page 29
page 28 Snapshot Travel photoBristol competition
45 The left’spage future? The Walking Dead returns page 8
page 15 Drone warfare
Issue 268 Monday 25th November 2013 www.epigram.org.uk University of Bristol Independent Student Newspaper
A great escape Students hitchhike across Europe for charity Stephanie Rihon News Online Editor
• Winning team reaches Ukrainian border • £10,589 raised for charity • 26,208km travelled
Marketa Brabkova
Andrew Armson
90 students from across the university took part in the first Jailbreak weekend of the year. The event, organised by RAG, raised over £10,000 for charity – the largest amount raised in a single Jailbreak. 39 teams of students were given 36 hours to travel as far away from Bristol as they could without paying for transport, all in the name of charity. This year the teams travelled a collective distance of 26,208km, comparable to over halfway around the world. 87% of the teams made it out of the UK, travelling to destinations such as Brussels, Berlin, Vienna and Bordeaux. Those who remained in the UK still made a solid effort and managed to get down to Dover. The winning team, ‘The A Team’, consisted of 3rd year medics Amy Samson and Andrew Armson, as well as Epigram’s own Alex Bradbrook, a 3rd year geography student. The three described their Jailbreak journey as ‘nothing short of incredible’. ‘The A Team’ managed to hitchhike rides
with five different drivers to get to Rzeszow, Poland. Bradbrook said ‘we are indebted to Clara & Bev, Matthew, Birgit, Pawel and Eric & Anna for their generosity, from buying us Polish dumplings and McDonald’s to giving us CDs of Polish trance music and providing us with beers!’ Each team was tracked throughout by RAG, ensuring their safety. Team ‘Fast Food Fiasco’ finished their journey in Amsterdam, making it to France with the help of some Romanian lorry drivers who came to their aid despite not speaking a word of English. Although the majority of participants were fortunate in securing free transport, some teams were not as honest in their methods, with ‘The Great Escape’ hiding on a train to Genk, Belgium, to avoid paying fares. Regardless of the students’ methods, the weekend raised £10,589 for several different charities including Alzheimer’s Society, Make A Wish Foundation, Cancer Research UK and MS Society. This year saw a large rise in the number of students completing Jailbreak due to its success in previous years. Chemistry student Zachary Edelen reached Monte Carlo with partner Martha Male in the last Jailbreak cycle and commented that aside from raising money, one of the high points of the adventure is the sense of accomplishment you achieve, because ‘you never realise you can do it yourself until you’re there, 500 miles from Bristol’.
Space race:
student wins chance to fly to space Andrew Armson
19 year old University of Bristol student, Jocelino Rodrigues, is one of four UK finalists who will undergo astronaut training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre this December, competing for the chance to travel into space. Our Jailbreak journey: ‘The A Team’ speak exclusively to Epigram on page 3