The Oxford University Society Cambridgeshire [OUSC] is a group of people who have matriculated and studied at Oxford University, or taught at the University, and who now live in Cambridgeshire.
We aim to connect local alumni and alumnae to one another by:
- Offering events and activities which are interesting, stimulating and enjoyable.
- Providing opportunities to meet socially and to network.
We also aim to to support the outreach work of Oxford University in Cambridgeshire, encouraging young people or mature students to apply to study at Oxford.
The Cambridgeshire branch normally organises several events each year covering a wide range of topics, at which members can meet in a friendly and informal atmosphere, meet new people and hear stimulating speakers.
Events typically take place in colleges, usually early in the evening, and involve some social and networking time with a glass of wine, followed by a talk.
Recent talks and activities have included:
- A talk by OUSC member Miles Dodd on ‘Japan: ordinary life in an extraordinary country’, illustrated by well observed photographs taken during his years living in Japan (at Selwyn College).
- OUSC member, Chris Shennan, opened his interesting garden in Saffron Walden, talking about its diversity.
- A summer social event at Denny Abbey, with a champagne welcome before a guided tour of the Abbey, followed by a cream tea and entertainment by the Orlando singers.
- A talk by Marcus Ferrar, formerly of Reuters, on ‘Understanding Russia and the Russians’ (at Darwin College).
- A tour of the women’s art collection at Murray Edwards College.
- A talk by Patricia Lovett on the making of illuminated manuscripts (at Darwin College).
- A talk by OUSC member Miles Dodd on Vietnam 1990-2003, illustrated by Miles’ own photographs
We run regular drop-in sessions and there have been walks and play readings. We welcome suggestions for future events.
We have also organised get-together events for local new Oxford students shortly before they went up to Oxford for the first time and some of our members give generously of their time to local schools to help with mock interviews and mentoring schemes, supporting the bright young things of tomorrow.
)
Up-coming events are listed here. The committee are always pleased to hear new ideas and receive suggestions for future events. Please email the society with any suggestions.
We very much look forward to welcoming all members of Oxford University -graduates, current undergraduate and academics – living or working in Cambridgeshire to our Cambridge branch and hope to provide a full and varied range of activities. If you foresee or experience anything which might for whatever reason make you feel unwelcome , please let us know and we will take appropriate action.
Meet the committee
OUSC is run by a small team of members. We would welcome new volunteers to bring new skills and wider interests. We meet once every two months to plan events and activities. If you would like to join the committee, then please get in touch via the ‘contact’ page.
Sue Griffin – Chair
Sue read PPE at Somerville 1964-1967.
Her professional life was mainly in the early years sector, working at a national level to develop and establish qualifications, training and support for people who work with young children including serving for a while on a government advisory body. She wrote a variety of books, chapters, training materials and articles, often ‘interpreting‘ academic theories and research for an audience of front-line practitioners in early years settings.
Alongside that, Sue served as a magistrate (in Wiltshire and Cambridgeshire) for 35 years, including over 20 years in family court; she was Chair of the East Cambridgeshire Bench for 3 years.
For 10 years, Sue chaired a small UK charity which raised funds to assist the endeavours of a Somervillian who founded an organisation working with young disabled people in Sri Lanka. Sue is currently a Trustee of Sutton Poor’s Land Charity which supports those in ‘need, hardship or distress‘ in her village. She is a ‘year rep‘ for 1964 at Somerville.
Her husband, Rod Griffin, also 1964 matriculation, read English at Exeter; they met via the 1966 OUDS production of Dr Faustus which memorably starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor
Mike Lynch
Mike read English at St Edmund Hall and taught English Language and Literature in schools and colleges for several years. He was later called to the Bar at the Middle Temple, and worked as a specialist consultant in Employment Law. When living in Staffordshire, he served as a member of the Staffordshire County Council, a school governor and a Trustee of the local Citizens’ Advice Bureaux. He has now retired to Waterbeach and teaches courses on Dickens and the Law, Jane Austen and ‘Doughnut‘ Economics at the University of the Third Age in Cambridge. He is currently writing a book on Dickens and is looking to publish a collection of 75 original limericks. He is married with two children and two grandchildren.
Linda Appleby – website
Linda was Linda Jones when at college. She was at Somerville from 1975-1978, and read PPE, mostly Philosophy. She came from Cambridge and went to The Perse School Cambridge on a Direct Grant. After Oxford, Linda took an MA at London University, with a dissertation on the Philosophy of Psychoanalysis, and a PGCE at Leeds (with Distinction). After a year of social work she worked as a college lecturer in Warwickshire, teaching 16+ and adults English Literature and English Language courses. She was A Level Course Organiser and then ran the college Language Policy. Linda took her interest in psychotherapy further with a course at Birmingham University in the ideas of Melanie Klein and has kept a strong interest in Kleinian theories and practice.
Since Linda retired from teaching, she has been involved in various writing projects, with the novels ‘The Kingdom Is Yours‘ and ‘The Value of Nothing‘, and several poetry collections including ‘Crossing the Sahara By Scooter’ and ‘Sonnets for Sanity.’ Her anthology of poetry, ‘Harvest‘, is being published later this year (2021).
Linda was married to Professor John Appleby, a Health Economist, and they have two sons. They all live in London.
Richard Hefford Hobbs
Richard is a Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College.
Qualified as a graduate Manufacturing Engineer, after having completed an apprenticeship in mechanical scientific instrument making, Richard is engaged in numerous commercial, educational and voluntary endeavours to promote and support manufacturing, heritage craft skills, education and the arts.
After completing a Master’s Degree at UCL, Bartlett, he went up to Oxford to further read for a Master’s Degree in the ‘History of Design’ and is a member of Kellogg College.
As founder and now director of Cambridge Precision Ltd (CPL) he has established an award-winning company within global markets which has established impressive export gains.
He is also Vice President of the Heritage Crafts organisation, which is devoted to the preservation and promotion of Heritage Crafts Practices, and enjoys catalysing progress.
Moira Middleton
Mo matriculated in 1982. She read Theology at St Peter’s College. Mo is now a teacher at Impington Village College.
Saite Lu Treasurer
Saite read Economics at Balliol 2011-2013
He is currently the Mead Fellow in Economics at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and an Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy. He is also a Global Future Council Fellow on the New Agenda for Fiscal and Monetary Policy, World Economic Forum.
Saite is leading a research project that explores whether administrative data about behaviours can be ethically used as a means of gaining additional insight into community well-being. Another research project of his focuses on national accounting and its applications in shaping sustainable development policies (Wealth Economy project). It investigates the role of missing capitals (e.g. natural, human and social capital) in the economy and how to improve economic development on the wealth approach.
He also actively engages in research topics such as macro-finance and macro-econometric forecasting models. He is developing a financial forecasting model for the UK economy. The modelling framework would enable researchers and policymakers to understand better the interlinkages between the real economy and the financial sector.
Outside academia, he has spent several years working as a professional economist. He was a macro-fiscal adviser for the governments of Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Palestinian Authority.
Saite is also a WSET-certified wine expert (level 4 in progress) and he enjoys rowing and golfing.
–