This blog entry will be updated as more details become available.

Mon 11th Jan
09:00 (UK time) - We are now complete - all students have arrived. Classes are now under way and the semester has properly begun.

Sat 9th Jan
15.00 (UK time) - Another arrival leaving just one student to arrive who is currently in London.

11:00 (UK time) - We have had further arrivals overnight and now have all students except two independent arrivals who we are expecting later today.

Fri 8th Jan
17:30 (UK time) - Two delayed students have now arrived. Nine students remain en-route.

16:00 (UK time) - One independent student has now arrived. Eleven students remain en-route.

14:25 (UK time) - The third and final coach/bus has arrived from our Heathrow airport pick-up. Unfortunately, nine students missed the pick-up due to flight delays and they are (or will be) making their own way to Harlaxton. In addition we have three independent student arrivals who are currently on their way to Harlaxton. Therefore, all students are now at Harlaxton except the 12 students mentioned above.

13:45 (UK time) - The second coach/bus has arrived.

13:00 (UK time) - The first coach/bus has arrived and students are settling into their rooms and have a bite to eat.

There still remain nine delayed students who will be making their own way to Harlaxton, three of which have suffered further delays.

11:30 (UK time) - The third and final coach/bus is just about to leave Heathrow and this will conclude our scheduled airport pickup at Heathrow.

There remain nine students who are scheduled to land later this afternoon who will make their own way to Harlaxton (it is not a difficult journey and they have instructions). Each of the students has been contacted and they are aware of the situation. If they have any difficulties they should call the College on 01476 403000.

11:20 (UK time) - Arrivals are now coming in thick and fast. The second coach/bus has just left Heathrow and is due to arrive at Harlaxton at 14:30 approx. The third and final coach/bus will leave shortly.

10:30 (UK time) - The first coach/bus has left Heathrow and is on its way to Harlaxton. We estimate the time of arrival at Harlaxton to be 13:30 approx.

09:30  (UK time) - The good news is that flights are arriving and the delays are better than expected. The bad news is that some of the delays are significant and will mean that some students will land much later this afternoon. Again, we encourage all delayed students to let us know of their difficulties and to ring the College (+44 (0) 1476 403000) after landing at Heathrow if you have missed the scheduled pick-up time.

Thurs 7th Jan
16:00  (UK time) - We are ready!
Our couriers are preparing to head down to London in a few hours to meet our Spring 2010 students at Heathrow airport.

We hope to expect the first arrivals at about 06:00 but we are aware of possible flight delays due to adverse weather conditions in the US and UK. We are regularly monitoring the situation and will be as flexible as we can regarding airport pickup.

All students have been given information by Earl Kirk on what to do if any of their flights are delayed or they miss the Heathrow airport  pick-up and we have repeated the essense of that advice here.

My best advice is to read the departure packet thoroughly. Prepare yourself. Keep the packet handy at all times. It tells passengers what to do and who to call in case of delays of problems, whether in the USA or the UK. Be sure you keep those phone numbers at hand in case you need to alert us to flight delays or changes. Students, be sure to keep me (Earl Kirk) up to date if you have travel changes.

The packet also provides step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions for how to get to Harlaxton Manor via the train if necessary—in case you are delayed well after the time the Harlaxton coaches can wait at the airport. If passengers are delayed on the morning of Friday 8 January, phone the manor (+44 (0) 1476 403000) upon arrival at Heathrow to see if the pick-up team is still at the airport, and then follow instructions. We will do our best to help you if at all possible. Just know that sometimes circumstances are beyond our control and you may be called on to help yourselves and your travel companions.

 

This blog entry will be updated as more details become available.

Well we are off to a good start. This evening we will begin various orientations and help everyone get settle in ready for those important classes that begin on Monday!

Mon 31st
09:00 (UK Time) - Our last student has arrived on schedule so we are all here! Classes are underway.

Fri 28th
17:30 (UK Time) - Our last student that was due today has now arrived. We just have one more student who is due to arrive on Sunday.

16:30 (UK Time) - In addition to our Heathrow arrivals, 5 of 7 independent arrivals have now arrived. We are waiting for one more student to arrive later today and the remaining student is scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

14:45 UK Time) - The third and last coach has arrived with all Heathrow arrivals now at Harlaxton.

14:30 (UK Time) - The second bus has arrived.

13:05 (UK Time) - The first bus from Heathrow has arrived. Students are settling in, finding their rooms and having a bite to eat. We expect the next bus in about an hour.

11:45 (UK Time) - All Heathrow arrivals have been collected and are now on their way to Harlaxton. The third and final bus left at 11:45 and should arrive at Harlaxton at about 14:15. 

11:15 (UK Time) - Arrivals continue to go smoothly, and the second bus has just left Heathrow and should arrive at Harlaxton at about 13.45. 

