Tokyo alumni get-together, 31 October 2018

Posted on by Natalie Hill

Tokyo alumni get-together

More than 20 alumni and friends gathered in central Tokyo for an alumni get-together this October. Hosted by University of Bristol Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Dr Erik Lithander, the evening was a great success.

Dr Lithander was visiting Tokyo as part of the Universities UK International delegation and was joined on the night by one of his fellow delegates (and Bristol alumnus), the Dean of Global Engagement at the University of Glasgow, Professor Konstantinos Kontis (BEng 1993).

Alumni from across the globe were welcomed, including an alumna visiting Tokyo on holiday and another who was new to Tokyo, having relocated from Singapore. Two alumni in attendance were moving back to Bristol just two days after the event, and we look forward to welcoming them back to Bristol.

Since members of the University team and alumni last met in 2016 relationships have been forged and professional connections strengthened, even culminating a movie role for one alumna! Events such as these are central to building a strong network of alumni in Japan, and our special thanks go to Ian Thomas Ash (MA 2005) and Emi Ashikaga (BSc 2008, PhD 2013) for all their help in making the evening such a success.

London Branch Annual Lecture and AGM, 31 October 2018

Posted on by Natalie Hill

London Branch Annual Lecture and AGM

Julian Metcalfe (BSc 1978)

On 31 October some 60 members of the London Branch of the University of Bristol Alumni met for their Annual General Meeting and Annual Lecture in the Chaucer Room within the Knowledge Centre at the new, modern, headquarters of the British Library.

Our Lecturer this year was Will Hutton (BSc Economics and Sociology 1972, Honorary LLD 2003), former broadcaster and Editor in Chief at ’The Observer’, and currently Principal, Hertford College, Oxford.  He spoke to the themes set out in his recently published book “Saving Britain:  How We Must Change to Prosper in Britain” (jointly authored with Lord Adonis).

Will set out the stark, bleak, dangers inherent in Britain’s exit from the EU.  He blamed the referendum result on the fact that millions of ordinary people felt marginalised by the lack of opportunities in education, employment, and welfare.  Will said we had to create a much more inclusive and caring society if the country’s prospects were to thrive.

This well received Lecture was, as always, followed by an opportunity to socialise over food and wine, and appears to have been much enjoyed by all.

We were also pleased to be joined by Professor Agnes Nairn, Professor of Marketing, School of Economics, Finance & Management, at the University. She kindly delivered the Vote of Thanks to Will, and outlined some of the exciting new developments in the University curriculum designed to ensure that students are better equipped to compete in an increasingly competitive job market.

Those attending the AGM thanked our outgoing Treasurer, Julia Wathen (BSc 1972), for her many years of service.  Dr Martin Lunnon (BSc 1973, PhD 1976) was elected incoming Treasurer.

Seeing the bigger picture

Posted on by Clare

Artist Luke Jerram has worked with Bristol Vision Institute to produce the stunning Impossible Garden exhibition at the University’s Botanic Garden.

Were you lucky enough to be in student residences near Bristol’s Botanic Garden? Did you spend some time as a student in this restorative space surrounded by a plethora of plants and flowers? If you haven’t been back recently you have until 25 November to catch a wonderful exhibition at the Garden, which is a collaboration between artist Luke Jerram, the University’s Bristol Vision Institute, the Botanic Garden and the University of Bristol Eye Hospital.

Over 15,000 visitors have explored the Impossible Garden exhibition since July this year, more than double the number of people enjoying the Botanic Garden in the same time last year.

The Impossible Garden is a unique set of 12 new experimental sculptures, inspired by visual phenomena and designed to help promote understanding and stimulate debate about how visual impairments can affect our perception of the world around us. The artist Luke Jerram is himself red-green colour blind and he has commented:

I’m fascinated by the processes of visual perception. Over the years many of my artworks have explored the processes and limitations of vision. The Impossible Garden has allowed me to test new ideas and share my findings with the public.

