2021 News Highlights

Liz Osman

David Johnson

David Johnson

Lord Woolley installed as Principal

Lord Woolley of Woodford was officially installed as Principal of Homerton College on Friday 1 October. In a ceremony shared in person with Fellows, staff and student representatives, and via livestream with the student and alumni communities, he made the following declaration:

“I, Simon, Lord Woolley of Woodford, accept the office of the Principal of Homerton College, and promise that I will fulfill the duties of that office to the best of my ability; and that I will loyally observe the statutes and ordinances and good customs of the College; and that I will in all things endeavour to promote the peace, honour and wellbeing of the College.”

He then spoke movingly of his intention that the College should be “a beacon” for young men and women of all backgrounds to aspire to, and a place where everyone should feel a sense of belonging. Acknowledging the significance of the fact that he became the first Black man to lead a Cambridge or Oxford College, on the first day of Black History Month, he echoed the words of Dr Martin Luther King, stating that Homerton has both “a dream, and a plan” to support its students to do “great things.”

Farewell to Geoff

On Friday, 10 September, staff and Fellows gathered to bid farewell to Professor Geoff Ward as Principal.

The first such gathering since pre-pandemic, it was both an opportunity for colleagues to reconnect, and a chance to recognise Geoff’s enormous contribution to Homerton. As Vice-Principal Dr Louise Joy noted in a heartfelt speech, Geoff’s personal warmth and approachability have shaped the atmosphere of the College, while his determination and ambition have seen it grow in confidence, stature and reputation.

Poet-in-Residence Dr Mariah Whelan read her poem, written for the occasion, The Cut-leaf Beech, and presented Geoff with a parting gift of the poem, beautifully illustrated by College Porter Alastair Meikle.

Geoff was sworn in as an Honorary Fellow of Homerton on Friday, 3 December. The same day saw Homerton College Boat Club launch their new boat, ‘Geoff’.

“Having served the College for eight years as Principal, I am honoured and excited to join Homerton’s small and very distinguished group of Honorary Fellows,” he said.

“I will aim to be an ambassador for, and enthusiastic supporter of this wonderful place, which under my successor Lord Woolley’s leadership goes from strength to strength. I am also touched to have had a new boat named after me. I wish our excellent rowers many years of success and pleasure on the water with ‘Geoff’.”

David Johnson

Geoff is presented with a farewell poem

Launching ‘Geoff’

Sally Nott

Farewell poem by Dr Mariah Whelan, illustrated by Alastair Meikle

A Royal Visit

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visited Homerton on Tuesday, 23 November, in a celebration of the College’s vision to welcome and support students from all ethnic and social backgrounds, and to gain an understanding of the Black experience at Cambridge.

The visit came at the personal invitation of the Principal, Lord Woolley. Lord Woolley has previously collaborated with The Prince’s Trust on addressing disadvantage among minority ethnic groups.

His Royal Highness attended a private discussion of Black students’ experience at Cambridge with the Principal, admissions staff, students and alumni. Students from BAME backgrounds made up 35% of Homerton’s intake last year, and the College works hard to ensure that students of all ethnicities and social backgrounds feel welcomed and able to call Homerton home.

He also met directors and participants of Homerton’s unique co-curricular Changemakers programme, from whom he heard of its capacity to change lives through applying interdisciplinary skills to real-world situations.

His Royal Highness was introduced to staff and Fellows who have supported students

David Johnson Martin Bond

Martin Bond

David Johnson

David Johnson

Martin Bond

through the pandemic, who described the College’s focus on student wellbeing.

Unveiling a plaque, His Royal Highness said:

“It really is inspiring to hear of all the initiatives that are taking place, such as the Changemakers who are being prepared to provide the selfless, visionary leadership that we so desperately need. For our society to meet successfully the huge challenges before us, we will need all our talents and all our contributions... so I simply want to congratulate Lord Woolley for the leadership he is showing, and to wish him and all of you the greatest success as you seek to build a society which works for all our people.”

Lord Woolley said:

“I am personally honoured that His Royal Highness is excited about what we’re doing here at Homerton at this stage in our history, which is to be a beacon both of academic excellence and of teeming diversity.”

