Bulletin 2015

Butler College Magazine

Butler Bulletin

Issue 4/ 2015

Working for Formula 1 The work of an engineer in road car racing as told by an alumnus

PLUS Ushaw College Scholarly Ac#vity

Grace House Ready to Open The charity college has supported for years is ready to accommodate children

Josephine Butler College Trust The Josephine Butler College Trust exists to support the development of the College and its students.

Suppor#ng the College Trust is a way to support students. Giving to the College financially is not an expecta#on of alumni. It is an opportunity to support students though, if you would like to do so. The Trust has recently funded: •

Mul#-Use Games Area (MUGA)

•

Boats for BCBC

•

PA System and Microphones for the Bar

•

Ligh#ng for the Bar

•

Artwork

•

Canvas prin#ng of student photography

•

Framing of student artwork

You can either donate a Single Gi5 or set up a Direct Debit to the Trust Fund. Direct Debits are a popular way to donate, with a number of Butler alumni recently se7ng up Direct Debits of £2 a month to the Trust.

You can donate online at h9ps:// www.dunelm.org.uk/giving/butler (Single Gi5 only) or by comple#ng and pos#ng the dona#on form available under ‘Donate’ at h9p:// www.dunelm.org.uk/ (for Direct Debit and Single Gi5). If dona#ng by post, please indicate that you would like to direct your money to Josephine Butler College in the 'Direc#on of your Gi5' sec#on.

If you would like to discuss the Trust or other ways to give to the College, please get in touch with the Alumni Rela ons Assistant at jbalumni.associa on@durham.ac.uk or 01913347264.

“Enabling the doers and shapers of tomorrow costs little to each of us collectively and we can change a generational mindset from ‘what if’ to people with a genuine belief in their ability to build and fund new things.”

Julian May, Donor and Butler Alumnus (2010)

“2011 saw a new boat, funded by donations from the Trust Fund, take a crew to Wom en's Henley. More boats means more chances for more rowers.”

Tom Hillman, Captain of Boats 2011/12

“The four portable speakers donated by the Trust have revolutionised Butler’s live music events. Thank you to the College Trust!!”

Jonny Harrison, Co Technical Director 2012/13

Contents 4 5 REVIEW OF THE YEAR

10 11 PHOTO MONTAGE

17 SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY

College Principal, Adrian Simpson, on the past year

12 SPORTS

Sarah Townley reviews scholarly events of the past year

6 ALUMNI FOOTBALL REUNION Butler old boys take on St. Cuthbert’s Alumni

7 REUNIONS REVIEW

A lowdown on all the spor#ng achievements from the year

18 GRADUATION PHOTOS

13 SOCIETIES

Congratula#ons Class of 2015!

A society showcase of the last year

19 GRADUATES 2015

The two successful alumni reunions

14 CHARITIES

8 WORKING FOR F1

A roundup of this year’s Charity achievements

Courtney Edgar on his exci#ng job

15 VISIT TO GRACE HOUSE

9 A VISIT TO THE YOUNG EUROPEANS

How the respite centre is ready to accommodate children

Johanne Rokke Elvebakken reviewing her traineeship in Kosovo

Welcome to an other edition of the Butler Bulletin!

Read on for some fantastic articles from a huge vari ety of people as

16 USHAW COLLEGE

sociated with College. A huge thank you to everyone who has contribut ed, it is lovely to see that the Butler spirit is thriving in the alumni com munity! Thank you also to Alice for

A year of plays, music and community

Being able to begin work on the Butler Bulletin in my new role as Alumni Relations Assistant has been motivational

putting together a spectacular edi tion of the Bulletin! Make sure you stay in touch and I will see you soon at a reunion.

due to seeing how engaged the alumni community is.

It was a privilege to be your Alumni

Additionally seeing an overview of the year on paper is

Relations Officer for 2014/15, and

always heart warming, reminding everyone of the Butler

thank you to everyone who helped

spirit felt by all students, past and present. Thank you to

me in the role. I’m sure, under Alice,

everyone who has contributed. I hope everyone reading enjoys so much

the coming year will take the alumni

that they would like to contribute to future editions. If so please get in

community to great new heights.

contact and, to everyone, stay in touch with Butler this year!

Alice x Alumni Relations Assistant 2015/2016

Matt x Alumni Relations Assistant 2014/15

Butler Bulle#n / 3

Review of t College Principal, Adrian Simpson, Welcome to this year’s Butler Bulletin.

In addition to detailing some of our activity during the year, the Bulletin gives an opportunity for our alumni to highlight a little about life after Butler.

For example, Courney Edgar reflects (on p8) on how his time at Durham led to a placement and now a full time job with a Formula 1 racing team. The Bulletin also reflects back on a very different year for Butler, when we housed around 50 postgraduate

the student support team with Karen Langdon as Vice Principal and Sandra MacDonald as Student Support Officer for our undergraduates. We also restructured the support for them so that Pam Burdis takes a wider overview of the College and provides support for events, college fellows etc. and Deborah Norman and Julie Barrett job share the student support secretary

Butler Day

students in the stunning surroundings of Ushaw College, about 4 miles from our main site. This gave us access to facilities we’ve previously only dreamt of, including a professional theatre and dedicated dining room. On p16 Matt Armitage reflects back on how we made use of it.

This year was also a strange one for me personally. After setting the college up and seeing it through the first seven years, I took a year’s research leave in 2013 14 to develop my academic profile: time which was much appreciated and, I think, put to good use. Coming back soon made me realise that my heart belongs to Butler and showed me how much I had missed the College and all the activity which makes up life here, only some of which can be reflected in the Bulletin.

role. With the usual excellent support from the JCR and MCR, particularly the welfare teams, this all seems to be bedding in well.

