Essentials

• Travel documents- keep these in your hand luggage bag as you will need them when you land in the UK.
• Passport and any other forms of I.D- again keep these in your hand luggage. During enrolment at University it is likely you will need to show some kind of photo identification several times, so always keep something like your passport handy.
• Money- get a small amount of money exchanged before you travel and keep it in a purse/wallet in your hand luggage in case you want to buy yourself something to eat and drink when you arrive in the country. You will also need some money if you have to pay for a taxi from the airport.
• Insurance documents- if you have taken out any insurance keep these safe and put them in your hand luggage. By doing this, in the unlikely event that your suitcase goes missing at the airport, you don’t need to worry about losing important paperwork.
• Medication- for the same reason as above, if you take any medication, we would suggest you keep these in your hand luggage too
• Clothes- before you leave, do a bit of research into the weather in the UK for the time of year you are arriving. As a rule, January- April can be cold and rainy, May-September is usually warm and sunny (but a light jacket is often still needed) and from September- December the weather is cold and rains frequently. By knowing what weather to expect you can be prepared and pack appropriately. Think about layers so you can keep warm but then you can remove a few layers if the weather heats up.
• University information- maps of the campus, your lecture timetable and contact information for various departments at the uni are all things you might need within the first few days here. If you are organised, and know where and where you need to be, you’ll be much more confident and feel ready for anything.
• Toiletries- depending on when you arrive in the country, many shops may be closed so it is best to bring with you some essential items that you will need right away. These may include toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, shower gel and deodorant.

Luxuries

• Reminders of home- photos of friends and family and some of your favourite films and books are all great ways to reminisce about where you’re from. They also work well as ice breakers with your new flatmates- you can use them to start conversations with new friends and will encourage them to show you things from their background.
• Things for your new Digs- we have an online shop on our website where you can buy bedding and kitchen packs so they are ready for when you arrive. However, there might be some small things from your bedroom back home that you will really miss. If so, (and you can fit them into your case) bring them with you to personalise your new place and make you feel instantly more at home.
• Food- food from your home country would be a great way to transport you back to your home country on the days you fancy reminiscing and can allow new friends to try new foods that they might not have had before. This might lead to cooking nights within your Digs where you all take it in turns to cook a dish from the country you originate from.

Don’t forget there is also an onsite shop where you can get all your essentials when you arrive too!

Corporation has been a popular choice for students for years. Located in the centre of town, near Division street, it boasts a wide array of club nights and gigs to suit any musical taste. Rock, metal, SK8 and pop are all played at Corp throughout the week and the bar has some of the best value drink prices around!

Corporations is also home to the legendary Skool Disco on Wednesday nights- a night where everyone dons their school uniform and parties the night away to chart classics whilst enjoying the fantastic drink deals on offer.

Despite Corporation already offering some of the cheapest nights out around, with your Pinnacles Privilege card you get further discounts! With your card you get entry into the club for just £1 and this can be used on any club night.

Corporation- what’s not to like?!

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• 100g smoked bacon lardons or chopped up bacon (about 3 rashers will do)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 large celery sticks chopped
• 2 large leeks chopped
• 2 tbsps. plain flour
• 180ml white wine
• 500ml chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 100g frozen peas
• Jar of sundried tomatoes
• 1 jar of green pesto
• Small bunch of fresh basil, chopped

For the dumplings:

• 70g butter
• 150g self raising flour
• 100g parmesan grated
• 50g pine nuts

Method

1. heat some oil in a large pan and brown the chicken breasts on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a warm plate and cover, set aside.
2. Add the bacon lardons to the pan and allow to sizzle for a few minutes. Add the onion, celery ans leeks and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until the veg has softened. Stir in the flour, season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 2 mins.
3. Gradually stir in the wine and allow to cook until most of it has disappeared. Then stir in the stock and return the chicken to the pan along with the bay leaves and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 ½ hours until the chicken is tender but cooked throughout.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C and add the peas, sundried tomatoes, pesto and basil to the stew (save some of the basil to scatter on top before serving).
5. To make the dumplings rub the butter and flour together in a large bowl until it resembles breadcrumbs. You might want to add more butter if the mixture seems too dry or more flour if it seems too sticky. Mix in the grated cheese and add 75ml of water and mix with a cutlery knife to ensure you get all the crumbs from the side of the bowl. Form a light dough and break off small bite sized pieces and shape into balls. Roll the balls in the pine nuts so some stick to outside of each ball.
6 Transfer the stew to a large casserole dish and place the dumplings on top and scatter the remaining pine nuts on top. Place the dish in the oven and cook for 25 mins until the dumplings have turned golden brown.

