ST Aidan's Newsletter & Magazine - Jan 2019

Alumni Magazine & Newsletter
January 2019
- Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 1

Welcome
Welcome to Issue 7 of the Aidan’s Alumni Newsletter, a bumper edition spanning 2016 to 2018.
The layout imitates that of previous years, with sections on News from College, Features, Results and College
Memberships, and more.
The Newsletter’s organisation has been slightly different this year. A few months ago, Alumni Association Secre-
tary, Emma Fisher, put out a call to see if any Aidanites wanted to put the Newsletter together themselves; and this
is where I came in. Keen for some editorial experience, I volunteered to head up a team of subeditors and get the
Newsletter to print. After almost a year of hard work, we are pleased with the result.
We hope you enjoy reading this as a lot of time and effort has gone into it. Not only have my fellow subeditors,
Emma, Yoanne, and Sam, been beavering away to source content, but Aidanites and other key players around
college have been racking their brains to come up with engaging articles.
Sophie Roche, Head Editor
Sophie Roche, Editor
St Aidan’s College
Windmill Hill
Durham
DH1 3LJ
newletter@aidans-alumin.org.uk
www.dunelm.org.uk/st-aidans-college
2 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 3

Contents
News from St Aidan’s Alumni

News From College Features News From Members Association Committee
Principal’s Letter 2016-17 6 Aidan’s in Edinburgh 2018 32 News 42 Former Newsletter Editor, Emma 44
Fisher (nee Barley, Sociology and
Principal’s Letter 2017 - 18 9 E. Nesbit 34 Marriages 43 Social Policy 1993-96, JCR President
A Tribute to Barbara Carter Taylor 35 1996-97, takes a look at past
JCR’s Presidents Report 2016 - 17 12 Orbituary 43
Newsletters and questions its future.
JCR’s Presidents Report 2017 - 18 17 Travels in Turkey 40 Alumni Officer, Josh Stocco (Physics 48
and Astonomy, 2011-15), gives us the
SCR’s Presidents Report 2016 - 17 19 latest on the College archive
SCR’s Presidents Report 2017 - 18 21 Careers Development Officer, Chris 49
Smith, gives us the latest on the
Sports and Societies Officers Report 22 projects he is involved with
2016 - 17
Ben Fisher (Physics 1995-97) gives us 50
Sports and Societies Officers Report 24
the lowdown on the 70th Anniversary
2017 - 18
Reunion which took place at College in
The Boat Club Captains 2016 - 17 26 early July 2017.
The Boat Club Captains 2017 - 18 27
Results and College

Travel Reports Memberships
59th Rocky Mountain Conference on 54 College Council Memberships 66

Magnetic Resonance
College Officers 66
Orchestra Tour to Barcelona 55
Degree Percentages 67
European Horizons European 56
Students’ Conference at Yale
University – March 2018
9th South American Theoretical 57
Archaeology Conference
Kanahu Research Centre, Honduras 58
IUPAC Conference on Physical Organ- 58

ic Chemistry in Faro, Portugal
Spanish Language Course in Barcelona 61
5th International Conference on Social 62

Science and Education Research
(ICSSER) in Antalya, Turkey
Study China Programme 63
Internship In China 64
Volunteer Trip to South Africa with 65

Emmanuel Church Durham

News From College
Principal’s Letter 2016 - 2017
Simon Forrest manfully reversed the usual token slot. campaign by JCR Communities Chair, Amy Campo
Sade Sangowara joined us as the CEO of a local social McEvoy. The group then devised their own version to
enterprise alongside Lisa Whiting, Academic Affairs deliver to a group of young people from marginalised
Officer from Durham Students’ Union (and Aidan’s communities in the region. The feedback from both
alum), and Ritu Kataky, from Chemistry. The panel students and local young people has been excellent.
discussion ran well over the allocated time due to the We hope to consolidate this project and build others in
enthusiasm of the Chevening scholars and feedback for collaboration with Youth Focus in the future, including
the event has been extremely positive. a project around Loneliness.
The Centre for Jewish Studies events can be viewed in Donations also funded a one day workshop by the
full through this link https://www.dur.ac.uk/jewish- National Speakers Trust which received excellent
studies/newsandevents/ but a personal highlight was feedback via a student participant-rapporteur and
the talk by Marianne Hirsch (William Peterfield Trent requests for further workshops both from participants
Professor of English and Comparative Literature and and those unable to secure a place. We hope to arrange
Professor in the Institute for Research on Women, a series of them in 2018-19 to extend the opportu-
Gender, and Sexuality at Columbia University) with nity to significant numbers of Aidan’s students. Our
its exploration of a range of memorialising objects, rapporteur recounted that a warm and encouraging
museums and activities. Discussion of how to sustain atmosphere was quickly established by the facilitator
the complexity and efficacy of memorial projects of all
F
kinds was heightened by the global rise in reported
ollowing the usual warm welcome for a record anti-Semitic activity and anti-migrant narratives, but
number of new undergraduates and postgradu- the packed Calman Centre lecture hall generated an
ates, as everyone settled in we started our cultural atmosphere of solidarity and thoughtful considera-
programme with Open Clasp’s compelling new production of potential action. Renewing our events around
tion Rattle Snake. Coinciding with the change in UK Holocaust Memorial Day and establishing community
Law in 2015 making coercive relationships a crime, engagement projects on the region’s own histories
Rattle Snake was originally commissioned by Durham’s of migration and cultural plurality will be one of our
School for Applied Social Sciences (SASS) and Durham priorities in 2018-19. Our partnership with JSoc and
Constabulary, funded by Durham PCC and a grant from their regular presence in College has new resonance in
the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), these troubled times and we will continue to dovetail
and is now used in the training of front-line police with their own awareness raising initiatives.
officers. An attentive public participated in an intense Sadly our Michaelmas term IAS fellow, Prof. Ana Maria
Q and A after the performance. Hurtado, was unable to take up her fellowship due to
Our annual International Women’s Day Conference, illness but we hope that she will come to Durham and to
‘Unsettling the Myths we live by: Feminist Perspectives Aidan’s in the future. However, Kirsti Stuvøy (Political
on Human Nature, Culture and Freedom’, broke Science, Oslo University) and her son, Adrian, joined
previous buoyant attendance – and active participation us in September for a 3 month Cofund Fellowship
– records from across Europe under the brilliant stew- and hugely enjoyed their experience of collegiate life.
ardship of Rachel Wiseman (Philosophy), who has sadly Kirsti researches environmental NGOs in restricted
left Durham for Liverpool University. The keynote political spaces, civil society in EU-Russia relations,
from Sally Haslanger (Ford Professor of Philosophy at Chevening scholars enjoy the breeze on Windmill Hill and global transitions in economy and violence in cities
M.I.T.) inspired hours of discussion in the Lindisfarne and she drew a wide audience for her public lecture. Al Multaqa Arabic Short Story Prize 2016 Judging Panel: British/Jordanian author
Centre that continued well into the night over dinner. catalysts for discussion. In Epiphany term, we were joined by Anna McCarthy, Fadia Faqir, Kuwaiti author Taleb al-Rifai, Moroccan author Ahmad Al-Madini
(Chair), Kuwaiti writer and critic Ali Al Enazzi. Egyptian author Ezzat al-Kamhawi
Our research centres enjoyed a very active year. CSGS In May, with co-director Simon Forrest, I hosted a professor of Film Studies at NYU, her husband David
opened with a buffet dinner and brainstorming session one-day workshop on Gender and Leadership com- and their 7 year old daughter Alma who quickly charmed
in the Lindisfarne Centre for 60 postgraduates, missioned by the Chevening Foundation which proved the entire College. Prof. Mccarthy’s IAS lecture in the
affiliated staff and other members. Suggestions were fed the perfect arena to interrogate historic models and Lindisfarne centre on the politics of gifs drew a large and
into our Afterwork programme and while all sessions map out alternatives for a better future. Organised by lively audience of students, staff and members of other
were well received, the series of three on ‘Creating Sam Mercadante from Chevening and Margret Rowe, local communities.
an Inclusive University’ drew in a particularly wide Durham’s Scholarships Officer, we gathered 41 Chev- The Resilience Forum continues to draw good audi-
and engaged public, with panels of student, academic ening scholars from around the world in the Lindisfarne ences also and this year’s personal highlight was Peter
and community speakers. The welcome evening also Centre. Pooling experiences, hopes and aspirations Baker’s (MLAC) talk in March, Resilience through
highlighted areas where students and regional members produced a multifaceted exploration of obstacles and change: the politics of indigeneity in Bolivia. The public
would like us to develop annual workshops and other possibilities, an unexpected degree of consensus and included some Latin American students and staff who
multidisciplinary opportunities in our three key areas. some fine-grained attention to the detail of soft and refracted the discussion through their own experience
This will feed into discussions this year about future hard forms of power. Our keynote speaker, Lena Dom- in other countries but even people for whom it was a
goals and directions. inelli, explored qualities of good and bad leadership novel issue engaged with it in all its complexity.
A pleasingly diverse and lively public for transgender with the scholars, followed by small group work I led Thanks to alumni donations, we were able to pilot a
activist Jessica Lynn responded warmly and thought- on gendered language and imagery as experienced by Bridging the Skills Gap project with Gateshead-based
fully to this compelling storyteller. Later in the year, the scholars in their home countries and in the UK. The NGO Youth Focus. Skills workshops led by Youth
attendance was also strong and energetic for the screen- day ended with a panel discussion, with three women Focus facilitators were first delivered to a group of
ing of Tangerine and we plan to include more films as leaders presenting and responding to questions while Aidan’s students recruited through an imaginative Ali Bader, our first Banipal Fellow braves the February weather
6 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - News from College News from College - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 7
who covered the key elements of an effective speech continues and we will now drive this forward in 2018-19.
including eye contact, voice projection and stance. Our Writing Fellow, Fadia Faqir, has had another
Follow-up activities included responding to impromptu extraordinarily productive year. Once again there has
questions in front of the group and picking items out of been a full to capacity and enthusiastic group (and
a bag and having to describe them on the spot in front a long waiting list…) for her Inkapturing Creative
of the group, with peer feedback. Writing Course, yet she has managed to complete a
After lunch 30-45 minutes was allocated to construct draft of her latest novel, Petra Mon Amour, established
a speech using the knowledge acquired in the first our Banipal Fellowship with the Banipal Trust for
part, working in pairs to refine each other’s ideas. The Arabic Literature and the British Council, initiated
topics ranged from summaries of dissertation topics to and co-ordinated several projects to support refugees
News From College

