Alumni adventures: Swimming the English Channel and Meeting The Queen – Alumni Newsletter – Winter 2018
Vikki Wright Swims the English Channel
Vikki Wright
This year, twenty years after she graduated from York St John, alumna Vikki Wright took on the Atlantic Ocean and fulfilled her lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
A goal like this is not for the faint hearted; preparation was a crucial part of the challenge. ‘I tried to simulate all the conditions I would be likely to face. Long distances, cold, salty, sea weedy water, and night swims. I even placed myself in the position where I could be stung by jellyfish to know what it would feel like.’
Since Matthew Webb’s first cross Channel swim in 1875, fewer than 2000 people have swum the channel. On the 23rd June, Vikki’s perseverance in adverse weather led her to achieve something outstanding; after 15 hours and 17 minutes of swimming, Vikki arrived in France. Completing her childhood dream was maybe more gruelling than she had anticipated: ‘I could see France but it never seemed to get any closer. From then on in it was just a case of putting one arm in front of the other.’
Television Success For Chris Richards
Chris directing in -10 in Oslo
Earlier this year we welcomed back a group of former students from the early 1990’s for a reunion. One of the group, Chris Richards, came to York St John in 1989 to study Film & Television with Design. Chris started his TV career working on Top Gear and has since then worked on several BAFTA nominated productions. He shared some of his experience with us:
‘When you lay out the highlights of what I’ve done it looks impressive, but when you look across a range of mountains you see the peaks, and not the valleys in-between. Not every job has been great and sometimes the gaps between them have been scary at times!’
The Legend Of Lassie – Greg Christie’s story
Back in June 2015 we shared the fascinating story of York St John alumnus Greg Christie. Greg has spent the last two decades researching ‘Lassie Come Home’ author Eric Knight, whose novel famously inspired a television series spanning more than 350 episodes.
Greg meets The Queen
Greg came to York St John in 2002 to study a BA in English Literature: ‘I knew I wanted to write about Eric’s life but I felt I didn’t have the education necessary to do so. I took my original research to York St John, and they told me it was evidence enough for me to apply to the program.’ Greg also received a full bursary to assist him in carrying out his studies.
During his research process, Greg rapidly lost his eyesight, until eventually he was no longer able to read his own work. In March 2015, aided by his companion guide dog Captain, Greg was invited to Buckingham Palace for a special reception where Greg met the Queen and was presented with the Churchill Medallion for his research into Eric Knight. Greg remains keen to highlight this has all only been possible thanks to opportunities and support given to him by York St John University.
Thank you to Vikki, Chris and Greg for sharing their stories with us! If you have a story or update you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch by emailing us at alumni@yorksj.ac.uk.
