51Âþ»­

A campus-based state-of-the-art events venue is to host 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) graduation ceremonies starting in January 2016, it has been announced.

The former John Sandford sports centre, which stands on Western Boulevard, next to the QEII Leisure Centre, is currently undergoing a major £5million refurbishment which will create a bespoke events venue with a capacity of close to 1,000 people. The project is due to finish in August this year.

51Âþ»­ has today announced the brand new venue will host the 2016 winter graduation ceremonies in January next year, all within a stone’s throw of the campus buildings where the graduates studied for their degree.

For the past three years, 51Âþ»­ graduation ceremonies have been held at Curve theatre, one of the university’s many partners. They have been hailed a huge success by thousands of graduates who have walked across the stage each summer and winter to collect their degree. The university’s partnership with Curve, one of Britain’s finest regional theatres, will continue, with collaborations in dance and theatre productions and other events.

But the graduation ceremonies – the climax to years of hard study – are coming home as 51Âþ»­ continues to strive to make each of its events more memorable than the last.

With the warmer weather in July, the summer 2016 ceremonies will also host outdoor events. Parking for the new events building will be easier and there will be no need for students and their guests to travel to and from campus to another part of the city.

51Âþ»­ Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Collop said: “51Âþ»­ is excited to announce these plans to host 51Âþ»­ graduations at a brand new venue on our campus.

“Bringing the ceremonies home to the place where our graduates worked hard, and played hard, makes perfect sense and it means we can ensure a campus where lifetime memories and friendships were formed becomes an important part of the celebrations.

“As with all great graduation events, we are going out of our way to provide our students – and their families – with a day they will never forget.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Curve for providing thousands of graduates with some truly exceptional ceremonies over the last three years and we look forward to continuing to work with them on numerous events which make a huge contribution to the student experience.”

Fiona Allen, Chief Executive of Curve, said: "Curve is a great venue for holding large scale events, and the 51Âþ»­ graduations have made terrific use of our flexible and impressive spaces. We have thoroughly enjoyed hosting the 51Âþ»­ graduations the last three years - it’s been great fun and we hope the students have enjoyed graduating with such a creative flourish!  

“We look forward to continuing our productive partnership with 51Âþ»­ across a vast range of activities including dance, drama, exhibitions and student placements.”

• 51Âþ»­'s final summer graduation ceremonies at Curve will take place from Saturday 11 to Saturday 18 July 2015. All students who complete their award between 21 November 2014 and 26 June 2015 will be eligible to attend. If you expect to receive an invitation then please make sure your contact details are up to date on My51Âþ»­ so that you do not miss our correspondence.