Year end review for supporters 2017/18
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Contents
Welcome
4-5
A close-knit community
6-7
Making connections through our alumni network
8-9
A helping hand for students with disabilities
10
Investing in the future
11
The gift of education
12-13
Inspiring individuals to succeed
14
A lifetime of giving
15
Honouring the memory
16-17
Generosity of donors
18-19
The gift of time
20-21
An eventful year
22-23
Content Contributor Jessica Jonzen, BA English 2004
Keep in touch If you have any questions about supporting Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, please contact us or visit the website: rhbnc.ac.uk/giving +44 (0)1784 414478 development@rhbnc.ac.uk alumni@rhbnc.ac.uk Royal Holloway and Bedford New College Alumni & Friends – Official facebook.com/rhbncalumni @RHBNCalumni
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College is an exempt charity (XN69536).
Message from the Principal Building. We now have a centrally located state-of-the-art library, student services centre and careers and employability service, as well as event and exhibition spaces. We were delighted to host Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Chancellor of the University of London at the opening, where students from Royal Holloway’s Community Action volunteering scheme were also presented with the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. We are also proud to continue our founders’ philanthropic legacy, and focus on social action, through an inspirational Vote 100 celebration which included our busiest Festival of History and the Heritage Lottery Funded Citizens’ project, among many other events. This year has seen our first graduates in Law, and our innovation in the curriculum is continuing with a new integrated academic strategy, providing greater research links with our teaching to enable students to work with leaders in their field and on some of the most challenging problems facing society.
Looking back over the past 12 months, I am very proud of everything that we have achieved as a community at Royal Holloway. We are one of the fastest risers in the league tables and I believe that our founders’ vision of an inclusive, academically-excellent university lives on today. Our success in attracting students to study at Royal Holloway has given us the confidence to invest in our most ambitious building project yet, the striking new Emily Wilding Davison
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Our academic staff have continued to demonstrate leadership in their subject areas. For example, in Physics, Professor Phil Meeson has secured a state of the art clean room that will enable cutting-edge research into quantum devices. In English, three academics, Professor Adam Roberts, Professor Ben Markovits and Nikita Lalwani, have received the prestigious honour of being elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature. Professor Klaus Dodds, Geography, has been appointed Specialist Adviser for the Changing Arctic inquiry, working with the Government’s Environmental Audit Select Committee on the UK's role in Arctic sustainability and Professor Mark Brown, Biological Sciences, has been awarded a €9m grant to lead POSHBEE, a world-first study on bee health across the UK and Europe. We have truly world-leading academics. Your generosity and that of all our alumni and friends is key to ensuring that we remain one of the UK’s leading universities and have an equally successful year in 2018-2019. Professor Paul Layzell DL Principal
Welcome to our 2017/18 year-end review Here at Royal Holloway we are working together to inspire individuals to succeed academically, personally and professionally. Our founders, who established Bedford College and Royal Holloway College, wanted to bring education and knowledge to all who could benefit. This review celebrates the initiatives and projects which have been made possible by you. By giving to the University, financially, or by volunteering your time and expertise, you are making a difference. Our students have the potential to be the leaders of the future and to make a positive difference in the world beyond our campus. Your support is helping them to succeed. Thank you. In the last financial year, thanks to your support, we have raised £1.24 million in donations from over 1000 donors, received legacy gifts from former students and colleagues and received the gift of time and expertise from hundreds of volunteers.
Your impact in numbers 2017/18
Total £1.24m
For the year ahead, we will continue to help our students to succeed by making scholarships, employability initiatives, research and support for Disability and Dyslexia Services, our priority projects for fundraising. In addition, our Greatest Needs Fund will provide the University with the flexibility to invest where there is an opportunity to enrich the experience of our students. Each year we also aim to fund a number of special academic projects which enhance the vital research work taking place on campus. More information about the impact of all of these priority areas is included throughout this review. To all of our alumni, donors and supporters: you are an integral part of the Royal Holloway community. I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to you for the valuable contribution that you make to enriching the lives of our students and to advancing knowledge that has the potential to change our world for the better. Caroline Hawley
Director of Development and Alumni Relations
Philanthropic income Disability and Dyslexia Services Greatest Needs Fund Scholarships and Awards Research and special projects Legacies Employability initiatives Citizens project Donor investments
£26,000 £82,000 £464,000 £270,000 £72,000 £22,000 £146,000 £166,000
All figures rounded to the nearest thousand.
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A close-knit
community Royal Holloway pulls together for The Big Give Christmas Challenge to raise funds for students Royal Holloway was a hive of activity when we closed 2017 with a week of extraordinary events to raise vital funds for our students. The Big Give Christmas Challenge was held between 28 November and 5 December and saw over 1,000 online and on-campus donors and participants raise an incredible £120,582 (including gift aid) in just seven days, to go towards scholarships and work placements. The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest online matched funding campaign which helps charities to double the value of donations to their cause. The campaign was founded by Royal Holloway Honorary Fellow, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Sir Alec Reed CBE in 2007, and has raised over £71 million for more than 2,500 charity projects. On campus, the challenge began with a launch festival in the newly-opened Emily Wilding Davison Building featuring fantastic performances from student groups, including a display by the Fencing Club, and performances by the Royal Holloway Chapel Choir and Orchestra. There were also festive activities including a bake sale, a ‘Count the Haribo’ challenge, present-wrapping service and even the chance to have a selfie taken with Rudolf! Colossus, the University mascot, also made an appearance.
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Meanwhile, a small team of engagement and fundraising ambassadors were making contact with alumni who had previously expressed an interest in giving to the University, and sharing how, by donating to The Big Give, they could double the value of their gift.
