Further details regarding Forum opening

The best place to view the Royal visit is opposite the Forum main entrance on Stocker Road, or on Queen’s Drive. We suggest you get there by 11.30am. There will be live music to entertain the crowds from the steps of the INTO building from 10.30am.

On arrival The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will enter the Forum where they will be presented to representatives of the two counties of Devon and Cornwall before meeting some of our world-leading researchers. There will then be a short musical performance and the official opening to be followed by a reception and lunch. These will be attended by invited staff, students and supporters of the University.  The ‘indoor’ elements of the visit are necessarily limited by space and we have invited a cross-section of staff and students.

The Forum is all about the Exeter student experience and will be formally opened to students following the departure of the Royal party. There will be a short opening ceremony at approximately 3pm involving your Students’ Guild President Nick Davis and your Vice-Chancellor Sir Steve Smith. The Forum will remain open until 8pm. Free Jubilee cakes and ice cream will be available and live music will continue throughout the afternoon. Again, we hope you can join us. Otherwise, the Forum’s first full day of operation will be on Thursday 3 May opening at 8am.

We emailed you last week to provide you with details of the operational effects on the Streatham Campus.

As a reminder: Most of the University’s car parks will be closed for the day, except those on the fringes of the campus around halls of residence. Streatham Campus roads will be CLOSED for the duration of the Royal visit meaning you will not be able to arrive or exit by car between approximately 11am and 3pm. Some 400 additional car parking spaces will be provided at Exeter Arena to make up for spaces lost on campus. A free shuttle bus will run at half hourly intervals from 7.15am-10.15am between the Arena and the Hatherly building on Prince of Wales Road. The shuttle bus will take people back to Exeter Arena, departing from outside Hatherly from 3pm-6pm. There is likely to be some disruption to the operation of the D and H bus services which serve the Streatham Campus, particularly during the middle part of the day, when they will turn around at the Washington Singer building.

There will be additional catering on the day and campus restaurants outside the immediate area of the Forum will remain open, such as La Touche, Harrys, the Ram, INTO, Long Lounge, Coffee and Cake, and Queen's. The campus shop will also be open.

The Library will remain OPEN as normal. The Great Hall, the Sanctuary and University reception will be CLOSED for the duration of the visit. Northcote House will remain OPEN but there will be restrictions to access all day until about 3pm. To gain entry you will need your photo ID card.  Generally it will take longer to get across campus on the day, so please allow more time for journeys.

The Forum is looking absolutely tremendous and is everything we hoped for. All is set for a very exciting day in which the Forum and the University will be centre stage. So, once again, please join in the celebration.

With best wishes

David Allen OBE
Registrar and Deputy Chief Executive