The Kenny Lewis Fund
In memory of our much-loved friend and former colleague, Kenny Lewis, who sadly died this year, and at the request of his family, we have reopened the Kenny Lewis Fund. Gifts to this fund will support Hertford’s commitment to giving essential work experience and employment opportunities to young people from the local community, as well as training and development opportunities for college staff, particularly in catering teams, to enhance their careers.
Foundation Fund
The Foundation Fund helps us to provide world-class facilities to match our academic ambitions, and an exceptional experience for students.
Hertford 2030 has academic excellence at its heart. The tutorial system is at the centre of the Oxford experience, helping undergraduates develop a more rigorous approach to argument, reasoning and research. Our Fellows are themselves active researchers, working across Oxford’s four academic divisions and with collaborators all over the globe. The Foundation Fund supports teaching and research at all levels, and rewards excellence within the student body.
Our academic ambitions must be supported by our facilities. Almost all of the college is badly in need of refurbishment, and the maintenance and renovation of these buildings is an expensive and ongoing task. Student rents at Hertford are amongst the lowest in Oxford, and we must carry out these works without unfairly passing on the expense to students. The next ten years will see Hertford embarking on an extensive and ambitious capital programme, transforming our historic Catte Street site and bringing improvements across the Hertford estate. We also have an obligation to care for the legacies bequeathed by earlier generations, a duty that represents not just antiquarian curiosity but also trusteeship for future generations. This heritage embraces familiar buildings and spaces, artefacts, books, and college records. The Foundation Fund will not only help us to realise our future plans but will also preserve our past.
For many students, their academic study is just a part of the Oxford experience. The knowledge learnt in tutorials sits alongside the other qualities that prepare a student for the outside world. Teamwork, perseverance, creativity; all of these qualities are developed and honed in the extra-curricular life of the college, whether that’s on a sports pitch, in a boat, or as part of an orchestra or choir. The Foundation Fund will help all students get the best out of their Hertford education.
Music and Chapel
Hertford nurtures musical interests and performances of all kinds. It is home to one of the largest student-run music societies. The college supports the basic activity of the Hertford College Music Society, but the Society relies on donations for its more ambitious projects and to improve the quality if its performance and programming. Charges for termly concerts are kept low to encourage attendance, but the costs of putting on a performance – from purchasing the music to hiring instruments – can quickly mount up.
MAKE A DONATION ONLINE TO MUSIC
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Hertford College Music Society
Hertford College Music Society (HCMS) is the largest and most active college music society in Oxford, with a reputation for being dynamic, inclusive and friendly. The society was formed in 1972, at which time it consisted of the Choir and the Orchestra. Since then, the society has grown substantially with the formation of the Wind Band in 2011 and the Jazz Band in 2012. With four ensembles, HCMS holds weekly lunchtime recitals in Chapel, termly concerts all over Oxford, as well as the popular ‘Jazz & Cocktail’ nights. The Choir tours twice a year, most recently in Ireland and Italy.
The college chapel and choir form a central part of Hertford’s musical community. Hertford’s choir has a long tradition of not auditioning, instead welcoming all who wish to sing – and with lessons and coaching this inclusive approach is not incompatible with the highest choral standards. Our singers gain confidence and improve their singing ability, performing at the highest standard. Together with the acoustics of chapel, amid the carved wood, stone and marble, and the beautiful organ, a musical experience in Hertford’s chapel is without parallel.
Your support would enable HCMS to grow and put on more performances as well as purchase vital equipment, such as rehearsal space and instruments.
- A new piano for the music practice room would cost £3,000 – £10,000
- £1,500 would fund a new concert series, with recitals from prestigious musicians
- £1,200 would sponsor a Chapel light (donors will have their name engraved on a plaque underneath their light)
- £1,000 would finance 10 choral training workshops
- £600 for musical scores would allow the music society to perform new music and concerts more regularly
- £500 would fund an organ scholarship
- £250 would fund a choral award for singing lessons. Thanks to a donation we currently offer 8 a year, but hope to increase this to 16
- £100 would purchase 6 professional music stands
Find out more about HCMS
Rowing
Hertford College Boat Club (HCBC) is the college’s largest sporting society and provides opportunities for first-time novices right through to Olympic athletes. The club prides itself on achieving excellence and also encourages participation from all corners of the college, across graduates, undergraduates, visiting students and boat club alumni. Since the inception of women’s rowing at Oxford less than 40 years ago (the first Oxford bumps race open to women was held in 1978) Hertford has produced a steady stream of talented male and female rowers, and now holds the highest number of women’s crews on the Isis.
