Graduate, and current Lancaster University employee, Oliver Wilkinson is taking on a 300-mile cycle challenge from London to Paris this September to raise vital funds for St John’s Hospice, Lancaster, in memory of his dad, Stan Wilkinson.

As an undergraduate Oliver was a member of Pendle college, studying History at Lancaster between 2004 and 2007. He continued to postgraduate study at the university completing an MA in Historical Research (2008) and a PhD in History (Awarded June 2012) under the supervision of Professor Stephen Constantine & Professor Corinna Peniston-Bird. He has published widely in the field of the social and cultural history of modern warfare including writing a monograph for Cambridge University Press on the experiences of British POWs in Germany during the First World War and a study of veteran’s activities in post-war Britain and Ireland. Oliver has undertaken a wide range of teaching and research roles at Higher Education institutions working at Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Wolverhampton. Last year he returned to the History Department here at Lancaster University as their Recruitment and Marketing Co-Ordinator.

Unusually for an undergraduate, Oliver studied at the university at the same time that his dad was employed here as a Security Supervisor. Stan began working on Security in 2000 and enjoyed a long and rewarding career at the university. He helped thousands of staff, students and visitors at the university on a daily basis. This included providing front-line, first-point of call, responses during a number of memorable moments and critical incidents for the institution such as the response to Storm Desmond that battered the campus in December 2015. Indeed, the Security Team were nationally recognised for this and Stan represented the team at the awards ceremony. Stan retired from the university in August 2019. He sadly passed away suddenly in July 2022 following a short illness.

In his final hours Stan was cared for by St John’s Hospice, Lancaster. They provide vital care to patients with life limiting conditions throughout North Lancashire, South Lakes and parts of North Yorkshire. As well as an in-patient ward, St John’s offer a hospice at home service, Clinical Nurse Specialists, bereavement support and a number of other vital services.

Oliver has taken on this challenge to help support the fantastic work of St John’s Hospice and ensure it remains able to offer care to those when they need it most.

He’s calling on fellow alumni to support him in his challenge by sponsoring him and donations can be made via Oliver’s Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/oliver-wilkinson9