In 2021, the DMU community lost a talented and much-loved colleague when Adam Redfern, aged just 28, died suddenly of a cardiac arrest while out for an evening jog.
Adam was also a DMU graduate who had studied journalism before joining the communications team. To honour Adam and his legacy, and mark three years since his tragic death, he is posthumously awarded our Alumnus of the Quarter.
Adam’s parents, Ian and Christine Redfern, commented: "If Adam was still with us, we know that he would be deeply honoured, albeit slightly embarrassed, to receive this recognition. On his behalf, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to those who have put his name forward for this award. It's something we will look on with pride."
Before becoming an instrumental and respected member of DMU’s social media team, Adam was a dedicated student and hugely popular executive member of De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU).
Adam had a huge appetite for university life, becoming a member of the men’s football team and volunteering at Demon Media, the university’s student broadcaster. He later became editor of The Demon newspaper and hosted a sports programme on student radio station DemonFM.
He ran for a role on the DSU executive committee, winning the position of Vice President Media and Communications in 2014 and 2015. In this role, Adam oversaw the growth of Demon Media and provided employability opportunities for students through his Shape Your Future campaign.
Adam played a key role in instigating the refurbishment of Campus Centre, the university’s main student building. An instrumental development, it has helped thousands of DMU students by providing a safe space to explore, enjoy and enhance their university experience.
Through his passion and enthusiasm for helping others, Adam raised more than £1,000 for charity by cycling in excess of 350 miles in five days. It was this passion for helping students and the wider community that meant his work at DSU has left a lasting legacy.
Once he joined the university’s communications team, Adam helped to improve the profile of DMUsport and leading creative campaigns to promote Varsity. He was then promoted to Senior Social Media Officer, helping to line manage others in a team which, during his time within it, won multiple awards.
He helped plan social media coverage for DMU Global trips abroad, joining students in New York. He built a loyal and enthusiastic group of student ambassadors with whom he created innovative content and, together with the rest of the team, gave the university a clear, engaging and distinctive voice.
For almost five years, Adam was at the heart of DMU’s social media channels, infusing posts, campaigns and coverage with his friendly voice and creative ideas, giving the university a popular online presence.
While Adam undoubtedly had a promising future ahead of him, this posthumous award recognises all that he achieved in a short time and the lasting impact he had on DMU staff and students.
His legacy continues through the Adam Redfern Memorial Fund that enables students who share Adam’s passions to make the most of their time at DMU through scholarships, bursaries and monetary awards.
An annual fun run, Run for Redfern, will take place on 10 March at Victoria Park, Leicester to raise money for Adam’s memorial fund.
In his warmth and his friendliness, in his willingness to get involved in something new, in his humour and open-hearted love of meeting new people, in the way in which he seized on every opportunity he could in his short life, Adam really was the best of DMU in one person.
Posted on Friday 2 February 2024