Cuthbert's Chronicle - Issue Number 11 - February 2020.

Cuthbert’s Cuthbert’s Chronicle Chronicle

St Cuthbert’s Society Alumni Magazine February 2020 Issue No. 11

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Cuthbert’s Chronicle

July 2019

Please send your contributions and feedback to cuthberts.alumnirelations@ durham.ac.uk

Welcome Professor Elizabeth Archibald, Principal @CuthbertsAlumni

@CuthsAlumni

cuthberts.alumnirelations@ durham.ac.uk

durham.ac.uk/ st-cuthberts.society/alumni

Tell your story

This year we are celebrating the admission of women students to the Society 50 years ago; we were the first Durham college (or student community, in those days) to go mixed, three years before any Oxbridge college (for more on this see p.10).

The JCR is flourishing under the leadership of current President Elena Martin, with Rishi Jindal in the new role of Finance and Compliance Officer, also a sabbatical position.

Drama and music are flourishing in Cuth’s. The Choir sang in five languages at the Carol Service at St Margaret’s, and took part in a Cathedral Evensong with over a hundred members of other college choirs. The Big Band put on a splendid Christmas concert. Drama Soc offered an engaging Rodgers and Hammerstein revue, A Grand Night For Singing. This got us in the mood for DULOG’s recent and very impressive Oklahoma, in which fresher Elysia Boyle played Laurey (along with other Cuth’s students on stage and in the orchestra pit). Finalist Laura Cooper is currently President of DU Orchestral Society, which will be performing in an exciting and ambitious concert at the Sage, Gateshead, this June with our Chancellor Sir Thomas Allen as soloist.

The Assembly Rooms Theatre has just reopened after a major refurbishment. One of the performers at the launch last month was Cuth’s alumnus Matt Barber, best known for playing Atticus Aldridge in Downton Abbey. Cressida Peever, our first ever Alumni Relations Officer who created the Chronicle, returned to Durham in January to run a workshop on playwriting and to give advice about theatrical careers to Cuth’s Drama Soc. The Society has lost several key members of staff unexpectedly in the last six months: evening porter Wayne Turfrey died in August, and Housekeeper Mandy Patterson in October (for more see p.5). Restructuring of staffing in colleges and departments has been unsettling for many, but we are so lucky in Cuth’s to have such loyal and hardworking teams on both sites.

The Bailey buildings have been under scaffolding for the last eight months while a lot of external refurbishment was done; the disruption was significant, but the work was long overdue. In the summer work will begin at Parson’s Field on a new multi-purpose building which will be transformative for the Society. We hope to improve our facilities on the Bailey too in the next couple of years to provide more music practice rooms and space for meetings and studying.

We are always delighted to see returning alumni, individually or in groups. If you would like to organize a reunion in Durham, especially in this anniversary year for alumnae, do let us know.

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Contents issue

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February 2020

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St Cuthbert’s Society 12 South Bailey Durham DH1 3EE +44 (0)191 334 4300 cuthberts.reception@durham.ac.uk Principal: Professor Elizabeth Archibald Email: e.f.archibald@durham.ac.uk Communications Support Officer: Katherine Dodd Email: cuthberts.alumnirelations@ durham.ac.uk

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College News

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JCR News

10 50 Years of Women Students at Cuth’s 12 Bursaries and Grants 14 Fellows’ Lecture: Elspeth Talbot Rice QC 16 Pilgrimage to Lindisfarne 18 Alumni Association 19 Brooks Bar 20 Boat Club News 21 Cuth’s 12 Days of Outreach 22 SCR

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February July 2020 2019

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Cuth’s News The past few months have been an exciting time for Cuth’s with a new building approved, JCR elections, and ongoing support from the alumni community.

New building at Parson’s Field approved The Society is delighted to be able to announce that after many years of speculation and planning, Cuth’s is to get a new multi-purpose building capable of hosting social events, performances and lectures. The funding for the new building was approved last year and we have been able to agree a design within the budget that will benefit both the college and the JCR. The building will be built in the courtyard at Brooks House.

Previous development proposals were focussed on the Bailey; for example one put forward during the Society’s centenary year in 1988 envisaged building in the Wendy House garden. It was felt that a development on the Bailey was impractical due to the restriction the World Heritage rightly places upon new buildings. Parson’s Field is home to the majority of Cuth’s residential students, the new building will provide a new focus for its residents and a much needed space for all of the Cuth’s community. The development will also incorporate improvements to existing facilities at Parson’s; a new JCR will be built with the current space becoming a gym. Reception will move to the entrance of Brooks House with space for the ever increasing volume of mail and parcels.

Planning permission has been granted, so it is anticipated that construction work will begin in July 2020 with the new building being ready for use by early 2021.

Artchitect’s impression of new building in the courtyard of Brooks House.

Copyright GSSArchitecture

IAS Fellow Dr Elshan (El) Abdullayev was Cuth’s resident Institute of Advanced Studies Fellow from October to December 2019, taking part in the “Antibacterial Clay Therapy” project led by Dr Gary Sharples (Biosciences) and Dr Kimberley Jamie (Sociology), which aims to identify antibacterial properties of clay.

