If it’s early September at Loreto then it must be: Freshers’ Fayre! Cool, showery weather provided the backdrop for this year’s event, but the rain held off, the sun made fleeting appearances and the moors and hills around Manchester were clearly visible on the skyline, as students and staff thronged the Sports Hall and college grounds, eager to find out what was on offer. Some chose to stoke up on the delights of a hot chicken wrap, provided by Wrappin’ Joe’s caterers, before venturing further.

Crowds soon formed around the Chaplaincy stall, where helpers were busy signing up students interested in our trips to Lourdes and Taize in the summer, and similar enthusiasm was shown by those curious about the Kolkata visit. Medics in lab coats sang the praises of Science Club and related activities, and plenty of students wanted to know more about work experience and the challenge offered by NCS. Loreto’s most popular extracurricular club, Debate Club, was well represented, promoting the weekly debates and participation in Model United Nations. Mr Howells once again donned his judge’s wig to help publicise the endeavours of the Law Society, whilst, Sociology, Economics and Psychology all highlighted their respective lunchtime activities and associated book clubs. The Philosophy, History and Politics societies were keen to inform students of their programmes of visiting speakers, and the Justice and Peace group highlighted the work of Amnesty International.

Those seeking to follow in the footsteps of the great George Formby signed up for the ukulele band, whilst thespians of all kinds were keen to hear about the next college musical production, Legally Blonde. The creative and ingenious headed for the Photography Society stall or the Coding Club area, and MFL offered an intriguing foreign language film club. The English department attracted interest from those students of a literary bent, either as creative writers themselves, or as members of the Reading Group. The Library and Counselling services were represented, Hall hoodies could be purchased, and an assortment of Loreto musicians serenaded the crowds on what was another extremely successful day.