This week sees several of our University buildings swathed in colourful lights as we welcome new and returning students and celebrate the start of a new academic year.

Part of our Find Your Bristol welcome campaign, the Victoria Rooms, Beacon House and Wills Memorial Building will provide a colourful spectacle every evening from 23 to 28 September to mark Welcome Week, the traditional start to the academic year.

Residential Student Support Centres in our North Village (Stoke Bishop), West Village (Clifton) and East Village (city centre) will also be lit up to welcome the new students who will be living in University accommodation.

Around 24,000 students, including approximately 5900 new undergraduates and 4400 new postgraduates, will arrive in Bristol in the next few weeks.  Our students give up tens of thousands of hours for volunteering every year. Through our Students' Union, they lead and take part in a range of projects, including work in primary schools across the city to help children with reading and writing and workshops that inspire pupils. They also run schemes to support disadvantaged young people and lead befriending and support groups for older people. Our students' contribution to the community was recognised in 2016 when they received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service - the highest national award for volunteering.

“I offer a warm welcome to the students. They are a huge part of the city’s life. They contribute to the energy, the vibrancy, the creativity, the innovation: all those things people describe Bristol as being,” said Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol.

Professor Judith Squires, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education, said: “We are delighted to see the return of our current students and particularly look forward to welcoming our new students to Bristol. This is an important and exciting time of year for our University community and we are pleased to mark it by lighting up some of our most prominent buildings. We hope that students, staff and members of the public will all enjoy this celebration of the start of the academic year.”