Fundraising activities continued throughout the week with a festive market and film screenings organised by the Film Society. Students and staff alike participated in the Challenge and were inspired:
“ Being part of the Big Give was a lot of fun. I was able to fit in helping to fundraise alongside my degree, as I was part of an amazing team… I think that the University should definitely do this again, as it is an invaluable opportunity to support students in their time here at Royal Holloway, as well as enabling cutting-edge research to occur through research scholarships. I think very often we don’t realise that many students struggle to afford university. With the increase in tuition fees and the steep rise in the cost of living, so too does the number of talented students facing financial difficulty.” Sam, BA Geography 2018.
“ I am delighted to have been involved in The Big Give for the second year running and this time as an initial pledger. The concept of being able to double the value of my gift was what really attracted me as it meant double the money would be going to support an area of the University that is very close to my heart – orchestral scholarships. I am so grateful for all the support I received when I was at Royal Holloway; now I am in a position to give something back, I gladly do so and what better way to do that than through The Big Give!” Jenny, Music 1977.
A huge thank you to all the students, staff, donors and supporters who participated in The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2017, without whose help we would not have met our target. Here’s to next year’s challenge! For more information, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact the Regular Giving Manager.
£120,582
RAISED
Thanks to the considerable amount of money raised, 17 students are set to receive scholarships of between £2,000 and £10,000, enabling them to join us here at the University and flourish in our unique, inspirational community. Six students will benefit from a six-week work placement in their chosen field, providing the important work experience essential to securing a graduate-level position. Finally, students in the Departments of English and Geography will receive a range of performance-related prizes for years to come.
FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND WORK PLACEMENTS
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Making
connections thr
Our alumni network consists of over 90,000 alumni worldwide. Staying in touch and involved after graduation is of benefit to our alumni both socially and professionally. Mexican playwright Diego Sosa has recently finished a PhD in Media Arts and Theatre at Royal Holloway, following on from a Masters in Playwriting. He explains how being part of our worldwide network of alumni is helping him. How has being part of the Royal Holloway alumni network helped you? I had the opportunity to work with various members of my course throughout my stay here in London. I staged a play for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014 which was performed by students from Royal Holloway. I also wrote and produced a play, Faustaff, which was staged simultaneously in Mexico City and London, and Frank Kaye, the British director that went to Mexico to direct the play there, was an alumnus of the MA course in Directing at Royal Holloway. I’ve managed to create a network not only of friendship but also working relationships with other alumni.
You studied for your Bachelor’s degree in your home country of Mexico. Why did you choose Royal Holloway for your Masters in 2013? I wanted to go to the UK to study theatre, and Royal Holloway was one of the very few universities – if not the only one – in the country that offered a programme in Playwriting. It was really surprising. When I saw pictures of the campus on Royal Holloway’s website I simply knew I had to apply. I was so happy when I learned that I had been offered a place.
Graduation after my MA will stay with me. Going to the National Theatre with my colleagues from the MA in Drama after an intense class in London and building a snowman with my friends in the car park at Highfield Court are special memories. I wrote a play based upon a film by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí and I had the opportunity to show that with professional actors in front of students and staff from the Media Arts department, who were pretty impressed by the work – that was a highlight.
What was your experience of being an international student at Royal Holloway like?
What does being a Royal Holloway alumnus mean to you?
I got a very strong sense of the international community at Royal Holloway – that was the first thing that struck me as a student from overseas. There was a lot of effort made by the staff to put us in touch with other international students. I remember that I met my Venezuelan friend Matthew at a ‘speed dating’ event – it was a bit of a misleading name because it was about meeting everyone, not getting a date!
Coming to another country and studying at Royal Holloway has made me a better writer and person. I’m inclined to go back to Mexico and share everything that I’ve learned, not only at Royal Holloway but throughout this experience of studying abroad, with my own country. To have an experience as an international student I think is essential for anyone pursuing further education so I’d encourage other Mexican students to try to come. I think that my experiences here and the amount of knowledge that I’ve been able to acquire at Royal Holloway is going to open a lot of doors for me.
Have you stayed in touch with the friends you made during your time at Royal Holloway? I keep in touch with most of the students with whom I did my MA course, and in particular the Latin American students who went on to get jobs in London.
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What are some of your best memories from your time at the University?
For more information, please contact the Alumni Relations team.
“ I’ve managed to create a network not only of friendship, but also of working relationships with other alumni.”
rough our alumni network
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over 90,000 alumni in 165 countries Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Bermuda Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Channel Islands Chile China Colombia Costa Rica
Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England Estonia Ethiopia Faroe Islands Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guyana Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia
Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia
Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Nothern Ireland Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territory Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar RĂŠunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Lucia Saudi Arabia Scotland Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone
Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Viet Nam Wales Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
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helping
A hand for students with disabilities Generous donations, including that from a former member of staff, are enabling students to achieve their potential without barriers. As a member of staff at Royal Holloway for more than 30 years, Dr Graham Twigg has long been a dedicated supporter of the University. Having secured a lectureship with the Department of Zoology in 1959, Graham remained an inspiring member of staff until his retirement in 1990. Graham’s support has continued well into his retirement, as executor of Professor Percy Butler’s Will which established the Percy Butler Scholarships in Zoology (see overleaf) and now, as a donor supporting students with disabilities. “If young people have a disability yet are able to get to university, I feel they need all the help they can get” says Graham.
“ If this cannot be provided by the institution then I think that those who have benefitted from university should be prepared to put something back to help those who face additional challenges.” Having spent the major part of his working life at Royal Holloway, Graham’s connection to the University has lasted for nearly 60 years. “Royal Holloway was the perfect place for me” he says. “Now that the University is so large I wish to help it on its way and money is one way of helping.” There are nearly 1,000 students at Royal Holloway registered with the Disability and Dyslexia Services (DDS), whose conditions affect their learning in a variety of ways. The University is committed to removing the physical, procedural and attitudinal barriers which may stand in the way of a student achieving their academic potential. The major resource is the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) but government cuts
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have led to a shortfall in this critical area of funding, for all but the most severely affected. For students who require learning support, assistive software that enables them to study more independently is an invaluable resource. There are ten new laptops with images and software that will bring the greatest benefit to our students. The laptops, generously donated by Graham and others, are stored in lockers in the DDS office and are available for use by registered students on campus or can be booked out for use at home over a period of time. MSc Social Work student, Ted, struggles with severe dyslexia. Assisted by the DDS support team, he is currently being trained to use ‘read aloud’ technology for up to three hours a week (30 hours per term). Ted does not have his own laptop but is being provided one by DDS. “It’s made my life so much easier and being supported on a weekly basis has transformed my sense of self-belief” he says. Henrietta is in her third year studying Law. “Being able to borrow a laptop this way meant there was close contact with kind members of staff who were understanding of my situation. The laptop has allowed me to complete my coursework at home while I was ill which I otherwise would have been unable to do. I am so grateful to the donors and for the brilliant organisation of this service. I can never thank you enough for alleviating the extra pressure at a very stressful time.” Graham is delighted with the outcome of his gift so far.
