Two students have received awards from the Wivenhoe Bursary scheme. The award is made possible thanks to the annual Wivenhoe Town and Gown fundraising dinner which seeks to reward student residents of Wivenhoe according to their academic performance, contribution to the village community and involvement in extra-curricular activities.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Jane Wright, Giovanni Colacicchi, Mayor of Wivenhoe Cllr Penny Kraft, Amanda Davies and Founder of Town and Gown Dinner Dilly Meyer

The dinner was held last year at the Nottage Maritime Institute in Wivenhoe and was set up in 2005 at the instigation of the then Mayor and Mayoress of Wivenhoe, Tom Roberts and Dilly Meyer, Operations Manager of the University Skills Centre.

This year’s dinner event, which included a speech by Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony Forster, raised £1,800 and this was split between the two successful applicants, who were:

• Giovanni Colacicchi - Second year PhD student in Psychoanalytic Studies. Giovanni organises informal seminars on philosophy and Italian literature at the Wivenhoe Bookshop, in addition to working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and blogger within his department.

• Amanda Davies - Second year BSc Occupational Therapy student. Amanda volunteers with Wivenhoe Helping Hands, the Wivenhoe May Fair, Little Avenues Pre-school, Bromsgrove Infant School, as well as playing an active role in the University’s Occupational Therapy Society.

The next annual Town and Gown dinner will take place on Friday 15 November 2013 at the Wivenhoe House Hotel.  For tickets contact Dilly Meyer at the University Skills Centre by e-mail at:, dilly@essex.ac.uk.

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