Your Manchester 2014

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends September 2014

manchester

It’s never too late Inspirational grandmother receives her degree Dear Sir…. Letters from the trenches e future of chocolate On the trail of the elusive Bogle

...inside 4 8

24 26 28

our social and economic impact

31 32

The city’s living room

Alumni in the spotlight

on the trail of the elusive Bogle

34 36

outstanding Works

47

sharing memories

University news The countdown starts here

You’re hired Back with a bang

Welcome to the 2014 edition of Your Manchester. I hope that you will take pleasure in leafing through its pages, enjoying a little bit of nostalgia along the way.

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The future of chocolate Dear sir… Letters from the trenches

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ou’ll find news of fellow alumni, events that have brought former students back together on campus and elsewhere, and lots of information that keeps you in touch with all the latest developments here in Manchester.

This issue takes you back to World War I, as we commemorate the centenary of its start and introduce you to the very moving letters sent by young soldiers back to their history professor (see page 12). You can also read about the amazing impact alumni have had on the lives and learning of current students through volunteering and giving (pages 36-43), as well as the thrills and spills of the Bogle Stroll (page 20).

This year has been one of great change for the Alumni Association as it adopted its new constitution. This now reflects the changing nature of alumni involvement with the University and recognises current students as affiliate members to further strengthen the transition from student to graduate (read more on page 46).

I wish to take this opportunity to thank Professor Rod Coombs, who retired as Deputy Chair of the Alumni Association this autumn.

And last, but certainly not least, 2015 brings the election of a new Chancellor of the University and we are hoping that alumni will play a huge part in the process of nominations and voting for this important position. The current Chancellor, Tom Bloxham, reflects on his time in office (page 8) and we provide details of how you can make sure you’re registered to vote in the election (page 9).

So, please enjoy reading on, and do get involved by voting, coming to events, volunteering, giving and simply keeping in touch.

Claire Kilner Deputy Director and Head of Alumni & Donor Communications & Engagement your.manchester.ac.uk Update your email details Email: alumni@manchester.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)161 306 3066

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Fresh, young and funny

The next step Becky’s breakthrough Travelling in time

Making a difference

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ConTACT Us Your Manchester is published by the Division of Development and Alumni relations in conjunction with the Division of Communications and Marketing, The University of Manchester.

For further information concerning any of the articles in this issue: Tel: +44 (0) 161 306 3066 Email: alumni@manchester.ac.uk The articles printed here, to the best of our knowledge, were correct at the time of going to press. We cannot guarantee that all articles submitted will be printed and we reserve the right to edit material where necessary. Furthermore, the views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of The University of Manchester, The University of Manchester Alumni Association or the Editor.

Thanks to Kate Horton, simon Harvey and Karen Daniel.

Cover: Alumnae Gene Hetherington and Rachel Hetherington (see page 6).

The value of our community On my travels around the UK and abroad I am fortunate to meet with many alumni and friends and am constantly reminded of the impact the University has had on you, our global community. So many of you hold the University in high regard and value its lifelong influence on your life and work, and that gives me a great sense of pride.

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any of us who work at the University were excited recently by a new report which highlighted the sheer scale of the social and economic impact the University has had on the lives of the people who live across our region and beyond.

Of course we appreciate that – with almost 40,000 students and more than 10,000 staff – we are one of the biggest employers in the region, but the report, Measuring the Difference: the Economic and Social Impact of The University of Manchester by the Office for Social Responsibility, threw up some astonishing facts.

For example: • our University helped to create and support more than 21,000 new jobs in the last financial year • 18,000 of these were in Manchester, representing 6 per cent of the city’s new employment • in partnership with others we also helped to take 1,000 unemployed people into full-time work, creating £16 million of economic value last year • our turnover in 2011/12 was more than Manchester United, Manchester City and Manchester Airport combined • total output generated by the University amounted to £1.9 billion and our contribution to Britain’s GDP in 2011/12 totalled £1.05 billion.

I mention this because, as you know, social responsibility, alongside world-class research and outstanding learning and student experience, is one of our core goals. These remarkable figures highlight to me that our commitment to making a difference to the social and economic wellbeing of our communities – through our teaching and research, our public events and our activities – is already bearing remarkable fruit.

As alumni and friends you can play a key role by contributing personally as citizens in helping us address major global challenges. Many of you are doing so already, for example, by becoming school governors and helping this University achieve the fastest growth in the number of school governors of any UK university – contributing £0.75 million in value from staff time volunteered.

This invaluable report has given us a baseline to rigorously measure the positive impact we are creating in the regional economy and in wider society. It has highlighted ways in which we can further refine, prioritise and measure our impact through our wide range of social responsibility programmes.

One of the report’s figures focused on visits to the Manchester Museum and Whitworth Art Gallery, which generated £12 million of socially modified economic value through visitor programmes. The reopening of the extensively refurbished Whitworth Art Gallery this autumn, as a 21st-century ‘gallery in the park’, is causing a frisson of excitement on campus and is a perfect excuse, should you need one, to come back to Manchester and pay us a visit.

A number of high-profile exhibitions and attractions, with some exclusive offers for alumni, will be taking place over the coming months.

It is now two years since we announced our ten-year investment – the Campus Masterplan – to create a world-class campus;the Whitworth is just one of a number of projects coming to completion, including the Manchester Cancer Research Centre and the National Graphene Institute, as well as a number of other smaller-scale, but equally significant projects, which will enhance some of the beautiful buildings that have been much-loved features of our landscape for many years.

So our long-term aim, as stated in our Manchester 2020 Vision, to create a world-leading university, competing with the best universities in the world and occupying a single, outstanding campus, is physically starting to take shape. And that is very exciting indeed.

Thank you for your continuing support for and interest in the University.

Professor Dame nancy rothwell President and vice-Chancellor

AT A gLAnCE The University of Manchester is ranked 38th in the world by the shanghai Jiao Tong University Academic ranking of Universities (5th in the UK, 7th in Europe) We have the largest campus-based student community in the UK We have regular contact with more than 285,000 alumni from over 200 countries More than 91% of our graduates go straight into employment or further study (Which? University 2013) We have 25 nobel Prize winners among current and former staff and students We attracted more than £280 million in research funding in 2012/13 We have generated more than 100 spin-out companies

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A great honour The University has received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education – the highest form of national recognition open to a UK academic or vocational institution. The award for ‘New techniques in x-ray imaging of materials critical for power, transport and other key industries’ recognises the special contribution our research and expertise make to the UK’s strategic development in advanced materials and manufacturing.

Manchester is a world leader in developing new techniques in 3D imaging of structures and defects in materials. Our researchers are also expert in interpreting the state of stress, microstructure and damage in engineering materials and components.

The University’s innovative work in this field is making a significant impact across a wide range of sectors, including nuclear, aerospace, oil and gas, airport security, automotive, biomedical materials, manufacturing and defence. We are also training future engineers and scientists in the use of leading imaging techniques. www.eps.manchester.ac.uk

President and vice-Chancellor Professor Dame nancy rothwell and Phil Withers, Professor of Materials science, accept the Queen’s Anniversary Prize and scroll from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace

The new Manchester Welcome A very warm welcome awaited our new students at the start of the academic year.

The Manchester welcome was completely packed with events and activities designed to help them settle in, make friends and get their bearings on campus.

sir Kostya and sir Andre with Manchester City Council Leader sir richard Leese

National Graphene Institute update Construction of the National Graphene Institute (NGI) is well underway and the landmark building – which faces on to Booth Street East – is set to open in early 2015. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne MP marked the topping out ceremony of the NGI with a speech praising graphene academics for their desire and ambition to commercialise the material, ensuring that Manchester and the UK remain at the centre of world-leading graphene research.

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Regius Professor Sir Andre Geim FRS (Hon DSc 2011) and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov FRS (Hon DSc 2011) have been awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City of Manchester for their work on graphene. The then Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Naeem ul Hassan JP, said, “Manchester is a city born of innovation so it is only right we recognise the achievements of Sir Andre and Sir Kostya – who have joined the pantheon of scientific giants connected to our forward-looking city.”

Managed by a number of teams in the Directorate for the Student Experience, induction activities were also supported by staff across the campus – wearing their ‘ask me’ badges and making themselves available to help new students. All this was captured live and integrated into our social media channels with student ambassadors and staff posting and tweeting, and filming, editing and uploading videos.

visit www.youtube.com/user/ MyManchesterNews to experience the Manchester Welcome.

Campus transformation

Drama students rehearsing at the Martin Harris Centre

Ten years of arts for all

To mark the topping out of the national graphene institute, Chancellor of the Exchequer george osborne MP signed a beam to be used in the building

Introduced in last year’s issue of Your Manchester, a core aim of the Campus Masterplan is to co-locate all of our staff and students on a single campus with world-class teaching and research buildings adjacent to key facilities such as the Library, the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons, the Students’ Union and many of our public venues.

Over the past decade, the Martin Harris Centre – named after Sir Martin Harris CBE, a former vice-Chancellor of the victoria University of Manchester – has been home to the Departments of Music and Drama. It provides an inspiring space in which to teach, learn, rehearse, practise and perform. The centre has also developed an impressive reputation for community and local school involvement, and has an excellent record of attracting young people on to the campus.

Since opening in 2003, the centre has hosted many famous names and staged world firsts, including the first known performance of a ‘lost’ hymn by Beethoven.

Two alumni who have benefitted from the facilities and support offered by the centre won categories at the Manchester Theatre Awards 2013. Rob Ward (BA English Literature and Drama 2009) received the award for Best New Play for Away from Home, which he co-wrote with Martin Jameson; he also played the lead role of Kyle. The Best Studio Production was named as Brilliant Adventures, a play by Alistair McDowall (BA Drama 2008), which was staged at the Royal Exchange Studio. visit www.manchester.ac.uk/ martinharriscentre for a full programme of events.

The scheme builds on the University’s investment of £750 million since 2004, and will deliver up to £700 million of further new buildings and refurbishments over the next five to six years, and up to a further £300 million over the following five years. Philanthropy from alumni and friends is an important element in funding this investment.

Current projects include the transformation of the Whitworth Art Gallery (see page 28), the completion of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, the renovation and extension of Manchester Business School, the redevelopment of Coupland 3, the completion of the National Graphene Institute and a major refurbishment of the Main Library.

visit www.estates.manchester.ac.uk for the latest news about the Campus Masterplan.

For further details on the role of philanthropy and the importance of alumni support, please contact: Dominic Boyd, Head of Philanthropy (Campus and Research) Tel: + 44 (0) 161 275 8577 Email: dominic.boyd@manchester.ac.uk

Equity and Merit scholars celebrate their graduation

A graduation with a difference The University hosted a graduation ceremony in Kampala, Uganda, when over 35 Equity and Merit alumni, current students and their families attended a scholarship celebration. Many of the students couldn’t attend their graduation in Manchester, either because they had to return home as soon as they completed their studies or they studied by distance learning. And they have shown great determination to succeed in often difficult circumstances. One enterprising student set up his own internet café in a remote part of northern Uganda so he could work online.

Equity and Merit Scholarships, which are supported by donations from alumni and friends of the University, give access to postgraduate education for outstanding students from some of the world’s poorest countries.

We have awarded 130 scholarships so far. The scheme covers Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Bangladesh.

Peter J Sentongo (Master of Public Health [distance learning] 2011) is now a public health specialist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Uganda. He said, “I will forever appreciate the University’s support. The skills I acquired will be used to significantly contribute towards the transformation of our country’s health care system.”

Find out how to support the Equity and Merit scholarships scheme: www.manchester.ac.uk/international/equity-and-merit YOUR MANCHESTER MAGAZINE

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Marathon for University research Football hero Michael owen ran the London Marathon 2014 on behalf of the Manchester royal Eye Hospital and researchers from the University. He finished the race in an impressive 3 hours, 45 minutes, 43 seconds and raised over £25,000. in partnership with Central Manchester University Hospitals nHs Foundation Trust, the University’s Manchester Centre for genomic Medicine is making a major contribution to identifying gene variants that cause disease in the eye. Michael, who played for Liverpool, real Madrid, newcastle United and Manchester United, said, “Manchester royal Eye Hospital and scientists at the University are doing fantastic work to develop new treatments for families with genetic eye disorders, so i’m really pleased to be able to support this cause.” gene and rachel celebrate their achievements gene (left) with friends Pat, Mary and Marnie at an Ashburne garden party

It’s never too late

Inspirational grandmother receives her degree Gene Hetherington (formerly Helen Georgine Jones) completed her BA in Commerce in 1943 but was unable to attend her graduation ceremony. She joined the war effort, auditing aircraft factories manufacturing wellington bombers for the Ministry of Aircraft Production.