Those changes have allowed us to substantially expand our college fellows’ programme. This year we welcomed three fellows from across the world to the College. Prof. Xu Huang from Hong Kong Polytechnic University came to us in the first term to work with the Business School on the development of research on the employee voice. Our Institute of Advanced Study fellow this year was

Dr. Kalyan Perumalla, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. An international expert in reversible computing, as part of the ‘emergence’ theme of the IAS, Dr. Perumalla worked on the simulation of complex systems for uncovering emergence phenomena at large scales. In our final term, we were host to Prof. Fran McGill from St Georges University, Grenada. A practicing obstetrician, Fran teaches medicine and was exploring the development of empathy in trainee medics. We’re delighted that all of our fellows became so involved in the life of the college and we’re looking forward to developing our fellows’ programme still further, with at least six fellows joining us at various points next year.

The fellows got Floodlit Final particularly involved in the life of the Senior Common Room, which elected new members to its executive committee this year. It was particularly gratifying to see more events put on by the SCR which could engage the other common rooms. There was a tea party to celebrate Josephine

There were a number of key staffing changes during the year. After 8 years in post, Jill Tidmarsh left to take up a joint appointment across Stephenson College and the Business School. She not only left us with a legacy of excellent student support processes, but used her parting gift to help us provide a new college prize for the person who does the most to promote equality and inclusion. We appointed new staff and restructured

Butler’s birthday bringing in both MCR and JCR members just at the start of third term and, to help as part of the ‘’take a break’ campaign during the revision and examination period, the SCR organised a trip to Beamish museum with a coach load of students spending the day on the site in glorious summer weather, co inciding with a celebration of the centenary of the Women’s Institute.

It was, as always, really interesting to meet with alumni during the year. The two reunions in London and Durham

were very well attended and many alumni came to College at other times during the year. More details about these are given on p7 by Matt Armitage, our Alumni Relations Assistant this year. I was delighted to see Kristina Hagen (JCR President, 2008 9) visit us from the US in December and we had many alums back for events like Butler Day. We’re also trying to engage more alumni in the life of the College in sitting on committees and even our Trust Board.

It is also great to see that our alumni are keeping touch with each other, even keeping up their sporting activities see the report on the alumni football team by Matt Pountney (PC Pountney: who’d have thought it?) on page 6.

We have developed our Trust Board this year. With the departure of a couple of lay members of the Trust, we had the opportunity to expand the skill set and ensure that the Trust is able to draw on the best and widest

Josephine Butler’s Birthday Party

Butler Bulletin / 4

f the Year

on,

reviews changes over the past year.

Danny highlights, but the manner of them as an example of the Butler spirit: a bitterly cold March night saw well over 100 Butlerites cheering the Men’s A team to victory with cheerful enthusiasm.

Pitch Please with Best New Society Award range of advice in drawing in donations and using them for the benefit of the College in the best possible way. In addition to David Cliff of Gedanken Consultancy and Sanjee Ratnatunga from Ideas for Change, we welcomed Stuart Blacklock of Ashurst Solicitors as an alumni representative to the Trust. During the year, the new board has been developing its strategy and, in particular, has been supporting plans for a project to mark the College’s 10th Anniversary. In the meantime, the trust continues to provide support for assets to enhance the student experience longer term. These have ranged from new technical equipment, through support for music societies and sports clubs, to even providing unicycles for the new

Kieran Devlin outlines some of the highlights of the societies activity this year on p13. The resurgence of STAB, our theatre group, was certainly a cause for celebration: they not only put on the annual murder mystery formal dinner, but also had a swashbuckling play based on St. Agnes Eve. We also showed that we continue to be flexible in the

aspect to their learning. By using the IAS public lectures as a jumping off point, a group of Butler students developed their own ideas about the IAS theme (‘emergence’) either as it links to their degrees or to their wider intellectual interests. This was supported by the Butler Scholarly Journal and has led to a special edition of the Journal coming out this summer.

As ever, that creativity and the energy that keeps Butler going relies on the leadership and particular efforts of many individuals. The year came to an end with the annual College Colours

Unicycling Society. All of the money donated to the college is spent on long term enhancements, either in response to bids such as these from our college members or for larger projects like our 10th anniversary project, and donations are always most gratefully received.

As ever, a fair proportion of our bids come from our sports clubs and societies.

Danny Agar gives a little more detail about or sporting achievements on p.12. However, it is worth noting not just the fact of our men’s and women’s football teams successes which

Trust board decisions aiding Tech Comm development of societies with a number of new and reinvigorated groups being set up. In particular, a new all male a cappella group ‘Pitch Please’ won the ‘new society’ award and has provided a much needed boost to male involvement in singing in the College. Add to that the usual outstanding concerts, pudding making, craft, fashion show, dance etc. and it has been a wonderfully creative year for our societies.

STAB’s play based on St Agnes Eve

Similar creativity has been at work with our scholarly community. Sarah Townley details this on p.17 of the Bulletin, but I would particularly highlight the new programme we have set up encouraging students to develop a wider interdisciplinary

dinner at which Sir Thomas Allen, chancellor of the university, gave many different awards to those recognised by College Council for their contributions, including full colours to Matt Armitage, Will Macaulay and Alice Whitehouse.

