Queen Mary’s Chemical Engineering Society took part in the annual Frank Morton Sports Day for the first time on Monday 16 February.

Held at the University of Nottingham, the event brought together 20 Chemical Engineering student societies from universities across the UK and Ireland to compete in 12 sports. Organisers said it was the biggest Frank Morton attendance since before the pandemic, with around 850 students taking part.

Queen Mary was represented by a group of eight students. Despite being a smaller team than many of the other universities, the group performed exceptionally well and is hoping to return next year with more students.

Society President and third-year student Ida Mathilda Lenz Gorner said: "Everyone had a really great time! We did quite well in our games and won the majority of the matches we played."

The Frank Morton Sports Day was first held in 1961 by Professor of Chemical Engineering Frank Morton, who wanted to use his love of sport to bring together students from the two universities where he taught, Birmingham and Manchester. The event continues to be held each year in his memory and has since grown to include Chemical Engineering departments from across the UK. Hosted by a different university each year, it has even once been held in Singapore.

A Queen Mary student who attended said: “Going to Frank Morton was an incredible experience. It was the perfect opportunity to network, make new friends and see old ones. We took part in badminton, basketball, laser tag and table tennis, so quite a fun mix of sports! We won seven out of the eleven games we participated in. Seeing everyone's competition to have the worst chemical engineering pun on their shirt had me in stiches the whole day!"

Another student said: “Between the games, the laughs, and the connections, the whole day was so much fun. It was the perfect blend of sport, community, and chemical engineering fun! I really hope Queen Mary continues to participate in following years so that more students can experience Frank Morton!"