New Year Honours 2017
We were delighted to hear the news that five members of Christ's were recognised in the New Year Honours list this year. Jim Smith (m. 1973 and Honorary Fellow) and Jeffrey Tate (m. 1961 and Honorary Fellow) were both knighted, for services to Medical Research and Science Education and services to British Music Overseas respectively. Imran Gulanhuseinwala (m. 1993) was made OBE for services to Financial Services, Andrew Kerr (m. 1958) was made MBE for services to Arts and Conservation in Edinburgh and Mukesh Shah (m. 1978) was also made MBE for services to Charitable and Community Services in the UK and Abroad. The College is enormously proud of them all.
Telephone Campaign 2017
The students making up the team for this year's Telephone Campaign have now been selected and we are gearing up for what we hope will be a successful fortnight of calling. The 2017 campaign will run from 20 March to 3 April. As ever, the students are looking forward to talking to as many of you as possible, not only to raise much-needed funds for student support, but to share experiences of College life, listen to tales of Christ's from different generations and learn about the numerous paths that have been taken by our alumni after graduating.
For more information on the Student Support Fund click here.
This year's calling team
Year Group Representatives
Year Group Reps are an important part of the work of the Development Office; keeping in regular contact with members of their year group, passing on information about reunions and events that may be of interest and collating news for the annual College Magazine. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated group of reps for the majority of years, but we do still have gaps! If you're interested in becoming a Year Group Rep, we'd be delighted to hear from you. You can find all the details, with a list of the year groups on our alumni page here.
Upcoming Alumni Events
We have a number of additional alumni events taking place over the next couple of months:
15 March – Women’s Networking Event
Join us at Kemp Little LLP, London. The Master, Professor Jane Stapleton, will speak about her interesting and varied career within a predominantly male dominated environment. Booking closes on 8 March.
18 March – Hippolytans Sports Day and Alumni Dinner
Alumnae who were Hippolytans whilst at Christ’s are invited to join current Hippolytans for an afternoon of sports followed by a drinks reception and dinner in Hall. Booking closes on 1 March.
1 April – MA Congregation
If you matriculated in 2010 you may be eligible to take your MA on Saturday 1 April 2017. The ceremony will be followed by lunch and a black tie dinner in Hall in the evening. Booking closes 17 March.
28 April – Economics Dinner
This is a wonderful opportunity for alumni who studied economics to return to College to meet each other and current economics students and Fellows. There will be pre-dinner drinks in the Old Combination Room followed by dinner in Hall. Booking closes on 21 April.
If you would like to book a place at one of these events, or see a list of all our events that are currently open for booking visit our website here.
James Meade Inaugural Lecture
The inaugural lecture, in honour of Christ's Fellow and Noble Prize winner James Meade, will take place on 1 March. The lecture, Is the Era of Growth Miracles Over?, will be presented by Professor Dani Rodrik of Harvard University and will take place in the Yusuf Hamied Theatre at 5.30pm. All are welcome to attend.
Friends of the Old Library
The Friends of the Old Library newsletter keeps you up to date with what's been happening in the Library over the last few months, along with the latest information about collections, exhibitions and events. The next issue of the newsletter is now available to read here.
Down at the Bottom of the Garden...
Spring is in the air and here, in the third instalment of the Gardening Diary, College Gardener Terry Hayden explains what the gardens have in store for us at this time of year.
"So spring has sprung! Well, it did for all of a week and now it's back to the grey weather, although as I'm writing, the sun is attempting to make its way through the clouds!
The first signs of spring are certainly visible in the garden, whatever the weather. Aconites and snowdrops have appeared, giving us a glimmer of what is to come and crocus are making their way into flower. In the Iris Garden, the ever present Iris lazica has continued to flower profusely, and Iris histrioides (Lady Beatrix Stanley), Iris histrioides (George) and Iris danfordiae are showing off.
The bee hives are beginning to become more active and they are happy and healthy. The first of the intrepid foragers are making their way out in search of early pollen and water and some fondant has been added so the bees have some extra nourishment between now and April.
Filling the gaps in the borders that we've made in the past few months has also begun in earnest. A lot of people have been asked why we have been planting in the cold weather, and it is because the plants will be much happier and warmer in the ground than standing in their pots. We've planted somewhere in the region of 2,000 plants in the last few weeks, which we're hoping will transform the garden.
The annual winter Wisteria prune has just taken place, neatening and tidying it for the new season. It is always a big undertaking, not only in terms of the amount of work it requires, but also making sure it is done correctly; it is over 100 years old after all!
Another important job this time of year is our gigantic compost heap, which is a real winter warmer. This is a big job which involves emptying the ready compost and grading it, and then moving this year’s green waste over to the empty bay. By the time we have finished we would have produced around 40-50 tonnes of fine compost for the garden.
First Court is of particular note at this time of the year. The subtle scent of Chimonanthus praecox (Winter Sweet) drifts through the court, even allowing you to catch the scent on the other side of the screens and into Second Court. The bright yellow flowers of Jasminum nudiflorum (Winter Jasmine) glow in the gloom and brighten even the grimmest of winter days. Other highlights include the tassels of the Garrya elliptica which hang gracefully from its stems and the wonderfully elegant Clematis chirrosa, making the most of its chance to shine with its cream bell-like flowers, speckled with burgundy.
Spring is a season of hope and renewal. We, the Christ's gardeners, are waiting with baited breath for the full awakening of the garden and very soon it will be running at 100mph once again!
Don't forget that you can leave a comment or suggest a topic for the Gardening Diary on our online alumni NetCommunity pages here. Please log on and select 'Discussion Groups' from the Alumni Community drop down menu. If you have forgotten your password then click 'forgotten log in details' and follow the instructions. We'd love to hear from you!
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