Ever since Cyril got his say on the blog, the cows have been kicking off big time. So to keep them on side, I offered Mrs Cow, head of the cow crew to give an interview….
DIGS Lady: So, Mrs Cow, how long have you been kicking aound at Storthes Hall then?
Mrs Cow: Well, I’ve actually been here for 3 years, mooing, chewing the cud and being a cow. It’s a great life usually and me and my gang love it here but then that pheasant came and stole away my lime light, it’s just really unfair. I know you all worship Cyril the Pheasant. I know you think that he is all cute and you think I’m creepy. I’ve heard you lot saying I have crazy beady eyes. How mean! I just want to be your friend but ya know, if I’m not good enough, it’s fine…
DL: Now don’t think like that Mrs Cow! I’m sure you’re good enough to be our friend and you’re kinda cute, in a cow like way. What do you think you can bring to the people of Storthes that Cyril can’t?
MC: Well, Digs Lady, let me tell you something about me. I am a cow and proud. Cows produce milk and burgers and steaks. I’m not suggesting you eat me or any of my close family but suck on that Cyril the Pheasant! You got no steak. Therefore I am infinitely better than you.
DL: This is very true, a steak is a steak after all. What do you say to recent comments about you being beady eyed?
MC: Well, that’s just mean, horrible even. I was actually born with beadyeyeitis. It’s a terrible disease that is genetic. The vet could do nothing for me as a youngster, my Mam was devastated. It doesn’t make me inferior! Not in the least. If you had gotten close enough to Cyril you’d have noticed that he has a rather bad case of athletes foot. That’s totally worse than beadyeyeitis.
DL: So, tell me what happened the other day?! Some students were definitely over excited…
MC: That invasion the other day? Yeah that was me and the crew and there are others planned! You need to show us some more love or the cows will bring it and maybe withhold milk in protest. It was fun though. We escaped from Mr Farmers field in a plot good enough to rival Animal Farm without the human hating bit, obviously. We just want to be appreciated. Moo!
DL: Indeed. So in a perfect world, what would you like the outcome to be of this interview?
MC: Well, I would like notoriety and fame of course, I already have a publicist so I’m half way there. Failing this (I’m a wise old cow after all) just a little bit of love and appreciation now and again. Maybe a nice hello or a pat on the nose. A handful of grass would be nice. That’s all I ask for!
DL: Not much then, I am sure our lovely students will oblige! Now, can we ask you some silly questions?
MC: I’m a very serious person. I mean cow.
DL: Just some little trivia questions…
MC: Fine, ok. Nothing about that time I hooked up with Mr Cow though, yeah? My publicist already told you we aren’t talking about that.
DL: Umm, ok. What’s your favourite colour?
MC: Black. White. No, black. White! Oh I don’t know.
DL: Favourite flower?
MC: Buttercups. They taste delicious.
DL: Do you have a cowbell?
MC: No, should I?
DL: Yes you should. Favourite song?
MC: Black and Gold by Sam Sparrow. (At this time Mrs Cow drifts off in to a kind of reverie and it takes some time to get an answer to this question). It reminds me of Mr Cow. He was black and gold, a special kind of Moo Cow. So dreamy!
DL: You said we couldn’t mention Mr Cow?
MC: We can’t. Interview over.
So that’s Mrs Cow. I found her to be a rather hard interviewee, but make of her what you will.
Posted May 13th, 2010 by DIGS Admin. Filed in DIGS Student
Our Community.
You’ll not find anything like it anywhere else! With your mates living a mere hop skip and a jump away, loads of places for you to mingle and plenty of ways to share your (embarrassing) pictures of nights out, you won’t want to live anywhere else!
Our Customer Service.
We’re on hand 24/7 to listen, hand out advice and generally keep you company during your stay with us. You can contact us on site, through Facebook and Twitter or by phone if you need something sorting. We’re here to help!
Our Location.
All of our sites have great locations, whether that’s a 5 minute sleepy stroll to your uni or an adventure out to the surrounding beautiful countryside, you are never far away from where you want to be!
Our Facilities.
All our sites have fantastic facilities on offer for you to make the most of your stay. From gyms to bars, launderettes and shops. You’ll never be bored, smelly or hungry!
Our Rooms.
We know how much your room means to you. It’s your place after all! You’ll get an en-suite room, an array of pinboards to decorate as you wish and a lovely comfy bed to sleep on. You also get to use the lovely communal areas with your new (and old!) friends.
Our Security.
To make sure you’re always safe and taken care of we have full CCTV coverage (so make sure you’ve done your hair in the morning) and all rooms are secure. Our team are onsite 24 hours a day; including a full security team.
