Student Roll: Fiona Cook, Richard Crampton & Jacqueline Comrie

Fiona, Richard and Jacqueline

Fiona, Richard and Jacqueline

Jacqueline Terry's story (from FB Apr '21):

I did my Pre-reg year in Manchester with Lloyds .... I’m still here, but live in leafy Cheshire. I moved around jobs in retail a little, eventually starting work at Terry’s chemist, married the boss, we built up a small group of 6 shops in Cheshire. We sold shops at various stages, eventually selling out and retiring in Nov 2018. We have 3 sons Mackenzie, age 23 (final year at Manchester Uni Business School), Cameron age 20 a PT and semi-pro GK in football and Alfie age 17 in lower sixth!

I have three dogs ...

so glad to be out of pharmacy , spend my time on the golf course or keeping fit!

Mr Terry and Jacqueline

Richard Crampton's story (from FB April '21):

Hey, all you cool cats and k... cats,

Well, isn’t this a scream... I’d almost forgotten I did a pharmacy degree once. Thanks for the reminder!

I didn’t last very long as a pharmacist. Not because I got struck off for telling a pregnant woman that yes, paraquat IS perfectly safe for the treatment of morning sickness, or anything like that, but more because I realised that I just didn’t like standing up all day, or being berated by people who I was pretty confident I would beat in a spelling bee. So I got a job that paid me to sit down and have nice cups of tea all day and write (see below).

I did my pre-reg in Edinburgh and shared a flat with Mo Boyle and Roy Finnigan. That was a fun year. Then in 1991, I left Scotland. After a couple of years working as a resident pharmacist in Nottingham, which at one point involved calling a taxi for some leeches, I got a job as a medical writer. I’ve worked in med comms (publishing, medical education, conferences, advertising and promotion, etc) pretty much continuously since then.

As a result, I’ve bounced around the world a few times now, with stints in Sydney, London and Switzerland. New Zealand is home at the moment. Seems there ain’t no Lamisil strong enough to cure these perennially itchy feet, though, so I’ll probably be off again whenever it’s time for a change.

No breeding, marrying or even dog ownership to report.

My most vivid memory of uni is doing the panto, followed closely by Sandy Florence being really upset at us for slagging off his book. And then there was that bloke who manually inflated a pair of sheep’s lungs in a lab one afternoon by blowing into them. And last but not least, Gill Ecclestone opining that rectal was a “superb” route of administration.

Thanks Hazel & Andy for setting up the group and creating the blog.

Richard Crampton

Fiona Bardsley's story (from FB April '21):

(Formerly Fiona Cook )

Have finally found some time to post my update!

I've travelled up and down the country so much over the years that it's hard to track and harder to keep in touch.

So I went down to Sheffield straight after graduation to start my Pre-Reg with Lloyds but instead of coming back after the year as planned ended up staying down in Yorkshire for 12 years.

Met my Hubby John, a fellow pharmacist, in the process and we got married in 1998.

We moved back to Scotland in 2003 but a bit further north this time choosing the Highlands where I had both kids.

My greatest achievement during this time was probably delivering my youngest myself in the car on route to the hospital .

Luckily I never was the squeamish one (hey Richard Crampton?)

Shortly after this John was offered an MD job down in Oxfordshire so we ended up going down there for 5 years but managed to come back up in 2013.

I worked for various retail chains and independents over the years and in varied roles. Manager, District Manager, Area Manager and then back to locum.

I finally left Community Pharmacy in 2010 with a heavy heart and major burn out and entered the world of Pharmaceutical Wholesaling.

John and I formed 'Thistle Pharma' in 2014 which we manage to operate from our home here in Evanton, North of Inverness which we share with our children Spencer (18), Imogen (16), a mad Cockapoo and even more mad Ginger Tom who decided to move in with us several years back.

I've had a great time reminiscing this week and have realised how good I was at avoiding anyone with a camera! Was I even at that BBQ??

I haven't changed from that respect and still hate having my photo taken.

I was gutted when I lost my Year Book a few years ago so a big thanks to Andy for sending me a pic of my page and his work with the blog. Thanks also to Hazel for setting this all up, Philip for the brilliant Playlist and Fiona Thompson (Cameron) for letting me know about it. You always were the dependable one!

Fiona Bardsley