Corpus Christi tour with the Regional Champions 2024-25

On Wednesday 22nd of October, we took twenty Jack Petchey’s Speak Out Challenge Regional Champions from 2024-25 to visit Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University.

The tour began with a thought provoking taster session with Dr Sarah Fine, Philosophy Fellow on the interesting yet sensitive topic of Nationalism.

Following a delicious lunch, the students had a tour of the college with undergraduates Chloe, Dennis and Jacob which included Old Court, New Court and the beautifully tranquil Corpus Christi Chapel. Amongst the fun facts, we had: 1) Corpus Christi is the only college in Cambridge founded by townspeople, and 2) some believe that Old Court is haunted!

“Estela really enjoyed the visit to Cambridge which she found very interesting and informative.  I think it gave her a pretty good idea of what the university environment feels like.  She was even approached by a former student from her school who recognised the uniform!”

For many of the Alumni, the highlight of the day was a visit to the world famous Parker Library, one of the most significant surviving renaissance libraries in Europe.  Sub-Librarian Tuija Ainonen guided us through the history of the collection and educated us in the pre/post print era.  The students were also able to handle some animal parchment as used by the scribes during the Medieval ages.

We finished off the day with a talk from Lucy Thompson, Admissions and Outreach Coordinator who explained the application process for Cambridge University and answered a multitude of questions from our inquisitive Alumni.  All the Regional Champions left that session feeling excited about their future prospects having had many Oxbridge myths dismissed!

We would like to thank Lucy for once again opening the doors of the college and welcoming our Alumni with open arms. We look forward to seeing you next year!

“Thank you once again for providing these amazing opportunities to the students who take part in Jack Petchey’s Speak Out Challenge!”

All quotes provided by the Alumni