He gave a public lecture on his work at Cuth’s in November 2019. El enjoyed some theatre and ballet performances, found English weather a relief after the heat and humidity of Baku, and sampled a lot of English cake with great pleasure. He was also very impressed by Cuth’s catering, and by the students he met here. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in hydrogeology and engineering geology in 2005 and Master’s degree in sedimentology in 2010 from the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. El did his PhD at the University of Leipzig, Germany, between 20112015. He had 5 years experience (2006-2011) in the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic and worked for almost 4 years (2015-2019) as a researcher in The Institute of Geology, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Since 2019, El has worked in the French-Azerbaijani University as a geoscience programme coordinator studying clay minerals, their chemical composition and geochemical processes in terrestrial and aquatic environments.

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Staff News The Society has lost two key members of staff unexpectedly in the last six months: evening porter Wayne Turfrey died in August, and Housekeeper Mandy Patterson in October.

They were both central to the smooth running of the college, Wayne Turfrey and were very much valued by all with whom they worked with Ted Gup over the last 15 years. We intend to commemorate them with benches and plaques on the Bailey and at Parson’s Field.

Wayne’s brother and son came to a Charity Formal in aid of St Cuthbert’s Hospice, and we welcomed Wayne’s family members at the launch of a new boat named after him in early February. (see page 20) Mandy Patterson

Letter from a Cuth’s Alumnus: Giles Turner (Music 1958-61) I was interested to read the double

page spread in your last edition, on stage and musical activities. I had an enjoyable three years at St Cuthbert’s (1958-1961), studying music under the legendary Arthur Hutchings.

During my time I sang in the Choral Society and became Secretary; I played in the Colleges’ Orchestra and took part in a number of the Light Opera Group shows, including Schubert’s ‘The Conspirators’, and

Walter Leigh’s ‘Jolly Roger’. One of my friends from Cuth’s was Anthony Payne; he went on to great things in the musical world as a renowned composer.

grandson. I also play the church organ.

My studies at Durham have helped me over the years to arrange orchestral pieces for the organ that sound effective and which I can actually play comfortably.

I made my subsequent career in publishing, but music has always been an enthralling hobby. I spent nearly thirty years conducting opera, light opera and musicals; in retirement I occupy myself in accompanying choirs and solo singers, including my highly talented

A final note about Cuthbert’s Dining Hall; it was not in use at first in 1958, as the building had not yet been completed. But once it was finished the meals were really rather good!

Giles Turner

Find out more Visit: durham.ac.uk/st-cuthberts.society/ alumni/fundraising/bursaries Email: cuthberts.alumnirelations@ durham.ac.uk

Cuth’s Choir 2019-2020

Tel: 0191 334 3380

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February July2020 2019

Cuthbert’s Chronicle

JCR News It has been a busy and exciting term for the JCR, from a successful “Take Time to Sign” Welfare Campaign to well received outreach projects in the local community.

Hello, I hope everyone had a very happy New Year. Michaelmas Term was hugely successful for the JCR (as I’m sure articles in this issue will highlight). One notable success was Welfare’s “Take Time to Sign”. Sorting housing can be incredibly stressful and expensive, so Welfare Campaigns Committee and our SU Committee took it upon themselves to encourage freshers to (quite literally) take time to sign in order to ensure that they were well informed and that they didn’t rush into signing poor quality houses, or with people they didn’t know well enough yet. This was a hugely effective campaign that ended up being adopted and promoted across a number of other colleges.

Carrying on from last term’s success, I’m hoping that Epiphany will be equally exciting for all of our members! We have staple events of the term coming up like the Feast of St Cuthbert and the Fashion Show, but also new events such as Cuth’s Live (a new musical event in the bars).

initiative that was started last year.

Bailey Wardrobe is a literal rail of formal wear, all donated by students and alumni, from which students can cheaply rent outfits for events such as Formals, Balls, or even interviews. We are always looking to increase our stock, so please get in touch if you have any formal wear going spare. The JCR is also looking to increase our Participation Fund. This is a pot of money the JCR sets aside for people who need assistance paying for costs associated with sports and societies. For example, this year we covered the costs of some sports kit and paid subs for a number of students playing sports on both Cuth’s and DU levels. If you would like to know more please head over to the JCR Website (https://cuths. com/).

I’d like to end by saying thank you to the wider Cuth’s community for your efforts in helping the JCR continue to be as inclusive, accessible and friendly as always.

Elena Martin, JCR President

This term, we will also be continuing to expand the ‘Bailey Wardrobe’ South Bailey

Outreach Cuth’s Choir

Men Racing

Cuth’s Big Band

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Cuth’s Outreach This year Cuth’s Rugby and the Outreach Committee have come together to provide an after-school ‘tag rugby’ club to St Hild’s College Church of England Primary School in Gilesgate.

With a group of around 10 committed volunteers to choose from every week, we took our first after-school club in October. Since then our weekly onehour sessions have grown in popularity.

We started our classes with around 8 students but this number has continued to grow to around 15 regular members.

Word has it that the club is the talk of the school. Cuth’s would very much hope this is the case and the increase in interest seems to attest to this.

Our main aim for starting the project was twofold: to introduce children to the sport but also to engage with those from outside of the University community.