But rowing is not a cheap sport. Each year HCBC spends £4,500 on race entry fees, including the Christ Church Regatta, Torpids and Summer Eights, as well as external regattas. These competitions are the best way to accelerate the development of Hertford’s rowers, but at the moment the top crews are prioritised to keep the budget within bounds. With an increase in donations, HCBC would like to be able to enter as many crews as possible.
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Hertford College Boat Club
The boat club offers bursaries to students who are concerned that rowing in the holiday prevents them from working to earn income that would support them during term-time. Thanks to a donation, HCBC is able to spend £1,000 on bursaries for these students for the next two years.
- £3,100 would fund a new set of oars; £310 would fund a single blade
- The rowing machines in the boathouse will need to be replaced over the next 5 years. £850 would fund one new rowing machine
- £100 would fund one week of coaching
The club’s annual income comes from donations, membership fees and a contribution from the college towards the maintenance of the boathouse and boatman. However, with race fees, coaching and transport costs rising, there is an average shortfall of nearly £6,000 every year. If another 50 donors support the boat club, each giving £10 a month or more, HCBC will be able to break even each year and plan for an even brighter future.
How much does a new boat cost?
- £20,000 to £30,000 would fund the purchase of a new rowing eight
- £13,000 to £15,000 would fund a new rowing four
- £8,000-11,000 would fund a new rowing pair or double
It is possible to part-fund the purchase of a new boat by selling one of our existing shells – this can contribute up to 60% of the new purchase cost. In these cases, we can offer donors who make up the remainder of the purchase price the opportunity to name that boat as they choose.
Find out more about HCBC
Sport
Sport is a central element of life at Hertford. Whether it is rowing or rugby, cricket or football, there is something for everyone at every level. The college supports all sports club and, in line with its inclusive ethos, strives to ensure that membership fees stay low for students. Clubs, however, rely on donations to buy new equipment and enter races. If you would like to make a donation to the Boat Club or any of our other sports clubs, please download the form below and include the area you would like to support on the reverse of the form.
Make a donation ONLINE to sport
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Cricket
Cricket enjoyed a resurgence at Hertford after the team defeated the Hungarian National Team on the 2014 tour of Budapest. Since then the squad has grown and thrived in the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Cricket League (OICCL). The team is made up of members of both the JCR and MCR, such that our spread of players now ranges from freshers to PhD students.
Our cricket ground lacks sight-screens, nets and covers – the latter particularly problematic given its position on the swamp that is Marston! In the next few years we hope to improve this situation and consequently we are searching for sponsorship in whatever form it may take.
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Football
Hertford Men’s Football Team (HCAFC) is on the verge of returning to the higher leagues. The squad have been very close to promotion for three seasons running and there are plans to merge training sessions with the MCR to pool our sporting skills. The team currently receive around £400 a year from the JCR and kit sponsorship deals that are shared with the rugby team to cover necessary costs, such as league and referee fees. The team is also looking into going on tour next year, which will require sponsorship.
Additional finances will provide the football team with even more of a platform to grow. To complement the expansion the football team is undergoing, we are also looking to build stronger foundations with the Old Boys and have many more inclusive events for all.
- £50 will allow us to buy 5 high-quality footballs
- £50 will buy a large amount of other equipment such as cones, bibs and ball carrier bags
- £184 will hire the nearby all-weather 5-a-side pitch at University Club for an hour a week across a whole term and allow the team to regularly train together
- £500-600 will buy the whole team brand new match day kit
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Rugby
Hertford College Rugby Club (HCRFC) is a friendly and inclusive college rugby club. It welcomes players of all abilities, from complete beginner to blues standard. HCRFC has had a resurgence recently, with the introduction of an annual tour (recent destinations have been Mongolia, Malta and Belgium), and a run to the Cuppers semi-final last season. There is also significant Old Boy involvement with the rugby club, with an annual Old Boys’ game, and several Old Boys joining us on the tours.
HCRFC receives £300 a year from the JCR to cover subscription costs to university competitions, which give us a 15 a side game each week in both Michaelmas and Hilary term. However, in order to improve, training equipment is essential. Sponsorship is available for all kit that we buy, and we are also keen to involve Old Boys in the club.
• £100 would pay for a set of balls for a season
• £200 would pay for 4 training tackle bags
• £400 would pay for 4 training tackle pillars
• £800 would buy a new set of match shirts