Winterball
With fantastic organisation by this years’ committee, 2016 saw a bigger and better Winter Ball than BUCES has ever seen before! The roaring success of a night started with a cheesy ‘70s tribute band to get everyone dancing.
As usual we held our annual BUCES Awards complete with prizes, and after an amazing three course meal there was much merriment to be had.
Things did go a little differently this year so as to accommodate growing society numbers the event was moved to a brand new venue. This year, Winter Ball grew by half with over 300 students dancing the night away at the Paragon Hotel in Digbeth – a growth that can only be attributed to the continuing achievements and success of the Society.
Here’s to another fantastic Winter Ball in 2017!
Frank Morton: The Brumpire Strikes Back
Last year saw Birmingham both host and win Frank Morton 2015. This year was our chance to retain the title and show everyone in Manchester how it is done!
With only about 20 minutes sleep on the 5am coach trip, things seemed to get off to a shaky start. The rugby team managed a 3rd place finish – a great effort in the freezing conditions and long waits between matches. Football sadly failed to retain their title and crashed out in a controversial quarter-final against Manchester. To this day the team blame the referee for the outcome...but there is always next year!
It started to seem as if maybe 2016 wasn’t our year. However things started to change as the dodgeball team sailed to victory. More victories followed in pool, tennis and rounders, and hockey in which Birmingham thumped Manchester in their own backyard and thrashed rivals Strathclyde in the final. Special mention must go to the victorious handball team as only one member had ever played the sport before!
Things were starting to look up, but was it enough to sail to victory for the second time running?
Following a fantastic closing ceremony the results were read out and soon it was clear to see who would take the trophy home. Birmingham had done it once again!
With a whopping 35 points we took first place, snatching the trophy from Strathclyde who were close runners-up with 30 points. Imperial College London and our hosts Manchester came in joint third on 21 points each. It’s safe to say we crushed the opposition like a ball mill crushes minerals. With spirits at an all-time high, Birmingham celebrated by taking Manchester’s Deansgate Locks by storm!
And the rest
This year saw the continuation of our annual Staff-Student Night Out on Broad Street, as well as some brand new events including a very successful Pub Quiz for our chosen charity Acorns Children's Hospice (adding to our total amount raised of £790 for the year so far), and an International Carnival where chemical engineering students from across the globe shared their local food and culture.
Plans for the final term are looking good with BUCES’ annual End of Year Trip to Newquay scheduled for the beginning of June – the perfect chance to unwind after exams. Let’s hope for some sun!
We’re also counting down to the annual EPS Societies’ Awards and hope to maintain our winning reputation. If you are or have been part of BUCES, or have enjoyed reading about our activities this year please nominate us!
Guy Hart
President 2015-16