She subsequently followed a career as a Lewis’s buyer and led a busy family life, never finding time to return to Manchester to collect her degree. She finally did so aged 90, alongside her granddaughter Rachel Hetherington, who received her Master’s in Law at a graduation ceremony in Whitworth Hall in December 2013.

Gene said, “The ceremony was wonderful and I was so pleased to see Rachel receive her degree, for which she worked so hard.” Rachel added, “I have enjoyed my time at Manchester and I was very proud to share my graduation ceremony with my grandmother. I cannot imagine many people can claim to have done that!”

First sight of Viking ship burial

Michael owen proudly shows off his marathon medal

Photo © Trustees of the British Museum

The first undisturbed viking ship burial found on the British mainland was excavated by a team of archaeologists, including Manchester academics, in 2011. The remains have been on show in the blockbuster exhibition Vikings: life and legend, first at the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, more recently at the British Museum, London, and finally at the Staatliche Museen, Berlin (from September 2014 to January 2015). The vessel survived in the form of more than 200 rivets, many in their original location, indicating a small clinker boat. It contained a sword, an axe, a spear, a ladle, an Irish bronze ring-pin and the bronze rim of a drinking horn.

The burial was revealed by the Ardnamurchan Transitions Project, led by experts from the Universities of Manchester and Leicester, CFA Archaeology Ltd and Archaeology Scotland. Co-Director of the project and Lecturer in Archaeology at Manchester, Dr Hannah Cobb, said, “We are delighted this exciting find is featuring in this exhibition. These are the most important artefacts we have found. They are exceptionally well-preserved and incredibly rare. This is one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Britain.”

The Ardnamurchan viking boat burial is part of a rare fully intact site

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Discover more about the Ardnamurchan Transitions Project at www.ardnamurchantransitionsproject.com

Top scientists in the UK Photo by ITV Studios Ltd

Four University of Manchester scientists are named in the science Council’s list of the country’s top 100 leading practising scientists. They are Professor Dame nancy rothwell (President and vice-Chancellor and neuroscientist); regius Professor sir Andre geim (physicist); Professor steve Furber (computer scientist); and Professor Jon Lloyd (geomicrobiologist).

The winning team with presenter Jeremy Paxman

Manchester is Champion of Champions As part of the celebrations of 50 years of BBC Two, two teams took part in a ‘Champion of Champions’ University Challenge. The University of Manchester and Magdalen College, oxford, have each won University Challenge on four occasions – more than any other institution. in the anniversary showdown, each university was represented by members from their winning teams. The victorious Manchester team consisted of Henry Pertinez (PhD Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical science 2011), gareth Aubrey (Bsc Physics 2005, Msc nuclear science and Technology 2007), Adam Barr (MPhys Physics with Astrophysics 2012) and captain Tristan Burke (BA English Literature 2011, MA English and American studies 2012).

Bringing WWI to life

Photo by BBC

Christine Hallett, Professor of nursing History, acted as historical adviser for the BBC one drama The Crimson Field. she worked with the lead actors, discussing what work would have taken place in a field hospital in 1915, and demonstrating nursing techniques, including bed bathing, bandaging, bed making and aseptic and antiseptic wound care. she said, “Most of our knowledge of medics working from that time comes from photographs and written witness accounts and letters – so lots of fragments from which the production team had to try to build up a picture.”

The cast of The Crimson Field

see page 12 for news of the University’s commemorations of World War i.

Camilla gordon, a thirdyear Drama student, was named student of the Year in the students’ Union’s Awards 2014. she has served as Chairman of student Action Manchester, the volunteering organisation that gives students opportunities to participate and manage their own community projects. she said, “i wanted to give something back when i came to university and i always liked working with people. student Action is the main way to do that. somebody on one of our learning disabled projects has been working with student Action since 1994, so there’s a lot of continuity. it’s got a real heritage and a standing in the community.” manchesterstudentsunion.com/ studentaction

Golden anniversary of Computer Science

Awards success It was triple delight for the University at the 2013 SET (Science, Engineering and Technology) Student of the year Awards when two Manchester students won accolades, including the top award of BP SET Student of the year.

Joseph Northwood (BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2013) won the ARM award for the Best Electronic Engineering Student for the ARTEMIS (Autonomous Robotic Technology Enabling Minimally Invasive Surgery) Project. Laura HowarthKirke (BSc Computer Science 2013) was named the Best Computer Science Student for her project entitled ‘Learning and Recognising Human Gestures using the Microsoft Kinect’. Laura was the highest scoring winner overall and also took the BP SET Student of the Year honour. Her success meant that the award for the Lecturer of the Year went to Dr Gavin Brown, who supervised her final-year project.

Student of the Year 2014

Winners Joseph northwood (third left), Laura Howarth-Kirke (third right) and Dr gavin Brown (second right)

The SET awards provide a showcase for educational excellence by publicly recognising the exceptional achievements of both students and universities in the UK and Ireland.

in 1964, the Computer group broke away from Electrical Engineering to form the Department of Computer science – the first of its kind in the world – with Professor Tom Kilburn Frs at the helm. An undergraduate course in Computer science was set up in october 1965, with around 30 undergraduates a year.

Find out more at www.cs.manchester.ac.uk/ about-us/history YOUR MANCHESTER MAGAZINE

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” The countdown starts here

ELECTION OF CHANCELLOr

Manchester is one of the great urban universities with a radical agenda.

e current Chancellor of e University of Manchester, Tom Bloxham MBE (BA Politics and Modern History 1996, Hon LittD 2007), was elected to this role in 2008. He is the chairman and co-founder of Urban Splash, the innovative property developer. His tenure was for seven years and we are now starting to arrange the election of our new Chancellor.

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e asked Tom to reflect on his time as Chancellor of the University: he has thoroughly enjoyed the experience and sees exciting times ahead.

“Being Chancellor has been a lovely role – it allows you to get involved with all the best parts of the University, like graduating thousands of hard-working and lucky students, and giving out honorary degrees to all sorts of wonderful and successful people. “i’ve met very bright academics, nobel Prize winners, generous benefactors and artists: people like Professor Brian Cox, sir Alex Ferguson, Bobby Charlton and Tim Berners-Lee. i’ve travelled to Hong Kong and met alumni from all over the world, all of whom have very fond memories of their days at the University. “i’ve also seen in the students’ Union that huge enthusiasm and confidence of youth, and then watched our graduates go out into the region and the world to start their careers armed with a great Manchester education. “i’ve tried to help the University get more connected with the City of Manchester by making introductions, and it’s been a joy for me to see the genuine commitment to social responsibility and play an even greater part in the city’s economic and social life.

Chancellor Tom Bloxham MBE

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“i’ve seen huge changes take place, especially in terms of the encouragement shown to people from all sorts of different environments, whose expectations may not have included studying at university. i’ve seen the University climb not only the world rankings, but also the survey of student satisfaction as a result of a renewed emphasis on the student experience.

“The role of Chancellor is a fantastic job with not many downsides. i’ve had the very real sense that i’ve been at the heart of the Manchester campus and Manchester education. i’ve also tried to encourage the University to be an ever better patron of architecture and leave a legacy of great buildings. “i think Manchester holds a unique place in the world as one of the great urban universities with a radical and forward-thinking agenda. There are exciting times ahead for the new Chancellor. i would urge anyone who is thinking of standing to put their name forward and i can guarantee that if you get half as much satisfaction and enjoyment out of the role as i have, you will be very happy.”

The Chancellor is the officer of the University fulfilling the function of non-executive Chair of the General Assembly and presides over Congregations of the University for the conferment of degrees.

The election of a new Chancellor The University of Manchester chooses its Chancellor by election and the electorate consists of three groups: members of the Alumni Association who are listed on the ‘register of voters’, members of staff of the University and members of the General Assembly.

As the largest constituent group in the elections, we hope that alumni will fully engage with the process by voting and by nominating prospective candidates.

Every Graduate Member of the Alumni Association who has an active email address listed on their alumni record will be considered to be included on the ‘register of voters’, unless they have elected to opt-out of the register. Those alumni who have an email address but have not notified us of it should do so at their earliest convenience, and at least by 5.00pm on 5 January 2015, to participate in the election. If you are unable to provide us with an active email address but wish to participate in the election, you must notify us of your wish to be included on the register of voters at least 14 weeks prior to the election by contacting us.

To supply us with an active email address* (if you have not already done so) and automatically be included on the register of voters for this and all future alumni elections: email us at alumni@manchester.ac.uk and use the following italicised text as your subject field: Register of voters, active email address. Please give us the full name you graduated under, your subject of study and your year of graduation in the body of the message. Please also include your Alumni ID number if you know it. *Please note that if you receive regular e-newsletters from us you have already supplied us with an active email address.

To add yourself to the register of voters but not provide us with an active email address for your alumni record on the database: email us at alumni@manchester.ac.uk and use the following italicised text as your subject field: Register of voters, inclusion request.

The email address you use for this purpose will NOT be added to your alumni record. or Tel +44 (0) 161 306 3066 or write to us at: The Alumni Association, Division of Development and Alumni relations, The University of Manchester, The Christie Building, oxford road, Manchester, M13 9PL. Whether you email, telephone or write to us, please give us the full name you graduated under, your subject of study, your year of graduation and your postal address. Please also include your Alumni ID number if you know it.

Those alumni who added themselves to the register of voters for the last Chancellor’s election will need to re-confirm their wish to be included if they do not have an active email address on their alumni record. After this single re-confirmation their inclusion on the register will remain for all future alumni elections until such time that they remove themselves from the register.

TIMETABLE FOr THE ELECTION The installation of the new Chancellor should take place in autumn 2015, ahead of the first meeting of the General Assembly in the 2015/16 session. An election is therefore scheduled for spring 2015.

Election called, nominations open

Monday 16 February 2015

Date by which alumni need to be included on the register of voters

5.00pm Monday 5 January 2015

Nominations close

Monday 30 March 2015

voting papers issued

Monday 13 April 2015

voting closes (5.00pm)

Thursday 21 May 2015

results announced

Friday 22 May 2015

Alumni on the register of voters will receive the notice inviting nominations either via email or, if there is no active email address held, by letter.

Further details about the election will be included in election-specific communications via the alumni website, email and social media channels.

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THE IMPACT OF rESEArCH

The future of chocolate Research into the social and economic sustainability of cocoa production for global confectionery company Cadbury has made a significant contribution to moulding the future shape of an entire industry. he research is a dynamic example of the impact the University has on societies nationally and internationally. It demonstrates how work carried out by Manchester academics is making a positive difference to the world’s problems by influencing policy and practice.

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“Cadbury knew there were socio-economic problems in the cocoa supply chain but didn’t know in detail what the issues were. They commissioned our research to better understand the challenges facing farmers and farming communities,” said Professor Stephanie Barrientos, who led the research and who teaches in the Institute of Development Policy and Management. She is also Associate Director of the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University, which is generously supported by the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation.

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More of the benefits and rewards need to get through to the lower tiers of the supply chain.

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The key issue was whether or not small-scale farmers had the socio-economic capacity to sustain and expand their output of quality cocoa. Gathering systematic evidence from 100 key informants, 750 farmers, 200 workers and stakeholders in Ghana, the Dominican Republic and India, the research highlighted the poverty, gender inequality and poor social provisions made for cocoa farmers and workers.

“We showed that as a result of these conditions, income and productivity levels were low; young people were leaving farms for employment elsewhere, putting future production at risk,” Stephanie added. She has researched and published widely on gender, global production, employment, trade and labour standards, corporate social responsibility, and fair and ethical trade across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the UK.

