The College celebrated the impact of philanthropy and the generosity of its supporters at a virtual gathering as part of LucyGives Giving Week.
On Saturday 30th April our Legators, who have pledged support for Lucy in their will, and Benefactors, who have already made significant financial contributions to Lucy, were invited to a virtual event to celebrate the impact of their contributions to the College and its community.
Organised by Lucy’s Development Office, the event represented a wonderful occasion to express the College’s profound gratitude.
The celebration started with an introduction by College President, Professor Dame Madeleine Atkins before Emeritus Fellow Dr Isobel Maddison introduced and interviewed author Sara Collins.
Sara gave a reading of her published novel The Confessions of Frannie Langton, which was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize in 2016. She then discussed her novel and its adaptation into a television series.
The College was delighted that several alumnae participated in the event:
Cherish Watton (History, 2014) gave a talk on the College’s history as an agile establishment with an enterprising mindset, providing inspiring insight into the lives of the women who founded Lucy Cavendish. Cherish is currently doing a PhD in Modern British History at Churchill College.
Lili Schwoerer (Sociology, 2015), who joined the College in 2021 as Student Lived Experience Research Coordinator, gave an overview of the research project alongside Lucy undergraduate and participant Tasnia Khan (Law Tripos, 2021). The project aims to better understand the daily lived experience of first year, non-traditional students at the College from backgrounds that are under-represented at the University.
Katharina Megli (History and Political Thought, 1991), Director of Lucy Cavendish Singers, provided an update on the group and introduced the song ‘Big Boned Gal’ by k.d. lang, which was then sung by the Singers in a jubilant moment.
Attendees were also delighted to be updated on the College’s exciting building projects by Domestic Bursar Christine Houghton. You can find out more about the new build here.
Lucy's Benefactors have each generously donated a cumulative total of £10,000 or more to date, while our Legators have generously committed to remember the College in their will. All our supporters help the College thrive so it can build a diverse community of students, educate and inspire future leaders and tackle the pressing issues of the twenty-first century. Donations enable us to identify and nurture untapped potential from those who haven’t had access to the best education and helps them secure interdisciplinary research opportunities at the highest level.
College President Madeleine Atkins stated, “We were thrilled that our wonderful community of Benefactors and Legators joined us for the eclectic and captivating presentations – it was a wonderful event that celebrated the powerful impact of giving.”
To learn more about our Benefactors and why they support Lucy please visit our Benefactors’ page here. Our Legators’ page can be found here.