A budding romance started 50 years ago was celebrated this week in a suprise celebration set up by the History department.

Margaret and John Davidson, who studied History and graduated from the University in 1966, met at a cheese and wine event on October 8, during the Freshers’ Week of 1963. The couple contacted the School to see if they could mark the anniversary by making a return visit exactly 50 years to the day since their first meeting.

After being given a tour of the campus and Brotherton library the couple returned to their home department where a surprise cheese and wine party had been organised in their honour. The pair were also reunited with their former Professor Gordon Forster, who supervised their dissertations 47 years ago.

After graduating the Davidsons moved to New Zealand, where John taught history and Margaret wrote a historical novel. Though they moved back to England in the 1970s but had not returned to Leeds since graduating.

The couple told LS that the campus had “grown out of all proportion” since they last visited and that “the new architecture is wonderful and the changes are just lovely!” Mr Davidson remarked that it was “absolutely fabulous” to see Professor Forster again and that it had been “a truly memorable day”.

Freya Potter