Satellite learning ‘Space’ launched at OpTIC Centre

A new £60,000 teaching space has been officially opened at Wrexham Glyndwr University’s OpTIC Centre.

The new facility was officially opened by university Vice-Chancellor Professor Maria Hinfelaar at a special ceremony at the centre in St Asaph. 

Designed to work as a satellite hub for students and work alongside the university’s Plas Coch, Regent Street and Northop campuses, it will initially host education and business related courses as well as work related to the university’s civic mission projects.

Professor Hinfelaar said: “The OpTIC Centre is already home to the award-winning Glyndwr Innovations team and hosts industry-leading technology and research, including the Centre for Photonics Expertise which opened earlier this year.

“To that strong portfolio, we can now add Space/ Gofod, our new teaching facility. The new space is the latest upgrade to our facilities across Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham as part of our Campus 2025 estates renewal strategy – and a wonderful new facility which will enable our courses to reach even more people.”

The facility has been dubbed Space/ Gofod in recognition of its nature as a satellite hub, as well as the technical work carried out at the OpTIC Centre. Director of the OpTIC Centre, Caroline Gray, added: “It has been great to see the new Space/ Gofod facility take shape over the past few months.

“It’s also good to see the facility gaining a fitting name, which makes a literal link to the technical work being done at the OpTIC Centre – where we have a dedicated space incubation programme and where we have worked with partners to make high-tech, cutting edge telescopes that both look down at the earth from space – and up to the skies from the earth.”

The new learning space will also be used to help bolster Wrexham Glyndwr University’s civic mission work – and has been part-funded with a £40,000 grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales’ Enhancing Civic Mission and Community Engagement Fund.

Nina Ruddle, Head of Public Policy Engagement at Wrexham Glyndwr University, said: “The university has been developing strong links with the 2025 Movement, a partnership which seeks to tackle avoidable health inequalities on North Wales.

“We have already held a series of events with the 2025 movement in St Asaph, and this new space – as well as being an excellent teaching facility – will also allow us to expand that work further.”