Nottingham Uni stroll to Frank Morton victory

Coveted sports title returns to the East Midlands

STUDENTS from the University of Nottingham have overturned a near 40-year winless streak to return the coveted Frank Morton sports title back to the East Midlands.

More than 500 students from departments across the UK and Ireland gathered in Swansea on 19 February to compete for the title of Frank Morton victors in what is arguably one of the largest events on the chemical engineering calendar.

Nottingham swept to victory, scoring points in seven of the nine events including basketball, netball and relay, taking home the title for the first time since 1986. They handily beat their nearest rivals Birmingham, who have dominated the competition in recent years, winning eight of the last ten titles.

Charlotte Todd, a second-year student at Swansea who helped organise the event, says the feedback from the student community has been hugely encouraging.

“Speaking to people at the event, they said “We’re really enjoying this”, “Thank you for having us”, and “I can’t wait for Frank Morton 2025”.

“Seeing people enjoying the things we worked so hard to put on really kept us going. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the companies as well.”

Before the competitive juices flowed, the morning kicked off with a networking event where students met with industry representatives, including Unilever, the Environment Agency, and Cornish Lithium, to speak with their engineers, discuss their careers, and ask about opportunities for industrial placements.

Charlotte says her highlight of the day was announcing the overall winner during the end-of-event celebrations, particularly the heady sense of anticipation before Nottingham were called to the stage to collect their trophy (pictured).

“I think that was the most exciting for everyone. When I went into that room, you could just tell everyone was really excited. They’d all worked really hard. They’d come from really far. It was amazing.”

So, what of the legacy of Frank Morton 2024? Well, first off, Charlotte and her committee colleagues are keen to maintain the momentum that has come from reinvigorating the Swansea chemical engineering society during the nine months of planning Frank Morton and further strengthen the student community. The committee, including event chair James Rees, will also decide what to do with the money they’ve made from the event and are looking for charities to donate to.

The other legacy will be helping to hand over the event to whichever university successfully bids to host Frank Morton 2025.

Image gallery: Frank Morton 2024 offered opportunities for networking and careers advice before the action got underway. All images courtesy of Stay Focused Photography

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If you’re interested in bidding or simply want to track the progress, follow the official Frank Morton account on Instagram