Along with common room executives, club and society presidents, staff, mentors and friends of college, they are the reason 2014 15 was such a success and on which we will build new ideas for 2015 16.

I hope you enjoy reading the Bulletin and finding out a little about time at, and after, Josephine Butler College.

Butler Bulle#n / 5

Alumni Football Match Matt Pountney (JB 2010 2013) reports on the recent football match: Butler Old Boys FC vs. St Cuthbert’s Society Alumni FC. affair, with chances few and far

bulge. Half started celebrations had to

heart of defence. Despite the result

between. William Garrison and Matt

be cut short as the ball flew over the

there were plenty of positives to take

Pountney, marshalling the defence

bar, a connection so clean it cleared

from the performance, so many

superbly, with us showing some

the neighbouring pitch. If only it could

pundits have predicted that a bright

promise on the break with efforts led

have bobbled in.

future lies ahead for this young team.

by Jonny Gabriel.

Quiz question: What do the following organisations all have in common: Yorkshire Building Society, Grace House, John Lewis, Silver Sands and Teach First? The answer is that they were all represented on Sunday 22nd March 2015 on a rather solid football pitch in Regent’s Park London.

At this point Cuths sensed that

The headline though was the turnout.

After some half time oranges, we

perhaps it could be their day. So it

Whilst Cuths could find no substitutes,

came out revitalised in the second

proved as Robert Young, doing the

we had five to choose from. These

half. Josh Mason's delivery from

Old Boys a huge favour by going in

numbers will only increase as more

corners was Beckham esque and it

goal, was beaten first by what I'll

players join the ranks of JBCFC alumni.

seemed only a matter of time before

generously describe as a bouncer and

Football has always been a sport that

we'd go ahead. Sure enough the goal

second by a cross that proved too hot

breaks down barriers and brings

came as beautiful Josh scored a

to handle.

people together, so what better way

beautiful goal firing a free kick from a tight angle past their keeper.

Jubilation on the sidelines for the assembled WAGs. After the goal we

These companies had all featured at

played our best stuff, getting the ball

various points on the legendary

down and cutting them open. We had

Josephine Butler College Football Club

chance after chance and a second

(JBCFC) shirt and were now being

goal seemed inevitable. Jonny had

used at the inaugural game of the

their defence on toast at this point

for old mates to keep in touch and

Enraged by this injustice we laid siege

provide London with a bit of the

to the Cuths goal. At this point they

passion that playing for Butler College

resorted to some dirty fouls, with their

gave us. If you want to get involved,

ginger left back 'the giraffe' scything

get in touch!

me down in full flow. We had a few more chances from set pieces and balls into the box but it wasn't to be, and the final whistle came.”

Butler Old Boys FC, a newly formed

and after a mazy run squared the ball

The game finished 2 1 to Cuths. Man

club made up of JBCFC alumni. It was

to Ben Pickup, four yards out with an

of the match was given to Will

a beautiful sight to see five

open goal. We waited for the net to

Garrison for a tenacious display at the

Butler Old Boys FC 12 St Cuthbert’s Society Alumni FC

generations of Butler footballing talent on show and showed just how much the Club meant to so many people.

But I digress. The previous night’s social at Infernos did not claim any alcohol victims, despite the best efforts of Taha Abrar. The game itself was a friendly against another alumni team made up of St Cuthbert’s Society members. Lal Chadeesingh was given the honour of captaining the side and picking from a squad that had grown considerably in size. I will hand it over to him to tell the story of the match.

“The first half was a cagey

Old Boys Football Match

Butler Bulletin / 6

Alumni Reunions 2014 2015 Alumni Relations Assistant, Matt Armitage (JB 2011 2014), reviews the success the alumni reunions.

It is evident from the roaring success of this year’s reunions that the alumni community is going from strength to strength.

When our students leave the College they head off into a huge variety of careers and move all around the world. To get this diverse community back together for a night or a

Reunion Dinner at Ushaw College

weekend is something special to see.

cheesy Klute) and even more

back to return to the vibrant

to Butler everyone then enjoyed a few

The reunions put on in London and

Butlerites turned up to join the crowd!

atmosphere of College. Plenty of

more drinks before heading out for a

back at Butler provide the perfect

For those that could make it on to the

alumni contributed to the singing

superb night at Klute! It is safe to say

opportunity to facilitate these magical

end of the night, they ventured on to

sensations of the evening, showing

there were more sore heads on the

moments. As well using them as an

one of Londons infamous night clubs

the current students that vocal chords

Sunday than I have seen in a while,

occasion to see those friends you still

to finish off an excellent night of

do not get much better after

and the sofa’s in the bar were

keep in touch why not use them for

reconnecting with past friends. It was

graduation! Saturday was the main

commandeered as the alumni

catching up with those people you

fantastic to see so many

day though, full of sporting fixtures,

hungover corner for the majority of

used to play sport with or lived in the

representatives of different year

Meet the Angels and then a dinner

the day.

flat next door?

groups, and to see the various groups

out at Ushaw College. As Butler had

overlapping to share their experiences

taken on care of Ushaw College for

and memories of their times at Butler.

the year it seemed the perfect

December’s reunion saw a host of Butlerites hit the London scene again.

The 50 or so alumni who attended

The second reunion of the year was of

were treated to a lovely 3 course

course held back in Durham. The full

dinner before moving on to a bar

weekend of festivity was kicked off by

nearby where some cheesy tunes

a karaoke in Butler bar, providing the

were blasted out (in reminiscence of

perfect opportunity for those coming

opportunity to explore the beautiful location and building, with the meal taking place in the main refectory. The food (and the wine) went down very well, and when the group came back

Looking back over the years, the reunions have become steadily larger and the alumni more enthusiastic.

