It has been a busy period in the university, with the work and studies in full flow, and a number of exciting developments and events as we leave winter and look towards spring.
The latest call for proposals for the university’s Community Fund opened on 26th February. The fund, now in its fourth year, is aimed at supporting civic engagement activities between university staff and external partners. Awards of up to £750 are available to all staff members to carry out events and projects that will spark new collaborations or build on existing relationships with external partners.
On 23rd January, the university opened a call for proposals as part of the Cwmni Egino bursary scheme. The new bursary scheme is a partnership between the university, Cwmni Egino and Great British Energy-Nuclear to strengthen academic research into north Wales’ relationship with nuclear energy. The scheme offers grants of up to £2500 for research projects that look at nuclear energy from different aspects. Four research projects led by university staff and students have been awarded funding from the bursary scheme.
The next meeting of the university’s Community Board will take place on 16th April. Discussion items for the next meeting will include a presentation on the university’s International Languages Outreach Programme, and an update on the university’s Race Equality Charter.
The university continues to work closely with Bangor City Council. In late February, the City Council welcomed a delegation from Soest, Bangor’s twin city. The delegation was introduced to the university’s German Studies work and were provided with a guided tour of the Main Arts Building’s special collections and Archives department on 27th February. The second call of the Bangor Student Bursary Scheme will soon open. The scheme is funded by the City Council and provides students with opportunities to undertake research that benefits the city and aligns with the council’s priorities and ambitions.
Work continues on the Bangor Heritage College, led by the university’s School of Education and funded by the City Council. Through a series of online and classroom-based modules, the project encourages children, young people, their friends and families to learn more about Bangor’s history and heritage, and to gain a better understanding of historical locations, events and individuals. The Heritage College was launched in November, and local school pupils will have the opportunity to take part in a graduation ceremony in the summer.
The work of the Bangor University Legal Advice Clinic (BULAC) continues. Based in Tŷ Cyfle on Bangor High Street, BULAC provides free legal advice to members of the public on most civil areas of law, including family law, employment, housing, personal injury and consumer issues. All advice is given by final year law students, supervised by qualified solicitors.
On 15th January, an outreach programme led by the university’s North Wales Medical School received national recognition after winning a Higher Education Liaison Officers Association (HELOA) Award for Best Practice in Widening Participation, Outreach and Access. At the centre of the award-winning work is Teddy Bear Hospital, a bilingual outreach activity that brings together primary school pupils and medical students. Delivered initially at Ysgol Llanllyfni, the programme provided pupils with practical experiences normally associated with later stages of education, helping to demystify both medicine and higher education.
On 27th January, a Holocaust Memorial Day Service was held in the university. The service included music and readings from local schools, members of the local community, the Students Union and the university’s Chaplaincy Team.
To note the Menai Suspension Bridge’s 200th anniversary, a bicentenary history day was held on 31st January. The event, led by Dr Marc Collinson and Dr Lowri Ann Rees from the university’s School of History and the Menai Bridge Community Heritage Trust, included talks and presentations from academics and volunteer historians, and was an opportunity to look at the bridge’s history over 200 years.
Continuing with the celebrations, the Menai Bridge 200th Anniversary Concert was held in the university on 7th March. The university’s Symphony Orchestra and Chorus joined with Cantorion Menai to perform and to note Thomas Telford’s incredible engineering achievement. Also on 7th March, the university’s Archives and Special Collections annual lecture event was held. The lecture, delivered by Dr Karin Koehler from the university’s School of Arts, Culture and Language, was titled ‘”Hail, matchless monument of skill divine”: Engineering as Art in Responses to the Menai Bridge’.
On 14th February, the university held the Brambell Natural History Museum Open Day, giving visitors a rare chance to explore the museum’s extensive collections and learn more about the specimens normally not accessible to the public. It proved to be a very successful day, with over 1,000 people visiting. The next Brambell Open Day is planned for the end of May, so please keep an eye on our events page for further details.
The university took part in the annual Bangor St David’s Day celebrations. On 28th February, a twmpath evening was held in Reichel Hall, with international students encouraged to attend and sample a Welsh cultural event. The delegation from Soest, Germany also attended. On 5th March, Pontio hosted the Gŵyl Non event. The event, organised in partnership with Menter Iaith Bangor, included local female authors and poets to celebrate World Book Day and St Non, St David’s mother.
On 28th February, the university hosted a special concert honouring David Cousins, the singer-songwriter and founding member of Strawbs. Proceeds from the concert supported the university’s David Cousins Music Scholarship.
Before International Women’s Day on 8th March, the university hosted a Women’s Health and Wellbeing Conference on 4th March. The conference, led by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council and Social Care Wales, included presentations on women’s health and wellbeing issues from organisations across north Wales.
The university celebrated International Women’s Day 2026 with an event on female collaboration and resilience. The event on 11th March brought together four remarkable women whose work spans conservation, poetry and the arts, global health innovation, and international development. Each panellist provided a unique perspective shaped by leadership, creativity, advocacy, and lived experience, moderated by Professor Enlli Thomas, Pro Vice-Chancellor. The panel consisted of Julia Jones MBE, professor of conservation science research; Hanan Issa, current National Poet of Wales and Welsh-Iraqui poet, filmmaker, scriptwriter, and artist; Dr Salamatu Jidda Fada, educator & conservation and climate action professional dedicated to advancing the rights and well-being of women and girls, and Dr Elin Haf Davies, pioneering adventurer, author, children’s health advocate and successful business women.
