news – Page 9 of 10 – The Orbital

7Jun

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Local MP remains as Foreign Secretary

Following the results of the General Election which took place May the 7th, Philip Hammond remains as MP for the Runneymede & Weybridge constituency and continues as Foreign Secretary, a role he assumed in July 2014 having previously served as Defence Secretary and, prior to that, Transport Secretary. His appointment to the Foreign Office was viewed by some as a move toward the right ahead of the general election, transferring focus to the EU debate ahead of a promised In/Out referendum. On the http://www.runnymedeweybridgeconservatives.com/ website it states that Mr Hammond ‘champions local businesses, particularly through his involvement with the Runnymede and Weybridge Enterprise Forum’ that ‘He is committed to protecting local services and to speaking up on the major environm...

7Jun

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Alumni Win Big in Award Season

Royal Holloway alumni have been sweeping up the awards during this year’s award season. Georgina Campbell was awarded a BAFTA for best actress on Sunday 10th of May for her role in BBC 3 hard Hitting Drama ‘Murdered By My Boyfriend’, a series based on a true story of domestic abuse. Georgina beat off competition from established actresses Sheridan Smith, Sarah Lancashire and Keeley Hawes who were all nominated for the Leading Actress award. Georgina developed her acting career while studying BA Film Studies at Royal Holloway from 2011-2014, since leaving she has appeared in many well-known dramas including 'Holby City', 'Casualty', 'Doctors' and the ITV drama 'The Ice Cream Girls'. Likewise in early April, Mark strong won the Olivier for the best Actor award for his role in ‘A View fro...

6May

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Reclaiming our Suffragette History!

At the general meeting on March 10th, a motion was passed to lobby the college to name the new library after one of our most famous alumni, Emily Wilding Davison. The new library on campus, due to open in mid-2017, remains as yet unnamed. The planning has been under way for some time now, with construction due to begin in the autumn of 2015. The build involves moving the college shop from its current position to an as yet, undisclosed location. Royal Holloway shares a proud history for women and the suffragette movement, being officially opened in 1886 by Queen Victoria as an all-women college with Bedford College, another former all women’s college. Emily Wilding Davison herself was a student at Royal Holloway College in 1891 after winning a bursary from Kensington High School, stud...

You Plank: Planking Soc heading for Holloway

26Feb

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You Plank: Planking Soc heading for Holloway

A group of ambitious students are hoping to reinstate the beloved pastime of planking. Back in 2009 - or thereabouts - planking here, there and everywhere was considered the ‘cool’ thing to do. You could find pictures of people planking in the road, in shopping centres and anywhere possible really, the more elaborate the better. Lately planking has been seen as just an exercise, yes it works wonders for the abs, but Royal Holloway’s group of plankers are endeavouring to bring the activity back in to fashion, especially in lieu of the February 28 day planking challenge; why not plank all year around? Alero Awala, the president of the proposed planking society, stated “I’m really excited at the prospect of creating this society for both the health benefits and the social side, we already ha...

Rail Fare Increase to Hit Royal Holloway Commuters

28Jan

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Rail Fare Increase to Hit Royal Holloway Commuters

A rise in train fare prices in England and Wales came into affect on the 2nd January 2015. Regulated fares, including season tickets, increased by on average 2.2%, although some rose by 2.5%. Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has tried to justify the increase by citing the need for the vital maintenance and improvement of the country’s rail infrastructure. This major investment in the train industry aims to continue the modernisation to stations, as is happening currently at London Bridge, and to the railways themselves. Although, as the government was quick to point out, the increase is the lowest annual rise in five years, it is higher than the current level of inflation and more than the current increase in annual wages. Britons now pay some of the highest train fares in Europe. ...

28Jan

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King’s College Rebrand Causes Controversy

Last month it was announced that a fellow college of the University of London, King's, would begin a £300,000 re-branding campaign, which will see the institution change its name from King's College, London to simply King's London. The change is due to come into force in February of this year, when the university will officially change its name, though still keeping the title of King’s College, London for legal documents, academic citations and the awarding of degrees. The proposed change has resulted in widespread controversy with students at the University insisting that the re-brand is “ridiculous” when speaking to The Times Higher Education supplement. Some argued that the re-brand itself, puts an “end to years of tradition” that the College has gained due to its name, undermining t...

28Jan

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Anti-Student Vandalism Increases in Englefield Green

The recent weeks have seen what can only be described as a sharp and worrying climb in anti-student related acts. Vandalism, verbal and physical abuse have become rife in parts of Egham and Englefield Green in the run up to Christmas – but will this trend continue? A number of students when asked about any anti-student attitudes they had experienced in the local area reported to having been verbally abused by members of the public on transport and in the general local area. Instances of anti-student vandalism have also appeared around Englefield Green. 'Students f*** off' and other such phrases have cropped up in a number of locations around the area, and while some have been removed, they do still appear. The Holly Tree pub in Englefield Green remains strictly out-of-bounds to all studen...

28Jan

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Road safety petition launched after 13 year old girl was killed in Ashford.

A friend of a teenager who was killed in a fatal collision in Ashford over Christmas, has started an online petition for a footbridge to be built over the A30, to prevent future accidents.Lia Slade, 13, was hit on the Staines bound carriageway of the A30 London road at 5pm on Saturday 27th December, and was transported to St Georges Hospital in Tooting. However, she tragically died in hospital the following morning. Her friend, 14 year old Ella-Louise Ayling of Clare Road in Stanwell, has created a Facebook page titled ‘Build a Footbridge Across the A30 to Save Life’s’ (sic) in honor of Lia. So far the page has gained over 5000 likes, along with an online petition of the same name on the website petition.co.uk, which has now gained over 640 signatures online. Explaining her intention...

28Jan

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Waitrose Egham Finally Opening?

After a series of setbacks, the Waitrose store in Egham seems set to open soon. Waitrose, who have not only made setbacks to the shoppers of Egham, but to their employees as well, have now realised a final construction and opening date for the food chain.The much anticipated opening is now set to happen on 22nd of January, and with construction looking almost ready it seems that they will finally be true to their promise. Waitrose was originally due to open in October 2014 but after various predicted opening dates it seems building has taken longer than planned. The store has employed part time and full time staff, who have been having to commute to other stores such as Staines or Clapham, some even further. Abigail Burrell-Rann, who has previously worked for Waitrose and will be workin...

28Jan

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Fire in Sushi Factory Leaves Students Floundering

Students at Royal Holloway may have been left wondering where their sushi fix had gone, towards the end of last term. The sushi supplier for Royal Holloway had, in-fact, exploded in the early hours of December 1st 2014. The major fire closed Staines town centre, after the blaze broke out in several industrial units, including that of Royal Holloway’s sushi supplier: Tanpopo Japanese Food, at Unit L4 on the estate. Homes were evacuated and about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Renshaw Industrial Estate. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said the fire, which broke out shortly after midnight, was thought to be due to propane cylinders exploding. Three industrial buildings have been almost completely destroyed. Surrey Police tweeted that the town centre was closed to traffic b...