Professor stephanie Barrientos

At a large workshop in Ghana, attended by key industry representatives, the research team outlined their findings and discussed recommendations, which Cadbury adopted, triggering major changes. These included: • the launch of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership (CCP), a £45 million initiative to support cocoa growers over the next 10 years • Fairtrade certification for all main chocolate lines • £3 million payments in annual social premiums to a Fairtrade-certified cooperative.

In 2011 Cadbury was taken over by Kraft and, in the same year, one of the main cocoa trading companies, Armajaro, predicted a million tonne shortage of cocoa by 2020 if action wasn’t taken to address the sector’s problems.

Kraft continued with the Cadbury Fairtrade commitment and launched a $400 million Cocoa Life programme in 2012 to build on and extend the work of CCP, supporting a further 200,000 farmers and one million members of cocoa farming communities.

Cadbury’s pioneering support for the principles of Fairtrade has paved the way for other confectionary companies, Nestlé and Mars. Together the three companies have increased sales of Fairtrade chocolate eight-fold since 2008.

The Manchester project was the first time that a chocolate company had given researchers full access to their commercial value chain to examine socio-economic issues. Stephanie commented, “That was unusual at the time, particular in terms of the type of research we were doing about the social sustainability of farming at the base of the chain. I think now in the chocolate and cocoa industry, because of the concern that our report helped to highlight, many other companies are doing similar studies.

“They were very keen that it was our team that did the research because we understood both the commercial and the social dimensions and the interconnection between both.

“The industry was aware that there were problems but our research, which was the first publicly available, was definitely part of the wake-up call. Cadbury’s subsequent actions then influenced the industry and brought about further indirect changes.

“There is now a growing recognition by companies and policy makers that supply chains generate jobs and work for farmers and workers but they do not always reap sufficient benefits. If you want commercial sourcing to promote development you’ve got to be sure that more of the benefits and rewards get through to the lower tiers of the supply chain.”

www.bwpi.manchester.ac.uk/research/researchprogrammes/ workingoutofpoverty/businessfordev/chocolatefutures

Introducing the REF The Research Excellence Framework (REF) has replaced the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) as the national independent assessment of quality of research across all higher education institutions in the UK. The Higher Education Funding Council for England will report the latest findings in December 2014.

This is an exciting time for The University of Manchester as we submitted 35 fields of research to be assessed through peer review by an expert panel, and we expect many areas of research across all our four faculties to be recognised as of international quality and some areas to be classified as world-leading.

For the first time, the system of assessment now includes a measure of the importance of the ‘impact’ of research, upon the “economy, society, public policy, culture and the quality of life”.

The results enable higher education funding bodies to distribute public funds on the basis of quality. These funds mean we can continue to recruit the best research staff and students, carry on building strong links with industrial, philanthropic and other research funders, and sustain investment in our facilities. www.manchester.ac.uk/research YOUR MANCHESTER MAGAZINE

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wOrLD wAr I

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Manchester and University life seem far behind me…

I seem to have lived ages since then.

Thomas Frederick Tout, Professor of Medieval and Modern History

Dear Sir…Letters from the trenches “e general feeling out here is one of cheerfulness and everybody seems very sanguine about an early finish. I hope so and certainly we seem to have the upper hand.” e neatly pencilled scrap of notepaper is a desperately poignant reminder of the hopes of World War I’s young soldiers.

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ritten in France by Victoria University of Manchester student Herbert Eckersley to his History Professor – Thomas Frederick Tout – the letter goes on to express the hope that he will soon be back in Manchester and working on his thesis.

But it was not to be. Rejected for infantry service due to poor eyesight, Herbert, determined to do his bit for king and country, served on the Western Front in the Labour Corps. Fifteen days after writing his last letter to Professor Tout, he was killed near Ypres in November 1917.

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Herbert Eckersley is one of four young men whose letters over the course of the conflict were featured in an exhibition at the John Rylands Library earlier this year to commemorate the centenary of the start of the conflict. The four students described the conditions they faced and revealed their hopes and fears. Professor Tout left the letters to the University after his death in 1929.

Photo © The University of Manchester

ConTinUED

Drilling in the old Quad during World War i

It’s not known if another of the students, SL Connor, survived the war but he wrote to the professor recounting the story of another Manchester student. “On Monday April 23rd, he led his men ‘over the top’. Ten minutes later at 10pm, he fell with a bullet through his lung and shrapnel wounds in his head and foot,” he reported. “Ben fell into German hands alive. His body has not been found. We lost Dick last year. Now Ben. But we are proud of our lads. His poor parents do not understand. They will understand some day.”

A letter from another student reads: “I always wonder if I shall have forgotten all the history I ever knew before coming back to college. I have a book – only one – out here but never have the time or inclination to ‘swot’. It was foolish ever thinking of studying past history when one is in the middle of history present…”

Dr Chris Godden (PhD History 2005), Lecturer in Economic History, believes the letters may have been some kind of survival mechanism: “The relationship between Tout and his students that was sustained through regular correspondence certainly offers insights into the emotional history of the war.

The need for continual links with home and their pre-war lives meant that these students placed a

high value on their association with Tout and the University. It was a more intimate university then with a higher degree of formality. They were sharing their experiences with someone of authority, someone they respected, someone who had an important role in their lives. Professor Tout obviously felt moved to write back, and provided emotional support by keeping his students updated with University news.”

Another student letter to Professor Tout reads: “Manchester and University life seem far behind me, in fact are almost forgotten. I seem to have lived ages since then. Had it not been that I ran across an Owens man a few days ago I fear I would have continued to forget you. We had a good chat together. He played half-back in front of me for the first eleven so we had many old battles to play over again. He did me a world of good; I hope he is able to say the same.”

More than 600 staff and students from the Victoria University of Manchester and the Manchester Municipal School of Technology, later to become UMIST, lost their lives during the conflict.

A century later, events on campus are focusing on the impact the war had on the University as well as the influence the University had on the war. The government of the day called on University expertise across the scientific spectrum to contribute to the war effort. “It has been important to recognise and remember everyone from our community who was involved with the war, regardless of whether they were fighting on the frontline, volunteer nursing or working the land,” said University Historian and Heritage Manager Dr James Hopkins (PhD History 2011).

In August the University launched a dedicated micro website to mark the centenary and a special commemoration event will be held to pay tribute to all those affected by the war. Next spring, 10,000 snowdrops planted on the grass on Oxford Road, opposite the Museum and Whitworth Hall, will bloom in memory of people like Herbert Eckersley, among so many others.

WWI commemorations at the University visit www.manchester.ac.uk/ww1 for full details.

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wOrLD wAr I

Revealing the University’s past Fascinating stories, rowing medals, University blazers and three generations of medical notes from one family – all memorabilia unearthed by a survey asking alumni, staff and students how we should look at the University’s past. he response from the consultation was amazing,” said Dr James Hopkins, whom the University appointed last year as the UK’s first University Historian and Heritage Manager. “There was a remarkable level of interest, a demand to know more about our past and a willingness to get involved.

“T

“It quickly became apparent from this exercise how important our history is to people’s identity as a Manchester graduate. Although we have a great diversity of experience, our history is the one common thing everyone can gather around. It’s very powerful in giving a sense of identity and building a community.”

James’s role builds on the University’s considerable progress on heritage work to date. One of the inspirations for this work and driving forces behind it was Professor John Pickstone, one of the nation’s most

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important historians of science, technology and medicine and a tireless champion of the University’s and Manchester’s heritage. Sadly, Professor Pickstone died after a short illness earlier this year.

“We’re taking this work forward and now have a University History and Heritage Strategy group with representatives across the University looking at history, engagement and conservation.

It’s our history – the history of the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST – that makes us the institution we are today.”

James is particularly keen to hear from alumni, staff and students who have already carried out their research and written histories of departments, halls of residence or specific events. He also wants to hear from alumni who particularly want to get involved in the University’s history.

Dr James Hopkins

Email Dr James Hopkins at heritage@manchester.ac.uk or visit www.manchester.ac.uk/heritage to find out more.

Photo © The University of Manchester

An artist’s view of owen College/victoria University of Manchester buildings seen from oxford road at night during World War i

GrAPHENE NEwS

An artist’s impression of the ngi

The next step Laying the foundations for graphene city

A

s the construction of the National Graphene Institute (NGI) nears completion, this state-of-the-art facility will provide a focal point for collaborations between Manchester academics and their counterparts at other UK universities and with leading global commercial organisations.

Announcing new investments into graphene commercialisation in the Budget in March 2014, Chancellor George Osborne described the material as a “great British discovery that we should break the habit of a lifetime with and commercially develop in Britain”.

James Baker, Business Director of the NGI, says the emerging concept of Manchester as a ‘graphene city’ can be a UK model for commercialising new scientific discoveries. Graphene, the one-atom thick material which is the strongest and most conductive in the world, was isolated in 2004 at The University of Manchester by Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov. The two professors shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics and were knighted in 2012.

James explained, “My role is to sign up potential industrial partners who want to collaborate with The University of Manchester and take graphene science to a higher maturity and on to commercialisation. We are looking for partners who want to operate in this environment in an open, shared and collaborative way.

“If we get this right we have the potential to create a lot of jobs and make the UK more competitive, creating a true graphene cluster so that overseas investors want to be here.

“The NGI is all about creating the right environment, an environment where academics and industrialists can rub shoulders and accelerate speed to market – to turn ‘discovered in Britain’ into ‘made in Britain’.

“The vision of creating a ‘graphene city’ in the 21st century can be compared with Manchester in the 19th century when economic activity and innovation developed largely in the absence of the state. However, today, co-operation between private, public and third sectors is more critical to create the ecosystem necessary to increase the opportunities for commercialisation.

“Graphene has the potential to be combined with other materials, which make the product even stronger and yet even more flexible. The example you hear about is the ‘graphene’ Head tennis racket used by Andy Murray and many others. The fact is that it appears to be a graphite racket that has been enhanced by adding graphene flakes, making for a lighter and more impact resistant product. Graphene can be far more than just hype – graphene is starting to tell a story.

James Baker

“The key is to bring to life the business potential and help to make the investment case for companies to put their money into graphene – and Manchester. What is also essential is that we begin to find the specific applications for graphene that will make a real difference compared to existing or alternative materials.

“Until now the University has kept a broad outlook on graphene, which has made sense, and it has built a strong knowledge base. But it is time to focus on specific potential uses and perfecting the production process of the various forms of graphene. The decision by graphene manufacturer Bluestone Global Tech to strategically partner with the NGI to help us produce the next generation of graphene applications is, for instance, a hugely significant step.”

visit www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk for the latest news from graphene@Manchester.

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FOCUS ON CANCEr

Becky’s breakthrough “

e University of Manchester is one of the UK’s leading institutions for cancer research. We work with partners across the North West, including NHS Foundation Trusts and Cancer Research UK (CRUK), providing the biggest concentration of cancer expertise outside London.

”

I really wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve done without the support of my alumni donors.

Becky Williams

O

ur new £28.5 million Manchester Cancer Research Centre building – a partnership with CRUK and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust – will open in early 2015.

It will provide a base for talented young PhD researchers like Becky Williams (BSc Developmental Biology with Industrial Experience 2011), who are continually expanding our body of knowledge.

Extraordinary advancements in breast cancer research have led to great improvements in patient treatment and care over the past two decades and the Manchester Breast Centre is one of only three in the UK driving this research forward. A novel discovery made by Becky in the second year of her PhD is set to make a small but significant contribution to the efforts to understand and treat early breast cancer.

She explained, “I focused on methods that help cells grow and divide during early development, and how these can cause cancer if they are re-activated in adults. I love learning about how animals and people develop from just a few cells in the embryo and love to puzzle over how cells work. My PhD project – Investigating Developmental Signalling in Cancer – brought these two elements together.

“The first year of my PhD was a steep learning curve with a lot of new techniques to pick up. I always seemed to be the one bothering other people with questions but colleagues were so welcoming.

“I hit the ground running in the second year and knew and understood my project so much more.

