Bodington Playing Fields

Grounds and Gardens commended for sports pitch maintenance

The Grounds and Gardens team have been commended for their efforts in maintaining the University of Leeds’ sports pitches in a new report.

The Football Assessment report, powered by the Football Foundation, looked into six sports pitches at Bodington Football Hub and Bodington Playing Fields to offer support to improve the standard and maintenance of pitches. 

The pitches were graded at Advanced or High, which is a credit to our Grounds and Gardens team, who are responsible for managing and maintaining the green estate at the University.  

Bodington Playing Fields football pitches

Grassroots sports boost

The Bodington Football Hub site, which opened in October last year in a boost to grassroots sport in Leeds, includes three full-size, artificial 3G floodlit football pitches, car parking and a pavilion with changing facilities. 

Bodington Playing Fields grass pitches

The Bodington Playing Fields host more sports pitches which are regularly used by University staff and students as well as local community clubs to use for rugby, football and ultimate frisbee.

Just three miles north of the main University of Leeds campus, the site is also home to the Brownlee Centre, the UK’s first purpose-built triathlon training centre and Bodington Cycle Circuit, one of the longest in the country.  

Find out more about Sports Parks at the University of Leeds.

Sir William Henry Bragg Building

Bragg Building wins Leeds Architecture Award

The Sir William Henry Bragg Building won a Leeds Architecture Award in a ceremony at The Howard Assembly Room on the 1 November 2023.

Read more

Pink flowers blooming outside the Great Hall/Yorkshire in Bloom

University campus wins Gold in Yorkshire in Bloom Awards

The University of Leeds has achieved a Gold status and is a winner in the Universities, Colleges and Further Establishments category at this year’s Yorkshire in Bloom

Thanks to the hard work of the Estates and Sustainability teams, the University achieved a Gold award for its variety of well-maintained planted areas around campus, the volume of green space and future plans for the creation of green walls.

Tulips outside Roger Stevens Building

Yorkshire in Bloom – the regional body representing the Britain in Bloom – organises its annual competition encouraging schools, businesses and other community groups to create pleasant natural environments around them.

Sustainability was a major focus of the University’s submission, with significant interest paid to the Living Lab Sustainability Garden and the involvement of members of the University community in sustainability efforts around campus.

Daffodils outside St George's Field

The award marks another successful result for the University in the Yorkshire in Bloom competition, winning Gold in 2017, 2019 and 2022.

Find out more about the Grounds and Gardens team.

Cleaning staff holding awards

Cleaning Services celebrate their achievements

Cleaning Services held an event last Thursday (28 September) to celebrate the first cohort of team leaders to complete the British Institute of Cleaning Sciences (BICSc) supervisor certificate.  Read more

Screenshot of the facilities management service desk website

What is the Facilities Management Service Desk (FMSD)?

The FMSD is the new online process that enables people to report maintenance jobs across the estate, and informs those who carry out the work what the jobs are. It is an integrated workflow management system.  

The Facilities Directorate bought the system from Planon, a company that offers a range of software products. They chose their Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) software because it focuses on asset and maintenance management.  

The University uses the Planon system for other activities, including desk booking and space management. 

This is the first implementation of the Planon maintenance function. The next will support the University’s Health and Safety requirements. 

Is the system live?

No not yet. There is a huge amount of work going on to enable the system. Much of this is around the interface of the CAFM software with SAP and other University online systems.  

The system is housed on the Estates website and requires the design of a complex webpages linking to the CAFM software housed on the Planon website.

Who uses the FMSD?

  • Staff who would usually contact the Estates Helpdesk via phone, SAP or email to report a maintenance issue. 
  • Staff who receive and schedule maintenance jobs. 
  • The FD’s Maintenance team and external contractors, i.e those who carry out the maintenance and compliance jobs, and their managers.  

What are the benefits of the FMSD?  

Efficiency: 

  • Replacing an admin-intensive, paper-based system, the FMSD enables the assignment of jobs to colleagues such as plumbers and joiners working in the Maintenance team through their mobile device . 

Transparency: 

  • Staff will be able to view maintenance jobs raised in their building in the system meaning that that facilities managers and others can plan, execute and monitor all activities involved in reactive and planned preventative maintenance. 

