University of Cumbria’s Barrow campus marks first year with 950 student visits
The University of Cumbria is celebrating the first anniversary of its Barrow campus after a year of activity and growing local partnerships.
The Buccleuch Dock Road campus opened with the aim of bringing higher education closer to local communities while helping develop skills for important sectors including healthcare, engineering and advanced manufacturing. During its first 12 months, the university said the site had already become a focal point for students, employers, civic organisations and community partners across the area.
Around 950 students from 26 schools and colleges have visited the campus during its first year, giving young people the opportunity to explore university study and learn more about potential education and career pathways. The visits have formed part of the university’s wider effort to encourage more people in the area to consider higher education and the opportunities available through specialist courses.
The university has also secured almost £4m of Government funding for its Barrow Future Force programme, supporting its work to develop skills connected to the region’s future workforce requirements. The campus has additionally joined the £23m STAND-UP doctoral project, which is focused on training the next generation of nuclear engineers and strengthening specialist expertise in the sector.
The importance of the campus to the town’s engineering and defence industries was highlighted through visits from senior figures during its first year. King Charles III and then Defence Secretary John Healey were among those who visited, with both highlighting the role the university can play in supporting skills development connected to defence and nuclear industries.
Arts and culture have also featured prominently in the campus programme. The Arts Dividend Summit brought together civic and cultural partners to discuss how creative activity can contribute to Barrow’s regeneration, with Darren Henley and Wayne Hemingway among the headline speakers at the event.
The university has strengthened its national links during the year by becoming a founding member of the Defence Universities Alliance. The alliance provides another platform for collaboration around defence-related education, research and innovation, complementing the university’s developing relationships with major employers and organisations connected to Barrow’s industrial economy.
Links with industry, healthcare, civic organisations and the regional supply chain have also continued to grow. The university said it has worked with organisations including Nuclear Waste Services, Costain Group, Sizewell C, Team Barrow and the Cumbria Regional Supply Chain Network, creating opportunities to explore education, research, skills and employment needs.
The campus has also hosted community leaders, local organisations, healthcare representatives and other regional stakeholders. These discussions have focused on opportunities for collaboration and the potential contribution of the university to regeneration, education, skills development and wider community growth across Barrow and the surrounding area.
Community involvement has extended into creative projects at the campus itself. Workshops involving Barrowfull and artist ATMA have helped develop ideas for new murals, while the university also hosted the launch of Barrow Does Comics, the inaugural event organised by Barrow BID, bringing another community-focused activity into the university setting.
Funding has also been secured through the ACORN Culture Scheme, supporting hands-on training in robotics and remote-handling technologies. The programme is designed to provide practical learning opportunities for both young people and professionals, reflecting the importance of advanced technology and specialist technical skills to the region’s future workforce.
The Barrow campus forms the largest project within the Brilliant Barrow Town Deal and was developed alongside partners including BAE Systems, Westmorland and Furness Council and Furness College. Its creation forms part of a wider ambition to strengthen educational opportunities in the town and support the development of skills linked to major industries operating locally.
Professor Brian Webster-Henderson, deputy vice chancellor of the University of Cumbria, said the first anniversary was an opportunity to recognise what had been achieved since the campus opened. He said the university presence was helping retain and attract talent, create opportunities and inspire the next generation, while emphasising the institution’s ambition to work alongside local partners and the community.
The university said the anniversary should also be viewed as the beginning of further opportunities rather than simply a milestone. Its stated ambition is to be a university “in and for Barrow”, working with partners and residents to contribute to the town’s long-term prosperity while continuing to expand education, skills, research and community activity from the campus.
The first year has therefore seen the Barrow campus establish links across education, industry, healthcare, defence, culture and the wider community. With further programmes, partnerships and projects continuing to develop, the university expects its presence in Barrow to remain part of the town’s longer-term plans for skills, regeneration and economic growth.
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