Newsletter: Events at Clare Hall, Autumn 2025
Dear Clare Hall members and friends,
Please find below a list of events taking place this week and beyond, to which you are warmly invited.
Upcoming Events
Monday 15 September – Wednesday 15 October 2025
CHBC Fall Erg Challenge
The Clare Hall Boat Club is participating in the Concept2 Fall Challenge to see how many metres we can erg as a club between 15 September – 15 October! Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join, whether you have rowed with us before or not. Students, fellows, staff, alumni – everyone can participate!
If you are new to the sport, send one of our friendly captains an email at clarehall@cucbc.org and we will help get you set up on the erg machines. Make sure to sign up and join the team by 30 September!
1) Create your account: sign up for an account (it’s free to create) at https://log.concept2.com
2) Join the CHBC Team:
- On the top banner, click Teams
- Search for Clare Hall Boat Club (University of Cambridge)
- Once you’ve selected CHBC, click the Join Team button.
3) Join the Fall Team Challenge:
- Each rower needs to join the challenge
- Click ‘Teams’ on banner tab
- On right-hand side will be Next Challenge with details of the Fall Team Challenge
- Click Join Team Challenge
- Rowers need to join the Fall Team Challenge by 30th Sept (23:59 GMT)
4) Log your ergs:
- On the top banner, click on Log
- Manually input the date, distance, time and validation code (details below)
- If you use the concept2 app, your ergs may automatically populate into your logbook
5) Validation code:
- NB: option is only available if your distance is >=5000m
- After completing your erg session
- Memory
- Select your erg workout
- Click the ‘V’ symbol on the right-hand side of the screen
- 16-digit verification code will be displayed on the top right corner of the monitor
Happy erging! And as always, if you wish to put your erg skills to practice and get in a boat, CHBC is always accepting new members. Reach out at clarehall@cucbc.org!
Friday 26 September 2025, from 5.30pm
Clare Hall Family Supper
Join us for a Family Supper starting in the Meeting Room at 5.30pm where we do a craft activity, before heading for supper at about 6pm. After supper we will return to the Meeting Room to watch a film together if there is enough demand.
There is no need to book – this is an informal event and dinner will be the regular dining hall with usual prices, and half price for children. Family suppers are organised by Chandy Nath and Susannah Salter.
Saturday 27 September 2025, from 11am
Alumni Festival – talk by Helen Ritchie
As part of the University’s Alumni Festival, we are delighted to host a talk by Helen Ritchie, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Applied Arts at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Title: ‘They combined and made fine pots together’: the partnership of Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie and Norah Braden
Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie (1895–1985), granddaughter of 4th Earl of Radnor, grew up at Coleshill House, one of the grandest country houses in England. Eschewing family tradition, Pleydell-Bouverie established her own home and artistic enterprise on the estate – a pottery that she shared with female partner and fellow studio potter, Norah Braden (1901–2001).
At the forefront of the British studio pottery movement, the pair fired their handmade stoneware pots in a wood-fired kiln of Japanese design and decorated them with delicately-hued glazes, made using plant ash derived from the estate. Their work was celebrated during the interwar period – praised by critics, exhibited by London gallerists (alongside ceramics by their friends Michael Cardew and Bernard Leach), and acquired by collectors and museums.
This lecture will explore the experimental nature of the pots made by Pleydell-Bouverie and Braden and examine the reception of their work. It will consider how these women reconfigured ‘country house’ living in their quest for modernity, making space for their own queer, independent lives and artistic practice.
Wednesday 1 October – Wednesday 10 December 2025
Biomedical and Life Sciences SIG
All Clare Hall members are welcome to attend the meetings for the Biomedical and Life Sciences SIG this Michaelmas term. Meetings are held on Wednesdays 6:00-7:00pm in the Clare Hall Meeting Room.
The next talk will take place on 01.10.2025, led by Professor Martin Welch (Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge) – “You are what you eat, and the influence of the neighbours: the biology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the cystic fibrosis airways”.
See the full SIG schedule on this page.
Wednesday 1 October 2025, from 7pm
Formal Hall
There are still spaces open in next Wednesday’s Formal Hall, book your spot on Upay today to experience a wonderful evening of food and conversation with your fellow Clare Hall members!