The sessions themselves have been hugely enjoyable with classic games like stuck in the mud and bulldog proving particularly popular. What has been most impressive about incorporating these games is that we are yet to have any injuries! This is despite the almost frightening competitiveness with which these games are played. On top of this, we have sought as a club to highlight the basic skills and techniques needed for rugby, such as good handling and passing. These skills are difficult at first but the children have been extremely

Cuth’s BIG Band On Monday 9th December 2019 St Cuthbert’s Society Big Band hosted their annual Christmas concert in the Dining Hall to raise money for St Cuthbert’s Hospice, a local charity very close to the hearts of Cuth’s after they supported our late porter Wayne and his family over his final few weeks. The concert was a roaring success with almost all seats being filled with people from all years and colleges. We played a mixture of music including our classic pieces that we’d been working on over Michaelmas term, as well as plenty of Christmas tunes. A raffle was held in the interval with lots of prizes that had been kindly donated by the Catering Manager and Bar Steward and many businesses around Durham. In total we raised £80.43, which we were very very happy with, considering we did not charge for entry! It was definitely the best Cuth’s Big Band concert that I’ve played in,

and personally I was very proud of everyone in the band for their hard work and dedication that meant we could hold such a brilliant evening.

Alice Law

well behaved and receptive to what we are saying.

The number of volunteers for this project has been extremely impressive.

Volunteers have come from all sides: the men’s and women’s rugby teams, as well as experienced heads from the college Outreach Committee. In our first session, only two of the children knew anything about rugby. Now, these children have learnt a whole new sport.

The scheme will continue to run over the next two terms so there is still a lot to look forward to (for students and volunteers alike).

Henry Johnson For more Outreach news see page 21

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Postgraduate and Mature Student News News from Sarah McAllister, Postgraduate and Mature Students Committee Chair The year kicked off with Freshers’ Week when we had a team of 9 Postgraduate Freps to welcome our new intake of around 180 postgraduate students.

Over the first week the Postgraduate Community enjoyed a Quiz Night, a Games Evening, the Postgraduate Welcome Formal and an evening of talks organised by the SCR. Term started with Postgrad Family evening, which is building on the tradition of college families where freshers are assigned to parents in older years and gain siblings in their own year. This year we introduced Postgraduate families to put new students to Cuth’s in contact with other students undertaking a similar subject and students who have already spent time at Cuth’s. The night proved to be a great success with eleven postgraduate families bonding in Brooks Bar. The night involved families being asked to go around college and take typical family photos which involved recreations of family dinners, board game nights, putting a ‘child’ to bed and some more creative photos.

We’ve had a busy term once the positions on Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Committee (PGM Comm) were filled. With a committee of nine people we have organised a PGM brunch, international and postgraduate film night and a research slam. We also had a Research Forum, where Joe Watson and Hitham Hassan, two of our PhD students, gave talks on their respective fields of classics and physics. Hitham gave a talk on his Masters dissertation on ‘Jet Multiplicity Measurements at the Large Hadron Collider’, and Joe talked about ‘The Roles and Functions of Latin Sexual Swearing in the Poetry of Catullus’.

As the Postgraduate and Mature Students Committee Chair, I have been working alongside the MCR Presidents (Postgraduate Reps) from the other colleges. I was elected the Chair of MCR Presidents’ Committee, where we have been working on increasing participation in postgraduate events, increasing the range of Inter-MCR events and workng on JCR/MCR relations.

After these discussions, Cuth’s hosted our first Inter-MCR pub quiz which had questions on a wide range of subjects including Durham Colleges, the year 2019, and guess the language.

The term culminated with the Christmas Formal, which of course ended with everyone singing ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’.

Sarah McAllister

Art in Cuth’s Cuth’s students have proved that even though Durham University does not offer Art as a degree, students at Cuth’s are very creative. Weekly sessions have included Lino printing, felting, brush, inks and a collage session. We have also reinstated a photography officer who has run a session at the Botanical Gardens. In December, a group of students visited the Crushed Chilli Gallery, run by local artist Janet Rogers. Janet is an award-winning glass artist working in kiln fused, leaded stained glass and Pate de Verre. At the Gallery, our students were able to make their own stained glass works. This year we also sold Christmas Cards throughout the last week of term and raised £80 for St. Cuthbert’s Hospice. We are now in the process of planning the next two terms which will feature the Annual Art Show, opening at the Principal’s Garden party.

We also introduced our new mascot for Postgraduate and Mature Student’s Committee, PG Tips.

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St Cuthbert's Society JCR Invitation to apply: Charity Trustee Since 2016, the JCR has been a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, which is administered by a board of Trustees.

The Board oversees the day to day running of the JCR, helping to ensure it meets its charitable aims and allowing it to enhance the student experience of every member through events and activities.

The JCR currently works to provide social and recreational activities to members, alongside peer led welfare support and outreach activities across the North East.

Being a Trustee allows you to ensure these projects achieve their maximum potential.

As an external trustee I enjoy sharing my wider experience to help guide and direct members of the JCR Committee. Whilst not a Cuth's alumnus, I feel that I have learnt quickly how the JCR functions and enjoy supporting its aims and objectives as a charity. It's great as a trustee to guide and direct the tasks of executive officers, be that in reading contracts for the Ball, checking accounts or setting the strategic direction of the Trust.