With the alumni community continuously growing we can only hope that this trend will endure! Butler will continue to change, with additions to the sport and society roster, building renovations and of course fresh staff and students, but it is certain that the underlying magic of Butler will remain. I for one will be attending the next reunion, and many more for years to come, so why not join me! It would be great to see as many people there as possible, and it is even better to see a host of year groups interacting with one another!

So if you are a recent graduate or if you have been an alumnus for nearly 10 years, come and see what’s new in Butler and enjoy that feeling of home that will never change.

Alumni Reunion in London

Butler Bulle#n / 7

Working for F1 Courtney Edgar (JB 2010 2014) reveals what it is like working for Formula 1. ways of visualising the terabytes of data which are generated and building an application for all aerodynamicists to use to present and interpret this data.

As I write this, it’s hard to believe that it's nearly a year since graduating from Durham. I could only stay away from Butler for a few months before returning in November for the fireworks weekend, in February for an alumni weekend and in June for Butler day. As I now live near Silverstone in Northamptonshire, it's considerably less far to London than to go on the 4 hour pilgrimage to Durham so attending the London reunion was a must.

For the third year of my degree I left Butler to go and study at Queen’s University in Canada. It was during

At the end of the placement I was offered a full time job following graduation.

Most of my fourth and final year of university was spent on a project in which I looked at the aerodynamics of Russian Ekranoplanes; huge planes which fly a few metres above the ground. In July 2014, I graduated with Fairmont a First Class degree and moved to Brackley in Northamptonshire to start work for Force India F1 again. My job now includes the kind of projects I did on my summer placement as well as helping to manage the supercomputer and developing software to improve all stages of the

hairpin on the Monaco Street Grand Prix Circuit CFD process. The work is very secretive because it’s such a competitive field where millisecond differences matter on track. There are nice perks though; gifts from team sponsors and visits to the Silverstone race circuit which is next door to Force India’s HQ. At the moment, I’m not

part of the group within the team that goes to races in exotic locations like Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Monaco; though I hope to work towards that role.

that year abroad that I received an email from the engineering department which detailed a summer placement opportunity in the aerodynamics and CFD department of Force India Formula One team. I had always been a really big fan of the sport but working with it had always seemed out of reach or reserved for a lucky few. I sent off my personal statement and after a couple of months or so I heard back that the application had been successful and I could start a placement in July 2013.

The placement work in Force India's aerodynamics department consisted mainly of software development using a variety of programming languages and packages to work with all stages of the CFD process. This mainly included automating tasks in the CAD application which is used for designing the car, developing new

From a previous year at Force India’s HQ

Butler Bulletin / 8

A Visit to the Young Europeans Johanne Rokke Elvebakken (JB 2011 2014) describes her traineeship in Kosovo.

Grandmas preparing burning hot peppers for dinner and cakes tossed in sugar and honey for dessert.

Violent rioters in the streets and neighbours so friendly they will ask you in for tea every time they see you.

In my opinion a visit to the Balkans can best be described as one of opposites.

Josephine Butler College I was fortunate enough to do a summer internship in the NGO Democracy for Development in Pristina before starting my second year. Moreover, I wrote my dissertation about the obstacles to civic citizenship in the aftermath of the NATO intervention in 1999.

The way I see it, Kosovo is a very interesting place to be a young person interested in international politics. The newborn, post war country is struggling to receive international recognition as a state, while also dealing with serious internal issues such as high unemployment, corruption and gender inequality.

Despite the issues Kosovo is facing as a country, the population is, in general, very welcoming. Kosovo is a young country with a young population. The average age is 26, in comparison the average age in the UK is 40. Despite this having its difficulties, it makes Kosovo and the surrounding region vibrant with lots of happenings.

Johanne on a work trip to Albania with women in national costumes

Mother Theresa Boulevard, Pristina My name is Johanne, and since graduating from Durham University with a BA in International Relations in

The Embassy Logo 2014 I have been doing a six months traineeship at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Pristina. The embassy is accredited to both the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Albania.

To me, working at the embassy was a dream come true. While studying in Durham my interest for the Balkan region grew. In cooperation with

There is always a festival happening, with topics such as sculpting for the environment and documentary film.

Furthermore, Kosovars have their own way of dealing with their past.

Recently the artist Alketa Xhafa Mripa opened a football stadium filled with dresses on washing lines to pay tribute to Kosovo survivors of sexual violence.

For me the days at the embassy were like the Balkan region itself, very diverse. The size of the diplomatic mission is small compared to work

The city of Prizren load, therefore my co trainee and I had the opportunity to do many

interesting tasks. On a weekly basis I attended meetings on varied issues such as water supply, migration, radicalisation and the post system in government agencies and international organizations such as the UN and the EU. Additionally, I had the opportunity to travel to Albania both for work and in my free time. Furthermore, to me it was astonishing working with diplomats that have first hand experience of historical events I was taught in lecture halls in Durham.

Visiting DokuFest in Prizren, a yearly documentary festival in Kosovo

Butler Bulle#n / 9

Sports 2014 2015 Sports Officer, Danny Agar (JB 2012 2015), reviews sporting successes this year.

Another year has

Darts B team also secured promotion

come to an end for

into the top division after a fantastic

Butler sport and it

season, as well as representing the

has been an

University in the York Durham varsity,

extremely

with their win securing Durham’s

competition both colleges were

JBWFC have had quite a lot to live up to this year after the success of getting promoted to the Premiership at the end of last season. I don’t think any of us were expecting it but we have had the most successful year in Butler Women’s Football history, winning the Premiership having not lost a game, seeing off some fierce opposition in the process.