Dr Rebecca Heaton delivered a public lecture at the university on 18th March, titled Will business solve the environmental crisis for us?. In this talk, she explored how the accelerating impacts of climate change and nature loss are affecting businesses, reflecting on her 25‑year career in sustainability and how the corporate response has evolved over time. The event offered the community an opportunity to hear her insights on the role businesses can play in addressing the dual climate and nature crises.
The university marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week from 16-20 March with a week of events that brought staff and students together to build understanding, share practice, and support a more neuro-inclusive environment across learning and work. The celebration centred around an art installation of over 500 colourful paper lanterns suspended in Pontio’s main atrium which represented creativity, colour, and neurodiversity across our university community. It was designed to be a visible reminder that different brains bring different strengths, and that inclusion depends on the environment as much as the individual.
Looking ahead, the university will have a presence at the National Urdd Eisteddfod in Mona between 23-29 May. The university stand will have a range of activities for children and young people, whilst university staff will also be present in GwyddonLe, the Eisteddfod’s science pavilion.
Undeb Bangor, Bangor Students’ Union, continues to work with Bangor City Council on the Hot Meals Volunteering Project. The student-led project, held every Saturday afternoon in Penrhyn Hall (Bangor City Council), began on 27th September, and has been going very well. Our societies and groups from various sports backgrounds have been actively supporting the project, helping us continue to provide free hot meals in the hall. A programme of celebrations is being developed to mark the 50th anniversary of Bangor’s Welsh Students Union (Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Bangor (UMCB)), following on from the ‘Musical memories’ event held in Storiel on 17th January featuring Dafydd Meirion Roberts from the folk band Ar Log.
Pontio continues to be a busy hub for the community. ‘BLAS’, the Pontio Arts community programme, continues with monthly Caffi Babis sessions and weekly dance sessions for individuals living with Parkinson’s. On 14-15 February, Pontio hosted the Bangor Music Festival. The festival included performances and workshops for people of all ages, and featured the pianist Llŷr Williams, the flautist Richard Craig and young musicians from Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias. On 21st February, Pontio hosted the Chinese New Year celebrations and the Year of the Horse. The celebrations are an annual event led by the university’s Confucius Institute, and participants enjoyed a rich programme of cultural activities, including arts and crafts, Tai Chi sessions and a spectacular gala finale.
On 26th February, Hijinx, in association with Blind summit, presented ‘Meet Fred’ for its 10th anniversary tour. The comedy performance included Hijinx performers with and without learning disabilities and/or autism. On 18th March, Pontio hosted the ‘Am Ein Bywydau’ film. Through the voices of Cymdeithas Pysgota Seiont Gwyrfai & Llyfni, the film reflects on the deep connections between people, landscape and living heritage. Looking ahead, Coleg Menai Performing Arts will perform ‘Cry-Baby: The Musical’ on 3-4 June.
M-SParc also continues to be a hive of exciting developments, activities, and events. Over recent weeks, workshops have been held in #OnTour in Bangor and Dolgellau focusing on AI Story Design, Brand Development and Creating GIFs. In January, the STEM and Skills strand – Sgil Sparc – supported a large-scale primary school coding competition, bringing together creativity and problem-solving. The competition challenged pupils to design and build original digital games around the theme of Wales, using coding skills learned in the classroom. The winners were Ysgol Cymerau from Pwllheli, as judged by industry who visited all the schools and added immense value to the project.
Clwb Sparci, M-SParc’s Welsh language STEM club for school pupils, had a busy half term with filming, 3D design and Spheros workshops taking place in Gaerwen, and Bangor, with the sessions for upcoming weeks now available to book. On 27th February, M-SParc hosted the ‘Creative Jam’ event. Inspired by St David’s Day, the event provided participants with an opportunity to win £5000 by creating a new game or film, and there were three worthy winners whose games and films will be available soon on Creative North’s website.
The start of 2026 has been a particularly busy and vibrant time at Treborth Botanic Garden as spring starts to emerge. Throughout February and March, the Garden hosted its regular botanical art class, offering participants a warm and creative escape from the cold and wet weather outside. On 15th February, visitors enjoyed a Winter Warmer Walk, a guided tour around Treborth followed by hot drinks and homemade soup to help everyone stay cosy. On 25th February, Nature Keen held their monthly Wednesday Wellness Walk, embracing the rain and hunting for early signs of spring. As part of the Woodland Investment Grant (TWIG) awarded to the Garden by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, volunteers and students planted over 300 new tree saplings in the woodland to support the natural regeneration of this important coastal habitat.
The Forest School was also bustling during February and March with ‘Forest Tots’, free nature-themed play sessions for dads and children aged 0–4, funded by the Welsh Government. Looking ahead, there are several exciting events planned. A Guided Moss Walk and Workshop will take place on 28th March, followed by a seasonal foraging session with Nature Keen on 12th April. The much-loved Early Spring Plant Sale will return on 18th April, and a Guided Spring Walk will be held on 26th April.
The University Court will hold its annual meeting on 28th April, running from 11am to 1pm. This year’s meeting will take place in person in the Main Hall of the Reichel Building. Chaired by Sir Robin Williams, Chancellor of the University, the Court reflects the University’s commitment to engaging openly with its stakeholders. During the meeting, the Court will receive the University’s Annual Report and Financial Statements, and the Vice-Chancellor will provide an update on the Annual Report along with other key matters. The Students’ Union will also offer insights into their activities and experiences over the past year. This is a public meeting and is open for anyone from the community to attend. Please register here.
On behalf of University staff and students, we wish you a Happy Easter and we look forward to updating you on the University’s work and relevant developments during the year.
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