Sometimes your project can change direction with new and exciting results taking you into a different area. That’s exciting but it can be quite challenging to keep up with all the reading.”

Becky noticed that a gene, which is important in humans in the development of hair, teeth and sweat glands, was causing cancer in mice. Then she made a breakthrough discovery of a similar mutation in another gene, which is also important for development and known to work together with her gene.

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“

Manchester Cancer research Centre under construction

”

PhD students provide an invaluable contribution to our research into cancer.

“It turned out that my mice tumours might be a good model for studying metaplastic breast cancer, which is difficult to treat, and studying potential treatments and ways of curing it,” she said. “That was really exciting and I knew then that this would be the focus of my PhD. “Doing a PhD is a rollercoaster. You have to celebrate the good things because there’s always days when things go wrong! But there were so many inspiring scientists in my building and their work is going from strength to strength.”

Becky’s supervisor Keith Brennan, Professor of Developmental Signalling in the Faculty of Life Sciences, commented, “PhD students like Becky provide an invaluable contribution to our research into cancer. They invariably bring a new and different view to a problem that helps move the research forward. Becky’s work has given us a real insight into a rare but very aggressive type of breast cancer.

With this information, we have an opportunity to develop a new treatment for this type of cancer.”

Becky’s work will eventually be published and has already been incorporated into other projects, but it’s not research she will pursue herself. She is following her passion for communicating science

Cancer survivors and relatives celebrate the MCrC topping out

and has started her PGCE at the University. In 2013 she won the Society of Biology Science Communication Award for New Researchers: she has led Fastbleep Biology Schools, a project that engages secondary and college students in Greater Manchester with research in the life sciences, and worked as a demonstrator at Manchester Museum and as a Widening Participation Fellow at the University. She also finds time to blog about her experiences.

“I really loved my PhD, I love science and scientific research and am really proud to be part of the fight against breast cancer. But I also love teaching and talking to young people about science and inspiring them.”

Becky received a donor-funded research scholarship to help support her during her three-year PhD. “I know it sounds like a cliché but I really wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve done without the support of my alumni donors,” she added. “There’s no time in a PhD to have a part-time job so you can’t support yourself. People like me need that funding and are very grateful for it.” visit www.mcrc.manchester.ac.uk to find out more about the new Manchester Cancer research Centre.

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PrOFESSOr MICHAEL wOOD

Travelling in time Michael Wood, Professor of Public History at the University, delivered this year’s Cockcro Rutherford Lecture to a packed audience of over 700 alumni. His expertise in making history accessible to the public is proving to be inspirational on campus, and he is also widely respected as a serious scholar.

“L

ooking forward to this one,” said one live tweet on screen at this year’s Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture on ‘Why History Matters’. “The place is packed, he’s got rock star status,” said another.

There’s a remote possibility they were referencing Michael Wood’s heyday as lead guitarist with The Legendary Johnny Angel Band in 1980s ‘Madchester’, but it was more likely an excited tribute to one of the UK’s most recognisable historians.

Author of numerous best-selling books and maker of more than 100 documentary films, Michael has been the foremost populariser of history on television for the last three decades. After The Story of India series of 2007, The New York Times said his documentary making remained “the gold standard”.

His infectious enthusiasm and wide-eyed, boyish awe have brought to life the origins of some of the world’s great historical landmarks, including the Trojan War and Anglo-Saxon Britain – In Search of the Dark Ages helped launch his television career in the early 1980s.

“There was no point me trying to teach part of the course because that’s not my metier, but I was very keen to enthuse the first-year, first-term History undergraduates, and keen that they should know more about Manchester, so I sparked their interest by taking them on city tours.

“My family moved out of Moss Side when I was young but my parents lived in Wythenshawe for 30 years. There’s nowhere else where I can walk down the street and feel like this is where I come from. I grew up in post-war Manchester at a time when the whole economy of South Lancashire, Britain and the Empire was in decline. I’ve got a real image of the city being post-blitz and of my family’s memories of that time. That kind of communal memory shapes you a lot.

“Having gone from Benchill Primary to Manchester Grammar School, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go further than I might ever have expected.

“Sport is one of the biggest things I remember because we were all mad about football. I was an inside forward. Dennis Law was my hero. I stopped playing in my 30s partly because I was making a lot of films abroad. When you’re walking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great over the Hindu Kush you definitely can’t make Tuesday night training.”

An Oxford graduate, Michael enjoyed acting at school and university and then began a career as a journalist with ITV in Leeds and at the BBC in Manchester, working on current affairs shows. A one-off exploration of the Dark Ages received rave reviews and the rest is … why history matters.

His casual dress and his good looks earned him the label “the thinking woman’s crumpet” and the “Troy boy” but it never put him off his stride.

“If you’re a shy person you feel slightly uncomfortable but I took it with a pinch of salt. I was wearing what I wore in normal life right down to the jeans, which probably should have been thrown away. Apparently, ‘the historian who wears tight jeans’ actually became a Trivial Pursuit question!

“I’m in-between the academic and the TV world. I do still write teeth-grindingly obscure things about Anglo-Saxon manuscripts but my commitment is to being a film maker. Whereas I’d initially felt regret about not becoming a medieval historian, I realised there was a very interesting area to be occupied in the popularisation of these ideas.

“History is stories and we’re all story tellers. I’ve always loved stories and found them fascinating. I’m tempted to say that it’s something about the culture of South Lancashire, an area which is home to virtually all the great comedians in British history, where there’s a great story-telling tradition.”

Speaking before the Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture, he added, “I hope I am able to show people the sweep and the magic of history. Why does history matter? We all define ourselves by history. It locates us in the world, in our community and family and everything. History is an exciting subject and this is an exciting place to do it.”

Michael Wood is currently filming in China for a major BBC series to be broadcast in late 2015.

Watch Michael Wood’s Cockcroft rutherford Lecture at your.manchester.ac.uk

For all his globetrotting, Michael Wood’s own history is firmly rooted in Manchester and in 2013 he joined the University as Professor of Public History.

“I’ve spent more than half my life here so it’s still the preponderant part of my life even though I live in London now. I come back up a lot; I’ve got a lot old friends and family here and we’re still members at Old Trafford. As a working film maker I didn’t think I’d have the time to get more involved but I thought the Manchester connection was worth trying. It’s a dynamic university and they’re a great lot in the History Department.

Alumni packed into Professor Wood’s Cockcroft rutherford Lecture

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“

”

History is stories and we’re all story tellers.

Michael Wood, Professor of Public History

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BOGLE STrOLL

Emily Hodson (BA English Language and French 2014) is a keen supporter of the Bogle stroll

On the trail of the Blisters, blizzards and the last bus home – are they your memories or did you manage to beat the Bogle?

W

hen a group of UMIST lecturers missed the last bus home in Lancaster and decided to walk the 55 miles back to Manchester they could not have foreseen the beginnings of a quirky tradition that over the next half-a-century would raise millions of pounds for charitable causes.

Legend has it that the tired and hallucinating lecturers reported seeing a Bogle seemingly taunting their efforts, urging them to give in.

Finishing the famous Bogle Stroll, therefore, is a victory over this impish character of folklore in an annual event which now enjoys legendary status in the Manchester student experience.

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Starting in 1961, alternate years saw the route staged along the A6 between Manchester and Lancaster and vice versa, before modifications led to a figure-of-eight course in the form of a northerly and southerly loop of 55 miles around Greater Manchester. Boglers now have a choice between walking 55 miles, a shorter walk of 26 miles or cycling 78 miles.

Whatever the painful memories, thousands of participants, including many alumni, treasure collections of commemorative Bogle scarves, coloured ties with motifs, certificates, trophies and mugs.

In 1974, Marian Hesketh (née Stewart) (BA English Language and Literature 1975) finished in an impressive 10 hours 30 minutes: “My three attempts remain the highlights of my time at Manchester and my Bogle trophies are among my most treasured possessions. The great thing about

Enthusiastic Boglers from the 2014 event

elusive Bogle Bogle was the shared experience and camaraderie.

It seemed as if the whole university was involved, whether walking, supporting or sponsoring, and there was a fantastic atmosphere as we all poured down the A6, with support cars buzzing around, blaring out the special all-night radio programme, which played our own Bogle Stroller song.”

Although he failed the challenge twice, Dimitrios Kanellopoulos (BEng Engineering 1978, PhD Fluid Mechanics 1982) said, “The Bogle helps you identify your limits, makes you think about your goals in life, yes it helps you become a better person.” One Bogler who obviously wasn’t sure what his limits were tried the Stroll in platform shoes. Norry McAllister (BSc Management Science 1977) recalled, “I did make it to 43 miles before my spirit, knees and ankles gave out. The sole on each shoe had broken in half and it was a few days before I could walk normally again...happy days!”

Peter Craig (BSc Chemistry 1965) took part in the awful winter of 1962-63, remembering bitter temperatures and snow drifts everywhere: “Alas in those pre Health & Safety days I fell into some unguarded road works just north of Preston and became hors de combat. I took an early bus then a train home: I don't remember much in the way of event backup in those days!”

Such stories ring alarm bells in the ears of one of the organisers of the 2014 Bogle Stroll. Risk assessment and Health & Safety have become watchwords to Jo Tripney (BA English Language 2014). She said, “We put lots of safety precautions in place, we had drivers making sure everyone’s OK, a dedicated walker hotline, first aiders, fully briefed volunteers and checkpoint managers, and everyone who took part had their own barcode, which was scanned at the checkpoints to chart progress.”

“

”

The great thing about Bogle was the shared experience and camaraderie.

Drama is never far away, despite the many precautions. The leader in the race to finish in 2013, Dr Tom Connell (MBChB Medicine 2012), dramatically sacrificed his victory to rescue a woman from an overturned car. He eventually finished four minutes behind the eventual winner, Steve Judd, but was awarded a joint victory, a victory over that pesky Bogle. visit the Bogle stroll’s website at www.manchesterrag.com/bogle

Thank you to all alumni who replied to our request for Bogle stroll memories. Please visit your.manchester.ac.uk/alumni-memories for a full archive of your stories.

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SOCIAL rESPONSIBILITy

Outstanding W e University is reaching out to help people who live on its doorstep through an employment project believed to be the first in higher education.

he Works project, which was developed by the Directorate of Human Resources (HR), offers jobseekers in areas neighbouring the University, such as Moss Side and Hulme, help to improve their skills and, crucially, employment opportunities. This is a partnership between The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, City South Manchester Housing Trust and Work Solutions.

T

Since it was established in March 2011, The Works has found employment for 1,500 local people, nearly all of whom were unemployed at the time they were helped. Around 87 per cent of them lived in the immediate University locality and the remainder were from Greater Manchester, with half of the total finding employment at The University of Manchester.

At the end of last year The Works won the Times Higher Education Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community Award, with judges calling the project “unique” for its direct method of helping unemployed people.

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Works “ The Works built on an earlier programme of interventions by the University but it is now one of the signature programmes developed as part of the strategy for social responsibility. As one of the largest universities in the UK, Manchester is a huge employer in the North West, but it is also close to some of the most disadvantaged parts of the region. With this in mind, the University set out to use its influence to change the lives of local people for the better.

“Our potential impact in terms of employment skills is huge but local people didn’t know that and we weren’t really telling them. It was important that as we developed as a world-class institution we didn’t forget the people in our front and back garden,” said Steve Grant, Assistant Director of HR at the University, who has pioneered the project.

A partnership with other large local employers and many other agencies ensures that a certain number of jobs at the University and beyond are ring-fenced for local people.

“We didn’t embark on this because we were short staffed and didn’t know where to find people,” commented Steve. “It was about recognising that the University’s fortunes are inextricably linked with the fortunes of the communities that surround us.

”

The University’s fortunes are inextricably linked with those of our local communities.

There’s a sound business case for having socioeconomic stability in the communities around the University, both for us and for the City of Manchester.”

The Works offers a one-stop shop: trained staff help local people to search for jobs, prepare their applications and rehearse interviews, and a range of training and educational programmes, including literacy and numeracy, are provided in order to equip them for work.