User-friendly:  

  • People logging jobs enter the system through a webpage that has clear icons prompting a set of questions related to the types of jobs. 

Enables Health & Safety: 

  • Supports the FD in keeping buildings and assets in the required technical and functional condition. A safe workplace enables everyone to do their jobs effectively. 

Environmental  

  • Well-maintained facilities use less energy and produce less waste.  

Helps achieve business objectives: 

Aim three of Our Way Ahead

  • We will deliver our services staying focused on the needs of our communities and on environmental and financial sustainability.  
  • We will focus our services to reflect the expectations, needs and experience of students, staff and the wider University communities while ensuring they operate in an efficient and sustainable way. 
  • Shaping our services to be focused on the experience of the user, we will continually look at opportunities to improve service delivery. 

Read the Facilities Directorate business plan – Our Way Ahead.

Jill Roberts winning BICSc award

Lifetime achievement award for Head of Cleaning Services

Jill Roberts, Head of Cleaning Services, has been given a lifetime achievement at the BICSc Awards ceremony on 21 September 2023.  

The University’s Head of Cleaning Services won the Eric Hill Award, signifying Jill’s hard work and dedication to the Cleaning Services, including steering her team during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BICSc awards acknowledges the cleaning industry’s success by recognising some of the sector’s brightest stars – with the Eric Hill Award honouring “those with an exemplary contribution in the field of training and education alongside their unrelenting support for the Institute”.   

‘Calmness and authority’ 

Ann Allen, Director of Campus Innovation and Development, said:  

“I’m thrilled about this wonderful recognition for Jill, which is thoroughly deserved. During her time at the University, she has led Cleaning Services from strength-to-strength, recently introducing an industry-accredited training scheme to maintain and develop her team’s outstanding professionalism. She steered her team through the challenges of the pandemic with calmness and authority.   

“Cleaning Services are essential to the smooth running of the University, and I couldn’t be more pleased for Jill that she has received this award.”  

Parkinson Building

Innovation in waste management helps University’s Net Zero goals 

The University of Leeds is working with a new waste management provider to inform its approach to waste. 

Driving down carbon emissions

New contractors Mitie will work with Cleaning Services and other teams in the Facilities Directorate (FD) to explore further waste reduction techniques, seeking to eliminate waste before it’s created and driving down carbon emissions.

 

Michael Longstaff, Interim Deputy Director, Estates & Facilities, said:  

“We are now able to more effectively assess data and analyse the lifecycle of waste to inform interventions in our drive towards Net Zero, one of the seven principles of the University’s Climate Plan. 

“Awarding a new waste contract following a tendering process is in line with the FD’s delivery of services that stay focused on the needs of our communities and on environmental and financial sustainability 

“Our activity must reflect the expectations, needs and experience of students, staff and wider University communities while ensuring we operate in an efficient and sustainable way, as outlined in our business plan.” 

 

Thom Cooper, Acting Head of Sustainability, University of Leeds said: 

“What we purchase, use and dispose of at the University has big implications for sustainability. Working collaboratively with Mitie will enable us to minimise and simplify the waste we produce and therefore reduce our emissions and the resources we consume on a daily basis.  

“While our emissions from waste are not included in our Net Zero 2030 target, they are an important part of Net Zero Plus – those scope three emissions that we need to eliminate to meet our target of achieving no direct emissions by 2050.  

“Identifying ways to reduce or even avoid creating waste in the first place, therefore, and increasing recovery and recycling of what is left, supports the delivery our ambitious Climate Plan.” 

 

Waste management innovation

Under the contract, Mitie will build and maintain relationships that enhance and support the operation of waste management at the University as well as manage all subcontractors, optimise the collection schedule, provide and analyse data and suggest waste management innovations. 

There is also new guidance around ordering skips which can be found on the University’s purchasing website.

Visit the Cleaning Services webpage for further information. 

Find out more about sustainability at the University of Leeds by visiting here.

Alex Lilley outside the Esther Simpson building

Ten minutes with Alex Lilley

Meet Alex Lilley, Interior Designer in the Facilities Directorate at the University of Leeds. Alex is currently working on projects in the E C Stoner building and The Edge, as well as other multifunctional spaces across the University of Leeds campus.

