READ A SHORT STORY OF THE FRIENDS

University College Buckingham is an unusual educational establishment, in a good way, and it always has been. As Universities go, it is relatively youthful. Since it was declared a legally constituted entity in 1973, through to the start of teaching on February 3rd 1976, and beyond to the present day, it has been different. Among the hallmarks have been the pioneering of degree courses completed in two years instead of three, and an expansive welcome to overseas students. In line with the independent thinking that set UCB up in the first place, the idea of a group of ‘Friends’, who can enrich the lives of students, was also mooted in that first year. Drawn from the local community, they would be separate from the academic and administrative establishment, but work in concert with them. 

To help you place it in time, it was the year of the drought, and the long hot summer, with hosepipe bans and even the appointment of a Drought Minister, the hapless Dennis Howell. As if in a sketch from ‘Yes Minister’, just days after his appointment in August that year, the rains returned. 

Student life, especially if you are coming to the UK to study from abroad, can be a lonely experience. While the University immediately established strong links with the borough, ‘town and gown’ as the saying has it, and with local press, it was clear that there was an opportunity to create a pastoral body to assist with student well-being. It also reflects the ethos of the university more widely, complementing their welfare aims. Imagine yourself, attending University in, say, Lusaka or Tokyo. Separate from your studies, a helping hand to understand how local life worked would be priceless. ‘A friend in need’. A poster on the university notice board, letting students know that the tap water is safe to drink, underscores how things can so easily be taken for granted. It reminds us all that of the eight billion humans on planet Earth, a quarter of them do not have access to safe drinking water. 

It is well-known that UCB was formally opened in February 1976 by the Rt. Hon. Mrs Margaret Thatcher MP, as former Secretary of State for Education, starting with just 65 students. But if any names can be linked to the first establishment of a formal grouping of friends, a respectful nod should probably go to the leading lights of that first committee, where Ralph Yablon was President, Sir Edward Tomkins the Chair, and Keith Henderson the Secretary. The Friends of the University have continued developing since then, and have continued to augment the students academic experience. Since that first committee, members have come, served and moved on, in an unbroken chain to this day. And now, after a couple of difficult years including Covid enforced lockdown, they could be said to be experiencing a post-covid resurgence.   

Who are these Friends?

With a Friends committee and the wider membership in situ for approaching fifty years, the group remains a reflection of our local population, and the wide variety of skills that they have developed throughout their working lives. Many, but by no means all, are retired, but they do all find a rewarding role within the Friends by volunteering in many ways. It would be difficult to single out named individuals from even the recent past, as so many have contributed over the decades, and the efforts of all the Friends - committee and volunteers - have all contributed value to that whole. And the short answer for the future, is that ‘they’ could be you! The number of Friends who volunteer a very wide range of services, has never been larger. Professor James Tooley, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, is a staunch supporter too, acknowledging the value of an organisation that is at once outside, and yet known and understood inside the University. He remarked, “The Friends certainly offer a valuable extra resource for our student welfare, there’s no doubt that we would be the poorer without their contribution; I’m personally delighted with the links that they have established with the supporting staff at the university.” 

So what do the Friends do?   

While the student demographic has morphed over time, there are still a large number of foreign undergraduates, and while they often have their own societies for support, the wider perspective of British life and customs is an invaluable tool to pass on to those who are unfamiliar with it. The Friends activities are varied, and aim to cover well-being aspects as well as practical life guidance. All participating students, regardless of where they come from, have benefitted from the ‘Easy Gourmet’ cooking initiatives, where simple British cooking gets given an airing (picture yourself staring in befuddlement at those grocery store shelves in Lusaka), with a pragmatic approach to simple cooking with some British staples. Other events have included activities with animals - an association with known benefits for mental health. Events have also included a reptile day at the University, and walking with Alpacas at a local farm; both were successful and well-attended. 

English language, vital to grasping the full value of the academic elements of university, is also a focus with group sessions and one-to-one work. And in a relaxed atmosphere, the ‘Coffee and Chat’ sessions give students the opportunity to choose their own ground for discussion. 

Acknowledgments:

Ian Norwell - Author