“ I understand that it has been warmly received by the students and that pleases me very much. I hope that they will all get good degrees and go on to do wonderful things. I wish I was their age again.” Royal Holloway is hugely grateful for the additional support we are able to provide to these students thanks to generous donations. For more information, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact the Development Managers.
Investing in the future Zoology PhD student Camilla explains what being one of the inaugural recipients of the Percy Butler Scholarship means to her. “ If it wasn’t for the scholarship, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to apply.”
When Professor Percy Butler, the former Head of the Department of Zoology at Royal Holloway, passed away in 2015, he left an unexpected and extremely generous gift to the University. Professor Butler had spent the last 16 years of his career teaching at Royal Holloway, inspiring generations of students to embark on ambitious research projects. Now, his passion for research lives on through his legacy gift, which is transforming the academic careers of its first three beneficiaries. Camilla, now in the third and final year of her PhD says that the funding made it possible for her to continue her studies. Camilla’s PhD focuses on the effect of hunting pressures on primate species behaviour. The scholarship enabled her to spend eight months during her second year doing field research studying monkeys on the border of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
“It was really challenging because there was a lot of preparation involved – not only the science itself but also the logistics. I managed to get a great amount of data and learnt a lot about myself. So far, it’s the biggest thing I’ve achieved” says Camilla. In August, Camilla was invited to present some of her results at a conference in Kenya. “I still have some funds from the scholarship to go to at least another conference in the third year, if not two” she says. “The Percy Butler Scholarship has given me a chance to do something that I probably wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. It’s helped me to grow and made me achieve and work towards my future career” says Camilla. “It was a wonderful thing for Percy Butler to leave these funds to support PhD students.” For more information, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact the Development Managers.
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The
gift
of education
“ There’s so much power that you have over your own life, regardless of your circumstances – you can always do more than you think you can.”
Tandza was the recipient of the Royal Holloway – Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA Excellence Scholarship, set up between her school in Swaziland and Royal Holloway. As she graduates with a BSc in Management, she tells us what the opportunity has meant to her. When I was 12, I went to Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, a boarding school in Swaziland which exposed me to different perspectives, tolerance and different ways of thinking. It was an amazing seven years of my life which were pivotal to moulding me, and put me on my journey to Royal Holloway. I was studying Higher Physics, Higher Maths and Higher Economics and knew that I wanted to pursue a finance or business-related degree, so I started looking at courses in South Africa and the UK. The tricky thing was that I needed to get funding. That was when my guidance counsellor told me about the new scholarship at Royal Holloway. He had studied here – and I found out that my close friend’s dad had too. When I looked into the courses I could see that it was something that I could do, so that’s how I got hooked on the dream. I was at home the day the email finally arrived after six months of waiting. I didn’t want to open it on my own so I called my dad and he came home and opened the email. I’d got it! We were so excited. It was surreal. Everyone was so proud and it was also a huge financial load off them and they could focus the finances on my younger brother. Four months later, in September 2015, I arrived at Royal Holloway. It was such a strange feeling: on one hand, I thought it was amazing, but it was also the first time that I’d ever left the African continent. After the initial excitement died down, everything started to sink in. I thought: ‘right, it’s just you and the world, girl’. I’ve made the most of the opportunities I’ve had at Royal Holloway. I’ve played basketball for the past three years and we’ve won the London Schools Cup and the BUCS Cup semi-finals. I’ve been the Volunteering and Opportunities Secretary for the team as well.
The experience has been everything that I wanted it to be: I’ve grown mentally, my confidence is better and I’ve grown more into the person that I had hoped I would be. It’s easy to feel confident when you’re in your comfort zone – it’s only when you’re out of it that you start to learn who you really are. I think you have to fake it till you make it, and in the end, I made it. My confidence now is truly me, it’s not something that depends on which environment I’m in. I don’t think my dream job exists so I’m going to need to create it. Ideally, I’d like to end up in the FinTech world, trying to empower Swazi women financially. Women in Swaziland are the backbone of the country; women who have little shops and manage to put food on the table and send their children to school. If those women had access to real capital, and the collaboration between small and medium business enterprises could be increased, there is so much that we could benefit from. Being awarded the Waterford Kamhlaba Scholarship of Excellence to study at Royal Holloway has taught me a lot about myself. It’s taught me about timing and opportunity and staying ready, so that when the opportunities that you’ve been dreaming of arrive, you are able to step up to the plate. It’s also taught me that you can handle much more than you think you can. There’s so much power that you have over your own life, regardless of your circumstances – you can always do more than you think you can. If there’s something that you want then there’s absolutely nothing that should stop you from getting it. For more information, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact the Development Managers.
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Inspiring
individuals to succeed In today’s competitive job market, to stand out from the crowd, it is widely accepted that quality work experience is essential. According to The Graduate Market 2018, an extensive survey carried out by High Fliers Research, “More than a third of recruiters… repeated their warnings from previous years – that graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process for the top employers’ graduate programmes.” To help students gain this essential experience, we have introduced a work placements programme, organised in partnership with the Careers and Employability Service. Since September 2016, over 107 work placements and internships have taken place, giving Royal Holloway students the opportunity to gain valuable, paid work experience. In 2017/18, we were able to support 31 placements at companies including Simon & Schuster, Gatwick Airport, Towerhouse LLP, Walker Books and many more.
