Connaught Hall annual photo 2014 is now available

It has been very difficult to schedule our annual photo this year because the weather has been so bad for late May. But we finally did manage to get together outside the front of the Hall on Saturday afternoon.

The full-resolution photos are available to download from our Flickr photostream here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/connaughthall/tags/annualphoto2014.

You can also purchase hardcopy prints of this year's photo direct from Photobox: http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/2610271323. No money from the sale of these photographs come to Connaught Hall; you only pay for the cost of printing and delivery charge.

Annual photo 2013

For more: http://www.flickr.com/photos/connaughthall/tags/annualphoto2013/

Letter to all residents

Many of you by now have finished your exams and coursework, and have another week or so to enjoy in London without any academic commitments. Congratulations for getting through to this side of your exams on completing this year of university: you certainly deserve to celebrate. But please do remember that many others in Hall are still taking examinations - some colleges are only just starting their main exam periods. Students at those colleges deserve peace and quiet to study and rest, every bit as much as those with earlier exams did.

We have all come this far and made so many friends this year: please let's finish on a high and not sour things by being inconsiderate. Those with exams don't want to finish the year with exams on no sleep; and those who are celebrating don't want to come home to a disciplinary.

So remember to be especially quiet between 11pm and 7am - make a special effort to keep the volume down when you arrive back from a night out - and be helpful any time of day or night if your neighbour asks you to be quieter.
HALL PHOTO
After two weeks of disastrous weather leading us to twice cancel the annual Hall photo, I very much hope we shall be able finally to get a picture of us all together outside the front of the Hall around 5.30pm on Thursday 6 June. Join the event on Facebook to keep up to date with any more announcements about the photo: http://www.facebook.com/events/166346023532000.
AWARDS & PARTY
Also coming up in the next week or so are the Connaught Hall awards in the bar from 8pm on Monday 3 June (http://www.facebook.com/events/563159060394776) and our year-end summer party, in the bar till late, on Friday 7 June (http://www.facebook.com/events/131478407054520).
Many of you are due to move out on Saturday 8 June. I have to tell you that Friday night's party does not in any way excuse you from the requirement to vacate your room by 10am on Saturday. Those who stay after 10am run the risk of being charged extra from their deposits. The University uses Connaught Hall in the summer for bed & breakfast bookings, and we do have some guests arriving on Saturday.
YEARBOOK
Finally, a reminder about the yearbook being produced by your Residents' Club Committee: Suggested items for your profile in the yearbook include: your photo; name; course & university; birthdate; hometown / country; contact details (email address, phone number etc); anything you would like to say about Connaught; any other comments. Please feel free to add more items to the list and be creative with your submission! In order for the book to be published before 8 June, please submit your entries by 5 June to yearbook@connaught-hall.org.uk.
GOOD LUCK!
Good luck to those of you who are still taking examinations, and I wish a safe journey home and a relaxing summer to everyone.

Freshers 2011

So, freshers' month is pretty much finished for another year. I hope everyone has enjoyed the events we have organised and already met lots of friends here in Hall - but although it's the end of freshers', it's also just the beginning of the rest of the year.

I certainly have enjoyed meeting everyone. This has been a very good-natured and friendly start, so I am looking forward to a good year. I have had the chance to meet many residents in the relative quiet of our Sunday afternoon teas and Senior Member floor receptions; seen and shared the fun of the bar grand opening and last night's excellent welcome party (thank you, Tom, James, Zac!); and served hundreds of glasses of wine at our two welcome dinners. And I always consider it a great privilege to have the attention of the whole Hall for my speech at the welcome buffet.

Thank you for making this one of the best "welcome" months I can remember. It's going to be a great year in Hall.

You can see all the photos from our 2011 freshers' events here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/connaughthall/tags/welcome2011/

Christmas dinner

Thank you to everyone who helped out at Christmas dinner last week.

I was delighted that we could continue our Connaught Hall tradition of having our own residents play live music throughout dinner and for members of my team to serve residents their dinner at the table. And of course, the kitchen staff did a wonderful job of decorating the dining hall and preparing a really super meal for us all. As well as all this planned work, a number of students generously - and without being asked - gave their time to help with organisation on the day. Thank you again to everyone.

Photographs of our Christmas dinner are now online: http://www.flickr.com/photos/connaughthall/sets/72157603501357815/?page=3.

I wish everyone at Connaught Hall a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.