For only a few hours each month, I help support the JCR whilst also developing my professional skills and ensuring that the student body can achieve its maximum potential in social, recreational and charitable activities Add a little bit of body text

Euan Martin, Student Trustee

If you feel you have the skills to support and assist the JCR in achieving its charitable aims, please consider applying to be a Trustee. We are currently looking for a range of skill sets to join the Board, but particularly those with financial and accounting experience. Applications are being taken on a rolling basis. For more information, including how to apply, please email:

nominationscommittee@cuths.com Sean Barnett, Chair

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Cuthbert’s Chronicle

Four Cuth’s JCR Presidents: Millie Tanner (2014-15), Megan Croll (2016-17), Cat May (2017-18), Elena Martin (2019-20) with the Principal, Elizabeth Archibald

50 Years of Women Students To celebrate the admission of women students to the Society in October 1969, we organized a gathering at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, in November.

Every decade since the 60s was represented, and a display of photographs elicited many memories.

We were delighted that Barbara Keen (née Brazier), one of the eight women to arrive on the Bailey that year, was able to join us with her husband Andy; they met at Cuth’s. Barbara gave a wonderful talk about her experiences (pointing out that Andy had initially voted against the admission of women!). Also present was the JCR President of that momentous year, Peter Taylor, with several contemporaries and his daughter, Claire Taylor-Harris, who was at Cuth’s 1998-2002; Peter gave an account of

the discussions and debates that led up to the admission of women. The next speakers were Sally Harrison and Patricia Gould who described the situation in the early 1970s, when they were lodged in a cold ex-hotel in Croxdale. The final speakers were former Presidents Millie Tanner (201415) and Megan Croll (2016-17), who both went on to be Students Union Presidents; Millie is a police officer and Megan works for the National Crime Agency (can there be a connection with their Durham roles?). A dozen recent graduates were present, inlcuding former Alumni Relations Officer Cressida Peever and former

Patricia Gould (1976) and Sally Harrison (1977)

Whitechapel Gallery

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President Cat May (2017-18). They were fascinated by the stories about a Society very different in many ways from the one they experienced; the gender ratio of students today is about fifty-fifty’. The first female President was elected in 1974 (Ros Dobbie); we have had five in the last eight years (four in direct succession), and another has just been elected for next year, the current JCR Chair Saskia WoottonCane. The first female Bar Steward was Norma Rook, elected in 1977.

In honour of this momentous anniversary, the JCR suggested inviting an Inspiring Woman to address each Formal this year. Speakers so far have included a representative of St Cuthbert’s Hospice; Fiona Ellis, former College Council Chair and member of University Council, a Fellow of the Society and now a mentor; Fellow and SCR member Dr Fiona Gameson, who has been blind from the age of three, and inspired our popular Dining in the Dark Formals; and former President Cat May, now a social worker in London.

The logo for the Whitechapel event, and for our celebrations this year, is a painting produced by alumna Maryam Hayat for our 125th anniversary in 2013 (reproduced on this cover and below); it sums up the significance of 1969 admirably. We are continuing to celebrate the arrival of women students on the Bailey for the rest

Rishi Jindal, current FCO with Cat May. of this year, including at the annual Garden Party on June 14th, and it will be the theme of the Alumni Weekend, scheduled for September 11th-13th.

Our artist in residence this spring, filmmaker Paul Sng, will be working with students to produce some films about women and the Society. We would be delighted to receive reminiscences and photographs from alumnae and alumni, and of course to see you back in Durham.

The Whitechapel event would not have taken place without a great deal of work by Harry Lewendon-Evans, our last Alumni Relations Officer, and Kath Dodd, our Communications Officer, who has taken over his role, though only part-time. Please contact Kath about future alumni events, or to send photographs or memories: Communications Support Officer: Katherine Dodd Email: cuthberts.alumnirelations@ durham.ac.uk

Elizabeth Archibald Principal

Barbara Keen (Brazier)

Cuth’s JCR Women Presidents Saskia Wootton-Cane (President Elect) Elena Martin, 2019 - 2020 Amy Kuner, 2018 - 19 Catriona May, 2017 - 2018 Megan Croll, 2016 - 2017 Millie Tanner, 2014 - 2015 Hannah Bridge, 2004 - 2005 Lena Recknagel, 2000 - 2001 Allie Griffith, 1995 - 1996 Ros Dobbie, 1974 - 1975

Saskia Wootton-Cane

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Cuthbert’s Cuthbert’sChronicle Chronicle

July 2019

Thank You For Your Support

Lauren Devenney

Thanks to the generous support of our alumni community, St Cuthbert’s Society is able to provide bursaries to students entering the College each academic year. There are three bursaries currently available, each to the value of £1500. Betty Smildzina (Anthropology) describes how much it has meant to her to receive a Cuth’s Bursary for 2019-2020.

I started the first year of my undergraduate degree in Anthropology this October. I am originally from Latvia, but I’ve lived in England for 7 years now and was entering the University as a mature student, at 26. I came to Durham because of its outstanding teaching in my chosen subject, and because I love the community feel; I love how there are so many interest groups, clubs, and societies for students to join - it’s

impossible to get bored!