The highlight of the year though has to be winning the cup. We faced a strong Cuth’s A side in the final but had enough to beat them 2 0, with great support from everyone one who came to cheer us on!

Another highlight for the club was winning Team of the Year for the second year running. This year it has been a pleasure to share our success with the Men’s team after their Floodlit Cup victory as we both supported each other hugely throughout the season.

Even though we will really miss some key players who have left this season, I’ve got no doubt the next one will be just as good.

Sophie Cope Josephine Butler Women’s Football Captain 2014/15

amazingly tied on points. Langwith,

Men’s Football Floodlit Cup

successful year for the college. Butler

overall victory in the competition. We

has improved upon last year’s

also hosted the BCBC head race,

performance of 7th to finish 6th in the

attracting a large amount of crews

overall college points table with 2080

and putting on a great competition.

points. In addition to this, the college

Finally in third term we had the festival

finished in an impressive 5th in terms

of sport, and Butler put in a very

of points earned per student. We have

strong performance to finish 4th

had many successes over the year for

overall, improving on last year’s 5th

a lot of teams. The Men’s and

place finish.

Women’s Basketball teams both managed to win the Premiership, cementing Butler as the strongest college in terms of Basketball. There was remarkable success for the Indoor Cricket side who, in addition to walking away with the Premiership, were called up to represent the University at a BUCS tournament. This ns itself was a fantastic achievement.

But then they surpassed all expectations to win nearly all of their games against other University sides: a remarkable achievement from our College cricket team.

Outside of college sport, we again visited Langwith College in York to engage in a variety of sports and societies. After a whole day of sport and after the final University Challenge

having hosted the event, decided to settle the tie with a boat race. Butler came out triumphant to win the first varsity of the year (Video on JCR page). For the first time Langwith came to Durham in third term for a rematch, and Butler put on a fantastic show on the field to win the Varsity by

Club of the Year, Netball, lost out on

a large margin. Both varsity’s were

the Premiership title on point’s

well attended and great nights out in

difference and the Men’s Rugby team

York and Durham followed the day’s

clinched promotion to the Premiership

sporting action.

after a stellar season. The combined Butler and Mildert Women’s Rugby Union team “MilBut” were victorious in the Premiership while the Men’s squash team walked away with the division one title to achieve promotion to the Premiership for next year. The

The presidents this year have all been fantastic and have managed to get brilliant participation from the new intake of freshers, something which I believe has contributed to the great achievements and improved performances of the whole of Butler Sport this year.

Overall it’s been a great year full of success for the college, we have improved from last year and I am sure that we can continue to push on and improve even further in the

Rugby at York Varsity

JBWFC League and Cup Success

years to come!

JBWFC with Team of Year Award

A nervous start for the Men’s A team in the first round of the Floodlit Cup, initially going 1 0 down to a physical Staff A side, little did we know that this would be the only goal we would concede on our way to lifting the trophy.

However this was swiftly rectified as Butler ran out eventual 4 1 winners.

The next round saw us drawn against Mary’s, who were dispatched 1 0 after a great goal from Sam Taylor. Next up was the much anticipated game against Hatfield A, who all of the team were desperate to beat. A fantastic performance saw Butler overthrow the Premiership outfit 2 0, to set up a replay of the semi final at which Butler exited the tournament last year against Stephenson A. A fine Stephenson A side dominated the game, but Butler managed to hang on, supported by huge numbers of fans. The game ended in deadlock and was decided by a penalty shoot out. Joe Colebrook made some great saves before Jack Skilton stepped up to take the deciding kick, burying it in the bottom corner to send Butler to the Floodlit Cup final for the first time.

The final against Aidan’s A saw Butler fans arrive in their droves, expectant to see the side bring the trophy home. Those on the side line really did act as the twelfth man, roaring out songs to create a fantastic atmosphere. Ben Cohen gave the fans even more to shout about as he scored an unbelievable solo goal to send Butler 1 0 up at the break. In typical Butler football fashion, we couldn’t do it the easy way and were reduced to ten men shortly after the restart. However, a resolute defensive performance allowed us to hold on until full time, as fans invaded the pitch to celebrate the first Floodlit Cup win in Butler history with the players, celebrations lasting long into the night.

Floodlit Daniel McElhone Josephine Butler A team captain 2014/15

Cup Winners

Butler Bulletin / 12

Societies 2014 2015 Societies Officer, Kieran Devlin (JB 2012 2015), outlines activities of societies this year. there’s so much potential for societies in the Varsity it’s frightening.

In the proceeding weeks we had the magnificent 2014/2015 has been a terrific year for

Butler Bake Off, which

societies. Following one of our most

had some of the most

successful sign ups for a Freshers’ Fair

astonishingly elaborate

ever, with some societies registering

and delicious cakes seen

more than one hundred names, we

outside BBC One. We

began with justified enthusiasm and

had the STAB formal, a

optimism for the year ahead. From

wonderfully acted and

Michaelmas Concert directed mystery in

Christmas concert, or the moving

the spectacular

solemnity of the Carol Concert. They

environment of

were the perfect end to a wonderful

Ushaw. We had

term for societies.

