Director of Media is a welcome ingredient in Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall team

University College Falmouth’s Director of Media, Paul Inman, has been appointed a Board Trustee to the Cornwall Foundation of Promise, to help oversee the new Fifteen Cornwall restaurant which opens this May, following the format of Jamie Oliver’s brilliant social enterprise in London.

The new restaurant is being developed at Watergate Bay, one of the county’s premier surf spots on the north coast. The restaurant will provide a valuable boost to Cornwall’s tourism industry and make use of the abundance of high quality local food producers in the region.

“Fifteen Cornwall is an excellent example of a positive, practical way of achieving economic development for the region and of changing people’s lives at the same time,” explains Paul.

Twenty hopefuls between the ages of 16 and 24 from disadvantaged backgrounds have been handpicked from a whopping shortlist of 300 applicants from 18 Objective One targeted areas of deprivation in Cornwall to train as chefs with the best in the restaurant industry.

As a Board Trustee, Paul will deploy his considerable media skills and experience to help oversee the delivery of Fifteen Cornwall’s objectives which include the relief of unemployment and advancement of vocational education for the public benefit in the county, as well as long-term plans to alleviate sickness, poverty and distress through a variety of charitable purposes.

“I have a personal interest in social inclusion work,” continues Paul. “I have been designing and delivering media projects for over 20 years to work alongside a range of disenfranchised groups – including, amongst others, the unemployed, drug users, people with mental health problems, prisoners and young people in custodial care. Additionally, a lot of my television and film work as a Producer/Director has seen me documenting public projects like Fifteen Cornwall,” he explains.

“I am delighted that Paul Inman has been appointed as a Board Trustee for the Cornwall Foundation of Promise,” says University College Falmouth’s Principal, Professor Alan Livingston CBE. “This important new initiative will give a new sense of direction and ambition to a wide range of young people who have previously experienced various forms of disadvantage in their lives which has held them back from achieving their potential. I am extremely confident that Paul will make a crucial contribution to the development of this innovative project,” he adds.

Paul took up his appointment as Director of Media at University College Falmouth in October 2005, where he is responsible for the academic and strategic leadership of the subject area.

Prior to his entry into the academic world, Paul worked as a filmmaker specialising in producing television programmes and films about arts and social issues for BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4. He has also produced cinema commercials, information films and educational videos for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Department of Health, a series of films for The Slot on Channel 4 and directed a South West Screen-funded dance film, Go Three, as part of their Shattering Fact scheme.

“The media plays a powerful role in people's lives,” says Henry Ashworth, Founder of the Extreme Academy at Watergate Bay, the site for the new restaurant, and Chair of the Trustees of the Cornwall Foundation of Promise. “We're delighted that Paul Inman has decided to join the Board as he brings indispensable media experience from both the private and public sectors (in and out of Cornwall) which will assist the Fifteen project immensely.”

Paul joins other key players in the Fifteen project from University College Falmouth. Former Graphic Design student, Ross Imms of A-Side, has been commissioned to create an artistic frieze surrounding the Fifteen kitchen using fine art and graffiti. The Managing Director of Absolute Design, the local company who won the pitch to design the restaurant’s interior, is Falmouth Fine Art graduate, Helen Blake, as is Absolute Interior Designer, Alistair Graham.

“I think it’s wonderful that these links between University College Falmouth have come about in an organic way,” says Paul. “I think it’s important that universities are connected to their local communities in a very real way. The appointment will enable University College Falmouth to build strong links with Fifteen Cornwall and the resulting relationship will be a two-way connection. We may be able to offer media facilities and training to the youngsters as they build their self-confidence. In return, Fifteen Cornwall may want to use University College Falmouth and emerging interactive technologies to develop ways of telling the story of the project to the wider world. There are many possibilities, and most of them are unknown to us until we begin working together,” he adds.

Henry Ashworth agrees. “Paul will help us develop a mutually beneficial relationship with a crucially important Cornish institution which is at the forefront of helping young people in the county reach their full potential.”

Ends

For further information about this press release, please contact Jilly Easterby, Public Relations Officer, University College Falmouth, Woodlane, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 4RH, Telephone: 01326 211077, Fax: 01326 212261, Email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk 

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