self-improvement and environmentalism. Each member in Durham City of Sanctuary and travelled extensively
of the pair would introduce the other before they gave to speak and chair events at book fairs and other key
their speech, then the group collectively assessed the literary gatherings. She was also a member of the panel
speaker and, in each case, all participants noted how for the 2016 Al-Multaqa Arabic Short Story Prize.
much improvement there had been since the morning. So we were delighted in January 2017 to welcome
The aim is to build confidence in all speaking situations our first Banipal Fellow, Iraqi author Ali Bader, a
but also to enable people to deliver a fully formed speech. well-known Iraqi novelist and essayist, whose work is
Donations also helped to support our work hosting making an important contribution to contemporary
Durham City of Sanctuary and Durham Pride and Arabic literature. He is the author of thirteen works of
even relatively small amounts have had a major impact
through the Small Bursary Fund to aid students with
short term financial difficulties. However, our goal of
fiction, and recipient of many awards, as well as being
long-listed twice for the International Prize for Arabic
Fiction (aka Arabic Booker) and has also published
Acting Principal’s Letter 2017 - 2018
building a fund for more substantial residence bursaries several works of non-fiction. He is also a seasoned
T
he College has greatly missed the presence
of Susan Frenk, the College Principal, this
academic year. I am pleased to report that Susan
is making a good recovery from illness and that she
will be making a full return to her role this September
(2018). My thanks go to the staff in the College for
their tremendous support during this time, and for
their hard work and commitment to all our students.
College Life
The abundance of activities and events taking place
within the College continues to be impressive. The Col-
lege’s ever-popular Language Evenings and Arts Cafés
are regular features of College life. In June I delivered
another two-day training course for Aidan’s students
which explored alternative dispute resolution methods
and how mediation skills can be used in professional
and personal situations where there may be conflict.
Najwa Binshatwan, Banipal Writing Fellow at St Aidan’s College
The enthusiastic and perceptive engagement of the
Receiving the Age UK award
students who attended was impressive.
Work has continued supporting projects such as Dur- delivered a public lecture at the College in which she
publisher who took up the reins of Alca Books in 2016. Durham City of Sanctuary; SACRE; County Durham ham City of Sanctuary and Durham Pride. This year’s shared her experiences and challenges as a woman
In addition, he contributes regularly to the Arabic Religious Resource Centre; Interfaith Café; North East Pride event was the fifth to be held in the City, drawing writer fleeing from oppression within Ajdabiya. She
newspapers such as Al-Hayat, Al-Mada, AD-Dustour, Women’s Network. significantly more people than in previous years. It is reflected on her journey as a writer from Libya to
and Al-Riyadh. He was also a war correspondent. There has been excellent and moving feedback from her estimated that 20,000 people attended. The College’s Durham via Rome. At a second public lecture in March,
On 28 February he gave a talk in the Lindisfarne Cen- ‘talks in Schools’ programmes, other Durham colleges, Writing Fellow, Fadia Faqir, again delivered her inspir- Najwa shared stories from her collection written while
tre: ‘The Writer in the Time of War and Invasion’, read Belief & Health programmes and to school staff who teach ing and popular Inkcapture Creative Writing Course. living at Aidan’s.
his short story ‘The Corporal’ and excerpts from his new Religious Education. Other activities include a Women’s The fifteen-week course for students and non-students The College’s Resilience Forum hosted the 2018 Ruth
novel Liars Get Everything, then took questions from a Quran Circle; women’s interfaith discussion group and the focusses on basic narrative techniques and introduces First Scholar, Paul Chiwaya, a co-founder of the youth-
lively, interested audience. He also gave a lecture at the North-East Jewish/Muslim Women’s network. participants to the craft of writing fiction through the led Positive Youth Development Initiative in Malawi.
Arabic Department and met with postgraduate students. The Befriending/intergenerational project she estab- use of the theoretical, creative and practical. Paul’s inspiring presentation focussed on the plight of
Ali acknowledged the support he received in his latest lished and runs with Age UK Durham won their Our SCR and JCR continually strive to deliver a Malawian youth and initiatives to assist young people
novel, Liars Get Everything, and continues to publicise 2016 award for best community service, awarded on range of activities for students. The Summer Festival to realise their potential. Paul identified challenges
St Aidan’s College community and the college’s support 15 February 2017. and Summer Ball are always a great success and the faced by young people in Malawi and proposed some
of international literature. These are just some highlights in another busy but wonderful Chinese New Year Formal will live long in solutions. He reported that 73% of Malawi’s population
Mahshid Turner continued to build on her impressive fulfilling year for the Rainbow College. We all hope that the memory! Over 250 students attended from a range is aged below 30 and that young people represent rich
work in Muslim Chaplaincy and community engagement. your own year has brought you more sunshine than rain of backgrounds and nationalities - from a number of assets with the potential to support Malawi’s socio-eco-
Working with a wide range of people, she provides both and we thank you for your continued support. Colleges - enjoying a night with authentic Chinese nomic development.
emotional/spiritual and practical support. food, decorations and a striking performance of the In conjunction with my former departmental colleague,
One of her main goals is empowering and supporting Warmest wishes traditional lion dance ceremony. Professor Lena Dominelli, the College’s Resilience
students to lead multi-faith and community projects, Dr Susan Frenk It was a privilege to host this year’s Banipal Writing Forum hosted a 2-day event, ‘Disaster Interventions:
through the Interfaith Forum she founded and chairs. College Principal Fellow in Residence, the Libyan novelist and academic Developing Resilience in Professionals’. Lena is a
She supports a number of organisations: the Durham Najwa Binshatwan. Living and writing in St Aidan’s world-leading academic in a number of fields including
University Islamic Society; the Diverse Women’s throughout Epiphany Term, Najwa was an inspiring disaster management and green social work. This
Group (a regional group of which she is a co-founder); and delightful presence in College. In February, Najwa leading-edge event, at which experiences of disaster
College Infrastructure
Good news on this front is that much-needed refurbish-
ment and repair works have been undertaken in several
areas of the College. Whilst this created some logistical
challenges, the longer-term benefits for residents and
all our students are welcomed. In addition to replace-
ment roofs across several areas of College, the domes in
the JCR Common Room have been replaced, allowing
much more light into that area. Repairs to the renowned
College steps and resurfacing of the road leading into
the College should make for a smoother and more
Paul Chiwaya, 2018 Ruth First Scholar pleasant approach to St Aidan’s! The SCR is now a
more welcoming and comfortable space, following
refurbishment at the start of the academic year.
social work were shared, and theories, issues and Easter Term saw the last of our termly College Council
concepts were explored, proved to be a great success. meetings. Revisions to University governance have led
Contributions from Margaret Aspinall and Sue Roberts, to a change from a College Council structure to College
representing the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Advisory Boards (CABs), which will be in place from the
and an Aidan’s College Mentor, Alan Casselden, forthcoming academic year, 2018-2019. The College
were especially moving and informative. The event, thanks all those who have served on College Council,
probably the first of its kind in the country, drew social with particular thanks to our outstanding Chair, Susan
work practitioners from the UK and beyond, as well as Johnston. Susan brought a wealth of expertise and
students from the University. experience to the role. She will continue to be busy with
a range of initiatives, including her position sitting on
the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
The College continues to work on the development of
the After Aidan’s scheme, with grateful thanks for the
support given by members of the Alumni Association.
After Aidan’s is now in the pilot stage and it is hoped
that it will be ready for use by early 2019. The scheme
will enable members of the Association to offer career
mentoring support for Aidan’s students. I encourage
you to become involved and thank you for your contin-
ued support for our wonderful Aidan’s community.
Stefan Klidzia
Acting Principal
2018 Chinese New Year Formal Lion Dance
10 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter -News from College - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 11
The JCR
Presidents
JCR President’s Report
2016-17 The tireless Frep team 2016
A
year as President of one of the finest JCRs in
Durham, if not England, can hardly be summed
up in one report. The following few paragraphs
will hopefully give you a sense of the best bits of
2016-17 for St Aidan’s College JCR but will no doubt
not cover everything; such is the nature of just one
academic year up on the hill.
The JCR is nothing without the students that make it
what it is, so I’d like to start out by first and foremost
thanking everyone who contributed in their own way
to making the year what it was. I gave out numerous
awards at the end of the year, but if there were time
and unlimited resources, the final JCR meeting could
have gone on past midnight with all the people I
would have liked to thank.
Writing the invitations to the President’s drinks
reception at Summer Ball (that semi-exclusive event
with ever so slightly higher quality canapés) on the The tireless frep team
backs of custom-made postcards over the course of a
week or two, I realised in quite a tangible way just how the garden to a UV Disco in the bar. last, kicking off the post-exam period with the Summer Sea. 2017 was another tumultuous year for politics, not
many people take part and drive the JCR forward. So it Events throughout the year were of a high standard, and Festival. This year we combined the Aidan’s Day event just within the JCR as students gathered to enjoy and
is to them that I would like to dedicate this report. highlights included a return of the Winter Ball, known with the Bar’s ever successful event, adding inflatables, BBQ and then watch the general election results into the
The main way, perhaps, that people see the work in the past as the ‘Jingle Ball’ and this year running an array of food offerings and even a climbing wall, early hours of a June morning in the Bailey Room. The
of the JCR is through its events, and none more so along the theme of ‘Once Upon a Time’ as the college ensuring there was something for everyone to enjoy at year ended with the Going Down Formal, bringing with
than Freshers’ Week. The benefit of having such a was transformed into a fantasy land. Christmas brought the event that is famous across the city. it celebrations and a few tears as students said some of
competent Senior Freshers’ Representative in the with it the customary formal and the college Panto, both Of course, no year at Durham would be complete their final goodbyes to St Aidan’s College.
form of Sarah Jowett meant that my role in terms of the well attended and organised. without the Summer Ball, and this year’s offering was Being the 70th Anniversary of the College, the JCR also
planning, preparation and running of Freshers’ Week Top events of Epiphany term included the Valentine’s as high a standard as ever, with a year’s worth of hard helped with the organisation and running of the 70th
was very much a supervisory one. Her organisation Formals, run in partnership with the LGBTQI+ work from Lydia Purvis and her social committee Reunion event after term had finished, with the student
of the week – ‘Aidan’s Through the Pages’ over the society and Informal Ball, as students ventured into an coming to fruition in a fabulous display on the theme of volunteers helping Alumni around the college and
summer period was very good, and with the help of a Enchanted Forest, created with the help and hard work Neverland, with food, music and other numerous ents becoming very interested themselves in the memorabilia
hardworking Frep team, the Freshers of 2016 got to of multiple parts of college, from Formals Committee to keeping Aidan’s students entertained until sunrise. on show and the stories told by their predecessors.
enjoy the bright lights of both Durham and Newcastle, the Bar Steward. Another returning event was the college picnic as over Hopefully that gives you a flavour of the varied events
as well as a multitude of events giving all newcomers a Events in the final term of the year returned after the 100 Aidanites boarded a coach to Whitby to enjoy the the JCR put on over the year but it is of course not an
taste of what the JCR offers, from a tie-dye workshop in annual exam related hiatus but we’d saved the best until beach and, even in mid-June, the stubbornly chilly North exhaustive list. It goes to show just how much work is
put into events by not only members of the exec but and Rounders. Success came on multiple fronts, with inclusive as possible while other societies offer a vast successor Luke’s term and this is only deserved seeing
also their committee members and numerous casual both Men’s and Women’s rugby reaching the Semi- array of ways of getting involved in JCR and college life. how hard they worked in my year; they were often
volunteers, fitting in hours of volunteering all whilst Finals of their cups and placing second and a wonderful Finally, the Caswell Cup was awarded to finalist the first people working on setting up for events and
doing their degrees. I cannot thank them enough for that. first in their leagues. The cricket team, after a stellar Freddie Kerr-Dineen for outstanding contribution to the last people to bed after clearing everything away,
A position that was created two years before my term, the indoor season, made the finals day of the outdoor Aidan’s Sport. having made every event look and sound better than the
role of Communities Officer, continues to become an season also. Welfare continued to be an important service of the previous year.
increasingly important part of college life. This year, Amy Aidan’s played its part in the Durham-York college JCR, often forming the first port of call for students. Before my final thanks, I apologise for having a moment
Campo McEvoy’s efforts were focussed on building a solid varsity event, winning Darts 5-2 against Derwent and Campaigns included the aforementioned Housing of self-indulgence as I celebrate the resurfacing of the
core of volunteers as well as a wider group of interested Basketball 60-44 against Constantine as well as playing Campaign, work on Sexual Health and with Pride Week Tennis Court into a multi-use games arena. It was a
students to engage with such varied efforts, for example, a tough match against Langwith in the Hockey A clash, in February, as well Mental Health and International combined effort with Luke Hollander and hopefully
local care homes, liaising with the Durham City of losing 2-1. Aidan’s managed to place third in the Awareness. The committee ran a 6 week ‘Stress Less’ will provide a much better space than the previous
Sanctuary project, building a peer mentoring programme, College Festival of Sport and narrowly lost the Annual campaign during exams. There were massage sessions dilapidated area of college. In addition, the JCR
and running active bystander training programmes. Aidan’s Mildert Varsity tournament. and ‘chew and brew’ in the JCR. A giant ‘stress less’ secured an area of the back car park to build a shed,
The role is thus important not only within the Aidan’s The pool club, probably the largest sports club in colouring project in the JCR (organised in conjunction allaying some of our storage issues. As the JCR grows in
community but also more widely in the local area. Aidan’s by number, were overjoyed to secure a new with Team Art) was a great hit. its offerings, its need for space too, increases!
Alongside this, Amy also ran the successful Livers Out pool table for match play, and close behind in terms of The shop continued to provide a vital service to I hope that in the near future, other parts of college,
Meal, which was very good for bringing people to engagement, the Darts Club enjoyed two new boards to Aidanites and act as a social hub for the JCR. This the bedrooms as well as the JCR itself and shop in
college who can sometimes sadly disappear off the play on in the JCR. term saw some technological innovation with the particular, are similarly improved; as much as we love
JCR radar. Other jobs for Amy included the Housing New this year, we awarded trophies for the Sports Team pre-ordering of food for collection at the shop, now some of the character of the buildings of the college,
Campaign alongside Luke Hollander representing the and Society of the Year, going to Women’s Rowing and available with an app. Marketing and events continue to parts are in need of more than just some TLC.
Students’ Union and Krish Mehta for Welfare. Finally, the International Society respectively. perform well, with the Aidan’s Christmas Live Lounge an Formal thanks for those who have had a deep
Amy did a great job organising the ever popular college The latter of these two was also nominated for Best example of the multi-faceted service the shop provides. involvement in the JCR during their time in Durham;
stash and, as ‘keeper of college spirit’, singing the College Society at the annual SU awards. Committee positions and toastie worker roles continue they receive the JCR’s highest honour, an Honorary
songs at the end of formals. Another of our societies, the Fashion Show, managed to be fiercely contested and the shop’s run of providing Life Membership. In addition, other people who have
Aidan’s continued to punch above its weight in terms to raise an impressive amount of money, £7,850 for a JCR Presidents is now nearing an entire decade. given up their time are presented with a vote of thanks
of sports, with both engagement and attainment at the local charity, Children North East. A special mention must go to Team Tech, often doing and I also took time to thank, in the final JCR meeting,
top of the agenda. Sports teams were incredibly well Societies continue to be a vibrant part of the JCR, a lot of unseen work behind multiple college events those people who, maybe just in their first year, have
engaged with, from the standard Rugby, Cricket and with stalwart groups like the LGBTQI+ society and and now slowly gaining the recognition they deserve. contributed hugely to the JCR. It goes without saying
Netball teams to newer offerings from Ultimate Frisbee International society striving to make the college as I know that their role has rightly increased under my that the recipients of Honorary Life Memberships
The Bar, in ‘Fountain of Youth’ decor for the Informal Ball The Dining Hall transformed for Winter Ball with the help of the Social Decoration for the final event of the year, Going Down Formal Two Aidanites enjoying ice-creams on the trip to Whitby Future President Clara and Welfare Officer Krish enjoying
Committee and Team Tech International Night 2016
The JCR
Presidents
JCR President’s Report 2017-18
I
The newly resurfaced Tennis Court t is quite hard to summarise the year, although if Heavy snow in Michaelmas brought out the highs and
I had to do it in a word it would be “transforma- lows of the Aidan’s spirit. Newly ratified Drone Society
tion”. The university’s strategy includes a massive President, Thomas O’Brien, took a stunning shot of Dur-
Exec List 2016 - 2017 expansion of student numbers, including the move ham in the snow whilst another group of students focussed
(HLMs) are crucial to the JCR but so many more people of Queen’s Campus to Durham City. This made for a their energies on more juvenile snow-related activities.
are also a vital part of the common room and college, backdrop of a dynamic, changing university; changes The Annual Christmas Panto, “Jack and His Beany
which would mean very little without their tireless which will not always be good for students. Despite Stalk” loosely parodied the tale of Jack and the Bean
JCR President Alex Tarrant-Anderson new and growing challenges, the JCR has persevered in Stalk and included some topical satire of rising univer-
contributions.
It is customary at this point to wish your successor good JCR Chair Alexander Fage offering its unique package of events, sports, societies, sity accommodation fees.
luck however Luke’s term has been and gone at this and irreverent fun. I was immensely proud of the things Union Officer Clara Gallay enjoyed electoral success
point. To say Luke needed luck is perhaps unfair, such Students’ Union Officer Luke Hollander Aidan’s students achieved this year through the JCR. on a campus-wide scale, winning her election to be an
was the engagement and the backing he found in his Freshers’ Week was a roaring success, led by Alex NUS Delegate in a very tightly packed field, keeping up
Formals Officer Mia Pereira Mcgovern under a “Broadway” theme. Arrivals day was a proud tradition of Aidan’s winning SU elections.
Presidential Election that saw around six hundred votes
cast in just a two horse race. This was an incredible filled with the usual nerves, anxiety and confusion. A par- Tech Chair was introduced to the Exec Committee this
Social Chair Lydia Purvis
showing of interest in JCR Democracy and meant I ticular highlight was when a Fresher asked a Frep, “Does year. The change gave tech a deservedly larger presence
knew I was leaving the JCR in a fine pair of hands, as his Sports and Societies Officer Ellen Brown someone not do our ironing for us? Isn’t that what fully in college. Tech Chair Stefano Cattaneo introduced a
successful year proved. catered is?” However, the warm and relaxed attitude of new board of JCR Officers while the team presided over
Senior Welfare Officer Krish Mehta the Frep Team quickly dissolved any and all fears. a number of tech-organised Karaoke nights, on top of
Good luck therefore to Clara, President for 2018-19,
who I know will make a fine President, achieve her aims Formals and balls are usually the standout part of the regularly running tech for every JCR event.
JCR Secretary Christie Lau
and much more! JCR calendar and this year was no different. Formals Epiphany term saw a number of welcome additions and
Shop Chair Jaisal Patel were brilliantly organized by Formals Officer Izzy Fran- changes to the JCR. A motion to make the pool tables
Alex Tarrant-Anderson cis, and were oversubscribed nearly every time. Formals permanently free was passed in a JCR Meeting. This
History BA, 2013-16 JCR Treasurer Sai Kiran this year included a Candy Floss machine, late licenses, has led to a huge spike in engagement with casual and
photography booths, and live music. competitive pool – we now have a record 9 pool teams!
Communities Officer Amy Campo McEvoy Welfare has had a number of fantastic improvements Signs of a more environmentally conscious generation
Bar Steward (ex-officio) Liam Forsyth this year, including the creation of new “Team of students emerged. For the first time in many years,
Welfare” which allows anyone to join to help out Environment committee formed, advocating for green-
with campaigns. The team, led by Arabeth Lecuyer, er policies around college.
ran a brilliant Mental Health Awareness week, which Freshers have brought a new dynamic to college life
Honorary Life Memberships 2016 - 17 showcased inspiring artwork from people with poor in the form of meme pages and online anonymous
mental health. confession Facebook pages. These pages have been
a welcome, if slightly odd, new forum for discussion
about the JCR, often containing weird humour and the
Justin Beese latest college gossip.
We have had excellent engagement in JCR Meetings.
Amy Campo McEvoy
Perhaps the most important motion was my proposal
Liam Forsyth to allow postgraduates to join the JCR and the creation
of a postgraduate society within the JCR. Negotiations
Jaisal Patel were made in conjunction with the SCR President,
Justin Beese, and his committee, and eventually it was
Mia Pereira
Alex Tarrant-Anderson
passed by JCR referendum. We are hoping it leads to as the now basically annual Abba Tribute Act. Exec List 2017 - 2018
much better integration between undergraduate and The tech for Summer Ball, ran by first-year Myles Coop-
postgraduate students. er, was extremely ambitious but paid off with some of
The shop had the biggest high and the biggest low of the best aesthetics ever seen at an Aidan’s Summer
President Luke Hollander
Easter Term. It finally achieved 21st Century status Ball. The photo below shows just how impressive the
with the long-awaited introduction of a card machine. staging, lighting, and atmosphere was. Communities Officer Eliana Coschignano
Unfortunately, such an achievement was short-lived, Beer fest made record profits after a highly successful
as a member of Shop Committee accidentally smashed day. This year saw the return of inflatables including a Sports & Societies Officer Oliver Goschow
the shop till. bouncy castle and T-shirts subsidised by the JCR. The
Chair Alex Longman
Otherwise the shop had a successful year under the highlight was undoubtedly Aidan’s-favourite, Velvet
leadership of Shop Chair and President-Elect Clara Riverside, who provided a brilliant live set. A huge cred- Secretary Ben George
Ohayon. The cosiness of the JCR was also improved with it must go to the Bar Steward Riaz and the bar staff for
new bean bags and sofas, and the shop provided frequent all their hard work organising the day. Tech Chair Stefano Cattaneo
entertainment with Live Lounges and other events. I had the pleasure of handing out Honorary Life Mem-
Easter Term saw the rise of new entertainment includ- bership (HLM) awards to Arabeth Lecuyer, Stefano Shop Chair Clara Ohayon
ing a petting zoo in the Beer Garden, a black tie brunch Cattaneo, Brodean Wood, Felix Culas, and Eliana Treasurer Brodie Wood
event, and a charity football match between the men’s E Coschignano, as well as receiving the award myself.
Team and Aidan’s Maidens, with the Maidens edging it Special mention goes to Felix for his achievement in Socials Chair Jade Westhead
out on penalties. being the first non-Exec member to win an HLM for a
One Aidan’s Society saw recognition for their hard number of years, following his immense contribution to Formals Officer Izzy Francis
work this year, as International Society won the SU Col- the Welfare team and International Society throughout
Senior Welfare Officer Arabeth Lecuyer
lege Group of the Year award at the SU Annual Awards. his time at Aidan’s.
This was the third time they’ve been nominated. I wish all the best to my successor Clara Ohayon for the Bar Steward Riaz VKatb Rafique
The “Gatsby” themed Summer Ball was sold out weeks year ahead!
in advance of the event, which was a testament to the Union Officer Clara Gallay
hard work of Jade Westhead and the Social Committee. Luke Hollander
Jade worked for months in advance, putting together History BA, 2014-2017
schedules, legal contracts, rides, decorations, and a
ludicrous amount of music acts and free food. Our main
music acts this year were a Queen Tribute Act, as well
Top: Aidan’s International Society winning College Group of the Year at the SU Annual Awards. Middle:
Summer Ball main stage. Bottom: New Shop card machine in action Drone shot of Durham by Aidan’s student
The SCR
Presidents
SCR President’s Report 2016-17 SCR President’s Report 2017-18
T
he 2017-2018 period was one of great success, tunities, better inclusion and more experiences! It
D
ambition and change for the Senior Common was passed by the JCR and thus will be an option for
uring the 2016/17 academic year, the SCR Exec List 2016 - 2017 Room (SCR) at St. Aidan’s College. As always, incoming postgraduates next year – something we as an
Exec aimed to promote the involvement of its we had a strong intake of diverse and wonderful post- Executive Committee are extremely proud of!
members. We encouraged inclusivity by host- graduates who greatly contributed to the College and Overall, the 2017/2018 SCR year can be summarised
ing a variety of events, including movie nights, pizza the University during their time here. Additionally, we by: inclusion, positivity, and change! I would like to
nights, and tea and coffee afternoons. In December, President Madeline Line had several members who were continuing their PhDs thank my Executive Committee, College Staff, Luke
St Aidan’s SCR hosted our annual Inter-MCR formal, Chair Vivien Gross and desired to remain involved in the SCR community Hollander (JCR President), and the entirety of the SCR
which was well attended by both members of St Aidan’s Treasurer Abbey Haworth – who provided invaluable experience and expertise community for making this year truly unforgettable. I
College and the other colleges at Durham. Through the Social Secretary Timmis Maddox throughout the year. very much look forward to visiting and seeing what new
efforts of honorary member, J, the SCR passed a motion Secretary Miles Wilson Our first General Meeting led to an election of 13 mem- and inspiring ideas, events and opportunities the next
at our Annual General Meeting to introduce a welfare Tech Chair Stefano Cattaneo bers of the new Executive Committee. In our first few generation of SCR members will bring.
subcommittee in order to improve the representation of IT Officer Matheus Hostert meetings it was clear we wished to create major change
all members of our community in matters of welfare. It Welfare Officer Marie Gueguen and improvement to lead to the betterment of the SCR Justin Beese
was a quiet year, but nonetheless enjoyable. PG Reps John Blackman community. MA International Relations (Middle East), 2017-18
Harry Cross The first major SCR event of the year was the In-
Robert Mosher ter-MCR Christmas Formal which was a resounding
Madeline Line
PhD Archaeology, 2015 to present success. Despite a congested few weeks of formals we
managed to sell our desired numbers of seats and had a Exec List 2017 - 2018
fantastic evening – despite Mildert College attempting
to steal our Christmas MCR theme!
The SCR’s moment of the year was the signature
Chinese New Year Formal! The Executive Committee President Justin Beese
spent many days building traditional decorations, going Chair John Blackman
to Newcastle for equipment, and promoting the event. Treasurer Abbey Haworth
Despite only planning for roughly 150 people to turn Social Secretary Jason Sklikas
up, final numbers were well into the 200s, causing us to Secretary Miles Wilson
change the seating arrangements to accommodate the IT Officer Dan Martin
popularity! Little did our guests realise, we had organ- Welfare & Diversity Officer Ariane Marchis-Mouren
ised a traditional lion dance to burst into the dining hall PG Reps Alice Benton
after the main course – much to our guests excitement! Alessandro Conti
These fantastic events were supplemented by many in- Harry Cross
formal SCR gatherings; from pizza nights, to milkshake Lana Faidulla
making, to College bar crawls, the SCR community Matt Northey
frequently came together.
A major aim of mine as SCR President was to unlock
the opportunities in College which were currently una-
vailable to SCR Members, namely, involvement in many
aspects of the JCR (Junior Common Room). I was sad that
I had to explain to new students that they could not join
and contribute to Shop Committee or Formals Commit-
tee. St Aidan’s College prides itself on in its inclusivity and
diversity – postgraduates should be able to get involved
and integrated into the undergraduate community!
Following consultation with my Executive Committee,
SCR Members, JCR Executive and College Staff, we
worked with the JCR to introduce measures which
would allow postgrads to join the JCR as well as the
SCR if they desired; this resulted in greater oppor-
2018 Chinese New Year Formal Lion Dance
The Sports and
Societies Officers
Sports and Societies Officer’s Report,
2016-17
A
s many will remember, sports and societies can League success was likewise elusive for men’s rugby
form a large part of uni life. When looking back A team, as runners up to Hatfield. As one of the few
and trying to summarise the events of one year, colleges to field two men’s sides, Tom Debenham’s
it becomes more of a question: when did we actually rugby club have much to be proud of, putting out
study? At the sports and societies formal held in April, two teams of 15 on many weekends. In the cup, a
we were able to celebrate many successes from the year. repeat of last year’s final against a strong Collingwood
Three awards were given out - the Jack Caswell cup for side saw the team unfortunately knocked out at the
outstanding sporting commitment by one individual, semi-final stage. Men’s football A also made it into the
and two new awards for the sports team and society semis but equally lost out 3-2 to the ultimate winners
of the year. The first of these was awarded to Freddie Collingwood. There was no real luck elsewhere in the
Kerr-Dineen for his involvement and hard work in league within football, with a majority of mid table
hockey, football, cricket and rugby during his 4 years finishes for men’s and women’s teams, topped off with
at Aidan’s. The sports team of the year was awarded a highly celebrated 3-0 victory for the E team against
to SACBC Women’s 1st VIII for an incredible year Collingwood K.
under the leadership of Sarah Jowett, winning races and Elsewhere in sports, growth of involvement continued.
outperforming many university crews not only in the Ultimate frisbee added a second team to its ranks. The
North East but with an excellent performance also at boost in club numbers saw the A team take promotion
WEHORR in London. St Aidan’s International Society, to the premiership league. Women’s badminton added
led by Clara Ohayon, won the society of the year a new B team, and both A teams finished strongly in
award following their multitude of successful events the league at 2nd and 3rd place. The year was finished
throughout the year, from the regular International off with a one day Varsity event against Van Mildert.
Sports and Societies formal 2017 Cafe to the enjoyable International Night in November. Aidan’s unfortunately lost out in the final event of the
The society went on to further recognition, receiving day, as, with high tensions, Van Mildert won the darts
a nomination for best college club/society at the SU competition, taking 11 events to Aidan’s 9.
awards night.
Many other societies held successful events throughout Ellen Brown
the year. Guest speakers graced the college, organised Physics, 2014-18
by the Foreign Affairs Society (SACFAS) and
Psychology Society (SAPSY), speaking on subjects
from UK Nuclear Deterrent to ‘How to be a Psychic
Conman’. In one of the biggest nights of the Aidan’s
calendar, Aidan’s Charity Fashion Show raised £7850
for Children North East. The fantastic night would not
have been possible without the hard work from Megan
Clube’s SACFS society.
With more sports teams than ever before, it is only
possible to reflect on some of the achievements of the
year. League wins from Ollie Jackson’s mixed rounders
club in the summer term, Elspeth White’s joint
Graidan’s (Grey-Aidan’s) women’s rugby team and an
indoor and outdoor title for Will Stephenson’s high
performing cricket A team top off the achievements
of the year. Another sport with a successful year, but
not quite with the premiership title to show for it, was
hockey. Rob Cullinane’s men’s squad smashed their
way to a second place finish, beaten out of the top
spot by a strong St Cuthbert’s team. Likewise in the
women’s league, Lauren Phare’s team built up from
a slow start to 2nd place, losing out ultimately to the
undefeated Grey.
The Sports and
Table Tennis, Volleyball The Caswell Cup
At the table tennis tables, Aidan’s had a superb season. The Caswell Cup was given to Ellen Brown this year.
The As, despite just playing seven games, managed to During her time at Durham, Ellen played football, rug-
come fourth in the Premiership. One year after coming by and hockey for college, as well as captaining one of
Societies Officers
third in Division 1 and missing out on promotion by the university rugby teams. She was also always willing
three points, the Bs finally managed to secure their to try new sports and to help out if a team was lacking
promotion. Losing just once all season meant they players. Finally, she was the Sports and Societies
came first in the division and will now compete in the Officer two years ago.
Premiership. Our Volleyball team started the season
very strong, with three wins out of four games, but a run Oliver Goschow
of three losses in a row led to them slipping down the
Law, 2016-19
table, coming fourth in the end. However, they were
selected to represent Durham at the Durham-York
Varsity, where they performed very well.
Sports and Societies Officer’s Report, Rounders, Netball,

