A very happy new year to all Southies. It is good to see our College buzzing with activity again. So far, for January, the weather has been less than entirely appalling. Our small flock of ducks is certainly content.
I see the smiles on the beaks of South's resident waterfowl every morning as I walk past the pond on my way to the Pitcairn Building. However, I remain concerned that their gleeful daily consumption of birdseed may soon ground them.
Fortunately, it means they are not remotely interested in the stock of carved, wooden mice with which we feed Oswald.
This week, I was delighted to receive from Bloomsbury Academic a set of proposed cover designs for my forthcoming book, Reporting the Second World War - Newspapers and Public in Wartime Britain. My editor generously offered me nine options. With helpful guidance from my family and our excellent Vice Principal, I chose this one.
I am equally delighted to welcome to South College a new and valuable member of our team. Andrew Tinkler is our college chaplain. Andrew is a Roman Catholic lay chaplain. He offers pastoral and spiritual support to students and staff. He works to promote social justice and has led charitable projects to promote equality and tackle poverty. He also plays bass guitar. Andrew will spend time in College every week. He can be reached at andrew.tinkler@durham.ac.uk
"I am really looking forward to getting to know people at South College. I met the Principal and Vice-Principal in November and they showed me around the place and gave me such a warm welcome. My role can be quite broad and can span faith and belief, pastoral support, and charitable projects and volunteering, so hopefully I can help out in a few different ways. I am here to listen and support people, and am also excited by the opportunity of helping the college with celebration events, and exploring how prayer, worship, and belief can be best supported. Please say hello and stop for a chat if you see me around the college.” - Andrew
Plainly, the pandemic is not yet over. We must remain cautious and do all that we can to keep ourselves and others safe. As we begin Epiphany Term, test to participate remains crucial. You will be asked to show evidence of a negative LFT test to enter the bar, attend formals and participate in sport, theatre, clubs and societies. Please book your tests. The best way to make sure this term is as memorable as we all want it to be is to start safe.
I look forward to seeing you around college and to sharing a truly wonderful Epiphany Term 2022.
