Churchill College

Thank you to everyone who made this year's Churchill College Marriage Formal so magical ✨ The outfits, the atmosphere, the celebrations all came together to make it a truly iconic Churchill evening.

For the uninitiated: one of Churchill's best-loved traditions is the College family system. Freshers are paired with 'parents' from older years who help them find their feet. At the end of the year, Freshers get married, and in their second year they go on to have 'children' of their own. It's a joyful, warm-hearted celebration of the friendships that make Churchill home 💫

Here are a few snapshots from the night 📸

📷 Matthew Kirkham
🎉 Huge thanks to the Churchill JCR Ents officers Juliette, Tara and Timara for organising!

Thank you to all of our alumni and friends who joined us at the St. Botolph Club in Boston last night. The conversation between the Master and Professor Sir Oliver Hart, Nobel laureate in Economics and Churchill College Honorary Fellow, was insightful and timely, reflecting the incredible achievements of the Churchill community.

We look forward to the next visit to the US and hope to see more of our alumni then.

Ahead of the next event in the Master’s Book Club series, discover more about the book and featured author, alumna and Honorary Fellow Prof. Helen Czerski 👉 https://ow.ly/ay5650Z6GGQ

Helen is a physicist, BBC presenter and award winning author whose work reveals the ocean as a powerful “engine” shaping our climate and daily lives, offering fresh insight at a time when ocean issues are rarely out of the news.

🗓 Thursday 18 June
📍 Wolfson Hall, Churchill College
⏰ 6–7pm (followed by a drinks reception)
🎟 Free entry, but booking essential: https://ow.ly/e5ot50Z6GGS

The Master’s Book Club series
Hosted at Churchill College, this In Conversation series explores recent books by members of the College community.


________________________________________

Last night, Churchill MCR hosted its Three-Minute Thesis competition with ten of our postgraduate students taking to the stage in the Wolfson Hall to explain their research to a general audience in just three minutes.

Each presenter rose to the challenge of making complex ideas accessible, engaging, and genuinely exciting, no easy feat!

Congratulations to our winners:

🌟 Best MPhil presentation – Lisa Rollinson (MPhil Zoology) for 'The Effects of Artificial Selection in the Adult Black Soldier Fly'

🌟 Best PhD presentation (joint award) – Miruna Rapeanu (3rd year Engineering) for 'Uncertainty-Centred Aviation Modelling', and Kay Kwarteng (4th year Chemistry) for 'Rewriting Plastic Waste: The Case for An Acid Economy'

🌟 People's Choice – Kay Kwarteng (4th year Chemistry) for 'Rewriting Plastic Waste: The Case for An Acid Economy'

Thank you to the MCR's Academic Officers Samuel Agyapong and Tyler Myers for organising the event, and to our judges; Churchill Fellows Dr Marcela Uliano-Silva, Dr David Collins, and Dr Mengfan Guo, for their time and expertise. And special thanks to Raymond (U64) and Susan Williams for generously funding the prizes.

We're proud of every student who took part. 👏

🎶 Friday Music at Churchill 🎶

Join us for the next Churchill Appetizer Recital featuring alumna & former Artist By-Fellow Rachel Stott (viola) alongside soprano Rachel Godsil.

Enjoy an ambitious programme of new works, plus the chance to hear the beautifully unusual viola d’amore, rarely performed in the UK.

🗓 Friday 29 May, 6:15pm
📍 Recital Room, Churchill College Music Centre
🎟 Free entry (optional retiring collection)

Churchill College Music Society

👏 Congratulations to all of our students graduating today!

It's a perfect day to celebrate, with glorious sunshine and blue skies over Churchill College.

Our graduands enjoyed a drinks reception and early lunch in the dining hall before gathering outside College to process together to the Senate House for their degree ceremony.

Rugby Cuppers Champions!

Congratulations to the Churchill/Pirton men's rugby team who secured the College's first ever Cuppers title with a side dominated by Churchill players.

The joint team (also drawing from Pembroke, Girton and Lucy Cav) beat St John’s 21-0 in the semi before facing a Trinity/Christ's team packed with Blues in the final, who had reportedly written the match off as a foregone conclusion. They were proved wrong in dramatic fashion: the boys in pink raced into a 7-0 lead, fought back from 10-7 down in the second half, and held on through a nail-biting final few minutes to win 14-10.

A historic result, with every point across both games scored by Churchill students; Tayvon Folami (1), Finlay Beyer (3) & Jody Bardell (1 try / 5 conversions).

Photo credit: Dik Ng

We always enjoy sharing news of Churchill students taking up opportunities beyond their studies, and this is a lovely example.

First-year English student Angel Totterdell-Woods recently attended The Times Academy, a four-day journalism training programme held at the News UK offices in London. Her place on the programme was made possible by Churchill's Tizard Opportunities Fund.

During the week, Angel was elected deputy editor of a specially produced magazine supplement, working with a team of student writers and collaborating with Times staff. She interviewed the Deputy Data Editor, contributed to editorial planning, and helped bring a 20-minute news programme from script to screen in just a few hours.

Angel is also a fashion writer for Varsity and president of Churchill's sewing society Fabricated, and the week has helped her feel more confident about pursuing fashion journalism after her degree.

The story is a great reminder of the difference that financial support can make to a student's time at Churchill and beyond.

Read Angel's full story in comments 👇

📸Photo of Angel by Churchill student Cecilia Anthony‑Tewkesbury.

The Times and The Sunday Times