The end of this Hilary term was brightened not only by a magnificent display of magnolias on the Nuffield Lawn, but also by the pleasure of connecting with many of you at the Law Dinner, a Gaudy, and events in New York. In fact, over 400 of you have joined us for events this term, with many more taking part remotely in our online academic lecture series with two fascinating discussions on our current research theme of sustainability. It has been wonderful to discuss Worcester old and new with so many of you.

Next term we anticipate a celebration of Buskins, the inaugural 1714 Society Lunch for those who have remembered Worcester in their will, a History reunion, Gardens Day, sports dinners, and more. I hope you will join us as we continue to foster new connections and strengthen long-standing ones through the events we host.

Thank you, as ever, for your support of Worcester.

With all best wishes,

David Isaac CBE, Provost 

 

2024 Buskins Garden Play announced

We are pleased to announce that this year the summer Buskins performance will be returning to College in full swing celebrating the 90th anniversary of Shakespeare being performed at Worcester. The recently announced garden play for Trinity term is Shakespeare’s As You Like It, marking the fourth time the play will be performed since Shakespeare’s works entered the College’s repertoire.

The play will be performed in the Provost’s Gardens from Wednesday 12 June to Saturday 15 June, including a Saturday matinee. There will also be a special Gala performance with a black tie drinks reception for Old Members on Thursday 13 June, with invitations and more information to come soon.

If you were involved in Buskins during your time in College and would like to receive an early invitation to the Gala performance, or simply share your stories and memorabilia, please get in contact at omevents@worc.ox.ac.uk.

 

Worcester Telethon 2024

Thirteen Worcester students have been hitting the phones over the last fortnight, calling over 340 Old Members to share memories, gain career advice, and raise crucial support for the Worcester Fund. We are enormously grateful to everyone who has spared the time to have a chat, and those who let us know they didn’t have time for a call but still donated. Thanks to the generosity of those we have spoken to, over £140,000 has been raised to support students in financial need, our beautiful gardens and grounds, access and outreach projects, and more. Everyone who comes to study and work at Worcester benefits from this. If we didn’t speak to you, there is still time to be part of the campaign: you can meet the team and make a gift online. Thank you to everyone who has been involved!

College news

King’s Coronation Medal

Assistant Chaplain, The Revd Dr Matthew Cheung Salisbury, has been awarded The King’s Coronation Medal in recognition of his involvement in the planning of last year’s Coronation. As National Liturgical Adviser to the Church of England, Matthew was involved in the revision of the Coronation rite itself as well as the ways in which the wider Church of England marked the Coronation.

 

Freedom of speech pilot continues

Last term a new framework of ‘tips’ to promote free speech when discussing ‘difficult’ topics was piloted, having been developed by the Provost, other Heads of House, and students across Oxford. In November the first event in our Debating the Difficult series tackled migration, with speakers respectfully listened to on all sides. This month, the second debate was held at Brasenose on the topic of assisted dying – currently in the news – and the ‘tips’ once again provided a useful scaffold for real debate. Watch this space – next term’s debate will be held at Balliol and announced in due course.

Read the Free Speech tips

 

‘How the World Made the West’ by Josephine Quinn

In How the World Made the West: A 4,000-Year History, Professor Josephine Crawley Quinn (Martin Frederiksen Fellow & Tutor in Ancient History) argues that the real story of the West is much bigger than the established paradigm of separate ‘civilizations’ leads us to believe. Moving from the Bronze Age to the Age of Exploration, the book reveals a new narrative: one that traces the millennia of global encounters and exchange as societies met, tangled, and sometimes grew apart.

Jo was interviewed by Professor Peter Frankopan in front of a packed Sheldonian Theatre as part of this year’s Oxford Literary Festival. Read more about her book on the College website or listen on BBC Sounds.

Explore our research bookshelf

 

Sustainability: Worcester research theme for 2023/2024

2024 has seen the start of a series of events for the University and the local community centred around our current research theme of sustainability, including an inter-disciplinary research day on renewables and energy storage, an oceans masterclass with Distinguished Visiting Fellow Dr Tundi Agardy, and a dive into historical attitudes towards conservation with Senior Research Fellow Dr Michael Drolet. We’ve also joined the City Nature Challenge and will be hosting our first family-friendly biodiversity assessment day on 28 April – save the date!

