About the Venue
Bicon 2009 will be held at The University of Worcester, which some of you will remember from the fab time we had there in 2005.
The University of Worcester has recently joined Stonewall's Diversity Champion Programme as part of its continued commitment to equality and dignity for its staff and students. In brief, Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme is Britain's good practice forum for sexual orientation where employers can work with Stonewall, and each other, to promote diversity in the workplace. Stonewall, as a member of the national Equality and Diversity Forum, is committed to progress on age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief as well as sexual orientation.
The city of Worcester is located approximately 25 miles south west of Birmingham, with the main University campus being situated about 1 mile to the north west of the city centre.
Click here for Some photographs of the venue
Daytime activities
BiCon reception and all meeting rooms are situated within the central administration block. An abundance of green spaces between the buildings on this compact, level site gives the campus a pleasant atmosphere, with accessible pathways and drop-kerbs provided throughout.
Evening events
Evening entertainments will take place in the bar and dance hall of the Students' Union, approximately 2 minutes walk from both reception & accommodation blocks. In addition to this, we'll be providing a quiet social space for reading, chatting or playing board games close to BiCon reception. Coffee, tea and soft drinks will also be available here.
Accommodation & Catering
All overnight accommodation is in student residences, located 2-3 minutes walk from meeting rooms & social space. These comprise self contained flats with 6 or 7 bedrooms sharing kitchen & 2 w.c / shower rooms. Bed linen & towels are provided. The kitchen is equipped with fridge/freezer, electric cooker, plus frying pan & 2 saucepans. In addition, a knife, fork, spoon, mug, bowl & 2 plates will be provided for each person. You will need to bring items such as sharp knives, corkscrews, can openers, etc. as these will not be provided by the venue. We can also offer some rooms with en-suite facilities for a small surcharge. Full details on the "Booking a Place" page.
For people with limited mobility, a small number of ground floor and fully wheelchair accessible rooms are available. We have the use of 4 accessible flats. These are situated on the ground floor with automatic entry doors. The communal kitchen has a low sink & cooker with adjacent bays for wheelchairs. These flats contain 6 ordinary ensuite bedrooms & 1 bedroom with attached "wet room" with seated shower area at one end. There's ample space here to manoeuvre a manual wheelchair & transfer to the shower seat. Please note that electric wheelchair users might find parts of these flats difficult to negotiate.
As usual at BiCon, only self catering facilities are provided as part of the inclusive price. However we have negotiated the use of the "grab & go" servery in the dining hall right next to BiCon reception for ad-hoc purchases of drinks, items from the salad bar, hot & cold snacks, sandwiches and soup. Opening hours will be 10am-4pm daily, with hot food served during the lunchtime period only. Outside these hours, we'll have access to the well stocked vending machines in the dining hall which will be part of our quiet evening space for socialising.
Further Information
More specific information on the campus is available at the University website: www.worc.ac.uk
Getting There
Street address: University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ.
UK National grid ref: SO835555
Once on campus, follow signs to BiCon reception.
The following PROVISIONAL information will be checked and updated shortly:
By Road
From M5 Junction 7 take the A44, signed "Worcester". Keep in the left hand lane and after 1/4 mile turn left at the next roundabout. (A4440). Go straight over 2 more roundabouts following the A4440. After you cross the river, the road becomes elevated and you need to turn RIGHT at the next roundabout signed "Worcester West A449" This is Bromwich Road. Cross the old river bridge and after half a mile turn RIGHT at the small roundabout, following signs for "city centre A449". Carry on for 1 mile through the leafy outskirts of the town then, at the roundabout, turn LEFT.
Immediately get into the right hand lane and take the first RIGHT turning by the green Pawnbrokers shop. This is Henwick Road. Continue for 0.6 miles, over the level crossing, then past the turning to Oldbury Road on your left.
As soon as you see the yellow bollard at the next T-junction, the University's "Severn Gate" is on your left. It's a red brick wall with green railings. Go around the sharp bend & immediately look out for the sign to the long-stay carpark on your right.
Parking. On arrival, all visitors should park in the long-stay car park next to the "Severn Gate" entrance. Day visitors should purchase a pay & display ticket from one of the machines (£1.00 weekends, £2.00 weekdays). If you are staying for the whole of BiCon you will be able to buy a weekend parking permit from BiCon reception. Since a full Thursday-Sunday tickets would cost £6, the permit won't be any more than that. You won't get clamped during the 15 minutes or so it takes to walk to reception, collect your permit & room keys & return to the car! Once you have a parking permit you are free to park in any of the available campus parking bays, including those close to the accommodation blocks, for the duration of your stay. "Blue Badge" holders may park also in any of the designated areas.
By Rail
Worcester has two rail stations:
Worcester Foregate Street is situated in the city centre and is approximately 1 mile from the college.
Worcester Shrub Hill is just to the west of the city and approximately 1.5 miles from the college.
Guide to approximate travel times:
Birmingham to Worcester Foregate Street 50 minutes
Cardiff Central to Worcester Foregate Street 1 hr 50 minutes
London Euston to Worcester Foregate Street 3 hrs
London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill 2hrs 20 minutes
Further info: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
For buses which link the rail stations to the university, see "Local Buses" below.
There is a taxi rank opposite the railway station in Foregate Street next to the Odeon cinema. The taxi fare to the university is approx. £5.00.
By Coach
National Express operates a nationwide network of coaches & the best way to plan your journey is to visit their website: http://www.nationalexpress.com
Ideally, you want your coach to terminate at "Worcester Crown Gate Bus Station" in the city centre, from which you can catch a No. 31 bus to University College. See "Local Buses" above for details. Some coaches stop at Warndon Coachway, about 3 miles from the city centre and, if yours is one of these, you might then have to pay for a taxi as we can't guarantee a local bus service from here into town!
Local Buses
Crown Gate Bus Station is at the end of Angel Street, adjacent to the main shopping centre.
From Shrub Hill Railway Station to the University (BiCon)
service 31 (Henwick Park/Royal Hospital)
Shrub Hill —> Bus Station —> University (20 mins)
MON-SAT: departs shrub hill every 10-15 mins during the day.
SUN: departs shrub hill hourly
From Foregate St Railway Station to the Bus Station
Either take a short bus ride to the bus station:
service 32/303 (Kempsey/Claines)
Foregate St Railway Station —> Bus station (3 mins)
MON-SAT: departs Foregate St. every 20 mins
SUN: no service.
Or walk to the bus station (5 mins)
Turn left out of Foregate St. station (signed "city centre"), follow the road & go straight over the next junction. Then take the first right hand turning where you enter the pedestrianised area. This is Angel St. & you should continue in a straight line and into the bus station.
From the Bus Station to the University
You need to catch a No.31 bus (Henwick Park / Royal Hospital) which leaves from bay "A" at the very end of the bus station. The No.31 service stops at the Oldbury Road entrance to the University.
Mon – Sat every 10-15 minutes during the day & every 30 minutes after 6pm.
Sundays – an hourly service is in operation.
The University is a request stop & you'll have to ask the driver to tell you if you don't know where to get off!
Full local bus timetable at: http://www.worcesterbus.co.uk
Taxis
The following local taxi firms have been recommended by UCW:
Associated Taxis 01905 763939
Blue Star 01905 610022
Brookside 01905 429833
City Taxis 01905 726726
Disclaimer
All the information on this page is given in good faith & BiCon cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions contained herein. You are advised to confirm travel details with the companies concerned before embarking on your journey.