Bring a Buddy Week, where

It was quieter second term, though we

people were

kept going understatedly, with events

rewarded with

like Dance’s excellent performance at

chocolate bars for

the Fashion Show still showing the

bringing a friend

brilliance of societies and all their

along. The

potential for inclusivity, passion, and

Christmas and Carol

ambition, only followed by STAB’s

concerts; two shows

second play of the year. It’s been a

contrasting in tone

wonderful year, and I’m sure

but equally brilliant,

2015/2016 will be even better!

whether it’s the vibrancy of the

Dance Troupe at Fashion Show the opening weeks we had successful meetings with newly rejuvenated societies, such as Feminist and GRAW societies, and meetings with old favourites.

We then participated in the York Varsity trip. Previously the Varsity trip was sports centric, but societies were asked to engage with the York folk, and engage we did. There were a few technical issues, primarily in terms of dealing with the concept of time and space in crossing the city, but we were saved by an electric performance from Dance Soc in their bar, along with a famous victory overall in the Varsity.

STAB Formal

Sorting out these few problems

Butler Bulle#n / 13

Charities 2014 2015 Charities Coordinators Sam Stradling (JB 2013 2017) and Karolina Fidrych (JB 2013 2016) review fundraising achievements this year.

2014/15 has been another successful year for Butler’s Charity Committee, raising both money and awareness for Grace House North East, Butler’s nominated charity.

Membership has been high all year and plenty of freshers have gotten involved, though whether this is due to a passion for charity or the sweets provided at each meeting is unknown!

With the introduction of positions such as DUCK Officer, Rag Raids Officers and Communications & Publicity Officers, more members have been able to get involved with the organisation of Charity Committee and the running of fundraising activities.

Visit to Grace House The year started off with Dare Night, which raised over £400 for charity and introduced the freshers to our College charity. Alongside ever popular Charity Comm. events like the Winter Warmer and Charity Formal, this year

we’ve also had a Christmas Fayre and organised our own Rag Raid in Sunderland. Epiphany Term was particularly busy for Charity Comm. with Butler’s Got Talent, the Grace House Auction and the Fashion Show,

which brought our total raised for Grace House up to £5,000, thanks to the generosity of our students, staff and members of the community.

The highlight of the year, however, was being given the opportunity to pay a visit to Grace House in Sunderland and see the direct impact of our fundraising efforts on this wonderful facility for children and young people with life limiting illnesses. As Grace House is soon to open its doors to its service users, we are hoping that our contributions to Grace House can develop from raising money and awareness for this incredible facility, and that we can begin to help with gardening, story telling or other volunteering opportunities.

In June 11 members of the college completed the Coast2Coast raising a further £1,500. We’re hoping that larger scale events like this will carry on in the years to come.

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful, charity filled year.

Pitch Please fundraising through Coast to Coast cycling

Butler Bulletin / 14

Visit to Grace House New JCR President, Hattie Pridmore (JB 2012 2015), explains how Grace House is ready to open.

On Thursday

the CEO gave us an inspiring tour of

16th July

the building, emphasising the key

along with

features which really make a

Alice Whitehouse, Fiona Hathaway,

difference to the experience of

Matt Armitage and Andrew Tinkler, I

families who visit.

Soft Play Area

Green Bedroom had the privilege of attending a

There is specialist equipment

private viewing of Grace House prior

throughout the building, which will

to the official opening. Practically fully

enable the children to have a

finished with a few tweaks to be

comfortable stay whether they are

made, all that is missing are children!

playing in a soft play area, sitting in

They are now eagerly awaiting a visit

the lounge watching TV or having a

from Oftsed to have the final

shower. In the entrance stands a

inspection before the facility is given

beautiful Cinderella figurine providing

the go ahead to be fully up and

an especially warm welcome for

running. The event was attended by

children. Mickey Mouse and a throne

other dedicated supporters and

also feature in the building, all Disney

partners, all of whom have helped in

items that have been donated by

some way, from building and

Asda. Each bedroom is en suite and

construction, to providing specialist

has been assigned a colour, and a

blinds and windows. Dr Karen Parry,

particular favourite for the group was the yellow room with Minion duvet covers. The bathroom was noted as an especially important aspect, as families often have to give up their bathrooms with large baths for small showers in order to compensate for other changes in their homes.

The shape of the building is rectangular with a courtyard feature in the middle surrounded by accessible doors, allowing wheelchair

Alice, Hattie and Fiona with Cinderella

access outdoors and to any other

example, they would like to develop

area. The courtyard is a defining

interactive opportunities in sports and

feature as it makes the surrounding

arts for the children, and create

area look less clinical and more like a

services for parents who may also

home. To encourage green and

stay. An empty patch of land behind

outdoor activities, a herb garden has

the building has also been suggested

also been planted.

6 months ago, the board of trustees decided that Grace House would not be opened as a hospice, but for respite care, so hospice was dropped from the name. Dr Karen Parry emphasised that due to enhancements in

Central courtyard

medical care, many patients now live much longer. In the North East, the need for hospices is not as great as it once was and the

as a potential spot for an outdoor play area with wheelchair accessible swings and roundabouts.

need for respite care is greater, so the

The visit was a fantastic opportunity to

decision was supported. Following this

see the incredible impact that our

change, what was once the

support has provided. If you would

bereavement room has now been

like to see any more pictures of the

transformed into a music room and

facility taken during the visit, please

‘Den’, for children to play and be

contact me at

themselves.

hatherleigh.pridmore@durham.ac.uk.

Although finished and fit for purpose,

If you would like to be involved in

there are still visions to develop the

further fundraising, join Team JB and

experience at Grace House further to

sign up for the 5K Colour Run on

fulfil the requirements to become

Sunday 6th September at 12pm in

Centre of Regional Excellence. For

Herrington Country Park Sunderland.