 

Russell T Davies in conversation with the Provost

As part of our ongoing Provost’s Role Models series of conversations, we were delighted to welcome screenwriter and producer Russell T Davies OBE back to College. Russell spoke to a packed audience and stayed on afterwards to talk to the many students, staff, and guests who were keen to meet him. An Honorary Fellow, Russell grew up in south Wales and came to Worcester in 1981 to read English. He is the current showrunner for the BBC series Doctor Who, having also led the show’s revival in 2005. He is also known for Nolly (ITV, 2023), It’s a Sin (Channel 4, 2021), and Years and Years (BBC, 2019).

 

New sculpture: ‘Mirrored’ by Nigel Hall RA

If you’ve walked around the gardens in recent weeks, you will have seen a new sculpture settling in on the Nuffield Lawn. Cast in bronze, Mirrored (2011) by Nigel Hall RA joins Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure in the grounds. The half-tonne sculpture was installed by a talented team overseen by Simon Bagnall this past term. Nigel Hall made his first sculpture in 1970 and for decades has explored the ways in which tubular construction alters the viewer’s perception of space.

The gardens and grounds are open to Old Members from 12.30pm to 4pm daily. If you visit Worcester, please make yourself known at the Lodge, as we would be delighted to meet you.

Read more about Nigel Hall at Worcester

 

Worcester’s annual pancake race

Eight determined participants competed to become the second-ever ‘First Flipper of Worcester College’ in our Shrove Tuesday pancake race, but in the end it was Worcester’s Director of College Music Caius Lee who took home the coveted first-place frying pan, with his tumble over the finish line leaving both his competitors and himself in the dust (literally). Those who weren’t competing were treated to a delicious pancake bar complete with toppings and hot drinks, courtesy of our wonderful catering team.

 

Student news

Music at Worcester

This term we have enjoyed two excellent Music Society concerts, one of which showcased women composers for International Women’s Day at the start of March. The choir and orchestra also joined forces for a barnstorming performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria and Fauré’s Requiem and Pavane – the first concert to take place in the Dining Hall since the pandemic. Our professional recital series saw Haydn’s Seven Last Words From the Cross performed by a string quartet in the Chapel alongside moving poems read by Ruth Padel.

The past two terms have also seen the introduction of a free music lesson scheme at the College, aimed at eliminating some of the barriers which can prevent students from taking up an instrument. Director of College Music Caius Lee hopes that the scheme will get more people involved in music at Worcester.

If you are interested in Music at Worcester, you can sign up to the Music at Worcester Mailing List to find out first about upcoming concerts – including a celebration of the music of Bob Chilcott conducted by the composer himself in Trinity Term.

 

Worcester College Boat Club

This term’s record levels of rain proved to be quite the challenge for the Club and resulted in the unfortunate cancellation of Torpids racing. However, the Club kept up training, venturing to different waters such as Swindon and Gloucester and erging in large groups. This paid off in spontaneously organised ‘Indoorpids’ with great performances by both squads, including the M1 winning ‘Indoor-Blades’, which was celebrated at a Boat Club Dinner in the Hall. All friends and alumni are warmly invited to join us at the boathouses to cheer for our crews in Summer XIIIs and attend a celebratory black-tie dinner on the evening of Saturday 25 May. Invitations will be sent shortly.

Read the latest Boat Club alumni newsletter

 

Varsity Match 2024

Congratulations to Worcester students and Old Members Clara Strømsted (2020, PPE), Amelia Harris-Lovett (2021 Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry), Emma Jones (2023, Pharmacology), and Stella Farmer (2019, Earth Sciences) who represented the Oxford Blues as they took on Cambridge in the 2024 Varsity Matches. This historic fixture was first played over 150 years ago and they were all extremely excited to represent our college and the University on the biggest stage. Cambridge beat Oxford 56-11 but it was an exciting game at StoneX Stadium.