Steve added, “We’ve embarked on a billion-pound building programme, through the Campus Masterplan, so we’d like contractors in the University’s bidding framework to work with us in supporting people into work. We can provide the training to help bring these local people up to the standard required. But we’re not just saying ‘come to work at the University’, we’re saying ‘the University will help you in to work if you want to’.

“To be involved in something which is helping people to change their lives, to be innovative in the way we do it and against the prevailing trends, is reason enough to make me jump out of bed in the morning to come to work.” www.theworksmanchester.co.uk

The Works in action

Former metal finisher and father-of-three Christopher Livingston was out of work for three years before visiting The Works to get help with his Cv. He now works as a store person in the school of Physics and Astronomy.

He said, “i couldn’t sleep the night before i started because i was so excited. i feel like this is a new start for me, and all my friends and family have noticed the difference in me and are really happy for me. i’m glad i’ll be getting back into a regular routine with a regular wage coming in so i can take the kids out on the weekend over the summer holidays. i wouldn’t have heard about this job if it wasn’t for The Works and i really believe i got it due to the support of the staff that work there. it’s an asset to the community and for people who are looking for work. it’s the best place i’ve been to in my search for work, and i hope it’s there for years to come to help more people like me.”

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23

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YOUR MANCHESTER MAGAZINE

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APPrENTICESHIPS

You’re hired!

Apprenticeships promote hands-on, practical training

A

new generation of young, talented and local apprentices is supporting world-class teaching and research at the University.

The recruits in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) are part of a new programme aimed at giving talented young people a rewarding career. Eleven young men and women from Greater Manchester have just come to the end of their first year as apprentices, working across EPS’s eight Schools.

The scheme’s champion is Professor Colin Bailey, Vice-President and Dean of EPS and soon-to-be Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor. His own career and life experiences have shaped his passionate enthusiasm: “I’m very keen on this because I came up through the technician route.

I left school at 16 and went through a day release scheme doing an Ordinary National Certificate, then a Higher National Certificate. I never knew anything about university until later in my life.

“This country’s got a wealth of talent that doesn’t go to university and we need to open the doors both to higher education and to other opportunities, one of which is to go down a technical route.

“The skills our apprentices are learning are needed by the University and the country, and without these skills we would grind to a halt. Our leading academics are key but behind them are the support structures and top-class technicians. Talk to any successful experimentalist and they will point to a technician who is supporting them. Having an infrastructure of labs and high-quality technicians is vital in achieving our core objectives of teaching and learning.”

A survey of EPS’s technical staff revealed that a quarter would retire during the next five years. The apprenticeship scheme was born from the need to replace this expertise and experience before it’s too late. As Colin explained, “We needed to bring young people in to make sure we had a balanced workforce, and to help us develop and educate technicians for the future, giving them the same opportunities that I had to go further.”

The apprentices attend day or block release at Trafford College on NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) and BTEC (Business and Technician Education Council) courses. If they decide to do a degree later, then that opportunity will also be open to them. This programme is unusual in giving the apprentice technicians a wide breadth of experience across the faculty. They are supported by mentors from the existing technical staff – in fact, the whole faculty had to buy into the scheme for it to succeed.

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“Technicians of the future are going to need a range of skills and the ability to adapt because we don’t know what equipment we will be using or what experiments we will be carrying out in 30 years’ time,” continued Colin.

“

“The key for us was to keep the apprentices together as a team so they could support each other and didn’t just disappear into the various schools in EPS. I’m really pleased with their quality and enthusiasm. I’m also pleased by the support provided by staff to ensure the apprentices feel this is their home.

“Our current technicians are valued very highly.

They can now see the investment in new staff and how key they all are to the running of this or any university. Whatever we do in EPS, the technician support is worth its weight in gold and it’s those skills that we need to continue.

“We’re proud to work at The University of Manchester: our technical staff and apprentices are proud to be part of EPS. We can make a difference to society and to the UK economy, and they too feel a part of that now.”

”

We need to develop and educate technicians for the future.

Meet the new Deputy President Colin Bailey joined The University of Manchester in 2002 as Professor of structural Engineering. He is a leading expert on structural ďŹ re engineering. As the current Dean of Engineering and Physical sciences, he is responsible for the strategic leadership and operational management of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical sciences, which has over 10,000 students and 1,900 academic and support sta.

His appointment as Deputy President and Deputy vice-Chancellor was announced in March, and it is expected that he will take up this role later this year. He will support the President and vice-Chancellor across the full range of the duties involved in the direction and leadership of the University, with particular responsibility for external engagement and internationalisation. on taking up his new appointment, he will also become the Deputy Chair of the Alumni Association.

Professor Colin Bailey

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wHITwOrTH ArT GALLEry

“

The Whitworth is set to become one of the really major players in the art world.

”

Back with a bang A firework meteor shower activated by a unique art/science collaboration will provide an explosive relaunch of the Whitworth Art Gallery aer a £15 million transformation.

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he 125-year-old gallery reopens in autumn 2014 after the completion of extensive works to turn it into a 21st-century ‘gallery in the park’, doubling the public space and creating new and state-of-the-art facilities.

T

At the heart of the redevelopment, by McInnes Usher McKnight Architects, is the creation of an elegant glass, stainless steel and brick extension, with two wings extending into Whitworth Park from the back of the existing 19th-century building.

Gallery Director Dr Maria Balshaw says the opening will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and will herald an exciting exhibition programme to entice alumni and friends worldwide back to Manchester.

“Doubling our exhibition spaces means we can show much more of our collection and mount more significant international exhibitions. The Whitworth now offers much better facilities, a wonderful café, a really lovely learning studio for children to make art in, and much better study facilities for researchers and amateur historians.

“Through additional investment and 21st-century technology we’ve been able to turn the building back into what it was originally intended to be, utilising all the best bits, creating new spaces and reinstating others, like the Grand Hall. Glorious Edwardian staircases are being returned to public use for the first time in more than 50 years.

“The Whitworth’s always had a significant collection in a lovely Victorian building, and we know from our contact with alumni that having an art gallery as part of the University is one of the things they really value about us. For the first time, visiting alumni will be able to walk from the park into the art gardens and through the new entrance directly into the galleries.

The opening show is a major solo exhibition by acclaimed contemporary artist Cornelia Parker, whose work invites viewers to witness the transformation of ordinary objects into something compelling and extraordinary. For the opening night she has collaborated with Nobel Laureate and University professor Sir Kostya Novoselov, who has taken microscopic samples of graphite from drawings in the Whitworth’s collection by William Blake, Turner, Constable and Picasso, as well as a pencil-written letter by Sir Ernest Rutherford. Using the graphene made from these samples, Cornelia has made a Blake-graphene sensor which, when activated by breath, will set off the firework meteor shower in the park.

“Rather than being a lovely but quite quiet, scholarly gallery, the Whitworth is set to become one of the really major players in the art world in the UK and beyond. We now have flexible, future-proof galleries that you will not find in any other institution across the north of England. The University and the city’s reputation mean that we can now attract the very best artists from all over the world.”

“This will be the most important event in the Whitworth’s history,” said Maria. “Something has happened in the making of this show that could only have happened in Manchester.

The project has been made possible with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The University of Manchester, Arts Council England and grants from a number of other funders and individuals.

Discover much more Whether you want to take in a performance, delve deep into our past, view works of art or learn about the night sky, we’ve got something that will both entertain and inform at The University of Manchester.

Whitworth Art gallery www.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth Manchester Museum www.manchester.ac.uk/museum Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama www.manchester.ac.uk/martinharriscentre Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre www.jodrellbank.net The John rylands Library www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands The Tabley House Collection www.tableyhouse.co.uk Tabley House is an 18th-century stately home near Knutsford, Cheshire. The fine collection of paintings includes works by JMW Turner, Peter Lely and Joshua reynolds. Alumni benefit from a 2 for 1 entry fee on production of their Alumni Association membership card.

ConTinUED

Artist’s impression of the new extension, facing Whitworth Park

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wHITwOrTH ArT GALLEry

The Ancient of Days We asked David Morris (PgDip Art gallery and Museum studies 1977, MA History of Art 1996), Head of Collections, to mark the Whitworth’s transformation by selecting a favourite work of art. The Ancient of Days by the great visionary artist and poet William Blake has provided inspiration for many artists and filmmakers and, in recent years, has been regularly reproduced on book covers and music publicity.

“Blake’s The Ancient of Days was given to the Whitworth in 1892 by one of its greatest benefactors, John Edward Taylor,” David explained. “Taylor was the owner of the Manchester Guardian, and his gifts to the Whitworth epitomise how money from industrial and commercial ventures was transformed into cultural wealth, a vital force in both the history of the Whitworth and the City of Manchester.

“Blake identified Urizen, the Creator, with the Old Testament’s Jehova, as an evil figure who decreed oppressive laws.

Urizen’s mighty figure leans out from the glowing orb to dominate this image. He holds a mathematical instrument, a pair of compasses, described in the Book of Proverbs as symbolic of the act of creation, to divide up the material world and impose order upon chaos, but at the same time stifle imagination.” see page 29 for details of how a sample of graphene from another Blake drawing in the Whitworth’s collection has inspired a work by contemporary artist Cornelia Parker.

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William Blake 1757-1827 ‘Europe’, Plate I, Frontispiece, ‘The Ancient of Days’ 1827? relief etching, pen and ink, watercolour and gouache on paper 23.2 x 17cm Presented by John Edward Taylor in 1892 (D.1892.32)

CENTrAL LIBrAry

The city’s living room Exploring the treasures of Archives+

One of Manchester’s most popular landmarks, well-known to many alumni, has undergone restoration, refurbishment and reinvention. e transformational, four-year project, during which treasured volumes were stored in the ideal temperatures offered by a Cheshire salt mine, was completed in time to celebrate Central Library’s 80th birthday.

“I

t’s the city’s study, but it’s also the city’s living room,” said Neil MacInnes, Head of Libraries, Information and Archives at Manchester City Council. “Seventy per cent of the old building was not accessible to the public; we’ve reversed that so that 70 per cent is now open.”

Where once there were narrow rows of metal shelving, gloomy corridors and brick walls there now exists light and space, comfy sofas and armchairs, interactive video screens and glass-walled lifts – but, obviously, still plenty of books!

It’s a fitting transformation for Britain’s ‘library city’.

The first local authority lending library, the Manchester Free Public Library, opened in 1852.

When Central Library was opened by George V in 1934, it was the country’s largest local authority library. The city centre is also home to the independent Portico Library and the University’s John Rylands Library on Deansgate.

The new Media Lounge is designed to appeal to a generation used to accessing information electronically rather than flicking endlessly through long drawers of card indexes.

“Digital technology has made the collections more accessible than ever, opening the city’s treasure chest to residents and visitors, both real and virtual, across the world,” added Neil, who is expecting up to two million visitors a year.

Those looking for the Library Theatre* will now find a showcase and repository for archives and family history, called Archives+. This purpose-built centre brings together a partnership of amazing regional and national collections of documents, photographs and films. The ground and lower floors also house the children’s library, a new lending library and the University’s Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre.

It is the reading room that is probably best remembered by generations of alumni who used the ‘Central Ref’. This room has remained intact, its distinctive features restored. It is the only space where silence is requested, and acoustic engineers have worked hard to reduce the infamous echo caused by the domed roof.

Neil concluded, “The Central Library is now a third space – not work, not home, but a place for people to get together and share knowledge and learn, a space in which to co-create and be empowered.” *A new theatre is being developed on First Street in partnership with Cornerhouse. visit www.manchester.gov.uk/ centrallibrary and www.archivesplus.org or, better still, come and see the transformation for yourself.

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THE MANCHESTEr EFFECT Photo by Writer Pictures The casts of Fresh Meat and…

Jesse Armstrong and sam Bain

Is it just us? What is it about student life at e University of Manchester which inspires comedy drama and anarchic sitcom hilarity?

Fresh, young isastrous house parties, lack of money, awkward sexual encounters and unwashed dishes – the comic potential of the student house appears to be as rich a source of comedy material now as it was more than 30 years ago, and the University is again providing the backdrop.

