Holiday fun at UEL Winter Fayre
Annual celebration included food, drink and entertainment
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Annual celebration included food, drink and entertainment
Published
02 December 2021
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Festive cheer was in the air on Wednesday as the University of East London (UEL) kicked off its holiday season with a community-wide Winter Fayre.
The annual celebration, held at the Docklands campus, included food, drink and entertainment.
As part of the day, staff, students and members of the community got the chance to explore an enchanted forest and stalls with crafts on display. There were fun and games for all ages to enjoy including a snow globe photo booth, an ice carving display and a funhouse.
Professor Amanda Broderick, the University's vice-chancellor and president, said, "We welcomed hundreds of guests to our Winter Fayre, our annual celebration of optimism, friendship, and good cheer.
"It was a chance to enjoy the company of friends and colleagues. This time last year we were denied this simple pleasure – of good times conjured out of nothing but high-spirited friendship - and the absence was felt by all.
"This year's Fayre was a reminder that the pandemic is not over. The new omicron variant has put us on our guard once again. While we celebrated together, we did this safely by wearing masks and social distancing where possible."
Live music played as everyone danced the day away and the marquee filled with the scent of mince pies and cinnamon, cloves, and sweet spices from the mulled wine.
The rain and wind didn't put a damper on the day, as guests filled the courtyard with cheer and smiles as they took photos in the wintery snow globe photo booth.
First year student Seetharam Chowdary Murakonda said: "I enjoyed going out today with my friends, it was a great event put on by UEL. Taking selfies in the snow globe was the best part - it was so much fun and I hope there will be more events like this."
Moses Abekhe, who is a second-year student studying psychosocial community work, added: "It has been such a great day at UEL. By far, the best part was coming out of my lecture feeling excited to join in with the Winter Fayre - it has been such a great day."
The last time the fayre was held was in 2019 on the University's Stratford campus.
Debbie Lindsay, head of the SMART team at UEL, said: "It was a lot of festive fun and great to see so many people come and join in. It was a good opportunity for our team to showcase what we do and how we support students."