 

Franks Society talks

Twice per term the graduate community gathers for the Franks Society Talks, showcasing new research from some of Oxford’s brightest minds. The February meeting topics ranged from neural processes, to the links between migration and populism in Romania, to Roman coins found in Crete. A particular highlight was ‘How to Build a Quantum Computer’, and it is a tribute to DPhil student Katie that the audience understood every word on such a complex topic. The talks were followed by drinks and nibbles in the Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, an opportunity for graduate students to mix across year groups and subjects in an academic setting.

 

Cambridge Touch Rugby Varsity at Worcester

On 24 February the inaugural Touch Rugby match which is recognised by the Joint Blues committee was played at Worcester College. It included the first-ever Mixed 2s match and a full women’s team, making it the largest and most inclusive edition to date. Old Member and current Medical student Tabitha Preston played on the day as well as being a member of the event planning committee.

Writing to the Provost, Club President Aryemis Brown said: “I thank Simon Bagnall, Andy Hadfield – who painted the first ever Touch Rugby pitch in Oxford – and Josh Hall for their kindness and words of encouragement.” The day was topped off with a hard-fought 7-6 triumph over Cambridge in the Mixed 1s Match.

 

Old Members

Worcester Old Member off to Princeton

Congratulations to Jack Nunn (2017, Modern Languages) who is this year’s recipient of the Daniel M. Sachs Scholarship. Jack completed his undergraduate and Master’s degrees at Worcester and is currently pursuing his DPhil in French at Exeter College. The Sachs scholarship offers a fully-funded year at Princeton University in New Jersey and is open to final-year undergraduates, graduate students, and Worcester graduates from the preceding year. It was started in 1970 to commemorate outstanding scholar and sportsman Daniel Sachs, who died aged 28, with the aim of offering students a chance to enlarge their experience of the world.

 

“The excitement I get from nature finds its way into every song I write”

Dr Brian Briggs (1998, Biological Sciences) shares his story from studying Biology at Worcester to fronting Oxford band Stornoway and appearing on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’. Brian, whose academic interests lie with wildfowl conservation, met bandmate Jon Ouin while completing his DPhil at Oxford, and together they formed the band Stornaway. Since then, Brian has juggled both his passion for music and for ornithology, alternating recording and touring as a band full-time and working on various nature reserves and conservation projects. In this interview, Brian describes how his passion for nature shapes his songwriting, shares tips for getting involved in both music and conservation, and discusses how Oxford has shaped his path in life.

Read Brian’s story on the Oxford alumni website

 

The Worcester College Cricket & Golf Society

As Worcester continues to impress with its achievements in a growing number of sports, there’s also an opportunity for Old Members to continue playing sport with their friends in the Worcester College Cricket & Golf Societies.

The Worcester College Cricket Society hosts an annual fixture against the current Worcester XI, usually in May, where it is a great opportunity to return to Worcester and reconnect with contemporaries. The group is also looking to expand its fixture list in future years. Please register using the Microsoft form link below if you wish to find out more about this.

The Worcester College Golf Society includes a wide range of handicaps who enjoy playing on good courses in an ambiance that provides a nice mix of friendly competition and interesting conversation. The typical annual fixture list includes an annual competition between four Oxford colleges, often hosted at Studley Wood, Oxford in early October. Other recent fixtures include a Generation Match at Aldwickbury Park and a fixture at The Wisley. Numbers typically vary between six and twelve per event.

If you are interested in joining either group, please complete the following Microsoft Form to register your interest. You will then be added to the relevant mailing lists and Jordan Galsworthy (2013, Engineering Science) who coordinates these groups will be in touch.

 

Explore publications on the Alumni Bookshelf

We’re delighted to announce the launch of our new Alumni Bookshelf on the redesigned College website, bringing you a collection of books published by some of our Worcester Old Members. This term’s additions include Peacemaking and Peacebuilding in South Africa by Dr Liz Carmichael (1982, Theology) and Photo, Phyto, Proto, Nitro by Melissa McCarthy (1994, English).

Visit the Alumni Bookshelf

 

Upcoming events

For the latest event updates and information, and to book your place, please visit the Alumni Events page of the College website.

Go to alumni events

 

From the Development Office

Meet our team