People

Abbie stars in Europe

Final-year sports science student Abbie Thorrington continued her progress as a senior triathlete last month with fourth place at the Pontevedra European Cup Race in Spain, which boasted a large field of professional athletes and a 25,000 euro prize fund.

In cold and wet conditions Abbie quickly established a lead during the swim and, with World Champion Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal, established a two-minute lead over the chasing pack during the 40km cycle.

Abbie and World Champion Vanessa Fernandes establish a lead in the 40km cycle

With Fernandes struggling with the cold, Abbie led until the 7km mark of the 10km run. She was eventually overhauled by winner Muller of Germany and, agonisingly, by two athletes in the closing stages. This month Abbie was due to compete in the European Senior Championships in Lisbon as part of the GB team.

Lecture marks new award

An Essex Professor has helped to launch a new award in Maldon.

Professor James Raven of the Department of History gave a public lecture at the town's Plume Library, to mark the inauguration of the new award. Named after Frank and Patricia Herrman, long-time supporters and benefactors of the Library, the award is for a 3-4,000 word essay on a topic based on the Plume Library.

The Plume Library was established in 1704 by the will of Dr Thomas Plume, Archdeacon of Rochester and Vicar of Greenwich. The Library, of some 7,000 books and pamphlets amassed by Plume, was sent in barrels from Greenwich to Maldon and is still housed on the first floor of the building erected by Plume in around 1699.

The Library is rich in theology, philosophy, chemistry, medicine, history, commerce and travel. The aim of this new award is to bring the Library to the attention of the academic world and wider public, and to advance the study of it and the period of British history which it represents.

Professor Raven gave a lecture on the comparative history of libraries such as the Plume, founded for the benefit of clergy, scholars and interested people of the town. His audience, including the Mayor and Mayoress of Maldon, was 100-strong and enthusiastic about the future of the Library.