Martin Bond

David Johnson

David Johnson

David Johnson

Civil Rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson sworn in as Honorary Fellow

On Tuesday, 14 December, Reverend Jesse Jackson was sworn in as an Honorary Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge.

A lifelong civil rights campaigner, who worked for Martin Luther King Jr in the 1960s, Reverend Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) in 1971, and the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984. The two operations merged in 1996, becoming the Rainbow PUSH Coalition (RPC), which today is an international human and civil rights organisation, working to empower people through grassroots advocacy.

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1941, he was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1968. He stood as the Democratic candidate for the Presidency in 1984 and 1988 and gave speeches which cemented his reputation as a powerful and passionate orator.

Jesse Jackson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 2000, and this year the French President Emmanuel Macron awarded him the Légion D’Honneur.

Lord Woolley, Principal of Homerton, said:

“This, no doubt, will be one of my greatest professional honours, to induct civil rights icon, Reverend Jesse Jackson to Homerton College as an Honorary Fellow. For more than 60 years Reverend Jackson has been at the forefront in the struggle for social and racial justice, not just in the US, but across the world. This Honorary Fellowship sounds out a clear statement of intent: as a College we’re ambitious, and we want our students and researchers to believe that they, like Reverend Jackson, can change our world.”

Homerton undergraduate Frankie Richards (BA Education 2019) demonstrated the intergenerational power of Reverend Jackson’s work and reputation, addressing him directly in a moving speech.

Alluding to her grandparents, of a similar age to Reverend Jackson, who moved to the UK

David Johnson

Reverend Jackson is sworn in as an Honorary Fellow Reverend Jackson with student Frankie Richards

Reverend Jackson is welcomed by Lord Woolley

David Johnson

from St Kitts and Nevis, she spoke of how their hard work and his passion prepared the ground for her and her sister to reach academic heights.

“I was not born when the Reverend and many other prominent civil rights leaders…first fought for educational provision and equity of access… The Reverend is here today representing those generations who paved the way before us. And that is why I am a hopeful young person, because I can only hope that when I am fortunate enough to be in Lord Woolley’s position, that another young person, another young woman of colour, is here to say thank you.”

Frankie also sang with the Homerton Jazz Orchestra (HoJO), during a lunch with Reverend Jackson and College Fellows.

During the ceremony, Fellows and guests watched a video montage of Reverend Jackson’s speeches, including those to the Democratic Conventions in 1984 and 1988. Dr Fernanda Gallo, Director of Studies in History and Politics, provided an overview of how Reverend Jackson’s faith and ministry inspire and ignite his politics.

“When, 10 years ago I was teaching political communication in the middle of the Swiss Alps at the University of Lugano and showing the students Reverend Jesse Jackson’s speeches, I would have never imagined having the opportunity in my life to honour and celebrate his work as we are doing here today,” she said.

“In those classes, I discussed with my students the movement of black emancipation in America and the key role of the black church and of black pastors in conceiving sermons that were political speeches, and political speeches that were sermons, as they both are different approaches to achieve the same thing: conveying the good news, conveying hope – as Jesse Jackson said.”

Fellow in Politics Dr Robin Bunce then described the impact Reverend Jackson has had on British politics, and his support of black representation in Parliament in the 1980s.

“Reverend Jackson’s career stretches from the era of Civil Rights, to the era of Black Lives Matter. As an opponent of segregation in the US, War in Vietnam, and Apartheid in South Africa, he has been a tireless campaigner for social and racial justice. As leader of the Rainbow Coalition he has been a champion of the dispossessed and the marginalised.”

New Porters’ Lodge

In July, Homerton announced that Alison Brooks Architects had been selected to design the new Porters’ Lodge and Principal Entrance to the College, creating the main access point from Hills Road.

The challenge posed to the competitors in this two-stage competition was to create a new entrance appropriate to the size and ambition of Cambridge’s newest College; including a new Porters’ Lodge which both welcomes first-time visitors and meets the needs of resident students; and to expand the College Library, allowing it to host exhibitions as well as provide study space.

Professor Geoff Ward, the then Principal of Homerton College, said:

“Submissions were received from a number of well-known architectural practices who would undoubtedly have produced eye-catching and highly functional answers to the questions posed. Alison Brooks have produced a compelling design concept, based on a new ‘beacon’ building, which will through dialogue and consultation result in a beautiful, multi-purpose and future-facing answer to the College’s needs. We look forward to working closely in partnership with Alison and her team on this exciting, flagship project.”

