[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]Cheltenham and Gloucester are 2 towns of similar size, of [PARA]similar style (mostly elegant Regency stone) and similarly placed.[PARA]They're less than 7 miles apart in the tumbling humps of [PARA]Gloucestershire, the county placed beyond the end of the Bristol [PARA]Channel, where it gives up being the Severn Estuary and resorts [PARA]to being the not-so humble Severn River. Cheltenham and [PARA]Gloucester are also a college, shortly tipped to become a [PARA]university. The main site, the Park Campus, is actually in [PARA]Cheltenham, forming a very large roundabout, 11/2 miles from the[PARA]town centre. On this urban island, there are [ITAL]elderly [EITAL]buildings ([ITAL][PARA]with the signs of age beginning to show[EITAL]), [ITAL]elegant [EITAL]grounds and an [ITAL][PARA]extraordinary [EITAL]garden. Among the tennis courts and the large [PARA]pond where the ducks occasionally allow students to row, the [PARA]garden is one of the few places in England where Wellingtonian [PARA]trees can be found. They have very soft bark which can be [PARA]punched or head-butted without fear of pain - [ITAL]handy for students [PARA]wandering home drunk[EITAL]. (Kew Gardens also has some of these [PARA]trees, to which a sign has been added: 'Please do not hit me'.) [PARA]This is 1 of 3 main sites, all of which are in or very near Cheltenham.[PARA][PARA][BOLD][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][EBOLD][PARA][ITAL]The separateness of the sites doesn't create too great a split and [PARA]the College is a fun place to be, full of keen and helpful people. [PARA]The community atmosphere is stronger than Stallone on steroids[PARA]and much more perky than traditional universities. Relations with [PARA]the naice folk of Chelters are OK, because the students know [PARA]not to push it. [EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]THE SITES:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Pittville:[EBOLD] (Fine Art, Fashion, Sculpture, Media) This [ITAL]unfortunately [PARA]named [EITAL]site, 21/2 miles from Park Campus, which looks a lot like [PARA]a school, has recently been expanded by adding a new media [PARA]block ([ITAL]which looks like a blue and white space-ship[EITAL]) and some [PARA]self-catering accommodation. [ITAL]Being full of arty types[EITAL], there's a [PARA]gallery and exhibition space.[PARA][BOLD]Hardwick:[EBOLD] (Leisure Management) [ITAL]You know a sports centre? [PARA]That's this site, that is.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Francis Close Hall:[EBOLD] (Environment, Catering, Geography, Geology)[PARA]2 miles from Park Campus, FCH is [ITAL]picturesque and classically [PARA]academic-looking[EITAL].[HDNG]TOWN:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: 85,900 [BULL] London: 95miles [BULL] Bristol: 40miles [PARA]Birmingham: 43miles[ESTAT][PARA][ITAL]Cheltenham is famous for 3 things:[EITAL] (i) its racecourse; (ii) its spa; [PARA]and, [ITAL]ironically, since it's supposed to be clouded in secrecy,[EITAL] (iii) [PARA]GCHQ. The spa more than the spies were responsible for its [PARA]growth in the early part of the 19th century into what is now a [ITAL][PARA]very pleasant[EITAL] town with a [ITAL]satisfactory [EITAL]number of public [PARA]amenities ([ITAL]but certainly not a glut[EITAL]). Among [ITAL]the most serene [EITAL][PARA]sights are the art gallery in the centre of town, the numerous [PARA]parks and the Pittville Pump Rooms [ITAL]where the water is brown [PARA]and tastes disgusting[EITAL] - although [PUSH]push[EPUSH] is not sure whether we [PARA]were drinking from the right outflow.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] The nearest mainline station is Cheltenham Spa, 2 miles [PARA]from Park Campus, offering direct links to Gloucester, Bristol, [PARA]London and Cardiff.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] National Express, Marchants and Swanbrook operate [PARA]coach services from Cheltenham.[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] Main road links to the A10 2 miles from Park Campus and [PARA]the M5, 2 miles away.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Fairly good prospects on the main routes.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] The College runs its own free bus service between all the [PARA]Cheltenham sites. [ITAL]It's quite reliable, [EITAL]but stops dead at 9.15pm. [PARA]Local buses take up the slack and run till midnight, but cost 40p [PARA]from Park Campus to the town centre.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Most students like to get the real feel of a wheel [PARA]between their thighs. [EITAL]The College offers a subsidy to students [PARA]who want to buy bikes.[HDNG]NOS and REQUIREMENTS:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Business/Soc Sci[EBOLD] 1,400 12-14pts[BOLD][PARA]Env and Leisure[EBOLD] 1,750 12-14pts[BOLD][PARA]Arts/Ed[EBOLD] 2,100 12-14pts[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 209,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 1880 [BULL] Study places: 302 [PARA]Computer workstations: 600[ESTAT][PARA]3 libraries - 1 at each of the Park Campus, Francis Close and [PARA]Pittville sites.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 2full/1part [BULL] Unemployed [PARA]after 6mths (1992): 16%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The College operates 2 15-week semesters (rather than 3 [PARA]shorter terms) and courses are modular.[PARA][BULL]The College is undergoing a vast increase in size and new [PARA]buildings are popping up like organ stops.[PARA][BULL]The SU has a cat called Josephine.[PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]Chris Broad (cricketer); David Brookhouse (modern pentathlete); [PARA]David Bryant (bowls champion); Don Hale (author); PH Newby [PARA](writer); Sarah Potter (England cricketer, daughter of Dennis).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, postgrads and part timers.[PARA][PARA]