Wednesday 1 October – Wednesday 10 December 2025
Clare Hall Through Your Lens: Community Photo Project
As Michaelmas begins, we invite all members of the Clare Hall community — students, fellows, staff, and families — to share photos of our beautiful grounds and gardens. Whether it is autumn colours, hidden corners, or favourite gathering spaces, we would love to see Clare Hall through your eyes.
Photos don not need to be professional — good-quality smartphone shots are very welcome. Please note that photos featuring identifiable people cannot be accepted. Selected images will be featured on a rotating display in the College Main Site, as well as on our website and social media, with full credit to the photographer. They will also be permanently preserved in the College Archives as part of our record in this milestone 60th anniversary year.
Find out more and submit your photos on the main event page.
Thursday 2 October – Thursday 27 November 2025
Genealogy SIG
All Clare Hall members are welcome to attend the meetings for the new Genealogy SIG this Michaelmas term. The first meeting of the term will take place on Thursday 2 October at 7.00pm in the Clare Hall Meeting Room.
Please contact Kevin Edwards (email: kevin.edwards@abdn.ac.uk) for further details.
Saturday 4 October 2025, 11am – 1pm
Clare Hall Sports & Societies Fair
Come and celebrate the amazing variety of sports, clubs, and societies that make our community so special! The Fair will run in the Common Room from 11am to 1pm on Saturday 4 October. Everyone is welcome to come along, meet members, and find out more — whether you are ready to join or just curious.
For those involved and planning to represent a sport or society: Please fill in this form to reserve a table at the fair (or forward it to the relevant person in your group): https://forms.gle/Qga5ZsfW6oBHdsGX7
Friday 10 October – Friday 28 November 2025, 2.15pm
The Betty Behrens Seminar on Classics of Historiography
The Betty Behrens Seminar on Classics of Historiography offers a unique opportunity for students and scholars to reflect on some great historical works and engage in discussion with renowned experts.
This term, the seminar will be composed of three meetings, taking place in the Richard Eden Suite, Clare Hall, West Court. To attend, please register via Eventbrite.
Learn more about the seminar here.
Saturday 11 October 2025, 7.30pm
Continuum | 500th Anniversary of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
This year’s special concert season, marking the Clare Hall’s 60th Anniversary, opens with a choral performance celebrating the 500th Anniversary of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Continuum will sing his Missa Papae Marcelli, interspersed with settings of the Song of Songs by William Walton, Edward Bairstow, Maurice Duruflé, Becky McGlade, Ola Gjeilo, and Eleanor Daley. The concert will also feature the premiere of a new work by Lucy Walker, Composer-in-Residence of Clare Hall.
*Please note that this concert is taking place in Robinson College Chapel.
Tickets: £20 General Admission, £15 Clare Hall members, £5 students (available via Eventbrite).
Join us for this unforgettable evening of music and celebration!
Tuesday 14 October – Tuesday 2 December 2025, 7.15pm
Clare Hall Colloquia
Clare Hall’s Colloquia provide members of the College – especially (but not exclusively) Visiting Fellows and Life Members – with an opportunity to present their research, whether in its early stages or already published, in a friendly setting. They are a great way to discuss your ideas, meet fellow members and to contribute to our vibrant community. Sessions take place on Tuesday evenings during term time, 7:15–9:15pm, in the Clare Hall Meeting Room. Refreshments are provided.
The first session of the term is on Tuesday 14 October 2025. Further details will be shared in due course.
Wednesday 15 October 2025
PdOC Research Showcase 2025 – Call for Submissions
The Postdocs of Cambridge Society(PdOC) is delighted to announce that the PdOC Research Showcase 2025 will form part of the Research Pathways Symposium: Innovate, Connect, Advance, taking place on 10th November 2025 at the WestHub. This interdisciplinary symposium is designed to celebrate cutting-edge research across all fields while highlighting how AI and innovative approaches can transform research practices. As this event is aimed at a wide audience from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, we encourage abstracts that are accessible, engaging, and demonstrate the broader significance of your work beyond your immediate field. There will also be generous prizes awarded for the best talks and posters.
