A life in the day of a porter at Â鶹Դ´
Ever wondered what it would be like to be a gate porter at Â鶹Դ´?
Well Dean Allen had been intrigued with this thought since the early 2000s which saw much to-ing and fro-ing to Loughborough and Cambridge Universities, proudly ferrying his son, Jon, to the former and his daughter Rachael (1999, Natural Sciences) to Â鶹Դ´. This is when Dean first became enamoured with Cambridge and the many aspects of university life, and in particular, Â鶹Դ´.
Clearly, Rachael had taken note of her father saying how good it would be if he could be a College porter for a day and after some initial discussions with Nikki Williams, the Alumni Relations Manager, and Head Porter, Simon Durrant, Dean got his wish to spend a day at Â鶹Դ´ doing just that as a surprise 70th birthday present.
On Monday 9 September, Dean reported for duty and after donning the uniform of tie, waistcoat and bowler hat he joined the team for the day. No one would have guessed it was his first day 'on the job'!
During the day, he assisted the porters on their rounds helping to deliver the vast quantities of post that arrive daily from every delivery company you can imagine. The opportunity to spend the working day as a College Porter allowed Dean access to some of the more 'quirky' places around the grounds and areas that most College members will not have had the privilege to see before. He ventured up onto the roof where the flag above the Porters' Lodge is hoisted for special occasions and visited the Chapel and the Old Library to make sure everything was as it should be in these historic spaces.
Throughout the shift, Dean helped the team deal with the many and varied queries that come their way from students, Fellows, staff and visitors to the College. The Porters' Lodge is usually the first port of call for most visitors and is a very busy space throughout most days. Dean was pleased to meet with various members of our College community and was always engaged with the advice and stories that were shared. He was already aware of the varied nature of the role of College Porter, but he seemed most impressed that after visiting one of our disabled students with the Head Porter, we were able to assist with a problem they were having with one of their access doors. However, when the problem persisted, we were able to ensure a contractor was on site to remedy the issue for the student within two hours. Dean was pleased to have witnessed this level of service provided to our students, and recognised the benefit and impact that it has.
He was also most grateful to Geoffrey, one of our Gate Porters, who provided a historical tour of the College and grounds. This was an area of special interest to Dean as he had often mentioned his interest in the history and architecture of Â鶹Դ´.
About Dean
After ‘O’ levels, Dean joined a law firm in Leicester as a trainee Legal Executive before switching to the public sector, doing a similar role for a small Borough Council. He served at Oadby and Wigston BC for 39 years, rising to Principal Legal and Administration Officer, until he retired in 2011. Family matters and friendships always take priority, particularly time spent with his partner, Pam, and their respective families (they each have four grandchildren). Dean enjoys sport and music and is keen on attending live concerts, especially blues/rock/folk bands, though classical and opera also get a look in. He has been a season ticket holder for 25 years for the Leicester Tigers and goes rambling on a regular basis, holding memberships with Leicester Footpath Association and the Youth Hostel Association. Dean tries to stay healthy and fit, with almost daily use of Concept2 RowErg and SkiErg equipment (these will be familiar to anyone who rows) and belongs to The Diamonds (Over 60s Erging Group), which set world records in the last two seasons (2023/24 season = 2.617 billion metres between the team members).
Photo credit: Simon Durrant, Head Porter