Butler Bulle#n / 15

Ushaw College Matt Armitage (JB 2011 2014) describes the year of plays, music and community at Ushaw College.

With the start of the 2014 2015 year we saw the majestic Ushaw College become home to 50 of our postgraduate students. Ushaw College, situated in Ushaw Moor, has been affiliated with the University since the late 70’s, and as a former Catholic seminary it was the principal Roman Catholic seminary for training Catholic priests until it closed in 2011.

At that point the Business School decided to move out there briefly in 2012. 2 years later a decision was made to try and make the College suitable for living in, and so during the summer of 2014 Butler headed up a renovation project to create living quarters for 50 students, fully self catered and with large social areas to replicate the success of the Butler community. The past year has seen the postgraduate community grow in its ability to house such a large group in an off main campus site, and has provided some excellent opportunities

Ushaw College attendance. The only down side for the evening was having to leave the venue to head back for a Ceilidh at Butler, as Ushaw does not possess quite enough room for a huge crowd of dancing Butlerites.

STAB Play

Alumni Reunion for us to move events out to the spectacular grounds of Ushaw.

Formals This year two formals were moved out to Ushaw, the STAB formal and Burns formal. The STAB formal consisted of a murder mystery play in Ushaw’s stunning theatre, before moving on to dining in the main refectory. A book club meeting turned sour when one of the regular members was poisoned, and the formal guests were able to quiz the other members of the book club about their parts in the tragic murder. At the end of dinner a rather fetchingly dressed Adrian Simpson

appeared in a police uniform to reveal and arrest the culprit. STAB made a spectacular effort with the performance and the location, utilising the main theatre very well for added effect.

The first formal of Epiphany term, Burns formal, was also held out at Ushaw. It is hard to explain just how perfect the atmosphere of Ushaw was suited to celebrating the great Scotsman. As selected students read out poems of tribute to Burns, their words echoed and amplified in the refectory, creating a haunting and lingering effect upon those in

Ushaw College also played host for this year’s STAB play, based on the Canterbury Tales. Ushaw provided just the right atmosphere for the tales, as the audience were taken on a tour from room to room and treated to a variety of performances from the members of STAB. There was a buzz to the place on the night and STAB really made the most of the venue, utilising not just the theatre but many of the other rooms around the site too.

tour around the College facilities that Butler is using.

What's next It was decided that Butler would not house any students there again next year, even though it was a successful year. Hopefully for the future though Butler will still be able to carry on using the great facilities there for plays and music events, as well as dining.

Ushaw has been a challenge for staff and students alike, but it was also rewarding in laying ground work for future development. If you ever get a chance to visit it is well worth it, especially to check out the old library!

Alumni Reunion The college also hosted the dinner for the annual Durham reunion in February 2015. It was a magnificent evening and many of the alumni greatly enjoyed the dining experience in the refectory and were treated to a brief

STAB Formal

Butler Bulletin / 16

Scholarly Activity Sarah Townley, Student Support Officer (Postgraduate and Pre sessional), reviews scholarly activity over the year.

Earth and in space. Her inspiring message related to self confidence: ‘Everything is possible if you can visualise what you want to achieve.’

The College’s scholarly programme continues over the summer months.

From July to September each year, Butler is the home College for students from countries all over the world as they study on English for Academic Purposes programmes in the English Language Centre. As part

Green Debate

‘Desktops to Supercomputers.’ The College also continues to develop a beneficial working relationship with the Durham Energy Institute (DEI). In June, students from the Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy presented short talks about energy research with the aim of inspiring undergraduate and future recruits.

of our Pre sessional Collegiate

Our own Postgraduates have

Experience Programme, we host a

contributed their research at College

series of accessible lectures that are

Josephine Butler’s scholarly

The scholarly programme continues to

community has continued to thrive in

be as lively as it is diverse. We were

2014/15 with a host of events

delighted to host the ‘Green Debate’

designed to inspire the intellectual

at which our student led Green

curiosity of all College members. Our

Committee grilled local parliamentary

Lecture and Seminar Series opened in

representatives on environmental

October with historian, Dr Helen

issues. The College’s values of equality

Mathers delivering a biographical

and inclusivity were further explored

The College has

lecture on Josephine Butler’s life. This

during Professor Joe Elliott’s

continued to

erudite talk built a solid platform on

provocative lecture on Debating

establish close links

which the College’s scholarly

Dyslexia and Professor Gary Craig’s in

with the Institute for

programme could explore current

depth discussion of his significant

Advanced Studies

themes that we believe may have

contribution to the Making of the

(IAS) in innovative

drawn Josephine Butler’s attention if

Modern Slavery Bill. In May 2015,

ways. In January

she was still alive today. We have had

NASA Senior Medical Advisor, Dr

2015, the College

engaging talks on the controversial

Saralyn Mark delivered an inspiring

formed the first

David Roberts (Postgraduate Researcher in

topics that engaged Josephine Butler

talk on her work as the ‘Space Doctor.’

pilot BIASFREE

Computer Science) talking at a Scholar’s

throughout her life, including sex

Dr Mark spoke articulately about her

Student Scholars

work, rape and slavery.

work on women’s health both on

group to discuss

open to all on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to intercultural communication in a fluid world.

Supper at Ushaw College

the IAS’ annual theme of Emergence. The Butler Scholarly Journal (BSJ) continues to offer a platform for students to think beyond their degrees on a range of topics that inspire curiosity.