Scatter the remaining basil on top before serving.

TIP- if you want to make this in advance, simply allow the stew to cool at the end of step 3 and freeze until you want to use it. When you are ready to eat it, just allow to defrost completely then warm back up in a pan and continue with step 4-6.

On the news of late it has been reported that the government is considering plans to banish all branding from cigarette packets sold in England with an aim to make smoking less appealing to our youth. It is suggested that certain branded tobacco packets are seen as “cool” and creates a “smoker identity” and that tobacco firms use colours and logos to boost profits.

In a statement, Andrew Lansley, Health Secretary said:

“Health Ministers across the UK have a responsibility to look closely at initiatives that might encourage smokers to quit and stop young people taking up smoking in the first place. Through a forthcoming consultation we want to hear as many views as possible about whether tobacco packing should remain unchanged, plain packaging should be adopted or a different option should be considered”

The government have already put plans in place regarding smoking whereas you can no longer buy cigarettes from vending machines (something you used to see them in your local pub/club) and a ban on smoking in public places (inside) and a ban on having cigarettes on show in large shops has already been implemented with the smaller shops being made to follow by 2015.

In a statement, Jane Chisholm-Caunt, Secretary-General of The Tobacco Manufacturers said:

“Smoking initiation in children is actually linked to a complex range of socio-economic factors including home life, peer pressure, truancy and exclusion from school”

She also added that making cigarette packets plain would encourage counterfeit cigarettes.

What do you think? Do you think that plain packaging will have any impact on the youth of today?

We all know how easy it is to slip in to unhealthy habits whilst at uni- regular nights out involving plenty of beer and plenty of late night kebabs and pizzas can have a big effect on your personal fitness and sometimes it isn’t until you have graduated that you realise!

However, as a tenant at the Pinnacles you have Living Well Gym at the Hilton right on your doorstep. There is plenty of activities going on to keep you interested including a fully equipped gym, fitness classes, pool, sauna and beauty salon (to pamper yourself after you have slogged it out on the treadmill!).

We know being a student means you have to make your loan stretch pretty far, which is why the friendly folks down at Living Well have waivered the joining fee for all our students who want to sign up! Simply show them your Privilege Card and they will honour the discount.

So with summer on its way, meaning a smaller, skimpier wardrobe, there never has been a better time to shape up and get fit!

Don’t worry though; we have a few tips and tricks to help cram in all that last minute knowledge.

Targets

When working, don’t call up your classmates and ask them how much revision they have done. Take a look at what is in front of you and create personal targets that are realistic for YOU to achieve. If you try to read a whole textbook in five minutes, you might not be surprised to find you will not remember a thing. Create a timetable and put it somewhere that you will see it, all of the time.

Re-focus

As clever as we all like to think we are, the human brain likes to learn in small doses. Breaking studies down into manageable portions and adding small breaks in-between them will allow you to re-focus and keep coming back to your revision with a fresh mind. This is basically a watered down version of what you should have been doing from the start, but crammed into a few days!

Turn Facebook off

This is the number one pitfall for many students in modern times. Next time you walk into the library, have a look how many people are on social media sites. Imagine if all of them were studying, rather than working on their virtual farms, much more learning would be happening. If you are a more critical ‘Facebook addict’, get a trustworthy friend or family member to change your password and give them a date to return it. This is slightly drastic, but the reality of the problem is there to be seen in every classroom and library in the country. Many academic facilities actually ban social media sites around exam times for this exact reason, and it really does help!

Neighbours

If you are dead set on not getting any revision done and are more inclined to party like it’s fresher week again, keep in mind that not everyone will be sharing your mindset. Obviously you are entitled to treat your home as you wish, but spare a thought for the guy upstairs who is trying to get some revision in, while your having a midweek celebration.

