Alumni News

We are delighted to share the following news of our alumni. Please do get in touch (alumni@homerton.cam.ac.uk ) if you would like to include an update in the next issue.

1950s

Gillian Erskine (née Wilson) (CertEd 1954–56) wrote to us in her capacity as a justly proud grandmother. “Our seven-year-old granddaughter Wrenny Erskine recently astonished us by landing a part in the West End musical Les Miserables. She plays ‘Little Cossette’, dressed in rags, and enters sweeping the floor of an inn. All alone she puts down her broom, comes to the front and sings a solo called Castle on a Cloud, then a scene with the leading man, her stage father, in which they do a little dance together. Aged 85, I think I’m more proud of this than anything in my entire life!”

1970s

Deborah Hofman (née Brass) (BEd 1979–83) and her husband Martin (St John’s), sold their holiday cottage business in Earl Sterndale, Buxton, and look forward to an active retirement in Winster, Derbyshire.

Mary Powles (née Underwood) (BEd 1978–82) has published her third novel, Misplaced Fortune, which explores themes of love and loss with gentle humour.

1980s

Jo Browing Wroe (BEd 1981–85) will see her first novel, A Terrible Kindness, published by Faber early next year. The novel, which was shortlisted for the Bridport Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award, tells the story of a 19-year-old embalmer’s response to the Aberfan disaster in 1966. Louise Joyner, Associate Publisher at Faber, said:

“Spending time with the characters in Jo’s astonishing debut was one of those unforgettable encounters. A novel with deep emotional truth at its heart, and wit, honesty and resilience pulsing through every paragraph. It is a very special debut and one we all feel really honoured to be publishing.”

Jo is Creative Writing Supervisor at Lucy Cavendish College.

Mary Powles

Liz Clifford (BEd 1981–85) has completed her MA in Fine Art at the University for the Creative Arts.

Emma Haggas (BEd 1982–86) held a solo exhibition of her recent paintings entitled Living Landscape at Cricket Fine Art, Chelsea in September.

Dr Claire Saunders (née Escott) (BEd 1988–92) achieved her Doctorate in July 2020. An EdD thesis, entitled ‘Building a community of writers in a university: an ethnographic study’ was examined in an online viva and passed with minor corrections, which were completed within six weeks.

In the same month, Claire was appointed Director of the Scholarship and Innovation Centre in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies at the Open University. The centre oversees the faculty’s research into teaching and learning in higher education.

2000s

Wonderful news of a trio of first-born sons for Homerton alumni of the 2000s!

Congratulations to Kayleigh Brooks (née Owen) and Ryan Brooks (both BA Law 2008–11), who welcomed Owen Brooks, in October 2020.

Congratulations to Kirsty Daws (née Ballard) (BA Education with Geography 2006–9) and her husband Will Daws (Queens’ College, BA Economics, 1997) whose son, Jesse William Daws, was born at the end of 2020.

Congratulations to Jasmine Heaton (née Humphries) (BA Geography, 2009–12) whose son, John Heaton, was born in February 2020 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Afolabi Alli, by Xanthe Burdett

2010s

Xanthe Burdett (BA Education, 2015–18) found that lockdown gave her the time and space to focus on her long-term ambitions in oil painting. She quickly found herself juggling multiple portrait commissions and, over the past year, has been selected for the Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition at the Mall Galleries and the Green and Stone Summer Exhibition, at which she won a Highly Commended Award. Her portrait of a friend, actor Afolabi Alli, is currently on display as part of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition, and sold on the second day.

Olivia Choudhury (BA Law, 2014–18) has achieved tenancy at Deans Court Chambers in Manchester, where she commenced pupillage last year.

“I’m very excited to be taken on as a tenant and

move forward with my career as a family law barrister! If it weren’t for everyone at Homerton, especially the members of the Law Faculty, I know I would not be where I am today.”

James Hayes (BA Land Economy, 2017–2020) has published his debut novel, The Lies Behind Cambridge Minds, an exploration of the pressures of Cambridge life, through The Conrad Press. The book is available to buy in paperback and on Kindle via Amazon. James recently completed his Masters in Sociology at St Cross College, Oxford, and works as a corporate banker at Santander.

Danielle Keohane (BA Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, 2014–17), discussed her experience of being born with a cleft lip and palate, and the challenges of undergoing 28 rounds of facial surgery, on BBC Radio 4’s New Storytellers in July. Danielle is a researcher at the University of the West of England, where she is studying the psychology of those affected by craniofacial conditions.

Alistair McMaster (BA Natural Sciences, 2013–16) and Rüdiger Schlossnikl (BA MEng Chemical Engineering 2013–17) travelled to Russia to climb Europe’s highest mountain Mount Elbrus which stands at 5642m. The five-day expedition went smoothly and both successfully summited. The trip raised over £2,500 for Anthony Nolan, a UK-based blood cancer charity.

Helena Cassio Fernandes (MPhil Education, 2019–20) moved to Switzerland in 2021 to take up the role of Artisan of Education at Rosenberg International boarding school, where she teaches Spanish, English and Italian.

Alistair McMaster and Rudiger Schlossniki, on the summit of Mount Elbrus