Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Almost 500 international students from more than 80 countries are to be given a warm welcome to Nottingham at the inaugural civic reception.
The event is taking place from 2.30pm - 4.30pm on Wednesday 23 October at St Mary’s Church in the city centre and has been organised by both of Nottingham’s universities and the Kaplan Pathways Colleges.
Students will be welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Councillor Rosemary Healey and the vice-chancellors of both universities. The proceedings will, of course, be overseen by Robin Hood.
The event will introduce students to some of the best Nottingham has to offer in a festival-style format. There will be an array of market stalls including Doughnotts, Pudding Pantry, Annie’s Burger Shack, Barburrito, Trent Barton, Kiehls, Five Leaves Bookshop and Rough Trade.
Meanwhile the city’s cultural opportunities will be represented by Dance4, Nottingham Young Creatives, UNESCO City of Literature, Creative Quarter, Visit Nottingham and more. Nottingham Rugby, Nottingham Wildcats Basketball, the National Ice Centre and Nottingham Forest Football Club will be flying the flag for Nottingham's’ strong sporting scene.
We know that our University’s international students alone provide a boost of more than £130 m every year to the British economy, but the impact they make goes so much further than the economic benefits for our city – they bring cultural diversity and become integral and valued members of our local communities. We don’t want Nottingham to be just a place of study for them, we want it to be a home from home, somewhere they will make friends, memories and return to in the future.