“ The fund for work placements aligns with our tradition of social inclusion and opening up opportunity and our strategic objective to offer excellent, personalised education that equips our students with knowledge and skills for success in a competitive, global workplace”, Liz Wilkinson, Director of Careers and Employability.
Imran
Ruoxi
I was really lucky to do an internship with Costain, an engineering company which works in transport systems… oil, gas and nuclear energy. The work during my internship focused on gas compressing. There were lots of things that I liked about the company and working in an office broke the stereotype. It was very informal and not boring! I would feel much more confident and happy applying for a job like that in the future. Costain is based in Manchester and so the internship was invaluable in paying for my accommodation and travel for two weeks while I was there. It was an amazing experience. Thank you.
For my placement, I spent four weeks working for Media Pioneers, an independent TV production company in London. This has been one of the best opportunities for me to step into the TV industry and I have gained both valuable skills and contacts for future use. Since my placement last summer, I have now been offered a part time position as Project Assistant at the company, where I now work alongside my third-year studies. None of this would have been possible without the placement opportunity in the beginning.
BSc Petroleum Geology – Costain
BA Media Arts – Media Pioneers
In order to help another 100+ students find work placements, we need to raise over £100,000. For more information, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact the Development Managers.
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A lifetime of
giving
When it comes to making a donation to Royal Holloway, no gift is too small. We meet alumnus Michael Cock, who has been making affordable monthly donations to the University since 1998
Regular gifts are the lifeblood of funding to Royal Holloway and a monthly donation of a manageable sum can add up to something very significant for the University. Accountant Michael Cock graduated from Royal Holloway in 1988 with BSc Biology and made his first gift to the University in 1998. Starting with a monthly gift of £5, Michael kindly increased this to £10 per month and has now been making these donations for 20 years. “There are so many deserving causes, it's almost impossible to choose whom to give to so my preference is to give to organisations and charities that I have a personal connection with” says Michael.
“ I was inspired to give regularly because I knew that I would always be grateful to the University for the education, experiences and friends that I found there.” Michael was of the generation that was fortunate enough to go to university before fees were introduced. “I had a full student grant from my local authority and actually finished my studies
with more money than I started with as a fresher!” He says. “I would never be able to do that today and I feel so sorry for people studying now who will live with debt for years after they graduate. I want to repay my own ‘debt’ by helping the University to help current students make the most of their time at Royal Holloway.” Alumni can be put off making donations to their alma mater as they worry that it must be a large lump sum, but every gift is gratefully received by the University and these donations can really make a difference. “At the time I started giving regularly, I knew that I couldn't afford to give a large amount in one go, but that a small regular amount would be manageable” says Michael. “The important thing was that I wanted to give something back, so I gave what I could. Royal Holloway means a great deal to me. I hope that students there today will feel the same in 30 years’ time as I do.” The University is extremely grateful to Michael for his longstanding support.
If you would like more information on regular gifts, please contact the Regular Giving Manager.
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Honouring the memory The Bedford Society continues to keep the spirit and values of Bedford College alive and thriving with a programme of events and activities linked to its academic and social ethos. It also helps to raise funds for Bedford Society Scholarships so that the name and achievements of Bedford can live on. This centenary year of the granting of the vote to women has been especially busy for the Society and the Committee, with a full calendar of events to commemorate Bedford’s links with suffrage, as well as several reunions including History and Languages reunions at 11 Bedford Square. Maggs Bros, the antiquarian booksellers who now occupy 48 Bedford Square, the original home of Bedford College, also generously hosted an alumni event this year. As well as providing opportunities for Bedfordians – both former staff and students - to reconnect with each other, these events also serve to raise awareness of the Bedford Society Scholarship Fund. This year, the Society helped raise over £35,000 towards the Scholarship Fund, giving opportunities to the most talented students who might not otherwise be able to continue with postgraduate studies.
Earlier this year, alumna Dr Claire Gobbi Daunton, Chair of the Bedford Society Committee, was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University in recognition of her unstinting and enthusiastic work for the Society and the Committee. In her speech accepting the Fellowship, Claire said “The success of the Society is down to both my fellow Committee members and to all of you, members of the Society, and I thank you for your ongoing involvement and support”. The time, expertise, connections and donations which Committee and Society members have contributed to the University have been invaluable. A heartfelt thank you from the scholarship recipients and from the University for your support. For more information about the Society please contact the Alumni Relations team.
“ I would like to say a big thank you to the donors of the Bedford Society, for without your support and generous funding I would not have been able to study a Marketing MA. Throughout the course, the Bedford Society Scholarship has given me confidence in my ability and continues to fuel me to reach my full potential; I am truly grateful for this. I have also thoroughly enjoyed meeting some of the alumni at various Society events and look forward to meeting more of you in the near future.” Sophie, a beneficiary of a 2017/18 scholarship.
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The Bedford Society
The newly-established Professor Bill Chaloner Memorial Award honours a muchloved member of staff and supports a new generation of scientists. Last October, Royal Holloway celebrated the life of Professor William (Bill) G. Chaloner. When he passed away in October 2016, Bill left behind an astonishing body of work and generations of inspired former students. Regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on fossil plants, he pioneered new methods for their study and is considered one of the founders of the research field of palynology, which uses fossil pollen and spores from ancient rocks to interpret plant evolution and to reconstruct environments of the past. Bill taught widely throughout the University of London, including at both Bedford and Royal Holloway. A brilliant mind, he was also a lively and enthusiastic teacher whose passion for botany and geology shone through, inspiring students and postdoctorals alike including Professor Dame Jane Francis DCMG, now the Director of the British Antarctic Survey.
