From Tolkien to Cabaret and Italian Theatre: Annual Fund Student Grants Scheme

The Pembroke Annual Fund exists thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends of Pembroke. The fund aims to provide students with opportunities to develop skills for employment by taking part in sports, arts and other College societies, while representing Pembroke through their proposed scheme.

2015-16 was the eighth year of operation of the Annual Fund Student Grants Scheme. A total of £5,600 was available, and grants made at discretion of the JCR-MCR-Development Committee. 

Just some of the events and schemes supported this year are listed below:

The 'Tolkien Lecture' by Terri Windling

'Insights into Contemporary Italian Theatre – Altri mondi: A Conversation with Marco Paolini'

Pembroke 'Big Nights In' – a range of alternative social events                   

The Pembroke Musical - 'Cabaret'                     

Pembroke Parlour Group                           

The Pembroke Writers' Guild

Pathways to Board Roles - Oxford Women in Politics in Partnership with Pembroke College

MCR Cambridge exchange trip with Queen’s College

Pembroke Film Masterclasses      

Pembroke yoga classes                 

Pembroke Diversity Week

Will Badger (D.Phil English), who helped to run the Tolkien Lecture, described its benefits for the College community: 'Over 100 Pembroke students and members of the community came to Terri's talk entitled 'Tolkien's Long Shadow: Reflections on Fantasy Literature in the Post-Tolkien Era'. Thanks to the generosity of the Annual Fund, the Tolkien Lecture continues to allow Pembroke students to meet one-on-one and network with prominent writers and editors in the fantasy field'.

The Annual Fund's support for the Parlour Group - a discussion group run by the JCR - had huge benefits, as undergraduate Jenny Venables (History and Politics, 2014) explains: 'The aim of Parlour Group was to provide Pembroke students a platform and a space to discuss a wide array of topics, from current affairs to sciences to politics, in a relaxed setting with no pressure to abide by debating rules and conventions. The group has been a success and has been popular amongst undergraduates and postgraduates alike. I particularly enjoyed our discussion about the impact of modern technology and social media on modern relationships.'

John Shepherd (History, 2014) reflected on his experience working on student musical Cabaret: 'What struck me during show week was how everyone around College was suddenly talking about the show, engaging with its themes and historical context and with music and drama more generally. With money from the Annual Fund we not only had the resources to put on a great show but we can now put more of the profits back into Pembroke music and drama.'

Events supported by the Annual Fund often benefit individuals as well as the wider community. Enrichetta Lucilla Frezzato (D.Phil Medieval and Modern Languages) noted the academic and cultural impact of Marco Paolini's performance at Pembroke: 'Organising the event and meeting the author allowed me to discuss and integrate his insight into my research, but also provided a unique opportunity to bring one of the foremost figures in contemporary Italian theatre to the UK'.

Pembroke is grateful to those who have made these schemes possible through the Annual Fund.