University of Portsmouth students help shape future of Ryde Marina

University of Portsmouth students have spent the past three years helping Ryde Town Council tackle real-world challenges, with their latest research offering a detailed and practical roadmap for attracting more visitors to Ryde Marina. 

Through the University’s Business Consultancy Partnership (BCP) scheme, student teams have worked closely with the council to provide independent, evidence-based insight into local priorities. This year’s consultancy group, Marina Works Consultancy, focused specifically on how Ryde Marina could strengthen its appeal and long-term role in the town’s economy. 

Their work combined robust analysis with strategic thinking, producing recommendations that balance immediate, achievable actions with more ambitious ideas for the marina’s future development. The strength of the research led to an invitation for the students to present their findings to Ryde Town Councillors last week, helping to inform discussion and future planning. 

The project is part of the University of Portsmouth’s long-running BCP scheme, which connects students with organisations to tackle live challenges and support confident decision-making with fresh perspectives and high-quality research. 

Ryde Town Mayor, Diana Conyers, praised the students’ contribution, saying: 
“I was very impressed by the students’ innovative ideas and thorough research. This gives us a clear direction for the future, and I will be excited to see their recommendations put into action.” 

The collaboration has been led by Neville Pushparajah, from the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Portsmouth, who has worked with Ryde Town Council on a range of projects over the past three years. “I am extremely proud of our BCP students,” he said. “Seeing their innovative thinking develop across the project has been a real pleasure. I’ve been fortunate to work with Ryde Town Council over the last three years, and colleagues at the council have been incredibly supportive, giving their time and expertise to work closely with our students. It has been a very valuable and rewarding partnership.” 

There is strong confidence that the recommendations developed through this project will help shape the future of Ryde Marina. The work also highlights the wider value of collaboration between universities and local government, showing how academic insight and student-led research can deliver practical benefits for communities. 

The Business Consultancy Partnership scheme continues to give University of Portsmouth students hands-on experience of real-world problem-solving, while offering organisations access to independent research, new ideas and analytical expertise.