BU & Beyond 2012 - Bournemouth University

Making the Games
“happy and glorious”
From torch bearers and
volunteers to technical
experts and behindthe-scenes
planners,
dozens of BU alumni,
students and staff
helped make London
2012 a stunning
success.
Guy and Tom Watts
Lisa Marshall
Colin Lynch
6 | BU & Beyond
The Torch
Bearers
The Graduate
Accounting and Finance
graduate Guy Watts
(pictured here with
brother and fellow BU
graduate Tom) carried the
Olympic Torch through
Sutton in south London
on Monday 23 July. Guy
was nominated and
selected as a torch bearer
in recognition of his
record-breaking rowing
achievements and his
founding of Streetscape,
a social enterprise
designed to get long-term
unemployed 18-25 year
olds back in to work.
The Student
Psychology student Lisa
Marshall had two reasons to
celebrate when she carried
the Torch through Lowestoft
only a day after she’d
been voted NUS Endsleigh
Student of the Year.
Lisa was nominated
because of her
determination to come to
university and study to
become an educational
psychologist despite
having had three major
surgeries in the last four
years. An active volunteer
and mentor both at BU and
in her home town, Lisa has
quickly become a positive
role model, working hard
to inspire people with
disabilities and their
families.
Helping other people is
Lisa’s main motivation for
becoming an educational
psychologist and she is
committed to helping
make sure people with
disabilities are present
in the community as
active citizens in order
to decrease people’s
misconceptions.
Commenting on her
achievements, Murray
Simpson of the Students’
Union was in no doubt that
Lisa is “a true role model
for students everywhere.”
The Lecturers
Three School of Tourism
lecturers helped carry the
famous flame as it passed
through Dorset.
Lecturer in leadership and
strategy with the Event
Management programme
Debbie Sadd was
recognised for 15 years of
volunteering as sports team
manager, school governor
and charity supporter, as
well as working at the
Olympic Park during the
Games.
Sports lecturer Alexis
Major carried the Torch as
an active member of the
sporting community since
the age of five. She has
competed at high level in
gymnastics and athletics,
as well as working with a
variety of local schools to
help pupils achieve their
sporting goals.
In Weymouth, Events
Management lecturer
Dorothy Fox was
recognised for her roles
at sea; she is chairman of
Bournemouth Lifeguard
Corps and two years ago
won gold in the World
Masters Sport Lifesaving
Championships.
New prosthetic
limb designed for
Irish Paralympian
Following a chance
meeting with prosthetics
company PACE
Rehabilitation last
November, Senior Lecturer
Bryce Dyer helped create
a prosthetic limb for Irish
cyclist Colin Lynch to use
at the Paralympic Games.
Bryce, who is a competitive
cyclist himself, worked
closely with Colin and
PACE to complete a design
in barely five weeks so that
the cyclist could test it out
at the following February’s
Para-cycling World
Championships.
With margins in paracycling
coming down to
mere tenths of seconds,
every possible advantage
counts and Bryce was
determined to create
something that went
beyond the norm. “There
are other athletes that
use cycling prostheses,”
he commented, “but I
just wanted to give him
something that was a little
bit mind-blowing.” Colin
was in no doubt about