As I am slightly older than my peers, my financial situation was markedly different as well. I am not supported by parents, and have been working for the past 10 years. Therefore coming to University, as much as I wanted to do it, meant a significant financial sacrifice, as I had to give up the job I had up until October. It was a difficult decision, but I knew it was also the right one in the long term. But

Betty Smildzina it would mean going without a whole lot of things, and limiting my experiences to the bare essentials. In this context,

Cuthbert’s Chronicle

finding out about the Cuth’s Bursary was a godsend. If I was awarded the bursary, I could actually expand my activities while at Durham, join clubs and societies, go out with friends, and have a full uni experience. I was so happy when I was notified that I had been chosen as one of the recipients, and the bursary has helped me achieve all of the above and more; since starting in Durham I have taken up ballroom dancing, as well as attending InStep dance classes, started doing aerial arts, and joined several other societies. This is a direct result of having received the bursary, as I simply would not have access to funds to do these things without it - thanks Cuth’s!

I’ve loved my time at Durham and with Cuth’s so far: the friendliness of my college that never makes me feel left out as a liver-out, the various events, balls and dinners, the support that’s always available whatever the issue. My goal for this year, and the years ahead, continues to be taking advantage of every opportunity the University and the college opens up for me. Whether it be joining the coding club, or continuing to learn another language on top of my degree pathway, this is a fantastic and exciting place with so many things on offer; everyone can find something that works for them!

Betty Smildzina (Anthropology)

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“The fact that I even submitted the application was totally

beyond my comfort zone. It was as though the expedition was pushing me to grow as an individual before it had even begun”.

Lauren Devenney

Student Development Award Report Second year student Lauren Devenney received a Student Development Award from the Henry Tudor Fund enabling her to travel to Borneo in July and August 2019.

A facebook post advertising a DUCK expedition was all it took for me to impulsively submit an application for the Borneo expedition. The opportunity to volunteer in the conservation of green turtles and orangutan was too good to pass up.

The fact that I even submitted the application was totally beyond my comfort zone. It was as though the expedition was pushing me to grow as an individual before it had even begun. I didn’t want to set unrealistic goals that may not come to fruition. For me, this trip was simply considered an

opportunity to travel to a new continent, to gain cultural insight and to help with projects which work towards causes I am passionate about. The work carried out on the expedition was divided between two charitable organisations: Fuze Ecoteer, an environmental charity, and Project Orangutan. The Project Orangutan phase of the expedition allowed us to provide manual labour to a charity that is currently very short staffed.The most rewarding aspects were in the small things; the things I could never have imagined. Their foods have inspired a vegetarian

diet; working with kids allowed me to communicate beyond language barriers; meeting people from across the world with different stories to tell and being surrounded by inspiring people made me think about what inspires me as a person and whether a conventional career path appeals to me. Interacting with the local communities and their culture will be what I take away from this trip.

Lauren Devenney (Chemistry)

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July 2019

St. Cuthbert’s Society Elspeth Talbot Rice QC Fellows’ Lecture

Cuthbert’s Cuthbert’sChronicle Chronicle

Elspeth is one of our own – she is an alumna of St. Cuthbert’s Society, having been awarded her BA with Honours in Law in 1989; she was also a rower in a golden era for Cuth’s rowing, and is now a mentor for Team Durham.

Elspeth was called to the bar in 1990 at Lincoln’s Inn (where she was Wigglesworth Scholar), took silk in

2019-2020 is, of course, particularly significant for St. Cuthbert’s Society as it marks 50 years since the admission of women to the Society as undergraduates. Elspeth’s lecture was an important part of the celebrations, lasting throughout the academic year, to mark that special anniversary. By a happy coincidence 2019 was also the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919 that, among other things, enabled women to practice law in British courts, as Elspeth pointed out in her opening remarks.

The lecture itself was an absorbing mixture of entertainment and erudition worn lightly.

2008, and in 2012 was elected as a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn. Among her legal honours, Elspeth was Chambers and Partners’ Chancery Silk of the Year in 2018, Legal 500’s Trusts and Probate Silk of the Year in 2019, and has been called to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

On Friday evening, 29th November, Elspeth Talbot Rice QC gave the 15th annual St. Cuthbert’s Society Fellows’ Lecture in ER201 to a large and appreciative audience of members of the public as well as JCR, SCR, Fellows and staff of the college. Elspeth’s specialism is Chancery Law, in which she enjoys an international reputation, and from 20092012 she was honorary secretary of the Chancery Bar Association. But she chose a broader perspective for her lecture, which was entitled “If You Thought You Owned Your Own Limbs, Think Again: Legal Quirks and Conundrums Examined”

Elspeth began with reminiscences of her student life in Cuth’s before setting the tone with an intriguing case tried in New York in 1818 as to whether barrels of whale oil should be taxed.

Fish oil landed in New York was subject to tax, so the case depended on the conundrum: “Is a whale a fish?” (in New York in 1818, legally at least, it was).

Many of the legal quirks examined by Elspeth turned on definitions of such common English words as “whale” and “fish” and, not surprisingly perhaps, were often instigated by liability to taxation (“food” is zero-rated for VAT, whereas “confections” are taxed at the standard VAT rate). Is a flapjack or a cereal bar a food or a confection? Are Pringles, Discos and Frisps crisps? (Apparently it depends on how much potato is used in their manufacture.) Is a Jaffa cake a cake or a biscuit? (The taxperson said it was a chocolate-covered biscuit and therefore liable to VAT, but the taxperson was wrong.) Is an Imperial Stormtrooper’s helmet a sculpture and, as a work of art, not liable to tax? (Sorry to disappoint

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Star Wars fans, but it seems it is not a sculpture.)

