Keeping an eye on the purse

Plymouth University's press release on the appointment of new vice-chancellor Wendy Purcell notes that as well as being an enthusiastic collector of modern art, she "relaxes through retail therapy". "It's a bit girly, but I do like trawling round the shops when I need to zone out," she admitted to Peep. "I'm a bit disappointed that there's no John Lewis or Waitrose here." On a recent trip to Malaysia, Purcell bought a designer handbag thinking it was a fantastic bargain. "When I worked out the exchange rate, I realised I'd spent a little more than I thought," she recalls. "Now I'll be doing university budgets, I'll have to get those right."