Falmouth staff scale heights and cross seas for charities

Deputy Finance Director, Rob Holmes successfully undertook the Three Peaks Challenge for Shelterbox and other Rotary charities whilst Project Claims Officer, Kamran Harandy made it to the summit of Mount Damavand in Persia in aid of Cancer Research UK. Meanwhile Caroline Cash and Liz Wragg from Learning Futures were part of a team of eight women that undertook a challenging sailing expedition around mainland Britain to raise awareness and funds for The Vision Project.

The Three Peaks Challenge is an attempt to climb the three highest peaks in the UK - Scotland's Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Snowdon in Wales - all within 24 hours. Braving poor weather, particularly on Snowdon, the team of six climbers from Falmouth Rotary Club completed the challenge with just 15 minutes to spare and raised £3,000.

"I'm truly amazed that we made it by the skin of our teeth," said Rob Holmes.  "The achievement is even greater considering the weather and the fact that some of our team were not in the first flush of youth." It is not too late to support the heroic efforts of the team and should you wish to donate, please visit www.justgiving.com or contact the Club on 08454 637743.

In early July, Kamran Harandy and his brother, Kayvan travelled to Iran to climb the highest Volcano in Asia. The brothers wanted to support Cancer Research whilst doing something in memory of the friends and family they have lost to cancer and for those currently being treated.

The volcano can take up to 4 days to climb but due to time constraints the brothers had to do it in 2 days - which they successfully did. Due to strong winds and the intensity of the sulphuric gases, they could only stay at the top for 20 minutes yet despite this Kamran said: "It was an amazing adventure and we made some great friends along the way, not to mention that with so much support from friends, family and in particular the kind staff at UCF we have broken our target of raising £1000."

The donation page www.justgiving.com is open until the end of August. Pictures of their trip can be found here PersiaMtDamavandCancerResearchUK2010

Caroline Cash and Liz Wragg from Learning Futures left Falmouth on a three-week expedition on 25 July 2010 and successfully sailed around the coast of Britain on a 42 foot catamaran within 3 weeks. Their progress was charted via regular blogs, videos and photographs that the team collected along the way.

They undertook this challenge to raise awareness and funds of £40,000 for The Vision Project, an initiative of the Cornwall Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC) that raises awareness about issues concerning rape and sexual abuse.  Cornish led, this project has the potential to be adopted nationally if sufficient funding can be raised.  All funds raised will go direct to the charity as the expedition was entirely self-funded.

Further information and a film made by UCF Film student, Paz Jodar can be found at www.visionroundbritain.org Online donations can be made at www.justgiving.com or, to donate £3 from your mobile phone, text the word VISION to 70007.

University College Falmouth is the only independent Higher Education institution in Cornwall with the right to award degrees in its own name.  UCF has two campuses - at Woodlane in Falmouth and Tremough in Penryn (which it owns and jointly manages with the University of Exeter).

UCF's merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008 created a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Dance, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing.  The Dartington-based courses are relocating to Cornwall this summer to a high-specification £15.4M Performance Centre at the Tremough Campus that will launch in September 2010, paving the way for the creation of a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall by 2013/2014 that will be unique to the South West.

UCF 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 (Objective One and Convergence), the South West Regional Development Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall Council.

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

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