Graduation village to improve special day for students

CLOSE to 10,000 Swansea University students and guests will be enjoying a graduation village in an award-winning park this week.

A number of lawn marquees and food and drink stalls have been made available in Victoria Park to cater for the celebrations.

The graduation village, the first of its kind in Wales, will link the Patti Pavilion, where students go to register and robe, with the Brangwyn Hall, where the ceremonies will take place.

Swansea Council, Swansea University and JR Events and Catering are behind the graduation village.

A welcome marquee has also been set up on the lawn outside the Brangwyn Hall that includes a large screen broadcasting a live feed of the graduation ceremonies being held inside. There’s also a celebration marquee and a Wimbledon-style marquee complete with Pimm’s, strawberries and cream.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “Graduation days are memories that will stay with students for the rest of their lives. This is why it’s especially pleasing that we’ve been able to work so closely alongside Swansea University and JR Events and Catering to put a graduation village in place that will improve what’s already a fantastic experience in the Brangwyn Hall.

“The graduation village has been strategically placed in the stunning setting of the Green Flag winning Victoria Park so that it acts as a natural link between registration and degree ceremonies. This will give students an all-through experience that makes every aspect of their graduation day special, from picking up their robes and mingling with family and friends to being recognised on stage and celebrating afterwards.

“The Swansea University graduates this week follow in the footsteps of the many thousands of University of Wales Trinity St David students who graduated in the Brangwyn Hall last week. We’ve invested a lot of money in the Guildhall’s restoration in recent years, so it’s extremely gratifying to see the building playing a key role at the heart of Swansea’s cultural life. It’s an ideal setting for concerts, functions and events of this nature.”

Jessica Rice, Director of JR Events and Catering, said: “Graduation is a key celebratory event for any family, so they deserve a fantastic experience together. The graduation village will allow us the opportunity to show families and friends of students just how fantastic our city is. Student life and culture is very much celebrated here in Swansea, so it makes sense that one of the highlights of Swansea University’s calendar is a truly unique and memorable experience.”

Guildhall in Swansea, which opened in 1934, enjoys iconic status, having survived the Blitz during World War Two. Dr Who and Sherlock are among the TV programmes to have been filmed there in recent years.

The restoration of the Brangwyn Hall was the last phase of a project to restore Guildhall to its original glory and strengthen its position at the heart of civic and cultural life in Swansea.