Alumni

The importance of a sense of belonging is at the heart of the famous Hatfield spirit. Once a Hatfielder, always a Hatfielder. Year on year our graduands go out in the wider world enriched by the Hatfield spirit to join the network of Hatfield alumni. Our alumni are an important part of the College community and, through the work of the Hatfield Association and the Hatfield Trust, they continue to make an active contribution to College life.

Since 1846 when it was founded, Hatfield College has produced a large number of alumni who have embodied the College motto "Vel primus cum vel primis" in their achievements:

• Will Carling, former England rugby union Captain;
• Will Greenwood, former England rugby union player;
• Tony Laithwaite, the man behind the world's largest wine mail order company, encompassing Bordeaux Direct and The Sunday Times Wine Club;
• David Shukman, Environmental & Science correspondent for the BBC;
• Tim Smit of the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan;
• Andrew Strauss, Ashes-winning England cricket captain;
• Jeremy Vine, broadcaster.

... and the women are yet to come! Until 1988 Hatfield was an all male College but since then female students have grown in number to represent currently more than half the student body. They have extended the range of sport, music and community activities within College, as well as raising academic standards. Famous alumnae are out there making their mark ... watch this space ...

Oliver Balch - India Rising: Tales from a Changing Nation

Former history student, Oliver Balch who graduated in 1998, has had his second book published.  India Rising: Tales from a Changing Nation uses the lives of everyday Indians to show how this populous nation is changing.  It takes the reader off the tourist trail and into the homes, offices and streets where 'New India' is being born.  Published by Faber & Faber in May 2012, the book is priced at £14.99 and is available in all good bookshops.  Oliver will be speaking in Hatfield on Friday, 31 May 2013. 

Oliver's first book  'Viva South America! A Journey Through a Restless Continent' was published by Faber & Faber on 19 March 2009.  [Quote "Hatfield" if ordering through sales@10ofthose.com and £2 per sale will be given back to the Hatfield Trust.  www.10ofthose.com is a book distribution site set up and run by two Durham graduates.]

For more details see: www.oliverbalch.com.

Katherine Preston - Out With It

Katherine came to Hatfield in 2002, read History, and graduated in 2005. Her memoir, Out With It (How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice) will be published by Simon & Schuster and released on 16 April 2013.

David Shukman - Reporting Live from the End of the World

As Environment and Science Correspondent for the BBC News since 2003, David Shukman has reported from locations as diverse as the Artic, the Antartic and the Amazon. His new book Reporting Live from the End of the World, was published in April 2010 by Profile Books, and tells of his extraordinary adventures.