Evolve Magazine - Spring/Summer 2011

The magazine for Friends of Coventry University

Sp

ring/

Sum

mer

201

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Behind the headlines

Graduate and former Sun newspaper editor David Yelland

reveals how his passion for journalism began in Coventry

Career ladder Graduates reveal their

employment stories

Three steps to growing a successful

graduate business

Global networkingCoventry reunites with

graduates overseaswinChocolate

goodies and

book offers

See page 37 for

more details

c

Contact usTelephone: +44 (0) 24 7688 8589

Email: [email protected]

Post: FOCUS, The Development Offi ce, Alan Berry Building, Room 10, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB

Website: www.coventry.ac.uk/alumni

E-News: Subscribe to a free monthly alumni e-newsletter by emailing SUBSCRIBE to [email protected]

Social Networking: Become a Fan and join the Friends of Coventry University group on Facebook, link up with the University and other professionals on the Linkedin website.

This magazine is published twice a year for alumni of Coventry University. All letters, photos and news are welcomed but we reserve the right to edit any contributions. The opinions expressed in evolve are those of the contributors and do not necessarily refl ect those of the Alumni Relations Offi ce or Coventry University.

2 www.coventry.ac.uk/alumni

Credits:This magazine is written and edited by Cheryl Liddle, designed by Rob Hearne for Coventry University, photography by Graham Harwood and printed by Emmersons Press. Cover photo by Charles Shearn.

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of evolve. Please keep sending in your stories.

evolve contents

The alumni teamAlumni Relations Manager Maria Haslam

Alumni Relations Offi cer Kristina Anders

Data Offi cer Katharine Beer

Annual Fund Offi cer Brian Wilson

Head of Fundraising Matt Feeley

Development Manager Chris Smith

Getting your career off the ground after graduation can be a challenge. We have

stories from four very different graduates in this issue though who explain how they got where they are today. From the 80s graduate who became a Chocolate Maker to the Nurse who did a

professional Diploma in the 90s – fi nd out how they achieved success by

reading their stories on pages 8-11.

We also have a special interview with former Sun newspaper editor David Yelland in this issue who talks about his days living and studying in Coventry on page 20.

It’s interesting to read about David’s view of the city back then and how he sees it today.

This issue is also packed with your updates, letters, reunions and events – so sit back and spend a bit of time catching up with your University.

Keep in touchKristina

PS – We’re planning a fantastic Alumni Weekend in 2012 – read pages 38-39 for more details.

32

9

28

26

7

graduatistoriesin thisthey gthe 80Choc

proo

Welcome

I am delighted

that 94 percent

of last year’s

graduates

went into

employment,

further study

or professional

training.

It is evident from the updates

from graduates in this issue of

evolve that many of you are using

your experience at Coventry to

move into senior roles or develop

businesses of your own.

All universities are faced with

the challenge of setting higher fees

in light of the Government funding

cuts and while we believe we can

offer fi rst rate value for money on

all our courses, we recognise the

concern of students.

We are committed to providing

a competitively priced, excellent

academic experience with

opportunities for international study

and a strong commitment to the

employability of our graduates.

Some of you recently spoke to

students as part of a call campaign

to help raise funds for scholarships

and bursaries as well as gather

support for projects.

Your eagerness to help out was

overwhelming and we’re delighted

that so many of you want to support

your alma mater and its future

students.

Thank you for your ongoing

association with Coventry University

– we really value your engagement

with us.

Professor Madeleine Atkins Vice-Chancellor

contents regulars

features

competitions and offers

12 Get Connected Find out what old friends are doing now.

18 My UniversityHow two mature students graduated and set up their own business

24 LettersYour views and opinions about Coventry

26 Lecturer in FocusGraduates say farewell to lecturer David Browne as he retires from the University

34 ReunionsSee who has been back on campus or reuniting around the world

36 EventsFind out about the latest events and activities on offer to graduates

This magazine is available in alternative

formats on request. Please contact via +44 (0) 24 7688 8589 or [email protected]

08 Career LadderFour graduates reveal all about their career progression since Coventry

16 The Grand ChallengeSolving the world’s biggest challenges with a targeted approach to applied research

20 Headline Act How one graduate became one of the most infl uential people in the country

28 Changing LivesHow graduates support the University

30 Art Direction What life was like studying at Coventry’s School of Art in the 1950s

32 Growing a BusinessAdvice for developing a new business idea

Vice-Chancellor Madeleine Atkins explains how the University is embracing future challenges

23 Book PrizeWin a copy of David Yelland’s book – The Truth about Leo

37 Chocolate GoodiesWin chocolate goodies made by a graduate and chocolate maker

37 Benefi ts and ServicesFind out about all the discounts and benefi ts of being a member of FOCUS

40 University Gifts Buy Coventry University branded souvenirs to remind you of your student days

7

20

3

evolve update


MEMORY WALL HIGHLIGHTS

• “ May this wonderful place of learning

go from strength to strength. People

have reached many goals.”

• “My daughter Naomi has enjoyed

her time in Coventry and is now

practising her midwifery in Swmelon.

Thank you.”

• “My mommy is grajuwayting. When I

grow up I’m going to be a ners.”

Writing on wall for graduates

updateThe latest campus and graduate news

Graduates will now fi nd it

even easier to continue their

professional development at

Coventry thanks to a new website

and coordinated approach.

Access to information and

Continuing Professional Development

(CPD) courses has been made much

simpler and there are key contacts for

businesses who want to fi nd out more

about bespoke provision.

Statistics show that 80% of

the 2020 workforce is already in

employment, which will create a

huge skills gap if employees do not

update their training.

Project Manager Sara Lines

said: “Investing in higher-level

skills through CPD will ensure

professionals remain competitive

in the global economy. The speed

of technological, global and

demographic change will leave

some individuals behind if they don’t

upskill now.”

The University offers a range of

courses in key industry sectors.

Call +44 (0) 24 7688 7798 or

visit www.coventry.ac.uk/cpd

for more details.

Professional development

A wall of memories written by

graduates made an emotional

mark on graduation week in

November last year.

Hundreds of graduates and

their families left messages of

congratulations and thanks, as well

as memories and sad farewells on a

special wall in the Students’ Union

(see box for an example of some of

the messages).

Over 3,000 graduates adorned

their cap and gowns and walked

through the Cathedral in honour of

their hard work and commitment

at the University during the special

graduation week.

The Alumni Offi ce also asked

graduates to vote for their dream

job after graduation and the most

popular roles were a Princess and a

Ninja – both with 25% of the votes

each. Pirates and Chocolatiers came

in joint-second with 20% of the votes

and only 10% of those asked wanted

to be a Magician.

All graduates received a

commemorative pin badge from

the alumni offi ce and were invited to

place their messages on the wall, and

be entered into a prize draw to win

chocolate hampers and other treats.

Les Young was one of the fi rst to

graduate from a course in Advancing

Practice, Emergency Care and won

a Green & Blacks chocolate hamper

in the prize draw.

Les said: “I’m thrilled to win a

hamper – I will now have a very

happy wife! I am already working

in my dream job as an emergency

nurse supporting the troops. But I

wouldn’t mind being a Ninja!”

Opportunities at Jaguar Land Rover

5

evolve update

Recognition for lecturers

Jaguar Land Rover is looking for

experienced graduates interested

in a career change.

The global organisation is looking

to recruit graduates with commercial

skills to join its market-leading

Purchasing team.

Jaguar Land Rover contacted

the alumni offi ce to target Coventry

graduates with the opportunity to

apply for positions and the vacancies

were fi rst posted on the FOCUS

Linkedin page and in the alumni

e-newsletter.

The opportunity will mean putting

commercial skills and purchasing,

sales or project management

experience to the test to drive

Jaguar Land Rover’s ongoing growth

and help create some of the most

desirable, innovative and exhilarating

vehicles in the world.

John Beck Senior Buyer at Jaguar

Land Rover said: “While we are

advertising for Purchasing careers,

the experience is not so specifi c. The

company is looking for a whole range

of disciplines.”

Global leaders inspireA

lumni are inspiring postgraduates

about global leadership as part of

a new programme.

The Global Leaders Programme,

which started in 2010, gives

postgraduates the opportunity to

enhance their leadership potential for

global organisations.

Graduates with experience

of working in multi-national

companies have been offering their

expert advice to students on the

Programme. Among the presenters

at recent events have been graduate

Peter Shillcock, Chief Operating

Offi cer for Manganese Bronze

Holdings and Martyn Hollingsworth,

Director, Vehicle Evaluation from

Jaguar Land Rover pictured with

Professor David Bailey.

The University launched the

programme in response to demands

from employers for individuals with

the skills to work in multi-cultural and

multi-disciplinary teams.

www.coventry.ac.uk/glp for

more information.

Two of the University’s lecturers

are celebrating recognition in

very different fi elds.

Keith Burnham, Director of CTAC

and Associate Head of Mathematics,

Statistics and Engineering Science,

received an ‘Honorable Mention

Award’ at the centenary celebration

of Technical Universities in Poland.

This prestigious award is one of

only ten to recognise the scientifi c

contributions made to the Wroclaw

University of Technology by someone

outside of Poland.

The award recognises the benefi ts

from synergies between control

engineering and computer science

which have arisen over the years

at Coventry and Wroclaw, such as

the launch of the common Masters

programme in Advanced Informatics

and Control which will recruit its fi rst

cohort this year.

Meanwhile, John Beech, Head of

Sport & Tourism Applied Research,

has won the Football Supporters’

Federation Writer of the Year award.

John’s blog, Football Management

(http://footballmanagement.

wordpress.com), follows the fi nances

and other management issues of

football clubs, including the high level

of insolvency in the English game.

Malcolm Clarke, Chairman of the

Football Supporters’ Federation

came to Coventry (pictured above

left) personally to give the award to

Dr. Beech in front of his colleagues

from the Business School.

www.jaguarlandrovercareers.com

for more information.

SPEAKERS:

(l-r) Peter Shillcock,

Professor David

Bailey and Martyn

Hollingsworth at a

recent event.

evolve update

The Students’ Union is looking

for graduates who were involved

in volunteering activities while they

were students.

CUSU Volunteering and

Employability (formerly Horizon

Volunteering) is an award-winning

service and wants to use the case

studies to promote the benefi ts of

volunteering to students.

Volunteering & Employability

Manager Corrine Gordon said: “It’s

your views on your experience that

makes the difference! We know that

many of you had a fantastic time

whilst volunteering, and gained skills

and experience to help you develop

your career – so please volunteer to

write a short case study to tell us all

about it!”

