December is one of the most popular times for charitable giving in the UK so it felt like a fitting time to celebrate just a few of the ways that the St Catharine’s community supports charities. Our students, staff, Fellows and alumni give their spare time, money and other donations to causes close to their hearts. Read on to learn about a few recent examples.
Giving time
Cara Bossom, a first-year Modern & Medieval Languages undergraduate, is the St Catharine’s representative for Cambridge University Amnesty International (CUAI), a student group of Amnesty UK.
“I was a keen supporter of Amnesty International while I was at school and so it seemed obvious to sign up to join CUAI during the Freshers’ Fair at the start of the year. When I learned that they were looking for college reps, I applied and was thrilled to be picked to represent Catz. I have already organised a festive-themed fundraising campaign, alongside an event in support of the annual ‘Write for Rights’ campaign, resulting in letters of solidarity being sent around the world, to combat human rights violation cases identified by Amnesty in 2023. Look out for more events at Catz and across the University next term!”
Student-organised event in support of Amnesty International in the St Catharine's JCR (credit: Cara Bossom)
Meanwhile, Alex Gao, a final-year Engineering undergraduate, has been volunteering at the Oxfam shop on Bridge Street in Cambridge. Since March 2023, he has aimed to volunteer for 2–4 hours each week.
He commented, “I get so much from my experience with Oxfam. I enjoy serving the students and local community who use the shop, providing a friendly face at the till and freeing up the rest of the team to manage more complex parts of the shop’s operations.”
Giving money
One way our students donate to charity is through the activities organised by our Junior Combination Room (JCR) for undergraduates and Middle Combination Room (MCR) for postgraduates. For example, the JCR Committee has donated £950 to charities this term, including Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust, Sickle Cell Society, Terrence Higgins Trust, Chase Africa, IPPF Ukraine, The Kite Trust and SolidariTee. Recent student-led fundraising events included an AfroBeats Bop with a raffle in support of the Sickle Cell Society and a Christmas Karaoke session in support of SolidariTee.
Lydia Brassil, a second-year Law undergraduate and the JCR Charities Officer, said:
“I am proud that charitable giving has long been embedded in student activities at Catz. We have fundraised for a huge range of different causes, which has benefited the charities but also given a sense of purpose to the students involved. I’m also looking forward to Cambridge Pink Week in February, which will be a big focus next term. My time as Charities Officer is coming to an end and I would encourage students who are passionate about charities to consider standing.”
The student-organised foodbank drive
A karaoke fundraiser
St Catharine’s staff traditionally organise a raffle to support a chosen charity at this time of year. The 2023 raffle was drawn at the staff Christmas party and raised £645 for Young Minds, a mental health charity for children and young people.
One of the highlights of the College calendar at Christmas is ‘Luminaria: A Ceremony of Light’, a special outdoor performance by our Girls’ Choir held in Main Court that is open to the public. During this year’s event, donations were collected for the Arthur Rank Hospice. Over £230 was raised thanks to the generosity of all present and our sponsors Mills & Reeve.
St Catharine's Girls' Choir performing at the Luminaria event in December 2023
Other types of donations
Not all our members are in a position to give significant amounts of time or money, but there have been opportunities to give in other ways this term. During Black History Month in October, there was a student-organised blood donation drive: many sickle cell patients have the Ro blood subtype and there is a gap between the amount of Ro blood collected and the demand for Ro blood from hospitals (the Ro subtype is 10 times more common in people of African and Caribbean descent, who account for the vast majority of sickle cell cases). Closer to Christmas, there was a food bank donation drive, with a collection of tins and other non-perishable items that students might otherwise leave behind over the vacation period.
About fundraising at St Catharine's
As a registered charity and active fundraiser for our own charitable objectives, St Catharine’s is obliged to comply with legislation and follow Charity Commission guidance, which means we can only fund another charity as a way of meeting our own charitable purposes. This applies to institutional activities rather than donations organised by individual members of our community.
