On Saturday 6th July 2019 alumni from the Sunderland College of Education gathered for a reunion at the Stadium of Light. Over 60 former students attended the reunion, with guests travelling from far and wide. A former college tutor was also in attendance at the event and spoke of her pride and admiration toward the cohort of former students.

Alumni from the College of Education graduated in 1969 from teacher training courses. Many have gone on to have great success within education and have helped to shape the lives of young people.

The group who studied at the Sunderland College of Education, have a connection to the current University of Sunderland, this is due to the merger between the Sunderland College of Education and Sunderland Polytechnic (which later became the University of Sunderland 92') in 1975.

The Sunderland College of Education had opened in 1922, and was run from Langham Towers. Langham Towers was built for William Adamson, the son of a prominent Sunderland shipbuilder, as a private house in 1891. After his death the building changed hands several times and at one point was rented by the Vaux family, before becoming home to the college.

The college was women only from 1922-1958 only allowing men to join from 1959 onwards. Under its last principal, Mr H Armstrong James, the Sunderland College of Education reached its peak with 820 students and 80 staff in 1969, the year of graduation for the majority of students who attended the reunion. In 1975 the College of Education was merged with Sunderland Polytechnic and for three years Langham remained the centre of the Faculty of Education, until further changes in 1979 saw it adapted for use as an administrative centre.

The reunion, which was last held in 2016 at the Marriott Hotel in Seaburn by Grammie Fraser, has this year had new organisers at the helm. Cecil Lowry and Bridget Andrews organised the reunion at the Stadium of Light, which was a great success. Cec promoted the reunion via a news story in the Sunderland Echo.

Guests received a three course meal, quizzes and a raffle - of which the proceeds went to charity. Sunderland Alumni Association gifted two prizes for the raffle, glass ornaments from the National Glass Centre. The reunion went exceptionally well with lots of anecdotes from their time studying at Sunderland College of Education.

Below are some pictures from the evening, kindly sent by Bridget Andrews.