Events for alumni

In March 2024, we opened the doors of our London Campus to alumni for our first YSJ London Network event. London-based alumni were invited to join the Alumni team for an evening of networking, light refreshments and a keynote from the Head of Membership at the Royal Opera House, Jessica Thompson.

In June 2024, we welcomed alumni, students, staff and members of our wider York community to our first YSJ Community Festival. Nearly 250 people joined us for a day of fun, free, family friendly activities from some of our partners around the city. Activities included wheelchair rugby, archery, football sessions, choir workshops and a climbing wall, among others. Thank you to our partners, YSJ Active and everyone who joined us on the day.

It was another successful morning for our York 10k runners with a group of 12 alumni, staff and students representing York St John University this year. There was lots to celebrate with runners achieving personal bests and completing the 10k distance for the first time. The team smashed their fundraising target, raising over £1,700 for our alumni-funded scholarships from 86 supporters.

In October 2024 we hosted the inaugural North East Network event in Darlington. Alumni from across the North East met up for an evening of keynote speeches from the Alumni team, some light refreshments, and even a quiz!

In December 2024 we were joined by alumni who studied at Ripon College or Ripon campus for A Very Ripon Christmas. It was an opportunity to reconnect with fellow Ripon alumni, discover our mini-exhibit and enjoy a Christmas fork buffet.

It was wonderful to chat with alumni and hear your stories about studying with us. You can find out more about what happened on our Alumni blog.

The rain certainly didn't dampen our spirits as alumni were welcomed back to our York campus for the first time in a decade.

Alumni from the last 60 years of our history, enjoyed meeting up with friends and creating new memories. The Student's Union was open throughout the day and alumni were able to enjoy music of their years, a specially created Spotify playlist made up of song requests from attendees. In the evening, alumni were treated to live music before a 3 course meal made by our fabulous catering department. Some lucky alumni won prizes in our raffle, which consisted of a range of prizes generously donated by local and alumni businesses.

Over the course of the event, due to our amazing alumni community, we were able to raise over £3,000 for our alumni-funded scholarships. This money will directly the impact the students who need it most and gives them the opportunity to follow in our alumni's footsteps.

A team of YSJ staff, students and alumni took on the York 10k 2023 in August. All runners raised money for our alumni-funded scholarships to support underrepresented students. The day was a huge success with some members of the team running a 10k for the first time and others smashing their personal bests! We raised over £1300 thanks to the generosity of our alumni and wider community. Keep an eye out for when entries to the YSJ team open for York 10k 2024, it's never too early to start training!

In November we hosted a celebration on our London campus for our most recent London graduates. They were invited to recognise their successes over food and drink while having the opportunity to engage with the YSJ Alumni & Fundraising team, gain advice from the London Careers team and celebrate completing their degree.

In December the Alumni & Fundraising team welcomed over 30 guests to Ripon City Golf Club for a festive alumni event. A Very Ripon Christmas was the first event held in Ripon by the University this decade and exclusively for alumni who studied in Ripon. Guests enjoyed a welcome from the Fundraising and Alumni Relations Manager, Louise Gash, followed by a festive fork buffet. Alumni had the chance to catch up with friends, connect with their fellow alumni and shared their stories with staff. Ripon's first female Hornblower, Allison Clark, who graduated from our Ripon campus in 1984 gave a short talk about this ancient tradition which many alumni had fond memories of. Guests also enjoyed a miniature exhibit curated by the Alumni office which gave attendees a brief overview of life at Ripon College a century ago alongside items from the archive including previous alumni magazines from Ripon College, college shields and trophies. Thank you so much to those of you who joined us for a lovely festive afternoon!