There are three types of activities, appropriate for English lecturers working in groups or as individuals, in this resource. Their topics are employability, transition from A level, and getting the ‘delicate balance’ right between literature, language and Creative Writing when designing an English programme for today’s students. These activities rely in part on an interview with Professor Marion Wynne-Davies (University of Surrey). As Head of Department, Wynne-Davies shares the ideas and strategies she followed to launch the Surrey English degree programme in 2008.