Tell us about a current project

I’m working on a couple of projects in E C Stoner at the moment. I joined the University as the Helix project – a new space for digital innovation – was in its final stages. I’m now coordinating finishing touches including two murals from local artist Nicolas Dixon; who also did the mural on the side of The Edge.

We’re also looking at refurbishing Level 9 in E C Stoner as a few teams have grown and need extra space. It’s been empty since everything shut down during the pandemic and we want to modernise and make it look smart.

What aspects of your work are the most important to people at the University?

It’s really important to create environments that we actually want to spend time in. As staff we spend so much time in our workplace so we need multifunctional spaces with areas for quiet and collaboration, and it’s similar for students.

I want people to come into a space and psychologically feel good about being there – it’s spaces that not only create a good first impression but that actually work for people and continue to work for years to come.

What do you like most about your job?

I love how varied everything is. Since starting with the University I’ve already worked on such a large range of projects including office spaces to cafes, and we’re also at the beginning of looking at a new Muslim prayer space. No two days are the same!

Tell us about a project you are particularly proud of 

I’ve just finished a major renovation of my house! My partner and I bought an old village prison in West Yorkshire –  complete with wooden stocks in the front flowerbed – and we’ve been refurbishing it and have finally moved back. It was a big challenge and I’m really proud of it!

Follow our ‘Ten Minutes With’ series on @UoLCampusDevelopment.

Interested in finding out more about University of Leeds campus developments? You can keep up to date by subscribing to our bi-monthly email newsletter.

The cleaning team at the University of Leeds

Cleaning Services achieve national training accreditation

The University’s Cleaning Services team has become a British Institute of Cleaning Science-accredited training centre. The accreditation means that the team can standardise and deliver staff training to the high level set out by BICSc which is recognised internationally and across the industry as a gold standard.   

Helping the University achieve its aims

 Jill Roberts, Head of Cleaning Services said: 

“Delivering excellent standards of cleaning and service supports the University in achieving its aims.  

“The BICSc accreditation ensures that our highly-motivated team can develop professionally and consistently along industry guidelines, and I hope gives staff and students even more confidence in their fantastic colleagues.   

“The first part of the training initiative – the Cleaning Supervisor Certificate – has been very successful and participants feel they have hugely benefitted from it.  

“The relentless hard work, enthusiasm and passion of Dawn Abel, our training coordinator, has been at the forefront of this achievement. Thank you, Dawn!” 

 

Leadership and direction

James Atkins, Verification and Support Specialist at BICSc said :

Accreditation requires leadership and direction, drive, and a willingness to learn and adapt to new ideas, whether you have been in the profession for 20 years or 20 months. We encountered all of these qualities and many more while working with Cleaning Services at the University of Leeds.  

“It has been a pleasure working with Jill and Dawn and the rest of the team and we look forward to  supporting them in the future.” 

 

Pictured left to right: Jill Roberts, Head of Cleaning Services, James Atkins, BICSc Verifier, Dawn Abel Training Coordinator and BICSc Assessor, & Denise Hanson BICSc Commercial Director

Find out more information about cleaning services at the University of Leeds.

Multi-storey car park at University of Leeds

University increases number of electric vehicle charging points

Further electric vehicle (EV) charging points are being installed throughout the coming weeks across the campus in line with ambitions for sustainable travel set out in the University’s Climate Plan.

Existing charging units will be replaced with new equipment that allows for collection of data. This will help the University to better understand usage trends and the needs of staff, students and visitors, helping to improve user experience.

Download the Monta app

People will need to download an app to use the new chargers which can also be accessed through a QR code on the equipment. There is no fee for using the charging points.

Locations

There will be 14 new charging points in the Orange Zone of the multi-storey car park, doubling the current capacity. Existing charging points will be replaced at The Edge and on Cavendish Road.

There will also be new units at Bodington Football Hub and the Brownlee Centre.

James Wright, Senior Maintenance Manager, Facilities Directorate said:

“Delivering services that focus on the needs and expectations of our communities and on environmental sustainability is key to our work and the FD’s business plan – Our Way Ahead.

“We are continually looking at opportunities to improve service delivery and align to the priorities of the university.

Find out more information about car parking at the University of Leeds.