The Sheriff of Nottingham hosts Summer Garden Party

The spotlight was on Nottingham as the centre of excellence for international students on Tuesday 15 July when the Sheriff of Nottingham, Cllr Jackie Morris, hosted a Summer Garden Party in the grounds of Nottingham Castle to reinforce the city’s reputation as a first-choice university city and raise awareness of the investment opportunities available.

Organised by the Nottingham Event Team – the convention bureau of Experience Nottinghamshire, the management destination organisation responsible for driving leisure and business visitors to the county – the event brought together students from all over the world who are graduating this summer from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.

The students engaged with key representatives from the local business community, including many of the Nottingham Ambassadors – a scheme which recruits influential representatives with strong British and international connections to help fly the flag for Nottingham in their work - as well as councillors and representatives from Nottingham City Council. In addition, Sharon Bell, Associate Director - Careers and Employability and Professor Dingping Guo, Deputy Director of Nottingham Confucius Institute, University of Nottingham; Nigel Healy, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) from Nottingham Trent University and other key representatives from the universities attended the event.

Jennifer Spencer, Chief Executive, Experience Nottinghamshire, said: "Graduation is an exciting time for the international students and their families and this event provided us with an opportunity to thank them for choosing Nottingham as their preferred city in which to undertake their studies. The students make an enormous contribution to the local economy and we are hugely thankful to them for choosing Nottingham to carry out their studies.

"We presented the students with a commemorative scroll, making them International Ambassadors of Nottingham. Our hope is for the students to return to their home countries with a lasting good impression so they continue to promote the benefits of choosing Nottingham as the number one city for international students.

"Whilst the event was a relaxed and fairly informal occasion, we also work in partnership with the Invest in Nottingham team at Nottingham City Council and we hope the event helped to encourage some of the students to consider Nottingham when setting-up their businesses in the future."

The Sheriff of Nottingham, Cllr Jackie Morris, said: "It was great to meet many of the international students who have selected Nottingham as their city of choice to undertake their studies. We value the contribution they make to the local economy and hope they will continue to spread the good news about Nottingham as the first choice university city to their friends and family around the world. The Summer Garden Party also provided the opportunity for the students to engage with members of the local business community and find out about future investment opportunities in the city."

Councillor Nick McDonald, Portfolio Holder for Jobs and Growth, Nottingham City Council, said: "In Nottingham the international links provided by our universities are highly valuable, and they are skilled at working alongside business. Our Growth Plan offers financial and business support to companies wanting to locate in the city and we welcome the focus that is brought to this area by the Ambassadors. Our Invest in Nottingham team works closely with companies coming to the city and we welcome this scheme as continuing to raise the profile of the city as a key investment destination overseas. It's absolutely essential that our businesses and business leaders advocate for the city to help deliver investment. This scheme helps do that; it's a great initiative."

Nigel Healey, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), Nottingham Trent University added: "I am delighted that the Sheriff of Nottingham hosted this event for graduating international students and that the city is formally recognising the significant contribution that international students make during their time studying in Nottingham. There are over 12,000 students from overseas in the city and their impact is often underestimated. Not only do they make a substantial economic contribution to the city, in the order of £374 million annually, but the diversity they create and cultural footprint they leave is of equal benefit. Nottingham would certainly be a poorer place without them. I am delighted that Nottingham continues to be such an attractive destination for international students."

Deborah Webb, Head of International Support and Engagement, University of Nottingham, said: "The University of Nottingham was delighted to support the Summer Garden Party at the Castle organised by Experience Nottinghamshire. It was a wonderful opportunity for students, their family members and local representatives to celebrate the achievements of international students and the positive contribution they make to the City."

The Sheriff of Nottingham’s Summer Garden Party was kindly supported by House of Fraser, Grosvenor Casinos, Park Plaza and the Galleries of Justice Museum.

Further details about the Nottingham Event Team are available on www.nottinghamevents.uk.com.