Graduates who want to write a case

study should include the following

information:

• Where you volunteered and what

you got up to?

• The benefi ts to you both personally

and professionally.

• If it helped you with your career

development and how?

• Anything about your experience

you think potential volunteers

would like to know.

• Any photos of your volunteering

experience that you would like to

be featured with your case study.

Email Corinne Gordon at

[email protected]

with your case study or call

+44 (0) 24 7679 5210.

Coventry University offi cially

opened its new London

Campus (CULC) in December 2010

and its fi rst students have started a

range of MBA programmes and top-

up undergraduate programmes.

Situated in the centre of London’s

fi nancial district, just 250 metres

from Liverpool Street Station, CULC

has already attracted international

students from countries such as

China, India, Nigeria and parts of the

Middle East.

It boasts state-of-the-art facilities

that include a unique fully simulated

fi nancial trading fl oor to enhance

business teaching and learning at

the campus.

The CULC courses have been

developed in consultation with

business leaders and prospective

MBA students.

Janet Hannah, Director of CULC,

said: “CULC gives the international

student the opportunity to learn

about business and to study and

work in one of the world’s leading

fi nancial markets, London.

“It is the ideal setting for

international students to immerse

themselves in both the academic

and practical side of the business

world. CULC is at the very heart of

London’s fi nancial district and is an

exciting place to be.”

For more information about

courses and facilities visit

the website www.coventry.ac.uk/

londoncampus.

London Campus opens

Physiotherapy graduate Nicky

Hunt won two gold medals

for archery at the Commonwealth

Games in October 2010.

Nicky, who graduated from Coventry

in 2006, won the women’s individual

compound gold and was also a

member of England’s three-strong

team – along with Nichola Simpson

and Danielle Brown – that came fi rst in

the women’s compound event.

While Nicky studied at Coventry

she was also a recipient of a sports

scholarship for her archery. These

scholarships are given to students

who have achieved excellence in a

sporting performance.

Vince Mayne, Deputy Director of

Student Health and Well Being said

how impressed the University was

with Nicky’s success.

“We are all very proud of Nicky. Her

dedication to her sport has truly paid

off and I’m sure I speak on behalf of

her former lecturers in the Faculty of

Health and Life Sciences as well where

Nicky is remembered as a popular and

committed student.”

The University gives the sports

scholarships to student athletes to

support them with costs such as tuition

fees, accommodation, sports services,

books, equipment and travel. They are

a bonus for student athletes to help

them reach their sporting potential.

“Nicky has achieved gold in India

and now we will all be rooting for her

in 2012 to do the same in London at

the Olympics,” said Vince.

Visit www.nickyhunt.co.uk.

Commonwealth Gold

Volunteering case studies

6

VOLUNTEERS: Students enjoying the annual Big Challenge Project

www.coventry.ac.uk/alumni

7

evolve update

One graduate has been awarded

a Winston Churchill Travelling

Fellowship to do research in Canada

and the USA about rescue teams

who have attended large scale

disasters.

Ian Nuttall (Specialist Rescue

Diploma, 2009), is a Leicestershire

Fire Fighter and was a member of

the 61 strong UK Fire and Rescue

Service International Search and

Rescue Team (UK-ISAR) that went

out to New Zealand recently. Ian

went over to Christchurch following

the 6.3 Richter scale earthquake

which caused widespread

destruction and multiple fatalities in

the city centre.

The main aim of UK-ISAR is to

help with rescue efforts in natural

disasters and Ian is skilled in that

area. “It was a privilege to be able to

use the knowledge and skills that I

have learnt to benefi t both the New

Zealand authorities and the families

of the victims. I now aim to use

this personal experience of being

deployed to a disaster to assist with

my Travelling Fellowship.”

Ian will meet rescue teams and

their members to share experiences

from other large scale disasters, and

to see what can be learnt from both

attending these types of events as

well as training for them.

After graduating from his diploma

at Coventry, Ian was chosen to

be a member of Leicestershire’s

contingent of the UK Fire and

Rescue Service’s volunteer

International Search and Rescue (UK

ISAR) Team.

“The idea is to go forward and

build on what I did at Coventry

and what I am doing now with the

Fellowship to progress in the world

of disasters and helping others,” said

Ian about his Fellowship.


the Fellowship visit the

website www.wcmt.org.uk.

Dr Adrian Wood and

Dr Sue Charlesworth

(Geography lecturers)

were by far the

best lecturers I

have ever come across. Both

very knowledgeable, inspirational,

supportive and always willing to

share a joke! Thanks to both for

being part of the happiest days of

my life.

Kiren Rana, (Geography, 2006)

My favourite tutor

was Senior Lecturer

Alistair Gray. He

was down to earth,

knowledgeable,

interested in his students and caring.

Kimberley Hughes, (Nursing and

Paramedic Science, 2008

My favourite tutor

was Jon Baxter, he

introduced me into

the CAD/CAM world

in a very practical and

‘learning by doing’ way. It was the

starting point in my career to become

a computer aided design expert!

Alejandro Robledo Gallo

(European Engineering Studies,

2007)

My favourite tutors were Dr Khalid

Abdullah and Dr Jonathan Salked.

Fully specialised in their areas,

brilliant presentation skills. Very

focused and excellent practical

knowledge.

Abdul Saboor (Innovative

Management, 2009)

Steve Foster and

Nick Squires

were both totally

committed to

making a success of

the law faculty in the period following

conversion to University status.

Nick is utterly charming and kindly

and Steve is the epitome of ‘tough

but fair.’ A great combination of

educators.

Charles E. Shepherd (Law, 1994)

Memory BankRescue fellowshipGraduates remember

their favourite lecturer

RESCUE: Ian in New

Zealand helping after

the earthquake and

(inset) fi nding a dog

among the rubble

evolve employability

CareerFour graduates reveal how their careers and lives have progressed since leaving Coventry

ladder

LORNA MARSH (Dance and Professional Practice, 2006), was the fi rst woman in a wheelchair in

the UK to graduate from a dance degree. She started her new venture Smooth Wheels in 2010.

turn to in an emergency or while

travelling away from home.

I was fi nding it diffi cult to fi nd

the right type of person (PA/carer)

for the activities I wanted to take

part in and it’s extremely frustrating

if your PA is off sick and you need

emergency cover. Most disabled

people I know have at some point

had to cope without a PA due to

sickness or an emergency. When

you are disabled you are very

dependent on a PA/carer helping

you to get out of bed, for example.

I am hoping that Smooth Wheels

could be a comfort blanket in

those situations.

BIGGEST CHALLENGEGetting the website created was

the hardest thing I’ve ever done,

much harder than the degree and I

didn’t think that was possible!

When you have an idea in your

head it’s so diffi cult to explain it to

somebody else, especially if you

are dyslexic and as particular as I

am! It didn’t help that the website

designers are based in America but

we got there in the end after a lot of

stress. I am beginning to slowly feel

proud but really need other people

to get behind the whole concept

and help Smooth Wheels develop.

FUTURE AIMSI want Smooth Wheels to help

disabled people in the UK by

becoming a one stop shop; a

network of information; a place to

fi nd accommodation; PAs to go

travelling with and places to go to

while on the road.

For more information visit

www.smoothwheels.co.uk.

The business woman


AFTER GRADUATION I have been teaching children

with autism dance and drama for

various organisations, the main

one being ActOne ArtsBase. I

was a head teacher there running

regular classes.

THE IDEAAbout three and a half years

ago I wanted to go travelling

but realised that most of the

information out there was

provided by people who don’t use

a wheelchair. I thought it would be

great if there was a database of

information (updated by members)

full of accessible social venues,

such as clubs and restaurants

all over the UK. As well as travel

information, I thought Smooth

Wheels could offer a database

of PAs/carers that people could

9


DUFFY SHEARDOWN (Politics,

History and International

Relations, 1980) used his

degree to get a job in Formula

1 motor racing. Never one to

shy away from a challenge,

Duffy recently launched a

new venture called Red Star

Chocolate with a mission to

create the best chocolate bars

in the world.

AFTER GRADUATIONI worked for a small fi breglass

company during the summer to

earn money for University and

decided if I was going to work in

that fi eld, I would look to the top

end of the business – Formula 1.

I applied for one job with an

F1 team and got it. There were

very few people working with

carbon fi bre at the time so the

race teams had to train the

technicians themselves.

I used to take students from

Coventry University on industrial

placements when I managed a

race car construction company

called G-Force on the South

coast. That put me in contact

with Bernard Porter who was

highly thought of by the students.

A few years later I bumped into

him at the Autosport Show at

the NEC and he asked if I might

be willing to share some of my

experiences with students on

the Motorsports course. I just do

a few days a year rambling on

about the old days.

THE IDEA I heard a BBC Radio 4 Food

programme which mentioned

that ‘only Cadburys’ made

chocolate from beans in this

country. My racing approach

made me think ‘how hard can

that be? I could do that,’ so I

started looking into it. I’d already

done 25 years in racing by then,

which felt like enough.

I made chocolate at home for

a year and then, when the race

team I worked for closed, I took

the plunge and rented a factory

and bought the equipment. Red

Star is a name I used in racing

when consulting so I carried it

over to the chocolate business.It

hints at the ethical basis of what

I am trying to do – dealing direct

with the cocoa farmers and

paying over the odds for coca

beans so that they can pay their

staff properly.

BIGGEST CHALLENGEI don’t look at things in that way.

Racing is a constant series of

challenges, arriving one after

another after another. You just

get on with it and learn that

change is the nature of the

business. In chocolate I need

more stockists but we are

growing steadily.

FUTURE AIMSDuffy’s Chocolate needs to

be available in more delis and

specialist chocolate shops so

I will be concentrating on that

this year.

I am about to introduce

another two single-origin bars to

the range plus bars incorporating

fl avours – a milk chocolate with

cocoa nibs and salt, and a dark

chocolate with cocoa nibs and

coffee. Quality has to be kept at

the highest level. It’s already the

best chocolate in the UK and so

I have to aim to make it the best

in the world.

As for motor racing we shall

see – it is our fi rst race this

weekend and that should give

us a baseline and show us how

much faster we need to be. It will

be the usual things – some aero

improvements, lose some weight

and get the mechanical grip to

the highest possible level whilst

keeping reliable. It sounds easy if

you say it quickly enough!