The unique idea of The Impossible Garden came about after Luke’s nine-month residency at the Bristol Eye Hospital and Bristol Vision Institute (BVI), funded by the Leverhulme Trust.  Luke applied for the residency together with Cathy Williams, a member of BVI and a Consultant in Paediatric Ophthalmology at Bristol Eye Hospital. Cathy hopes this exhibition will encourage greater public understanding about the many processes involved in “seeing”, because families tell her that lack of understanding is often a barrier to getting support for children with many kinds of visual impairment.

The University of Bristol is recognised as a world leader in vision research, spanning human and animal vision, artificial vision systems, visual information processing and the creative arts. Bristol Vision Institute (BVI) is the home of vision science research in Bristol and has been successfully stimulating research interaction and collaboration in science, engineering, Arts and Medicine since its creation in 2008 with the aim of addressing grand challenges in vision research. BVI’s research is on developing a better understanding of the visual mechanisms and processes evolved in humans and other animals, and their translation to innovations in technology, medicine and the creative arts.

Do take the time to visit this great exhibition in the beautiful Botanic Garden, before it finishes on November 25.

Helping you with your alumni network event

Posted on by Natalie Hill


Bristol Volunteers co-ordinate and manage dozens of events, exclusively for Bristol alumni, all around the world. They bring alumni together to reconnect with each other, the University and Bristol, sharing their memories and passions. We want to work with you to publicise your event in the best way that we can. So if you currently organise events for alumni or are thinking about doing so, here’s how we can help.

Getting started

We help alumni who want to reconnect with their peers, and groups based on geographic location, Hall of Residence, profession or club. Find out more about our alumni networks and email alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk if you’ve got an idea you’d like to discuss.

Promoting your event

Timescales for planning are individual to each event but as much notice as you can give us will help when it comes to maximising your event promotion. As you’ll probably know, at some times of year we have a very busy schedule of alumni communications and it may take a few weeks to co-ordinate sending an invite. So please try to let us know about your event at least two months in advance to ensure we can best help.

To help promote your event, we can:

What you can do to help promote your event:

  • promote your event through your own personal networks;
  • encourage your peers and contacts to spread the word, and to like and share posts online and get a conversation going on social media;
  • keep your guests informed as speakers are confirmed and consider using a number of ways to keep in touch. Some people need a little reminder or encouragement to book.

After the event

We’d love to hear how your event went so we can let other alumni know what’s going on in their area:

  • send us a report (about 300 words) and photographs so we can celebrate your event and share its success on Nonesuch online (please remember to make sure the alumni in your photographs are happy to be featured);
  • make sure to share the attendance list and any alumni updates with us so that we can keep the database current.

Got an idea?

If you are thinking of planning an event, get in touch by emailing alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk and keep us in the loop with all your plans.

In line with the University of Bristol data policy, the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) contact alumni about events and activities relevant to them as part of the Bristol alumni network. To help your event on its way to success, we recommend that your event provides one or more of the following opportunities, based on international best practice for alumni engagement:

  • Reminisce, reconnect with friends and remember time spent at Bristol. Events like class-group reunions and dinners in University venues are good examples.
  • Build professional networks and connections. Networking events based on a particular career or industry, events held in geographic locations where Bristol alumni are less numerous, or speaker-events focused on career development, are good examples.
  • Access exclusive resources, only available as part of the Bristol network. Special event venues and visits, which can be accessed through an alumni connection, or the opportunity to hear from prominent alumni within the network, are good examples.
  • Stimulate academic curiosity. Events with talks from Bristol academics or from other members of the Bristol network are good examples.

DARO will segment the Bristol alumni database to contact members of the network that are most likely to be interested in the activity – for example, because of their academic discipline, current profession or their interests whilst at Bristol.

Alumni events should be relevant to the audience, have a clear link to Bristol and ideally be exclusive to Bristol alumni and friends. We also commit to providing alumni with adequate notice for events, which will vary depending on the activity. Other events, which may also be of interest to alumni, can be promoted through our exclusive LinkedIn group for alumni.

