Friends reunited: A summer of reconnecting and celebrating a shared history
This summer we’ve been thrilled to help so many alumni celebrate special university anniversaries and organise reunions with their former classmates. Read on to find out more about their celebrations and how we can help you organise an alumni reunion.
3 October 2025
There are many ways to reunite with old friends and celebrate your connection with Newcastle University.
Whether you want to casually meet up for coffee, or you’re after a jam-packed weekend in Newcastle reliving your student days, we’re here to help you reconnect with former classmates and organise your ideal alumni reunion.
This summer, we’ve welcomed alumni back to campus to celebrate big anniversaries of their connection to Newcastle, including a weekend-long celebration of 60 years since one group first arrived on campus as Freshers!
Read on to find out more about their celebrations and how we can help you organise an alumni reunion.
Engineering the perfect return to Newcastle
In June, Civil Engineering graduates from the Class of 1970 celebrated the 55th anniversary of their graduation with a trip to Newcastle!
With a natural interest in the developments to our city’s skyline since they studied here, the group enjoyed a visit to the ongoing Tyne Bridge renewal project and even got special access into the bridge structure. This exciting experience was followed by a meal at Blackfriars restaurant, a former 13th-century refectory which is believed to be the oldest purpose-built restaurant in the UK.
Many of the group extended their visit with an overnight stay at the Vermont Hotel on the Quayside, benefitting from our exclusive alumni discount on hotel rates. The Class of 1970 make the effort to reunite every five years, so we look forward to seeing them again in 2030 to mark their 60th anniversary!
Bracing for an epic celebration
Another group from the Class of 1970 also reunited in June, this time from our Dental School! Having first reunited at Convocation many years ago, the Class of 1970 began meeting up every five years or so. This year, to celebrate 60 years since they first set foot on campus, a group of 15 dental alumni reunited at the Copthorne Hotel on Newcastle’s Quayside and also enjoyed a trip to Cragside in Northumberland.
A capital time on campus
In early July, alumni from our Economics and Accounting programme reunited on campus to celebrate 50 years since their graduation – just a few days before summer congregations began for the Class of 2025!
The group met on campus and began the day with a trip to Luther’s (formerly Mens Bar) at the Students’ Union, before exploring the changes to central campus over the past five decades with the help of a student tour guide.
On the evening, our Economics and Accounting graduates enjoyed a meal at Indian restaurant Khai Khai on the Quayside before spending their Saturday by the coast in Tynemouth!
Celebrating a golden anniversary
Also in July, 32 guests joined us at Newcastle Medical School to celebrate 50 years since graduating. Hosted by Professor Paul Paes, the Head of School, alumni and their partners heard the latest updates and innovations in medical education and enjoyed a tour of our anatomy education suite as well as the wider campus.
Many memories shared
Our Class of 1975 weren’t the only Medical School cohort to reunite this summer. 16 graduates from the Class of 1970 reunited in Durham to celebrate their 55th anniversary of graduating too!
Organised by Dr Dorothy Stainsby, medical alumni and guests met in the Radisson Blu Hotel on the Riverside in Durham, just a stone’s throw away from Newcastle. The group enjoyed an erudite and entertaining talk from local historian and author Ken Smith on ‘The History of Medicine in Newcastle’ as well as a visit to Durham Cathedral for a guided tour followed by a visit to the Magna Carta Exhibition. Many memories were shared, and we’re pleased to hear the group resolved to meet up again for their 60th anniversary in 2030.
Surveying the finest foods in the Toon
We recently welcomed Surveying Science graduates from the Class of 1985 back to Newcastle to celebrate 40 years since their graduation!
The group picked up right where they left off and enjoyed a food tour of the city, including Grainger Market (pictured). Huge thanks to Andrew Spalding for sharing this picture with us!
A diamond dinner
And finally, 16 Geography alumni returned to Newcastle this September to celebrate 60 years since they first arrived on campus in 1965! The group held a celebrating dinner followed by a guided walking fieldtrip focussing on the regeneration of Newcastle since the 1960s.
The group includes town planners, environmental consultants, researchers, teachers, a probation officer, and a Radio 4 broadcaster – to name just a few! To our Class of 1968 geographers, we hope you had a wonderful time in the Toon to mark their diamond anniversary!
Plan the perfect reunion with our help
We can help you organise your reunion by:
- Contacting your long-lost friends and former classmates.
- Sending messages and invitations on your behalf.
- Promoting your reunion through our web event listings and social media channels.
- Recommending venues, accommodation and activities in Newcastle.
- Offering discounts at select hotels in the city.
- Organising a campus tour led by a current student (subject to availability).