Visit Duffy’s website at

www.redstarchocolate.

com to buy the bars or turn to

page 37 to try and win some!

The Chocolate Maker

Pic

ture

s c

ou

rte

sy o

f M

art

in C

hristy


SAMSON LAM (Sports Management, 2002) only took two weeks to fi nd a job after graduation

and is still working with the Hong Kong Cricket Club and learning about the game. The Club is

steeped in history and was one of the fi rst Cricket Clubs to launch outside of England.

It is a member’s Club, so I deal

with members’ enquiries,

comments and complaints.

The Club also offers a variety of

sporting facilities including tennis

courts, squash courts, gym, golf

simulators, swimming pool, Ten-

Pin bowling alley, indoor cricket

centre and multi-purpose sports

hall. My team and I ensure the

daily running and maintenance

of these facilities. We also assist

different sports teams with their

participation in the local leagues

and social events. I also assist in

running various clubs or private

events (mainly sports related) for

Club members.

BIGGEST CHALLENGEThere are always new requests

from our members and we also

need to constantly come up with

new ideas to please members.

The most recent challenge for me

has to be taking up part of the

responsibility of building a close

relationship with China Cricket

in developing a new sport in the

country. My work had previously

always been inside the Club, so it

is new and exciting for me to be

working on something external.

FUTURE AIMSTo continue to develop and

increase the standard of Hong

Kong Football has always been my

long term goal; so hopefully I will

have the chance to achieve this at

some stage in my life.

To fi nd out more about the

Hong Kong Cricket Club

visit http://www.hkcc.org/

and for information on Sports

Management courses visit

www.coventry.ac.uk/pg/sport.


AFTER GRADUATIONThis was my fi rst job since

graduation – I started out as the

Club’s Recreation Assistant and

am now the Assistant Sports

and Events Manager. I remember

fi nding the vacancy in the

Classifi ed Post. I was quite lucky

back then as I only sent off three

application letters for different job

vacancies and got accepted. It

took me about two weeks to fi nd

my fi rst job.

THE IDEAI always wanted to work in the

sports and recreation fi eld so it

is ideal for me to be working for

this Club. Although I did not know

anything about Cricket before

working here and I am still far from

fully understanding the game!

I mainly deal with anything

related to sports within the Club.

The Sportsman

11


JAYNE ARMITAGE (Specialist Professional Practice, 1997) has been nursing since the 1970s and

returned to Coventry in the 90s to top up her skills in Orthopaedics. Jayne has continued to further

her career with extra qualifi cations and says being a nurse is her ideal job.

don’t know why I just knew it was

something I wanted to do. You

see people come in quite poorly

and it’s so good to see them going

out looking pain free. It’s not just

the patients; it’s the families as

well. They become friends. Some

people will come back and let you

know how they got on in surgery.

It’s good to see that they do

remember you.

I went on to get an MA in

Health, Law and Ethics in 2006

from the University of Wales, on a

distant learning course, as I had

always been interested in the law

and how it fi ts in with nursing.

BIGGEST CHALLENGEBeing able to carry on my career,

have a family and still be in a

position where you can continue to

learn and keep on top of things is

a challenge! I have two daughters

and when they were both young,

nursing enabled me to escape

the nappies and the children

routine for a while. My eldest

daughter was very young when

I was studying for my diploma,

which was hard work. I’d had my

youngest daughter when I went on

to study for my MA.

The MA made me think about

my practice and what a fi ne line

there is between right and wrong.

You have to put aside what you

believe in yourself and concentrate

on what the patient wants. It’s a

challenge but it’s something I enjoy

passing on to students now too –

getting them to think differently.

FUTURE PLANSI don’t want to do any more

formal qualifi cations as I can’t

go any further without going into

education full time. I’m a hands

on nurse so I’m not interested in

moving into a management role as

I would miss the patient contact.

I’m happy doing the role I do now.

To fi nd out more about

nursing courses visit

www.coventry.ac.uk/hls

Thank you to everyone who has updated the alumni offi ce with your career details. The information is so

important for the University to get a clear picture of the kinds of careers graduates are moving into. Your

stories are inspiring students about their future careers. Please email [email protected] with your

information. You could also win a £25 voucher for your efforts!

The Nurse

AFTER GRADUATIONI fi rst did a nursing qualifi cation

in 1977 at Warwickshire School

of Nursing. I’d always had an

interest in orthopaedic nursing,

which is why I decided to do the

diploma. Having the orthopaedic

knowledge gave me more

confi dence and when students

came on to the ward I was able

to be a mentor and assess them.

I could also explain to patients

about the surgery and answer any

questions that they didn’t feel they

could ask the doctor.

I work in Rugby St Cross, which

is part of University Hospitals

Coventry & Warwickshire

(UHCW), in Orthopaedic Pre-Op

Assessment. I see anyone who is

admitted for routine surgery to do

a health screening to make sure

they are well enough to go on the

waiting list and for anaesthetic.

THE IDEAI always wanted to be a nurse

from when I was very young. I

Jonathan Brew Business

Law, 1977

I qualifi ed as

a solicitor in

Oct 1980 and became a partner at

Harrison Clark Worcester in 1985

and senior partner in 2003. The fi rm

is a legal 500 fi rm and last year it

opened a “new” offi ce by merger

with Jordan’s in Cheltenham. We

have 160 staff and 20 partners.


evolve get connected

getconnectedGet back in touch with old friends. Coventry graduates reveal where they are now

Anna Phillips

(nee Brian)

Fine Art, 1966

I left Coventry College

of Art and embarked

on a teaching career,

while also continuing to paint. In

1986 I had a picture hung in the

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

and have shown there a number of

times since. At present I have taken

a new direction with print-making.

Graduated 1960s

Alison Holden

Applied Social Science,

1974

I took early retirement from the

Home Offi ce in 2009 at the

age of 57. Not one regret! A

satisfying career but great now

to do what I like.

Graduated 1970s

Graduated 1980s

Neelam JoshiBiology/

Geography, 1981

When I graduated, Britain was

undergoing a recession (some things

never change). After working on an

organic farm in Devon, clerical duties

at Everready Batteries for more than

two years, I worked as a Stewardess

for British Airways for almost three

years before I met my husband while

on holiday in the US.

The same year we married I

settled in New Jersey, US, and joined

the Fashion Institute of Technology in

New York and got another degree in

Interior Design after four years. I had

my fi rst baby in the summer of 1991

– the same year I graduated.

I worked part time with designers

for a while until deciding to open my

own home based business in silver

jewellery fi ve years ago.

I import all my items from India,

Israel and Turkey and sell through a

number of stores and salons here in

New Jersey.

While I haven’t used my science

degree per se, it was an excellent

education. I have fond memories

of the lectures in computer

programming, our ecology fi eld

trips on the beach in driving rain in

Pembroke and staying in a beautiful

house by the lake in the Lake

District. The population studies

we did in Cardiff, topography

measurements in fi elds, scrumpy in

Devon pubs...the list goes on.

I made some of my best friends

there who remain nearest and

dearest to me still. Best years of self

discovery and angst!

Peter HelliwellModern Languages, 1979

I have taken early retirement after 28

years as a secondary-school teacher.

I have a much-reduced income but

my sanity is intact!

Email your updates

for the next issue

of evolve to

[email protected]

13


Keith GuySocial Work,

1988

I have just

completed a BA

(Hons) Counselling at Plymouth

University in one year (2010 – full

time) because of my CQSW at

Coventry University. I am now a

Clinical Director at the Red Poppy

Company.

Maureen McNallModern

Studies,

1990

After graduating, I worked as a

Fundraiser for a Marine Charity in

Coventry, I also carried on with my

role as Jazz Correspondent for the

Coventry Evening Telegraph and

other publications. On moving to

Ireland, I wrote a short book on the

Social History of my family. I’ve done

some broadcasting on local radio

and read articles I wrote for our Arts

Festival. I’m also involved with our

local Heritage society.

In recent years I’ve become very

interested in Classical Civilization

and have visited many of the ancient

sites in Greece, Cyprus and Italy, as

well as read much on the subject.

I’m currently writing a novel set in the

fi rst part of the 20th century.

I keep up to date with what’s

going on in Coventry through my

family (my daughter is a teacher) and

news. Taking a degree course is one

of the best things I’ve ever done.

I’ve been recommending it to young

people ever since.

Stella Coote Occupational Therapy, 1992

I retired from the National Health

Service as an Occupational

Therapist in 1996 due to a back

injury. In 2006 I was awarded a

BSc at Wolverhampton University

in Health Studies. In 2007 I

was awarded a PGCE. I taught

students with learning diffi culties at

Wolverhampton College and in 2010

I was awarded an MA (Special and

Inclusive Education) at University of

Worcester. I am now continuing my

academic studies.

Ahmad Faisaluddin

Business studies, 1997

Since graduating, I have been

involved in Malaysia’s (my home

country) Oil and Gas industry. My

area of specialisation focuses on

Project Management (for both the

onshore and offshore sectors of

the industry). It has been hard at

times but it is quite rewarding, and

has enabled me to travel and work

in various parts of the country. I

plan to continue to enjoy it more

(and probably get a chance for an

international posting in the future).

Graduated 1990s

Olivier Descottes

European Engineering

Studies, 1995

I have been living in Argentina,

Buenos Aires, since 2008. I’ve

created ACCS Iberoamerica (Air

Conveyors and Consulting Services).

Simon Kirk

Fine Art, 1999

After graduating, I moved to London. High rents and long working hours meant

I had little time to pursue my art career. Just over two years ago I moved back

to my hometown of Leigh-on-Sea, which has a thriving art community. I became

self-employed, started a website and this year had work in the Royal Academy

Summer Exhibition. I am gradually building up a client base, name recognition and

gallery interest despite tough economic times. Please visit www.simon-kirk.co.uk

or www.facebook.com/simonkirkfi neart for more information.

Stephen HallCivil Engineering, 1992

I am an Associate Director for Arup,

responsible for a series of major

highway projects in Wales and

Northern Ireland with a portfolio

value of over £200m.

John Findlay

Automotive Engineering,

2003

After taking part in the TV show

Robot Wars, I started my own

company. After seven years of

events, I secured a deal with a

fi nancial investor for a large show at

the O2 over Easter 2011. Along with

my Robot Wars events throughout

the UK, I am also heavily involved

in running educational projects in

schools across the UK promoting

engineering and teaching robotics.

