Workplace: Work and Study in East Anglia

If you’re looking for flat landscapes and wide open skies, East Anglia is the place to go, but just how accessible is it to study there?

“Very flat, Norfolk,” Noel Coward once wrote. Certainly, it and the rest of East Anglia – a region of England that includes Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and (according to some people) parts of Essex – isn’t where you go to climb mountains.

Much of it is low lying, pancake flat and (towards the north) a bit soggy – specifically, the network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes (known locally as broads) in Norfolk and Suffolk, which attract recreational boaters from around the world. OK, some parts of Suffolk and even Norfolk are “gently hilly”, but we’re not exactly talking about the Pennines. Potentially, it’s among the most mobility-friendly parts of the UK.

Yet, with its fertile fenland and reclaimed marshland, today’s East Anglia is one of the most sparsely populated parts of England, with no big cities. It wasn’t always like this; you can guess from the region’s numerous and finely constructed medieval churches and cathedrals that East Anglia – and Norfolk  in particular – were once an economic and political powerhouse. The industrial revolution, though, simply passed East Anglia by. These days, of course, this is a big plus for visitors who come to enjoy its open-skied landscapes, unspoilt flint stone villages and unique English seaside resorts like Cromer.

East Anglia’s nominal capital is Norwich. It’s a city built on trade, and still stands among the UK’s top ten shopping destinations – not least because of retail developments such as the £275 million Chapelfield shopping centre. With a lively student population at its university and art school, Norwich is also a city built on learning. Sadly, despite its own high academic reputation, Norfolk is forever fated to play second fiddle to neighbouring Cambridge, where ancient colleges include some of the finest medieval architecture surviving in the country. Not that Cambridge is just about history, though; people call this part of the world Silicon Fen, thanks to the high tech businesses and science parks in and around the city.

East Anglia is undoubtedly home to two of the UK’s top universities, with an enviable academic reputation for learning. It may not be the busiest and club-tastic part of the UK – Norwich is probably the rowdiest of East Anglia’s settlements, but for quieter pleasures and a fresh environment it’s difficult to beat.

Norwich University College of the Arts

01603 610 561, www.nuca.ac.uk

Otley College, Suffolk

01473 785 543, www.otleycollege.ac.uk

University of Cambridge Disability Resource Centre

01223 332 301, www.cam.ac.uk/disability

University of East Anglia

01603 456 161, www.ueo.ac.uk

Shopmobility:

National Federation of Shopmobility: 08456 442 446, www.shopmobilityuk.org

Cambridge: 01223 461 858 (Grafton Centre), 01223 457 452 (Park Street)

Colchester: 01206 570 643

Ely: 01353 666 655

Ipswich: 01473 222 225 (Buttermarket), 01473 286 000 (Tower Ramparts)

Norwich: 01603 753 350

Peterborough: 01733 313 133

Assist UK (Independent Living Centres):

Cambridgeshire Independent Living Centre (Papworth Everard): 01480 830 495

Waveney Centre for Independent Living (Lowestoft): 01502 405 454

West Suffolk DRC (Bury St Edmunds): 01284 748 888, www.papworth.org.uk

• Former students at UEA include award-winning authors Ian McEwan and Kazuo Ishiguro; comedy writers/performers Charlie Higson, Arthur Smith and Paul Whitehouse and the explorer Benedict Allen.

• One of East Anglia’s most famous residents is the author, actor and television presenter Stephen Fry, who has lived in Norfolk since early childhood. His most recent acting role was in ITV1 series Kingdom, set in the county.

• East Anglia’s open space, level terrain and relative closeness to continental Europe made it the ideal location for airfields used by the RAF and United States Air Force Combined Bomber Offensive against Nazi-occupied Europe. Remnants of some bases are still visible.

Thanks to a fairly sparse population, East Anglia is home to relatively few colleges, although these do include Norwich University College of the Arts and Otley College, which concentrates on agriculture and horticulture courses. Education in East Anglia, however, is dominated by two nationally recognised institutions.

The second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, Cambridge is one of the planet’s top five academic institutions and forms part of a “Golden Triangle” with Oxford and London. As a collegiate university, it is made up of 31 self-governing and independent colleges, three of which remain women only institutions. Certain colleges are known for particular subjects – for example,  Churchill has a reputation for its science and engineering courses – but all share a demanding work ethic. No slouching around watching Deal Or No Deal here!

The University’s Disability Resource Centre on Trumpington Street provides advice, information and support to prospective applicants, undergraduates, graduates, research students and staff about facilities and available support. Each college has at least one room or flat that is accessible to wheelchair users, though facilities vary across the university. Recent years have seen significant investment in this area; an access guide is available from the DRC and online.

You can spend your entire term time at Cambridge in College owned accommodation, with the most accessible facilities found in its more modern buildings. Rents are lower than commercial alternatives (usually £80-£100 a week for a room with en suite facilities), which includes heating, cleaning, internet access and limited self-catering facilities.

Two miles from Norwich city centre, amid 320 acres of parkland, the UEA is home to almost 15,000 students. It is particularly famous for its modular degrees in English and American Studies (including a world-famous MA in Creative Writing), as well as Environmental Studies, media, law, history and social work. Onsite facilities include the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and a multi-million pound sports park.

UEA’s Disability Team is responsible for the provision of information, advice and support for disabled students and staff. Access around the relatively flat campus is good for wheelchair users, although the installation of lifts and ramps is ongoing to counter the 60s habit of putting in “loads of steps”. The university publishes a Getting Around guide which is regularly updated and available from the Team’s offices or online.

Disabled students are obviously given priority when it comes  to accessible on-campus accommodation (significantly increased in size in recent years). All halls of residence are self-catering, with rents ranging from £55 to £90 a week. Wheelchair accessible rooms with adapted wet-rooms are available, as are rooms adapted for hearing impaired students and those with severe allergies – advice should be sought from a Disability Coordinator to ensure the most appropriate room and adaptations are available.