Staff party rocks South Kensington Campus!

100 years of living science celebrated with live music and an Edwardian fete - <em>News</em>

Tuesday 17 July 2007
By Alex Platt

Staff from all the College’s campuses gathered to celebrate Imperial’s 100th birthday in style at the Centenary Staff Party on Wednesday 11 July.

There was something to suit everyone’s tastes, with the food on offer ranging from a civilised afternoon tea to a sizzling barbecue. Ears were also offered a treat with Prince’s Gardens hosting a selection of live music reflecting the last 100 years. Nearly 4,000 staff attended and enjoyed the range of entertainment on offer.

Competitive streaks were on display on the croquet lawn, just one of the activities available on Dalby Court, which also hosted golf putting and bowls. With staff from Physics and Materials battling for success using their new-found mallet skills, there was some discussion among the colleagues over who was winning the match, but Dr Ben Wood, Physics, claimed to be in the lead. The group compared the area to a concrete seaside and were keen to see the party atmosphere return to Imperial in the future. Dr Julian Jones, Materials, said, "We should be doing this every year."

Nearby the Faculty of Medicine finance team relaxed to the soothing tones of jazz after enjoying the fun of the fair, part of the Edwardian experience set up on the Queen’s Lawn. Katy Sargeant and Sonia Hinze, Faculty of Medicine, won their collection of cuddly snakes on the darts and ‘shoot the ring’ stalls.

Staff from ICT were also determined to win a cuddly toy by knocking down a tower of 10 tin cans using three balls. Shilpan Patel came close but with two cans still standing at the end of his turn couldn’t claim the prize. Despite this disappointment, he and colleagues Richard Fearn and Paul Urquhart spoke highly of the day. Richard said, "Imperial is so big and it’s difficult to meet staff from across the departments. Today’s party is a great chance to chat to different people and is superb value. I wouldn’t mind paying if we could run this event again."

Joe McGovern and Ed Da Silva were found enjoying an afternoon off from distributing post on the South Kensington Campus. Joe said, "This event shows the College’s appreciation for its staff and is a fantastic opportunity for staff across the organisation to bond."

While queuing for cream tea outside the marquee, the Rector shared his thoughts on the party. He said, "Everyone I’ve spoken to is having a fantastic time and today has engendered a great sense of community. The different areas — Prince’s Gardens, the Queen’s Lawn and Dalby Court — have worked so well and have offered something for everyone. We can’t wait another hundred years to do this again."

Prince’s Gardens celebrated the last 100 years with a wide range of live music. Acts ranged from the Charleston Chasers, playing music from the 1920s, to Fake That, a tribute to Take That, who stormed the charts in the 1990s. Soaking up the atmosphere in Prince’s Gardens, Research Fellow Dr Dan Brett from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering commented: "The best thing about today is seeing all the faces from the College who you are not familiar with — it makes you realise how huge the organisation is." He added: "I have been here 10 years and it is an excellent place to do serious science."

Party vital statistics

• 3,900 attendees
• 6,463 bottles of beer
• 1,745 glasses of Centenary Wine
• 1,228 cans of drink
• 241kg of stir fried noodles from the Wok Stop
• 1,742 Burgers served from the barbecue
• 813 marshmallow and strawberry skewers dipped in the chocolate fountain

To view the staff party photo gallery and watch a film of the party please visit the website: www.imperial.ac.uk/centenary/staff_party.shtml