Daniel Dalton

International Relations

and Politics, 2003

I currently live in Brussels. I got

married this year and was a

MEP candidate in the European

Elections 2009. I am happy to

come to speak to students about

career opportunities in politics and

European Institutions.

Mahir Gazdar

Business Information, 2004

In addition to teaching Arabic at the

City College, I teach at Coventry

Muslim Resource Centre. I also do

some casual interpretation across

the city for people who cannot speak

English. Apart from that, I have

launched a website for teaching

travel Arabic online:

www.mahirteachesarabic.com

Steven Hatcher

Transport Design, 2006

I was a sales executive for the Ford

Motor Company for eight months

and then left to travel around Europe.

When I returned I struggled to fi nd

permanent employment in design

but found freelance work designing

public transport interiors. In May

2010, I secured employment with

John Lewis as a Kitchen Designer.


Graduated 2000s

Timothy ReadTechnical Communication,

1994 (MA Design and

Digital, 2000)

I have great memories of time spent

propping up the Mandela and

Biko Bars in the Students’ Union.

I certainly can’t forget the massive

food fi ght in Priory Hall refectory in

1989. It took the decorators weeks

to chisel the custard off the walls!

I’ve got fond memories of living

with Chris, Jason, Fish, Alan and

Enzo the cat in my fi nal year. I moved

house recently and found pictures

of them all (some that can’t be

published) but we have now sadly

lost touch.

I worked for seven years in my

father’s video production company

before returning to Coventry to

do my MA part time. I married my

wonderful wife Elizabeth in 1998 and

we now have two lovely boys Sam

and Joshua.

In 2001 I formed my own

company specialising in Outside

Broadcast camerawork. I currently

work on the BBC’s Antiques

Roadshow and a wide variety

of sports events including the

Cheltenham Gold Cup, Royal Ascot

and Epsom Derby.

Recent highlights include fi lming

HRH Prince Charles and working for

the BBC at the 2010 Commonwealth

Games in Delhi. I enjoyed my time at

Coventry and it helped give me the

confi dence to get out into the big

wide world and make a life for me

and my family.

Lewis Green

Business and Technology

Management, 2006

I started work in 2006 for Morris /

Kone Cranes as a Project Manager

and was made redundant in late

2009 due to the economic situation

in the UK. I started work again as

a Project Manager for Flowserve

in early 2010. I am still working for

Flowserve currently.



Chris Platt

Motorsport

Engineering,

2006

Following my

graduation, I

worked locally in Coventry for 12

months before being selected for

a job in a Motorsport engineering

fi rm (www.safetydevices.com) near

Cambridge where I now live.

During four years, I have

progressed to become Design

Engineer, improving and updating

many of the existing product lines

as well as being responsible for

development of new products.

Ralph Solly

Graphic

Design and

Illustration,

2008

Working as a

graphic designer for a small studio

called Fifteen65 outside Newbury,

producing and designing limited

edition books for music artists such

as Pavarotti, Ronnie James Dio,

Kiss, Jimi Hendrix with collectors

vinyl. Also designing websites,

brochures and brand identities for

a variety of clients. In my freelance

work I continue to design for three

record labels among other clients. I

run a record label and launched my

website: www.HI-IM-RALPH.co.uk

www.HI-IM-RALPH.blogspot.com

Hiten Dhillon

Law, 2009

I am a Barrister for Boyd Jahani,

Barristers & Solicitors Metro

Vancouver, BC, Canada. I am a

litigator with a focus on Family Law,

Criminal Law, Immigration law and

down the road some Real Estate

law. The fi rm only consists of trial

lawyers.

15

Mark

Knechtle

Electronics

Technology,

2008

I worked for a year and a half as

control engineer for ABB. Now I

have changed to the E-mobility

department within ABB.

Paul Reilly

Business

Management,

2007 (and

Joanne Slim)

In April 2009 I

married another Coventry graduate,

Joanne Slim, in Stratford-upon-Avon.

In January of 2010 we started life in

the Netherlands, having been moved

there by the Dow Chemical company

following their acquisition of my

previous company (Rohm and Haas).

It is a big change after twenty years

of living in Coventry but we are both

enjoying it immensely.

Lydia Williams

Physiotherapy, 2009

I am currently

working for

a private

physiotherapy

company called

Physiotherapy

Wales. I

also work

for the Cardiff Blues U18’s rugby

team and with the Wales Touch

Rugby team for the 2010 European

Championships and for the 2011

World Championships. We won the

European Championships with the

ladies team and the men’s U35’s

team won a silver. I have been back

to talk to third year Physiotherapy

students about my work too and

have been offered a modelling

contract on the strength

of the contacts I made

at Coventry. Not bad as I

only graduated in 2009!

John Horgan Automotive Engineering Design

1993, MBA Engineering Management 2005

I am a Purchasing Manager at Jaguar Land Rover with responsibility

for products built at our Halewood facility. I am currently part of the

launch team delivering the new Range Rover Evoque.

Research shows these are the best read pages in evolve – so why not share your news and updates with alumni in the next issue of evolve? Email [email protected] with 100 words or less giving an overview of where in the world you are now. Keep in touch!

evolve grand challenge

The

ChallengeGrand

6 ways to change the world >

Digital Media

This challenge is focused on both

technological innovation and novel,

creative content to fi nd new ways

to exploit digital environments.

2Ageing Society

Supporting a growing population

of older people from the provision

of healthcare and design of

equipment to the positive aspects

of wellbeing and social inclusion.

31Integrated Transport

& Logistics

Supporting the provision of

better-informed, effi cient and

safe integrated public transport

and logistics services. Increasing

business and Government

understanding of the design,

provision and use of transport/

logistics networks with emphasis

on linking to environmental and

information technologies.


Protecting the world and

making it a better place

for future generations is a

collective responsibility. But

tackling some of the major

challenges that society faces now

and in the future requires specialist

expertise, experience and research.

It’s a critical role that Higher

Education Institutions can perform

and Coventry University has

revealed its contribution to solving

these global issues with a new

research strategy. The plan is

focused on six Grand Challenge

Initiatives – areas where the

University has identifi ed its expertise

can have a signifi cant impact.

These research areas offer

massive opportunities for staff,

students, graduates and partners

of the University to collaborate on

projects. Interdisciplinary activity

across the University’s departments

and faculties will be encouraged to

involve a broad range of expertise

and strengthen results.

These initiatives will enable the

University to work more closely

with external partners, enhance

the student experience, build on its

reputation for high quality research

and, most importantly, address

grand challenges on a global scale.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor

Ian Marshall is leading the new

research agenda and said it had

charged colleagues, students and

partners with a new energy and

enthusiasm.

evolve grand challenge

The University is on a mission to help solve some of the world’s biggest challenges in a targeted new approach to its research projects

17

“Coventry has always been focused

on research that has real tangible

gains, that makes an impact on

society and improves the way we

live. While we will still be working

on a complete range of research

projects, these Grand Challenge

Initiatives will ensure Coventry

University is focused on helping to

shape a brighter future for us all.”

A range of projects are already

underway for all of the challenges

and you can read more about them

in the University’s applied research

magazine Innovate or by visiting

www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet.

There are also ways Friends

of Coventry University (FOCUS)

members can help the University

tackle society’s most pressing

concerns. You may work in a

business that wants support

in diversifying to environmental

technologies, or you might be

developing a product that will

support older people or those living

with long term health conditions.

Perhaps you are keen on fi nding

out more about how accurate

measurement techniques can be

introduced into your business or

interested in adapting your home to

reduce its carbon emissions.

Whatever your interest, if

you would like to be a part

of the University’s exciting plans

contact Andrew Tonks

[email protected]

for more information.

4Low Impact Buildings

Delivering practical solutions,

knowledge and innovation to

industry and the public sector. It

will cover a wide range of aspects

from construction materials and

methods to intelligent monitoring

and user experience of new

technologies.

5Sustainable Agriculture

and Food

This challenge will be focused

on areas of policy, social science

and management associated

with development of sustainable

domestic and international

agriculture and food systems.

Low Carbon Vehicles

Testing, evaluating and designing

the vehicles and associated

systems needed to establish

low carbon vehicles as viable

alternatives to traditional modes

of transport.

6

evolve my university

“A chef changed our lives”Meeting at Coventry led to marriage and business success for graduates Rob Marchant and Pam Cain

Why did you set up your

own company?

Rob and I were mature

students and met at

Coventry while I was

studying Geography and then an

MSc in Rural Change and Rob was

studying Automotive Engineering

Design as a BEng and MEng. After

graduation I worked for a local

regeneration agency and then set

up as an environmental consultant

and Rob worked for local company

Brose Ltd and then Bentley Motor

Cars in Crewe before setting up as

an engineering design consultant.

On a weekend away in Harrogate

in 2008 we met a chef who was a

diabetic. He had developed an idea

for an insulin injection pen that could

record when you had an injection

and remind you of the next one but

he could not get anyone to help him

develop it. We recognised it had a

lot of potential so we set up Mediche

Ltd in 2009 to try and market the

injection pen, which is now a full

diabetes management system,

called Mediche LifeOne.

What does Mediche do?

We design, develop and

engineer other people’s

ideas to help them take

them to market. If we

can talk to people before

they talk to anyone else

we can help them

to either design

and develop

it through us

or point them

in the right

direction but

all under the

protection of

non-disclosure

agreements.

How successful have you

been so far?

We won the Lord Stafford

Award for Impact Through

Innovation in 2009 for

Mediche LifeOne, which was a

surprise and have been selected as

members of the ICT Excellence Club.

We moved into the University’s

Health Design & Technology (HDTI)

building this year. We have strong

ties with Coventry (I grew up here as

well as it being our University city)

and the HDTI is a brilliant building;

we’ll be working alongside other

health development companies too.

What about the future?

We are in the process of

raising money – as we’re a

start-up and haven’t been

trading, we’re off the venture

capitalists’ radar. We would prefer to

fund as much as possible ourselves

so we are gathering a number of

small investors together to help us

to develop the working

prototype. As soon

as we have that

HDTI will do

some testing for

us. From there

we can re-defi ne

it and get

the

money to do other prototypes. It’s

not that easy at the moment as there

is very little money about.

We’re also helping a group

of doctors who have an idea

for monitoring drug and alcohol

dependents and treatments for

some cancers and several other

people have approached us with

ideas too.

What about the chef?

He is a director of Mediche

but he’s also a restaurateur

in Yorkshire and has set up a

high-class catering company.

