On Wednesday 1 March, your Sabbatical Officer team were invited to an investiture, where Jay Blades became the first ever Chancellor of BNU. It was a historic moment for the University which took place at High Wycombe’s Swan Theatre.
The event was attended by over 200 people from the University community, as well as several of Jay’s friends and family, including some VIP guests. Some of these consisted of some notable names such as Dame Judi Dench, Sir David Jason and Dame Mary Berry, who we had the pleasure of meeting throughout the day.
The ceremony started off with the presentation of Jay Blades’ Honorary Doctorate from BNU, presented by the Head of School for Art, Design and Performance, Professor Sri-Kartini Leet. This was for Jay’s community work supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and his significant contribution to furniture making and crafts.
There were several emotional speeches from University staff members as well as from your very own Students' Union President, Charlotte. Once these took place, Jay was formally invested as the Chancellor and was presented with his triple-striped golden robes.
It was a great opportunity to meet Jay and see him become a part of BNU history. He gave a powerful speech where he held back the tears and even admitted that he was “winging” it. We could tell that the day meant so much to him and that his time as a student at BNU was monumental to his career. It's an exciting step for the University and we're looking forward to working with him to help make life better for students at Bucks.
You can watch some of the highlights from the day by heading over to the BNU Youtube channel.
- Your Sabbatical Officer team.