2017-18 Mixed Lacrosse
The Rounders A team started their campaign strong
with three wins in a row, but losses against the first and
second place teams meant they would end up in third
place. Our netball teams celebrated some tremendous
seen most obviously in the men’s football match, where seasons this year. The A team was selected to represent
a team consisting of mostly players from the Cs, Es and Durham at the Varsity against Loughborough. The Bs
Maidans took on the Premiership champions and lost went unbeaten in Division 2, and completely domi-
14-1. Victories in Volleyball and Rowing were merely nated the league to gain a well-deserved promotion to
cosmetic. Division 1. The Cs suffered two losses, but this was
still enough for them to be promoted to Division 3.
Football The Mixed Lacrosse team won 7 of their 8 games in
Division 2, which allowed them to win the league and
get promoted to Division 1.
The Maidans had a tough season this year, often strug-
gling with getting the numbers for matches. Two years
after getting promoted to the Premiership, they will
compete in Division 1 in the next season. Turning to
the men’s teams, the A team had an incredible season.
They dominated Division 1, and almost emulated
Arsenal’s Invincibles season, but unfortunately lost in
their third-last game of the campaign. Furthermore,
two semi-final appearance in the Floodlit Cup and
Football Trophy capped off a great season. In both
cups, they lost to the eventual champions, Collingwood
A and Grey A respectively. With another strong fresher
intake, the As look set to compete for the highest hon-
ours in the Premiership next season. The Bs collected a
combination of 6 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, condemn-
ing them to a midtable position in Division 2, six points
from the targeted promotion. It was heartbreak for the
Ds, whose team was made up almost entirely of fresh-
ers, with only three veterans, as they got relegated for
the second time in a row. However, in Division 5 next
year they will be competing in an Aidan’s derby against
the Es. In Division 6, the Es finally got rid of the title
of “worst team in college football”. With 6 wins, they
were only four points away from a promotion spot. The
Fs, in their inaugural season, came second in Division
6, meaning they theoretically got promoted, but as they
chose to remain in Division 6, the Es will move up to
Division 5 instead.
Post Floodlit Cup final celebrations. Captain Charlie Williams raises the trophy.
Rugby
T
The men’s rugby team had an incredible season. In the
his year we have had more teams than ever take league, they narrowly lost to old nemesis Collingwood
to the pitch in competitions. Notably, there was A 12-13, but ended up equal on points with them, at
the introduction of the Football F team, which 41. Nevertheless, in the Floodlit Cup, the As produced
took Division 6 by storm, as well as a Rounders B team an outstanding run, beating Collingwood A in the
and the Women’s 7-a-side Football team. semi-final thanks to a last minute interception and
try, and then going on to win the entire thing against
Aidan’s-Mildert Varsity Hatfield A, again thanks to a last second try. The
women’s team competed without Grey for the first time,
and ended their season in second place, only behind an
We had the third Aidan’s-Mildert Varsity, but unlike in unbeaten Cuth’s A team
the past few years, it was not a success. With numerous
teams on tour at the same time as the Varsity, we were
forced to field several below strength teams. This was Our volleyball team for the Aidan’s-Mildert Varsity that won one of our two points
The Boat Club Captains The Boat Club Captains
2016-17 2017-18
T T
he head season for the Men’s squad was pertise in the form of Jim Allan who, though not
he academic year 2015-2016 set a high standard year at the college sports and societies formal, SACBC a challenging one due to illness, injuries at peak fitness, had the technical knowledge to
for the 2016-2017 squads, with top 100 fin- successfully held their infamous Sprint Regatta, and and issues with equipment. Nevertheless bring the boat to another level. The first IV would
ishes at the Women’s Eights Head of the River both squads took victory in the Aidan’s-Mildert Varsity.
SACBC managed to enter most head races in change combinations for different races based on
Race (WEHoRR) and Head of the River Race (HoRR) The Boat Club Ball, held at the Undercroft in the Ca-
as well as strong performances in regatta season and at thedral, was also a great success and a special mention
the lead up to HoRR, consistently placing highly availability and the highlight of the Regatta Season
Henley Qualifiers. The club also saw many key mem- goes out to Paddy Alton who received the Outstanding but always just missing out on that top band due was a second-place finish at Hexham Regatta against
bers graduate in summer 2016, further increasing the Contribution Award. to the inconsistencies in training and adversity Trevelyan College who fielded a very strong crew
challenge to the squads. Despite the format of Durham Regatta changing for faced as a squad. Strong crews from Hatfield and which included former DUBC athletes.
After a busy preseason, head season brought a mix of 2017 and causing havoc with our entries, SACBC Collingwood seemed to just edge SACBC out The Women’s squad, whilst always pulling to-
results and emotions, very much like the weather up showed great performances in the events we managed on a consistent basis but the first IV were fast gether a crew to compete, was never quite at the
north! The Men’s squad was heavily depleted from the to enter. On Saturday, the Men’s Novice IV dominated closing that gap towards the end of the year. All top of their game during the regatta season. Nev-
previous year but put in strong performances. However, the Maiden Novice IV category and took victory for the
but one of the crew members remain going into ertheless, they remained competitive against the
the first IV consistently lost out on victory to a well-gelled club for the second year running. The Women’s IM3
crew from Hatfield and the second IV also missed out on VIII also competed, beating John’s in the first round
the 2018-2019 season which is a very promis- other colleges and pulled off a win at Wansbeck
victories. Nevertheless, big improvements were seen over but narrowly missing out to Lancaster University in ing sign for our performance this coming year. Regatta and beat their main rivals Van Mildert at
the year, giving promise for 2017-2018. The Women’s the second round. Sunday saw SACBC compete in the The first VIII at HoRR put in a very respectable Hexham Regatta. The loss of the first IV due to
squad was more successful and maintained their strong College Champs categories. The Men’s IV, scrambled performance but sadly missed out on the top people graduating and taking years abroad means
standing in Durham; victory was obtained at Rutherford together in the week prior to the regatta, started the 100 crews, in part due to a last-minute illness. that the focus this coming year will be to reshape
and Senate Cup, a third place at North Eastern Indoor day but unfortunately lost out to Hild Bede who went Luckily a replacement from St Paul’s was sourced and consolidate the squad to develop the fitness
Rowing Championships (NEIRC), and the first VIII came on to win the category. The Women’s IV had a more just in time and the crew was able to race, placing and technique of all rowers, once again building
12th out of 34 university crews at BUCs Head. positive day, demolishing both Trev’s and Cuthbert’s to
in the middle of the colleges. In addition, the up the depth in the squad which has served it so
The end of head season was marked by the classic win College Champs and maintain the dominance they
events of WEHoRR and HoRR down in London. The showed over the year.
Men’s squad came third at NEIRC in November well in the past.
Women’s squad took two crews down with much to live against some very strong competition, losing out SACBC return to Durham Town Hall for the
up to and they didn’t disappoint. The first VIII moved Miles Wilson only to a composite team and Grey Men’s squad. 2018 Boat Club Ball and numbers increased
up 3 places from 2016 and the second VIII moved PhD Geological Sciences, 2016-20 The Women’s squad also competed and came a from the previous year with 72 people signed up.
up 7 places, with the crews finishing 91st and 255th, miles.wilson@durham.ac.uk respectable fifth place against tough opposition. We had an excellent alumni turn-out who made
respectively. The first VIII were once again clearly the The Women’s squad, however, was far more up approximately 20% of the attendees. This year
fastest college, maintaining their dominance in Dur- successful than the men on the water, a testament the Outstanding Contribution Award was jointly
ham. Unfortunately, HoRR was cancelled yet again due
to Jasmine Kendall and Olivia Nunn’s fantastic awarded to Olivia Nunn and Jasmine Kendall who
to bad weather, bringing both disappointment but some
relief after the previous year’s performance.
joint captainship and the great atmosphere they led the Women’s squad after returning from years
As ever, exams disrupted the start of regatta season. were able to generate in the club, giving them the abroad. In 2019 we’re looking to incorporate
Both squads attended typical races such as Durham City depth needed to compete at the very top end of alumni more into the boat club and we would love
and Hexham but, despite strong performances and near college rowing. The Women’s squad spent the to see an even bigger alumni turnout for the 2019
victories in depleted crews, wins always seemed just autumn term battling it out with their main rivals, ball, so please keep a look out!
out of reach. However, this didn’t dampen the spirit of Van Mildert, culminating in a fantastic WeHoRR Finally, the club is in desperate need of a second
SACBC. The Women’s squad took sports team of the performance where they were the second fastest VIII to replace “Nim”. If you know of any good
Durham college and also succeeded in fielding a offers or would like to donate some money towards
second eight, a truly impressive feat reflecting the a boat, please do not hesitate to get in contact.
popularity of the sport at St Aidan’s.
The summer term saw a slight reversal in the Charlie Noel
fortunes of the squad, with the Women’s squad BA Law, 2017-20
facing difficulties getting their top combinations charlie.noel@durham.ac.uk
out due to having so many finalists in the crew
who were understandably focussed more on
their degrees than on rowing throughout their
exam period. The Men’s squad on the other hand
gained a formidable athlete in the form of Justin
Beese (who made up what he lacked in technique
with raw power) and also a huge amount of ex-
Features
Aidan’s in Edinburgh 2018
2
018 saw my first ever visit to the Edinburgh first section of the audience, having ventured into the
Fringe Festival. That in itself is not cause audience prior to the show starting. The performance
for a mention in these pages, but there were certainly provided lots of laughs with some impressive
three links with St Aidan’s that I hope will make it magic-tricks, and some that didn’t go quite how Mr
newsworthy for you… Swallow had intended. Nick is currently working on a
As a festival virgin one can’t help but be overwhelmed pilot to bring Mr Swallow to TV. He can also be heard
by the sheer volume of shows on offer; hundreds taking voicing the character of Piglet in the recently released
place every day in a huge range of venues. So when trying film Christopher Robin and published his first book, a
to decide what to see where does one start? Well we children’s story based around four young magicians’
started by looking out an Aidan’s Alumnus who has been attempts to join the Magic Circle. I would definitely
gradually building a career in comedy since graduating recommend checking his work out.
from Durham in 2003 with a degree in Geophysics. Whilst we were in Edinburgh we also took the
Nick Mohammed has been visiting the Festival for so opportunity to check the latest show by the Durham
many years now he can probably be referred to as a Revue. Zeitgeist was an hour of sketch comedy framed
stalwart. His show this year again starred his alter-ego, around what the Revue performers past and future
Mr Swallow, an excitable bumbling northern magician. might think of such a show. The show was energetic
Entitled ‘Mr Swallow and the Vanishing Elephant’, the and funny and contained some very well written
show featured an array of magical tricks coupled with sketches. It was enthusiastically enjoyed by a good
feats of memory. These included sawing himself in half, crowd in one of the many performance spaces within
memorising the entire Wagamama menu, and finishing the Underbelly venue on Edinburgh’s Cowgate. It Nick Mohammed as Mr Swallow at the Edinburgh Festival 2018.
with a suitably-show-stopping vanishing illusion. He even included a cameo from your Alumni Association
also came back on stage to recall the names of the entire secretary Emma Fisher.
The final Durham link was our accommodation for the (with haggis) or a rotating hot special. Supplemented
weekend. Lizzie Scot (nee Bryce) came up to St Aidan’s with porridge and toast, this really set us up well for a
in 1995 where she read psychology. Upon graduating full day of walking between festival venues. Lizzie made
she moved back up to her home town of Edinburgh and us feel really welcome, and it was great to catch up with
worked for several years in public relations before her and here on what we had been up to since leaving St Aidan’s
her husband Gary decided they wanted to leave the rat and also sharing updates on our various alumni friends.
race and run their own business. Through Gary’s work I can certainly recommend the Kingsway Guesthouse if
in the banking sector he had met and worked with many you are planning a trip to Edinburgh.
B&B owners in the city and realised that it was potentially a
business that they could make work and also enjoy.
So they bought the Kingsway Guesthouse, in the By Ben Fisher (Class of 1995)
Newington area of Edinburgh, just a twenty minute
walk to the Royal Mile. Ten years on and the business
is thriving, helped in part by a gushing review in an
American guidebook which has meant a steady stream
of US visitors. However during the festival the clientele
becomes more UK-centric with many returning year
after year, booking their room for the following year as
they check out. Our ensuite room was well equipped
and spotlessly clean, and frankly it felt more like a
boutique hotel than a B&B. Breakfast every morning
included the option of either a full Scottish breakfast
Nick Mohammed starring at the Edinburgh Festival, August 2018
32 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - Features Features - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 33
E. Nesbit
where she would throw away her corset and flash her
knickers and was known to bicycle around London, all
somewhat unconventional behaviour by the standards
of her time.
This biography also uncovers the secrets and pain she
kept so carefully hidden from the public such as the
death of her son when he was only fifteen and and what
happened when her husband had two children with
her best friend Elisabeth Galvin was at St Aidan’s from
1995-1998 studying English and Classics.
At every opportunity when she was a child,
ELISABETH GALVIN would jwwump on her mother’s
lap to ask for a story. One of these books was The
Railway Children, which began her lifelong love of
literature. After studying English and Classics at
Durham University, she became a magazine journalist
in London, Australia and Hong Kong. A keen open-
water swimmer, Elisabeth recited passages by Jane
Austen and the Brontës to herself as she swam across
the English Channel to France in 2002. It took her
10 hours 51 minutes; so that’s quite a lot of romantic
literature! When it came to writing her first book
Elisabeth returned to one of the writers who ignited her
interest in reading and storytelling, Edith Nesbitt.
Elisabeth is speaking at Richmond Literature Festival
on Thursday 15 November, 7.30pm at Hampton
A Tribute to Barbara Carter Taylor
E
Library for a 30 – 40 minute talk, followed by a Q&A
x-Aidan’s student Elisabeth Galvin (1995 to and book signing. Those not able to make it but
1998) has just had her first book published interested in the book can contact Pen and Sword 12 August 1942 - 29 March 2016
by Pen and Sword on the 30th October 2018, Books at the details below for more details on how to
‘The Extraordinary Life of E. Nesbit’ it documents the buy a copy.
life remarkable bohemian life of the children’s author
B
who wrote The Railway Children in 1906. The novel
has been well loved by generations and was made into arbara Carter was born in Lincolnshire during part time Assistant Teacher’s position. her desire for social change. They became co-activists,
the equally well loved film starring Jenny Agutter and the Second World War, the eldest of three sisters She put theory into practice by taking up a full-time fellow Londoners and international travellers. A couple
Bernard Cribbins in 1970. and a brother. Her father, Sydney, was one of 11 teaching post in a remote rural girls’ school in the Cam- of years ago, Barbara married Brian and sold her flat in
Imagine being one of the most well-loved children’s children born and bred in Catford, South-East London, eroons in Equatorial West Africa, through Voluntary Notting Hill Gate and moved to a more spacious Art
authors of all time, yet your readers don’t know if you’re into a left leaning, artistic family. Sidney, being a Fac- Service Overseas. In addition to her classroom duties Deco one in Eastbourne that she redesigned in a beauti-
a man or a woman, or even your real name: E. Nesbit is tory Inspector all his life, which involved overseeing the she taught agricultural practice. Barbara applied for, ful way to fit their needs. There she continued to be polit-
really Edith Nesbit (1858-1924). Nesbit wrote more rights of workers, passed on an interest in Socialist ideas and was granted, assistance from Oxfam to help her in ically active, fighting against government cut backs to the
than one hundred novels as well as plays and poetry for to Barbara. In addition to this, the family were devoted the farming project she pioneered at the school in the NHS via the organisation 38 degrees and was inspired
children and adults between 1885 and 1923, including practitioners of painting, sculpture, studio furniture Cameroons, having first used a work party from a local to help create the local Real Democracy Movement. She
the Railway Children and Five Children and It. Her making, metalwork, pottery and weaving, which laid a prison to clear the land of several acres of jungle – for also planned on continuing her painting, leaving one of
stories of female heroines, magic, adventure and time foundation for her interest in the arts; they also had a the project’s foundation. flowers unfinished, so it was very sad that her life was cut
travel continue to influence children’s literature more great love of music. Her mother’s family had more liberal Barbara also brought one of her students back to Eng- short with the sudden diagnosis of Mesothelioma.
than a century later, JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame is leanings, enjoying the outdoors, nature and plants. land, to escape an unwanted marriage to an older man! Barbara is, and will continue to be deeply missed by all
said to be a fan and much influenced by Nesbit’s work. Barbara was bright, did well in school and in 1960 won This was just one of a myriad of people she helped in so who knew her. She led an extraordinarily full life, forever
This year marks the 160th anniversary of her birth an undergraduate place at the University of Durham, many different ways during her lifetime. pushing boundaries and breaking dWown walls – social,
and this new biography celebrates her work as an to study Botany. There was a new lecturer on staff that She then took a teaching post at Sarah Siddons com- emotional and aesthetic. She has left an enormous legacy
artist, noting the high esteem in which she was held NEW BOOK RELEASE RRP: £19.99 ISBN: year, David Bellamy, who later became the celebrated prehensive, an inner-city girls’ school in Paddington, of love, friendship, and help for the underprivileged.
by fellow writers. Sir Noël Coward described her as 9781526714770 224 PAGES · HARDBACK conservationist and T.V. personality – and who proved where she encouraged pupils to record levels of Painting had always been one of Barbara’s passions. In
“Unspeakably underrated” and Oscar Wilde remarked to be a real inspiration to Barbara. Barbara and Bellamy achievement in the Earth Sciences. She spent five years her later years, she pursued this activity more inten-
that she was “A very pure and perfect artist”. In the remained firm friends. in Careers Education at Southwark College which led sively – renting a studio, using instructors and devoting
foreward by the writer famous for the Tracy Beaker She made some enduring friendships at Durham, as to her next post, as Industry Schools Coordinator for as much time as she could to create wonderful works;
novels, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Galvin’s biography id well as when she was teaching; people who gave her the ILEA. When this scheme was shut down by Govern- her portraiture became very popular, and she gained
described as “A lively, concise account of an interesting support to help fight anxiety and depression from which ment cuts, she worked as a trade union Administrative commissions for this (some examples of her work are
complex woman”. she suffered all through her life. Following her under- officer for Unison. reproduced here).
As a cigar smoking socialist she was a founder of the graduate degree she went onto Indiana State University After meeting Brian Taylor in the late 1970’s, Barbara
Pen & Sword Books Ltd in the US where she continued her studies and held a found shared political ideas that gave new impetus to
Fabian Society, in which the present day Labour Party 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South
has its roots. Her personal life was every bit as colourful Yorkshire, S70 2AS
as her fiction. She was a contemporary of H.G. Wells Tel: +44 01226 734267
and George Bernard Shaw and had a love affair with the Website: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
latter. She was notorious for her wild bohemian parties, Email: enquiries@pen-and-sword.co.uk
Many Years After
Barbara at Durham
Barbara Carter and Carol Moore (Bye) Bill Moore, Carol Moore (Bye), Barbara Lankester (Rampley),
Barbara Carter, Brian Taylor, Fiona Cobb (Matthison)
Durham University Rag 1961 – St Aidan’s Float. Standing on left: Enid Braben, Sandy Clarke (Walker) and Ruth Collett. Seated on the right are Barbara Carter with Julian
Burbury. Standing above them are Clare Dawes (Beardsworth), Doug Johnstone and Margaret Jones (Freeman). Far right: Jenny Clark
Maggie Bradshaw (Dalpra), Barbara Lankester (Rampley), Barbara Carter
Graduation 1963: Barbara with parents Sydney and Betty Carter
Graduation 1963: Prof Valentine (Head of Botany), Peter Dawson, Margaret Bradshaw
(Dalpra), Keith Thompson, Barbara Carter
Professor Sir Arnold Wolfendale, Barbara Carter (2012 Reunion)

