Worcester College Oxford was founded in July 1714. To mark its three hundredth anniversary the College today announces the launch of The Tercentenary Campaign: £100 million to endow Worcester for the next three hundred years

Worcester College, built on the site of the thirteenth century Benedictine foundation Gloucester College, is one of Oxford’s most popular and beautiful colleges, renowned for the variety of its architecture, the beauty of its gardens, its lake and the extent of its grounds. Former Provosts have included the spymaster J. C.Masterman, the diplomat Lord Franks and the historian Asa Briggs. Students have included Thomas De Quincey, Rupert Murdoch and US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.

This year the College launched its Tercentenary Celebrations with a reception at the National Gallery hosted by Old Members Lord John and Sir Timothy Sainsbury.  A hugely successful series of events has included an acclaimed concert by the Chapel Choir at St John’s Smith Square, a Tercentenary Dinner with a glittering array of guests and the triumphant Tercentenary Commemoration Ball, sponsored by the Ministry of Sound (courtesy of Old Member Baron Palumbo of Southwark).

“Worcester is the least well-endowed of Oxford’s historic colleges,” explains Provost Jonathan Bate, “the Tercentenary Campaign – with perhaps the most ambitious target of any Oxford College fundraising campaign – is a unique opportunity to secure our future and to ensure that no gifted and talented student, whatever their background, is prevented from applying to Worcester by anxiety about future debt.”

The ten year Campaign will be led by two Committees of Old Members, one in the UK chaired by Mr Edward Wray, and one in the USA, with Senator Bill Bradley as Honorary Chairman and Mr Barrie Wigmore as Chairman.

At today’s Campaign launch at the British Academy in London, Provost Bate announced that the College has received £56 million in pre-campaign lead pledges.