But the principal case, the one that inspired the lecture’s title, concerned a man who had broken into his former employer’s home and, pretending that his concealed hand was a gun, used the threat to rob his ex-employer. Following his arrest the malfeasant was charged and convicted of robbery and of the more serious offence of possession of an imitation firearm, to wit, his concealed hand. The robber appealed the latter conviction, and though it was upheld in the Appeal Court he was given leave to appeal to the Supreme Court, where it was struck down on the grounds that a person cannot be in possession of a part of one’s own body.

Elspeth’s lecture and the subsequent questions from the fascinated audience were chaired by Dr Bob Banks, representing the Fellows, and the Principal gave the vote of thanks.

Dr Bob Banks

John and Joan Norton with Elspeth and Rob Talbot Rice

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The Pilgrims’ Path to Lindisfarne A Bar-Crawl back to the beginning…

By James Cochran (Physics PhD, JCR Vice-President) and Euan Martin (Physics MPhys, JCR Student Trustee) A mile of wooden posts, bare tree trunks entrenched in sand, stretch out ahead of us as we unlace our boots and step into the North Sea. The last mile of a journey that began, as many great journeys do, in a pub several months earlier…

“We should go on a pub crawl” James said to our group as we enjoyed the finest offerings of Cuth’s Bar, “Let’s set off from Durham and go to Lindisfarne and stop at every pub on the way”.

After much amused discussion, a group of 6 or so of us concluded that such a plan was a fantastic way of spending some of our summer holiday and agreed to plan the route.

As expected, more people joined our plans, but as we approached the date of departure excuses and apologies started rolling in, until only we two remained committed to the project.

At this point most people would cancel such a project and write it off as simply a grand idea to mention occasionally as a talking point. But as we are both the kind of person to encourage each other on, we found ourselves on 21st August standing outside the front

‘The Angel’

door of 12 South Bailey with packs laden and boots fastened, having our first pint outside the (sadly shut) front door. Armed with 3 1:50,000 OS maps, James’ bush craft knowledge and Euan’s experience as a hillwalker, we set off up the Bailey, calling in to visit the Shrine of St Cuthbert in the Cathedral en route.

The first day’s walking was around 20 miles, with our aim to reach a friend’s house in Jesmond to spend the night. Unfortunately, due to our mid-morning departure time, the pubs we planned to call at in Durham were closed; however after a speedy walk to Chester-le-Street we called into 2 pubs to rehydrate ourselves and visited the Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert, which was founded after the monks at Lindisfarne fled in 875 with the coffin and relics of St Cuthbert. After several more pubs, and visiting the Angel of the North, we arrived in Newcastle in the early evening, just in time to reimburse ourselves with calories.

We then made our way into Jesmond and settled down for the night, our last

St Cuthbert’s Cave

Setting off from 12 South Bailey

night indoors for several days.

After a good night’s rest, a session tending to our blisters and a hearty Weatherspoon’s breakfast, we set off on what was to be our last morning of metropolitan walking, with the aim of having reached Cramlington by lunchtime. After walking along the side of dual carriageways for seemingly forever (and then finding out that there was a bridleway following it beyond some trees), we finally reached the far side of the Newcastle metropolitan area and began our travelling through the fields, farms and villages of Northumberland.

The basic plan from this point was to reach a large town by early evening and get something to eat, then head out to find somewhere to set up our tarp and sleep underneath. Our second night was spent in some woodlands just outside

Cuthbert’s Chronicle

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The Pilgrims’ Path to Lindisfarne

Hebron, due north of Morpeth, near to the appropriately named St Cuthbert’s Church. On the Friday the weather, which up to this point had been warm but overcast, kicked up a notch, making our journey somewhat more challenging.

Knocking on doors for water occurred at an increasing rate, but this actually gave us both an insight into our journey.

People would often ask us what we, two slightly dishevelled young men, were doing, which had a straight forward answer of “We’re walking to Lindisfarne”.

The follow up question of “Why?” was always harder to answer. We’d tell them something about college or the bar crawl, but really we did it because we wanted to and because we could - something which is becoming more and more uncommon as technology and commitments take over our lives. We ran into other people doing long distance walks (the St Oswald’s and St Cuthbert’s Way both run in the same area), but our route was just for us, made up and adjusted as we saw fit. Wild camping helped to make the

whole thing more adventurous, and we also spent our last night in St Cuthbert’s Cave, where the body of St Cuthbert was hidden from the Norse invasion. Despite the midges, this truly was an experience we’ll look back on fondly, as we built yet another connection to the group of monks who travelled over these lands to eventually found Durham.

The last day began as we set off to follow St Cuthbert’s Way for the final 10 miles, with a plan to meet Elena (JCR President) and Rishi (JCR FCO) before our crossing to the island. After Euan narrowly avoided falling into a rather deep pond, we located the car and shed our boots, let our weary feet enjoy the cool water and set off across the Pilgrims’ Path to the island. The tide was still decreasing during our crossing, so we were slightly wetter than expected; however ending our journey this way truly did make us feel like Pilgrims.

After visiting our last pub, trying out the mead from the Meadery (and

drawing strong comparisons to Euan’s homebrewed meads) and visiting St Cuthbert’s Island, we all crowded into Elena’s car to return to Durham, taking us back to the place we’d started 5 days and 95 miles beforehand.

