Keele love stories | 27
“ We ’ ve also had a look at our pictures from our time at Keele and realised that we were both on the same nights out so it ’ s very possible that we could have stood next to each other in the queue for the bar and never even known !
Lauren Burton ( Law and Criminology , Class of 2013 ) and Steven Russell ( Maths and Economics , Class of 2011 )
“ Although Steven and I both attended Keele , we didn ’ t meet until 2019 , several years after we had graduated . Looking back now it ’ s funny that our paths didn ’ t cross for all that time , given that we both even lived in Horwood during the same year ( probably only about 50 metres apart !).
“ Since graduating , I qualified as a solicitor and Steven now works in banking . We met on a dating app whilst we were both living in Birmingham and the fact that we had Keele in common helped to break the ice on that first date and has provided many opportunities to reminisce and compare our Keele stories since . On Christmas Eve in 2021 , Steven got down on one knee and proposed and we are due to get married next summer . We also welcomed a daughter , Amelia , last year ( perhaps a future Keelite !). Despite the fact that we didn ’ t meet there , Keele definitely played its role in our love story and remains a special place for both of us . We can ’ t wait to visit again soon and show Amelia around !”
Louise Hubball ( English & Creative Writing , Class of 2018 ) and Robert Smith ( Medicine , Class of 2020 )
“ Myself and Rob met at a Barnes X block pre-drinks gathering , not the most romantic of settings but after a night out in the SU and a few drunken conversations in the Scruffy Squirrel , I eventually agreed to go on a date and the rest is history . Rob is now a qualified doctor , and I am a social worker . We got married in April 2022 and couldn ’ t not have a piece of Keele at our wedding - our table names were ‘ Barnes ’, ‘ Horwood ’, ‘ Lindsay ’ and the top table was of course ‘ Scruffy Squirrel ’. Our first dance was to Sigala ’ s ‘ Sweet Lovin ’, a regular song played in the SU when we first started dating . We ended our wedding with a few Keele SU classics and danced the night away , just like we did as students . Keele will always have a special place in our hearts .”