“ I know from speaking from my own professional career that Bill put a lot of himself into me and I’m enormously grateful for that and for the privilege of having known him.” Professor Sir Peter Crane FRS Bill’s family decided to honour his lifelong commitment to botany and palaeontology and to the support of young scientists by establishing The Professor Bill Chaloner Memorial Award. It was fitting that Professor Dame Jane Francis came together with a former student of Bill’s, Professor Andrew C. Scott and another Post-Doctoral Fellow, Professor David Beerling FRS along with Royal Holloway Fellow, Professor Sir Peter Crane FRS, formerly Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to champion this fundraising initiative. With the contribution of colleagues, friends and former students, the Bill Chaloner Award was founded enabling undergraduate and postgraduate students to interact with other scientists across the world, through conferences, visits to other research groups, to museums and through field and laboratory studies – all elements of academic study that Bill knew to be essential.
The Elaine Etherton Scholarship continues to support exceptional students from the History and English departments to realise their potential. When Bedford College alumna Elaine Etherton passed away in 1987, her son, The Rt Hon Sir Terence Etherton, decided that the most fitting way to honour his mother was to help a new generation of students. Establishing the Elaine Etherton Scholarship in 2006 with a very generous endowment, former College Council member and Honorary Fellow Sir Terence’s gift has supported 12 students who might not otherwise have been able to continue with their studies. Quinton Hendricks, the first-year recipient of the scholarship for 2017/18, is reading History having achieved an outstanding set of A-level results whilst studying at Feltham Community. “I am the first within my family to have experienced A-levels and university. The decision to even enrol into a university was difficult for me, given the financial repercussions of doing so and my family’s income” says Quinton.
The scholarship funding helped to lessen the financial burden on Quinton’s family. “It also validated my decision to enrol despite my concerns.” The History degree at Royal Holloway has enabled Quinton to study a much wider curriculum. “It has given me the opportunity to study other periods such as the Middle Ages… and the study of topics such as the Roman Empire and the Crusades has been particularly satisfying” he says.
“ I cannot describe how grateful I am to be a recipient of this scholarship, and my thanks go to those who made this possible. An act of generosity such as this not only helps me financially, but also motivates me to work hard to justify being chosen for it.” For more information, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact the Development Managers.
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Generosity of donors We are grateful for the generous support we have received from alumni, parents, staff, individuals, trusts and foundations and companies. Every pound donated has furthered our effort to enrich the lives of our students and to advance knowledge that has the potential to change our world for the better. The Kobler Trust along with 25 other donors contributed to create the David Cesarani Kobler Scholarship which supports a student studying for an MA in Holocaust Studies, each year for the next 20 years.
“ Freddie Kobler, the founder of our Trust, was a non-observant Jew but a staunch Zionist and supporter of Jewish causes. Since his death the trustees have attempted to take account of those recipients of gifts from the Trust which would have engaged him. This includes support for Holocaust-related issues, out of respect for, and to memorialise, Fred’s family, slaughtered in the Shoah. Our support manifests itself in at least two ways. The first is museums and the like; the second is learning and educational advancement. David Cesarani’s pre-eminence and learning in holocaust-related matters was something we felt should be honoured and respected. The Trustees are therefore proud to have co-created the David Cesarani Kobler Scholarship, at Royal Holloway, University of London. The Trustees believe that, at a time when it seems as if the relevance of the Holocaust is becoming remote and Holocaust denial becoming more prominent, the memory of the Holocaust should not be allowed to fade” Andrew Stone, Trustee, Kobler Trust
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Thanks to all who have donated £1,000 or more to the University in 2017/18. Donors whose names appear in bold gave £5,000 or more. Scholarships and Awards
Ashley Family Foundation
Mr Athos Christodoulo
Miss Christine Armour
Santander Universities
Mr Donald Clarke
The Bestway Foundation
Sir Mick and Lady Barbara Davis
The Friendly Hand
Mrs Angeliki Frangou
The Headley Trust
Gareth and Kate Griffith
Imam Sadr Foundation
Professor Alastair Hay OBE
The Kobler Trust
Mr Michael Heslop
The Mercers’ Company
Mr Alexandros Kedros
The Musicians' Company
Mr Tryphon Kedros
Pears Foundation
Mr George Lemos
The Reed Foundation
Mrs Maria Lemos
Mrs Patricia Haffenden
The Shoresh Charitable Trust
Mr Glenn Matheson
Professor Robert Hampson
Professor Katie Willis
Mr Brian Harris
In Memoriam scholarships and awards
Mrs Barbara Healy
Elaine Etherton Scholarship
The A G Leventis Foundation
Mr John M Healy
Herringham Scholarships
Arcadia Charitable Trust
Mr Tony Hulatt
Peter Le Grys
Art Council England
Dr Pirkko Koppinen
Mayled Scholarship for Historical Musicology
Bodossaki Foundation
Mr David Beever Professor Clare Bradley Lady Olwen Cass MBE JP DL Mr Robert Childs Sir Peter & Lady Elinor Crane Sir Mick and Lady Barbara Davis Mrs Pat Doble and The Bedford Society Professor Jane Everson Mr Graham Funnell
Ms Amanda Mackenzie OBE Dr Ravi Kumar Mehrotra CBE and Mrs Manju Mehrotra Mrs Patricia Minton Sir Mark and Lady Moody-Stuart Dr Joanna Newman Ms Dinah Nichols CB Ms Kaori Ogura Lady Doreen Peach Dr Sarah Perry Sir Alec Reed CBE Mrs Valerie Silvey Ms Anita Spence Mr Charles Turner Mr John Valentine Mr Adrian Waddingham CBE
Jack Westaway Scholarship and Prize
Employability initiatives Ms Ann Ewing Professor Paul Layzell DL Mr Christiian Marriott Mr Nicholas Perryman Mrs Jane Ross Mrs Lavinia Sealy DL The Reed Foundation Santander Universities
Mr Piers Wombwell
Chapman Charitable Trust Heritage Lottery Fund Hiscox Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University Imam Sadr Foundation John Spedan Lewis Foundation Pears Foundation Samourkas Foundation of New York Sports England
Legacy gifts
Disability and Dyslexia Services
Miss Dorothy Barrass
Dr Graham Twigg
Professor Percy Butler Scholarship
Sobell Foundation
Mrs Joan Woodward
The Coral Samuel Charitable Trust
Mr Sabri Yigit
Research and special projects Mr and Mrs Caroussis
Behboodi Scholarship Miss Patricia Cook Miss Mary E Cork Miss Edith Hanson Mrs Barbara Mortlock
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The gift of
time
By sharing their experience and expertise with students, alumni are helping current Royal Holloway students on their path to a fulfilling career What do you wish you had known when you graduated? According to research carried out by careers website allaboutcareers.com, 44% of undergraduates are unable to define the industry that they would like to work in once they graduate. Research by Universities UK suggests about one in three graduates end up being ‘mismatched’ to the jobs they find after leaving university. Thanks to the work of the Careers & Employability Service and the generosity of Royal Holloway alumni who support its work, our current students are getting the direction and guidance they need to take their first steps into the jobs market. Our alumni careers panels see graduates return to share their experience and expertise with students interested in their field of work. Careers events at Royal Holloway have long helped students to find out what they want to do next. Alumna and bestselling crime writer Clare Mackintosh (French & Management Studies, 1999) decided out of the blue to join the police force after a careers event at Royal Holloway and enjoyed a 12-year career, before turning her hand to fiction. Ryan, who graduated in English this year, changed his career aspirations following an alumni careers panel event.