Journey’s End

Euan Martin James Cochran

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July 2019 February 2020

Cuthbert’s Chronicle

St Cuthbert’s Alumni Association

The Alumni Association connects alumni to St Cuthbert’s Society and the University, offering social and professional opportunities to the alumni community.

Firstly congratulations to all those Cuth’s students who have graduated this January.

I hope you have all enjoyed your time at Cuth’s and are looking forward to whatever the future holds.

Alistair Stewart (Geology, 2016) Chair, Alumni Association chair@cuths.org

I have now been Chair of the Alumni Association for over a year, and the time has really flown by. In that time, I have personally started my professional career and recently moved out, becoming an ‘actual adult’ making the step from being a recent graduate to looking ahead for the next few years.

The Alumni Association has also been busy. In September, we gave back to the

JCR, using money raised over the last few years to purchase a range of sound equipment for their green machine. This equipment can be used for plays and productions as well as other events.

Hopefully it will be put to good use over the coming years.

This year also sees the celebration of 50 years of Cuth’s women with an event having already taken place down in London this November. I wasn’t able to attend myself, but it sounded very enjoyable based on what I have heard from those who attended.

Do keep an eye out for other events in

Cuthbert’s Chronicle

Brooks Bar News

the near future aimed at celebrating the 50 years of Cuth’s women. It is a very significant part of the history of St.Cuthbert’s Society and Durham University, with Cuth’s leading the way by becoming the first mixed college, and well worth celebrating.

Finally I would like to end by thanking Matt Glover who has worked tirelessly over the last few years as the Events Manager for the Association and is stepping down, now at the end of his tenure. His work often goes unnoticed with lots of time spent planning events and finding suitable venues, and he will be sorely missed.

If anyone is interested in getting involved with the Association, feel free to contact me at chair@cuths.org Alistair Stewart Chair of St Cuthbert’s Alumni Association

Since its opening in 2006, Brooks Bar has never quite been as successful as its Bailey counterpart. Much of the reason behind this is perhaps the Bailey Bar’s location in town, making it a frequent stop for tourists from other colleges. However, for a site which houses two-thirds of our fresher intake, as well as a range of returners and postgraduates, there certainly should be more of a scene at Brooks. In my time at least, there was a self-perpetuating myth (which became fact) that no one really went to Brooks. How did we try and change it? Well it certainly doesn’t easily fall into the scope of my role as ‘Finance & Compliance Officer’; however it was something I cared about and indeed, something which I don’t think anyone had made a concerted effort at changing in the last few years. After creating a strategy document with the President Elena and our new Bar Steward Kesh, we turned to the oldest trick in the book: lie to the freshers.

We wanted to change the culture around Brooks and to do this required something dramatic and inventive. Thus, ‘Brooks Fridays’ were born. We told all the Freps to tell the freshers that this was a ‘thing’: that every Friday, people just went to Brooks and had a few drinks.

@st.cuthberts.association

@Cuths

contact@cuths.org

cuths.org

Was this remotely true? No. Did it work? Partly. For context, on the first Brooks Friday, the bar took £1200.

The corresponding Friday the year previously, Brooks took less than £50.

It became a meme amongst Freps, people hosted more socials there and we had three successful pub quizzes over the course of the term.

Part of the strategy involved getting new furniture, more suited to a pub.

We got rid of the round tables and low, cumbersome chairs and brought in bar stools, square tables and pub chairs.

There is still some reupholstering to be done but the changes have been very well received. It is my hope that from next term and onwards, the physical changes will contribute to the cultural changes and push Brooks onwards to new heights.

Rishi Jindal FCO

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FebruaryJuly 2020 2019

Cuthbert’s Chronicle

St Cuthbert’s Society Boat Club

Past and present members of SCSBC with the new VIII named ‘Wayne Turfrey’

It has been an exciting and progressive time for the Boat Club. To mark the club’s 125th anniversary in 2018 we launched a fundraising appeal to put towards our boat fund. We held a number of events including a celebration for over 90 past and present members; an auction of customized blades and seats; and a 500km sponsored ‘Ergathon’. As well as celebrating the club’s rich history, we also managed to raise over £6,000 to be put towards our boat fund in order to revitalise the fleet.

Thanks to the generosity of all those who donated to the club, I am delighted to announce that we were able to purchase a new VIII to be shared by our Men’s and Women’s squads as the new 1st VIII. This new boat is a Resolute – an American brand hugely popular amongst the US collegiate rowing programs and renowned for maintaining a high standard of performance over a long lifetime, ideal for college rowing. With the remaining funds, we hope to buy a second-hand coxed IV to be used primarily by the Men’s Squad, but which will also be suitable for the Women’s Squad. Coxed IVs are very well suited to the Wear and having a competitive boat weighted for men will allow us to race at more events throughout the year. As stated in our anniversary appeal,

the final purchase in our sights will be a second-hand single, weighted for women, to promote sculling within the club and to diversify the range of events we are able to compete in.

Boat Naming Ceremony

On Sunday 2nd February past and present members of SCSBC gathered to name the new VIII after much loved and missed Cuth’s porter Wayne Turfrey. We were delighted that Wayne’s family were able to attend. Former Boat Club Captains Albert Hodgson (1954-1955) and Petrina Witt (2017-2018) were also there.

