Spirit of the Hall
Series 4
Spirit of the Hall: A podcast for Aularians by Aularians
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
Series 4
In the first episode of Series Four hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with former Principal Professor Michael Mingos. Whereas Mike has spent most of his life in the UK, he arrived in 1950 when he was just six from Iraq by cargo boat. He tells us of his fascinating family background, what brought him to the UK and then his journey to become Principal in 1999 until 2009. Mike reflects on his time as Principal of Teddy Hall including the major building works and improvements that took place under his stewardship.
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In this episode, hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with Clio Georgiadis who came up to the Hall in 1990 to read Psychology and Philosophy. Since Teddy Hall, Clio has done all sorts of jobs in what she describes as a zig-zagging career but she has ended up in the world of hospitality. Clio wrote to the owner of the famous restaurant Estiatorio Milos saying London needed a Milos. Before she knew it she was on a plane to Canada to go and meet him and today runs the show!
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In this episode, hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with Jo Ensor who came up to the Hall in 1988 to read Geography. Since then Jo has dedicated her life to the non-profit sector, initially working for leading organisations such as EveryChild and AMREF where she lived amongst the communities she served, all over the world. When Jo had her two boys she dedicated her time instead to advising philanthropists on their giving strategies and in 2019, she went on to found her own organisation Philanthropy Insight. Jo’s deep sense of social purpose is inspiring and an example to us all!
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In this episode, hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with Anna Botting who came up to the Hall in 1987 to read Geography. Whilst at Oxford Anna threw herself into all sports alongside her degree and was part of the first women’s rugby team who despite winning a Varsity match never actually gained a blue! Anna has been at Sky News since 1995 and has covered an extraordinary array of events including war zones, humanitarian disasters, politics, the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and historic ones too such as the funeral of the Queen and the Coronation. Despite unusual working hours, being away from home a lot and often little or no warning of trips into the unknown, Anna would recommend her career as a journalist to anyone.
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In this episode, hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with David Picksley who came up to the Hall in 1953 to read French and Russian. David’s first memories go back to the 1930s where he recalls historic events such as George V’s Silver Jubilee and George V1’s Coronation! David was a school boy during World War 11 and tells us of the moment when he heard that the country was at war and then also what it was like when it ended. Years later, on his 50th birthday, David decided to take up serious running and in April 2023, he gained celebrity status for being the oldest participant in the London marathon at the age of 90!
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In this episode, hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with Bob Gaffey, the Association’s North American Representative. Bob speaks to Olly about her time at Oxford when she came up to the Hall in 1999 to read Geography. She talks about how her Gap year and Geography dissertation all led to what she does today – Shivia, the charity she founded to help very poor families in India create livelihoods and earn with dignity. Olly loved Teddy Hall and is always grateful for the opportunities that it gave her hence wanting to give back to the College today in any way she can.
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In this episode, hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with Senator Larry Pressler who came up to the Hall in 1964 as a Rhodes Scholar where he was awarded his Diploma in Social and Public Administration. Senator Pressler loved his time at the Hall and after was sent to Vietnam in 1966 to fight in the war there. He then entered American politics and describes himself as a “RINO”, a Republican in name only. A pivotal moment in his career was when he turned down a bribe to let what he calls“pretenders” come into the States.
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In this episode, hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with Alice Hart-Davis who came up to the Hall in 1982 to read Modern History. Today, Alice is the Founder of the Tweakments Guide, a remarkable source of knowledge about beauty tweakments and great practitioners to go to. In an evolving and often overwhelming world of non-surgical cosmetic procedures, laser skin treatments, dermal fillers, botox and wrinkle relaxing injections, this guide is all you need to know!
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In this episode, hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with Jessica Milligan who came up to the Hall in 2023 to read Geography. Jess is Teddy Hall’s current JCR Environment and Ethics Officer and feels that students really do care about the College’s green agenda being led so effectively by the Principal and her Senior Leadership Team. Jess also plays a vital role in College offering other students peer support when needed.
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.
In the final episode of series four, hear Olly Belcher, immediate past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with Andrew Vivian, Teddy Hall’s Director of Development. Andrew is responsible for fundraising and alumni relations at the Hall and he touches on his day-to-day life in this role. He is also in charge of executing the £50 million HALLmarks Campaign and talks about how the College is progressing against this ambitious target. The biggest project at the moment is probably Norham St Edmund, necessary in order to house all second year students which is so important for the Hall.
Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.