In 2024 St John’s was proud to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the launch of the Annual Fund. Established to enable innovative, standalone projects that enhance the academic, cultural and social life of the College, the Annual Fund has gone from strength to strength.
More than 120 projects have been made possible to date, solely through the support of Johnians and friends of St John’s. To those reading this who have pledged their support over the years, or who continue to give their support on a monthly or annual basis – thank you! Your generosity has made a world of difference, and an article covering 10 of the projects brought to fruition can be found in the 2024 edition of The Marguerite.
The Annual Fund remains as relevant to College life as ever. One project of note in the 2024/25 funding round was the purchase of a Hudson double shell and three sets of sculling blades, purchased to support the women’s side of the LMBC to reach even greater heights. This project has particular relevance in 2025 as the LMBC commences celebrations of its bicentenary.
Women’s Captain, Ellie Laughton, reported, ‘The addition of the new women’s double to our fleet has been invaluable, with our training opportunities greatly enhanced by it. The Hudson double is the same make as our eight, which enables a seamless transition between boats. The First Women’s eight recently finished third on the river in Lent Bumps, the highest they have finished since 2002. This is undoubtedly in part due to the support the club has from College, in raising our equipment and coaching standards to the same level as the men’s side. The purchase of the double and sculling blades was a key example of this support.’
The Annual Fund frequently supports enhancements to the College’s physical infrastructure, enabling permanent improvements to the teaching and social spaces available to students. A recent project overseen by the SBR saw a wholesale renovation of the Graduate Research Room in All Saints Passage – an area not reaching its potential as an otherwise ‘ideal study space for postgraduates’. Through collaboration with the Accommodation Office and Housekeeping Department, work was undertaken to improve the aesthetics, comfort and functionality of the room. This included new lighting, seating and bookcases, improvements to a computing hub and expanding the room’s capacity from six to nine. A report on the impact of the renovation noted it had ‘greatly improved the facilities available to the St John’s postgraduate community. We have noted new and regular usage by postgraduate students, with heightened usage towards the end of term. While some use the space to study with friends, other users have built friendships through the time they spend there. Overall, the project has increased the functionality and appeal of a valuable, underutilised resource in College’.
St John’s is currently accepting applications for Annual Fund grants for the financial year 2025/26 from students, staff and Fellows alike. We are excited to see a new host of projects being brought to fruition, remain immensely grateful to those whose support makes this possible and look forward to reporting on our progress later this year!
Written by
Will is Senior Development Officer (Annual Giving) at St John’s College.