Appropriately then, the BIASFREE student scholar group’s work will feature in the annual printed edition of the BSJ.

events with the MCR continuing to support a series of Scholars’ Suppers for the postgraduate community on a wide range of topics. Many of these events have been held at Ushaw College and have supported the College’s delivery of a good student experience in a fantastic scholarly setting. Several Butler postgrads also successfully participated in the

Alongside this, the College was

multidisciplinary annual Hill Colleges

delighted to host Resident IAS Fellow,

East Research Forum in March.

Dr Kalyan Perumalla who delivered an

IAS Lecture

interdisciplinary lecture entitled

Butler Bulle#n / 17

Rebecca Abbey Matthew Adams Daniel Agar Anissa Alifandi Anna Argenio Filippo Atzei George Avil Wafaa Awang Mohammad Emily Baines Theo Baker Eva Ball Mohammad Balushi Jack Barker Jake Bartholomew Laura Barton Emma Barton Luke Belton Benjamin Bickers Samuel Bithell Desmond Bourke Nikeel Boyd(Shah Thomas Breare Ellen Bridges Bethany Broadbent Tyler Brown Anna Bush Caroline Butler Lucy Butt Lee Byrne Sophie Caseby Alexander Catterall Hiu Lam Phoebe Chan Enmei Chen Hiren Chudasama Emileigh Clifford Lydia Clough Benjamin Cohen Georgina Coles Hannah Colling Robert Collins Katherine Cooper Dominic Cordner Lydia Costello Heather Coubrough Brogan Cozens McNeelance Scott Cresswell Nneka Cummins Reuben Curteis Benjamin Cushion Emma Davie Hannah Davis Pippa Day Adam Dempsey Kieran Devlin Joseph Dixon David Dodds

Rebecca Donnelly Adam Dugdale Stephen Dunnell Thomas Dyson Gregory East Oliver Farren Matthew Fellows Alice Fletcher Daisy Forden(Keech William Fraine Liubov Frolova Philippa Gamble Elizabeth Garnsey Claire Gaudart ( Wifling Robert George Catherine Gillott Abbie Girling Aidan Goodall Rebecca Graham Georgina Graham Michael Grant Eleanor Hackney Jordan Hall Natalie Hall Claire Hampson Jonathan Harrison Lydia Hill James Hill Ha Hoang Daniel Holmes Amy Horne Yasmin Hosseinpour Nayeri Michael Hoy Millie(Rose Hubbard Elliot Humphrey Kelsey Hyatt Dharrnesha Inbah Rajah Jacob Ireson Sara Ismail(Sutton Joshua Isted Ellen Jepson Sophie Jinks Jason Jones Imogen Jones Valentina Kasyanenko Roseanna Keighley Jodie Keith Ailis Kelly Emma Kettley Min Kim Martynas Kriunas Grania Lambert Cheuk Hei Lau Ingeborg Laugerud Jonathan Lauras Daniel Leach

Grace Leake Abigail Lewis Vincent Lim Jack Ling Emily Littler Lok Wan Liu Harold Lomas Daniel Luby Josef Lythe William Macauley Claire Madley Jack Mann Emma Marriott Robert Martin Emma Maslin James Matthews Olivia Matthewson Rebecca McEwen Richard Meaney Robert Mitchell Hannah Mohammed Emi Morris Laura Mounsey Rachel Mowbray Rosanne Murray Yasser Nasser Samuel Newton Alexander Nugee Josephine O'Nyan Helen Osborne Georgia Palmes Chelsea Park Felicity Parker Adam Parnaby Roseanne Pashley Elissa Patel Michael Pau Thomas Pennington Kate Pickard Eleanor Pitcher Hatherleigh Pridmore James Priest Fenella Pringle Jessica Prior Caitlin Pritchard Oliver Quarry Christopher Reilly Nicolas Restrepo Ochoa Oliver Reynolds Danielle Rimmer Cristina Rivas(Smits Harriet Robson Anthony Rodov Katherine Rodriguez Galvan Eleanor Ross Samantha Ross

Kim Ruf Alexander Rust Nicholas Rustean Meg Rutherford Jamie Saarloos Eleanor Saunderson(Darkes Claire Scott Laura Scott Annie Sharman Rebecca Shepherd Lauren Sloan Sam Spring Naomi Steenson Michael Stewart Lucy Stuart Alexandra Taylor Eleanora Taylor Matthew Thornton Xin Tong Ruth Townshend John Turner(Smith Amy Tyler Gemma Tyreman Mara Waters Kevin Watson Lucy Watson Joshua Watson Maxine Webster James West Simon Wheeldon Andrew Wheelhouse Hollie Whild Francesca White Benjamin White Daniel White Alice Whitehouse Anna Whiter Adam Whybrow Eleanor Williams Sophie Willis Sophie Willott Helen Wilson Jacqueline Wilson Rebecca Wilson Matthew Wisdom Georgia Witt Charlotte Wollheim(Stone Kenneth Wong Nicole Wong Robert Wood Chloe Wright Charmaine Yam Michael Yaxley Robert Young Fiona Zhang

Stay in Touch : @butler_alumni : Join “Butler Alumni” : “Josephine Butler College” butleralumni.wordpress.com www.dur.ac.uk/butler.college/alumni jbalumni.associa4on@dur.ac.uk 0191 334 7264 www.dur.ac.uk/butler.college www.butlerjcr.com www.dur.ac.uk/butler.mcr www.dur.ac.uk/butler.angels