D

Jesse and Sam met on a creative-writing course and also shared a student house. At the beginning of their television writing career they wrote for the sketch show Smack the Pony and children's shows including My Parents Are Aliens, and they are the co-creators of Peep Show.

Old and new cult shows The Young Ones and Fresh Meat are both based on the student experience at Manchester, which is hardly surprising since they were created by talented and successful alumni.

In the early 1980s’ alternative comedy scene, The Young Ones followed four undergraduates sharing a house and attending Scumbag College.

Violent slapstick mixed with surreal puppetry and musical guests landed the show a massive following and made stars of those involved.

Ben Elton (BA Drama 1980) and the late Rik Mayall (BA Drama 1978) became household names after writing The Young Ones, which also featured Ade Edmonson (BA Drama 1978). Fresh Meat, written by Jesse Armstrong (BA American Studies 1994, MA Novel Writing 1995) and Sam Bain (BA Combined Studies 1993, MA Novel Writing 1995) and featuring alumnus Jack Whitehall (who spent two terms studying History of Art) as JP, has completed three series on Channel 4 and won a clutch of awards.

The Times recently claimed Jesse and Sam were responsible for some of the finest comedy writing of the past five years, because of their “unerring knack for perfectly capturing the excruciating awkwardness of human interaction”.

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“It's such a great time of life, such a ripe area, we were surprised no one had revisited this in comedy form since The Young Ones,” said Sam. “It's just a time when people leave home and start a new life. Often they don't know what the hell they’re doing. That fundamental time of transition is a brilliant area for comedy because of all the heightened emotions between strangers forced together in unfamiliar surroundings. Also, Manchester was a great place for us to set Fresh Meat because you find an interesting mix of people. The city has changed a lot but I guess we've tried to transpose our excitement and confusion from our time in the city to a group of contemporary students.”

Photo by BBC

The Young Ones

and funny Jesse added, “I never went into halls so, like our freshers, I went straight into a shared house in my first year. But what was unusual was that I was living with a bunch of people from my fairly small Shropshire home town; a little group of people who'd all ended up at Manchester created a little republic of Shropshire.”

Fresh Meat revolves around six students and their experiences at the fictional Manchester Medlock University. But do the writers see themselves in any of their characters?

”

“I think it's fair to say I could associate with all of the characters,” said Sam. “The fun of writing anything is that you can put bits of yourself in everyone. I went to public school so I knew a lot of JPs, there is probably quite a bit of JP in me in a way. But I was also a sensitive guy so that's Kingsley, and I was desperate to be cool and make a mark and impress people Oregon-style. There was probably a bit of wanting to be a rebel like Vod, the same as Josie I wanted to get involved and do everything, be positive, and like Howard sometimes I wanted to sit in my room and avoid talking to people.

“To me the joy of writing is that you can be all the characters; you don't have to just pick one.”

Photo by Rex Features

“

We’ve tried to transpose our excitement and confusion from our time in the city to a group of contemporary students.

Rik Mayall (1958-2014) The University community was saddened to hear of alumnus rik Mayall’s untimely death on 9 June 2014. Head of the University’s Drama Department Professor Maggie gale said, “As well as being a giant of the comedy world, a fabulous actor and a terrific writer, rik was an inspiration for many staff and students, past and present. rik’s work for stage and television broke the mould and set new standards for comedy and for writing in the 1980s and the 1990s – such a talent is rare and his will be a very hard act to follow.”

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IN THE NEwS

Multi-award-winning alumnus Benedict Cumberbatch (BA Drama 1999) is playing the lead role of Alan Turing in the film The Imitation Game, which is due for release in November 2014.

It focuses on Dr Turing’s role in cracking the Enigma code at Bletchley Park during world war II.

From app production to transplant science to the future of graphene, 300 pupils from 30 schools across the region took the opportunity to find out more about contemporary industries and the people who work in them at a TeenTech event hosted by the University. Founded in 2008

by Tv presenter and journalist Maggie Philbin (BA English and Drama 1978), TeenTech introduces young teenagers across the UK to the wide range of career possibilities in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Following the war, Dr Turing was appointed as Reader in Mathematics at Manchester, and worked on the world’s earliest computers until his death in 1954.

The first images from the film were released as he was awarded a posthumous Royal Pardon for his conviction for homosexuality. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said, “Dr Turing deserves to be remembered and recognised for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science.”

With their Manchester connection, it seems fitting that Benedict Cumberbatch has taken on this role. The actor’s international profile has reached new heights in recent months following his appearance in the Sunday Times’ feature on the 100 Makers of the 21st Century and in Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People. And in November 2013, he was honoured by BAFTA Los Angeles with a Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year for his ‘masterful performances in television, film and theatre’.

Sir Jon Cunliffe

Sir Jon lectured at the University of Western Ontario on English Language before entering Whitehall in 1980. A succession of jobs took him from managing director of finance, regulation and industry at the Treasury to second permanent secretary. In 2007, he was appointed head of the European and global issues secretariat. In this role he accompanied Prime Minister Gordon Brown in discussions at the G8 and G20, and was credited with helping forge a co-ordinated response to the banking crash. He was the UK’s permanent representative to the European Union from January 2012 until he took up his current post.

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“A generation sit in classrooms convinced subjects like maths and physics are irrelevant because they’re ‘going to be famous’. I met one group of students, who when asked to name a modern scientist or technologist could only name Einstein,” said Maggie. “Working on Tomorrow’s World allowed me to meet many brilliant and engaging people behind inventions. TeenTech does the same for young people before they make critical decisions over GCSE choices.” www.teentechevent.com

Alumni Anna Fowler Anna Fowler (BA Geography 2013) started curling at the age of 12 at the only rink in England in Tunbridge wells, Kent. An international curler since 2009, she relied on travelling to Scotland and Kent to train during her three years at the University.

In November 2013, she captained the England Ladies’ team to a bronze medal at the European B Group Championships in Stavanger, Norway. This season, Anna looks forward to playing in the European Mixed Championships in Copenhagen and captaining the England Ladies’ team at the European Championships in Champery, Switzerland.

Photo by Leslie Ingram-Brown

Sir Jon Cunliffe (BA English Language and Literature 1975, MA English Language and Literature 1977) became Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England on 1 November 2013. Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, said, “He brings an important European and international perspective that will be vital in ensuring that the Bank of England can shape both the UK and international financial systems so that they effectively serve the needs of the real economy.”

Photo by Rex Features

Maggie Philbin

Photo by Black Bear Pictures

Benedict Cumberbatch

Olivia Barker

Mark Crabtree

Kids Club Kampala (KCK) is a charity working in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, with vulnerable children. It was founded in 2009 by Olivia Barker (BA Economics 2011), Corrie Fraser and Sam wambayo. Olivia and Corrie were named Ultimate Global Champions at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate women of the year Awards 2013.

“we are still better known in Hollywood than in Burnley,” joked Mark Crabtree (MSc Digital Electronics 1974). A pioneer of sound engineering for film and music, he received an OBE in the 2014 New year Honours list for services to advanced manufacturing and creative industries. Mark is the founder and owner of AMS Neve – based in his home town of Burnley – and is behind the design and manufacture of some of the world’s best sound mixing and recording equipment.

Olivia said, “We work to empower over 4,000 children and parents from disadvantaged communities through different development projects and supporting their basic needs. We have a team of over 60 dedicated Ugandan volunteers helping every week in 17 different centres.”

The company’s consoles are now used by recording studios such as Air and Abbey Road in London, and by Hollywood film factories including Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox. Mark has received two personal Oscars for his recording and editing equipment. In recent years, the vast majority of Oscar-winning films have been recorded or mixed using AMS Neve products. His trophy cabinet also contains a Grammy and an Emmy, and he received a Sound Fellowship from the Association of Professional Recording Services last year.

She specialised in development studies during her degree, and after graduation worked for an international development consultancy company. However, she still spent most of her spare time running KCK in the UK, and used all of her money and annual leave on going out to Uganda. Since winning some funding from Vodafone, she has been able to concentrate on the charity. www.kidsclubkampala.org

in the spotlight Parineeti Chopra

The head of the Catholic Church in England and wales, vincent Nichols (MA Theology 1976) was appointed a Cardinal by Pope Francis on 22 February 2014. His nomination came five years after he succeeded Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor as Archbishop of westminster.

He was among 19 senior clerics from around the world chosen to join the highest rank of Catholic clergy. He was also among 16 new Cardinals eligible to become part of the secret Conclave, which will elect the next Pope.

YOUR MANCHESTER MAGAZINE

Photo by Rex Features

Parineeti spoke to BollyNewsUK about her time as a student: “My university days were just really special. The time I spent here was my first independent life experience, which I really loved. I was lucky enough to be in a great city. Manchester is very student friendly … I have great memories of the place.”

Photo by Rex Features

Parineeti Chopra (BSc International Business, Finance and Economics 2009) made her screen debut with a supporting role in the 2011 romantic comedy Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, for which she won a string of awards. She had finished her degree with the aim of becoming an investment banker but was unable to find work in the UK. She returned to India and joined the Pr and marketing division of yash raj Films in Mumbai. A growing interest in acting – the actresses Priyanka Chopra, Meera Chopra and Barbie Handa are her cousins – brought her to a producer’s attention and she has already had parts in six films.

His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols

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MAKING A DIFFErENCE

Who we are and what we do The Division of Development and Alumni relations is here to help alumni and friends of The University of Manchester maintain a lifelong connection with us and with each other, sharing experiences and expertise, and enjoying alumni-exclusive offers, events, networking and volunteering opportunities.

Outstandingand inspirational

We are also the central point for generating philanthropic support for the future development and ongoing success of the University. We keep in touch with you through our annual Your Manchester magazine, regular e-newsletters and Your Manchester Online, our interactive alumni community website.

Outstanding Alumni Awards 2014

Over the next few pages you can find out about highlights from our year of alumni events and celebrations, the impact of your donations, and stories from students who have benefited from your generosity. You support student facilities, competitions and Students’ Union society activities, not to mention 500 scholarships and awards, as well as volunteer your time to share your skills and work experience. The generosity of alumni and friends continues to grow, and we thank you and invite you to celebrate with us.

Outstanding Alumni Awards are presented to alumni who have achieved distinction: in their profession; through exemplary service to the University or the wider community; or through outstanding service of a personal or humanitarian nature.

We presented three Outstanding Alumni Awards in 2014 at the July graduation ceremonies, which gave graduating students and their families a chance to hear from some really inspirational former students.

your.manchester.ac.uk

Philip Chin (BSc Plant Biology 1982)

Professor Jean M Johnson FRSC, CChem (BSc Chemistry 1966)

Professor Sir Robert Lechler FRCP, FRCPath, FMedSci (MBChB Medicine 1975)

Jean Johnson became a chemistry teacher, later progressing to headship and the inspectorate. Now retired, she is a volunteer working with schools in East Africa. She plans courses for chemistry teachers, and sometimes for students, in Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda. She also teaches in a number of schools, and raises money to build libraries, labs and other facilities.

Robert Lechler is Vice-Principal (Health) and Executive Director of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, a pioneering collaboration between King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts. He received a knighthood in 2012 for services to academic medicine.

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Co-founder and Chief Executive of Langland, a multi-award-winning advertising agency specialising in healthcare communications, Philip Chin is also a patron of Sebastian’s Action Trust, which provides a purpose-built holiday home and support for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. The charity has received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Please get in touch if you would like to make a suggestion for a future recipient of an outstanding Alumni Award. Please submit your nomination to the Development and Alumni relations team: Email: alumni@manchester.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0) 161 306 3066

Volunteer of the Year Awards 2014 Many students, alumni and staff give their personal time and energy helping undertake public engagement work or volunteering with disadvantaged groups in the community locally, nationally and overseas. As part of its strategic vision, the University aims to encourage greater social responsibility (Goal 3 in the Manchester 2020 Vision). The volunteer of the year Awards recognise and celebrate this activity. ‘Alumni of the year’ is one of the three award categories.

Alumni winner Dr Carl Clowes (MBChB Medicine 1967)

The judging panel is made up of University staff and representatives from the alumni, the Students’ Union and community organisations.

