Iain Turton
BSc Sport and Exercise Development 2003
Students’ Union President 2003/04
Iain Turton, 35, from Blyth, is a driving instructor with the Automobile Association.
“I teach pupils of all abilities how to drive safely and competently and get them prepared for life on the road after their test,” he explained.
Iain was President of the University of Sunderland Students’ Union during the Academic Year 2003/04.
He said: “I absolutely loved it. Many of my close friends are from my time at Sunderland. I enjoyed meeting new people and particularly enjoyed hosting the quiz in Wearmouth Bar every Sunday.”
Asked about his biggest achievement when he was in post, Iain admitted: “If I'm honest I wouldn't say that I was a particularly good President with regards to the paperwork and policy side of things. Luckily, I worked with a very talented committee and each one of them excelled in their individual posts and ensured their specific department ran smoothly.
“What I would say is that I think I helped in raising the profile of the Students’ Union within the University and I definitely put myself out there. There were ups and downs due to the fact I was out there a lot but in my opinion the Students’ Union was more prominent after our year in office and more students than ever wanted to get involved and knew where they could go for help and advice on all aspects of being a student.”
Talking about his biggest challenge, the Sunderland graduate commented: “The year before we came into office the Students’ Union decided to leave the National Union of Students (NUS) so we had a lot of backlash from that. This was mainly from the NUS as they thought they could easily get us back in, but once the students understood the reasons behind leaving then it really didn't matter that much to them.”
Iain used to work in the Wearmouth Bar in his second and third year and he says he had a really good social life.
“Anyone that has ever been a regular of Wearmouth Bar will tell you that it didn't matter what day of the week or time of day you went in there, there was always someone to have a drink and a chat with which is why a lot of my time was spent in there”, he said. “The managers were excellent in there and there was always a really relaxed atmosphere. It's a shame it's not still there but the place will always have a special place in the memories of many students that frequented the place.”
He continued: “My abiding memory of Sunderland and my time living there is the growth of the City during the four years I was there. Being a Geordie living in Sunderland had the potential to be difficult, but the people were always friendly, the pubs were always lively and the students very diverse.
“I wouldn't change anything about my time at the University of Sunderland. The four years I was there were some of the best of my life.”