THANK YOU

The Liz Cooke Fellowship in History

Liz Cooke was unwaveringly committed to Somerville. When we lost her in 2023, we wanted to commemorate her remarkable contributions and her lifelong love of history. thanks to a phenomenal outpouring of support from the Somerville community, we are delighted to announce the successful endowment of the Liz Cooke Fellowship in History.

St Paul's Nursery

In celebration of 60 years since Professor Dorothy Hodgkin won her Nobel Prize, we decided to redevelop the outdoor area of St Paul's Nursery, a provision that Hodgkin helped establish with her prize money. As the first sitting Fellow to have a baby and receive maternity pay (then called sick pay), she understood the importance of creating this provision for academics at Somerville. Thanks to the generosity of our alumni and friends, we raised an incredible £31,439 of our £20,000 target. Work on the nursery will begin at the end of April.

The new MCR lift

Somerville’s graduate common room is now open to all, thanks to the addition of a new lift. The completion of the £45,000 project will mean that wheelchair users will now be able to access the upper level of the terrace. Graduate students in particular will benefit from being able to take a bigger role in MCR events and meetings hosted in the common room.

We would like to thank everyone who responded to our fundraising initiative earlier this year. Your contribution has made Somerville College one of the most accessible colleges in Oxford, something all Somervillians can take pride in. For members who have been unable to access the Common Room in the past, we hope you can visit the College again, and take pride and joy in enjoying this space.

From Meghmala Mukherjee (Disabled Students Representative MCR, 2022-23) and Ishani Mookherjee (Disabled Students Representative MCR, 2023-24)

The Shirley Williams Fellowship in Politics

Thanks to a warm outpouring of support from friends in Parliment and at Oxford, it is a pleasure to confirm that this year's fundraising appeal to endow our Politics Fellowship in Shirley's name was successful.

The Catherine Hughes Building

Catherine Hughes (née Pestell) was Principal of Somerville between 1989 and 1996. A diplomat and senior civil servant, she was born in County Durham and came to St Hilda’s Oxford after winning a scholarship to Leeds High School. She died on 10th December 2014 leaving a generous bequest to Somerville which has enabled College to build the Catherine Hughes Building, pictured left.

Thanks to this hugely generous bequest, Somerville is now able to house all undergraduates on site for the duration of their degrees. This not only saves students significant sums of money - Somerville has the second lowest rents across Oxford Colleges - but also ensures they live in safe accommodation amongst their peers with the College gym, library, terrace, and Hall just a stone's throw away.

Somerville College, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6HD

Registered Charity No. 1139440