The overall winners in each category also receive the University Medal for Social Responsibility, part of the suite of established President's Distinguished Achievement Awards. First, second and third places receive a donation to support the organisations where they volunteer.

In 1987, Carl established Antur Llŷn, a social enterprise group that sought to identify the socio-economic needs of the whole peninsula and establish a strategic response to the maintenance of the area. He has also been involved in Nant Gwrtheyrn, a residential centre running Welsh language courses.

And his latest initiative is Ynni Aelhaearn, the co-operative’s efforts to promote green energy.

Carl has been a committed volunteer, working to promote the regeneration of the Llŷn Peninsula in rural North Wales, since he became a general practitioner. He initially set up and chaired a villagers’ association in LLanaelhaearn. In 1974, Antur Aelhaearn was born, the first community co-operative in the UK; each villager is entitled to vote to determine their own future regarding community regeneration.

In addition Highly Commended Leslie Fletcher (BSc Mathematics 1965) Olivia Barker (BA Economics 2011) Commended Nigel Tottman (BSc Biological Chemistry 1970) Chris Paul (BSc Geography 1979) Alumni award 2nd place Sian Astley (LLB Law 1993)

Alumni award 3rd place Dr Anthony Kaye (BSc Physics 1975, PhD Physics 1978)

Sian has been at the centre of a campaign to fight the proposed closure of Withington Baths. She galvanised the local community and organised a petition of over 8,000 signatures, which made Manchester City Council reverse its decision and keep the baths open until 2015.

Ataxia means ‘lack of order’, and people with ataxia – of which there are 10,000 in the UK – have problems with movement, balance and speech. Anthony is an active supporter of sufferers of this condition, which is progressive and has no known cure. Together with his wife Deanna, he started the NW London support group and they received the 2013 Ernie Heath Shield from national charity Ataxia UK, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to people affected by ataxia.

She is now looking to the future. Together with the Love Withington Baths group, she is working on a business plan for a Community Asset Transfer to ensure this essential facility stays open. Her vision builds on the baths’ use as a leisure centre and expands it into an arts, craft, food and community venue. Her commitment has given the baths a real chance of future success and survival.

The funds Anthony helps to raise for Ataxia UK go towards research into the condition as well as provide welfare grants for sufferers. He also organises activities, providing opportunities for people to meet and discover they are not alone, allowing them to draw strength and inspiration from each other.

Volunteer of the Year Awards 2015 The awards are organised by the Careers and Employability Division, which is part of the Directorate for the Student Experience. For full details of the awards and eligibility criteria visit:

www.volunteeroftheyear.manchester.ac.uk

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MAKING A DIFFErENCE

An international Doing extraordinary things images from Ben graystone’s voluntary work with the Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities in Bangkok

Each year, thanks to the generosity of our alumni and other supporters, the Alumni Association Advisory Board grants several Global Impact Awards to students who want to get involved in overseas volunteering projects. The grants of £250 are available to current Manchester students across all disciplines, except for those in their final year of study. The successful applicants are students who want to make a tangible difference to marginalised or neglected communities and so advance their own personal development. An additional Gold Award is given to the most outstanding candidate.

Ten students received Global Impact Awards in 2013. Their summer projects included working on development projects for the Access to Madagascar Initiative, teaching English at a school in the Chiang Rai region of Thailand, working with the Belarusian Children’s Hospice and teaching music in a school for blind people in Bolivia.

Gold Award-winner Ben Graystone, a first-year Adult Nursing student, travelled to Bangkok, Thailand, to volunteer with the Christian Care

Foundation for Children with Disabilities (CCD).

He had previously completed four months as a volunteer with this charity during his gap year.

“The trip has changed the way I will progress as a nurse,” he commented on his return. “The key to being an excellent nurse is being compassionate, a skill that my time with CCD allowed me to develop. I want to send a huge message of appreciation to the Alumni Association who so generously supported my trip. You have helped make it possible to transform the play area of the day-care centre and also transformed me too.”

We welcome your support if you have read anything in this magazine that has inspired you to make a financial gift to the University and to volunteer with us, please either fill out and return the enclosed donation form (on the reverse of your update form) using the envelope provided or visit: www.manchester.ac.uk/connect/alumni or www.manchester.ac.uk/collaborate/support

Through a wider lens The Manchester Global Graduates Scheme offers our students the opportunity to gain an international perspective, develop their networking skills and stand out in the competitive job market. We match the successful applicants with Manchester alumni in a range of international destinations.

The scheme, established in 2012 in collaboration with the Careers Service, is proving to be very popular and successful. We were able to increase the number of places to 28 in 2014. The destinations now include Dubai, Hong Kong, London and Paris, San Francisco, New York and Singapore.

This year, 24 of the 28 participants are from a widening participation background and have been funded by the generosity of our donors. Special thanks goes to Paul Lee, a member of the University’s Board of Governors, who funded 12 of the 15 Global Graduates in 2013 and a further 12 on the 2014 scheme.

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venus Cheung from Manchester Business school (left) with alumni mentor ronald Kong (Bsc Computer science 1987, MBA Management 2003) and global graduates ikra Ahmed and Francesca Wheeler in Hong Kong

The students interact with a range of host organisations, alumni and representatives to gain a greater understanding of their business, roles, opportunities and cities. Participating alumni are invited to discuss their career since graduation, and to share their experiences of living and working internationally.

Hassan Rehman (BSc Management 2014) said, “The trip to Dubai was an amazing experience, which has improved my employability immensely and helped me envision the development of my career. Meeting with businessmen and women helped me gain an understanding of the business environments that I had little knowledge of previously."

And Simon Jowett (MEnt Computation 2005), one of the alumni participants based in New York, commented, “[This programme] is something I would have very much wanted to take advantage of when I was at University and it is inspiring to see the next wave of talent coming through academia.”

We thank all our alumni who give such incredible experiences to some of our most deserving students. The scheme’s popularity and success mean we are keen to ensure it grows year on year, involving more students and alumni. www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/ experience/globalgraduates

perspective

The first student Engagement and Philanthropy Day at the University

American inspiration A desire to experience how development and alumni relations works in the USA led Rob Summers, Head of Regular Giving in the Division of Development and Alumni Relations, to visit the eastern states with support from the Investing in Success scheme. Launched in 2012, the scheme provides funding for employees to help them engage in a project or activity to accelerate their personal development and benefit the University.

Rob attended a conference on university fundraising and visited colleagues at the University of Chicago and at various universities in Massachusetts, including Harvard, MIT and UMass. His trip has generated many new ideas about how we can further engage our alumni and supporters. He explained, “One area that particularly stood out was how universities in the USA engage their students and young alumni in their philanthropic efforts. Many have excellent initiatives to improve awareness of the power of donations among students as soon as they arrive on campus.”

We recently held the first student engagement day at Manchester, where students were encouraged to write thank-you postcards to

donors and post messages on social media using the hash tag #ILoveUoM. New initiatives such as this are ensuring that the exposure of donor-funded projects around campus is increased, so students know just how much of an impact philanthropy has on their University experience.

A donation from alumnus Doug Hampson (BA Economics 1967) – he has been a generous supporter of our work for almost 20 years – has allowed us to create a new post within our regular giving team, and Emma Brownlow has joined us as our Regular Giving Officer (Students and Young Alumni). Emma is responsible for developing and delivering programmes through which students and young alumni can give collectively, so that the impact of their giving is as great as possible.

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The power of philanthropy The creation of new knowledge Research Impact Scholarships encourage our final-year undergraduates and recent graduates to join top-quality research teams in seeking to solve some of the most challenging problems we face today, from poverty and cancer through to global warming and debilitating medical conditions.

Opening up these research opportunities benefits the students themselves, the University and, more importantly, society at large – they are a direct form of investment in all of our futures.

We award 10 new Research Impact Scholarships each year, and this funding is only made possible by the generosity of our donors. Vicki Palin (MRes Maternal and Fetal Health 2011) is a current PhD student and a Research Impact Scholar. She is investigating ‘Glucose sensing by the placenta – the role of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway in pregnancies complicated by maternal diabetes’.

vicki Palin

Babies born to mothers with diabetes are often bigger than normal. This can cause illness in the new born and these babies have an increased chance of developing obesity, cardiovascular disease or diabetes in adulthood. Vicki is aiming to identify pathways linking excess maternal

glucose to placental growth and function. This could potentially lead to dietary interventions or drug development that will alleviate the complication of fetal over-growth.

Vicki said, “I have used the scholarship largely for my laboratory consumables, without which I could not complete the relevant experiments to investigate my project, and to pay for the unavoidable expenses that you encounter when registering for research conferences. Without the support of the University’s donors I would not be able to further my education. Fact.

I am, therefore, extremely grateful to them for their support.”

Inspiring women ‘Women’s Voices, Amplified’ is a Students’ Union initiative, which aims to give our students access to high-profile, inspirational figures, including prominent alumnae, to help them gain a better understanding of how they can be successful and make a contribution to wider society.

Women in Academia, opened by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, launched the series of discussions. Women in Sport celebrated women’s sporting achievements and discussed how to tackle barriers to young women’s participation in sport. The panel included Shelley Alexander, the Editorial Lead on Women’s sport for the BBC; Rimla Akhtar, chair of the Women’s Sport Foundation; England rugby player Sarah Hunter; former Arsenal Ladies footballer and academic Lottie Birdsall; and freelance journalist Jessica Creighton.

“The event came at a time of intense media attention around sexism in sport and on university campuses,” said Tabz O’BrienButcher, Students’ Union Women’s Officer (2013/14). “The discussions covered some of the many issues raised in the media recently as part of a lively question and answer session between the audience and panellists. It was a

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The panel members of the Women in sport event

fantastic event; ‘Women’s Voices, Amplified’ is made possible by generous support from the Learning Enrichment Fund.”

The Learning Enrichment Fund manages donations to the University to support projects – put forward by both students and staff – that enhance the student experience across campus. These have ranged from laptop charging facilities in the Library to the Disability Support Office to welcome packs for international students. The aim is to complement the University’s strategic agenda, benefiting multiple groups of students or the student body as a whole.

“

We want to promote the wider social contributions made

by Manchester students.

”

“

gulwali Passarlay

From war to lecture theatre Scholarship funding provided by our alumni and friends and the support of the Manchester Access Programme have helped an inspirational Afghani refugee settle into university life.

In 2006, Gulwali Passarlay, then aged just 12, was persuaded by his mother to make his way to England. Many members of his family, including his father, had been killed by the Taliban. Gulwali travelled through eight counties with just the clothes on his back, enduring a year of solitary hardship, hunger and loneliness.

A terrifying 50-hour sea crossing with 100 other refugees finally brought him to the UK. Penniless and speaking no English, he endured months of difficulties. Staff from the University’s Manchester Access Programme spotted his potential when visiting his college. Thanks to their support, he achieved his required A-level grades for entry on to his chosen degree – BA in Politics and Philosophy – at the University.

Gulwali was awarded a Ross Warburton – Pennine WPO Scholarship, funded by the Ross Warburton Charitable Trust, which supports disadvantaged students at the University.

gulwali with donor ross Warburton

Among his many successes, Gulwali was chosen to be one of the 15 people to join a Department for Education panel to scrutinise how policy affects young people, and he was the first Afghan to take part in the Olympic Torch Relay.

He said, “University is the most important thing in my life right now: it will enable me to achieve my ultimate goal of going back to Afghanistan to help change my country for the better. You never know – one day I might even end up being President of my country.”

”

My ultimate aim is to help change my country for the better.

Manchester Access Programme MAP and its Undergraduate Access Scholarships have seen a huge increase in alumni support in recent years. Through a combination of gifts from individuals, companies, trusts and foundations, MAP is helping to identify and support outstanding Year 12 students from less affluent backgrounds in the Greater Manchester area.

if you would like further information about how you can support our projects to enhance the student experience at Manchester, please contact: Email: supporters@manchester.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)161 306 3066 www.manchester.ac.uk/ collaborate/support

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MAKING A DIFFErENCE

“

Stories behind the giving A passion for academic aspirations Described by one colleague as “the most genuine philanthropist I’ve ever met”, Sir John Zochonis (1929-2013) (Hon LLD 1991) made a tremendous contribution to the life of the University.

