Rishi Sunak visits University of Sunderland
Written by Callum Rowe on 15th March 2024
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has visited the University of Sunderland after new funding was allocated to the FulwellCain film studios on Wearside.
Rishi Sunak in the David Puttnam Media Centre | Image – Spark
Rishi Sunak was accompanied by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on his visit to the David Puttnam Media Centre.
The pair dropped into the on-site radio studio at Spark to speak to volunteer presenters and producers and to students inside the university’s television studio.
The Prime Minister and Chancellor’s visit comes just a week after £37million of funding was announced to regenerate Crown Works Studios on the banks of the River Wear.
Isaac Jukes, a first-year Media Production student, spoke to Rishi Sunak about the investment allocated to the city.
“It was great to show the Prime Minister my passion for investment into the Crown Works Studio coming to Wearside,” Isaak said.
“I have family from Sunderland and close links to the city. I love Sunderland, but sometimes we’re overlooked. I feel the investment will add atmosphere to the city.”
Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt talking with Spark Compliance Manager Scott McGerty (left) and Sir David Bell | Image – Spark
The Crown Works Studios site is to be regenerated by a co-operation between Fulwell 73 – a global entertainment company with an office in Sunderland – and private investment firm Cain International.
The venture is expected to create 8,000 new jobs in Sunderland.
Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland, said: “We were very pleased to welcome the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to the University and to be able to demonstrate the excellent teaching and facilities on offer for students preparing for jobs in the creative sector.
“For our award-winning film production students – a product of courses regarded as some of the best in the country – the Crown Works project represents a chance to fulfil their potential while remaining in, and contributing to, the north-east.”
Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt spent about an hour on campus at the university and they both recorded audio idents introducing themselves to be used on Spark.