OVER
200
“ I attended an alumni panel during the Careers and Employability Service’s Marketing, PR & Event Management week and that’s when I really realised that I wanted to go into PR. The speaker was Head of PR for a fashion brand and as I also love fashion, I realised that I had the potential to combine both of my interests in a career. It was a game changer for me!” Ryan then heard about the micro-placement work experience scheme, which many alumni support. “I saw it as the perfect opportunity to secure an internship and get experience in PR,” he says. He secured a monthlong micro-placement with PR tech agency CommsCo during the summer of his second year and saw firsthand if it was the career for him. Ryan went on to secure a part-time role at CommsCo two days a week alongside his studies. “CommsCo also supports me with my personal development, with weekly skills sessions with different team members on areas of PR, which has allowed me to develop my communication, content-pitching and public-speaking skills. I now have concrete skills that I can add to my CV and LinkedIn profile,” he says. As alumni, you could be the key to inspiring a student to think about a career they hadn’t considered before and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.
ALUMNI VOLUNTEERS
SUPPORTED UNIVERSITY INITIATIVES
To find out more, please contact the Alumni Relations team.
21
An
eventful year
Jayne-Anne Gadhia CBE (BA History, 1983), CEO of Virgin Money, spoke about gender pay gaps and equality for women in the workplace at the 2018 Fawcett Lecture.
Royal Holloway awarded three new Honorary Fellowships in May 2018 to Dr Claire Gobbi Daunton, Dr Doron Swade MBE and Dr Klaus Vedder to recognise their outstanding contributions to the life and work of the University.
Our students recreate a suffrage protest march in February which was covered by national and international media including BBC, TIME magazine, The Times, the Sunday Post, the Daily Express and The Washington Post. Alumni Sports Day saw the reunion of old friends and team mates when over 160 alumni returned to take on the current students’ sports teams. The alumni reigned victorious with 10 wins to 7 student wins.
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Royal Holloway in Concert returned for the second year with special suffrage centenary commission, Pearl of Freedom, from Joanna Marsh.
The Science Festival attracted a record breaking attendance this year, with around 7,000 people, including many families, taking part in a day of exploration and discovery in March.
High profile explorer, award-winning author, voice for global sustainability and Royal Holloway alumnus and Honorary Fellow, Jason Lewis, was the guest speaker at this year’s Sustainability Lecture.
Alumni gatherings took place across the globe, from New York to Taiwan.
The new Emily Wilding Davison Building was officially opened on 18 October 2017 by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Chancellor, University of London. She also presented the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
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THANK YOU! We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our donors (those who gave between £100 - £999 in the academic year 2017/18 are listed below) and also our supporters and volunteers who have contributed their time, expertise and resources in the following ways: ● served as members of Committees or as Project Ambassadors ● gave guest lectures and performances ● supported careers, employability and recruitment events ● organised anniversaries and reunions ● supported departmental activity ● been interviewed for our publications Donors who have given between £100 - £999 to support student scholarships and awards, employability initiatives, research, student clubs and societies including music and sports activities under the Greatest Needs Fund. Mr Russell Adfield Mrs Eileen Adkins Mrs Stella Agyepong Sarkodieh Miss Dania Akeel Mrs Hala Alireza Dr Lynn Allen Mr Graham Almandras Dr Elizabeth Andrews Dr Emmanuel Antonoyiannakis Lady Justice Arden DBE Mr Simon Arnell Mr Charles Arnold Ms Kay Bader Dr Michael and Mrs Elizabeth Baker Dr Helen Barker Dr Diana Barnes Mr Paul Basham Mrs Laura Bassani-Merron Mr Christopher and Mrs Alison Bates Mrs Gillian Bayliffe Miss Beryl Bedford Mrs Kathryn Beecroft Mr Tony Bennett
