This year I enjoyed an opportunity to visit Exeter Cathedral and see Luke Jerram’s Gaia. In Greek Mythology Gaia is the personification of the Earth and Jerram’s Gaia is a touring artwork measuring 7 meters in diameter and created from detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. The artwork is 1.8 million times smaller than the real Earth with each centimetre describing 18KM of the Earth’s surface. Jerram claims that by standing 211m away from Gaia you can see the Earth as it appears from the moon.

Picture the scene. 

Valentine’s Day has become a significant cultural and commercial celebration of romance and love. In the United Kingdom an estimated £1.3 billion is spent annually on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts with an estimated 25 million cards being sent.

...and admitting that it might be my age, it seems to me that Christmas comes earlier every year. This year it felt that as soon as Guy Fawkes Night had passed the shops were gearing up for Christmas and festive songs were playing on the radio.  Here at Warwick, Dr Chapman and I held firm and refused to allow decorations to go up until after the start of advent. 

Creativity, to use your imagination, without limitations is one of the values that forms the Warwick Way.

As term draws to an end and with the summer holidays upon us, I felt it appropriate to reflect on this British Institution. The traditional British Summer Holiday of between 6 and 8 weeks has frequently been called into question over the years.