Student snappers capture major research and development summit in Leamington

Visual Communication students from Royal Leamington Spa College, which is part of WCG (Warwickshire College Group), were invited back after a successful collaboration last year for photography, with the college extending the invite to media students to provide videography services.

The UKRD (UK Research & Development) Summit was hosted at conference venue Woodland Grange in Leamington Spa and attracted more than 100 UKRD members in leadership roles from NHS organisations across the UK.

They were joined by twenty senior colleagues from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care.

Organisers commissioned the students to capture the conference through a collection of still images and videos for UKRD to use on their website and to promote future events across two days.

The students were split across the Level 3 Visual Communication course and Level 3 Film & TV Production. The group included Simon Dunlop, Brooklyn Jones, Owen Thompson, Luke Cave and George Walters.

George Walters, 18 from Rugby, is on the Level 3 Visual Communication course and his passion is photography.

George, who supported on the second day of the event, said: “I’ve been doing photography for five or six years, but this was the first time I have been involved in a project in a business setting.

“It was a good experience and I am happy with the shots that I got, despite some really challenging lighting conditions.

“I’ve been doing freelance photography for the last three years but this was a new experience and will give me the confidence to support on more events like this in the future.”

Luke Cave, 18 from Warwick, is also a specialist in photography and studying on the same course. He said: “It was a very good experience, it helped me to get to know my camera more and how to interact with clients.

“I learned a lot about how to shoot at events and get the best lighting and angles. I hope to be able to do these sorts of events full time in the future.”

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive for the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Health and Social Care was the key note speaker for the event.

The title of Professor Chappell’s presentation was ‘Next Steps for Health and Care Research: Opportunities and Threats.’

UKRD is a representative body for research in the NHS. The two-day national conference is held annually and is open to individuals with responsibility to the Board for the NHS R&D function in their organisation.

Dr Chris Bray, Head of R&D Operations at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and leader of the planning and delivery group for the summit, said: “We were really impressed with the students last year and as soon as we knew we were coming back to Leamington we were keen to give them the opportunity to be involved again.

“They were discreet, kept a low profile and were highly professional. The delegates even gave the students a round of applause at the end of the second day for their efforts.

“The week after the event we were delighted to receive a wide variety of high quality still images, as well as an excellent video reel which the students had put together. These really bring the event to life and will be a fantastic resource for us to draw on in future.”

Irene Tsiampakou, leader of the Level 3 Visual Communication course at Royal Leamington Spa College. She supervised the students on both days to make sure they fulfilled the brief and worked as a production company.

She added: “It is a real vote of confidence in our students that the organisers came back to us again this year.

“The students were very professional, took instruction well and showed great commitment by staying after hours to complete their work.

“This kind of real project experience is really important for the students in their development.”

To find out more about visual communication courses at WCG visit www.wcg.ac.uk/study