Updated info September 2022
The university offers a comprehensive programme of activities and initiatives aimed at creating links with local communities and making the campus accessible to a wider audience.
Some of the ways in which the university currently provides a local community resource and engages with local people to promote and enable access to a higher education are summarised below.
Sports
The sports facilities at Royal Holloway are accessed by a range of local sports clubs including:
- Chertsey Town Football Club
- AFC Royal Holloway Football Club
- Egham Cricket Club
- Active Surrey
- Virginia Water Football Club
- Phoenix Football Academy
- Ascot United Football Club
- Sports For Kids
- Berks Football Club
- Windsor Football Club
- St Georges School
- Egham Hollowegians
- Manorcroft United
- Windlesham FC
- LA Micro FC
- Egham Stags FC
- Bishopsgate School
Many of these groups use the facilities on a weekly basis during the sports seasons. The proposed improvements to the sports facilities on Nobles and East Fields will enhance the student experience as well as the range, quality and availability of sports provision for local community-based clubs and schools.
Widening Participation
Royal Holloway has developed a comprehensive outreach and Widening Access programme aimed at working with students from underrepresented groups across the local area and supporting new students.
A range of activities are delivered throughout the year aimed at breaking down barriers to higher education and improving the knowledge and skills of young people. Some Royal Holloway’s programmes are very long term with the university working with the same students for many years.
A key objective for the programme is to provide opportunity and support to young people in the local area. Undergraduates can get involved in this via the university’s volunteer mentoring schemes and via its Student Ambassador programme.
Library
The reference section of the library, in the Emily Wilding Davison Building, is free to members of the general public, visitors from other educational institutions and staff and students from other institutions of the University of London. Any member of the public can apply to become an external member of the library, allowing loan of up to ten books.
The library also has a number of reciprocal agreements and access schemes which enable non-students to gain free access to the library system.
The library accommodates school visits during several months of the year and provides guidance and training in the use of the library and its resources and workshops on the development of research-based learning skills. Sixth form students can access the library following their school visits, with full access to reference materials.
The Picture Gallery
The gallery houses an important collection of Victorian art and is open to the public viewing on a number of days throughout the year. The gallery also hosts a series of talks and open days from October to March for the public, students and staff.
Continuing Professional Development
During term holidays, the university hosts several conferences, seminars and symposia, attracting both national and international speakers across a range of topics. These events also generate a notable income to the university, but also attracts visitor expenditure in the locality.
Volunteering
The volunteering team at Royal Holloway facilitates community volunteering for students with a wide range of local organisations, community groups and charities. The developments proposed through the Estate Plan will play an important role in enabling the university to build on their existing work in this area and provide appropriate opportunities to existing and future students as well as the local community.
In the 2021-22 academic year the university have 1,500 registered volunteers working alongside more than 150 community partners. These partner organisations included charities, schools, hospitals and non-profit organisations, as well as local councils and community groups.
Over the past year, students have contributed more than 3,000 hours of volunteering and since the founding of Royal Holloway Volunteering in 2003, hundreds of students have used volunteering as a way of developing their skills, meeting new people and making a difference in the local community.
In 2017, Royal Holloway Volunteering was awarded with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service as a result of the Royal Holloway Volunteering leadership programme. This programme gives students the opportunity to lead their own projects and make an impact on the local community.
Drama and performance
A number of free and paid concerts are held at the university across the campus. This is part of and in addition to, drama and music courses run by the university.