A pioneer of accessibility in the arts
Bridget Stevens (MA Hons 1965) was on a path set for St Andrews since her first toddle around St Salvator’s Quad as a young child. Here, she shares fond memories of her time at the University and discusses her pioneering work in audio description, for which she was recently awarded an MBE.
My parents often told the story of a family outing to St Andrews when I was about four years old. I insisted on going into St Salvator’s Quad and – this being long before phone cameras were a thing – my historic toddle was recorded on an old-fashioned camera. They decided there and then that it would be fun to recreate the moment, 14 years later, when I would walk under the same archway, but this time as a bejantine, proudly wearing my red gown.
My move from school in Edinburgh to university in St Andrews set me apart from my classmates, most of whom planned to stay put and attend the University of Edinburgh. Being the only one not to do this made the transition more challenging for me, but ultimately more rewarding. I chose to study French and German, largely because they were the subjects that I had enjoyed at school. If I had my time again, I might have stuck with modern languages but opted for some less common ones such as Mandarin, Russian or Arabic.
Upon arriving at St Andrews, I realised that a significant number of students in my French class had studied French literature at school, something which hardly featured at all in the Scottish Higher curriculum. However, despite that nervous start, I somehow managed in my third year to win the Class Medal in French. At the time, it was compulsory to do at least one year of either Moral Philosophy or Logic and Metaphysics; I chose the former, about which I knew nothing and which I had originally dreaded but, to my surprise, found fascinating. My first year involved a lot of keeping up and catching up, leaving minimal time for extracurricular activities.
The wee grey town by the sea
Once I’d settled in, become accustomed to living in a hall of residence and got the measure of my fellow students, I found a balance between studying and enjoying the delights of the wee grey town by the sea. My weeks were filled with pier walks on Sunday mornings, and Wednesday afternoon golf classes on the North Haugh, which consisted of chipping balls into metal buckets, overseen by the venerable Scottish professional golfer, Willie Auchterlonie. I participated in the May Day tradition of washing your face in the dawn dew at the Castle with musical accompaniment by the Madrigal Group, foolish attempts to swim in the sea off the West Sands, as well as the centuries-old fun of Raisin Monday.
I attended my fair share of hall balls, where you would have to sign up a week in advance for use of the bath in one of the shared bathrooms in your hall of residence. A nice touch was that it was traditional for your partner to send you a corsage, and one of my other abiding memories of these occasions is how, because there were only two hairdressers in St Andrews at the time, and both had limited repertoires, we girls all turned up sporting identical hairstyles!
Another delight was the old Byre Theatre where, if you were seated in the front row, your feet rested on the stage. Although the halls of residence package consisted of full board, there was always time for a coffee at Joe’s, a cake from Fisher & Donaldson or an ice cream from Janettas. I made many good friends at St Andrews, several of whom I am still in regular contact with today.
A career in higher education
After graduating, I completed an office administration course in London and was offered several positions there but ultimately decided that Scotland was a more agreeable place to live. My first real job was as administrator in the Modern Languages Department at the then brand new (no students yet!) University of Stirling. My new bosses, the professors of French and German, Glanville Price and Jim Trainer, had coincidentally both taught me while I was a student at St Andrews.
From there, I moved to the University of Edinburgh, where I was Administrative Director of an international summer study programme with thousands of students coming from all over the world to attend credit courses in a wide range of subjects, most of which had a Scottish focus. Throughout the academic year, I also ran a language programme for locally-based adult learners.
Pioneering accessibility in the arts
My involvement with audio description and the arts stemmed originally from hobbies but over the years, especially after I retired from paid work, gradually took over my life. My late uncle, who had practised as a general surgeon in England, went on to have a busy post-retirement career in Pakistan performing eye surgery to save the sight of blind people who were too poor to pay for any kind of treatment. My interest in making it possible for blind and partially sighted individuals to understand, appreciate and enjoy live theatre is possibly due to this family connection. I provide live audio description through wireless headsets at theatre performances all around Scotland, giving a real-time description of what is happening on stage. I was honoured to be awarded an MBE recently, the citation reading ‘Pioneer, Audio Description, Edinburgh. For services to the arts.’ The investiture was carried out at the Palace of Holyrood House by HRH The Princess Royal.
Giving back
I am proud to be a member of the Chancellor’s Circle, to make an annual contribution to Wardlaw Scholarships and to sponsor the Bridget Stevens Travel Scholarship, which supports students undertaking language study abroad. I have a wonderful collection of reports and photographs sent to me by scholarship recipients. Thanks to online Alumni Carol Services, Burns Suppers and the wonderful Making Waves Lectures and Saints Talks, I remain closely connected to my much-loved alma mater.
Find out more about scholarships and legacy giving, part of the Making Waves Campaign.