He served on the Victoria University of Manchester’s Court and Council for over 20 years, and was Chair of Council from 1987-90. The Zochonis Building on Brunswick Street, home to part of the School of Psychological Sciences, is named in his honour.

Sir John’s financial generosity to the University during his lifetime resulted in the Zochonis Special Enterprise Fund, which provides travel awards for students to undertake projects or special study. The Zochonis Scholarships support local young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to study for a degree.

Through the Zochonis Charitable Trust he donated over £38 million to charities in Manchester and beyond. The University has now received a generous gift of £500,000 from the Trust in his memory. This will create a permanent endowment to fund international travel opportunities for local young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

To celebrate his lifelong passion for cricket, the University Cricket Club has received a gift of £10,000 to purchase much needed equipment, including indoor nets and wickets at the Armitage Sports Centre.

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said, “Sir John was a remarkable man and we are honoured that the Trustees have decided to mark his longterm relationship with the University in this way. Generations of students will have the opportunity to gain new international insights as part of their Manchester student experience as a result of the Trust’s generosity.”

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My mother’s greatest joy was to see the happiness my research work gave me.

”

Fanni Bogdanow, 'From Holocaust survivor to Arthurian scholar', On Arthurian Women, edited by Bonnie Wheeler and Fiona Tolhurst (Dallas: scriptorium Press, 2001)

Fanni Bogdanow following her PhD graduation in 1957

A remarkable history An alumna and academic who fled from the horrors of Nazi Germany has bequeathed over £1.5 million to the University. Fanni Bogdanow (1928-2013) (BA French 1948, MA Modern French Literature 1953, PhD Modern French Literature 1957), a former Professor of French and Medieval Studies, was one of the 10,000 Jewish children rescued by the UK in the mission known as the Kindertransport in 1939.

Her legacy will fund an annual series of lectures, taking place around Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January, and prizes for high-performing students. It includes a significant gift to provide flexible support for the University’s strategic priorities.

Professor Bogdanow was taken in by a Quaker family in Haughton Green, Manchester; her parents survived, between them, several concentration camps including Dachau and Bergen-Belsen. Her mother came to live with her in Manchester in the 1950s. She was awarded three entrance

scholarships to the University in 1945 and went on to spend much of her career here, becoming an international expert on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Dr Matthew Philpotts (BA French and German 1996, PhD German Studies 2001) is now Head of Languages and Intercultural Studies and is a former student of Professor Bogdanow. He said, “I was fortunate enough to have classes with Fanni when I was a student here. She made no secret of her background and often mentioned it in class, but I don’t think any of us realised quite how remarkable her personal story was. Like so many of the best academics, she had a considerable presence and gave us a rare insight into the importance of her subject.” www.manchesterjewishstudies.org/ bogdanow-lectures-2015

President and vice-Chancellor Professor Dame nancy rothwell with Tony and gillian Thornley

High honour for Stateside champion The latest recipient of the University’s Medal of Honour is Tony Thornley (BSc Chemistry 1967).

He has been involved with the University for many years in his roles as President of the North American Foundation for The University of Manchester (2007-13) and now as a Director of the Board. He is also an active member of the University’s Global Leadership Board.

The University has also benefited greatly from the support provided by the foundation established by Tony, his wife Gillian and their family. A generous donation has established a clinical fellowship and the Constance Thornley Chair of Regenerative Medicine, named after Tony’s mother; the first appointment to this position is Professor Giulio Cossu, well-known for his work on developing new ways to treat muscular dystrophies through cellular therapies. The Thornley family have also provided funding for master’s students and seed funding for an innovative partnership with Harvard to research regenerative medicine.

“

Tony said, “Gillian and I have been very fortunate in our lives and want to give back where we can. Giving back to the University in particular is particularly effective as the recipients of our gifts have consistently and considerably leveraged our gifts with other donations and grants, and have done ground-breaking research as a result.

“Being involved with the outstanding leaders of the University over the past ten years has been very rewarding and receiving the Medal of Honour from Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell was humbling.”

”

When choosing to support Manchester, I felt I was very much part of an important research activity that might lead to positive change in human life.

Tony Thornley

Ways to give We’re here to help you give the gift of knowledge Donors to The University of Manchester give in different ways for diverse, sometimes very personal, reasons.

However, we find that they share a common cause – a wish to work with the University to maximise its impact on the world around us for the common good.

Of the 4,477* donors who have given to the University in 2013/14, 62 per cent give regular, monthly amounts – from a few pounds a month upwards – with 72 per cent of those doing so via Direct Debit. Our donors enjoy the ease by which these gifts can be set up, safe in the knowledge that the University is processing their gift in a cost-effective and straightforward way.

If you are considering a gift and would like to find out how to do so, please visit: www.manchester.ac.uk/collaborate/ support/how-to-give Here you will find information on how to give online, by text, by telephone, by post, in person, in your will, with stocks and shares and even by making a tax efficient gift from overseas. To contact a member of staff directly: Email: supporters@manchester.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)161 306 3066 *Figures correct at time of going to press.

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MAKING A DIFFErENCE

The Manchester connection Alumni based all over the world have been gathering to share memories, contacts and ideas with each other and the University. Here we highlight a few of the events that have taken place in the last year.

To keep informed about the latest alumni events in the UK or overseas, register for the exclusive alumni community website and make sure your details are updated regularly.

Email: alumnievents@manchester.ac.uk your.manchester.ac.uk

The 2013 London Alumni Dinner was held on HMS Belfast on the Thames. A view from one of the portholes offered up a wonderful view of the Shard.

The School of Arts, Languages and Culture hosted a Speed Networking event bringing current students and alumni together.

Speed networking events are just one of the ways in which alumni can volunteer to enhance student employability.

Alumni Alumni living in Turkey met for an open-air reception in Istanbul.

Chilean alumni came together to mark the official launch of The University of Manchester Alumni Association. The British Ambassador to Chile, Fiona Clouder, held a reception in the Ambassador’s Residence and 50 Manchester graduates from many different academic and professional disciplines attended.

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Politics and Modern History alumni met at Portcullis House in London to launch their own network. The hosts were University Chancellor Tom Bloxham MBE (BA Politics and Modern History 1996, Hon LittD 2007) and (pictured above) Jonathan Reynolds MP (BA Politics and Modern History 2001).

The University of Manchester Alumni Association of Hong Kong meets regularly for social and networking events.

The London Alumni Network was re-launched with an event at the Royal Institute of British Architects Hub. Katherine Leopold (BA German and Linguistics 2001), the co-ordinator of the network and member of the Alumni Association Advisory Board, welcomed attendees.

events Donors, many of whom are alumni, met with some of our student scholarship recipients at a Donor and Volunteer Thank You event.

The newly invigorated Singapore Alumni Association hosted a number of events throughout the year, including a Speed Networking session. The Association celebrated its 10th anniversary with a gala dinner as this magazine went to press – visit our website for photographs of the event.

Insights Lectures on ‘The Responsible Artist’ and ‘Graphene: no small matter’ were enjoyed by alumni in Manchester and London. Our academics continue to bring cutting-edge research and thought-provoking discussions to the alumni community.

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MAKING A DIFFErENCE

The changing face of the Alumni Association

Former students have been increasingly involved with the University over recent years, and our alumni relations programme of social events, annual alumni magazine and regular e-newsletters has been enhanced by an impressive range of volunteering opportunities, increased engagement with alumni representative elections, and more focus on regional and internationally based alumni groups and their activities.

With these changes came a need for us to review the Alumni Association Constitution to ensure it provided a sound framework for an everimproving alumni programme. The new Alumni Association Constitution was passed at an Open Meeting of the Alumni Association on 3 April 2014, and was accepted by a meeting of the University’s Board of Governors in May. Modernising the Constitution has meant that we now have a document that not only encourages members of the Association to engage with the University and each other, but it also encourages alumni to support the University’s strategic plans, particularly in improving the experience and employability of current students, alumni volunteering and philanthropy.

Another exciting change is the provision of online voting in all alumni elections. We took advantage of this change for this year’s elections to the General Assembly and over 2,000 of you voted – thank you! This increased involvement with our elections is fantastic.

Other changes include the automatic inclusion on the ‘register of alumni voters’ for those graduate members with an active email address on the alumni database; the replacement of one AGM with two Open Meetings of the Association; the inclusion of three elected members on the Alumni Association Advisory Board; and the introduction of ‘affiliate’ membership of the Association for students who have completed at least a semester of study with us to introduce them to the alumni programme.

A graduation ceremony in Whitworth Hall, July 2014

Innovation at the Library we have now expanded the range of publications available to our alumni through your Manchester Online. registered users can access: a digital archive of over 1,500 academic journals

content hosted on the SAGE Journals, SAGE research Methods and SAGE Knowledge platforms

transform your approach to career interviews and applications with access to over 2,000 company reports

a comprehensive database of UK companies, directors and shareholders and the links between them.

All you need to do is register with Your Manchester online. once we’ve verified your account, you can login and click through to the relevant search directories. This service is free of charge and is another excellent perk of being part of the Manchester alumni community. your.manchester.ac.uk/library-resources

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Keep in touch We use online media for the majority of our communications.

• Please ensure that you are invited to participate in alumni elections by registering an active email address with us. (if you receive regular e-newsletters, then we have your email address already.) You can update your details online at your.manchester.ac.uk • if you are not able to vote online, you can request a postal vote by emailing us at alumni@manchester.ac.uk • The Alumni Association Constitution can be found at www.your.manchester.ac.uk/ constitution

LOOKING BACK

Pat Case (second left) with friends Ann Broughton, Pat Conroy and Mary Park

Sharing memories Student life in the 1950s Every decade in the life of The University of Manchester includes memorable, defining moments for its students. What may have seemed everyday to our graduates becomes fascinating for today’s students. And, as Claire Kilner, Deputy Director and Head of Alumni & Donor Communications & Engagement, says, “Every now and then we have the good fortune to find alumni who are happy to share their memories of their time here.”

Pat Case CBE (BA Arts 1953, CertEd 1954, BA Econ 1970) became a student at the Victoria University of Manchester in 1950. Whilst we sometimes think of a golden era when students did not need to work to meet tuition fees and living costs, Pat, like many of her contemporaries, found employment to supplement the £175 grant she received from Lancashire County Council. She was not unusual and remembers, “Everyone worked. I worked. I worked as an orderly to pay for my accommodation; others picked peas or were chamber maids.”

Pat was active within the Women’s Union and was President in 1953/54. Many of the students at that time, so soon after World War II, were ex-servicemen; ration books were still operational; men outnumbered women three to one; a major concern on campus was the fight against the communist threat; the University celebrated a centenary (Owen’s College, which later became the Victoria University of Manchester was founded in 1851); and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth (the late Queen Mother) visited the campus.

Sharing these times was fellow student and friend, Paul Livesey (BSc Mathematics and Physics 1950, BA (Com) 1953). He arrived in Manchester in 1947, studying under the renowned physicists

Patrick Blackett and Bernard Lovell and eminent mathematician Sir James Lighthill, as well as the UK’s first black professor, Arthur Lewis. He very quickly became involved with the Students’ Union, first as RAG Stunt Secretary and finally as President in 1952/53.

guests at a fo

rmal dinner da

nce

He also recalls that a good proportion of students were ex-servicemen, saying, “I learnt a lot from my time in the Union, from being in contact with older men with experience who had been through a lot of things during the war years.” Through his Union activities, Paul was involved nationally and internationally with organisations such as the World University Service (WUS), which provided support to students in developing countries, particularly Africa.

Both Pat and Paul remain connected to the University and the friends they made as students.

Pat retired from the University’s General Assembly as the Lancashire County Council representative in 2013 after many years of service, and she and Paul still meet other former NUS Executive and Student Officers and friends at reunions. visit your.manchester.ac.uk/ alumni-memories for more of Pat’s and Paul’s own recollections.

iversity in th vising the Un Queen Elizabe

May 1951

Would you like to share your Manchester memories? see page 14 for details of how to contact Dr James Hopkins, University Historian and Heritage Manager.

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