DesignEd in Cornwall 2009 - Tomorrow’s Designs Today

University College Falmouth (UCF) is pleased to host the second annual DesignEd in Cornwall exhibition at the Tremough Campus Design Centre on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June. This ground-breaking joint initiative brings together more than 250 students from 27 schools and colleges from across Cornwall to celebrate their outstanding work in design and technology.

DesignEd in Cornwall originated through a partnership between Richard Scott, Design & Technology Team Leader/Advanced Skills Teacher at Richard Lander School, who had the idea of creating a large-scale exhibition of design and technology projects, and John Miller, UCF's Director of the School of Design, who has worked closely with Richard to turn his original idea into a reality.

Launched at UCF last year, the event showcased the work of more than 200 GCSE and A Level pupils. The success of this event has enabled DesignEd in Cornwall to take place annually and this year has attracted a record number of entries from schools and colleges from across the county.

"It's important that we celebrate the talent coming out of Cornish schools and to encourage more of our young people to consider careers in design," said John Miller. "Design today is no longer just about designing and producing a functional item, it's about how we interact with design in our everyday lives and ensuring that when our students graduate, they are ready to play a leading role in shaping the future for business communities and the environment."

Innovative and diverse designs have been submitted from school children the length and breadth of Cornwall from a dress inspired by the anarchic style of Vivienne Westwood and the skull studies of Damien Hirst by Emma Nightingale from Truro High School and a children's pop-up book that is designed to help young children improve their skills in number work by Pippa Alston from Mullion School to a chewing gum disposal unit, fruit basket and seat that have common design concepts created by Lauren Warne from Saltash Community School and a chair inspired by the flying V rock guitar by Andrew Barnes from Budehaven Community School. Other pioneering work on display encompasses lighting, food, gardening, transport, fashion and furniture to recycling, games, toys and musical instruments.

To support and encourage the next generation of would-be designers and innovators, DesignEd in Cornwall has received strong support from the region's business community who have sponsored prizes in the following categories: Textiles and Fashion; Product Design; Food Technology; Graphics; Technology and Best GCSE and Best Post-16 Project. Six new supplementary awards have been introduced this year to highlight the diverse creative aspects of design in the 21^st century: Most Marketable Product, Best Sustainability Project, Most Innovative Project and Best Craftsmanship, and Best School Presentation. The winners of these awards will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 25 June.

"We are thrilled to have the Midas Group, Newquay Cornwall Airport, Gendall Design Ltd, Rowe's the Bakers, Ladds Concrete products and Truro Fabrics as sponsors for this event, all of whom are delighted to support the young designers of tomorrow from our community," said Richard Scott.

One of the winners of last year's DesignEd in Cornwall, Hope Wyatt, has used the experience she gained from the event to further her career ambitions in the fashion industry. Hope is currently studying for her AS Levels at Truro High School and hopes to undertake the ABC Diploma Foundation Studies in Art, Design and Media at UCF, followed by a degree in fashion. For this year's competition, Hope has designed a dress inspired by the fashion designer, Ossie Clarke, featuring her own print designs based on Kandinsky's work.

The DesignEd in Cornwall exhibition is open to the public on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June from 11am to 4pm at the Design Centre, Tremough Campus, Penryn.

To find out more about DesignEd in Cornwall, please visit http://www.designedincornwall.co.uk/

For further information about Design Courses at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/design, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213730.

University College Falmouth is the only independent Higher Education institution in Cornwall with the powers to award degrees in its own name. It has two campuses in Cornwall - at Woodlane in Falmouth and Tremough in Penryn (which it owns, and jointly manages with the University of Exeter) - and a third campus at Totnes in Devon, following its merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008.

This merger created a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing. The Devon-based courses will relocate to a new, high-specification Performance Centre at Tremough in 2010, paving the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall by 2012, that will be unique to the South West.

The College is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union, the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.

Ends

For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 01326 213792; or email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:

The following schools have submitted work from across Cornwall:

Bodmin College
Budehaven Community School
Camborne School
Cape Cornwall School
Cornwall College
Falmouth School
Hayle School
Helston School
Humphry Davy School
Launceston College
Looe Community School
Mounts Bay School
Mullion School
Newquay Tretherass
Penair School
Penrice Community College
Penryn School
Poltair, Pool School
Redruth School
Richard Lander School
Roseland School
Saltash Community School
St Ives School
The Bolitho School
Truro College
Truro High School
Wadebridge School

Sponsors:

The Midas Group sponsoring Best School Presentation
Midas Group is one of the largest independent property services group in the UK. Midas has offices throughout the South West region and South Wales across its specialisms: Construction, Retail, Interiors, Affordable Housing and Developments. Midas continues to, work in long term relationships, exceeding the expectations of customers and demonstrating industry leading performance.

Newquay Cornwall Airport sponsoring Technology, Most Innovative Project, Best Post-16 Project and the Public Choice Award
Cornwall has been connected to other parts of the world for nearly 7 decades from Newquay/St Mawgan Airfield with the very first domestic flight taking place in 1934; however Newquay Airport wasn't known until 30 years later. On the 1^st April 2007 Cornwall Airport Limited assumed operational management of Newquay Cornwall Airport and is responsible for all areas of airport operations.

Gendall Design Ltd sponsoring Graphics and Best GCSE Project
Gendall Design Ltd are one of the leading brand and digital communication agencies in the South West. The company was founded in Cornwall in 1986 by Tessa Gendall and has grown steadily to its current team capability with consultants, brand, website and graphic designers, production artworkers, website programmers, project managers and administrators.

Rowe's the Bakers sponsoring Food Technology and Best Sustainability Project
Rowe's is an award winning food manufacturer and retailer. The business began in 1949 when Bill Rowe set up his bakery and shop in Swanpool Street, Falmouth, making bread, pasties, cakes and confectionery. Today the company has seventeen retail outlets throughout Cornwall and Devon and supplies all of the major multiples nationally and regionally, as well as many independent retailers. Rowe's is proudly Cornish and all of its products are made from Cornish ingredients wherever possible.

Ladds Concrete Products sponsoring Product Design and Best Craftsmanship
With over 30 years experience in the manufacture of concrete products, Ladds can make a variety of products in an assortment of colours and quantities from kerbs, paving, edging, lintels, copings, cills, heads, string course, padstones and staircases to bespoke products and Wonder Walling.

Their factory and offices are located in Redruth, Cornwall, and they regularly work with private customers, architects, small businesses and large companies, to create outstanding concrete products.

Truro Fabrics sponsoring Textiles and Fashion and Most Marketable Project
Founded in 1984 by Rob Millbank, a fabric market trader, Truro Fabrics is now the largest fabric shop in England. It stocks between 9,000 and 11,000 dress fabrics at any one time and offers a bespoke and highly experienced service by its staff, who are enthusiastic dressmakers, knitters, interior designers, decorators, jewellery makers and fabric enthusiasts.

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