10:00 (UK Time) - The first bus with 47 students has just left Heathrow and should arrive at Harlaxton at about 12:30.

09:00 (UK Time) - No flight delays so far. Heathrow arrivals are running smoothly. We will soon be sending the first bus to Harlaxton.

Thurs 27th
18:00  (UK time) - We are ready!
Our couriers are preparing to head down to London in a few hours to meet our Fall 2009 students at Heathrow airport. We are expecting the first arrivals at about 06:00 and hope to have collected everyone by about 11:30. Barring any flight delays we hope to have everyone safely at Harlaxton by early afternoon.

Ms. Chloe Johnson, a former pupil of the Kesteven and Grantham Girl’s School and presently studying at Durham University, has been awarded the Ridgway Scholarship for academic year 2009/2010.

The Ridgway Scholarship pays international air fare and all costs of tuition, room, and board for a year of study at the University of Evansville in Indiana, USA. As a major international scholarship, the grant offsets educational costs of more than $40,000.

Twenty one year old Chloe was selected through a competitive application and interview process. She was one of five finalists interviewed on Wednesday, 11 March, by a panel of university educators and local citizens. The interviews took place at Harlaxton Manor, site of the British Campus of the University of Evansville.

In announcing the grant, Dr J Gordon Kingsley, Principal of Harlaxton College, paid tribute to Chloe’s “academic achievements and strength of character.” “We think she will be a wonderful ambassador for Lincolnshire and Britain while she is in America, and her own opportunities for personal growth will be substantial,” said Dr. Kingsley. “She is a credit to her school, her University, her community, and her teachers.”

The Ridgway Scholarship is a gift of Dr. William Ridgway, a Trustee of the University of Evansville whose ancestors are from this region of England. Dr. Ridgway also purchased Harlaxton Manor in the 1980s and gave it outright to the University, who has conducted Harlaxton College since 1970.

Members of the interview panels were Dr. Edward Bujak of the Harlaxton faculty and Grantham, Mrs. Louise Averill of Harlaxton, Mrs. Jan Beckett of the Harlaxton College administrative staff and Branston, and Dr. Kingsley.

This blog entry will be updated as more details become available.

15:30

15:00 (UK Time) - The second bus from Heathrow arrived at 14:30 on schedule. We are now waiting for the final bus which is due at 15:20.

13:20 (UK Time) - The first bus from Heathrow has arrived. Students are settling in, finding their rooms and having a bite to eat. We expect the next bus in about an hour.

12:00 (UK Time) - All students have now been collected from Heathrow and Gatwick airports and are on their way to Harlaxton on three buses. The first bus should arrive at about 13:30, the second at about 14:30 and the last at 15:00-15:30.

11:55 (UK Time) - All students have now been collected from Gatwick airport and, with those students collected from Heathrow, are on their way to Harlaxton; should arrive 15:00-15:30. 

11:00 (UK Time) - Two buses have now left Heathrow. One bus is heading straight for Harlaxton and should arrive at about 13:30. The second bus is heading to Gatwick airport to collect eight students before heading for Harlaxton.

10:55 (UK Time) - No flight delays so far. Heathrow and Gatwick arrivals are running smoothly. The main group flight (Heathrow) has landed and students are gradually getting through customs and immigration. We will shortly be sending the first buses to Harlaxton.

Thurs 8th Jan
18:00  (UK time) - We are ready!
Our couriers are preparing to head down to London in a few hours to meet our Spring 2009 students at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. We are expecting the first arrivals at about 06:00 and hope to have collected everyone by about 11:30. Barring any flight delays we hope to have everyone safely at Harlaxton by early afternoon.

This blog entry will be updated as more details become available.

All students have now arrived at Harlaxton.

Fri 29th Aug
15:10 (UK Time) - The Gatwick coach has now arrived.

14:40 (UK Time) - The third and last Heathrow coach has arrived. We are expecting the Gatwick coach within the next 20 mins.

12:45 (UK Time) - The first two Heathrow coaches (98 students) have arrived at Harlaxton. The remaining Heathrow and Gatwick coaches are on their way and expected at Harlaxton at approx. 14:30.

11:50 (UK Time) - We now have everyone who arrived at Gatwick and the coach has just left for Harlaxton. So we have now collected everyone and they are en-route, or soon to be en-route, to Harlaxton.

11:45 (UK Time) - We now have everyone who arrived at Heathrow. After loading luggage the last coach should depart for Harlaxton at about 12:00. We are still waiting for 3 students at Gatwick but all expected flights have landed. The first two coaches from Heathrow are due to arrive at Harlaxton in about 45 mins.

11:30 (UK Time) - A slightly delayed flight at Gatwick has delayed us a little. We are still waiting for 3 students to pass through customs, etc.

