by the world renowned Harun Yahya organisation next month which will include lectures on evolution theory and a fossil collection.

The Harun Yahya organisation, based in Turkey, has delivered over 3500 conferences worldwide and has published more than 300 books.

The lectures on ‘today’s science and evolution theory’ and the ‘miracles of the Qur’an’ are catered to appeal to Musilms and non Musilms alike and seek to explain the connections between religion and evolution theory.

Turkish based Dr. Ahmet Oktar Babuna, a neurosurgeon based in Istanbul and Dr. Turgut Asku of Ankara are set to speak to students at the conference.

Mohammed Patel, chair of UCLan’s Islamic Society said: “The Islamic Society is humbled to host such a prestigious organisation and I hope that UCLan will be honoured in hosting them.

“The two doctors who will be speaking are highly qualified and experienced in this field and the organisation is seen to be leading the debate in this area of research.

“The topics have been chosen as they aim to attract the Non-Muslim audience primarily and also the Muslims.

“In this era of much controversy surrounding the Evolution Theory and the teachings of the Glorious Qur’an, we endeavour to grant people the true understanding of the stance of Islam on the Theory and the miracles engrained within of the Qur’an from a scientific perspective.

“The fossil exhibition will also add a special touch to the event as it has been accepted worldwide.”

The conference is free to attend and will be held on Friday 3 February, between 4pm and 6pm in Greenbank Lecture Theatre.

Vice-Chancellor, Malcolm McVicar shakes hand on the deal which will see UCLan in Thailand in 2014

A new venture costing £7.5m will fulfil UCLan’s plan to build the UK’s first private university campus in Thailand.

The campus that is being established in the largest urban area of the Thai capital, Bangkok, aims to be ready in June 2014 in a bid to undertake high-impact research, work alongside employers to gain a UK award.

Students from South East Asia and across the world will be able to experience a high UK standard of education through the learning and living environment in Thailand; with a hope that the initial 800 students will build to 5000 by 2024.

An official agreement was signed between the university and Thai-based entrepreneur Mr Sitichai Charoenkajonkul on January 10 in a ceremony where both parties pledged to work in close contact to create a full-scale university campus.

UCLan’s vice-Chancellor, Malcolm McVicar, said the campus aims to extend UCLan’s “International links” and bring “World-class higher education and our view of a superlative student experience to South East Asia”.

He added: “UCLan has made huge strides in the last ten years and the qualities of innovation, entrepreneurship and enterprise remain at the heart of everything we do.

“We have students from over 120 countries and some 125 partnerships across the globe but we are now entering a new phase of exciting development which will see us build campuses outside the UK.”

The campus will offer full-time and part-time undergraduate, postgraduate and foundation degree courses in subject areas that include business, built and natural environment, engineering, creative and performing arts and languages.

UCLan Students’ Union (SU) has launched a new eight week fitness programme, after receiving £800 in funding from the NHS Tackling Health Equalities grant.

The Biggest Loser project will offer 33 contestants the opportunity to get fit, lose weight and receive professional nutritional advice.

The contestants were split into three teams of 11, during a team building activity at Pendle Hill on January 22. The teams will compete each week to lose the highest percentage of weight.

Lyndsey Spiers, the Students’ Union’s Student Activities Coordinator at UCLan’s Burnley Campus, organised the Biggest Loser project with support from Health Coordinator, Sharon Doherty, and staff at the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre.

She believes the project, which is included in the Give It A Go programme, will give students the support and motivation needed to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“UCLan’s Biggest Losers aims to provide students with a platform to make a positive change to their lives at UCLan, and to share tips and knowledge that the students can take forward with them,” she said.

“The project lasts for eight weeks, but the aim is to make a positive impact on the whole future of these students.”

Contestants will take part in weekly boot camps held by an MTV weight loss instructor nicknamed the ‘Princess of Pain’, every Tuesday at 7pm. The project will also see them try a different exercise class every week at Sir Tom Finney Sport Centre, including Spinning, Pilates and Boxercise on Thursdays at 7pm.

Contestants attend weekly weigh-ins on Wednesdays in the Students’ Union’s meeting rooms whilst receiving advice and tips on how to maintain their diet and fitness.

The Pluto team are looking for enthusiastic members to join a special election coverage project in March.

The Students’ Union elections are always a popular event around campus, and we aim for our coverage this year to be bigger and better than ever. We aim to live-stream results and ‘question time’ events, as well as having audio and video online coverage of candidate’s manifestos and campaigning.

We had a little practice with our live-streaming app today, and you can see how it went by viewing the Pluto Facebook page.

We are looking for enthusiastic students who are really interested in multimedia, journalism and social media. You don’t have to be on a journalism or mutlimedia course, and the necessary training will be provided.

If you want to get involved in this project, which has never been attempted before by UCLan student media, then you can get involved in the following ways:

- Twitter: @Plutonews

- Facebook: www.facebook.com/plutonews

- Email: sumedia@uclan.ac.uk