We welcomed back supporters and friends of the College on Saturday 9 May for the 1511 lunch. Guests enjoyed welcome drinks in the Masters’ Lodge garden before proceeding to Hall for a delectable lunch. The Master greeted guests and shared upcoming exciting projects across the College while guests sampled chocolate truffles. Zamry Rizwan (2023, Law), who is recipient of the Nathoo Bursary, Saxon Bursary and a Studentship, told of how these awards had impacted his time at John’s, helping with his studies and extra-curricular activities.
My experiences here have been incredible, and mine is just one of many such experiences within my peer group. Everything I have mentioned so far has been possible in large part thanks to the financial support that the College provides. Cultural experiences, societies events, and even doing internships in the city, are expensive, but are made possible through the kindness and generosity of Johnians like yourselves, who have gone on to do amazing things, and are committed to investing in the next generation of students. – Zamry Rizwan (2023, Law)
After lunch, half of the group went to the Old Music Room to listen to talks by two doctoral students: ‘Intimate Strangers: Patterns of Segregation in Early-Victorian Manchester’ by Emily Chung and ‘The relationship between mental imagery and memory’ by Will Duckett in the Old Music Room
Emily discussed the mechanisms of urban change in Victorian Manchester through the use of geodemographic tools and archival source material. Later Will talked us through the relationship between mental imagery and memory, investigating if the images we create in our minds influence our memories. Guests really enjoyed the breadth of the talks and the discussions afterwards. The other half of the guests took a tour of the College grounds with College Gardeners, David Austrin and Zoe Cullen, and got to experience the new River Court and Bin Brook gardens. We finished the event with tea and coffee in the Senior Combination Room.
All photos taken by Ben Minnaar.