BURSAR’S REPORT

Dr Simon Brockington

his is my first report as Bursar for Homerton’s Annual Review. I joined the College in September 2022 and received the most wonderful welcome. I feel privileged to have joined a company of such warm, friendly and interesting people and I’m enjoying settling in very much.

I’ve had quite a varied career so far. My initial degree was in marine biology and in my

Ttwenties I spent five years living and working in Antarctica with British Antarctic Survey, which coincidentally has its headquarters in Cambridge. My interest in the oceans developed into an interest in conservation, and in 2012 I became Executive Secretary to the International Whaling Commission and then a senior civil servant with the UK government responsible for marine environment. These two roles gave rise to a fascination with diplomacy, collective decision making as well as organizational strategy and finance. I studied for an MBA during this period and am delighted to now be using those skills at Homerton.

This has been a remarkable year for the College. Perhaps the biggest landmark was the completion of our new dining hall, buttery and servery area in April 2022. The hall is stunning and its architecture a credit to its designers, Feilden Fowles Architects. External commendation has been rapid, with the Hall winning three Wood Awards (for buildings constructed largely from timber), including Gold award for best overall project from over 200 entries. We are entered into other competitions over the coming 12 months so watch this space.

We completed several other construction projects during the year as well. North Wing, with its new state of the art auditorium has been an instant hit for holding seminars and the beautifully appointed bedrooms above are a bonus for conference guests.

Looking ahead, one of the College’s next projects will be to replace the Porters’ Lodge. In May this year, we received full planning permission to proceed with a new construction located between the Mary Allan Building and Hills Road. Using a beautiful and striking design by Alison Brooks Architects, the new Lodge uses a pavilion theme, with design elements drawn from other architectural features on Homerton’s campus. It will provide a welcoming and functional Porters’ Lodge, and also provide a statement gateway to Homerton’s campus.

From a financial perspective this has been a second difficult year for the college. Governing Body received and approved the accounts on 2 December 2022 and the headline message is an operating deficit of £2.6million. This, in part, reflects another year impacted by Covid as we lost much of the summer 2021 conference trade. We are making great strides in re-building the conference business and bookings for the current Christmas period, as well as summer 2023, are already looking very positive. We continue to maintain a tight control on costs and we are actively investing in our fundraising department. The full annual report and accounts are available on the College’s website.

In closing, I would like to say a huge thank you to Deborah Griffin, Homerton’s Bursar from 2012 to 2022. Deborah oversaw a huge expansion in Homerton’s campus and many of the landmark achievements, including the new Dining Hall, the beautifully refurbished Griffin Bar, the sports grounds and the new student accommodation can all be traced back to Deborah’s drive and determination. Deborah re-joined the College as an Emeritus Fellow and she is spending much of her time driving forward women’s rugby n