Spring 2021 Campus romances

Anne-marie Garlick (née Heathcote) (BA French and European Studies, 2007; MA Education, 2008) and Craig Garlick (BSc Computer Science, 2006)

Anne-marie says: 'My husband Craig and I met while both living in Maple Bank in our first year. At a Freshers event in the first week of university, the group of girls I lived with suggested going over to talk to a table of boys that we recognised from Maple Bank. One of these boys was Craig and the rest is history! We had our first date on Valentine's Day 2004 - we went to the cinema at Five Ways! We have now been married for nearly ten years and have two beautiful children together. So much of our relationship and so many of our memories together are tied up with the University and the city of Birmingham.''

Anne Parris (BCom Accounting, 1982) and Michael Parris (BSc Electrical Engineering, 1981)

Anne says: 'Myself and my husband met over breakfast at Mason Hall in 1979, and married in 1983. We took early retirement last year, and now do voluntary work. Our education at Birmingham prepared us for the world of work, and we have both had successful careers, with extensive worldwide travel (Yes, accountants can have fun at work). We have a son, and together had some great family adventure holidays. We are looking forward to some longer travel adventures when the current pandemic has been seen off!'

David Long (BSc Psychology, 1983) and Dr R.C.P. Chesterman (BA Latin, 1985)

David says: 'Rosy and I met in 1982 when she was reading Latin and I was doing a Psychology degree. We lost contact for a while but then re-met nearly 30 years later, by which time Rosy had switched to Clinical Psychology and completed a doctorate, and I had become a children's author after half a lifetime in journalism. We finally tied the knot, under COVID conditions, in December at the Naval and Military Club in London, and live in Suffolk.''

Read more about David’s children’s books in Your Stories and enter our competition to win copies.

Alice Primmer (BA Modern Languages, 2013) and Sam Ashby (MSc Maths, 2013)

Alice says: 'We met in our Halls of Residence IQ5 after both missing out on getting into the Vale accommodation. This was a sad reality to begin with but it gave us both the best group of friends who we are still in touch with today. We became part of the same group for a year or so before getting together in our second year (fuelled by some alcohol and dancing in Snobs nightclub no less). I left for my year abroad in Verona in my third year and we parted ways for a time before getting back together and fully enjoying our final fourth year together with the best Grad Ball, stumbling home as the sun rose at 6am. Now we've just bought our own house in London and are both looking forward to what the future holds, all thanks to the University!'

Eleanor Miller (BSocSci Political Science, 1994) and Gavin Miller (BCom, 1994)

Eleanor says: 'I met Gavin in our first term in 1991. We were both in Griffin accommodation and studying in subjects which crossed over - me Political Science, him Commerce - and we married in 2002. Our eldest child is now an undergrad at the University studying Physics. We hope his life turns out to be as blessed as ours. The pictures are of our first year ball at Royal Botanical Gardens and Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, where we got married.'

Julian Tyndale-Biscoe (BSc Economics, 1991) and Jane Waterhouse (BSc Psychology, 1992)

Julian says: 'We met on Wednesday 6 March 1991 at a Soul, Funk and Reggae night at the Students' Union. I was studying Economics (final year) and Jane was studying Psychology (second year). We danced, had a few beers and I walked her back to her student house on Harrow Road. Jane told her friends the next day she had met the man she was going to marry. We were married five years later in August 1996 at her local church in Dunham Massey, Cheshire. Jane is now a senior Educational Psychologist and I'm MD of a public relations company.'

Hannah Evans (née Anthony) (BSc Biochemistry, 2013) and George Evans (BSc Biochemistry, 2013)

Hannah says: 'George and I met during the second week of Freshers in 2010 when we went out with our course mates on the BioSoc pub crawl. We continued to get to know each other between lectures and became an official couple halfway through our first year. We both graduated in 2013 and were offered jobs in the pharmaceutical industry. We got married in the summer of 2019 and we welcomed our first child on our one year wedding anniversary in 2020.'

Kasey Thompson (MBChB, 2020) and Joseph Davies (MBChB, 2020)

Kasey says: 'My fiancé and I met in 2015 when we both started our medicine degree. We have been together ever since our first year of the course, through many Medballs and hops, Fabs and exams; then through the unprecedented year of 2020. We got engaged on 15 August 2020 after we graduated and before starting our first medical jobs. We are hoping to get married in 2022 (providing COVID-19 doesn't throw any spanners in the works) and we'll definitely be remembering our time at Birmingham and the amazing memories it has given us.'

Gideon Mendel (BA History and Political Science, 2012) and Jennifer Mendel (née Dallal) (BA History, 2012)

Gideon and Jennifer say: 'We met on campus in 2011 through some mutual friends. We were both History students and would study together late into the evening in the library, where we'd have many coffees in the i-lounge (of blessed memory)! We were married in 2017 and now have a son. We have strong family connections to the University, and revisit Birmingham regularly to reminisce about our fond memories of our time on campus and in the city. The University will forever be at the core of our love for one another, in a way that only others who have found love on campus can understand. We look forward to a time when we can visit this special place as a family.''

Bethany Miller (BA French Studies, 2014; MA Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies, 2016) and Peter Miller (BA French Studies, 2014)

Bethany says: 'I met my husband during Freshers Week on our undergraduate French Studies course back in 2010. We went on our year abroad together, did presentations together and graduated together. We have since got married and now have two children together. Our education has taken us in different directions as he is now a surveyor and I'm still at the University (over ten years later!) doing a PhD, but we both still share a love for the place we met as well as each other.'

Jenny Pierpoint (BA Medieval and Modern History, 1997; MPhil Modern and Contemporary World History, 1999) and David Pierpoint (MPhil Modern and Contemporary World History, 2000)

Jenny says: 'I met my husband of 21 years in 1997. We were both studying for a Master of Philosophy in Modern and Contemporary World History. Since then we have lived and worked in London, Birmingham and all over the UK, had two amazing children, successful careers and now jointly run our own successful and growing business! I thank the University of Birmingham for helping me find my life partner and soul mate!'