New horticulture building planned for Bishop Burton

In response to growing learner numbers in this area the College is investing in a brand new horticulture building which will be used as a glass house for the production of plants by students under supervision.

This impressive construction is designed to complement the College’s existing buildings and will provide a modern and stimulating learning environment.

THE COLLEGE IS OPEN!!

Despite rumours to contrary, the College is open as usual today (07/01/10). There are no plans at present for the College to close due to the inclement weather today, or on any other day.

Please check the College website, College blogs or the official College facebook group for the most up-to-date information.

European Pony Championships to benefit from new surface at Bishop Burton College

A brand new outdoor arena has been constructed at Bishop Burton to add the College’s already impressive raft of equine facilities.

The arena, which is situated towards the North end of the campus, will be used as the location for the show jumping competitions during this summer’s FEI European Pony Championships, which the College is hosting.

Bishop Burton already boasts two indoor schools and the Olympic-standard Bishop Burton arena and its existing outdoor arena is being extended by 12 metres and resurfaced before the Championships, which will be held between the 27th July and the 1st August 2010.

Bishop Burton’s equine director Kim Knightley believes the new arena will also allow the College to offer much more choice and flexibility to students and clients in the longer term.

She said: “For the Pony European Championships the new facility will be used for the high-profile show jumping competition and the existing outdoor school will be the Championship Dressage Arena, but this new resource will also allow us to hold many more competitions in the future and it will mean we don’t have to stop one activity so another one can begin.

“We are looking at the possibility of hosting some arena polo and organising some affiliated show jumping throughout the summer to complement the winter competitions we currently run.”

The new surface, which measures 50m x 90m (4500m²), is situated on a part of the College’s estate that affords the room to install terraced seating for 1000 and is convenient for all of Bishop Burton’s other equine facilities.

Building work began in September and the surface and fencing is now complete.

“The new arena surface is now ready for use,” continued Ms Knightley. “As soon as we are able we will be using it to make sure it is bedded in and settled for the Championships and for use going forward.

“We chose the Martin Collins Ecotrack surface, a sand fibre mix which is suitable for all disciplines, which means we can use the arena through the year and our learners and commercial clients will benefit from yet another fantastic resource.”

New development to aid expansion of animal collections at Bishop Burton College

A new outdoor extension to the animal management unit at Bishop Burton College will see the introduction of larger and more exotic species for learners to work with.

It is hoped the area will house a number animals whose husbandry needs are more complex, such as rheas, wallaby and alpaca, animals which will provide new challenges for both Further and Higher Education learners.

In order to accommodate these new species an area adjacent to the existing animal management unit is being created which will contain paddocks, aviaries, stabling, a new lemur enclosure and enclosures for smaller social mammals such as mongoose or meerkats.

Animal management unit co-ordinator Nick Davies feels the addition of the outdoor area will be on enormous benefit to animal management learners.

He said: “This new area will increase our current collections considerably and will in turn develop the knowledge and skills base of the students and prepare them thoroughly for entry into the animal management industry.

“These new species will also allow Degree students to use more complex, exotic species for their project work. It will be a fantastic addition to the existing facilities.”

The brand-new Centre for Sports and Fitness at Bishop Burton College is almost complete and ready to open its door to users.

The brand-new Centre for Sports and Fitness at Bishop Burton College is almost complete and ready to open its door to users.

The building, which comprises a state-of-the-art fitness suite, dance studio and sports hall, as well as spacious showers and changing facilities will open on the 1st September, with an official opening ceremony planned for later in the year.

This new facility, which will be available for use by Bishop Burton College learners and staff as well as the local community, will offer some of the best fitness equipment in the UK, with machines and fitness stations supplied by Matrix Fitness Systems.

The Centre will be one of the first in the country to offer the new 7xe range of cardiovascular equipment from Matrix, which features 15-inch integrated LCD screens with an intuitive ‘FitTouch’ touch screen interface.

The range is also iPod compatible and incorporates Vista Clear Television Technology, which delivers the most crisp and vibrant digital display available.

In addition to the 7xe line, the Fitness Suite will benefit from the Matrix G3 strength range. These machines provide an effective, safe workout with bio mechanically correct positioning and range of movement.

The suite also boasts a professional music system, plasma screens, free weight area, stretching zone, climate-control and fully trained instructors. The Centre for Sports and Fitness offers a range of membership packages at highly competitive rates, with promotions running throughout the year.

Sports Hall

The 626 square metre sports hall is designed to Sport England specification and caters for a wide range of sporting activity, including badminton, netball, basketball, volleyball, football, table tennis, fitness testing, handball, fencing and gymnastics. It has a number of impressive design features, including;

- High-quality sprung wood floor
- 60 seat glass-backed viewing area
- Professional electronic timing and scoring system.
- Roof retractable electronic basketball system.
- Large sports-specific storage areas.

