Summer Fete brings together Imperial's support staff

Support staff from across the College came together last night for a summer fete held on Imperial's South Kensington Campus.

The Queen’s Lawn played host to an assortment of games and activities for the evening including bowling, a fast-reaction challenge, and giant versions of table-top favourites such as Jenga, Connect Four and playing cards.

In the Queen’s Tower Rooms more adventurous members of staff faced up to the rodeo bull, which swung willing participants around to a backdrop of music performed by party-band Cheescake, followed by staff karaoke.

This year’s festivities had a ‘Mad Hatter’ theme, and staff were invited to get creative with their headgear, with a prize awarded for the best hat.

Over 1,500 registered for the fête, which is organised by the Support Staff Social Committee. The event was held for the first time last year in response to survey feedback that support staff had little opportunity to meet people from other areas of the College doing similar jobs to their own.

Louise Lindsay, Director of Human Resources, said: “We wanted to have an opportunity to celebrate the important contributions of Imperial’s support staff and also to bring people from different areas of the College together. I was delighted to see so many staff attending from all the campuses, meeting colleagues and enjoying themselves”

Marcus Rees-Roberts, from the Development Division, was one of the attendees. He said: "It was great to see such a good turnout at the fête, and it was nice to have the opportunity to meet staff from across the College’s campuses and hospitals, many of whom I had never met before. Watching people on the rodeo bull was certainly a highlight – an excellent spectator sport."

Slideshow of event highlights.