Attracting sold out audiences across the globe, the world’s most prestigious mountain film festival is coming to Canterbury on Tuesday 3 March with a brand new selection of extraordinary short films from the world’s leading adventure film makers. Exhilarating and captivating, this is a must-see for anyone with a spirit of adventure!

Through the big screen be transported to the world’s last great wild places, follow the expeditions of some of today’s most incredible adventurers, experience extraordinary footage of adrenaline packed action sports and be inspired by thought-provoking pieces shot from the far flung corners of the globe.

An inspiring evening with lots of free prize giveaways! Visit the Banff website for more details.

Book in advance before tickets sell out.

The University’s Tonbridge Centre is pleased to offer new subjects in its Spring Short Course Programme which has just been published.

People and Conservation, Politics and International Relations, and Professional Studies workshops in association with the University’s Centre for Child Protection, join the regular subjects available in the coming months at the Tonbridge Centre.

Karon Kullman, who organises the programme, says:

‘Our short courses are very popular, and we are pleased to be able to offer these new subjects, some of which were requested in feedback from our course evaluations. Working with the Centre for Child Protection means we can offer their professional studies to a wider, west Kent audience.

‘We hope our Short Courses Programme will continue to inspire people to explore a subject among like-minded individuals, without formal assessment. New students join us all the time, and we receive much favourable and complimentary feedback – the short courses are a great success.’

For further information, view course details online.

To contact the University’s Tonbridge Centre, email tonbridgeadmin@kent.ac.uk or call 01732 352316.

Kent Union is proud to announce their Investors in People Gold standard re-accreditation.

The Students’ Union at the University of Kent has been re-awarded the Investors in People Gold standard, in a landmark year.

As the Union celebrates their 50th anniversary alongside the University, a touch more gold now marks the already very special jubilee year!

The award, which showcases and celebrates outstanding people management, followed an external IIP assessment involving interviews with 100 career staff, student staff and student volunteers, to ensure that the organisation once again continues to meet the high IIP Gold standards.

IIP Gold is the highest standard in the Investors in People framework. It is only held by around 3% of the 20,000 organisations globally that hold IIP accreditation; even fewer have held IIP Gold through 2 separate assessments.

Tammy Naidoo Kent Union President says: ‘The University and Union are celebrating their 50th anniversary and it’s great to be able to mark the Union’s golden jubilee with the highest IIP award! It’s just been a golden year all round, and I hope this continues into 2015 and beyond!’

Jim Gardner Kent Union CEO says: ‘Kent Union is one of only two students’ unions in the UK to hold IIP Gold; strong evidence that we are an outstanding employer, have a positive and constructive culture and are highly effective at supporting and empowering volunteers.’

Kent Union achieved 180 of the 195 total criteria, which is well above the 165 criteria needed to achieve IIP Gold. The IIP Assessor highlighted particular strengths including a strong values-led culture and focus on social responsibility; the development, embedding and communication of the new strategic plan; the positive organisational culture and focus on consulting and empowering staff and volunteers and communicating with staff and volunteers; the strong sense, and understanding, of collective purpose and strategy across the organisation.

A more detailed report of the assessment will be sent to the Union shortly, enabling the organisation to continue to maintain and improve people management standards.

Kent Union is pleased to have been awarded a ‘Very Good’ status by the National Student Union.

The Students’ Union is the first in the UK to be assessed under the new NUS quality model for students’ unions.

This quality model has been developed over the past two years by NUS to assure and improve the quality, standards and effectiveness of students’ unions in the United Kingdom.

The model covers 12 categories including Governance, Strategic Planning, People, Services and Impact. Kent Union achieved a rating of ‘Outstanding’ in 8 categorises and ‘Very Good’ in the remaining 4, on a scale of Outstanding; Very Good; Good; Accredited; Not-Accredited. The overall rating placed Kent Union as ‘Very Good’.

The NUS Quality Mark succeeds the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative, which was established following significant funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The Quality Mark is a single management tool that interlocks with, and complements, relevant standards and codes that already exist, such as Investors in People and Investing in Volunteers.

Jim Gardner Kent Union CEO says: ‘We are extremely pleased to have achieved this level in what has been a rigorous assessment, which involved a comprehensive self-assessment process, a series of interviews with an external and independent auditor and a series of interviews with a wide range of staff and students. We believe that the report provides a strong reflection of our current strengths and weaknesses.’

The Union is in the process of developing an action plan to help ensure the organisation achieves ‘Outstanding’ within two years. The action plan will be presented at the October Board of Trustees’ meeting.

Wayne Garvie, Creative Director, Sony Pictures will give the 50th Anniversary Innovation Lecture on Thursday 15 January at 6pm.

The lecture, titled ‘Failure: Catalyst for Innovation’, will take place in Woolf College Lecture Theatre and is free and open to all.

Wayne Garvie is an alumnus from Kent (School of History, 1982-85), where he was a leading light in student entertainment, bringing Billy Bragg and Elvis Costello to play on campus.

Ideas, creativity and talent management form the backbone of Wayne Garvie’s experience and flair. He has an unparalleled expertise in crafting creating environments in which people can realise their potential, borne from his years at the BBC, and now implemented on a broader scale in his role as Chief Creative Officer for Sony Pictures.

Before his current post, Wayne worked at All3Media, where he oversaw international production and programme development at the companies behind such hits as Peep Show, Skins, The Only Way Is Essex, Embarrassing Bodies and The Cube. Wayne’s reputation and influence on the media was realised at the BBC where, as Head of Entertainment, he oversaw many of the UK’s most popular programmes and launched iconic shows such as Strictly Come Dancing.

Further information is available on the University’s Events listing.