He is fl abbergasted that his idea has

been taken so far as he had tried

without success on his own. It has

changed his life and ours as well.

For more information visit

www.mediche.com or

www.hdti.org.uk

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

18

Enhance your

EmployabilityWant to fi nd out more about developing

your career at Coventry or turning an

interest into a vocation?

For further information and to register, please email [email protected] www.coventry.ac.uk/postgraduate or call + 44 (0) 24 7688 8614

Come along to one of our postgraduate and part-time open days to fi nd out about the opportunities available.

Subject experts will be available to advise you about our courses and you can have a tour around our dedicated facilities for postgraduate students.

Our open days take place in the Graduate Centre, Jaguar Building on the city centre campus, accessible from Gosford Street, off Junction 3 of the ring road.

For a list of all forthcoming open days please visit www.coventry.ac.uk/pgopendays

evolve big interview

Headline aGraduate David Yelland reveals how a determination to succeed made him one of the most infl uential people in the country as editor of Britain’s biggest selling newspaper

A lot has happened in the 30

years since former Sun editor

David Yelland was at Coventry

studying for his Economics degree –

for him, the city and the University.

As an industrial city suffering in

a poor economic climate, David

remembers Coventry in the mid-

1980s as a depressed place. And it

wasn’t just the city that felt down on

its luck back then either.

Losing all of his hair at the age of

12 through alopecia had severely

affected David’s confi dence. He

wore a wig throughout his time at

Coventry and described himself as

shy. He arrived at Coventry from

Harrogate having come through an

“interesting” set of A-levels. Although

naturally intelligent and passionate

about his subject, he wasn’t

comfortable in an academic setting.

“I’ve got a butterfl y brain,” said

David who returned to the city in

2010 to talk to aspiring journalists

about his life and career. “I’ve got a

very short attention span and I jump

from thing to thing. When I got here,

when I was 18, I felt I hadn’t done as

well as I should have done. I was a

passionate economist and I wanted

to be an academic, which is why

my A-levels were so disappointing. I

was very impressed with the degree

course and I gradually woke up to

the fact, during the fi rst year, that this

was a serious place and these were

serious people.”

It was at Coventry where his

ambition to be a journalist started

to take shape. From day one he

admits 50 percent of his time was

spent on journalism – becoming

the Communications Director of the

Union in his fi rst term and continuing

with the post throughout his three

years at the University. The position

meant that, as well as holding a

place on the Exec Committee of

the Students’ Union, David edited

a weekly newsletter and appeared

on local radio station Mercia Sound

(now Mercia FM) once a month as a

student rep.

“I had a very determined attitude

and I did have a faith that I might be

quite good at it [journalism]. I knew

I could string words together, that I

could communicate in print what I

couldn’t – at the time – verbally.”

His determination proved to be

his talisman during a time when

unemployment was high and

newspaper recruitment was low.

After nearly 100 rejections from

newspapers – “I’ve still got the

letters” – he fi nally landed a place on

the prestigious Westminster Press

Graduate Training Scheme.



e act

I can remember being told by my housemates that I would never get into national journalism because you had to be an Oxbridge graduate. In fact, I only wanted to get into local newspapers. The idea of national newspapers was a dream beyond my horizons

21

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ad

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co

urt

esy o

f E

AD

T S

uffolk

Magazin

e

and

inset

and

cover

photo

by C

harles S

hearn


But to what David describes as a

‘surprise’ he not only made it to the

nationals but ended up editing a

newspaper with the highest circulation

in the UK. He was recruited to The

Sun at the age of 27 by editor Kelvin

MacKenzie to fi ll the new position

of City Editor and within eight years,

via a spell in the States with Rupert

Murdoch’s newly acquired New York

Post, he was editor.

But David’s liberal politics (he was

a card-carrying member of the SDP

while at Coventry) were in sharp

contrast to the almost exclusive

Conservative staff of The Sun.

Secondly, his drive for journalism

was fuelled by his passion for politics

and economics – not showbusiness

stories about people he had never

heard of.

“Journalism is changing rapidly, but I think there is a constant demand for news. From the outside it seems impossible to get in and everyone is brilliant, but it just isn’t like that. I’d be very positive and not give up”

“I was not a natural editor of The

Sun, and I had never pretended

to be one. But I think there was a

feeling that The Sun had become

slightly irrelevant. So Rupert asked

me to provide a sheet of A4 with

what I would do with the paper. I

did that, he gave me the job, and I

implemented what was on my sheet

of A4 within about 10 weeks.”

David’s change of direction for

the paper included enthusiastic

backing of the Northern Ireland

peace process. When Patrick

Magee, whose bomb at the Grand

Hotel in Brighton during the 1984

Conservative Party was intended to

assassinate Margaret Thatcher and

her cabinet, was released as part of

the Good Friday Agreement, David

placed the story on page 2 instead

of on the cover. “The Sun sets the

tone for the rest of the media,” says

David. “The fact that The Sun didn’t

get angry about the peace process

helped the Government.”

But it was while at The Sun that

the cracks started to show. Last

year, David admitted that he was

drunk throughout his editorship

of the paper and that it had led to

some errors of judgement. But he

confessed he fi rst suspected that

he had an alcohol problem when he

was a student at Coventry.

“I started drinking when I was 16

or 17 and I attended a lot of lectures

half cut. I probably realised I had a

problem in the last year of my degree

but I only really admitted it when I

was 42.”

David is frank and honest about

the subject. He is keen to talk about

it, being of the view that alcoholism

and addiction need to be discussed

more openly if society is to be able

to deal with it sensibly.

David hasn’t had a drink for fi ve

years now, ever since he learned

that his ex-wife was dying of cancer

and knew that he was to become a

single parent. He wrote a book, The

Truth About Leo, about an alcoholic

widower father – it is, he says, about

the father he would have become if

he hadn’t stopped drinking.

His transformation is complete

now that he has moved from

journalism to PR, via a business

degree at Harvard. He is now a

partner at Brunswick Group LLP,

a global fi nancial public relations

and communications company in

London. As well as clients such as

Coca-Cola, Burberry and Ocado,

David was also recently the media

advisor to Lord Browne during his

review of Higher Education student

funding.

“It suits me down to the ground

because I like being in rooms where

people tell me everything and I get

to help them – and then I don’t

talk about it. Being a journalist is

the equivalent of going into a bar,

hearing someone say he’s just

been unfaithful to his wife and then

running out and shouting about it. I

now get paid for doing the opposite,

which is being a counsel to people,

and I enjoy that.”

As well as a successful PR

career, David’s personal life is also

fl ourishing as he recently married

Charlotte Elston who is Director of

Communications at BBC Worldwide.

It seems the boy who was once lost

in the big city has defi nitely grown

up – a transformation that David

believes the city of Coventry has

gone through too.

“Things are much better now and

this city feels much wealthier than

it did then. I think 18-year-olds are

more mature than we were.”

It is David’s desire to succeed

that enabled him to overcome his

problems and achieve his dream

to work in the media, an industry,

he told student journalists, has a

healthy future.

To listen to a full interview

with David Yelland at

Coventry University visit

ww.coventryuniversity.podbean.

com/ and search for David

Yelland to download the podcast

or listen online.


courses in Journalism at

Coventry visit www.coventry.

ac.uk/artanddesign

Lived: In Bedworth with four or

fi ve others. “We were like the

characters out of The Young

Ones.”

Favourite memory: “Most of

them were after consuming too

much alcohol. We had a very

happy time here. There was a lot

of emerging university and poly

towns at that time that hadn’t seen

students before. We were walking

around with cones on our heads

and things like that.”

Student profi le


23

A COPY OF DAVID YELLAND’S

BOOK

Graduate and former newspaper

editor David Yelland’s fi rst book

was published in 2010 and we

have THREE copies to give away.

The Truth About Leo is a fi ctional

story about a boy called Leo who’s

father is an alcoholic. To be in with

a chance of winning a copy just

answer this simple question: which

British newspaper did David

Yelland once edit?

A. The Sun

B. The Independent

C. The Mirror

Please send your answers to alumni@

coventry.ac.uk or post to Evolve Competition,

FOCUS, Development Offi ce, Coventry

University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB

by the closing date of 31 August 2011.

Terms and conditions

No cash alternative will be offered.

The editor’s decision is fi nal.

WIN


evolve letters

lettersShare

your views

with other

Friends of Coventry

University and you

could win £25 to spend

in Waterstone’s.

Our star letter prize is kindly

donated by Waterstone’s

Coventry University.

star letter

24

Dear FOCUS,

I saw a request on the FOCUS

E-Newsletter for information regarding

some old photographs that had been

found from an art show in the 1960s. I

recognised the photos and I know who

did the work. The images show work by

Victoria Brooke and Rosalind Bowron.

The occasion was the Dip Ad Graphic

Design (1966-1969) fi nal year student

exhibits for our assessment. There were

16 of us on the course, eight males and

eight females: Dawn Wilkinson, Vivienne

Timms (nee Manley), Rosalind Bowron,

Gillian Dole, Valerie Jordan, Victoria

Brookes, Helen O’Malley, Gaye Neal,

Barry Lord, Jeffrey Booth, Richard Garrett,

Alwyn Timms, Brian Smith, Howard (Ned)

Needham, David Empringham and myself.

I believe we were the year the Dip Ad

Graphics course was converted into a BA

(Hons) degree.

Rosalind Bowron (I don’t think she was

from Coventry) achieved the highest pass

and Valerie the second highest.

The poster (top right) was produced the

year before our fi nal year to commemorate

the opening of the new Art and Design

College building on Gosford Street (June

1968) by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Our project was to create a ‘self portrait’

for the poster. Victoria’s self portrait was a

photograph of her as a ballerina stretched

to make her look slimmer! Rosalind often

wore the jersey she has superimposed

over her face.

John Clark (1965-1966 Foundation Year,

1966-1969 Dip AD Graphics)

S,

If you know Rosalind Bowron or Victoria Brooke please ask them to get in touch on [email protected]


evolve letters

Dear FOCUS,

I saw the snowy pictures of Coventry

and Warwick on the alumni website

in December!

They are wonderful. It reminded

me of my time spent in Coventry

where I experienced the snowfall for

the fi rst time ever in my life. Me and

my friends actually ran out of the

Business School (William Morris) to

enjoy the snow. We took a plethora

of pictures and had fun like impish

kids making snowballs and throwing

them at each other. I got nostalgic

seeing the snowy pictures. I simply

remember so much in fl ashes and

enjoy the memories I have about this

City. Thanks for directing us to the

BBC website to see more.

