In July, popular comedy fantasy author Terry Pratchett met the young person who will hold the first ever Terry Pratchett scholarship allowing them to attend the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youths Summer school.

The first Terry Pratchett scholar is 15 year old Adam Birch from Kenilworth. Adam was looking forward to meeting Terry and particularly wanted to ask him if, after such a long running series as the Discworld, it becomes harder to think of new plots and character variations for new books.

Adam is one of around 550 young people taking part in the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youths Summer Schools this year. The Summer Schools are taking place at the Universities of Warwick, Durham, Exeter, and Canterbury Christ Church University College.

After the busiest and most successful period the Music Centre has known, the Director of Music, Colin Touchin, has decided to move on. For those who know Colin and the Music Centre this is inevitably a shock. Colin has been the genius of the Centre for the last 14 years and presided over its growth into the most wide-ranging, dynamic and thriving campus music facility in the UK. His wide ranging sympathies and versatility as a musician have touched the lives of many individuals as well as formed the outlook of the Music Centre.

Colin's energy, persistence, vision and sheer hard work has stimulated music at Warwick in a way that can hardly have been envisaged when the University pledged its support to music as an integral part of campus life. The list of his achievements is long and distinguished and will remain a part of the Music Centre's fabric. The membership and committees of all the ensembles, the visiting tutors and the staff all wish Colin the very best for the future.

A step back in time

A group of ex-students from the 1964 entrants to Coventry College of Education met up for a reunion weekend at Kenilworth in May. The reunion was organised by Chris Lightfoot following a conversation with another ex-student, Mal Dunne, when they met up for the first time in years over the Christmas and New Year period. Chris said 'I contacted two other ex-Canley students, Mel Lieberman and John (Josh) Paley, and we agreed the date and figured, what the hell? The worst thing that could happen would be a weekend of reminiscences for the four of us with our partners!'

The idea quickly gathered momentum, contacts relaying to other contacts and a small piece on the 'Friends Reunited site resulted in a few more contacts. In the end, around forty people attended the Saturday dinner comprising thirty-odd ex-students with partners making up the remainder of the party. Everyone met at the DeMontfort hotel in Kenilworth on Saturday morning to reacquaint themselves, exchange photographs and exchange memories. A group went to the University in the afternoon and were made very welcome and there was a really nice dinner in a private dining area in the evening. The following morning Linda Whittaker (nee Newey) led a party on a pleasant 3 mile stroll around the area before the group wended their way home. 'It turned out really well said Chris and this was echoed by Ann Price (nee Dix) who said 'It was great to see so many familiar faces again and catch up with everyone's news. The tour of the College was really good and it was a strange feeling going into Compton again especially as so little seems to have changed.'

As it was so successful and bearing in mind that in 2004 it will be forty years since they became Freshers, a reunion is being planned for September of that year. Chris Lightfoot said 'We thought it'd be a great idea to try to do something in September 2004 and start a bit earlier this time to try to do something a bit bigger and make contact with more ex-students. We are meeting up in September this year to put together a plan of action and divide up the roles. We'll then be contacting as many students as possible and asking them to spread the word.'

No Top Banana is complete without a conga!

Ben MacDermott (BSc Computer and Business Studies 1998-01) reports on the inaugural Top Banana London held in May:

'It all started with the most ubiquitous of modern communication tools, e-mail. A couple of guys were discussing how much fun it could be to recreate Top Banana for all those graduates who had moved and got jobs in London. In order to determine the enthusiasm that existed for this idea, a quick e-mail was sent out to their friends. In turn this e-mail was forwarded on to an ever larger group of recipients. The feedback was overwhelming.

As we headed towards St. Pancras that evening we were craning our necks to try to find Camden Centre. As we approached we could hardly believe the huge throngs of people queuing, let alone the fact that these were virtually all Warwick grads waiting for Top B!

The doors opened fashionably late, bringing back memories of TSG and Stewards scurrying around the Union before pronouncing the venue safe to open. Once inside people headed straight for the bar where, miraculously, the organisers had managed to preserve student prices!

The entire night was a blur of familiar faces, cheesy music, comical dancing and a pleasant sense of nostalgia. The big-name DJs; Andy Flawn, Pete Cuff, Pete Devonshire, Alex Banks, Ben Craig and Stuart Bridgett all brought the expected, and well-loved, traditional musical sounds of Top Banana to life.

At the disappointingly early time of 2.00am the building security had to gently escort the remaining revellers, of which there were many, out of the venue. As the cool air hit the sweat-drenched party-goers, realisation could be seen on the faces of most. Instead of a large queue of Leamington bound buses, a couple of Warwick Security fans discreetly placed in parking lots and a piazza in which to cool down, we were faced with St. Pancras station. The illusion of returning to the Warwick Bubble had only been temporary, but it had been a lot of fun!'