In this section

Outreach at 50

50 years of schools outreach at Imperial

Imperial College London launched its first ever outreach programme in 1975 - a novel and ground-breaking tutoring initiative for local schools called the Pimlico Connection. It is believed to be the very first of its kind in the UK and we are proud that it continues to support pupils to this day. The initiative sparked Imperial’s longstanding commitment to helping young people realise their aspirations regardless of background. In addition, the Pimlico Connection also marks the first in a wide-ranging suite of outreach activity that has impacted thousands of young people over the past 50 years.

Since 1975, Imperial has continued to launch innovative outreach initiatives in collaboration with charities, schools, academics and students. Thanks to the generosity and dedication of the Imperial community and its partners, the university has become a pioneer in schools outreach. It has led the way by establishing specialist facilities on its campuses – the Wohl Reach Out Lab in 2010 and the Dangoor Reach Out Makerspace in 2017 - and by developing online and interactive programmes to engage young people of all ages in our local community and much further afield.

Outreach at 50

The  Outreach at 50  series honours this incredible milestone by celebrating our longstanding commitment to outreach, highlighting our innovative approaches and most importantly, by sharing remarkable stories of the people within our outreach community. Over the course of this academic year, we will speak to those who have been impacted by our programmes and those who have made them possible. As well as looking back, we look ahead at our ambitious plans for outreach and engagement in the future.

Our history

Discover the history of Imperial's Outreach team through the stories of five pivotal figures who played a crucial role in its growth. Their contributions laid the foundations for how Imperial engages wider society today.

A collage of images of those involved with historical connections to Outreach. From left to right: Minna Ruohonen, Robin Grimes, Melanie Botrill, Kevin Murphy and David Phillips.

Our history

Minna stands against a colourful wall, in a patterned t-shirt, smiling at the camera.

Minna Ruohonen

Robin sits in a red-tiled stairwell with his hands clasped, smiling and looking at the camera.

Professor Sir Robin Grimes FRS

Mel leans against a bench in the Reach Out Lab, wearing a dress with dinosaurs printed on it, laughing into the camera.

Dr Melanie Bottrill

A close up shot of Kevin who smiles, looking off camera, wearing a red and white checked shirt.

Professor Kevin Murphy

David stands in the library dressed in a suit, surrounded by books, and looks out of the window with a smile on his face.

Professor David Phillips CBE FRS

Striving for representation

This instalment of our Outreach at 50 series features stories from students, staff, and alumni who’ve played a role in fostering diversity in STEM. These inspiring interviews highlight how representation and access are shaping an inclusive future at Imperial and beyond.

Striving for representation

Colleen sits in a chair, looking directly at the camera. She wears a black shirt with a brown and white pattern.

Colleen Amos OBE

Sara sits, relaxed, on a yellow sofa. She wears a blue dress, glasses, smiling at the camera.

Professor Sara Rankin

Sunday, dressed in a red sweatshirt and jeans, perches on a stool in an Engineering workspace. He is smiling directly at the camera.

Dr Sunday Popo-Ola

Emma sits in an empty theatre surrounded by red chairs, wearing a white turtleneck and black dungarees, smiling at the camera.

Emma Watson

Yemi stands in a stairwell, wearing a denim jacket and white shirt. He is smiling, looking off into the distance.

Yemi Abe

The Pimlico Connection

Here, we explore the initiative that started it all - the Pimlico Connection – with interviews from Professor Sinclair Goodlad, the academic who launched the programme, and Dr Jenny Cook who runs the scheme today. We also speak to alumni who volunteered as mentors during their student days and a mentee from 2001 who was inspired to join Imperial by his Pimlico Connection mentor.

A collage of images of those involved in Pimlico Connection. From left to right: Jenny Cooke, Jad Marrouche, Claire Doyle, Natasha Martineau, and Sinclair Goodlad.

The Pimlico Connection

Discover remarkable stories of people impacted by the UK's first student mentoring scheme - the Pimlico Connection.

Jenny, wearing a white jumper, stands in a garden on the left next to Sinclair, who is on the right wearing a suit. In the garden, yellow flowers are blooming in the background.

Professor Sinclair Goodlad and Dr Jenny Cooke

From the start of the UK's first student mentoring scheme, through to the Pimlico Connection today, we catch-up with the academic who started it all and hear from Jenny who runs the programme today.

Jad sits in the SU bar, in a warm yellow light, on a table by the windows.

Dr Jad Marrouche

Jad would not have conventionally gone to university but he was inspired by his Pimlico Connection mentor. He joined Imperial and became a tutor before playing a key role in one of history's greatest scientific discoveries.

Claire stands against the wooden stairwell smiling, in a blue and white dress.

Dr Claire Doyle

Inspired by her experience as a Pimlico Connection volunteer, Claire joined Imperial's innovative teach-training programme - INSPIRE - to become a secondary school Chemistry teacher.

Natasha sits, smiling, on a bench in South Kensington. She is wearing a green shirt and blue glasses.

Natasha Martineau

In sharing science face-to-face with young people through the Pimlico Connection, Natasha discovered the importance of two-way engagement and went on to transform Imperial's approach to research communication.

Share your stories

As part of this campaign, we want to hear from those who have been involved with schools outreach at the university so we can share as many stories as possible. If you have been involved in any schools outreach at Imperial, please do complete the form to share this with us.

By completing this form, you agree that we may contact you at a later date using the email address provided. Please note that we will not use any of the information you provide without contacting you beforehand. The Outreach team's full GDPR statement can be viewed on the Outreach data privacy notice section of this website.

An ambassador, in a purple t-shirt, talking to a student during an outreach event

Form for staff and current students

If you are a member of staff or current student and wish to share your story with us, please complete the following form.

Form for staff and current students

Form for alumni

If you are an alumnus and wish to share your story with us, please complete the following form.

Form for alumni

Special thanks to all those past, present and future who help make Outreach at Imperial what it is.

Outreach at 50

50 years of schools outreach at Imperial

Outreach at 50