Join your fellow alumni and friends of the University on the first ever Alumni Challenge Event. To mark our achievement of being named The Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year 2011/2012, we are inviting Alumni to join us in scaling new heights and to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro.

The 11-day trek will see you scaling the 5,895m peak, with the most impressive sights in Africa, rising majestically from a rolling plain close to the Indian Ocean.  Ascending to this peak is truly one of the world's most enduring challenges. Kilimanjaro is unique - the world's largest freestanding volcano, it has micro-climates and eco-systems on its slopes found nowhere else on the planet.  Ascending from the vast, warm plains, through jungle, succulent forest and volanic plateaus to finally reach the snowy peak. Climbing Kilimanjaro is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Climb, change a life

Now, more than ever, the University is in need of fundraised income to support our students. This is why we are asking our alumni to help us to raise vital income while also taking part in a life-changing experience.

The Fund helps students overcome barriers and challenges which may prevent them from taking up their degree place at Heriot-Watt. These students are academically excellent enough to win a coveted place but often lack the financial means of actually taking up their place. Some have family caring responsibilities, are from low-income families and are often the first members of their families to come to university.

You climb Kilimanjaro and you personally enable a student to study at Heriot-Watt. Basically, you climb, you change a life.

To establish one Access Bursary we need £2,000. The Kilimanjaro trek is an ideal opportunity for you to make a real difference, enabling the University to encourage students from untraditional routes to take up degree courses.

The total cost of the trek is £3,900. We ask for a deposit of £295 and the remainder (£3,605) needs to be made up through fundraising by the participant.  The cost covers the price of the trek and an Access Bursary for a Heriot-Watt student.  Simple.

We consider Heriot-Watt to be Scotland's most international university so, wherever you are in the world, you can join us for the trek.

If you want to take part or require futher information, please sign up here or contact  development@hw.ac.uk

The Watt Club Annual Meeting will take place on Thursday 19 January in Room 2.02, Postgraduate Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Campus. Refreshments will be served from 6.30pm with the meeting starting at 7pm.

All members of The Watt Club are very welcome (graduates of Heriot-Watt automatically become members of The Watt Club).

The agenda will include a review of Watt Club Activity, Election of the President and Vice-President and The President's Address by Mr Gregor Colville. If you are able to join us, please let us know by emailing watt.club@hw.ac.uk .

We understand that many of you do not live in the local area but wanted to give you the opportunity to interact with your graduate association.

As most of you have probably already heard, EBS has closed down wEBSpace, their online networking site. After three years of trying to make it an active site, it just never really took off. Instead, EBS will focus on using currently existing social networking sites. More information on those social networks where Edinburgh Business School has a presence can be found at http://www.ebsglobal.net/who-we-are/social-networking and http://www.ebsglobal.net/alumni/alumni-social-networking .

In the absence of wEBSpace, I will be posting any annoucements for the East Coast Alumni group here. Postings will be made on the EBS Facebook group, as well as the Watercooler.