September 15, 2016, by Kirsty McKeown
Welcome to your new home and community!
Welcome back to Nottingham!
Now that Autumn term is just around the corner, we know that many returning students will be in the process of moving back to Nottingham. Read on if you are making that unforgettable step of moving out of halls into your first student house and becoming part of the local community….
To welcome you back we have prepared some hints and tips to help you settle in to your new home. Have a look at our Greeting Card for our handy checklist to help your move go smoothly.
Part of our role is to give students advice on being good neighbours in the community. You are our ambassadors! Our top tips to ensure community cohesion are below:
Introductions- Why not introduce yourself to your neighbour? Saying hello at the beginning of term can make a real difference.
Bins- Find out when your bin collection day is and sign up for text reminders. Keeping your bins tidy will keep your neighbours happy. It sounds simple but it really is true!
Noise- Think about your neighbours and how their lifestyle may differ from yours. If you have a party please remember to let your neighbours know, keep the windows and doors shut and keep the noise to a reasonable level. When you go out in the city centre, and return from nights out in the early hours of the morning this can often be the time when we get calls about loud noise in the streets, particularly in Lenton. Please keep noise down when you are travelling to and from town. Your neighbours will probably be going to bed earlier than you; many will have children or will be getting up early to go to work.
Date for your Diary
Mark 6th October in your diary. We would like to invite you to our Moving In Moving On event in Portland Atrium running between 12pm and 3pm. We have a wide range of agencies coming along to give advice/answer questions on everything you need to know about living in the community. We will also be running a competition for one attendee to win a £100 Amazon voucher!
Keep in touch:
Sign up for our off-campus blogs https://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/offcampus/ and comment to let us know your views. Why not follow @UoN_Off_Campus on Twitter for up to date community information and advice? More information on living in the community and being a good neighbour can also be found on: nottingham.ac.uk/yourcommunity
Good luck for your move and welcome back!
I was so pleased to receive this from UoN. I am a life-long resident of Lenton and I have just left a meeting with other residents and agencies where I have given out a very similar message. I asked everyone there to knock on a door and say ‘hi’ to their new neighbours. I can’t promise you on this post that they all rushed home to do just that, and I have to accept some may not. However, many were willing to have a go. Now don’t be offended if you don’t get one of us knocking at your door. It’s just that there are a lot of you to get around!! There are still a lot of us around but many are children, many are elderly and some have debilitating health issues – so we can’t really send them. We want to meet you and we want to welcome you to the neighbourhood in which we will be living together for as long as you chose to stay.
My father bought our house in 1950 and I’ve lived in it for 46 years (except my student years) There are some who have lived here for 50 or 60 years. My dad, as a local GP, delivered some of their children, some of whom live here still. I don’t want to bore you with my life story. I just want to help you to understand why we may get upset when we politely ask for the noise to be kept down and are told things such as”well what do you expect living in a student area” – or ” well if you don’t like it, move!” Lenton is not a Student Area. That doesn’t mean we are “anti-student’ and we want you to leave. We are not and we do not. We just want you to understand that Lenton is a diverse community with many people of different ages, cultures and lifestyles. It is our home, and whilst you are here it is yours too. All we ask is that you help us to look after it and work with us to look out for one another. Please consider your neighbours when you go out late and come home in the early hours. Be conscious there are children, just like your brothers and sisters who have to be up for school in the morning as you travel along the roads into town or back Remember there are those of us who may be elderly like your grandparents who may live alone and feel vulnerable and afraid late at night. In return, we are on hand to help you with any problems we can, offer you a cuppa if you’re missing family life, remind you which bins need to go out so you don’t end up in a mess with your rubbish and get fined. What we would like is to live here in peace and harmony with you, our student neighbours (maybe even friends) and be able to Love Life in Lenton Together. With your help it is achievable! Thank you for giving your time to read this! All the best, Kate
Thank you very much for your comment Kate