Artworks

is quite overlooked by the flower admiring Turn who
holds it in disguslt on account of its fetid smell. All the
while the most minute flower, and even the budding leaves
of the walnut and other trees are continually presented
from one to another on account of their sweetness.
I received some help from Antalya university which was a
mere two hours away on the dolmus. Two of the PhD stu-
dents there were a married couple who have subsequently
gone on to become professors at Pamukkale university.
In the process of identifying the plants of Turkey I had to
master many skills on my return to the UK. The staff at
the Herbarium in Edinburgh gave me access to a study
area along with guidance on how to use this very special
resource. I received a warm welcome and had the oppor-
tunity to meet many academics from Turkish universities
Travels In Turkey
also using the Herbarium. With their help I managed to
accurately identify many species of plant, thirty of which
were endemic to that particular region in Turkey.
The map below shows that Turkey is roughly rectangu-
lar in shape which lends itself greatly to the sorting of
plants to specific areas of the country. The area I had
studied was classified as Orient 3 on the map below:
A
s a biologist with a fervent interest in plants, ex-Aidan’s student Ann
Eustace (1956-1960 Botany) was immediately stimulated by a visit to the
then remote village in south west Turkey where she travelled to in 1w992
with the idea that it would make an absorbing retirement project. Now, almost
twenty seven years later and with much wrestling with the data and information she
accumulated, her initial prediction continues to be constantly in mind, that being:
“These plants will disappear

if tourism invades the bay.”
Ann explains:
Back in Durham I had benefitted from the volumes product being sold in ice cream flavoured with these
of P.H. Davis’ incredible work of taxonomical and orchid tubers by a street vendor.
botanical languagew which contained a fascinating My research in Turkey gave me a deeper knowledge of
up to date analysis of the flora of Turkey and the east the plant life in this small area, I discovered that many
Aegean islands. His work is an open ended masterpiece of the plawts had the ability to accumulate nickel. I
which has encouraged Turkish academics and students also learned about the geology, the language and the
to learn and explore the rich flora of this country poised customs of Turkey all of which fascinated me as they
had done by Sir Charles Fellows (1799-1860) who My interest in this area of Turkey continues to this day
as it is, uniquely in the Mediterranean affected by three
visited Adrasan 142 years to the day before I began my and I have shared my enthusiasm with all my family who
phytogeographical areas (diverse regions of plant life).
expedition. Here is a brief excerpt of his discoveries: have all visited too, even my mother who was eighty
However my discoveries began in earnest once I arrived
Every hut was completely concealed in an orchard or eight at the time of her visit. I continue to be amazed at
in Turkey in Andrasan. I rented a room from a Turkish
labyrinth of fruit trees, all probably scattered here by the variety of knowledge that I acquired in studying in
family which enabled me to see a way of life which had
nature, for I find several of the Turkish names of the depth the plants of this small area of Turkey and from
all but disappeared. Plants were used in numerous
villages imply their natural production of fruit. The reading this brief account I hope you too can share my
ways, for food, toys, building materials and their medic-
scenery of this promontory is unique in its combination enthusiasm for this fascinating part of the world.
inal properties, all of which were growing freely as wild
plants locally. This was my inadvertent introduction to of sublime grandeur with the most luxurious richness
the subject of ethnobotany. of vegetation. (Pomegranate, vine, orange, apricot,
I was shown specimens of Orchis Sancta, my first peach, walnut, carob, almond and pear).
orchids! Initially I did not believe what I was being Amongst the most striking now in bloom is the splentid
told and thought it was a joke when I was introduced to snake-grass, Arum Draculunus, the beauty of which
the word salep. It seemed unbelievable that the dried
and powdered tubers of these wild orchids which grew
profusely in April and May were used in the making of
a milky drink, also referred to as salep. The drink is
mainly served during the winter time and is said to be
beneficial to one’s health. It is sold on markets now-
adays along with other beverages like grape juice and
bozo (which is made from maize) which are also non
alcoholic. After Turkey became an Islamic nation it was
not permitted to sell alcohol. The photographs above
and below show the plant as it is found in the wild, how
the tubers are prepared by villagers and the finished Villagers preparing salep tubers and the finished product, being sold as salep flavoured ice cream.
Durham Regatta in 1985. I’ve recently celebrated 20 and Helen Stapleton. Sadly Athena died but we were all
2000
News From Members

years of living in New Zealand but still go back to the in touch since leaving Durham. I have just passed the
UK every couple of years. Most recently I was lucky
enough to visit Durham with my sons in June 2016
big milestone with the family, who are all well, and now
great-grandchildren are arriving!
Hayley Adamson
during an open day so was able to show them around
the college, which provided an interesting contrast
The plant study is still much in my mind but having an
old computer has not helped me. However my time
(neé Roberts)
to their university experiences in New Zealand. I’ve in Turkey was very happy; meeting academics at their
returned to rowing as a Master in the last few years and universities and at Edinburgh Herbarium, which is the
recently competed at the World Masters Games here in Centre of the Turkish Flora. In Turkey botany is very I am a Commissioned officer in the Aerospace
New Zealand. Once you’ve got the bug... much researched and students doing their PHD’s have Battle Manager specialisation of the RAF. I am
much material on which to work. Turkey is high in en-
demic species and ethnobotany is an area I experienced
currently living near High Wycombe and working
1956 graduating! In fact in April last year, I took up a