Information on GDPR for Bristol Volunteers

Posted on by Natalie Hill


For Bristol Volunteers who run events and activities for the benefit of fellow alumni and the University – please take the time to familiarise yourself with the latest in EU law.

As you’ll know, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) came into effect in May 2018 signalling significant changes to the way in which we need to store and manage the personal data that we hold. Because of your association with the University we are keen to check you are taking necessary steps to comply with the regulations.

If you don’t hold alumni data – you don’t need to worry – the University holds its alumni data in compliance and can continue to send messages to your audience on your behalf.

If you are holding data, please confirm to us in writing (by email to alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk) that you are acting in compliance.

Put simply –

  • If you do hold data but it is out of date or no longer needed – please delete this data.
  • If you do maintain mailing lists to enable your activity – you need to assure that you comply with the new law. This means:
    • you must be confident that you are using the data for the purposes it was given;
    • you have a privacy policy explaining how you use data;
    • you include a way for people to opt-out of your communications (if you send them);
    • and that the data you hold is safe and secure.

The University has some useful online guidance available. If you need further advice or support please contact alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk so that we can link you up to the Information Governance Department.

Eastern Canada alumni weekend 2018

Posted on by Natalie Hill

Eastern Canada alumni weekend 2018

Heather Proctor (BSc 1964) and Sefton Haisz (BSc 1967)

The Westover Inn in St Marys, Ontario was the venue for the 16th Eastern Canada Alumni reunion. Alumni and their partners travelled from Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton and Guelph on Friday 28 September.

The Inn provided excellent facities for dining and conversing, which is a big part of our reunion! David Burns (BEng1958) and George Plant (BSc 1963) gave fascinating after dinner talks about their research at Bristol and subsequent work, on the topics of high pressure studies and the Geological Survey of Canada, respectively.

The weather cooperated on the Saturday when we visited Stratford, Ontario for the day. We toured the Festival gardens, lunched in the Eaton Lounge of the Festival Theatre, then attended “The Music Man”, a fast-moving musical production enjoyed by all 14 of us.  In the evening, we returned to the Westover Inn for our reunion dinner.

We are already looking forward to next year, when our September reunion will be in Peterborough, Ontario.

Cambridge Branch annual dinner, 20 October 2018

Posted on by Natalie Hill

Cambridge Branch annual dinner 2018
Alison Wilson (BA 1966)

Trinity College was the spectacular setting for the Cambridge Branch’s Ninth Annual Dinner on 20 October. The late afternoon sun shone on the stone buildings and spacious lawns as we made our way to the Library, an elegant building by the river designed by Christopher Wren. Through the colonnades and up the wide stair and we were in a huge room lined with bays of leather-bound books, each bay surmounted by a marble statue. The Librarian, Dr Nicolas Bell, welcomed us and talked about the history of the Library before showing us some recently-acquired books relating to Chatterton, the boy poet of Bristol.

We were dining in the Old Kitchen, a historic room with a high ceiling funnelling to a window in the centre where no doubt the smoke once escaped. Further signs of its former use were a massive fireplace and an old spit fixed to the wall. The room is now hung with oil paintings and looked very festive with white linen tablecloths, candles and flowers on the tables. We enjoyed excellent cuisine – terrine, venison and poached pear – with plenty of fine wine. After coffee we were addressed by Denis Burn, Chair of the Trustees. His speech, amusing and serious by turns, brought us up to date with the recent changes in governance at Bristol and the consultations about a re-designed Alumni Association. We appreciated his willingness to answer questions and chat to members afterwards.

More than 60 alumni and friends had a good time, and we would particularly like to thank Dr Chris Morley, former Vice Master of Trinity for his help in setting up the event.

Bristol launches alumni mentoring scheme

Posted on by University of Bristol

Bristol Mentors launch

The University of Bristol has launched its brand-new alumni mentoring initiative, which pairs current students with alumni to give them invaluable insights, advice and opportunities to support and shape their future ambitions.