Mrs Jean Benson Mr Kurt Benson Mr John Beresford Ms Elizabeth Biddlecombe Mrs Katharine Boddy Mr Richard Boreham Mrs Carol Bostock-Smith Ms Joanna Bowley Mrs Diana Boxall Mrs Valerie Boyd* Mrs Carolyn Brawn (née Sykes) Dr Elizabeth Brennan Miss Nancy Bridgford Mr John Briggs Professor Jane Broadbent Mrs Rosamond Broadbent Mr Adrian Brown Mrs Jeanne Brown Dr Kathryn Brown Miss Patricia Brown Mrs Patricia Brown The Reverend Dr Arnold Browne Mr Jerry Brownlee
Mrs Dawn Bruin Mrs Kate Bryant Mr L Preston Bryant Jr. Dr Alan and Mrs Mary Buckle Mr Malcolm and Mrs Lesley Burch Mr David Burke Mr Ed Butcher Mr Kenneth Butcher Mrs Lucy Butcher Mr Alan Butler Mrs Jane Butler Dr Iain Calvert Ms Elaine Capizzi Miss Helen Carey Mrs Heather Carrington Mr Jamie Carroll Miss Enid Castle OBE JP Mrs Jill Cattell Miss Margaret Chadderton Miss Lisa Chandler Dr Greg Chapman Mayor Iftikhar Chaudhri Mrs Mo Clancy
Mrs Jane Clark Mrs Ailsa Clarke Mr David Cobb Mr Michael Cock Mr Tim Coghlan Mr Neil Colman Mr Aiden Coloe Mrs Valerie Colonna (née Taylor) Mrs Anne Cooper Mrs Marion Cooper Miss Sheila Cooper Dr Tom Courtenay-Evans Mr Alasdair Coutts-Britton Dr Peter Cox Professor John Creaser Ms Grace Crowhurst Mrs Patricia Crowson Mrs Fiona Crutchley Dr Claire Gobbi Daunton Mrs Ruth David Dr Adelina Davies Dr Eirian Davies Ms Máire Davies Professor Anne-Christine Davis Mrs Thelma Daymond Mrs Barbara de Ferry Foster Mrs Ann Deamer Mr Alexander Dennison Mr Matthew Derbyshire Mr Dominic Dibiase Miss Frances Dimond Dr Demosthenes Dirmikis Mrs Sarah-Jane Docherty Mrs Wendy Dopheide Mr Paul Dorman Professor Gavin Drewry Miss Maria-Luiza Dumitrescu Mr Jason Duncan Mr Chris Dunne Mrs Gillian Edney * Mrs Jill Elburn Mrs Anna Elliott
Mrs Ladan Esfahani Mr Bruce Eshbaugh Mr Sassan Farahani Mrs Sheila Fellows Miss Rachel Fenn Mrs Sylvia Fennell Professor Jose Fiadeiro Mrs Jean Fisher Mrs Hania Flannery Mrs Gill Fletcher Miss Susie Fletcher Mr Christopher Foley Professor Mary Fowler Miss Sarah Fox Mrs Elisabeth Freeman Miss Elizabeth Fudakowska Miss Caroline Willbourne Mr Maurice Gifford Mr Bernard and Mrs Catherine Gilhespy Miss Valerie Givan Dame Sarah Goad DCVO JP Mrs Penelope Gravestock Mrs Anna-Marie Greenaway Mrs Dzintra Gregory Miss Helen Groenendaal Dr Mark Guscin Mr Simon Hadlington Mr Jonathan and Mrs Hilary Hale Mr Edward Hammond Mr Roger Harben Mr Peter and Mrs Helen Harrington Miss Cristina Harrison Mr Roy Harrow Ms Mary Hartnoll CBE Mr Adam Hatfield Ms Caroline Hawley Mr Timothy Hayes Mrs Susan Haynes Mrs Mary Herbert Mrs Heather Hermes Mr Keith Hider Mrs Carolyn Hill
Mrs Rosemary Hill Mr Tris Hillier Mr Peter Hind Mr John Hinze Mrs Victoria Hobbs Mr Colin Hodge Mr John Holden Miss Christine Holroyd Mrs Molly Hornby Mrs Ruth Hosker Mr Christopher Howorth Ms Lurlyn Hudson Miss Bettina Hughes Mr Stephen Hughes Mrs Ann Hulme Ms Janet Hunt Mrs Rachel Hunter Miss Susan Hunter Mrs Margaret Huntington Mrs Elizabeth Hurfurt Mrs Janet Hutton Mrs Patricia Jenkins Mr David Johnson Miss Patricia Johnson Mrs Susan Johnston Mrs Jenny Jones Mrs Agatha Kalisperas BEM Miss Sarah Keen Mrs Sally Keith (née Border) Mrs Margaret Kemp Vice Admiral Ben Key CBE Ms Sarah King Mr Paul Kinninmont Mrs Julie Lambert Mrs Ramona Lamport Mrs Daphne L'Anglais (née Holder) Ms Jeanne Solomon Langley Dr Ursula Lawrence Professor Michael Lea Mrs Donna Lincoln- Ohrstrand Mr Edward and Mrs Roz Littlewood Mrs Andrea Livsey
Mr Richard Lloyd Mrs Muriel Long Dr Carol Lovelidge Mr Nick Low Mrs Carol Maloney Mrs Barbara Mangles Mr David and Mrs Moira Matthews Mrs Moira E Matthews Mr Andrew McClure Mrs Susan McGowan Dr Lucy McGuinness Dr Sara McGuinness Mr John Mead Miss Audrey Miller Dr Roy Miller Air Commodore Ruth Montague Professor M Moore Mrs Carolyn Morant Mr Nick and Mrs Carol Morgan Mrs Janet Morter Dr Anne Mullen Miss Ruth Newcombe Mrs Carol Nicholas Mr Chris Noble Professor Katie Normington Mrs Carolyn Norwich Mr Philip and Mrs Jennifer O'Brien Mr Gerry O'Hagan Mr Gerald Orbell Miss Jackie O'Rourke Mr Andrew and Mrs Jane Osborne Mrs Elizabeth O'Sullivan Mr David Overton Mr Christopher Owens Dr Sonia Parkinson Mr Bhupendra Patel Mr Sanjay Patel Mr Iain Pavely Mrs Christine Peach Dr Robert Pearce Mr Hugh Pearson Mr Keith Penfold
Mr John Phillips Mr John Phoenix Mr Timothy Pipe Mr Andrew Plant Dr Piers Plummer Miss Leonora Polmounter Mrs Catherine Pomeroy Mr John Pool Mr David Powell Mr Dougal Powrie Dr John and Mrs Pat (née Thorneycroft) Prebble Mr David Preston Dr Andrew Pullen Mr Richard Puzey Mrs Sarah Quail Mrs Gillian Ratcliff Mr Paul Ray Miss Florence Rayner Ms Joanna Reid Ms Philippa Reid Dalglish Dr Patrick Retz Dr Julian Richardson Sir Adam Ridley Professor Francis Robinson CBE DL Mrs Sanaya Robinson Mrs Liz Rodgers Miss Judith Rogerson Professor Joel Rosenthal Mrs Jean Routley Mrs Alison Rudd-Clarke Mrs Gillian Russell Mrs Kate Sabisky Mrs Valerie Saint Ms Carolyn Saunders Miss Ann Sayer MBE Mr Paul and Mrs Fran Scarff Mrs Doris Scotford Mrs Lindsey Scotney Dr David Scurry Mr Andrew Seal Mr Edward Sealy
