Wye 'Sup
Charity Week 2002
Greetings again Londoners. Since I last did a little article, I’ve had exactly… let me count… one item sent to me to put in and even that didn’t reach my email. I think this must be tainted. Anyway, before I get started, I have some ranting to do. The last article I wrote didn’t have my name attached to it. And that annoyed me somewhat. So this time, instead of waiting to be missed out again, I’m going to tell you who I am. I am Beci. There we go! Wasn’t that difficult now, was it? There’s a good little Editor.
Right. Down to it. We’ve just had our Charity Week (or Rag Week to some). This year it was for two fantastic causes, namely Kent Air Ambulance and the Cambridge University Department for Brain Tumour Research. Both of these causes have supported ex-students of ours, one of whom, Ed Notts, sadly passed away recently.
The week started with a rather wet bang. We had our traditional Bonfire and Fireworks. This took place on the Crown, a (yes, you guessed it) crown carved into the North Downs. This was completely lit up with hundreds of scrounged industrial-sized baked bean cans, that Sarah (our Union Vice President) had been trying to get hold of for days. As you’ve probably realised from the first sentence though, the weather was complete pants. The Torch Procession was a soggy traipse up the hill, watching people set trees and each other alight, then we all huddled together in the name of charity to watch the fireworks. Having said that, they were good and our thanks go to the guys from 153 (Ben, Henry, Charmer and Adam) as well as Dave (!) and Mike (Hunt) West in the foreground, as well as all those little people in the background. You know who you are.
Monday night was our Charity and Salve Auction (Muhahaha!!!). The highlights had to be JT’s chest waxing (we know it hurt really), Charmer buying his battered old car back for £1.5 million and the (lucky) slaves being auctioned for a bit of dosh. Good going guys.
Tuesday’s Tug of War was rained off (I wasn’t going out in that if someone paid me), but we probably wouldn’t have made it anyway (well, I wouldn’t have). This is because of Tuesday morning. Champagne Breakfast. What a wonderful idea. Having been to a car park for last year’s, we didn’t have a lot to beat. But, none the less, it was bloody brilliant. At 6 in the morning, we were all piled on two coaches with no idea where we were off to. Turned out, we were headed to a dry ski slope, so by 7o’clock we were sledging down the piste, champagne bottles in hands. The best had to be the JSF (dressed as Santas for the week) going down butts open, the Garters (dressed as Superwomen) flying down cape open or Fish going down in full James Bond stylee, legs crossed, drinking champagne and coming to a gentle stop at the bottom. Best injury for this week, goes to Hettie who broke her toe and giggled the whole way to hospital in an Ambulance. Accompanying her was Adam Hansen who attempted to slash his wrists on the slope, but failed due to our faithful First Aider in a luminous jacket (yes, Lee, that’s you as he reads this over my shoulder). Special mentions have to go to Little Bex and Sarah for organising it and coming back to pick up yours truly when the coaches left me behind, also the canteen ladies in Withersdane for doing all the egg and bacon sarnies which were lovely at that time after a good bottle or two of champers.
Tuesday night was Band Night and the Hog Roast, the remainder of which Andy (our Pres) was still munching through at the end of the week. The Band (Karl, Lucy Locket, Pauline and Yaz) were fabulous (as always) and it was a very well deserved, relaxing evening.
Wednesday evening saw the infamous Canterbury Pub Crawl and, although I didn’t go, I’m told it was a pretty boring one, so there’s not a lot to write about. Except, Miranda Warren pulling a local pikie and telling everyone he was “very intellectual”. The words “beer” and “goggles” come to mind. Oh well.
Thursday. Oh, Thursday. I would say it was the Druids disco, but the Druids don’t exist, as I’m constantly reminded, it was the Meterological Society Disco. Basically, an excuse for a group of nutters (I can say that as “noone knows who they are”) to dress up in balaclavas, dirty labcoats and get absolutely wasted. A very messy evening and very cold (speaks she who was shivering behind the bar wearing 7 layers of clothing) but a damn good laugh and enjoyed by all. Well, most. I do have to mention one stupid sod that was given a glass of chilli vodka, drank it trying to be hard and then ended up throwing up and crying in a corner. Don’t know who that could be, eh Ned?
Friday saw the first kidnapping of a lecturer, sorry, two lecturers. They both seemed to enjoy it and I ought to thank the kidnappers. You know who you are.
Friday was also the Charity Ball, this year with a 1920’s theme. As your illustrious author was working again due to a desperate need for money, she didn’t see many of the goings on. However, being a bit of a nosey cow, I find most things out anyway, although many of them I am unable to scrawl here out of pure sympathy and fear. We played host to a group of strange Agrics from Reading who didn’t understand the “no more snakebite” routine. Once again, everyone was out in their finest, and full respect to the Garters and the Beaus, who were still in their week old costumes at the ball.
Saturday saw us being beaten by the Reading lot in a Rugby match and I was hoping to have a review of the match from one of the lads, but, as you can tell, my hoping is to no avail, so they’re going to have to put up with what I write. At the end of the match, we (the intrepid supporters) reckon only two of our team weren’t injured. Not a good tally. You could almost sing “Heads, shoulders, knees and toes” to the team and get a response for each bit. Considering the fact they all limped off, I thought they battled damn well, although the captain (Adam) will no doubt disagree with me as he was out injured and jumping up and down like a lunatic on the touchline. Yes, they lost, but they turned out and gave it a shot. Well done fellas.
At the end of the week, we’d had a good laugh, drunk loads and, most importantly raised shed loads of money for two good causes. Thanks to all those who helped out and I haven’t mentioned, like Heena Patel, John the Porter, Emily Williams, and everyone else I’ve missed off. Thanks guys.