year-long role as High Sheriff of Durham. I view being
1973 1983 first-hand living, very simply, with a Turkish family. So
now I am very sad for Turkish people as the country is
at the Joint Forces Command in Northwood.
Ann Eustace (Wilcox) asked to fulfil this role, one that has existed for over a
thousand years, as the greatest honour of my life. My
Marie Johnson Emma Fisher going through so much politically and strategically. I
feel very fortunate to have learned so much about the Obituary
other commitments include being a Trustee of The
Bowes Museum, President of my local National Trust
(née Barley) flora of the area, but also the language, the community
and Islam.
I remember my years at Durham with affection and also branch and a keen supporter of the National Gardens I am still living in the North East in Whitley Bay and
Scheme, for whom we open our garden at Hamsterley
1995
with gratitude. The collegiate nature of Durham gave us a summer cabin up the Tyne valley. Jane Lomas and Rob Fernando (Software Engineering 96’-99’) passed
a community of friends within our college and a wider every year. Sarah Bennett (Denman) visited for a couple of days in I’m still living in Oxford, still married to Ben and away in January 2017 after a short battle with illness.
Ben Fisher
view of learning within our department. I have kept in May 2018. Sitting on the beds in the cabin was eerily still working in student support at Oxford Brookes Rob is survived by his wife Teresa and son Jordi, his
touch with Janice Holsday, Ethel Tolansky, Elsie Lack reminiscent of all those times spent chatting in our
1970 University, so not much has changed since the last mother Mignonne, brother Michael and sister Suyin,
and Helen Stapleton. Sadly Athena died but we were all rooms in Aidan’s decades ago. I also keep in touch with newsletter! Also, I am still very involved with theAlumni as well as countless family, friends and loved ones
in touch since leaving Durham. I have just passed the Claire Munday (Handley Derry), visiting her in The
Liv Darling Association, although I have managed to hand over the around the globe.
big milestone with the family, who are all well, and now Highlands once in a while. My partner, Dave, retired production of the newsletter to theteam that brought After graduating from Durham, Rob established himself
great-grandchildren are arriving! some years ago, and I joined him more recently after a 21 years after getting kicked out of St Aidan’s College I in Boston, USA and worked as highly
you this one, which is a welcome giveaway after the am now, ironically, spending a huge chunk of my spare
The plant study is still much in my mind but having an career moving between the NHS and universities. Our amount of work Ben and I put into organising last successful business consultant for well-known global
old computer has not helped me. However my time sons both chose to become doctors – one is now in time helping to run the Aidan’s Alumni Association. companies such as Virtusa, EMC2 and Thermo Fisher.
year’s 70th Anniversary Reunion, which we are still When not doing that I am riding my bike, travelling
in Turkey was very happy; meeting academics at their I published a book called ‘Scenes from a Clinical Life’ London and the other is settled in Toronto, so our two recovering from!! He was always ready to help friends and colleagues
universities and at Edinburgh Herbarium, which is the young granddaughters mainly know us through Skype. the world and catching up with as many Aidan’s friends in need, and his open and friendly nature made an
recently under the pen-name R. L. Jannaway (Karnac
Centre of the Turkish Flora. In Turkey botany is very as possible. My day job is working as an actuary for immeasurable difference in the lives of the countless
Books, 2016). The novel is a vivid depiction of the life
the UK’s fourth largest pension consultancy, through
much researched and students doing their PHD’s have
much material on which to work. Turkey is high in en-
and work of a psychotherapist who works both privately
and in the NHS. Although I have now retired from my 1979 1983 which I was last year voted Pensions Actuary of the
people he met. His passing leaves a hole in the hearts of
everyone who knew him, and no party will be the same
Year. I’m still blissfully married to Emma (Barley).
demic species and ethnobotany is an area I experienced
first-hand living, very simply, with a Turkish family. So
post as consultant psychotherapist in the NHS, I still
work in private practice. Glenys Bloomfield Susanna Emsley without him. Rest in Peace old friend!
If you would like to find out more about Rob and his life
now I am very sad for Turkish people as the country is
going through so much politically and strategically. I (née Mason) (née Girling) 1995
or reach out to his family, please email
thomas.spannring@dunelm.org.uk
feel very fortunate to have learned so much about the
flora of the area, but also the language, the community 1972 Simon Flanagan
and Islam.
Jacquetta Gomes I’m still living in Milton Keynes, teaching German. This
I studied Psychology and was JCR President. I’m
married to Drew Emsley, also from Aidan’s. Straight Marriages
year I saw Kay Nation (Tisdale) at a Trevelyan after Durham, I did Management Training at Harrods,
1964 gathering in London. I also met up with Carole Camp-
bell (McGinn) in Oxford. This was our first
which included a couple of years at sea on the QE2, and I studied Physics and, immediately after Durham, was a
postman for 6 months – the best job I ever had! Then I
eventually become a Harrods Buyer.Once I left retail,
Patricia Nicholson As the world’s first Buddhist fire chaplain, I am
delighted to inform you that I have been included in
meeting since graduation in 1983. We still have lots in
common and had fun looking at old photos
I became a trainer with a Purchasepoint, a marketing spent twenty years in the events industry and ran events
such as Top Gear Live; Chelsea Flower Show and Taste Charles Boxer and Phoebe Stow got married on 27th
company in London before setting up a training com-
(née Taggart) a Women’s Firsts list under 2014. Naturally, I am
honoured and delighted to be included in such a list,
and reminiscing. I recently sang Brahms’ German
Requiem with MK Chorale which brought back
pany in 1995. Now, Drew and I run Brightwell Systems in 26 countries. I’m about to start a new role as COO
of the Institution of Structural Engineers. I live in
May 2018 - so Phoebe is now actually Phoebe Boxer
rather than Stow! They both lived on C curve (C91 and
alongside wonderful inspirational women including Ltd, a company that provides hardware and software to C98) in their first year but didn’t
special memories of performing it in Durham Cathedral the gas industry. This allows us to work together whilst Brampton near Huntingdon, and am married to Louise
Nobel Prize Winners. The publication includes women with a 7- and 5-year-old, Rufus and Rose. actually start dating until final year. They were at
in 1980. combining our Psychology and Physics backgrounds!
When I began, I was Patricia Taggart; before I was taught to respect as a child, including Elizabeth Aidan’s from 2007-2010. Charles studied Law and
Fry and Florence Nightingale. All the women on the We now live in Worcestershire, with easy access to Phoebe studied Psychology.
graduation I had become Mrs Nicholson. As I recall, a the motorways for work, whilst giving us a city (similar
1979 1996
special meeting of senate was necessary to extend my list have fulfilled important pioneering roles. The Fire
Service is a team and my role which led to my inclusion size and feel to Durham) and countryside. We live on a
gentleman’s visiting hours from 9pm to 10 pm. No smallholding and keep about 70 animals in our ‘spare’
Claire Hewitt Simon Back
doubt rules have changed since then. After working was made possible by the hard work and dedication of
other men and women who came before me. I am sorry time. Donkeys and piglets have just joined the alpacas,
in regional government and in Europe (then the sheep, goats, pigs, ducks, geese and hens – lots to learn
EEC), and about twenty years on aid work in the Asia my Father who served with LFB London Fire Brigade is
no longer alive to hear about this. over the last eight years. We have two teenagers Kate
Pacific, I have been settled in New Zealand for the last (17) and Will (14) who also keep us busy. Drew has gone
sixteen years. I would be happy to renew contact with I was Claire Hewitt and still am - not been swept off my back to Rowing, which he started in Durham, and Kate I’m still living in Sutton Coldfield and working in the
anyone from 1964-7 class, especially those reading
1971 feet yet! I have had an interesting time has now rowed at Henley much to his huge delight. West Midlands as an accountant in industry. I’ve now
Anthropology under Professor Eric Sunderland. working around the world and finally working in the We keep up with a few Durham friends but I love hearing been married to Julie for fourteen years and our son
Looking back, it has been an unremitting struggle
Helen Mary Stewart town I live in – Henley on Thames! I indulge in from anyone we have lost touch with and we are always James is a football-obsessed delight. The in-laws have
for a woman working in a man’s world and, although country pursuits and have just started rowing on the open to visitors. We thoroughly enjoyed our reunion in even converted me to the sometimes painful cause of
there have been advances; it is ongoing for the current
(née Cliffe) river – much more technical than I ever Aidan’s last July – it was really special to be back. supporting Aston Villa.
generation of women as recent world events show. thought, it all looks so smooth and easy watching
others… If you remember me, please get in touch!
1966 1993 1999

Caroline Peacock After 39 years we have moved from Stockport to 1983 Martin Kay Nick Boalch
Darlington, and we are both retired. Our younger
(née Dingwall) son Ian (Engineering, Aidan’s 2005-2009) married Huw Mitchell
Helen Deadman in April 2016 – this was a very happy
occasion. I remember my years at Durham with affection and also After almost a decade with Tesco running stores in
with gratitude. The collegiate nature of Durham gave us and around central London, I started a new, perhaps
I attended Aidan’s from 1983-86 and was an active a community of friends within our college and a wider more rewarding, challenge in Jan 2017 as Director
Although I am originally a Southerner, I continue to member of the boat club. We had our own adventures view of learning within our department. I have kept in of Supporter Experience at the child poverty charity
live in County Durham – well over forty years since and firsts, including racing the first Aidan’s VIII at touch with Janice Holsday, Ethel Tolansky, Elsie Lack Compassion UK (www.compassionuk.org).
42 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - News From Members News From Members - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 43
News From the Aidan’s
format. The 1953 edition was the first one in which
‘news of old students’ was included and they also “made
the experiment of printing some photographs (at the
risk of being dubbed unacademic)”! In addition, “four
old students … contributed articles on their work”.
It was the occupations section of the members address
Alumni Association
list that I found particularly interesting. This provided
an insight into the common professions of female
graduates in their twenties and thirties in the 1950s
and 60s. These tended to be teaching posts, secretarial
posts or roles as an almoner, which I had to look up as I
didn’t know what it was (a trained hospital social worker
Commitee
responsible for the welfare of patients).
At this point, the membership was still, obviously,
so much smaller than it is now and I was struck by
the familiar nature of the Principal’s letter and the
same yearly events in the JCR report. As I read the
Principal’s announcements of which members of
college staff had moved on to other things and where
their replacements had come from, there was a sense that “it is possible at last to look forward to the building
that the university was a much smaller place. At of a College of our own” which was swiftly followed
Former Newsletter Editor, Emma Fisher (nee the same time, she would report on renovations to by a statement that “though the University Grants
Shincliffe Hall and acquiring the buildings of numbers Committee provides the necessary money for erecting
24 and 26 in the Bailey, so the sense of change and college buildings, it does not provide for a Chapel.
Barley, Sociology and Social Policy 1993-96, growth was also clear. The affection she had for
the students, and them for her, was clear from her
Believing that this is an essential part of any college,
we are starting a fund at this early date so that the
architect when drawing up plans for our College, may
JCR President 1996-97), takes a look at past

final paragraph which would always wish them well
wherever they were and thank them for the many incorporate a chapel in his scheme”! By the 1960
letters she received but never quite had time to answer! edition, the fund already stood at £400, alongside the
Newsletters and questions its future.

“Freshers’ Entertainment was given very early in the news that Sir Basil Spence had been appointed as the
term” and there was always an annual dance at the architect and subsequent reports from the JCR listed
start of December in the Town Hall, followed by a the myriad ways in which JCR members were raising
Christmas dinner in a local hotel. In the second term, money to add to the chapel fund.
there would be an annual visitors’ night debate and a Whilst the 1961 edition announced the birth of St
Society photo would be taken in the third term. As Aidan’s College, the 1962 edition announced that the
newsletter in the pack, which consisted of 9 sheets of for the Old Students’ Association, a tea would be Old Students’ Association had changed its name to St
what was once white paper, secured by two staples to held in London every January which was such a small Aidan’s Association. The 1963 edition announced that
the left and produced on a type writer, stated that, at the gathering that the attendees, along with the contents Miss Scott had retired, Dame Enid Russell Smith had
Old Students’ Meeting held on 23rd April 1949 “the of their conversations, would be fully reported! The been welcomed as the new Principal and the first sod of
following resolutions were passed: AGM would take place at Shincliffe Hall every April and the new college building had been dug. The 1966 edition
1. That there shall be a St Aidan’s Society Old Students’ included tea, a chapel service and a dinner. reported that “there had been 3000 applications, 1000 of
O
Association. I was also struck by the ‘gifts to the society’ section and them first choice, for the 90 places which St Aidan’s had to
n my last visit to Aidan’s, I was tasked with offer this year. Clearly the College has arrived”!
the job of collecting a package of Aidan’s 2. That any former member of the Society may become loved the tradition of the graduating students gifting
a member of the Association. the undergraduates with such items as ‘a silver cruet for By the end of the 60’s, the news letters were becoming
Alumni Association Newsletters from the thicker and the personal news, now incorporated into
archive collection at Palace Green to pass on to the 3. That Senior Members of the Society may become high table’, ‘sherry glasses for the JCR’, ‘a long mirror
members of the Association. for Shincliffe Hall’, ‘coffee spoons’ and ‘six small cut- the continuing and ever-growing address list, was
former Newsletter Editor. To this day, I don’t know even more extensive and had been accompanied by an
how the contents of the package came in to being, as It was also agreed that a News Letter should be glass vases for use on tables in the Dining Hall’.
circulated” and went on to say that, at the next meeting In the 1959 edition, the Principal’s letter announced index to married names! The Principal’s letter was
I believe that there are at least three complete sets of longer and had a more laidback air which I couldn’t
newsletters in existence – one in the archive collection, “a constitution could then be framed”. So, it was clear
that the Alumni Association that we still have to this day help thinking might have led to the senior woman of
one in the Principal’s office and one with the former
Newsletter Editor – but I presume that this selection came to life at this point. The 1966 edition reported that “there had been 3000 1966-67 being able to report that “with … extended
gentlemen’s visiting hours in all public rooms, it is
The main news report was written by Miss Ethleen
that temporarily came into my possession were the
‘leftovers’ from these three sets. It was a pretty Scott, the Principal at the time and was followed by a applications, 1000 of them first choice, for the 90 places sometimes difficult to remember that St Aidan’s is a
extensive selection but, at the same time, was not (what list of the finalists’ exam results, a report from the JCR
written by its Senior Woman (the precursor to the JCR
which St Aidan’s had to offer this year. Clearly the women’s college!”
The 1970 edition contained the last letter from Dame
came to be disappointingly) a complete set.
For some weeks, the package remained untouched in President) and reports from the games, boat, fencing, College has arrived”! Russell Smith and the first from Miss Irene Hindmarsh
hockey, netball, swimming and table tennis clubs, as and then, much to my dismay, the next news letter in
the corner of a room in my house but, after a while, the pack was from 1980, leaving me clueless at to the
curiosity got the better of me and, one evening, I took well as the student Christian movement. The end of the
a look inside for what I expected would be a brief few booklet contained names, addresses and occupations of
minutes in which I would flick through a couple of them all of the Associations’ 102 members!
to get a sense of what was there. This, however, was That was the last of the flimsy paper versions, as the
not to be, as I was quite quickly strangely fascinated next news letter in the package was a printed booklet
by the contents of the first booklet (St Aidan’s Society with a hardy green cover, although the contents
Old Students’ Association News Letter March 1951) was identical to the previous edition apart from the
and, as I came to the end of my cover-to-cover read, inclusion of the promised constitution and the addition
felt keen to read the rest. So, my usual bedtime read of a marriages and births section, ahead of the slightly
was replaced with one newsletter a night, read cover to longer address list. Although this was only the third
cover, for about a month and it was a compelling way to edition of the newsletter, it was already being found that
get a sense of how the College grew and changed over “the cost of postage and stationery is heavy” so a decision
almost seventy years. was made that it would only be sent to members that had
The third newsletter in the package declared in its paid an annual subscription of 10/6 (that is 10 schillings
opening sentence that it was the fourth edition, so it and 6 pence, which would be worth 55p today).
was clear that I didn’t have the very first publication As I made my way through the editions from the 1950s
which I would guess was written in 1950. The first and 1960s, very little changed in terms of layout and
44 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - News From the Aidan’s Alumni Association Commitee News From the Aidan’s Alumni Association Commitee - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 45
to students in October”. It also said that “Aidan’s
can now also boast a toastie bar, open every night in
the JCR, a multi-gym on A-straight, and an astroturf
tennis court in front of the new accommodation” and
that, in addition to a summer ball that starred Jools
Hooland and his Big Band, “the social committee have
also organised discos, ceilidhs, race nights and band
nights to ensure that St Aidan’s reputation goes from
strength to strength”. The Principal had reported
that “St Aidan’s is currently the second largest of the
colleges”, that the outgoing President was “the first
female President since 1985” and that “in future years,
the post might become sabbatical”. This was the first
newsletter that saw reports written by students that had
received travel awards, detailing the expeditions they
had been on. considerably. In the 2013 edition, the JCR report
It wasn’t until 1997 that the newsletter lost its green mentioned the birth of the Aidan’s fashion show
cover, being replaced with a glossy white one to and the first reference was made to a summer (beer)
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the college. festival. The 2012 reunion weekend was beautifully
Many photographs and drawings were included, several documented, but the degree results of the final year
of them colour. This was the first of the newsletters I students were missing for the first time, gone forever
had already seen, given that I became a member of the due to the requirements of data protection. The latest
Association myself once I graduated in 1996. As the edition in the pack (2017) was 50 A4 pages long
second ever sabbatical JCR President, I was the writer and had new features such as reports from the SCR
of the edition’s JCR Report, in which I mentioned President, the JCR Sports Officer, Women’s Hockey
many ‘firsts’ – the college’s first theatre company, the Team Captain and Women’s Boat Club Captain, as
introduction of a parenting system, the first handbook well as an article about the Durham Lumiere and a
for Freshers, the first Aidan’s yearbook and the first recipe from the current college chef! Members of the
awards of honorary life membership of the JCR – and Alumni Association Committee wrote articles on the
concluded that “the past year has seen the College 2016 Head of the River race, the Aidan’s archive and
thrive and maintain its position as king of the hill”. upcoming reunion events.
The glossy white covers and colour photos continued So, what of the newsletter going forward? Having
into the rest of the 90s, with lots of positive affirmations been involved with the Alumni Association for the
coming from John Ashworth’s Principal’s reports, past 5 years, which included editing the last two
which now included his annual reports to Council and editions, I have mixed feelings about it. It has become
medium term plan for the College which were both a tremendous amount of work for one person to do
interesting and informative reads. on their own, so much so that I was incredibly keen to
The newsletters of the new millennium became thicker hand it over to someone else after two attempts! Then
bound versions with reports on successful reunions and came the similarly onerous task of finding someone
the obituaries section, as you might expect, beginning else to take it on, followed by the work passing on the
to grow in size. The 2007 newsletter mentioned its knowledge necessary for yet another editor to bring
inclusion on the website for the first time and the first it to completion. The two or three pieces of feedback
mention was made of a college ski trip. that dribble in each year after the printed copies have
After another gap in editions, I came on to the first been posted out and the online version has been added
of the copies in the package resembling the current to the alumni webpage suggest that the readership is
format, which was the most dramatic reworking of the miniscule, rendering the effort futile! Then, a rose-
original format. Now called the ‘Alumni Magazine and tinted trip through almost 70 years of past newsletters
Newsletter’, it was A4 sized and full colour. By now starts to cloud one’s opinion, as the sense of tradition,
(2010) the current Principal was writing the Principal’s combined with the knowledge that every other college
report, focusing less on student endeavours and more produces a similar annual tome, makes one feel quite
on the wider work of the College beyond its student sad that the newsletter might not continue. I am
body. The ‘Life after Durham’ section had begun but tremendously grateful to Sophie Roche, Sam Forster
the ‘news from members’ section was much smaller and Yoanne Tong for bringing the current newsletter
and not just because their addresses had been omitted together and hope that they will feel able to produce
for the first time – it would appear that the number of another next year! If not, could this be the end of a
alumni providing this information had tailed off quite publication that is almost as old as St Aidan’s itself?
whole of the seventies! male students, but there was also a male Principal,
By 1980, a printed booklet with a hardy green cover who was about to leave and hand over to another man.
was still the format and the content was largely unchanged. He reported that “at last we have a purpose-built bar
The Principal’s letter announced that “preparations … The architect has chosen a style to fit in with Basil
have gone ahead for the advent of co-residence in 1981” Spence’s original concept and also taken advantage of
and that “an extension project” would see “42 student the views across to the cathedral”, whilst the JCR Report,
bedrooms in an annexe adjacent to the straight wing”. written by a male President, spoke of summer balls and
The address list was now 27 pages long and the index to the “most serious problem for the College and the most
married names took up 10! The annual AGM had been immediate concern for the JCR … of accommodation”.
moved to March and the London tea party to October but, He explained that “increasing numbers has meant
apart from that, little had changed. packing students into limited College space with severe
Imagine my dismay when the next news letter in the implications for morale and discipline as the effect of
pack was from 1990, leaving me similarly clueless at overcrowding and overstretched resources takes its toll”.
to the whole of the eighties! Given what changes must It was pleasing, therefore, to see that the next newsletter
have taken place, it was quite a surprise to see that it in the pack, which had skipped to 1994/95, contained
was still a printed booklet with a hardy green cover and a JCR report that was able to say “the third years and
that the format and contents were showing little sign some fortunate second years have been enjoying living
of change. However, by this point, not only were there in the new ensuite accommodation which opened
Careers Development Officer,
Chris Smith, gives us the latest on
the projects he is involved with
I
A reprint of an original concept drawing done by Sir Basil Spence. One of six now on display in the main entrance hall at the college.
t’s been a busy two years for the Careers team at to work life after University, and - importantly - what
the Alumni Association. We’ve been focussing on other paths are open to you after graduation. The event
a number of projects to really expand the scope hadn’t taken place at the time of writing this, but we
of what we can do: focussing on building a platform hope to be able to write about how successful it was in
to allow alumni and students to network effectively, next year’s edition of the newsletter!
Alumni Officer, Josh Stocco developing our presence in college through new JCR
events and building new ways to promote engagement
The final way we’re looking to do more is by offering
more to alumni. We rely on our alumni to offer
(Physics and Astonomy, 2011-