Shital Mehta, lives in Mumbai,

India, (MBA in Marketing, 2007)

Please send letters to Letters, Development Offi ce, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB

nd

ndly

e’s

y.

25

Dear FOCUS,

I would like to take the opportunity

to congratulate you and everyone

involved for the excellent job that

you have been doing over the years

with the publication of evolve.

evolve allows all of us former

students of the University to keep

in touch worldwide and follow the

news of the institution. It has proven

to be a very important tool over the

years and a connection for us.

It has been more than seven

years now, since I completed my

BEng degree at Coventry in the fi eld

of Automotive Technology. During

the years I studied at Coventry

I gained experiences that have

shaped me, not only academically,

but also as a whole person, for that I

am most grateful to you all.

Since 2005 and having

completed army service as an

Engineer Offi cer at the Artillery

Force, I have been working at

Sydesys S.A. as a Network Manager

for the collection and recycling

of waste accumulators. Sydesys

S.A. is the only authorized National

System for the implementation of

the EU directives and legislations in

regard to waste accumulators.

Beng Ilias Vorrias (Automotive

Technology, 2003)

Waterstone’s is the UK’s leading academic bookseller, with a comprehensive

range of course books, textbooks and professional titles at highly competitive

prices. The shop stocks an extensive range of academic books from the UK and

abroad, with an expert team on hand to help.

Waterstone’s, Coventry University, Frederick Lanchester Building,

Gosford St, Coventry, CV1 5DD, or visit our other Coventry store in the

lower precinct. You can also follow Waterstone’s on Facebook and Twitter.

,

at I

ger

al

n

When Course Director David Browne announced his retirement after over 30 years at the University, alumni wanted to share their memories

Farewell David BrowneD

eveloping design talent for the automotive

industry has been David Browne’s key

focus in the last 32 years since he has been at

the University.

David started out as a designer at the British

Leyland styling studios and with Rover before

deciding to move into academia.

The course has grown in size and calibre

since David joined the team, winning awards

and even the Queen’s Prize in 2007, and has

produced successful automotive designers

who are enjoying careers with some of the

world’s most recognisable brands – not only in

Automotive Design, but Marine, Sports Product

and Transport Design generally.

Last December David announced his

retirement from the University but will still make

an important contribution to the School of Art &

Design as an Honorary Teaching Fellow.

David said: “A great part of my ‘job

satisfaction’ has been seeing our graduates

develop as professional designers and likeable,

well-rounded young men and women, and

keeping in touch with them as they climb the

ladder of success in their chosen careers.

“I’ve been proud to be able bring them

back to contribute – via lectures or project

collaborations – to successive generations of

aspiring students to show that ‘it can be done’.

Two have even become colleagues! But I also

get the sense that they enjoyed their time here

and maintaining the contact.

“Although I’ll be leaving, this is what I’ll

somehow hope not to lose.”

evolve lecturer profi le


GRADUATES: David with Douglas Hogg and other graduates. David likes this

photo as he is at the feet of the graduates ‘literally and fi guratively. He said:

“They have the skills, I just made sure I was around to keep them pointing

creatively in the right direction.”

evolve lecturer profi le

Before I offi cially applied for a place at Coventry, David was kind enough to show me around the facilities, as well as giving me an insight of what the course entailed. Following this I decided that it was defi nitely the path for me to pursue, and during my education David was always a fi ne mix of being both supportive and challenging during the creative process.Richard Shaw, GM Chief Designer (Transport Design, 1988)

Dear David...

27

David was a lecturer with a unique style, both in his tastes and fashion! His contacts with industry made Coventry the place to study car design. He had a relaxed and subtle way of delivering advice, but with a group of young egos in the making, his calmness and honesty were qualities everyone appreciated! He was and is a character that will always be in the minds of so many successful car designers – and I can speak on behalf of everyone in saying, David, thank you. Thanks for your guidance and support, Coventry wouldn’t be what it is without you – and I wish you all the best in your retirement!Mark Fetherston, Design Manager,Design Exterieur (DE/PEE), Mercedes Car Group, Daimler AG

My year g oup and I had many good times with David during our time at Covent Universit bet een 2005-2009. He always had his door open, was always iendly, polite and not a aid to say what he thought which was re eshing, even if it was your project he was being honest about! Most memorable for me though, was a t ip he organised to Morgan in 2008 for a small g oup of us.”Adam King(Automotive Design, 2009)

I wanted to let you know what a brilliant Lecturer and Head of Year David was, he made my third year at Coventry the best year I had there. I have worked in post production at a children’s television company in Stratford called Ragdoll – they have made Teletubbies and In The Night Garden (to name a few). I’ve been involved with visual effects and animation during my two years here and I’ve loved every second of it. I’ve even managed to get my name on television in the credits of a show called Tronji. I didn’t have any idea about visual effects as a career until my third year 3D modelling/animation placement with Jean Micheal and you really gave me the self belief that anything was possible.Emma GalliniTransport and Product Design, 2007

I think I speak for everyone when I say a heartfelt thank you for your support and encouragement over the years. I think it is understated just how much of an impact you had on us all. You went above and beyond your mandate and became a central and crucial part of our year group. It really wouldn’t have been the same if

you weren’t around. I am sure everyone in the group echoes my sentiments. We all miss the familiar turquoise text of your late night emails of random thoughts and musings!

Douglas HoggTransport Design, 2010

When I think of the Transpor Desig Course I think of DB. He has shaped it over the years he has been there and much of its fantastic reputation can be credited to his input. Always approachable and educational, David was just what a lect rer should be. I remember many of his teachings about both desig and life in general. He has defi nitely infl uenced my life and career and I’m sure I am just one of many. I wish you all the best David and I’m glad I st died whilst you were there.Christian Forbes-Bell MA Automotive Design, 2007

The overriding perception is that David has been the heart and soul of Automotive and Transport Design at Coventry, he informed the teaching, practice and outward facing character throughout his career as an educator. He has a keen sense of fun and looked for that in setting student projects and in assessing their work, his ability to encourage radical designs was always balanced by a logical sense of correctness.

John Owen, Academic Coordinator, Coventry School of Art and Design

evolve development

ChangingThe University is getting bigger and better with support from graduates and leading industry fi gures

SUPPORTIVE ROLE

Chris Smith was the President of the

Students’ Union between 2006 and

2007 after graduating from a History

and Politics degree. He is now the

University’s Development Manager

and helps to raise awareness and

build support for University projects.

“As a graduate of the University,

I have experienced fi rst hand the

huge difference that philanthropy

has made to the lives of Coventry

University students,” said Chris

(pictured left) who is proud when

a project comes to fruition. “At the

moment, we are seeking support

from organisations and individuals to

help equip the new Engineering and

Computing building.

“It’s a great feeling when you can

show someone the impact their

support has had to help students.”


The signifi cant funding

cuts announced in Higher

Education mean universities

are increasingly looking for support

from alumni and industry.

Donations made to Coventry

University are critical in helping to

develop specifi c projects to enhance

the student experience and to ensure

that the University can continue to

offer students a world class learning

experience.

The opportunity to invest in

the University is also an attractive

opportunity for businesses that want

to guarantee their future workforce

is being given the best opportunities

available to succeed.

For alumni there is a vested

interest in ensuring their alma

mater climbs the league tables and

develops an impressive reputation

that refl ects well on their CVs. The

sense of ‘giving something back’

is also hugely important to former

students.

One of the massive benefi ts of

donating to the University at the

moment is that the Government has

committed to matching any gifts

made to the University up until July

2011 to encourage charitable giving

to Higher Education. This means that

through Gift Aid and the Matched

Funding scheme, a personal gift of

£1,000 could be worth nearly £2,000

to the University.

The University’s Chancellor Sir

John Egan has also set up a new

group called ’The Chancellor’s Circle’

to recognise all of those supporters

of the University who have made a

signifi cant donation to the institution.

“The whole thing about giving is

being able to see that you’re helping

society. Coventry and Coventry

University are in a pivotal situation.

Universities are able to play an

important part in the regeneration of

cities. This is an exciting opportunity

to invest in the city and the

University,” he said.

Members of the Chancellor’s

Circle are attending a thank you

dinner in St Mary’s Guildhall this

year so they can fi nd out more

about the huge range of projects

that have been possible thanks to

philanthropic giving.

To give all graduates a fl avour

of the generosity that leading

business fi gures and alumni have

shown, the highlights are included on

the right hand page.

If you would like to know

more about development

opportunities at the University

or would like to donate towards a

project contact Chris Smith on

+44 (0) 24 7688 8311 or

[email protected].

FUND: Chancellor Sir John Egan

evolve development

g lives

29

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

One Coventry alumnus is funding

ten international scholarships worth

£5,000 each and has also purchased

a fl ight simulator for the Engineering

and Computing Faculty.

Majid Al-Sadi, who studied for a

part-time MPhil-PhD in Mechanical

Engineering in the 1980s has

pledged £50,000 towards The

Majid Alsadi Scholarship Foundation

annually and contributed £135,000

towards a suite of new Flight

Simulators for the Engineering and

Computing Faculty.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES

The Higgs Charity helped the

University to participate in the new

Coventry Mysteries in 2010, bringing

open air performances to the city.

Traditionally based on Christian

Bible stories, the medieval miracle

plays as they were known in the

13th Century have been revived

and made into more contemporary

performances thanks to £20,000 of

funding from the charity and enabled

Performing Arts students from the

University to take a key lead in the

delivery of the festival that was seen

across the city.

STUDENT ENTERPRISE FUND

Students and graduates can now get

support from a Student Enterprise

Fund that leading businessmen are

investing in – including the owner

of Coventry Airport Sir Peter Rigby

and Chairman of Aston Martin

David Richards. The fund, which is

available to alumni who graduated

in the last fi ve years and who are

UK nationals, aims to encourage

entrepreneurship by providing loan

fi nance to fl edgling student and

graduate businesses when they need it

most. The loans also come with support

from industry experts who will help

mentor and develop the individual and

the business.

The fund is the brainchild of Sir John

and he is keen to see other business

leaders invest in the scheme. “I am

concerned that our UK universities will

fall behind internationally as a result of

reductions in public sector funding and

limited access to development funds

from the EU. I am very keen to make

this initiative a success, not just for the

University, but for the region as a whole.”

Find out more about access to the fund on page 32.

