Meet our 2024 London Marathon runners raising money for Healthy Minds

Legs of runners wearing race bibs on pavement

In April 2024, a group of five Bristol alumni, two students and a member of staff are taking on the 2024 London Marathon in support of the University’s Healthy Minds programme.

This programme supports students to take positive steps towards improving the way they feel through a varied and socially engaging programme of physical activity and has now supported over 500 students in improving their wellbeing.

Each runner is aiming to raise at least £2,000 for Healthy Minds, and you can support them via their JustGiving pages linked below.

Introducing this year’s runners… (more…)

Watch the Vice-Chancellor’s annual Alumni Briefing

At the start of each academic year, Professor Evelyn Welch, the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, holds the Alumni Briefing, a digital update for alumni around the world to learn more about the opportunities and challenges she sees ahead. For those of you unable to watch this year’s Alumni Briefing live, we recorded the event to share with you. Click the video below to watch!

(more…)

Watch our panel discussion, Bristol in Conversation: Our Natural World

This spring, we were honoured to host our first annual Bristol in Conversation event. It was an amazing opportunity for so many alumni and friends to make new connections and reconnect with old classmates, while hearing from two of our remarkable alumni speak about their careers in wildlife filmmaking. Dr Mike Gunton (BSc 1979), Creative Director of BBC Natural History, and Gillian Burke (BSc 1995), presenter of BBC Springwatch, offered insightful discussions on our changing world and how documentaries can help engage the public.

The event was held on campus, but for those of you unable to attend, we’ve put together a video featuring the most memorable moments. Click the video below to watch! (more…)

Lord Evans of Weardale, former Director General of MI5, on balancing security and ethics

A portrait of Lord Evans wearing a business suit, standing in an office setting

Lord Evans of Weardale KCB DL (BA 1980, Hon LLD 2008) is the former Director General of MI5, the British Security Service. He graduated from the University with a degree in Classical Studies before joining the Security Service in 1980, focusing on international and domestic counterterrorism. In 2001, he was appointed Director of the Service’s international counterterrorism work just ten days before the 9/11 attacks.  (more…)

‘Storytelling is one of the most universal things about the human condition’: Gillian Burke on the aims of documentary filmmaking

A portrait of Gillian Burke taken in a field of wild grasses.
Photo credit: Victoria Harrison

Gillian Burke (BSc 1995), is a biologist, presenter, public speaker, voiceover artist and writer. Gillian was born in Kenya and studied biology at Bristol before launching an incredible career as a wildlife documentarian that has taken her all over the world. She has been a co-presenter of the BBC nature series Springwatch and its spin-offs since 2017.  She also presented BBC’s Blue Planet UK with co-host Steve Brown and was recently named Vice President at The Wildlife Trusts.   (more…)

Celebrating our Scholars

Five of our amazing Scholars are smiling at the camera, standing behind a blue photo frame, which has the University of Bristol logo on and the hashtag 'We Are Bristol Uni'
Scholars connecting at the event

Last month, the University of Bristol welcomed over 130 alumni, friends, Scholars and staff to the 2023 Scholarships Celebration event. This event is an opportunity to celebrate our incredible Scholars and their achievements, and for them to connect with fellow scholarship students and donors.   (more…)

Meet our London Marathon runners raising money for Healthy Minds

This Sunday, an incredible group of five Bristol alumni and staff members are taking on the 2023 London Marathon in support of the University’s Healthy Minds programme.

This programme helps students who are experiencing mental health difficulties by providing a bespoke physical activity plan and access to sports facilities. Students are paired with a mentor – a member of the University fitness team with advanced mental health training – who coaches them throughout their time on the programme.

Each runner is aiming to raise at least £2,000 for Healthy Minds, and you can support them via their JustGiving pages linked below.

Introducing this year’s runners…

(more…)

‘I’ve been working all my life, secretly, without knowing it, to be in this chair today’ – Professor Evelyn Welch shares her insights

Professor Evelyn Welch MBE started in her role as Vice-Chancellor and President in September 2022. For this year’s Alumni Briefing, she joined Jonathan Phillips (BSc 1994), Chair of the Alumni Association, to share news and updates from her first few months in post, and to answer questions from Bristol’s alumni community.

Here, we explore some key takeaways from Evelyn, hear about the University’s greatest opportunities and challenges for the years ahead and uncover Bristol’s superpower. (more…)