Our FREE Broadband.
That’s right; you’ll get free fibre optic broadband included in your room as standard! Or if 2mb really isn’t enough you can sign up for a quicker package for a small extra monthly charge.
Our Maintenance.
Unlike private landlords we have a full maintenance team onsite to help iron out any niggles there may be and to keep the site looking its best.
Our Resident Support Coordinators.
We recruit a team of senior residents to offer a support network to new students to make sure your first year away from home is fun and trouble free. They’ve done it all before so know the best places to be and what to avoid, tap them up for the insider knowledge!
Our Promise; Value for money.
With rooms starting from just £68.95 per week you won’t find better value for money. As an extra bonus you won’t get at a private house; we include everything from contents insurance to fibre optic broadband in our weekly rate so there are no hidden extras and no whopping surprise gas bills! Easy peasy!
Back by popular demand, the highly successful Refer a Friend has made a welcomed comeback.
Know anyone who is still looking for somewhere to live next year? If you refer them to us and they sign up you will bag yourself a nifty £50… bargain!
Referring is dead easy, your friend simply needs to tell us they have been referred when they apply and we will do the rest!
This offer is only on between 1st May and 18th July, so get your skates on with the referrals… To book please visit The Pinnacles Student Accommodation website.
*** £50 referral fee is paid by cheque at the start of the tenancy, once the referred friend has moved in.
Posted May 11th, 2010 by DIGS Admin. Filed in DIGS Student
Wondering what to do with all your bits and bobs over the summer period? If you’re staying with us during the summer then it’s not something you have to worry about, but many of you will be going home for the holidays so you can catch up with your folks and friends.
If you’re unable to, or don’t want to take your possessions home over the summer then you’ll need some advice and ideas on what to do with them.
This handy website gives you all the info that you will need when it comes to storage. After all, you spent ages lovingly collecting all your bit and bobs. Why give them up now?!
We have teamed up with ‘Advanced Forwarding’ at our Lincoln and Sheffield sites, and you can check out their website direct here.
Staying in DIGS Student Accommodation over the summer holidays? You can get a discounted rent rate. Check with your accommodation office for details!
In The Pinnacles Digs The Magi article we told you about the 2Weeks 2Make It competition- and it has finally arrived!
The competition is South Yorkshire Filmmakers Network’s (SYFN) brainchild and is now in its 4th year. It was set up with the hope to unite local musicians and filmmakers and gather support from people in South Yorkshire who love music and film.
Each band is randomly paired with a filmmaker and has two weeks to produce an exciting video for one of their songs. Last year was the competition’s most successful year yet which saw band YO YO Static and the Shockettes take the winning crown as a result of collaboration with Richard Bolam and filmmaking team Electric Chaos.
Since winning the competition both have tasted success which is undoubtedly due to the attention 2Weeks 2Make It encouraged:
“It was an incredibly productive experience – what we learned in two weeks you would take two years to learn otherwise. We think the experience is the sort of thing that sorts out the men from the boys – the team we started with was not the team we finished with… it has certainly raised our profile, and it was interesting how, once we had entered, we very badly wanted to win. When our names were read out at the competition screening, it was completely exhilarating” Richard Bolam, Electric Chaos
This year’s competition is heating up with all the bands and filmmakers busy putting the finishing touches to their entries, ahead of the screening and awards ceremony at The Showroom on Wednesday 28th April at 18.00. Tickets are £3 and can be bought at the showroom box office or by clicking here. At the event, you will be able to meet the competitors and vote for your favourite video for the “Audience Award”.
The Pinnacles are backing band The Magi to scoop first prize this year but need your help. To show your support, get yourselves down to the Showroom next week to meet the lads and to place your vote…
The marathon is definitely upon us and the team’s training is hotting up!
Members of the team can often be seen leaving The Pinnacles in their running gear and returning an hour later red faced and tired… much to the amusement of the office staff! Unfortunately Elisee and Matt have had to pull out due to injuries but we want to thank both of them for their commitment to the race and hope they can make it on Sunday to watch.
Last Saturday the team went to Boot Camp to see how fit they really were and judging by the stories from Richard and Steve in the office, I think they were certainly put through their paces! Although Steve has sworn to keep going and is convinced he will soon be an Olympic champion…
“The boot camp is great, you go at your own pace but push your self and you’ll see results. I’ve been three times now and improved loads. The great thing is it has increased my fitness when doing cardio as well.”
One of the runners Ellice has really taken to the training and has even begun her own blog about her experiences. Read all about her stories here.