11:00 (UK Time) - We have begun collecting students at Gatwick and are waiting for the final arrivals to pass through customs, etc. before transporting the group to Harlaxton.

10:15 (UK time) - Two coaches (98 students) have left Heathrow and are on their way to Harlaxton. We are still waiting for 8 students at Heathrow.

Thurs 28th Aug
18:00  (UK time) - We are ready!
Our couriers are preparing to head down to London in a few hours to meet our Fall 2008 students at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. We are expecting the first arrivals at about 06:00 and hope to have collected everyone by about 11:30. Barring any flight delays we hope to have everyone safely at Harlaxton by early afternoon.

We had a partial collapse of the Long Gallery ceiling just before the Christmas break to which we had to make some emergency stabilisation repairs and erect a protective scaffold to allow us to continue to use the room this semester – it is our largest room and essential for many Harlaxton activities (e.g. lectures & weddings).

Both our architect and a heritage plastering contractor have surveyed the ceiling and given advice on the best course of action. We received the report and cost estimates today and, in summary, it is believed that the reason for the collapse is relatively poor workmanship to the flat plaster areas as originally executed in the 1830s – remarkable considering the quality of workmanship elsewhere and the visual attractiveness of the ceiling and the room as a whole. The contractors also discovered evidence of previous repairs to the area and significant gap filling possibly dated around the 1940s.

Unfortunately the repair work required is a little more extensive than anticipated with approx. 25-30% of the ceiling area needing to be completely replastered and several parts of the remaining area needing to be stabilised to prevent further collapses and allow us to continue to use the room safely (e.g. British Studies lectures, weddings, etc.). 

Anyway, it is our intention to complete this work as soon as possible and in this regard we have engaged Messrs Skillingtons of Grantham (a heritage plastering specialist also working on the fire damaged Stoke Rochford Hall) to carry out the work beginning immediately. It is then hoped that our very own Lawrence Spencer will complete the decoration.

We anticipate that the plastering work will be completed by the 15^th March 2008.

This blog entry will be updated as more details become available.

14:30 (UK time) - All students, including independent arrivals, are now at Harlaxton.

14:15 (UK time) - The first and only Gatwick bus has arrived at Harlaxton.

13:45 (UK time) - The third and last Heathrow bus has arrived at Harlaxton.

13:15 (UK time) - The second Heathrow bus has arrived at Harlaxton.

13:00 (UK time) - The first Heathrow bus has arrived at Harlaxton.

11:15 (UK time) - All Heathrow and Gatwick airport arrivals are now en-route to Harlaxton. One independent arrival (M Simmons) has arrived at Harlaxton.

11:10 (UK time) - All Gatwick arrivals have made it. The bus from Gatwick should arrive at approx. 14:30 (UK).

11:00 (UK time) - All Heathrow arrivals have made it. The third and last bus has just left Heathrow and should arrive at Harlaxton at approx. 13:30 (UK). We are still waiting for a few more Gatwick arrivals.

10:45 (UK time) - Two buses have now left Heathrow airport (approx 100 students) and are on their way to Harlaxton. Their expected arrival time is 13:00 (UK).

10:15 (UK time) - All expected flights have landed at both Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Not all students have yet passed through baggage collection and immigration, but we are hopeful we will have everyone through by 11:30 or so.

We thought you might be interested to know that Choir Invisible and the Out of Silence Choir will be featured on Aled Jones’ radio programme, ‘The Choir’, which goes out on BBC Radio 3 this Sunday the 18th of March between 6:30 and 8:30pm. The section on the two choirs will be 30-40 minutes long.

The producer of ‘The Choir’ programme, who had seen the Choir Invisible perform at the BBC Choir of the Year Competition last November, was intrigued by the standard of musicianship reached by a non-auditioned choir that learns ‘by ear’. Last week he invited Sally to London for an interview with Aled at BBC Broadcasting House. This Tuesday a BBC sound engineer came to Harlaxton Manor to record the choirs singing at their home base, live recordings which will be used for the programme this Sunday.

The a capella repertoire of both the Out of Silence Choir and Choir Invisible will be contrasted in the programme, so expect to hear a posh song from the Italian Renaissance, folk songs from a workhouse, a lovesong in Swahili and jazz-inflected gospel from the wrong side of the tracks.. and Sally giggling with a young and suntanned Aled. Not to be missed.

More here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/thechoir/pip/ib8p9/

We are pleased to announce a significant upgrade of technology at Harlaxton College with particular focus on student facilities and connectivity.

Our Fall 2006 students will benefit a little (wireless) but our Spring 2007 group will benefit from practically an all new public facing network and PC infrastructure. All this has been made possible by using part of a generous gift from Mr Alan Braun, a trustee of the University of Evansville.

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