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Pembroke launches £75m campaign

On Saturday 18 March 2017, we launched The Time and The Place Campaign with a unique event in College, featuring talks, exhibitions, and music throughout the day.

The Campaign Launch began with a conversation conveying the vision for the Mill Lane site, between the Master, Steve Tompkins of Haworth Tompkins architects, and Sofia Singler, a PhD student in Architecture.

Guests chose from a series of short lectures delivered by Pembroke Fellows and graduate students, on topics ranging from understanding xenophobia to graphene, Russian art to repairing the brain.  There was also a display of graduate student poster exhibits to peruse, with the students on hand to talk about their research.  Guests could also choose to attend tours of the Mill Lane site, during which our vision for the project was expanded upon further.

As evening approached guests were welcomed to a drinks reception, at which internationally-renowned clarinettist and Honorary Fellow, Emma Johnson (1985) gave a magical performance, accompanied by student Greg Drott on the piano.  Dinner was held in a stunning marquee erected on the Bowling Green.

Entertainment during dinner was provided by the Pembroke Players, who performed a re-worked version of Tim Brooke-Taylor’s (1960) Four Yorkshiremen sketch and Eric Idle (1962), who performed with the Pembroke Choir. Undergraduate, Helen Jennings, and MPhil candidate, Matthew Mahmoudi, both gave inspiring speeches about what the Pembroke community means to them and the difference this campaign will make to students. David Robinson (1959) paid tribute to Ray Dolby (1957) for his incredibly generous legacy gift to the College, before Campaign Board members, Peter Jackson (1995) and Joanna Prior (1984) spoke about the importance of The Time and The Place campaign. Ultimately, this campaign is about enhancing and supporting the Pembroke community, and all of the speakers reflected that in their speeches.

The Time and The Place campaign aims to raise at least £60 million towards the purchase and redevelopment of the south side of Mill Lane, and an additional £15 million for bursaries and scholarships. The Campaign will enhance the Pembroke scholarly community, which was exhibited to great effect at the launch event, make Pembroke even more attractive to the best minds, and enable the College to nurture people who will change the world.