Brainfood

You are what you eat, and deep fried chicken and XL meat feast pizzas are rubbish for revision. For added brainpower at breakfast time, try swapping your white bread for whole meal and get a big glass of pure fruit juice inside you. Diet specialists are forever drilling it into the world that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and considering the morning is when your brain is most happy to revise, it all makes perfect sense to skip last night’s reheated Chinese takeaway.

For lunch, make a healthy decision to help get you through the afternoon shift. Jacket potatoes are a great lunchtime snack, they are filling and customizable.

If you are more of a night-time studier, make sure you are getting a dinner that wont leave you sprawled out on the sofa, struggling to move. Avoiding fried and fatty foods will help you beat the post dinner tiredness and kick you back into super student mode. If you are struggling with tiredness, a tea or coffee is fine, but keep it minimal, as you don’t want to be rolling around in bed trying to sleep when you are up to your eyes in caffeine.

Supplements and super-foods

Much research around the world goes into sourcing new foods that pack a serious health kick. From mountaintops to the bottom of the ocean, we have become obsessed with finding new supplements and super foods. If you have ever been into a health store you might have noticed that there is no shortage on choice, so we have done the research for you and decided on a revision super foods list for 2012.

Blueberries and pomegranates

Both are mega high in antioxidant activity, which promotes memory protection in the brain. Both are available fresh or in juices in most supermarkets so there is no excuse! Getting your 5 a day is a great way to get to your optimum working ability and with so much fruit available there is no excuses.

Acai berry

The Acai berry has become a favourite among health enthusiasts in recent years. The fruit is product off an Amazonian palm tree and offers one of the most extensive lists of health benefits of any supplement out there. Acai is said to help aid weight loss and general well being, plus its antioxidant properties are extremely highly rated. They are packed with healthy fats, fibers, minerals and amino acids, which all make this little berry pack a big punch. The actual berries are harder to get hold of but most health stores offer acai extract in gel caps. If you can find real berries, they are often either frozen or in juices, which both offer better health benefits, but you might have to pay out a bit more for the real deal!

Oily Fish

Salmon, mackerel, sardines and fresh tuna are mega high in zinc, protein and a whole host of vitamins. It has been common knowledge for a long time that fish is great for the brain and all the omega-3 works wonders for your blood. If your taste buds don’t agree with fish, there are many supplements on the market to get you these great health benefits that can get you a nice omega-3 fix or you could try soy beans, olive oil, walnuts and pumpkin seeds.

So now you have the research done, get the supplies in and get down to some revision. With all these tips taken into consideration, you should be all set to bring home the grades.

Good luck!

To encourage your assistance in keeping DIGS green, we launched a competition in 2010 called ‘The Jolly Green Student’ to help you see how your flat performed compared to others on site. Although it’s always awesome to beat your neighbours at anything just for the sake of winning, we also offer prizes as incentives. This year’s winners will receive a grocery voucher worth £30 for each resident in the winning flat. Nice!

We’ve furiously calculated (well, calculated anyway) your energy usage, we’ve checked it all twice and now the figures are in. That’s right folks, it’s time to find out whether you’re a Jolly Green Student or just, you know, a student.

So, what are the ratings?

1 Star * Only a tinge of green for you, we know you can do better!

2 Stars ** You’re green around the edges but need colouring in!

3 Stars *** So green you’re practically blooming!

We know you’re dying to find out your rating, we’ve been keeping you waiting a while. Take a sneak peek of them now…

Thanks to all our Jolly Green Students, you’ve helped us to drive down our energy consumption and have possibly helped us to save a polar bear or two. We bet you’re all wondering who won the shop vouchers. Well, wait no more and check out the winners video here:

Didn’t do well? Feeling a bit green (sorry, couldn’t resist) about your one star rating? If so, check out our top tips for saving energy and have a shot at being the Jolliest Greenest Students next year!

Curtains don’t just save our modesty in the evenings they keep in the heat too! Keep yours drawn to save energy.

Got a fridge full of food at the end of term? Don’t bin it, share the wealth and we’ll give it to those who need it.

Do you keep the tap running when brushing your teeth? Think about turning it off as you scrub and maybe not singing a whole album worth of songs whilst washing your locks.

Unplugged is the best way to be… when things aren’t being used, don’t whack them on standby and turn them off at the socket, think of those extra steps you’ll make a day, off the hook cardio!

The DIGS Team.

