Bournemouth (England): student life at language school/university

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< Up	Britain / Towns / Bournemouth
A guide to Bournemouth & Poole


Sections:	Summary
	Facts & figures
	Features
	Environment
	Entertainment
	Transport
	Further information
	Links

SUMMARY

A seaside resort with a long sandy beach, sunny climate, and a clean atmosphere.

Bournemouth Pier
Beach huts	Hotels Ballrooms	Balloon

A-Z Bournemouth Street Atlas
Publisher: Geographers' A-Z Map Company
Date: January 2003

Inside and Out: Wessex
Publisher: Fenix Media Limited
Date: September 2004

FACTS & FIGURES

Subject	Name
Population:	162,300 (over 60 years old: 26.9%)
Region:	Dorset, in South-West England
Location:	See: map
Visiting from abroad::	The nearest international airports are Bournemouth International Airport and Southampton Airport (see: Travel/Transport/Air)
Visiting from London:	Bournemouth is about 150 kilometres south-west of London
	By train: Between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes from Waterloo station. Cheap Day Return ticket (off-peak) with Young Person's Railcard (2002): £19.40
	By coach: At least 2.5 hours from Victoria coach station
Tourism:	The 20th most popular town in the UK for overseas visitors in 2000
Language schools:	19 schools which are recognised by the British Council (2002)

FEATURES

- A popular seaside tourist town, which grew rapidly in Victorian times
- The population contains a larger than average number of old people, although there is now a significant young student population
- Bournemouth University was opened recently. There is also a college of further education.
- 7 miles of sandy beaches
- A tourist, conference and exhibition centre, containing lots of hotels
- The BIC (Bournemouth International Centre)
- Can be overcrowded in summer, due to the arrival of tourists and language school students taking short summer courses
- Balloon rides are offered from the central park
- Typical seaside town features: pier, bingo/amusement halls, fish and chip shops, beach bathing huts / deckchairs, shops selling postcards and brightly coloured sweets
- Concerts in The Pavilion

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ENVIRONMENT

Being a town on the south coast, it enjoys warmer weather than most of England, but sea winds can be strong
Being a town in south-west England, Bournemouth enjoys more sunshine than most of England
Several parks have attractive flower displays; the town has won the "Europe in Bloom" award
The beaches are cleaned every day
The sea can be polluted, and is often quite cold, although swimming and water sports are popular on warm days

In 2001/02 there were 10.6 offences of violence against people per 1,000 people, close to the English average of 10.8.
In 2000, Bournemouth was ranked the 118th most deprived out of the 354 districts in England.

Be careful to avoid sunburn if sunbathing

High standard of homestay accommodation

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ENTERTAINMENT

Seaside town attractions
Cinemas and restaurants; concert hall and theatre
More pubs and clubs have opened since Bournemouth University opened
Not many cultural facilities (art galleries, museums etc)

Poole Harbour

Nearby attractions include:

Poole harbour
Brownsea Island - a nature reserve run by the National Trust: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brownsea
Beaulieu - National Motor Museum, Palace House & Gardens, Abbey & Exhibition, Rides & Drives: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk
The New Forest
Swanage

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TRANSPORT

Bus: http://www.yellowbuses.co.uk
Car:
Train:
Bicycle:
Walking:

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FURTHER INFORMATION

Tourism
Southern Tourist Board: http://www.southerntb.co.uk
Bournemouth Tourism: http://www.bournemouth.co.uk

Local government
Bournemouth Borough Council: http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk

Studying in Bournemouth & Poole
IEF (information for international students coming to Bournemouth & Poole): http://www.excellenceineducation.co.uk
RELSA (Recognised English Language Schools Association): http://www.relsa.com
Bournemouth University: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk
The College at Bournemouth & Poole: http://www.thecollege.co.uk

Careers services
Bournemouth University's Career Service: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/careers

Newspaper
Daily Echo: http://www.thisisbournemouth.co.uk

Town guides
A local guide to Bournemouth: http://www.yourguide2bournemouthandpoole.co.uk
City guide: http://www.bournemouth.world-guides.com

Bookshops
Bookshops with large English as a Foreign Language (EFL) sections include:
Bournemouth English Book Centre: http://www.bebc.co.uk

Local services
Local Life (Bournemouth): http://www.locallife.co.uk/bournemouth/index.asp
Local Life (Poole): http://www.locallife.co.uk/poole/index.asp

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LINKS

Language school towns: Britain/Towns
Isle of Wight: Travel/Tours/England/IsleOfWight

Home page: Home

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© UK Student Life 2002-2009

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