between former and existing students in this space. their expertise and experience to students and it’s
By far our biggest project has been After Aidan’s. The only fair that we provide them something in return.
Alumni Association have been working closely with Provisionally, we’re calling this the 1947 Club and
15), gives us the latest on the

senior college staff and the university’s alumni relations it aims to be a subscription service to keep alumni in
office to build out the new After Aidan’s platform. the Durham loop. We’d like to put the subscription
The goal is to create a space where students can get in money towards enrichment and personal development
College archive contact with alumni for CV advice or interview tips; to

find out what it’s like to work in a particular sector; or
for any more general advice on career development.
opportunities for students outside of academia and
careers. In return for your subscription, we’d like
to offer perks for alumni too. We think these perks
T
It works for mentees because finding the right career could include a printed copy of the college magazine
he archive team have been quite active since the We are, of course, always grateful for donations of after University is a daunting task and advice from a or discounted tickets for college events, but your
last newsletter. We recently installed the display memorabilia for our archive. We would love to see mentor can be invaluable, but it also works for alumni suggestions please to careers@aidans-alumni.org.uk,
case that was commissioned for the entrance anything that might help build up a picture of the because they can choose which students to engage with, and look out for the launch sometime later this year.
to the college, to increase the visibility of some of the eclectic history of St. Aidan’s College. what sort of work they can help with, as well as how
items stored in the archive and to educate visitors to the much time to invest in their mentees. The scheme has
college on the colourful history of St. Aidan’s. We have Materials of interest include: been in the works for a long time, but is finally in a pilot
framed and hung reprints of Sir Basil Spence’s original • Diaries, letters and scrapbooks phase, and we’re very optimistic that we’ll be able to go
concept drawings for the college in the main hallway • Records and memorabilia from student organisations live before the end of the 2018/19 academic year.
(see below). We also put on a large display of photos and and clubs After Aidan’s isn’t the only way we’re looking to
documents that were available for viewing throughout • Flyers, posters, invitations and other memorabilia promote engagement between students and alumni.
the 70th anniversary reunion. Thanks to everyone that from events and social activities One of the longest standing and most successful alumni
attended and to everyone that donated items for the • Photographs and audio and video recordings of the events has been the recent graduate’s weekend in
display; the reunion gave us a rare opportunity to record college and student or alumni events November. This year, for the first time, we tried a new
and document some fascinating memories from Alumnae • Copies of student publications. careers event to get recent graduates talking to current
that were present in the early days of the college, so thank students about their experiences applying for jobs.
you to everyone that sat down with us and contributed to If you have something that might be of interest, we This was similar but distinct from the After Aidan’s
the project throughout the weekend. are happy to have a facsimile if you wish to keep engagement. Whereas After Aidan’s is designed to
We are currently searching for volunteers to help the original. This is something you can either do answer questions on CV writing & long-term career
manage the new display case. We are looking for Alumni yourselves or we will gladly do it for you. development prospects, the careers event was designed
that still live near to St. Aidan’s to create a team of local You can get in touch with us at archive@aidans-alumni. to be much more informal: what the day-to-day
volunteers that will be partly responsible for using our org.uk. experience of a grad scheme is like, how best to adjust
materials archived in the Palace Green Library to create
interesting displays to inform and inspire everyone that
passes through the entrance to the college.
Ben Fisher (Physics, 1995-97)
gives us the lowdown on the 70th
Anniversary Reunion which took
place at College in early July 2017
A
s I am sure you are all aware, 2017 marked the
70th anniversary of St Aidan’s, initially created
as a Society to succeed the Durham Home
Students society in 1947 before being granted full
College status in 1961. To mark the occasion, the first
(gloriously sunny) weekend in July saw over 200 Aidan’s
alumni descend on the College to celebrate St Aidan’s
anniversary at a hugely successful reunion weekend.
The first attendees began arriving from Friday
afternoon onwards and, by Friday evening, the dining
hall was full of groups of old friends, spanning several
decades, catching up on old times and enjoying the
delicious buffet. This continued into the night in both
the JCR and the bar.
From early on the Saturday morning, Aidan’s was
buzzing – some enjoying a leisurely breakfast, some
cheering on the rugby in the bar, whilst others headed
into Durham for the Miner’s Gala or waited in the JCR
for the first of several discussions to begin. As the
archive room was opening its doors for its first throng
of visitors, Professor Monica Grady began a lively talk
about her time at Durham and her fascinating career Waiting for the first attendees to arrive. Above: The
team of current students that helped run the reunion
since leaving. This was soon followed by an interesting
over the weekend
discussion on entrepreneurship post-Aidan’s, led by
Alumni from the eighties, nineties and noughties.
Lunch was then served after which many people chose
to take advantage of the great weather and enjoy soaking
up the sun in the gardens. Then came two further talks The buzz continued as everyone thronged into the JCR
in the JCR – Geraldine Peacock, the first chair of the for a pre-dinner drinks reception, during which the
Charities Commission, on her time at Aidan’s and her Alumni Association’s brand-new archive display cabinet
incredible post-Durham career followed by a ‘women was unveiled by former principal Irene Hindmarsh,
in science’ panel discussion involving Monica Grady, watched on by the current incumbent Susan Frenk and
Tomorrow World’s Judith Hann and award-winning her immediate predecessor John Ashworth.
biology teacher, Beverly Goodger. A wonderful gala dinner followed – the dining hall “Thanks for organising such a smashing reunion”
was packed and many attendees were thrilled to hear
a speech by Irene Hindmarsh. Many chose to remain
at their table and chat the evening away whilst others “Thank you to everyone involved for the hard work
retired to the bar or bopped away in the JCR like they and thoughtfulness’
were 18 again!!
Breakfast was surprisingly busy the next morning
“Superbly organised weekend. Thank you very much
considering the late finish for many! After breakfast,
local architectural historian Martin Roberts’ gave an to porters, housekeeping staff, catering staff and
excellent talk and tour of the hill colleges’ architecture. those that set up the excellent arrangements”
This concluded the formal events of the weekend;
however alumni remained in Durham for much of the
“Well done to the organisers – I had a fantastic time”
day, either making use of tickets offering free entry to
some of Durham’s tourist attractions, reminiscing in “Thank you for a fabulous weekend”
the archive room, enjoying the College gardens or just
laughing about the previous night’s antics in the JCR. “Thank you! It’s been brilliant. So well organised and
By late-afternoon, the last few guests had headed home.
such fun! A brilliant reunion.”
It was clear from the smiles on their faces that everyone
thoroughly enjoyed being back at Aidan’s and, as well
as catching up with old friends, they also appreciated
meeting and chatting with alumni from different years.
Although the weekend had an interesting and varied
programme, many attendees simply relished being
back and savouring the atmosphere. It was a truly
Left: Waiting for the first attendees to arrive. Above: The team of current students that helped run the reunion over the weekend memorable weekend.
1995 matriculates at the
formal dinner
Top: The Women in Science panel discussion

Left: Geraldine Peacock being interviewed about her
career in the charities sector
1994 and 1995 matriculates on the lawn outside Aidan’s bar.
Russell-Smith Orchestra Tour to Barcelona
Travel Award
T
Dame Enid Russell-Smith was a Principal of St Aidan’s and
left a legacy for the College. As part of this, the College hanks to the generosity of the St Aidan’s the most special and rewarding experiences a musician
awards a Travel Award to students of the College. In College Trustees, I recently joined 64 other can have.
2017/18, eleven awards were made. members of Durham University Orchestral On our final day, we were free to explore, discover
Society on their annual European tour. This year, our and take in the sights Barcelona has to offer. I took the
destination was Barcelona. time to visit the infamous Sagrada Familia and the Old
After couple of days rehearsal in Durham and a whop- Cathedral in the picturesque Gothic Quarter. We also
ping 31-hour coach journey, we arrived to Barcelona explored the house of the architect Antoni Gaudí as
for a week of concerts, churros and Catalan culture. well as his most famous projects: the Sagrada Familia
During our tour we performed three concerts. All our and Park Güell.
concerts were free to attend and took place not just In the words of Shakespeare:
“all the world’s a

in Barcelona, but further afield in the less-densely
populated districts of Tarragona and Girona, both
Travel Reports
approximately a two- hour drive from Barcelona itself.
Our Spanish debut was held at Joseph Carreras Audi-
torium in Tarragona, where we performed an exciting
stage”!
array of music including Lyadov’s The Enchanted
Lake, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto No.2, and finally Alice Benton
Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. Our second concert
was in the beautiful church of San Gaieta, situated in
the very heart of Barcelona, where we were rewarded by
a standing ovation from our 80-strong audience. The
59th Rocky Mountain Conference on

final venue was the immense Basilica de Santa Maria
de Castelló d’Empúries in Girona, and the incredible
acoustic of the church made this by far the loudest and
Magnetic Resonance
most memorable concert of the tour.
Tour is not just about the music; it provides the
opportunity to immerse ourselves in a foreign culture.
This trip was rather exceptional in this respect due to
the current political tension between the Spanish and
I
the Catalan peoples’ fight for independence that began Rehearsing before our concert in San Gaita By the sea in Sitaes
am currently a second year PhD student at Durham cycling. The Goward group have used NMR imaging in October 2017. Although we were careful to take
University studying novel materials for use in to monitor lithium within a battery; allowing them to necessary precautions before travelling to Barcelona,
lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries using multinuclear observe lithium dynamics within the electrolyte, detect on the day of our final concert the Catalan president
solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) dangerous dendrites before formation, and observe the was detained in Germany, sending shock waves through
spectroscopy under the supervision of Dr Karen E. non-uniform lithiation of a single particle of graphite. Barcelona and resulting in widespread protests. On
Johnston. I recently attended (July 2018) and present- Kevin Sanders, from Université de Lyon, gave an our journey back to Girona, we were caught in a road
ed a poster at the 59th Rocky Mountain Conference interesting talk regarding LiMPO4, a common class block where the Spanish authorities had closed to
on Magnetic Resonance (RMC), which was held at of materials used for the cathode of batteries, and the motorway in order to supress protests that had
Snowbird in Utah, USA. This is a biennial conference the challenges associated with determining local broken out. Having been assured that we were not in
that is dedicated to the developments and applications geometries and electronic structure of paramagnetic any danger, I took this opportunity to quiz our tour
of SSNMR. materials and how MAS NMR spectroscopy, paired with rep Danny, originally from Girona, about the Catalan
At this large, international conference a wide range of density functional theory (DFT) calculation can help Independence Movement and what it meant to him per-
research is presented, including sessions on materials, elucidate these. There were a number of presentations sonally. It was very clear that Danny saw himself as not
biomolecules, and methodology. There was also a regarding the use of DNP, which is still a relatively new Spanish, but Catalan. This gave me a truly unique and
morning session dedicated to bringing together both technique within SSNMR that can be used to enhance edifying insight into Catalan politics and having spoken
the electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy otherwise weak or undetectable signal. Although I have to Danny, I found myself sympathising with the Catalan
(EPR) and SSNMR symposiums for talks integrating no experience with this technique, it was interesting to cause, as did many other members of the orchestra.
the two closely related areas of magnetic resonance. hear its many applications to both materials- and bio- Indeed instead of brushing up on our Spanish, many of
The RMC is, at present, one of only two worldwide con- molecules-based SSNMR. One such presentation was us chose to learn some new phrases in Catalan.
ferences dedicated to SSNMR. Hence, attending this given by Professor Robert Griffin from MIT, the world Naturally, as musicians with nothing to do but wait on
conference provided me with an excellent opportunity leader in the field, who spoke about time domain DNP a motorway, we soon had our instruments out on the
to develop my connections within the field of SSNMR and recent developments his group has been making. motorway for an impromptu performance for the other
and enhance my knowledge and understanding of the He was then invited to give the after-dinner speech at stranded cars! Unfortunately, no video clips taken by
field. Prior to the conference, Bruker ran a symposi- the conference banquet, where he spoke about how he surrounding drivers went viral, but it passed the time
um and workshop on the most recent experimental came to be in magnetic resonance and how the field has before we were eventually redirected.
developments in SSNMR, which covered everything changed with time. The three concerts were interspersed with trips to
from instrumentation to novel applications. Bruker also This conference allowed me to meet people in the field famous sights and time to relax. Thanks to the sunny
provided interesting updates on their latest advances of SSNMR that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able weather we spent a day at the beach in Sitges before
in magic-angle spinning (MAS) and dynamic nuclear to meet and allowed me to make connections that will travelling down the road to Tarragona to see the ancient
polarisation (DNP). hopefully be useful in the future. Presenting a poster Roman amphitheatre there. In Figures, we tested our
During the conference, there were a number of at this conference gave me the chance to showcase knowledge of surrealist art at the entrancing Salvador
presentations on the application of SSNMR to energy my research as well as receive feedback from notable Dali Museum.
storage related systems. Dr Gillian Goward, an assistant academics within the field. The poster session also Overall, touring in Barcelona was an unforgettable
professor at McMaster University, gave a talk entitled encouraged networking and provided me with an experience. I would like to thank Francesca Howard,
“Operando Mapping of Lithium Concentration opportunity to talk to others about their research one our tour manager, for arranging such a wonderful
Profiles in Graphite Electrodes by MRI and NMR”, to one. I came away from this conference with lots of The orchestra outside the Tarragona Cathedral
experience, and of course the St Aidan’s Trustees for
in which she explored improving Li-ion batteries by new ideas and learnt far more about the uses of SSNMR their consideration. Going on ‘tour’ is a unique way to
using thicker electrodes and therefore increasing the outside energy storage. discover a new city and allowed me to visit places and
amount of active material within the battery. However, talk to people that I may not have encountered had I
it is important to know if it is possible to access the full Abby R. Haworth travelled independently. And, of course, performing
potential of a thicker electrode during electrochemical internationally with an orchestra like DUOS is one of
54 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - Travel Reports Travel Reports - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 55
European Horizons European Students’
Conference at Yale University – March 2018
9th South American Theoretical