Cuthbert’s Chronicle

Cuth’s 12 Days of Outreach Women at Rutherford Head

Men racing at Rutherford We have had a strong start to the 2019/20 season.

In our senior squads, for the first time in a few years, we have been able to field two VIIIs from each of the Men’s and Women’s Squads which is a great sign of our squad depth. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get on the water as much as we would like on account of the terrible weather Durham has experienced. Nevertheless, at Rutherford Head in December we raced in the new VIII for the first time.

Our Men’s and Women’s Squads placed 5th and 4th respectively amongst the colleges in what is shaping up to be a very competitive year for college rowing.

With more training and race practice in Epiphany, both crews are hoping to climb up the rankings as we look towards the bigger races of the year. The freshers have signed up in vast numbers and remain keen and committed despite the lack of outings that the Wear has granted them. At the Novice Cup our top Men’s IV came 2nd overall and our top Women’s IV placed 6th, which is a very promising start to their rowing careers.

Buoyed by the investment in our fleet we are looking to reinstate SCSBC as one of the top clubs in Durham – watch out for us at WeHoRR, HoRR and Durham Regatta!

Giles Matthews, SCSBC Captain of Boats 2019/20 cuthberts.boatclub@durham.ac.uk

This term Cuth’s Outreach Committee put on their biggest fundraiser yet, 12 Days of Outreach. This entailed a fundraising event every day of the first 12 days of December, some small and some not so small.

The events included a bake sale, Santa Hat Formal, ice bucket challenges, karaoke and finally, a Cuth’s classic, a silent disco. Alongside the fundraising events we also did a food drive, collecting non-perishable goods which were donated to both the Durham Foodbank and DASH (Durham Action on Single Housing). In total the committee managed to raise £637, and a considerable amount of food (who knew students had so much unwanted food!). The money was donated to Hope for Christmas, an appeal made by Children North East. The money helped disadvantaged families in the North East have a Christmas as normal as possible, by buying small Christmas presents, ingredients for a Christmas dinner, jumpers to keep them warm at Christmastime. Children North East thanks us all and says that this is a significant donation, with every pound being spent to help children in the North East. The committee would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated and also to everyone who helped in the organisation of the 12 days. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Sammy Alcock JCR Outreach Chair 2019-2020

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Cuthbert’s Chronicle Cuthbert’s Chronicle

July 2019

Senior Common Room Colleges are such an important part of life at Durham that it’s easy to forget that not all universities are collegiate.

It can be surprisingly difficult to explain what colleges are to someone who has never been part of one. Prospective undergraduates start to get a sense of all this at open days and freshers understand it within minutes of arriving, thanks to the energetic welcome they receive and the carefully prepared programme of events that follow.

In recent years, we have gained a new SCR member on average every three weeks. A steady stream of the newcomers are guests who have attended a college event and have instantly felt an affinity for the vitality of the Cuth’s community.

Others hear about us by reputation and inquire about joining. The membership is pleasingly diverse, with a mixture of academics, administrative staff, local alumni and members of other important Durham organisations; for example, we

are fortunate to number the Headmaster of the Chorister School, the Dean of the Cathedral and the Chief Constable, amongst many others, in our current membership. A new university-wide scheme will bring the college dimension to the attention of staff by assigning all new employees to an SCR. While we know that not all new university staff will become active college members, we are looking forward to this new opportunity to show what colleges and our particular SCR have to offer.

In the meantime, another academic year is well under way. As usual, the SCR has engaged with new students by sharing a cross-section of SCR members’ research interests at informal presentations. Also relating to research has been a new “research slam” initiative from the JCR postgraduate reps, where anyone can speak about an ongoing, incomplete or even a stuck research project without giving prior notice. In a reversal of the

normal pattern for College events, a research slam in October commenced in the Bailey Bar and adjourned to the SCR when the bar became too lively for our deeply engrossed conversation.

Other young traditions have established themselves further, including the twiceyearly tasting of real ales and artisan cheeses for the two Common Rooms together. A mead tasting and lecture by two Physics students earlier in the year led to Cuth’s-made spiced mead being used in the mince pies served by SCR member Gillian Banks after the College Carols Service at St Margaret’s Church. And the splendid choral music at the Carols Service is itself becoming a hallmark of Cuth’s; the College Choir continues to go from strength to strength and can now count itself amongst Durham’s finest.

Do remember that alumni are always welcome to participate in SCR events.

It is always a pleasure to see former students back at Cuth’s.

Dr Mark Miller, SCR President scr.president@durham.ac.uk

Cuthbert’s Chronicle

We believe that the best and brightest should be able to study here, regardless of financial capacity

Supporting the next generation of Cuth’s students

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You can help to ensure that students from all backgrounds can enjoy the same opportunities as past generations of Cuth’s students.

Support the St Cuthbert’s Society Bursaries Fund today.

Visit durham.ac.uk/st-cuthberts. society/alumni/fundraising

What’s on at Cuth’s

June

@CuthbertsAlumni

@CuthsAlumni

June

cuthberts.alumnirelations @durham.ac.uk

durham.ac.uk/ st-cuthberts.society/alumni

September

Principal’s Garden Party and Art Society Show

Cuth’s Day

Alumni Weekend

Venue: 12 South Bailey

Venue: 12 South Bailey

Venue: Durham

Date: 14th June 2020

Date: 20th June 2020

Date: 11th-13th September 2020