Today we were blessed with another beautiful day of sunshine and plenty of smiling faces as more freshers attended registration. I greeted our new students and explained about the value of having an NUS Extra card in their pocket, one father said I had five minutes to convince him of my sincerity to my statement regarding its value-nothing like a bit of pressure especially when he grinned at me and put his stop watch on, I think he must be a reserve dragon on TV!!! True to his word he stopped me after five minutes and he just sat there with his serious face on, until his wife told me to ignore him, he smiled and said that I could 'sell snow to an eskimo', and promptly told his daughter to fill out the form and he would pay for the card! His wife said that he had stated on the journey here that he wasn't putting his hand in his pocket but he said he was onto a win win situation as he knew that the money for the card would be recovered in no time, and he actually thanked me for taking his challenge. We did chat for a while and his brother asked me when our open days were planned as he wanted to bring his daughter for a visit because he thought our university was the one for her, especially after our discussion on accessibility, inclusive sports and our commitment to enable all students to reach their full potential, and he was impressed at how wheelchair friendly the campus was. 

I left at lunchtime so missed the treasure hunt that was organised by the Students Union but I hope that everyone who participated had an amazing experience and lots of fun, as thats what this week is all about. Its not just about settling in, its about meeting your peer group, forging new friendships, participation in events and having lots of fun. Your student experience has now begun and I hope that you have an amazing journey of self discovery!!!