The design is described by its architects as the ‘College lantern’ and takes the form of a threestorey pavilion positioned within a new College Square, in front of the Mary Allan Building. The ground floor accommodates the Porters’ Lodge, which includes a large foyer and exhibition area on its northern side, a new glazed link connecting the new foyer to the existing Library and a broad verandah to welcome visitors from Hills Road. A large copper clad structure rising above the Lodge will house the Children’s Literature Resource Centre on the first floor, above which is a storey of research rooms and a large storage area for books.

Alison Brooks Architects is a distinguished architectural practice with many recent successes, including new buildings in Eddington, Cambridge and the Cohen Quadrangle, a reinvention of the Oxbridge quadrangle for Exeter College, Oxford. Among their many awards for design excellence, Alison Brooks Architects is the only UK practice to have won the RIBA Stirling Prize, the Manser Medal and the Stephen Lawrence Prize.

Alison Brooks, Founder and Creative Director of Alison Brooks Architects, said:

“We’re delighted with this opportunity to design Homerton College’s new Entrance Building and Children’s Literature Resource Centre as a welcoming ‘lantern’ and multipurpose hub for the College’s communities. We’re very much inspired by Homerton’s campus, its Arts and Crafts legacy and we look forward to producing its first net zero mass timber building.”

Filippo Bolognese Images

Image of the new Porters’ Lodge as seen from Hills Road

A new era of Homerton sport

Homerton celebrated the opening of the new pavilion at the College’s Long Road sports ground on 26 October, marking the completion of a two-year building project which has continued throughout the pandemic.

The site, which is shared with St Mary’s School, includes facilities for rugby, football, hockey, netball, tennis and athletics, on floodlit all-weather pitches and courts. The pavilion provides changing areas as well as a multi-purpose event space.

The pavilion was officially opened by Judge Jeff Blackett, President of the Rugby Football Union 2020-21. Judge Blackett and his wife, Sally, were in Cambridge as part of 150 mile walk undertaken over 15 days, to raise funds for the Injured Players Foundation.

Homerton Bursar Deborah Griffin spoke of the importance to students’ mental and physical health of having the opportunity to participate in sport during Cambridge’s intense terms, and said that she was proud that Homerton now has “the best sports facilities of any College in Cambridge.”

David Johnson

Judge Jeff Blackett presents the Bursar with a plaque to mark the opening of the pavilion

The Lost Film

Unseen for 80 years, a wartime film starring Peter Cushing has been tracked down through the determination of Homerton archivist, Svetlana Paterson.

Filmed at Homerton, which was then a teacher training college, the film was made in 1944 to highlight plans for an overhaul in the education system. It follows an idealistic trainee teacher, played by Yvonne Rory, as she studies at Homerton, learns to manage classroom discipline, and enjoys building a first connection with a pupil.

The College had been aware of the existence of the film for many years, owing to still photographs taken at Homerton and held by the archive. But the film itself was feared lost, with appeals to the British Film Institute and the Peter Cushing Society yielding no results.

Svetlana has maintained ‘the search for the lost film’ as a side project for much of the past decade. But this year saw a breakthrough when she received a DVD of the film from Yvonne Rory’s extended family in Scotland.

Not only did this allow Svetlana to view the film for the first time, but it was the first clue that an original film reel must have survived long enough to be transferred to the relatively new technology.

A few months later she made contact with the immediate family, now living in Devon, who had inherited a film reel among their late father’s belongings.

“Yvonne Rory died young, and it appears that her widower asked the Central Office of Information for a copy of the film after her death,” says Svetlana. “Without that, there might not have been a surviving copy.”

The film appears never to have been shown to a contemporary audience, perhaps because its vision for post-war education clashed with the reality. But it has solid cinematic credentials, with not only Cushing’s involvement, but also a musical score by the well-known film composter Benjamin Frankel, and provides a fascinating insight into the educational ambitions of the 1940s.

Still from ‘The New School’, filmed at Homerton in 1944 Homerton plans to screen the film in the spring of 2022.