We are deeply saddened by the news that our former student Poppy Richards passed away last month and wish to pass on our condolences to her family and friends. Poppy graduated in 2015 and was a much-loved member of the Classics and Ancient History community. She was diagnosed with brain cancer at the end of her second year, and despite ongoing treatment she managed to finish her degree.

Although her health prevented her from ever taking on full time work, she had several part-time jobs and worked as a volunteer for charities including the Princes Trust, Willow and Cats Protection. She also volunteered with her local police. In recent years she put her love of language to good use with various proof reading and editing roles for both charities and academic papers.

Poppy was the first person in the UK to receive some innovative cancer drugs and her treatment was the subject of a number of medical research projects. Sadly, this year, the doctors ran out of options to keep the cancer at bay.

We remember Poppy in particular for her positive outlook on life and her commitment to completing her degree despite her medical treatment. She was a great ambassador for our subject and will be very much missed by all who knew her.

If anyone would like to make a donation in Poppy’s memory, her family have chosen three different small charities that were important to her. Visit - https://www.austins.co.uk, scroll down a bit to “Make a Donation” then type in Poppy’s name. All three of the charities have completed the necessary HMRC forms so they can claim gift aid.

For May's coin of the month Clare Rowan blogs about a Flavian token now in the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow. Read about it here.

Professor Michael Scott of the Warwick Classics Department has been awarded the 2021 Classical Association Prize, awarded each year 'to an individual who has done the most to raise the profile of Classics in the public eye.' He will be presented with the award by Natalie Haynes at this year's online CA Conference 6-8th April 2021.

You can register to watch the prize-giving, as well as the rest of the conference, for free here: https://classicalassociation.org/events/ca-annual-conference-2021/

More about Michael's work can be found in this article: https://warwick.ac.uk/wie/staffengage/spotlight/february-michaelscott/

Michael has also written a blog about receiving the award: https://michaelscottweb.com/blog/classical-association-prize-april-2021/

More about the award, alongside previous winners, can be found here: https://classicalassociation.org/ca-prize/

Applications are now open for Departmental bursaries towards PG study (Research and Taught) in Classics. The competition is open to all offer-holders at PG level and the deadline for applying is Monday 12 April 2021. Please write a letter of application explaining why you think you deserve a bursary. Applications are ranked on academic merit but we take into account any special circumstances you may have.