In 1963, Hull joined Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol in offering the first ancillary course in Drama. Previously there had been little or no tradition of Drama as an academic discipline, but almost fifty years on and more than 2000 graduates later, the drama course at Hull is still going strong. It was a pleasure to hear from Tom Atkinson (BA Drama, 1976) who, along with friends from of the Class of 1976 will mark the 40^th anniversary of graduation next summer. To celebrate, Tom et al are organising a Thank You to the Department for the start it gave to their careers.

A warm invitation goes to everyone who was in the Department as staff or students and any friends from other years to participate in a very special weekend on campus to mark 40 years since the Class of 1976 graduated. Join us in meeting the students of today to pass on your experiences and your advice. We don’t want your money, we want your time.

Whatever you have achieved, wherever your life has taken you, please come back to Hull for a day or two next June to the current crop of undergraduates. Tell them what you wish you had known about your chosen field when you were their age, about the successes you have enjoyed, the failures you have overcome and the lessons you have learned.

If it doesn’t sound too pretentious, we want you to pass on your life skills, so students gain a clear idea of what will be expected of them when they when they go after a job.

It’s all very informal, and you will have the chance to interact with the students in any way that suits you: talk to them, talk with them, lead a masterclass, it’s up to you. It’s the transmission of your experience to the new generation that matters.

You’ll also have the chance to meet up again with old friends in a relaxed way back in the familiar surroundings of the Gulbenkian Centre. More than 30 people have already said they will be there. The more the merrier!

If you would like to take part, or want to find out more, Tom Atkinson (Drama/English 1976) would love to hear from you. Email him on tomatkinson@waitrose.com or ring him on 01962 714359.

The dates for your diary: Friday 3 and Saturday 4 June 2016.