Clare Hall Postdoctoral members are warmly invited to submit an abstract for the PdOC Research Showcase 2025, which will take place on 10th November 2025. Abstracts of up to 250 words can be submitted via the form by 15th October 2025: Submit your abstract here
Please indicate your preference for a talk or poster (or both). If you would like to include images, please email them to marie.spreckley@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk with a reference to your abstract.
Friday 17 October 2025, 5.30pm
The King Lecture – Professor Bonnie Bassler
We are delighted to welcome Professor Bonnie Bassler as our speaker for the 2025/26 King Lecture, on Friday, 17 October 2025, from 17:30 in the Robinson Auditorium.
Find more information about the lecture and ticket booking here.
Current Exhibitions
Friday 10 October – Thursday 20 November 2025, 10am-5pm
Everyday Wonder to Revelation
Clare Hall is honoured to host an exhibition of paintings by Alan Caine (1936–2022), running from 10th October to 20th November 2025. Visitors are welcome daily between 10am and 5pm.
Learn more about the exhibition here.
Ongoing
The Bell Collection of British Studio Pottery, 1920-1980
A rotating display of some 400 pieces of studio ceramics. Learn more at https://www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk/bellcollection/
Activities and Societies
Thursdays and Sundays, 21 September – 11 December 2025
Yoga Sessions
We are delighted to host regular Thursday lunchtime and Sunday afternoon yoga sessions in the Michaelmas term. Yoga is a holistic mind–body practice that combines physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation to promote strength, flexibility, and inner balance.
A full list of dates and the sign up sheet can be found here.
Tuesdays, ongoing through the Michaelmas Term
Mindful Meditation Sessions
Through mindfulness we cultivate attention to the here and now. We aim to witness our thoughts and feelings with detachment. We develop concentration, peace of mind and enjoyment of life with all its challenges.
As a group, we explore different means of developing mindfulness, including relaxation, guided meditation and attention to the breath or to a mantra. The sessions are led by Elizabeth Garnsey, and meet in the King Room on Main Site on Tuesdays 1-2pm. The door is open 1-2 but you are welcome to slip in and out whenever convenient for you. All members of the college and friends are welcome, including students, staff, fellows, researchers and visitors. Please contact ewg11@cam.ac.uk with any questions.
Wednesday 1 October – Wednesday 10 December 2025
Taiji (Tai Chi) and QiGong Sessions
We are pleased to introduce new Taiji (Tai Chi) and QiGong sessions at Clare Hall for the Michaelmas term. The sessions will be taking place in the Richard Eden Suite on Wednesdays during lunchtime, starting on 1 October 2025.
A full list of dates and the sign up sheet can be found here.
Friday 3 October – Saturday 4 October 2025
Yoga with Annabelle
Our previous lunchtime yoga instructor, Annabelle, will be visiting Cambridge at the beginning of October and offering two independent, pay-what-you-can yoga sessions at St Paul’s Church, CB2 1JP. This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Annabelle’s teaching and enjoy her uplifting classes. All are welcome to attend.
More information and booking available on Eventbrite.
Mondays, 6 October – 8 December 2025
Pilates Sessions
We are delighted to host pilates classes at Clare Hall throughout Michaelmas. The classes will be held on Mondays during lunchtime. Pilates is a form of low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen muscles while improving postural alignment and flexibility.
A full list of dates and the sign up sheet can be found here.
Monday 6 October 2025, 8pm
Clare Hall Book Club
Join the College’s Book Club as they discuss Papyrus: the invention of books in the ancient world by Irene Vallejo. All College members are welcome to attend in-person, meeting in Clare Hall’s Meeting Room, or via Zoom. If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be, please send an email to gloria.carnevali@icloud.com, confirming your Clare Hall connection and putting the following as the email title: I would like to join the Book Club mailing list.
Learn more about the Book Club on this page.
Various Dates
Choir Practice
A reminder that Clare Hall Choir practice takes place in Robinson College Chapel every Monday (in term-time, but not always restricted to the official Cambridge term dates) from 7:30-9pm. New members are always welcome, and no previous singing or musical experience is necessary. The only requirement is that you want to sing and have fun doing it! If you are interested in joining, please email Ben de Souza, the Choir’s Director, who is a Clare Hall Associate, freelance choral conductor and accordionist: bd402@cam.ac.uk.
Recent recordings of the choir can also be found on our YouTube channel.