2023 Telethon Success!

Telethon 2023 in numbers:

 

Over 3000 alumni reached in 6 continents

Over £250,000 raised

16 student callers

 

Thanks to the generosity of the St Catherines College community, we are able to continue to provide for important projects in line with our founding principles such as scholarships and financial support to students in need; outreach programmes introducing pupils’ aspirations regarding higher education; and supporting our academics and students in their world-leading research and education.

Here is what some of our student callers had to say about their experience:

What surprised you about the Telethon?

What surprised me most about the telethon was the generosity of alumni towards the college – the alumni we spoke to were generous with both their time (in terms of speaking to us), but also from a financial perspective, with their donations making a huge difference to Catz. – Amy Barnes (2019, Biology)

I was surprised by, but also completely expected, just how friendly everyone was! There was such a sense of community that was clear even on the phone, everyone had fond memories of Catz and it felt like talking to someone you would meet in the JCR. – Emily Cunningham (2022, Modern Languages & Linguistics)

What did you enjoy most?

I really liked getting to find out about how the college grounds have changed over the years and learning what was built when. It was also really cool getting to speak to someone who went to the same school and sixth form as me who also went to Catz! – Anwen Gluyas (2022, Psychology & Linguistics)

I most enjoyed the phone calls where I was able to hold an extended conversation with alumni. I loved hearing about college life in the past and the nostalgia many held for the Entz, the sport, the JCR and bar, their tutors and teaching and the general experience they had at college. I also found it so interesting to hear what alumni had done since Catz and the range of jobs, travels and activities those I spoke to had enjoyed since college, and/or the advice they were then able to offer based on these experiences. – Cecelia Catmur (2021, Modern Languages)

I enjoyed getting to know other members of the college the most – with COVID etc… it’s been a lot more difficult for the respective year groups to integrate, and so getting the chance to speak to individuals from other year groups was really great. I also really liked hearing about alumni’s stories and memories of Catz, in addition to learning about how Oxford has changed over the last 50 years. – Amy Barnes (2019, Biology)

What did you learn?

I learnt a lot about the college finances, scholarships and financial aid and how it all works, which was really interesting and confirmed the need for the telethon funds. I also developed my own skills in communication and confidence through the work. – Cecelia Catmur (2021, Modern Languages)

I learned a lot of key listening and persuasive skills during the telethon. I grew in confidence both in terms of my ability to communicate effectively and also in terms of finding different ways of getting my point across. – Amy Barnes (2019, Biology)

Would you be happy to take part again?

Yes, I would be. It was an enjoyable, sociable experience, and the hours meant you could enjoy the day surrounding it. It was also interesting being able to speak to alumni and feel very involved in the college. – Cecelia Catmur (2021, Modern Languages)

Absolutely I would! Getting to spend more time in college, hang out with friends, have    amazing conversations and raise money for Cats was so much fun and I would love to participate in the future. – Emily Cunningham (2021, Modern Languages)

I’d love to take part again! – Anwen Gluyas (2022, Psychology & Linguistics)

I would absolutely be happy to take part again – I really enjoyed the experience! – Amy Barnes (2019, Biology)

 

Thank you to all who helped make this year’s Telethon such a great success!

Photograph of Telethon Callers by Charles Henderson.