2017 March 22 – Leicestershire Press

by Sara Torres

Construction work on the DMU campus is expected to come to an end by the beginning of next month.

Since the project started in 2016, De Montfort University students have seen the partial closure of Mill Lane among other road disruptions.

The closure of paths and roads through the campus has been an inconvenience for many people who have been forced to divert their walk to get anywhere on site. This has proved particularly problematic for disabled people.

DMU student Sophie Abel, who has a physical disability, said: “The construction is blocking off some of the pathways which makes it hard for those who are unsteady on their feet to keep their balance and walk safely.”

The transformation is part of DMU’s project Campus of the Future, which will give students a refurbished and modern university. It includes the remodelling of some structures such as the Great Hall of Leicester Castle and the new stunning Vijay Patel building.

According to the DMU official website, construction was meant to end at Christmas 2016 but has been extended into 2017.

Fred Robson, deputy director of estates and commercial development at DMU, said: “We have our hands tied with the city council and we’ve had some problems with street lighting.”

The project is being managed by both the university and the council.

Despite the delays, Mr Robson confirmed that the contract of completion for the remodelling of the university will end at the beginning of April and he expects that the finalisation of the £136million project to end just before that.

By Sam Chambers

A former DMU Journalism student has recently had the opportunity to collaborate with the media department of one of the world’s biggest football clubs.

Davide Cappelli, an Italian student who studied at DMU as part of the Erasmus international exchange programme, has recently completed work experience at Manchester United, having previously spent time in the communications office of their cross-city rivals, Manchester City.

Whilst working within the media department of the club, following his completion of a Master’s in Marketing at the University of Manchester, he was afforded the opportunity to help out the club’s journalists, producing content for the club’s website and matchday magazine.

He said: “The people in the media department let me write some stuff, so I got to write the preview for the website for the Liverpool game, which was a massively important match for any Man United fan, particularly as at the time they weren’t really on form.

“I also helped out with the programme for the FA Cup game against Wigan, doing a three-page piece on player profiles, which was great as well.”

Davide hopes the experience will stand him in good stead as he looks to apply for jobs in the communication and marketing departments of football clubs in England and back home in Italy, with his passion for writing about football reinforced last year when he was asked to write a book about Leicester City’s Premier League title success.

As one of the most famous season’s in English football history neared its unforgettable denouement, and with the story garnering media attention the world over, he was approached by a small publisher back home in Italy to chronicle the storied campaign.

He explained: “A publisher contacted me, asking if I wanted to write a book about Leicester City.

“They knew I had studied in Leicester and had been writing about football for a website, particularly about the English Premier League, so asked me if I could write the whole story of the season, basically describing every game, but not just like a bland report, rather the anecdotes about the main characters, like Jamie Vardy, [Claudio] Ranieri, and all the little things behind the fairytale.

“It was really good, a great exercise and really fun. It’s something I’m really proud of.

“I’d love to write another book, maybe something on English football or English music.”

Writing the book proved extra special for Davide, having become a fan of the club during his time at DMU, and revelled in the success and the celebrations that followed.

“It was unbelievable. I followed everything and went to Leicester for the victory parade,” he said.

“It was great to see the city turn into a massive party, everyone wearing blue scarves. It was great fun.”

Davide’s lasting affinity with Leicester doesn’t end with its football club, as he paid tribute to DMU and revealed that his time spent at the university significantly influenced his decision to study a post-graduate degree in England.

He explained: “It was one of the reasons why I decided to come back to England to study my Master’s, because I loved it.

“I learned a lot at DMU, and it has helped in all I’ve done after that.

“There was always stuff going on all the time, I loved it.”