Former Poly student lifts lid in book

Jon Hopkins studied Historical Studies over 30 years ago but says his drinking, drug-taking and partying actually left little time for studying back in the 1980s.

In his memoir Clarence Parade: Disreputable tales from Portsmouth Poly, Jon revisits fond memories of wild drunken weekends away – including when he ended up sleeping in a cardboard box and consumed a block of hashish the size of a Mars Bar.

Jon, a financial journalist who now lives in London, says he was inspired to write the short memoir to keep his student days alive after he visited Portsmouth for the first time in more than 20 years.

‘I met up with some of my old student friends and we were talking about the good old times which got me thinking I should write down my tales, especially as I’ve always wanted to write a book,’ he said.

‘My friend’s son published a short book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and it gave me the idea to go ahead with mine on the platform. It took me six months to write the stories and then one afternoon to publish the book.

‘The book is a great way for us all to remember the good old days and for other like-minded people who went to the polytechnic to do so as well.

‘I hadn’t visited Portsmouth for such a long time but all the memories came flooding back when I visited last year.’

To buy the book go to Amazon.co.uk and search for Clarence Parade: Disreputable tales from Portsmouth Poly.