The scheme aims to provide students with a relatable and relevant mentor who can offer practical guidance as they move towards life after University.

Alumni mentors come from a variety of life and career backgrounds, but all have a University of Bristol degree in common, and a wealth of experience which their student mentees will be able to draw from.

Over the course of the academic year, mentors will take part in six mentoring meetings, during which they’ll give realistic insights into industries which might be of interest and help to develop skills, set goals, identify opportunities and bolster confidence.

A reception was hosted at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and gave students and alumni the chance to meet and get to know each other over food and drink. Guests also enjoyed a pub-style quiz, designed to get students and alumni mentors talking and working together in a fun and informal setting.

A talk by former student, Liberty Oberlander, shared how mentoring helped her get her to where she is today, as well as revealing her top tips to students.

Kim Slim, Law (LLB), 2016

Having grown up and gone to school in London, Kim was originally drawn to the University because of its world-class reputation and diversity of opportunities on offer outside of academic life, all set within the beautiful city of Bristol. He now works for the Civil Service in the Grenfell Tower Response Team.

How did you end up in your current career?

When I finished studying, I wanted to work in media (having helped run Burst Radio during my degree). While searching for jobs, I came across direct appointments to the Civil Service and applied for a job as a graduate PA at the Department for Education.

After six months I was offered a job in one of the education ministers’ offices to work at delivering ministerial priorities over a number of educational policies.

I then moved to work on policy development at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, working on rehousing survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. This August I started a new role leading our team which works directly with Grenfell survivors to support their recovery.

I hope I can make a real difference to people’s lives, as Roosevelt said, ‘to have the chance to work hard at work worth doing’.

What drew you to be a student mentor?

This was something I would have really valued when I was a student – I never had any connections, or any sort of personal advice about careers in the sector I was interested in, so I’d love to be able to help in any way I can to get students to where they want to be.

What support/guidance do you want to give to your mentor?

Explore whatever opportunities are on offer to get a real taste for what you’re interested in. Don’t settle for the first thing you think of – explore what’s out there and get a feel for what fits with you.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Make the most out of first year! I discovered all my favourite extra-curricular activities in my final year and I wish I had taken advantage of all that was on offer right from the beginning.

_______________________________________________________________

Further information

The mentoring scheme is a joint project between the University’s Development and Alumni Relations team and Careers Service. The University is extremely grateful to the alumni who’ve volunteered their time and experience to be part of this programme.

Inter-UK University Trivia Challenge Match, October 11 2018

Posted on by University of Bristol

Brian Beeston, Birmingham, 1963

A most enjoyable evening was had by all, when teams from Bangor, Birmingham, Bristol, Imperial College, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester plus representatives from Nottingham, Sheffield and York, gathered at The Shakespeare Pub in San Diego for the First Inter-UK University Trivia Challenge Match on Thursday, October 11th. Organizer and Quiz Master, Brian Beeston, set some fiendishly difficult and some relatively easy questions to test everyone’s wits. The match was very closely fought and came down to the last question, at which time Bristol was leading with 40 points, Imperial were second with 38 and Manchester third with 31.

On the last question, teams could “bet” up to half the points they had accumulated so far, and collect those points if they were closest to the correct answer (or lose them if they were not). The final question was “What is the distance, as the crow flies, from Cardiff, CA and Cardiff, Wales”. The correct answer is 5,365 miles. Imperial was closest with 5,200 miles, and having “bet” 19 points, ended up with 57 points. Bristol chose not to risk any points, so ended up with 40 points, and Manchester risked 11 points and ended up with 20 points.

Participants agreed that they would like to have a repeat match in the Spring and the Organizer asked for offers of help to run the next Challenge Match. Thanks to all who participated in a most enjoyable evening, especially Anita Beeston for keeping score so excellently and for Tara Beeston for collecting the questions as we went along. And to The Shakespeare Pub for hosting the event.

See you at the next Challenge Match.