To encourage your assistance in keeping DIGS green, we launched a competition in 2010 called ‘The Jolly Green Student’ to help you see how your flat performed compared to others on site. Although it’s always awesome to beat your neighbours at anything just for the sake of winning, we also offer prizes as incentives. This year’s winners will receive a grocery voucher worth £30 for each resident in the winning flat. Nice!

We’ve furiously calculated (well, calculated anyway) your energy usage, we’ve checked it all twice and now the figures are in. That’s right folks, it’s time to find out whether you’re a Jolly Green Student or just, you know, a student.

So, what are the ratings?

Green star- Well done! You’re even greener than last term!
Amber star- You’ve stayed the same but there’s still some room for improvement!
Red star- You’ve lost a star- check out our top tips on how to be green!

We know you’re dying to find out your rating, we’ve been keeping you waiting a while. Take a sneak peek of them now…

Thanks to all our Jolly Green Students, you’ve helped us to drive down our energy consumption and have possibly helped us to save a polar bear or two. We bet you’re all wondering who won the shop vouchers. Well, wait no more and check out the winners video here:

Didn’t do well? Feeling a bit green (sorry, couldn’t resist) about your one star rating? If so, check out our top tips for saving energy and have a shot at being the Jolliest Greenest Students next year!

Curtains don’t just save our modesty in the evenings they keep in the heat too! Keep yours drawn to save energy.

Got a fridge full of food at the end of term? Don’t bin it, share the wealth and we’ll give it to those who need it.

Do you keep the tap running when brushing your teeth? Think about turning it off as you scrub and maybe not singing a whole album worth of songs whilst washing your locks.

Unplugged is the best way to be… when things aren’t being used, don’t whack them on standby and turn them off at the socket, think of those extra steps you’ll make a day, off the hook cardio!

The DIGS Team.

To encourage your assistance in keeping DIGS green, we launched a competition in 2010 called ‘The Jolly Green Student’ to help you see how your flat performed compared to others on site. Although it’s always awesome to beat your neighbours at anything just for the sake of winning, we also offer prizes as incentives. This year’s winners will receive a grocery voucher worth £30 for each resident in the winning flat. Nice!

We’ve furiously calculated (well, calculated anyway) your energy usage, we’ve checked it all twice and now the figures are in. That’s right folks, it’s time to find out whether you’re a Jolly Green Student or just, you know, a student.

So, what are the ratings?

Green star- Well done! You’re even greener than last term!
Amber star- You’ve stayed the same but there’s still some room for improvement!
Red star- You’ve lost a star- check out our top tips on how to be green!

We know you’re dying to find out your rating, we’ve been keeping you waiting a while. Take a sneak peek of them now…

Thanks to all our Jolly Green Students, you’ve helped us to drive down our energy consumption and have possibly helped us to save a polar bear or two. We bet you’re all wondering who won the shop vouchers. Well, wait no more and check out the winners video here:

Didn’t do well? Feeling a bit green (sorry, couldn’t resist) about your one star rating? If so, check out our top tips for saving energy and have a shot at being the Jolliest Greenest Students next year!

Curtains don’t just save our modesty in the evenings they keep in the heat too! Keep yours drawn to save energy.

Got a fridge full of food at the end of term? Don’t bin it, share the wealth and we’ll give it to those who need it.

Do you keep the tap running when brushing your teeth? Think about turning it off as you scrub and maybe not singing a whole album worth of songs whilst washing your locks.

Unplugged is the best way to be… when things aren’t being used, don’t whack them on standby and turn them off at the socket, think of those extra steps you’ll make a day, off the hook cardio!

The DIGS Team

Ah great! Yeah unfortunately I only get to come back to Huddersfield when we have a big event on but that makes it all the more special. I definitely consider Huddersfield my home town even though i only moved there to go to university but then just kind of settled! So of course I have loads of really close mates in town that i hardly get to see and its always nice to fill them in on what I’ve been doing in the rest of the world since leaving. Huddersfield broke me as a DJ so i owe this town my career.

So, other than Huddersfield (obviously), where is your favourite place to DJ? Who brings in the best crowd?

