At St Mary’s College, we are continuing our 125th Anniversary celebrations throughout the 2024-2025 academic year, with a host of events to celebrate Mary’s as it was, as it is and at it will be in the future.
Since 1899 (when it was known as the women’s hostel before becoming St. Mary’s in 1920), the College has welcomed thousands of students from all over the world and built a strong community of alumni. The current Principal, Prof. Adrian Simpson is looking forward to welcoming as many alumni as possible back to College during this celebratory year.
“It is always a delight to meet alumni from Mary’s. No matter which generation of graduates they belong to, it is clear they remember their time at Mary’s with genuine affection. In most cases, they remain in touch with a wide range of friends they made here and they delight in seeing our on-going success. I look forward to welcoming as many alumni as possible back, celebrating our special anniversary and sharing with them our aspirations for the future of our College.”
Professor Adrian Simpson, St Mary’s College Principal
Celebrations so far
2024 was certainly a busy year for us. We produced a 125th-anniversary brochure detailing Mary’s as it was, as it is and as it will be.
We began our celebration in May 2024, where we hosted a drinks reception in London. Other events have followed including Alumni at Matriculation, the 125th anniversary Gala Dinner and a blue plaque unveiling.
The University’s Chancellor, Dr. Fiona Hill, who attended the Gala Dinner said:
"It was a privilege and pleasure to attend a celebration of such a remarkable place. It was a great opportunity to interact with current students and alumni to hear about their deep affection and gratitude for their college".
These special events have provided an opportunity for colleagues, students, alumni and friends, to come together and celebrate with us, making history as we go.
Alumni Dinners
In 2025, we will host three alumni reunion dinners. The first will be on Saturday, March 22nd for alumni who graduated 25 years ago or more. The next will be on Saturday, April 26th for those who graduated up to 10 years ago. The final one of these special reunions will be the alumni dinner for everyone in between (graduates between 10 - 25 years) will take place on Saturday, June 28th
125th Anniversary Alumni Dinner - 25 years plus
125th Anniversary Alumni Dinner - up to 10 years
125th Anniversary Alumni Dinner - 10 to 25 years
Each dinner will be held in St Mary’s College, with a drinks reception before dinner is served. Alumni are welcome to attend with a guest, such as a spouse, relative or alumni from another College. We hope the evenings will be filled with laughter and talks of happy memories of your time here as a student.
Save the date
Following on from the success of last year, we will host a drinks reception in London on Wednesday, May 7th from 6-8pm. Venue TBC, but it will be central London.
If you’d like to receive information when it is available, or if you can suggest any venues in central London, please email stmarys.alumni@durham.ac.uk.
Looking to the future
As we celebrate the last 125 years, we are developing plans for the future to build on our proud history. Having refurbished our student bar over the summer, we are looking to fundraise to expand our renovations to further wider student experience spaces, such as creating a studio space for students for dance, yoga, theatre rehearsals etc.
In the academic year 2025/26, we will launch some scholarships for students from lower-income households thanks to the generous legacy left by Margaret Bloomfield. These scholarships will be promoted to prospective students in the coming months. These will sit alongside our Durham Inspired Scholarship and our new Ann Fazakerley Scholarship which will support a student on a modern languages degree.
We are extremely grateful to all our alumni and supporters for their ongoing support and engagement.
To keep up to date with our plans as they unfold, visit the St Mary’s 125th Anniversary webpages, follow us on social media or contact Alumni Officer Kellie Horrocks, stmarys.alumni@durham.ac.uk
I’m delighted to plan events to celebrate 125 years of Mary’s. I’ve been fortunate to be part of some remarkable events so far and meet some lovely people. I’ve enjoyed meeting alumni and hearing their tales from when they were students. It really is a special time for College and I hope even more St Mary’s alumni will join in the celebrations. Here’s to the next 125 years of Mary’s
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