E
uropean Horizons is a think-tank with chapters This experience has been extremely helpful in deep-
at universities across the United States, Canada, ening my knowledge of the European Union and the
and Europe, dedicated to exploring the meaning
of European identity, modernizing and reforming the
different roles of the various institutions and member
states involved. I was able to apply what I learned dur- Archaeology Conference
concept of the social market economy, pursuing Euro- ing previous coursework at the conference’s difference
T
pean integration, and deepening transatlantic relations. workshops and activities, and I had the opportunity
Attending this year’s European Horizons European to hear first-hand from specialists what their jobs he Reunión de Teoría Arqueológica de América this session, I shared results from my current research
Students’ Conference at Yale University has been a entailed. In addition to helping me pinpoint a topic for del Sur is a bi-annual conference that enhances project, discussing the resistance that indigenous com-
valuable experience for me; in addition to meeting and my postgraduate dissertation, this conference allowed discussion on South American Archaeology, munities in the Western Cantabrian Mountains showed
networking with students and professionals from all me to network with professionals who have helped me paying attention to archaeological theory. Indeed, to the cultural and political expansion of the Roman state
over the world, I learned a lot about current European apply for internships and jobs in various European the theoretical development in our discipline shows 2000 years ago. I emphasized the potential that this
issues, ranging from security to trade and climate institutions. some interesting particularities in South America that phenomenon offers to historians and archaeologists in
change. The workshops and panels organized through- differ from mainstream European/North American order to understand indigenous identities.
out the conference allowed participants to engage in Ariane Marchis-Mouren Archaeology. This became quite clear during some of Secondly, I presented the paper “Hillfort walls in the
debate with distinguished professors, current and for- the passionate debates that arose at the TAAS from mountains of NW Iberia: monumentalising the commu-
mer decision-makers from Europe, and representatives sessions regarding Postcolonial theory, Community nity during the Iron Age” at the symposium “Pukaras,
of European Institutions. Participants were divided into Archaeology, and the political responsibilities we, as castros, hillforts, pa: Approaching archaeological tradi-
groups to craft policy papers on European challenges archaeologists, should take on in front of society as so- tions related to fortified settlements in agro-pastoralist
in the realms of migration, legitimacy, productivity, cial scientists. Being updated on such fresh approaches, communities”, organized by Juan Villanueva-Criales
security, and identity; more specifically, our workshops and taking part in these debates changed my perspec- from Universidad Mayor de San Andrés and myself.
were either related to Energy, Technology, EU-China, tive on some issues related to my current projects on This session aimed to establish a comparative approach
Democracy, National Sovereignty and Security. Landscape Archaeology and the involvement of local in the archaeological study of fortified settlements in
My group was part of the Security Policy workshop, and communities in the production of Science. the Andean region and Western Europe – it was the
we focused on drafting a plan of action for improving The city of Ibarra, a couple of hours North of Quito, main goal of my trip, as I intend to develop a Marie Cu-
efficiency in EU defence spending by standardising was a perfect venue for the conference, which was held rie application for expanding this comparative analysis.
resources and engaging in private partnerships. We at Yachay Tech University, the Pontificia Universidad The symposium constituted an excellent opportunity
noted that one of the most pressing current concerns Católica del Ecuador and the Ibarra Museum of the for meeting some of the key South American scholars in
in security is the attacks on civilians and health care Ministry of Culture and Heritage. The 2018 TAAS this field, and to get involved in the discussions around
facilities. However, the EU is not equipped to deal was a well-attended event, gathering around 150 fortified pukaras in the Central Andes.
with these issues, therefore betraying their goal of Latin American scholars, in addition to a small group Attending the 2018 TAAS Conference in Ecuador was
guaranteeing human security. In addition, the role of of European archaeologists. More importantly, there an outstanding experience; I am extremely grateful
the EU with regards to its Eastern neighbourhood and were also dozens of representatives from indigenous to St Aidan’s College for their support. My active
pressing security concerns, has changed. Therefore, communities from different areas of Ecuador and participation in this event was useful to disseminate my
rapid reaction as well as long term strategic capabilities local craft-maker associations, making the conference on-going research project, and it has also opened new
with regards to upcoming crises has become necessary. truly an open place for establishing broad discussions paths for my future plans in research. Thanks to the
We argued that inefficiencies in defence spending have between archaeologists and diverse stakeholders. contacts established at the conference, I may have the
created significant restrictions for extra-European My participation in the TAAS included two papers at opportunity to participate in a field project at a pukara
cooperation. In order to address these inefficiencies different symposiums that helped me to disseminate in the North of Chile next autumn. Moreover, it has
in intra-European cooperation on defence spending my on-going research at Durham University, as well as been a great pleasure to travel to Ecuador, discover an
and to improve military capabilities, we suggested that to explore further options for future projects. First, at amazing country full of really friendly people who are
member states will have to increase cooperation with the symposium “Calling for rebellion: Archaeologies of proud of their history and traditions.
regards to resourcing and research and development. resistance”, I gave the paper “Indigenous resistance to
The strategy we presented should prepare the EU for a the Roman expansion in the Western Cantabrian Moun- David González-Álvarez
constantly changing international system. The current tains (NW Spain): an archaeological approach”. During
international climate could arguably be described as
having a degree of unpredictability, and improving
military capabilities better prepares future European
operations to deal with threats of unknown scale and
severity. In addition to contributing to the EU’s re-
sources, our plan to forge partnerships with EU-based
companies and institutions will promote a sense of a
European identity and pride. Finally, by recognizing
that member states have different military industries
and want to protect them and the jobs they create, our
policy vision would ensure that national companies
continue manufacturing national equipment besides a
standardised one.
My goals: Having seen Utila’s endemic wildlife, I was eager to
see rainforests and their wealth of nature while I had
To assist in research on the wildlife of Utila a chance. The mainland had been reported safer for
island in order to help conservation there tourists after a period of political violence last year,
and the research staff put me in touch with a few places
To assist in environmental education and they’d been without trouble. The abundance and variety
outreach work on the island of life was astounding. I stayed in an ecotourism lodge
whose grounds merged into the rainforest, where I saw
To improve my photography, art and writing amazing plants, frogs, birds and bats just sat at my table.
skills and use these to help conservation I could happily have stayed for months. I met some orni-
efforts thologists who told me about the area’s avifauna and we
had some fascinating discussions about sustainability
To see and learn about the wildlife of the and ways of tackling the environmental crisis.
tropics. While visiting a nearby national park, I met a local
biology teacher who was very keen to teach me Spanish
and show me all the edible plants in the area. I met a
Miskitu Indian working as a guide nearby, who told me
a great deal about threats to his native La Mosquitia
region of Honduras, which is one of the world’s largest
and most pristine rainforest. However, the Honduran
government is encouraging the clearing of the rainfor-
est for people from elsewhere in the country to settle
and, apparently, turning a blind eye to the use of large
areas by drug gangs on the trade route up to the USA.
Furthermore, permits have been granted for destructive
oil exploration there.
Overall, I learned a lot from the trip and enjoyed it
immensely. Experiencing rainforests and coral reefs,
two ecosystems which will largely disappear unless
we limit climate change and ocean acidification, was
particularly good for me to see what I’m campaigning
for and why they’re so important. Back in Britain, I’ll be
Kanahu Research Centre, Honduras

using my free time to write about the most fascinating
wildlife I’ve seen and the environmental issues I’ve
encountered. I’ll also carry on working on artwork, for
Kanahau to sell to publicise Utila’s wildlife while raising
money for the nature reserve they are creating.
James McGurk
A
s a conservation biologist, I loved stepping off saw happening around me. Some days we’d return to
the plane into a place where almost every plant transect sites in the forest to find the woods had been
and animal was new to me. I watched dolphins cut down. Tragically, deforestation wasn’t even happen-
and flying fish from the ferry that took me from the ing to clear farmland or build homes for those living in
airport to Utila. Reptiles were abundant all around the poverty, but it was the sometimes illegal work of a few
research centre and the nearby sea was full of colourful rich, corrupt individuals who wanted the land to look
fish. Even the tarantula waiting on my bed interested more appealing for wealthy foreigners to buy and build
me as much as it made me nervous. My daily swims their homes on. The island is already thronged with
and freedives along the reefs brought me close to an abandoned homes whose foreign owners got sick of the
incredible variety of life. mosquitos and humidity after a living there only couple
I learned about tropical ecology and conservation, of months. In places, trees are already having to be
especially of bats, I picked up skills like putting up a replanted where roads have been left too exposed to the
mist net, which will be useful in a conservation career. sun, which reflects painfully brightly off the white grav-
I helped clean the horrifying amounts of plastic debris el. Likewise, the reefs on neighbouring Roatan were
on the Bay Islands deposited by ocean currents. The already beginning to suffer from pollution dumped
study on endemic Anolis spp. lizards will allow both from cruise ships and a lack of sewage treatment in the
species to be formally classified as critically endan- towns. On an island where the chief source of income
gered, once IUCN review the data. In an event called was from reef-based tourism, this will be severely harm-
“Eyes of Utila,” we taught photography skills to groups ing the local economy within a few years.
of schoolchildren and helped them photograph wildlife Many of the others at the research centre were keen
they liked on the island. Hopefully, this project and photographers; we exchanged tips and experimented
other outreach work will inspire islanders to care for on the endless supply of reptiles and other wildlife.
nature. One night a week, I’d patrol the beach for Similarly, meeting local artists gave me some useful
nesting turtles, watching for poachers and counting the ideas for ways of using art to talk about environmental
eggs laid for an ongoing study. Seeing the enormous issues. I saw some fascinating paintings which blended
sea-turtles in the moon- and star-light on the deserted, human forms out of natural landscapes, pictures and
palm-fringed shore was magical. sculptures made of waste materials - including animals
Perhaps one of the most important lessons was the carved out of the bases of flipflops that have been
dispiriting reality of the environmental degradation I washed ashore.
Spanish Language Course in Barcelona
IUPAC Conference on Physical
B
eing a language enthusiast and speaking four
Organic Chemistry in Faro, Portugal languages (English, Hungarian, French and

