Thank you to everyone who responded to this year’s telethon, either by answering the phone, making a donation or emailing a message of support.
Thirteen students came back to College early this September and shared conversations with over five hundred members of Churchill College’s alumni community during the telephone campaign just before the start of Michaelmas term. Both parties enjoyed the experience:
“How lovely that students are making personal connections with alumni and gaining fundraising experience.”
“It was really a delight to speak to the student who was in touch. Definitely impressive!”
“I had a great time getting to know alumni and hearing all of their stories.”
“Every day was different with new conversations and diverse perspectives!”
A fantastic 59% of alumni who chatted to a student also chose to make a gift to the College, which is a real testament to the warmth of the Churchill community. Renewed thanks goes to our matching donors for this telethon, Dr Tony Wild (G68), Dr Eddie Powell (U&G67), Mrs Shirley Kramvis (U72) and Mr Andreas Kramvis (U71), for their incredibly generous support which has again inspired and encouraged other alumni to donate.
Over £159,000 was raised for the Winston Churchill Top-Up Bursary Fund so that the College can meet the rising need for these additional bursaries which provide up to £2,000 of extra financial support to the increasing number of undergraduates from the very lowest socio-economic group, for whom the £3,500 maximum Cambridge Bursary is insufficient.
This year’s telethon also raised over £157,000 of donations for the Class Giving programme which names a Cambridge Bursary after a particular cohort. The 1972-77 Bursary Fund has now reached its target meaning that, along with the 1977-81 and 1988-92 Bursary, it is fully endowed so that this Bursary will be awarded in perpetuity. The 1995-99 and 2000-04 Bursary have reached 85% and 62% of their £100,000 targets respectively.
Donations were of course not only made to funds supporting undergraduate students. Over £93,000 was raised for funds which are reserved specifically for postgraduate students, including the Graduate Studentship Endowment Fund. The College is committed to increasing the number of Graduate Studentships it is able to offer to encourage the most talented students to Churchill for their postgraduate studies.
We are extremely grateful to everyone who has felt able to make a gift in response to this year’s telethon. Every gift makes a real difference to what the College is able to achieve. It is only thanks to this community’s generosity that it is possible for the College to continue to award over £1m of financial support to current Churchillians each year.
Thank you.