Dance Studio

The Dance studio is an impressive, purpose-built facility incorporating high-quality sprung wood floor, climate-control and mirrored walls complete with exercise bars and built-in music system. The dance studio is also an ideal venue for aerobic exercise classes, including X-Bike spinning and Technogym Easyline circuits.

4G artificial turf pitch and outdoor grass pitches

Bishop Burton College also offers extensive parkland sporting facilities, which include the unrivalled floodlit 4th Generation sports pitch suitable for competitive fixtures and training. Complete with team dug-outs, the pitch can also be divided into areas specific to users' requirements, and is suitable for a number of sporting activities, including football and rugby.

Current clients include Hull AFC, Leeds United FC and Hull RUFC. The Centre also provides professionally maintained grass pitches for football, hockey and rugby, one of which is floodlit for evening training and matches.

Centre Shop

Nike will provide the stock for the new sports retail outlet, which will sell a wide range of men’s, women and children’s clothing and footwear, as well as nutritional supplements and drinks and a full range of sporting accessories.

Other facilities

• A smaller Sports Hall and squash court, which have both been newly refurbished, are also available for hire in The Meadows Sports Centre
• equipment andf facilities hire at very competitive rates can also be hired for children’s parties and sporting events
• Toilets, showers and large changing areas, including disabled conveniences
• Free parking is offered for all of our clients
• Purpose-built on-site accommodation adjacent to the Centre
• A range of catering facilities
• Laundry services.

Opening Times

Monday – Thursday 7am – 10pm
Friday 7am – 9pm
Saturday and Sunday 8am – 5pm

http://www.bishopburton.ac.uk/

21st-Century Dairy refit unveiled

Bishop Burton College has announced completion of its state-of-the-art dairy and has already seen improvements in milk quality and a reduction in milking time.

The completion of the new milking parlour and other dairy improvements is the culmination of substantial investment in the dairy facilities and College farm as a whole.

The construction of a new Westfalia 24-point herringbone milking parlour has dropped milking time by two hours and seen cell counts fall from 250 to 175.

The new parlour replaces 20-year-old equipment for which upkeep was proving prohibitive. The old parlour was a 16 point, so with room for more cows herd expansion in the future is now a possibility.

Farm manager Dominic Naylor is pleased with the improvements.

He said: “Teat end damage was becoming a particular problem, with a correlative increase in cell counts.

“Not only has teat damage reduced dramatically, but clinical cases of mastitis have fallen by 75%”

As part of the parlour deal, all cows have also been fitted with pedometers, which will help in the management of fertility.

Mr Naylor continued: “The pedometers have been very useful in catching those cows whose oestrus has been difficult to detect.

“The calving index has fallen by 30 days and the pedometers should enable us to reach a target of 385 days, which would be excellent for a 10,000 litre herd average.

“The new stallwork comfortably accommodates a 700kg Holstein and the parlour is light and airy, making the whole process more relaxing for high-yielding cows.”

Over the past year the dairy has been the subject of extensive refurbishment works including a new lockable yoke system and hi-tech rubber matting in the loafing area to encourage increased signs of oestrus.

These latest improvements bring the entire dairy refit to a cost of approximately £300,000.

College principal Jeanette Dawson feels investment in the farm is crucial to giving students the very best start in the careers.

She said: “We offer all of our learners vocational courses of the highest standard, but in order for them to be industry ready, they must also be familiar with industry best practice.

“The new dairy, along with the significant investment in the rest of the College’s facilities, are very definitely representative of industry and will prepare our students for employment by giving them hands on experience with the best resources and equipment.”

Other recent improvements in the farm include the purchase of three new Case tractors of differing horsepowers to cover the whole of the College’s 1100 acres and two 14-tonne silage/grain trailers with flotation tyres which have proved invaluable during the maize harvest.

A five-year-old mixer wagon has also been replaced by a Shelbourne Reynolds vertical tub mixer.

www.bishopburton.ac.uk

College Plays Host to Royal Visitor

Equine Arena and Learning Resource Centre

Offically Opened by The Princess Royal

The College received a very special guest recently when Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, paid a visit to the College to open the new equine indoor arena - Bishop Burton Arena - and the Learning Resource Centre.

The buildings, which cost £3million and £4.5million respectively, are the flagship projects of the College's £25million redevelopment scheme.

The Princess was given a guided tour of both buildings and chatted to staff and students about their courses, their future plans and their lives at Bishop Burton and she was even able to take time to watch a Pro-Am Show Jumping competition in the new indoor arena which featured professional riders competing in pairs with some of the College's own learners.

To watch a video of the visit click here

To find out more about the Royal Family click here

www.bishopburton.ac.uk