Staff from academic and service departments across the University were delighted to be able to join the Queen at Buckingham Palace garden parties this month. Each year the Royal Household invites representatives from Universities to attend these prestigious events.

This year, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) coordinated invitations for the higher education sector and, in light of the University’s fiftieth anniversary this year, provided Warwick with a record 10 invitations for garden parties held over the last few weeks. We shared our invitations with a selection of colleagues either approaching retirement after long periods of service at Warwick, or who had been in receipt of external awards for outstanding performance.

Over 30,000 people attend Palace garden parties each year. They were instituted by Queen Victoria in the 1860s and have evolved into a way of rewarding and recognising public service in all walks of life.

We were extremely fortunate to have the opportunity this year to share Queen’s Garden Party invitations with some of our staff as just one of the many ways in which we seek to recognise individual achievements and contributions.”

Ken Sloan, Registrar and Chief Operating Officer