ENGINEERING SUPPORT: Alumnus Dr Majid Al-Sadi with the Vice Chancellor unveiling the Simulator Facility

MYSTERY: The logo for

the Coventry Mysteries

then the Government will

match fund this to make it

worth nearly £2,000

to the University

If you donate £1,000

Coventry seemed a rather

dreary place back in the early

50s when I started student

life at Coventry School of Art at the

age of 15.

The School was small with less

than 100 students and was based in

two buildings – Ford Street and ‘Hill

Crest,’ an old family mansion which

had been used, among other things,

for convalescent soldiers after the war.

After two years as a day release

student, what a thrill it was to be at

Hill Crest after getting a scholarship.

It was a beautiful, rambling old

place, turned into fully functioning

classrooms, it still retained the air of

a home, with original fi replaces and

wonderful views over Naulsmill Park.

Ford Street, was an altogether more

functional place which I attended for

typography and clay modelling.

Most aspects of art were covered;

painting, sculpting, architecture,

fabric printing, sign writing, jewellery,

window dressing and some students

were training to be teachers.

We were inspired by some

excellent teachers, who must have

had a diffi cult job. The atmosphere

was studious but friendly, a

phenomenon I was quite unused

to coming from a strict secondary

modern, and we had to learn to use

our freedom wisely.

I quickly became more interested

in fashion and after a year studying

commerical art I transferred to the

dress design department where

I embarked on a City and Guilds

course. Some materials were

provided but in cash-strapped

Coventry most things were done on

a shoe-string. We were expected

to make patterns for our designs,

complete the hand-fi nished

garments and were taught glove and

belt making.

The highlight of each year was

the exciting, ‘themed’ arts ball held

at Coventry Casino, Coundon and

later, I believe, the Locarno. Work

went on for many weeks making

costumes and scenery and it was

one occasion when I had a new,

posh frock.

Most of us lived at home – money

was short so entertainment was fairly

limited. Coffee at break time was

down at the Good Companions café

in Bishop Street. Pubs were a bit

beyond our pockets and thankfully,

the drug scene hadn’t arrived so we

were a pretty steady lot, even so,

eccentrics abounded. One budding

artist occasionally trotted up to Hill

Crest on her horse, another roared

up most days on his motorbike.

One girl, a very high achiever

having won a bursary in fabric

design, later supplemented her

working income by doing a horse

drawn milk round. An amazingly

musical chap could play absolutely

anything on the piano and

entertained us by getting music out

of a battered old mandolin, one of

our ‘still life’ props. National Service

was still in operation and I remember

when several male students turned

up in air force and army uniform

having been called up.

When it was time to leave I found

no fashion work anywhere near

home. At eighteen, I couldn’t afford

accommodation away so I settled

at a department store producing

in-house publicity and painting

backgrounds for window displays,

while teaching 11-15 year-old girls

on Saturday mornings at art school.

Not being a very diligent student I

left without qualifi cations but I have

continued to work in art all my life,

becoming self employed for a time

and also using the same skills for our

local music club activities and arts

festivals.

I taught calligraphy, my least

favourite subject, for many years at

adult education evening classes.

Many of my skills were learned along

the way but my Art School years

were a good basis and gave me a

memorable insight into what would

eventually be my working life.

Thinking of those days now, it is

Hill Crest that holds the memories.

Sadly, the building was demolished

years ago and the last time I was

there, the site was windswept and

bleak. Such a pity.

In retirement I became interested

in painting and have had fun learning

and occasionally selling work. The

learning process goes on.

See the Coventry School of

Art & Design today at

www.coventry.ac.uk/

artanddesign. Email your

memories of Coventry to

[email protected].

evolve nostalgia

30

Art Megan Walden (nee Roberts) reveals what life was like studying at Coventry’s School of Art in the 1950s

direction >


evolve nostalgia

at 0s

ARTIST: A selection of Megan’s paintings, and (top, left) Hill Crest

(photo by former student Falcon David Hildred), (top, centre) fashion

drawings Megan did at Art School, (left frame) Megan today (right

frame) Megan at Art School and posing for an Arts Ball photo. The

theme was ‘I do like to be beside the seaside’ so Megan and fellow

students made vintage swimming costumes

31

evolve enterprise

32

3 steps to growing your own businessPlant a seed of a new business idea and watch it grow with expert support from the University’s Institute of Applied Entrepreneurship

Sow the seeds

(Funding)

Get the business off to a great start

with access to funding from the

University’s new Student Enterprise

Fund.

While the Fund was originally set

up to support student businesses, it

is now also available to alumni who

graduated in the last fi ve years and

who are UK nationals.

The fund, which is the brainchild

of the University’s Chancellor

Sir John Egan, will support the

establishment of new businesses

across all academic disciplines

through investments normally in the

range of £3k to £5k and as much as

£30k for an outstanding proposition.

A team of industry experts will

also help shape, mentor and

develop both the individual and the

businesses they create.

The loans, available at competitive

rates, will be expected to be paid

back once the business is up and

running so that the money can go

back into the fund to support the

next wave of new businesses.

Feed and water

(Mentoring)

Register for free online mentoring

support to help your business get

established.

The online tool, that was created

by the National Council for Graduate

Entrepreneurship, means graduates

anywhere in the UK can access

specialist support.

Once registered, the system

will help graduates with planning,

building, launching and growing a

successful business.

There are resources, tools, online

training, networking and enhanced

mentor support – backed up by

experts from the IAE.

The My Plan tool asks users

important questions about their

business to enable them to work out

where there are gaps and directs

them to resources to help them get

into a better position.

To fi nd out more about

mentoring visit the website:

http://coventry.mihmentoring.

com/apply/register

Watch it grow

(Business support)

Once you are up and running you

might need a professional front

for your business but without the

expense of offi ce accommodation.

The IAE offers a range of business

support packages that are available

as pay as you go or monthly direct

debit, based at the Technology Park.

The Flexi Desk scheme has a

range of business benefi ts – starting

from £30 per week. They include:

• Use of the Technology Park as

your business address

• A dedicated mail box with

forwarding or collection service

• Desk space, WiFi and a computer

• A telephone number

• Personalised call answering in your

company’s name

• All your calls answered effi ciently

• Message taking, post, parcel, and

fax handling facilities

• Use of fax, photocopier and

document binding services

• Business support services with

access to business advisers

• Discount on meeting room hire.


1 2 3

Marlon Lewis and Misagh

Alami had an idea for

an innovative new fi lm

company while studying Theatre

and Professional Practice at the

University in 2007.

As students they received help

from SPEED, a nationally funded

programme aimed at supporting

student enterprises, and went on to

form their company Fortune Frames.

Their concept has been to build an

audience for their fi lm The Artifi ce

before moving it into production.

“We have more than 20,000 active

users on a game we created for The

Artifi ce and over four million fans on

Facebook,” said Marlon. “Our aim is

to get the audience involved and to

create a community that can actually

affect the outcome of the fi lm.”

Since graduating, Marlon and

Misagh have based their business at

the Institute for Creative Enterprise

(ICE) on the Technology Park. The

company pay a monthly fee for the

Flexi Desk scheme, which gives

them equipment and offi ce space –

even late at night – and the use of a

professional business address.

“They have given us a place

where we feel at home and

comfortable. It helps being based in

an environment with other creative

businesses,” said Marlon. “We’ve

also had students working with us

doing some graphic design work

too, which is a massive help.”

They are currently making an online

show for The Artifi ce. Starting in the

late summer of 2011, this show aims

to unearth and showcase the wealth

of undiscovered talent from the West

Midlands, who will in turn help bring

The Artifi ce to life.

“I don’t think this approach has

been done before on such a large

scale and using the type of media that

we’re using,” explained Misagh. “We

would have found a way to start this

business without support from the

University but this offer defi nitely gave

us a chance to not worry about where

we were going to work and helped us

set guidelines for the business very

early on. It’s defi nitely helped saved us

a lot of time and hassle.”

Find out more about Fortune

Frames at www.the-artifi ce.com

evolve enterprise

33

For more information about the

support available to graduates

call +44 (0) 2476 23 6001 or email

[email protected]

visit www.coventry.ack.uk/iae

Business support

FORTUNE: (L-R) Misagh Alami and Marlon Lewis

evolve events


events> reunions

alumni events

what’s on

Visit www.coventry.ac.uk/alumni/events to keepup to date online with future and past events

Graduates in Hong Kong and Malaysia got together to network and reminisce at two recent reunions

Reuniting with graduates

overseas is a key priority for

the University as it expands

its global networks, and two recent

events in Malaysia and Hong

Kong have helped alumni make

connections.

A reunion at the Hong Kong

Jockey Club in the Happy Valley

Stand this March meant that over

100 alumni and guests found out

Global Networkingmore about the University’s range of

services for graduates.

Attendees included recent

graduates from partner institutions

PEAK, SCOPE and HSSC, alumni

who had been to Coventry for a year

of their studies and older graduates

who had studied in the 1970s.

As well as dinner and networking,

graduates enjoyed speeches from

senior University offi cials who told

them about Coventry’s latest

developments and the extensive

opportunities still available to them at

the University.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (International)

David Pilsbury opened the event and

told alumni that Coventry had a long

history of academic collaboration

with Hong Kong. There are currently

938 students from Hong Kong on

Coventry programmes who are

spread across the three Coventry

accredited institutions.

“We want to offer alumni the

chance to access expertise,

knowledge, contacts and services

to support their career development

through Coventry Connections – or

if they have a business, to use the

global network of Coventry partners

to access new markets or develop

new services,” said David who

acknowledged there were also ways

graduates could support their alma

mater by offering current students

placements and internships. He told

graduates: “Our aim is to place our

global network at your disposal and

to assist you to help us and also one

another.”

Hong Kong is an important

area for the University to have

connections as it expands its global

presence. Building relationships with

businesses and alumni in the area is

a key priority and more events are

planned for the future.

A similar event took place in

Malaysia where more than 40 alumni

gathered at the Hilton Hotel in

Petaling Jaya. The exclusive event

was an opportunity for graduates to

meet up with fellow alumni and share

their news while hearing all about the

new developments at Coventry.

Graduates from 2003 helped

run the event – Zahrain Zulkifl i was

the host, Mira Ezwany handled

registration and Noami A Hal

organised the performances. Zahrain

welcomed everyone to the event and

introduced speeches by the FOCUS

on Malaysia representative Dr Arzmi

Yaacob, the University’s Director of

Marketing and Communications,

Nick Stokes, Associate Dean

(International) of the School of Art

& Design, Wallace Murdoch, and

the International Offi ce’s Regional

Manager, Fiona Johnston.

