Alumni return for 1610 and Gaudy celebrations

Earlier this month we welcomed alumni and friends back to Wadham for a weekend of celebrations that marked the end of a busy summer.

On Friday 4th September, members of the 1610 Society and Giving Circles joined us for the annual 1610 dinner. The dinner is an opportunity for the College to thank our generous donors and legators for their ongoing support.

Following a welcome from Robert Hannigan, our David Richards Tutorial Fellow in Physics, Hannah Christensen, gave a fascinating talk on the science behind weather forecasts, why we trust them (and why we don’t), and how and why they can go wrong.

Building on her pioneering work on climate and weather forecasting and collaborations with the UK Met Office, Professor Christensen reflected on why public trust for forecasts remains relatively low, and how the science of forecasting helps us to understand the atmosphere – which is vital in our fight to understand and mitigate the climate crisis.

After a lively discussion, guests were invited to attend Evensong in Chapel, followed by a drinks reception in the Cloister Gardens and Dinner in Hall.

Post-dinner speeches from the Warden and Colin Drummond, the President of the 1610 Society, emphasised Wadham’s role as a global institution in a rapidly-changing world, and acknowledged the critical importance of alumni support as well as our appreciation for the trust and generosity shown by our donors.

Celebrations continued on Saturday 5th September as we welcomed alumni from matriculation years 1967-71 back to College. Following a drinks reception in the Cloister Gardens, guests enjoyed dinner in hall followed by speeches from Sub-Warden, Edmund Herzig, and Visiting Fellow and founder of the Koch History Centre, Richard Koch (Modern History, 1968).

It was a pleasure to welcome so many friends back to College for a weekend of reflection and celebration.