It’s always nice to play somewhere where you have a decent crew of mates to party with and I currently have bases in London, Ibiza & Los Angeles so for that reason I love playing all of those places as well but America in general is where its at right now. There is so much hype for the style of music i make and play that the gigs are just incredible! Its scary how nuts the crowds there go when you play one of your own tracks that they know and love!

Can you remember a crystallising moment when you realised you wanted to DJ? What were your biggest influences?

I was just working on a bar and the DJ didn’t turn up, i had been toying with the idea of learning to mix so i had a few records so i jumped on and got the job somehow (even though i was rubbish!) and i never looked back! My Biggest influence has always been Fatboy Slim, his party spirit and musical open mindedness always inspired me. I always dreamed of playing with him and fast forward 8 years I’m now good mates with him and we have the same manager and share the stage almost bi monthly!

Do you have any advice for a student DJ starting out? What would be the first thing you would do to get noticed?

Never become a DJ for money, do it because you love it. If you’re chasing a wage people won’t book you at first because there’s so many equally average DJs out there that will do the same thing for free. If you’re good and you become someone that people want to specifically pay to watch then the money will come. Also be nice to EVERYONE you meet, nobody likes a jumped up arrogant DJ who thinks he’s god because he can play other peoples music. And to get noticed, simply be good! Be on point with the music you play and be creative with how you do it, learn some tricks. And most importantly, make your own music, I cant stress how important that is! my one regret is doing an English degree at Huddersfield University when i should have done a degree in music production and learnt how to make music 5 years earlier than i did!

How and where did you get your big break?

I had a lot of great and important gigs along the way which gradually built me as a DJ but my biggest and most crucial was being given a radio 1 essential mix (recorded live from Afterparty in Huddersfield). I Was picked by Pete Tong as his rising star DJ and someone he predicted as being the next big thing so thanks for that Pete!

What path would you take in your education or career today to make sure that you got to where you wanted to be? Did you always plan on being a DJ?

Yeah as I said earlier I made a terrible choice in my university degree with English but at that point i hadn’t started DJing and hadn’t really thought about it but I suppose it taught me how to write a great press release for events I was putting on! Being at university in general was very important to me being where i am now for a few reasons. I used my student loan to buy my first decks, I had boring housemates in the first year so I used my spare time learning to mix. I also had my first taste of clubbing properly whilst at university and all the friends and contacts I made were the people that would give me my first decent gigs and be my supporters! by the time I’d finished university I was a popular DJ in town and was creating the first Afterparty events so I’m very glad I came to university!

Before hitting the big time, what’s the worst job you ever had?

After university I was just DJing at the weekends which was great but not enough to call it a full time job so i did a bit of temping, I worked in a furniture packing factory and a council bin collection department call centre, both of those jobs lasted about 3 days as it was suicidal working in places like that! Luckily i secured that extra midweek gig and quit those crap jobs and have never had to do anything except be my own boss since! : )

Do you prefer to play to a small, intimate crowd or to a massive packed out venue?

I love both equally, I played to 40 thousand people in times square, New York last weekend which was awesome and very good for my ego but you cant connect properly when there’s that many people because its just a see of faces, I really enjoy playing really intimate gigs like camel club where you can see every pair of eyes in the room and really take people on a journey. Radio is fun as well, on my radio show you are playing to thousands of people and you can interact in a different way with people listening in through social networks.

You seem to be taking the DJ scene by storm at the moment. Where do you see yourself in five years time?

I’m still working harder than ever as I feel that I have a lot to prove as an established producer, I’m currently working on collaboration projects with Grandmaster Flash, Beardyman, Reverend & The Makers, Riton, Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Dave Spoon, The Jungle Brothers, Nicki Minaj (To name but a few) so this next batch of music should hopefully take me to the next level! Its good to set targets so here we go: When you interview me in 5 years time I will be about to headline Glastonbury, Afterparty will be in internationally acclaimed festival held on top of castle hill where 50,0000 attend each year, I will have simultaneous number 1 album & singles in both the UK & US at the same time, I will be married to Mila Kunis. Yep all pretty unrealistic I know but then i never thought i would be mates with Fatboy slim!

How do you wind down after a hard nights DJing?

If I’ve been DJing i’m normally straight to an airport to fly to the next gig but my I pad is always full of movies to watch and I have a really amazing gift of being able to sleep amazingly well on planes!

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, we can’t wait for the next Afterparty!

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