The speeches were followed by

dinner and cultural performances

and the event continued late into the

night, with alumni networking and

catching up with friends as well as

the University.

Graduate Izwan Mat Yusoff

(Computer Science, 2002) who was

on the committee to help run the

event, said: “We really had fun that

night and the event went well as

planned. The committee received

some favourable responses from

guests too.”

The FOCUS on Malaysia group are

hoping to reunite in Coventry in 2012.

Events are also being

lined up in China, India

and Africa to give alumni the

opportunity to meet up and share

experiences with each other and

the University. If you would like

to know more about future global

events email Kristina Anders at

[email protected].

Ghostly tales of Coventry’s gruesome

past were regaled to graduates on a

cold and dark night last Halloween.

Two professional tour guides,

dressed in period costume, walked

around the back streets of Coventry

and revealed some of the darker

sides of the city’s history.

Graduates and their family and

friends came on the tour to fi nd out

more about the city and to celebrate

the annual festival.

Good callA reunion for graduates who have

worked on the Phoenix Foundation’s

call campaigns at the University

reunited in Coventry this year.

The reunion also included

graduates who had helped out

in the alumni offi ce as student

ambassadors or those who had

helped track down missing alumni.

Students who took part in this year’s

call campaign also came along to a

lunchtime get together.

Scary stories

evolve events

To see photos and fi nd out

more about the events

click on the events section

of the alumni website at


One of Coventry’s oldest buildings

was the venue for a special dinner

for law graduates this month.

Graduates enjoyed a three-

course meal in the historic building

and listened to a talk from a local

councillor and tourist guide Roger

Bailey who spoke about the

signifi cance of Coventry in the middle

ages. See photos and fi nd out who

was there on the alumni website.

Law dinner

35

evolve events


It might have been around 15 years

since two graduates had played

badminton together on campus,

but they still managed to beat the

students at the annual Sports Day

event in May.

Dave Spring (Leisure

Management, 1995) and Robin

Trust (Business Economics, 1997)

have both kept in touch but had not

been on the University courts since

graduation. They were, however,

winners of the BUSA National Shield

in 1997 and Robin represents

Berkshire at Badminton while Dave

has only just retired from playing for

Hertfordshire County.

Dave, who now manages a Golf

Club in Hertfordshire, said: “It’s good

to be back. Robin saw the event on

Linkedin and we thought it would

be a good opportunity to play

together again.”

They were just two of the

graduates who made it back for the

annual event where students get

the chance to play against alumni

from their sports clubs. Men’s and

women’s hockey and football teams

played matches, as well as teams

for rugby union, rugby league, tennis

and netball.

The fi eld sports all took place

at Westwood Health and women’s

hockey player Jess Apperley

(Physiotherapy, 2010), who now

works as a Physiotherapist in

Walsall, said it was good to come

back to the event to play on the

winning alumni team.

“I’ve kept in touch with people from

the hockey team and it’s good to see

people from years ago too. And we

won so the student hockey team is

obviously mssing me!”

Despite the alumni efforts though,

the 2011 shield belonged to the

students who beat the alumni in fi ve

out of the nine matches. Trophies

and medals were given out at an

awards ceremony at the Students’

Union later in the evening.

For more information and

to register your team for

the 2012 Sports Day event email

Kristina Anders on

[email protected]

On the ballGraduates enjoyed fun and games

across the campus at the 2011 Alumni

Vs Students Sports Day

To celebrate 47 years since a group of

Metallurgy graduates started at The Lanch,

they held a reunion in Coventry last August.

The 12 friends who are based all over

the world have been meeting up every

fi ve years. Barry Leat, who has worked

in aero engineering at many companies

including Bristol Siddeley Engines (now

Rolls Royce), said the course stood them

in good stead.

“We all know that the education we

received was fi rst class and did us proud

as the introduction to our respective

careers,” said Barry about the three-year

HND sandwich course and the diploma

they all did in Metallurgy.

The gang of friends, which also

includes former lecturer Ronald Blackwell,

were treated to a campus tour.

“As a group of qualifi ed metallurgists

we spread our wings worldwide, either

through business travel or emigration.

One member who was unable to

be with us resides in Perth, Western

Australia, whilst the other long distant

member was making a visit to the UK

from Tasmania, hence our recent reunion,”

said Barry who is looking forward to their

50th year reunion.

Good chemistry

REUNION PARTY: (l-r) Back row standing:

David Oddy, Jim Williams, Michael Collins, Dr Tony

Scanlon, Alan Jenkins, Martin Crapper, Barry Leat,

John Ross, Ron Blackwell (Lecturer), Kneeling front

row: David Roberts, Garth Perry. (Missing from

photo: Gordon Whitmore and Geoffrey Hinson).

GOOD SPORTS: Clockwise from top left: Women’s hockey team, men’s rugby, Jess

Apperley, rugby at Westwood Heath and Badminton duo Robin and Dave.

Metallurgy graduates meet up again on campus after 47 years

DiscountsFOCUS has arranged for all

members to get discounts on useful

services and fun days out with

leading companies. A full list

of discounts is below. Just visit

www.coventry.ac.uk/alumni/

benefi ts to fi nd out how to redeem

your discounts.

Leisure • Up to 50% off top attractions

such as The Alton Towers Resort,

Chessington World of Adventures

Resort, LEGOLAND® Windsor,

Madame Tussauds London and

Blackpool, the Dungeons, SEA LIFE

centres & Sanctuaries. THORPE

PARK and Warwick Castle.

• Up to 50% off green fees at Open

Fairways

• Discounted membership to the

Gourmet Society

Transport • Savings on car and van hire with

Europcar

• Savings on membership with the

AA and RAC

• Discounts on airport parking with

Parking4Less

Holidays

• Discounted rates at the Ramada

Hotel Coventry

• Savings on holidays with

cottages4you

University offers • Discounted library membership

• Discounted Sports Centre

membership

• Associate membership of the

Students’ Union

• Careers advice and graduate

vacancies

• Business start up support

• Coventry University wine club.

evolve events

37

>yourbenefi tsMake the most of your FOCUS membership by attending events, getting third party discounts and entering exclusive competitions. Visit www.coventry.ac.uk/alumni for more

July

20 July Graduation 2011 for International

and postgraduate students

Time: 11.00 until 14.00

Place: Coventry Cathedral

September

3 September

Postgraduate and part

time open day Find out more about postgraduate

study at Coventry

Time: 10.00 until 14.00

Place: Coventry University

October

31 October

Spooky Ghost Tour of

Coventry Family Halloween event, children

welcome. See page 35 for details of

last year’s event.

Time: From 16.00 until 18.30

Place: Meet at Alan Berry building,

Coventry University

Ticket Price: Adults £5, children

5-13 years £2.50

November

21-25 November

Graduation Week A week long celebration as the class

of 2011 graduate

Time: 12.30 until 16.30 (check

information for details)

Place: Coventry Cathedral

CHOCOLATE GOODIES

If your mouth was watering after reading

about graduate Duffy Sheardown’s

special chocolate on page 9, then

why not win a couple of bars to try

for yourself? We have two packs of

Duffy’s Single Origin chocolate bars

to give away. Both include one milk

and one dark chocolate bar that have

been handmade with fairly traded and

organic cocoa liquid, cocoa butter

and sugar.

To be in with a chance of winning just

answer this question: As well as being

a Chocolate Maker what sport is

Duffy Sheardown involved in?

A. Tennis

B. Boxing

C. Formula 1

Please send your answer for this

competition and the one on page 23 to

[email protected] or post to

Evolve Competition, FOCUS, Development

Offi ce, Coventry University, Priory Street,

Coventry, CV1 5FB by the closing date of

30 September 2011.

Terms and conditions

No cash alternative will be offered.

The editor’s decision is fi nal.

anding:

ns, Dr Tony

Barry Leat,

neeling front

ng from

Hinson).

WIN

evolve events


Celebrate!


Dear Alumni,

More details will be revealed soon, but to register your interest in taking part in this celebration event, please email Kristina Anders

at [email protected] and you will be kept informed of the latest developments.

We look forward to seeing you there! RSVP

In 2012, it will be 20 years since Coventry became a

University and to celebrate, the institution is opening

its doors to all of its graduates so they can see the

latest developments and tour their former Faculty

or School.

There have been so many changes at the University

over the years – since its origins as Coventry’s

College of Art to the sprawling campus that it is

today – that we wanted to invite our alumni to see

how it has progressed.

DateThere will be a series of activities across the

campus from the 7th until the 10th June 2012 –

so block the dates out in your diary now.

Attendees

Coventry is inviting all of its graduates from as far

back as when it was known as the College of Art,

the Lanch, the Polytechnic and the University.

Everyone is encouraged to bring friends and

family to share in the events too.

evolve events

39

FOCUS is inviting you, your friends and family to join in a long weekend of celebrations to mark Coventry’s 20th anniversary of becoming a University

7th-10th June 2012

Business conference Ahead of the weekend, alumni are also invited to a special business-facing conference on

Thursday 7 June 2012. The ‘Doing Business in Coventry’ conference is

aimed at alumni, local businesses and strategic

partners as well as UK and EU funding bodies and will explore business and investment

opportunities in the Coventry and Warwickshire region. It will cover a wide range of industrial sectors including health, transport, digital media and

low carbon technologies. The event will be delivered with the support of Coventry City Council, UKTI and the new

Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership.To register your interest please contact Claire Edwards [email protected] 39

Champagne Flutes

The University

Please note: refunds are only available where goods are faulty, statutory legal rights are not affected. Goods will be delivered within 21 days of receipt of order. If you are not fully satisfi ed, goods may be returned within seven days for a full refund. Prices are valid until November 2011.

Remember your student days with pride and buy special souvenirs branded with the University name or logo.

It’s now even easier to choose from our selection of high quality goods by shopping online:

www.coventry.ac.uk/onlinestoreIf you wish to make purchases by mail order please contact Jackie Walsh, Alan Berry Reception, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB. Telephone 024 7688 8774 or e-mail [email protected] for further details.

Business Card Case

Coventry University’s Book

Cuff Links

Satin Notepad and Mirror

Mini Cut Vase

Tankard

Round Crystal Paperweight

Gift Shop

Graduation Bear

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Evolve Magazine - Spring/Summer 2011

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