Dr Frances Searle Mr Matthew Searle Mrs Margaret Seccombe* Dr Daphne Self Mr Julian Sellen Mr Naresh Shah Dr Sandra Sheal Miss Elizabeth Sherbrooke Mr Alex Sherman Mrs Jennifer Sherwood Mrs Chris Shoukry Mrs Joyce Simpson Miss June Simpson Mrs M J Smart Mrs Ann Smith Miss Susan Smith Dr David and Carol Speedyman Mr Simon Speller Mr Henry Stephens Mr Andrew Stephenson MP Mr George Stergios Mr Edward Stevenson Mrs Pamela Stewart Mr Stephen Stewart Mr Iain and Mrs Susan Stinson Mrs Rosie Sugden Mrs Judith Talbot Mr Gordon Taylor Miss Helen Taylor Mr Fitzroy Thomas Mrs Christine Titman Mr Christopher Tonkin Mrs Christine Topliss Mrs Joan Trobe Dr Penny Tucker Mrs Tessa Tulloch Ms Doris Turck Miss Dorothy Turley Mrs Barbara Turner (née Tyas) Ms Janet Turner Mrs Sarah Tyacke CB Mr Peter Underwood
Professor Liz Valentine Mr Alex Voice Dr Roy Waight Mr Daniel Walker Mrs Sally Walker Mr David Wallace Mr Tobin Wallace-Sims Mr Anthony and Mrs Joanna Wallis Mrs Elizabeth Walters Baroness Diana Warwick of Undercliffe Mr James Watkins Mr Christopher Wayne
Mrs Dorothy Wedge Mr David Swann and Mrs Rosemary Westley MBE Mr Declan White Dr Monica White Mr David Wilkinson CB Mrs Liz Wilkinson Miss Beryl Williams Mr Richard Williams Mr James Wills Mrs Wendy Wilson Professor Dr Martin Wirsing Mrs Alison Woodhouse (née Collie)
Mr Roger and Mrs Kate Woodward Mr Terrence Woodward Mr Jonathan Woolley Mr Alfred Yazdiha Miss Sonja Zentner * Biogen Idec Foundation Geckoella Loseley and Guildway Charitable Trust *Sadly deceased We have tried our best to include names of all donor, but please let us know if your name is not included and we will add you to our online listing.
A special thanks to the Board Members and Officers of the American Foundation for Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, Committee Members of the Bedford Society and Project Ambassadors with whom we worked closely in 2017/18. American Foundation for Royal Holloway and Bedford New College Mr L Preston Bryant, Jr. Mr Bruce Eshbaugh Mr Gordon Taylor Dr Jane Willoughby Ms Angela Slater-Arnold Mrs Rohini Chandrabhatla
Bedford Society Dr Claire Gobbi Daunton (Chair) Professor Caroline Barron Mrs Marta Baker Professor Clare Bradley Mrs Pat Doble Professor Gavin Drewry Mrs Caroline Garthwaite Mrs Jennifer Glastonbury Mrs Enid Light Ms Dinah Nichols CB Mrs Sanaya Robinson Dr Joseph Spring Mr Bruce Watson Miss Rachel Whittaker MBE JP
Project Ambassadors
Mr David Aspinall Mr David Beever Sir Andrew Burns KCMG The Lady Heseltine Ms Sarah King Ms Amanda Mackenzie OBE Alderman Sir Andrew Parmley Mr Nicholas Perryman
Keep in touch If you have any questions about supporting Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, please contact us or visit the website: rhbnc.ac.uk/giving +44 (0)1784 414478
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College Alumni & Friends – Official facebook.com/rhbncalumni @RHBNCalumni
development@rhbnc.ac.uk alumni@rhbnc.ac.uk
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College is an exempt charity (XN69536).
Who’s who in the Development and Alumni Relations team Please feel free to contact us for assistance at any time.
Caroline Hawley Director , Development and Alumni Relations +44 (0)1784 276413 caroline.hawley@rhbnc.ac.uk Laura Coates Development Manager +44 (0)1784 443100 laura.coates@rhbnc.ac.uk Emma Richards Development Manager +44 (0)1784 276611 emma.richards@rhbnc.ac.uk Diana Sankey Development Manager +44 (0)1784 276611 diana.sankey@rhbnc.ac.uk Laura Bassani-Merron Regular Giving and Legacy Manager +44 (0)1784 276538 laura.bassani-merron@rhbnc.ac.uk Rosie Sugden Head of Alumni Relations +44 (0)1784 414460 rosie.sugden@rhbnc.ac.uk Emma Pryke Alumni Relations Manager +44 (0)1784 276662 emma.pryke@rhbnc.ac.uk David Hannaby Alumni Relations Manager +44(o)1784 443886 david.hannaby@rhbnc.ac.uk Shilpi Shrestha Development Operations Manager +44 (0)1784 443362 shilpi.shrestha@rhbnc.ac.uk
Visit us online at rhbnc.ac.uk/giving
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College
Alumni & Friends – Official
facebook.com/rhbncalumni
@RHBNCAlumni