The College choir, accompanied by the Chaplain Dr Helen Orchard, sang from the Fellows’ Building early this morning to mark Ascension Day.

It is traditional for choirs to sing from high places to celebrate Ascension - the date in the Christian calendar when Christ ascended into heaven. 

Ascension Day occurs – always on a Thursday - 40 days after the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

1.    Alisa began playing football at primary school in Sweden

Now, as goalie for the University team who won the recent Blues Match against Oxford 3-2, you have the best spot on the field to spectate, she says. But it can also be a dangerous role. 

In the Michaelmas term National Cup match, although the coach did comment on her wincing every time she prevented a goal, she only let one in and the team won … She later found out she had broken her wrist in the warm-up.

A national commemoration of Victory in Europe (VE Day) takes place this week. 

The announcement that the Second World War had ended in Europe was broadcast to the British people over the radio late on 7 May 1945 and a national holiday – VE Day - was announced for the following day.

Cambridge townsman and conscientious objector, Jack Overhill wrote on in his diary on 8 May 1945:

Elliot Scoffings, 20 and Alfred Lytollis, 18 both work as apprentice chefs at Christ’s College. 

During National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from 10-16 February, we find out more about their experience in the Christ's kitchens.

Alfred, who joined the College about 18 months ago straight from school, is coming towards the end of his apprenticeship. 

Matt Clark, Housekeeping Supervisor, talks about his passion for football and what it was like to appear on Sky Sports.

1.    He is a football podcaster
A fan of football for his whole life, his love of the Spanish game began in the 2010s, ‘the      golden age’ with Real Madrid and Barcelona at the height of their rivalry and the best players and coaches lured to the country. 

Our congratulations to Christ’s postgraduate Sam Carling (m. 2020), who has been elected as the Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire, becoming the youngest sitting MP in the Commons.

Katy Hempson, a 5th year medical student, is trialling for the Cambridge crews as part of the famous Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race which takes place each year on the Tideway of the River Thames.

For Katy, who took up rowing when she came to Cambridge from her school in Chorley, rowing at this level means juggling the demands of training, academic work and hospital placements.

Second year music student and pianist Manav Paul has reached the final of the University of Cambridge’s band competition ‘Take it to the Bridge’ with his band ‘East Street on a Tit’.

The five-piece band, formed a year ago, perform jazz classics and contemporary tunes. The other band members – on drums, bass, trombone and vocals - are from King’s, Fitzwilliam and Pembroke Colleges.

Madhulika Chebrol, a PhD student in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, who was born in the Indian city of Visakhapatnam remembers the stories her grandmother told her when she was growing up.

It was only when she was employed to catalogue the Rouse Collection in Christ’s College Library that she found some of those stories in print. 

Ana Rodrigues is the College Nurse and Wellbeing Advisor who has always never been afraid to try something new – including gravy!

1. She used to be a geologist.

As a student in Lisbon she was always pulled in two directions. 

“I lived almost parallel lives – looking at rocks through the microscope and lecturing in petrology [the origin, structure and composition of rocks] but at the same time, in all my free time, I was volunteering in health and social care roles”