Chinese), I was eager to gain an insight to the
world’s second most spoken and, arguably, one of the
most beautiful languages: Spanish. With the help of the
travel bursary, I could finally tick off Spain on my bucket
list and learn the basics of the Spanish language.
Since only a small number of people attended the classes,
S
they were quite intense but fun at the same time. It was
ince arriving in Durham at the end of 2015, I interesting for me to discover the similarities between
hadn’t left the UK. My supervisor informed of the French and Spanish grammar – while it can quite confus-
IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied ing sometimes, it is so much fun to learn! At the end of
Chemistry) International Conference on Physical the two weeks we were able to have a basic conversation.
Organic Chemistry (ICPOC 24) taking place at Faro, in We studied during the day, then we usually visited
the southwestern most part of Portugal. famous sights and restaurants. During the organized ex-
At this time of the year Faro is warm and humid with tracurricular activities, I managed to discover Barcelona
temperatures fliting around 28C, and the streets just and became familiar with the Spanish culture.
outside of the airport teeming with both locals and Barcelona is a city with an amazing culture, a bustling
tourists, most in brightly coloured, floral patterned night life, and beautiful natural surroundings; there
outfits. A short taxi ride got us from the airport to our was always something new to discover and visit in this
accommodation for the week, and after a quick snack at fascinating city. The traditional cuisine amazed me from
a local restaurant, we were off to the university for the day one, I just couldn’t get enough of paellas, tapas,
start of the conference and just a little after 2pm. churros and so on. Exploring Gaudi’s architecture,
At the Universidade do Algarve, we were treated to a wandering around La Ramblas, walking down the beach
warm welcome, and the lecture theatre was soon filled up and enjoying the live music on the streets were among my
with attendees from the world over. The Mayor of Faro favourite activities.
gave the opening speech and invited us all to take the rich By the end of the two weeks I took advantage of my
historical culture that Faro has to offer. This was followed newly gained Spanish knowledge and tried to use it when
a few other academic talks, including Professor Frances communicating with waiters or asking for directions. The
Arnold’s (Caltech) “Innovation by Evolution: Bringing problem was that as soon as I said a word in Spanish they
New Chemistry to Life”. This highlighted the use of were no longer willing to communicate with me in Eng-
modified enzyme scaffolds to effect transformations in lish! However, they were always willing to help explain
organic synthesis. In all there was over 205 scientific things in Spanish even though I could barely understand
communications which includes plenary, keynote and what they were saying. I was really impressed by how
invited lectures, oral and poster sessions. welcoming, warm and lively the Spanish people are and I
On the Wednesday, I gave a poster presentation at the soon regarded Barcelona as a second home.
conference on my research work titled “Synthetic and All in all, this language course provided me with an inval-
Posh Streets of Faro, Portugal, - no tourists to be seen here...
Kinetic Evaluation of Triazolyl Mimics of Thiamine uable experience. I returned a changed person, feeling
Pyrophosphate (TPP) for Biocatalysis”. This was a nice incredibly dedicated to a new goal: to learn Spanish to a
platform to showcase the rich research base we have professional level. In the future, I hope to have the op-
here at Durham University, and of course, my critical portunity to visit other parts of Spain as well. In fact, I am
thinking expertise. I spoke with Professor Manabu considering doing my master’s here, which would enable
Abe from the Univesity of Hiroshima, Japan; Professor me to learn the Spanish language more easily while living
Herbert Mayr, of the famed Maya Scales of reactivity, in this new favourite country of mine.
from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Thank you very much for this opportunity! Muchas
Germany; and other reputable academics and industry gracias por esta oportunidad!
professionals in the field of applied chemistry.
The organisers of the conference took us for a Melissa Mizser
sight-seeing trip to Sagres promontory and the
Lighthouse of Cabo de São Vicente. We were told to
stay well clear off the steep cliffs which were well over
50 metres above sea level. The view from above was
breath-taking and the feel of the warm, humid breeze
was paradise. After, we had some light dinner at some
old palace hotel and headed home for the night. It was
a fantastic opportunity to be outside the UK for the
first time in three years and enjoy the warm tropical
sunshine, this exposure should do well to boost my
vitamin D levels.
Kevin Maduka
Picture of Attendees… am most definitely to be found somewhere in the sea of heads.
5th International Study China Programme
Conference on Social
Science and Education M
y month spent in China has shown me that it is cultural and language course which is part-funded by
a place of contrast and contradiction; contrast, the British Council. I had already studied Mandarin
for example, between the futuristic 632m through classes run by Durham’s CFLS during my
Research (ICSSER) in skyscraper dominating the skyline above a 500-year-old
traditional Ming dynasty pavilion in the Yu Garden; and
first and second year, but since I had not been able
to in third and fourth year, I jumped at the chance to
Antalya, Turkey
contradiction between orderly queues which turn into a consolidate my language skills and apply them in the
chaotic scramble as soon as the metro doors open. native country.
The main reason for going was to participate in the Our teacher, “laoshi” Shang, was brilliant. She
three-week long ‘Study China Programme’ at East brought in common Chinese snacks to try, played
China Normal University in Shanghai, an intensive current chart hits for us, and gave us an insight into
T
the socio-political climate by explaining how her
his report captures the summary of an oral parents had to pay a “social maintenance fee” to keep
presentation and interactive discussion at the her because she was the second child. In return we
International Center of Social Sciences and taught her a ‘dance that is really famous throughout
Education Research (ICSSER), which was held in the UK’ (the Macarena), which we performed as our
Antalya, Turkey between April 20-22, 2018. This class’ contribution to the Closing Ceremony – and even
conference was organized by International Center of managed to get the whole room of British students to
Social Science & Education Research, and supported join in just to highlight its popularity.
by IJSSER-International Journal of Social Sciences So much learning took place outside of the classroom.
& Education Research and JTTR-Journal of Tourism From motorbikes riding on the pavements, spitting in
Theory and Research. the street and smoking allowed indoors, I found China
In this 5th ICSSER conference, which I attended, to be a massive culture shock. But, for all the things
provided many useful topics related on the Social which frustrated me, there were always exceptionally
Sciences and Educational research. As my research kind locals who lifted my spirits – even more so when
primarily concerns knowledge productivity and higher I attempted to speak my very limited Chinese. In
education institutions, this conference provided me day-to-day life, most Chinese people did not speak
with new ideas on current issues and best practice. English so it was incredibly rewarding being able to tell
This conference also is a good scientific platform which taxi drivers where we were going, introduce ourselves
brought together scientists, academic and researchers to friendly families who thrust their children in front
from different countries to discuss and present current of us for photos, and ask a particularly smiley owner
topics on social sciences and education fields. of a dry-cleaners if she could wash our clothes. Given
During the oral presentation day, the conference was this warmth and affection, it came as no surprise to
held in three different halls and divided into nine ses- me to learn, whilst sat in large group at a Pizza Hut on
sions for two consecutive days at the Club Hotel Sera. August 17th surrounded by couples, heart balloons and
The research paper that I submitted to the conference a special sharing menu, that China has more than one
was entitled “Effects Personality Disparities: A Look Valentine’s Day.
at Academic Knowledge Acquisition Activities in In my application to the programme I said I was
Malaysia”. There were five other speakers presenting interested in seeing first-hand the impact of a rising,
topics on economy, behavioural, user satisfaction and affluent, middle class. One of the two most noticeable
others. I received positive, constructive feedback and impacts was the hundreds of shopping malls filled
suggestions from other researchers and attendees. I exclusively with designer brands, which I found
attended the other conference sessions until the end, quite surprising in a communist country. This was
which gave me opportunities to learn about research particularly noticeable in Shanghai compared to
practices and ideas and constructive dialogue sessions Beijing, where I felt the surveillance and armed-uniform
with other researchers and experts. I have also managed presence a lot more strongly than the modern and
to publish the research paper I presented at the ICSS- metropolitan Shanghai. The second was linked to my
ER conference. struggle to find places that served vegetarian food,
The conference event successfully brought together which was much easier in Beijing than Shanghai. After
approximately 107 research papers from a mix of reading several articles, I learnt that meat is seen as a cooking and even got the chance to make our own
researchers from different countries to present and form of wealth and luxury – something which a greater dumplings. Again, their generosity and warmth shone
discuss their recent works in the social science and number of middle-aged Chinese people can afford to through as the family treated us to some fancy rice wine,
educational fields. Hence this event provided a brilliant enjoy compared to the hunger in their youth. As such, gave us gifts of tea and commemorative Year of the
chance to network with other researchers and experts when my friends and I produced a text in Chinese Dog coins while we exchanged stories about living in
from all over the world, to share research discoveries explaining how we ate no meat, chicken or seafood, the England and China.
and other new research skills and perspectives. response ranged from laughter, to incredulous shock, In all honesty, I finished my first week in China vowing
Finally, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to being turned away from restaurants. For this reason, never to return. The crowds, the food, the roads –
to the St Aidan’s College Postgraduate Travel Awards each of my favourite restaurants which we went to often everything was overwhelming and challenging. But,
and Durham University Business School for giving me in Shanghai and Beijing were the places who recognised after acclimatising to the shock, I found my trip such a
the opportunity to attend the 5th International Center me and my friends as the three vegetarians and always worthwhile experience which has not only left me with
of Social Sciences and Education Research in Antalya, smiled as we ordered the one meat-free option on the a better understanding of the language, people and
Turkey. I would also like to convey my gratitude to Pro- menu. culture, but a desire to discover more provinces (and see
fessor Rosalie Hall my supervisor for her continuous One of the highlights of the Study China Programme some pandas) – even if for the time being I can’t bear to
guide, feedback and encouragement. was being taught Kung Fu in a martial arts lesson run look at another plate of veggie noodles!
by one of eight masters of the Praying Mantis style, and Mao once said “You’re Not a Hero Until You’ve Been
Shahira Dahari I will always remember the instructor’s very hands-on to the Great Wall”. Our tour guide told us this was only
approach when teaching us self-defence moves. The true if you climbed it, so this is me on the way down
other highlight was spending an afternoon with a from climbing 190 flights of stairs.
Chinese host family, where we enjoyed delicious home
Elly Brooker
The Duerden Travel Award
The Duerden Travel Award is from a fund that was
originally intended for Chapel maintenance and is now
given those intended to travel for Christian teaching work.
Volunteer Trip to South Africa with

Emmanuel Church Durham
Me in the Forbidden City

Internship in
China
O
n the 9th July 2018, I left the UK to travel World Cup semi-final, but alas were again equally
I
to South Africa for a couple of weeks with a disappointed).
would like to thank the Saint Aidan’s College Trust team from Emmanuel Church Durham. We Perhaps the most challenging part of the trip was the
for the £300 towards my trip to China over the arrived in Johannesburg after some delays in Doha, and large amount of quality time we got to spend with local
summer. It helped to fund what was undoubtedly travelled to Clarens, a town in Free State, close to the people who’ve grown up through the vast injustices in
one of the most amazing experiences of my life so far. I border with Lesotho. We settled in to our host families South Africa – sharing stories with them was so hum-
was able to accomplish so much, from carrying out my – living conditions were very basic in the township bling as hearing of the vast disparity in the treatment
internship and winning a public policy competition, where we would be doing most of our work – a single of people of differing race, even today, is shocking. It
to learning more about Chinese culture and meeting tap and toilet between the family, and a couple of mains seems so hopeless with these prejudices seemingly so
some wonderful people. It would have been much more plugs (although many houses don’t even have running ingrained within the culture – how can there be real
difficult without your generous financial support. water or electricity). The township is where the majority meaningful change to unite the nation? Also, how can
I arrived in China via Beijing and spent a few nights of the local Basotho people still live, very separate we, as a group of Brits on such a short visit, possibly
staying in a ‘hutong’ – a traditional neighbourhood, a from the Town where the wealthier strata live, despite help that? I believe the only way to bring about the
world away from the skyscrapers and apartment building apartheid being long gone. This disparity was so stark cultural shifts so badly needed is to show everyone that
in many different ways throughout the trip. With it they’re loved and valued, regardless of race, wealth or
Language Exchange
which now dominate the city’s skyline. Indeed, Beijing
is a city of contrasts. During the day I was overwhelmed being winter, temperatures often fell below freezing, background, to hear their stories and find out about
by the bustling crowds in the city, but the city’s metro and the basic houses provided little insulation, so it was them, to honestly open up and befriend people who are
system is characterised by a sort of clinical, communist a case of sleeping with many layers and blankets! The very different from us – a challenge we need to take up
sense of order and efficiency. Despite the presence of welcome we received, however, was incredible – we back here in the UK too.
major international fast-food chains like McDonalds, were invited into our families’ lives in such a beautiful We also headed into the very poor mountain kingdom
I was still captivated by the neon characters which way, and this was echoed wherever we went. of Lesotho for a couple of days, to the town of Mok-
illuminate the entrances to many of the cities restaurants. For the first couple of days we helped a man from the hotlong to see how the people there live and support
However, I encountered the most memorable contrasts community start to rebuild his life by building a shack, them in different ways. We helped a local man in some
when I visited Tiananmen Square. Whilst observing the a country where LGBT+ people are generally accepted a safe place for him to have as his own after years of not work at the local mortuary by moving large rocks to
jovial patriotism displayed by the crowds of Chinese and are protected by law, but this isn’t the case in having a safe place to live. This was so great to see the enable further expansion of his building, as well as
tourists taking selfies with Mao’s portrait, I couldn’t help China. There, discrimination is still widespread and community come together to help this man in his time also visiting the local hospital to meet and chat to the
but think of the events which took place there in 1989 the Chinese government actively oppresses organised of need, although also sad that the state wasn’t there patients. It was particularly challenging to see so many
and also of the turbulence which engulfed the country advocacy groups out of a fear of political mobilisation. I to help him and provide suitable housing – thousands people struggling with diseases easily preventable by
after the end of imperial rule. Whilst many Chinese are felt privileged to lend my support to such a special and live in poor conditions with no long term sustainable vaccination or early medical intervention, but their
rightfully proud of their country’s long history, this is a important event. housing plans in place. Even the shack we built had no openness to chat and share their lives and stories was
relationship tinged with ambivalence. When it was finally time for me to leave China at the end running water, with just one tap and long drop serving also just so incredible.
A fter Beijing, I travelled to meet my friend’s family of my internship, I was exhausted. It had been such an a couple of hundred people nearby. It was, however, ex- Through these couple of weeks in South Africa and
in small city in Jilin province. I was lucky enough to intense few months that I had barely had time to reflect actly what he needed to help him to get back on his feet Lesotho, the way I think about people who are different
experience great hospitality, as meeting a foreigner was on my experiences. As clichéd as it sounds, I now feel again, and we’ve since found out that he has managed to from me really changed; having invested the time
something of a novelty there. There was a mutual fas- that my time there was nothing short of lifechanging. get a new, secure job! in relationships with those of completely different
cination, and it felt as though I came from a completely I have been given a unique insight into an amazing For the next couple of mornings we ran a couple of background to me, I’ve gained so much wisdom and
different world. The language barrier was perhaps the country, and have met so many great people who I children’s clubs for around 150 young people from the a different view of the very individualistic Western
most difficult obstacle which I had to overcome, and I could never have imagined that I would cross paths township, with some fun games to engage the commu- culture. I’ve seen how so many are living under huge
just about managed (mostly thanks to my friend who with. The internship will help with my job prospects, nity and have a bit of fun, as it was their school holidays injustices and that most of the time, we choose not even
acted as a translator). However, on a few occasions but I think the true value of this trip lies in the cultural and not much goes on during them. The parachute to listen, let alone provide practical help and support.
I tried to learn some Mandarin from his parents and exchange. As well as being incredibly fun, I hope that I games went down particularly well with the children This is something that I’m sure I’ll be more aware of in
I tried to teach them some English. This was a really now have some perspectives which I could never have (and with us too)! my everyday life back home too – there are so many who
endearing and unforgettable experience. had otherwise, regarding Chinese society, history and I was also able to help do some one-on-one tutoring don’t feel valued because of their different upbringing,
Finally, it was time to start my internship in Shanghai. above all, people. with students hoping to head to university soon, at and it’s our job to make them feel welcomed and engage
I worked for a consulting company which specialised the Nnete Foundation. Nnete works to help support in dialogue with them.
in helping western firms move enter into and expand Cameron Lord students who show great potential but aren’t ade- Thank you very much to the Duerden Travel Award to
within emerging markets. Although the hours were At the Chinese Pavilion and the top of the quately supported by the education system. Running make this trip possible.
long, I was given a huge amount of responsibility which Shanghai Tower maths sessions (trigonometry, algebra and graphs)
I doubt I would have been given had I carried out a simi- with these teenagers was so great – their passion for William Briggs
lar internship in the UK. Similarly, I enjoyed having col- learning was amazing, and I’m sure they’ll go on to
leagues from all over the world China, Japan, France, study and help change perceptions of their community
Germany and the US. Living in Shanghai was also an and culture! The whole team also joined teaching here
amazing experience. Much like Beijing, it is sprawl- later on in the week with some younger students, and
ing and frantic place, although with a very different, seeing them begin to grasp concepts in maths and
colonial history. One event which particularly stood physics was really encouraging!
out was Shanghai Pride, the only LGBT+ Pride event in We also had the chance to take on a local football
China. I’ve been privileged enough to have grown up in team in a match that was taken more seriously than
we thought it would be! After taking the close game
to penalties, in typical English style, we lost our nerve
and conceded victory (we were also able to watch the
Results and College Memberships
College Council Membership 2016-17 College Officers
Susan Johnson Chair 2016 - 2017

Emma Wilson Secretary Dr Susan Frenk Principal
Dr Susan Frenk Principal Stafan Klidzia Vice-Principal & Senior Tutor
Stefan Kildzia Vice-Principal & Senior Tutor Paula Dawson Bursar
Paula Dawson Bursar
Professor Stuart Corbridge Vice-Chancellor 2017 - 2018

Owen Adams PVC Colleges and Student Experience Dr Susan Frenk Principal
Alex Tarrant-Anderson JCR President Stafan Klidzia Acting Principal
Sai Kiran JCR Treasurer Paula Dawson Bursar
Clara Gallay JCR Representative
Madeline Line SCR President
Abby Haworth SCR Treasurer
David Littlefair Mentor Representative
Emma Fisher Alumni Representative
Emma Hamlett Co-Opted Member Degree Classification & Percentages

Jemima Lloyd Co-Opted Member
2016 - 2017
College Council Membership 2017-18 I 30%
II-i 59%
Susan Johnson Chair II-ii 10%
Emma Wilson Secretary III 1%
Stefan Kildzia Acting Principal
Paula Dawson Bursar 2017 - 2018

Professor Stuart Corbridge Vic Chancellor I 31%
Owen Adams PVC Colleges and Student Experience II-i 60%
Luke Hollander JCR President II-ii 7%
Brodie Wood JCR Treasurer III 0.5%
Bruce Davis-Wild JCR Representative Ordinary Degree 1.5%
Justin Beese SCR President
Abby Haworth SCR Treasurer
David Littlefair Mentor Representative
Emma Fisher Alumni Representative
Jemima Lloyd Co-opted Member
66 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - Results and College Memberships Results and College Memberships - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 67
Sophie Roche, Editor
St Aidan’s College
Windmill Hill
Durham
DH1 3LJ
newletter@aidans-alumin.org.uk
www.dunelm.org.uk/st-aidans-college
Cover Photo by Abi Pearson
68 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter -

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Alumni Magazine & Newsletter

- Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 1

Sophie Roche, Head Editor

Sophie Roche, Editor

2 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 3

News from St Aidan’s Alumni

The Boat Club Captains 2017 - 18 27

Results and College

59th Rocky Mountain Conference on 54 College Council Memberships 66

IUPAC Conference on Physical Organ- 58

5th International Conference on Social 62

Volunteer Trip to South Africa with 65

4 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 5

News From College

2018 Chinese New Year Formal Lion Dance

2018 Chinese New Year Formal Lion Dance

Sports and Societies Officer’s Report, Rounders, Netball,

Nick Mohammed starring at the Edinburgh Festival, August 2018

Maggie Bradshaw (Dalpra), Barbara Lankester (Rampley), Barbara Carter

Graduation 1963: Barbara with parents Sydney and Betty Carter

Professor Sir Arnold Wolfendale, Barbara Carter (2012 Reunion)

36 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 37

38 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter - - Alumni Magazine and Newsletter 39

“These plants will disappear

News From Members

1956 graduating! In fact in April last year, I took up a

1966 1993 1999

JCR President 1996-97), takes a look at past

Newsletters and questions its future.

(Physics and Astonomy, 2011-

15), gives us the latest on the

College archive contact with alumni for CV advice or interview tips; to

Top: The Women in Science panel discussion

1994 and 1995 matriculates on the lawn outside Aidan’s bar.

“all the world’s a

59th Rocky Mountain Conference on

9th South American Theoretical

Kanahu Research Centre, Honduras

Organic Chemistry in Faro, Portugal languages (English, Hungarian, French and

Picture of Attendees… am most definitely to be found somewhere in the sea of heads.

Volunteer Trip to South Africa with

Me in the Forbidden City

Susan Johnson Chair 2016 - 2017

Professor Stuart Corbridge Vice-Chancellor 2017 - 2018

Madeline Line SCR President

Abby Haworth SCR Treasurer

David Littlefair Mentor Representative

Emma Fisher Alumni Representative

Emma Hamlett Co-Opted Member Degree Classification & Percentages

Paula Dawson Bursar 2017 - 2018

Abby Haworth SCR Treasurer

David Littlefair Mentor Representative

Emma Fisher Alumni Representative

Jemima Lloyd Co-opted Member

Cover Photo by Abi Pearson

68 Alumni Magazine and Newsletter -

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