If you haven’t already sponsored the guys please do as it will help some great charities in the city and might encourage them to run it again next year (which will mean more laughs and entertainment for the rest of the site!)
The race begins at Don Valley Stadium at 9.30am this Sunday and will last approximately 3.5 hours (depending on the contenders!). Details of the route can be found on the main website, by clicking here.
The Devil Wears Prada is a loose adaption of the book of the same name. It follows Anne Hathaway as Andy who moves to New York city aspiring to be a journalist. She ends up getting a job as an assistant to fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).
This is a review coming from a blind-viewer; someone who has never even leafed through the book on which the movie is based. But from the opening lines of KT Tunstall’s ‘Suddenly I See’ it’s clear what kind of movie this is. But chick flick or no chick flick, The Devil Wears Prada is something different. It’s a feelgood movie that really anyone can enjoy.
Meryl Streep is brilliant as Miranda Priestly, the ‘bitch’ of the movie, who never raises her voice above usual speaking level throughout the entire movie, leading you to think there’s something more to her character. Anne Hathaway, as usual, plays the charismatic and ‘sweet’ role and does it perfectly. It’s odd how funny it is when Hathaway swears. Emily Blunt, appearing in one of her first major supporting roles here,
There is a bit of a story twist during the second half of the film which makes the story a little more three dimensional than how it was previously running. You get to see different sides of the central characters too.
You can pretty much guess the ending, but that doesn’t stop you from getting a warm feeling inside and a sense of satisfaction that everything worked out okay in the end. The Devil Wears Prada doesn’t ask much of you, it’s a very funny and heartwarming tale.
Posted April 14th, 2010 by DIGS Admin. Filed in DIGS Student
Applying for Student Finance? As a new or continuing student you will need to apply for your student finance every academic year. Each year you will be assessed, and depending on your household income, you will be allocated a set amount of finance for the year. You will receive your loan in three instalments; usually they will be paid straight into your bank account on the first day of each term.
For the academic year 2009/10 it was well publicised that many students were left without finance for many months as the student loan company were over stretched with applications. In order to try and avoid any delays with your application, we suggest applying for your finance as soon as possible.
There is plenty of help out there to support you through your degree, for example we suggest you take a look at the directgov.org website for details. To make it that little bit easier we have some points to consider and some useful links for you to use below. Any comments or questions can be posted at the bottom. We look forward to hearing what you think!
There are several parts to your student finance application. All students are eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £4950, dependant on household income).
You may also be entitled to a maintenance grant also depending on household income (up to £2906). This is means tested and if you’re eligible for and receive a maintenance grant your maximum maintenance loan amount will be less than £4950.
A tuition fee loan is also available to cover your fees. Tuition fees for 2010/11 will total £3290 for the academic year.
My advice would be to apply for the maximum amount that you are entitled too. Although student debt can seem a scary and daunting thing to be getting yourself into, if you’re serious about your degree, it really is worth having as much funding behind you as possible so that you do not have to worry about paying your rent and having money for your grocery shopping.
When applying for student finance ensure that you read through the forms correctly to limit the delay in receiving your funds. It is a lengthy form and it is easy to make mistakes when completing it. By taking the time to read through the notes you will be in better stead for covering everything the first time! You can apply right away and you do not have to wait for a firm offer before starting this process. You can apply online or by using the paper form PN1. It’s entirely up to you, just do whichever suits you best.
Remember! Your parents/guardians or partner (depending on your circumstances) may (this is true for the majority of cases) have to provide information. This could be with regards to income, marriage, divorce, step parents incomes and other such information. You will need to start collecting proof of this before you send of your application. They will need to see original, or certified copies of these documents.
Tip: If your parents/guardian/partner are self employed it can sometimes cause delays for your student loan application. If this is the case, my advice would be to ask them to consult their accountant to get up to date earnings and outgoings so it is prepared if the Student Loan Company request it.
As well as the above information you will also need to prove your eligibility to work and receive funding in the UK. This can be in the form of a passport or birth certificate and you will also need to provide your national insurance number. You will also need to sign and return the declaration form that you will be asked to complete.
When your application is ready to be returned by post or submitted online, please remember to post off all the items that have been requested of you. Always send by recorded delivery. Not only does this ensure your personal items, it also means the Student Loan Company can keep track of your application and will be able to process your account more efficiently.
For the academic year 2009/10 the top three reasons why students encountered delays in receiving their fund were as follows;
Not returning the signed declaration form.
Not sending in a copy of their National Insurance number.
Not sending documents by recorded delivery so they could not be tracked.
To see how much you may be entitled to please click here for the ‘direct gov’ student loan calculator.
