Good News Column, Week Two: Queens’ ‘Shave Off’, Downing art, and endless baking

We all need some good news this term, and so the Cambridge Tab has collated a weekly selection of positive stories from across the University.

Last week’s column saw virtual bops, online concerts, and even a virtual library discord server at Downing; this week, we take you through the uplifting goings-on at Jesus, Emma, Wolfson, and more.

Girton JCR hosts virtual marriage formal

Girton JCR held a virtual marriage formal! Undergrads posted “marriage” photos on Instagram, and some even dressed in wedding gear for the occasion.

Photo credit: @girtonjcr Instagram

Emma Dress Up 4 Charity initiative raises over £350

The Emmanuel JCR Charities Officer, Victoria Kyriacou, launched a dress-up fundraiser on Instagram, with all money raised going to the Cambridgeshire Coronavirus Community Fund. Students were invited to share a photo of them in costume, donate £4, and then tag four friends. In the first three days of the initiative, over £350 was raised! Homerton SU has launched a similar fundraiser, whereby students post photos of themselves in stash and donate £1 to charity per post.

Photo published with permission of Victoria Kyriacou

“Day in the life of Downing” Instagram account set up by Downing artist

The account was set up by Rachel Caul, a second year student at Downing. Below are some examples of Rachel’s Downing drawings.

24-hour round-the-world (virtual) relay at Christ’s

A 24 hour relay has been set up by Christ’s students, with the aim of seeing how far UK and international Christ’s students can collectively run/walk/jog in 24 hours. It will take place between 10pm (GMT+1) on Saturday 9th May to 6am (GMT+1) on Sunday 10th May. The details, posted on the Facebook event, are as follows:

“How it’ll work:
– Sign up for a slot of 15, 30 or 45 minutes
– Run/ jog/ power walk and record how far you go
– Post on the event with a photo + where you are running
– Submit your distance”.

Animals matriculate: Squirrels spotted in Wolfson

With most Wolfson students absent from Cambridge, this term they have been replaced by, erm, squirrels. A squirrel was spotted exploring the Wolfson Porter’s Lodge this week, and you can find the video here.

In other Wolfson [good] news, two students have launched a Boccaccio-inspired “Wolfson Decameron”: students are invited to send in artistic contributions to be compiled into a digital anthology of art, music, writing, and more.

Foxes make themselves at home in Jesus

Continuing the theme of animals making their way into deserted colleges, foxes have been spotted strolling leisurely around the Jesus College grounds, and they’ve even made their way into the temporary porter’s lodge.

If you want some more animal content, you can find a BBC News video of the foxes here.

Queens’ JCR launches a “Shave Off” for charity, among other fundraiser events

Queens’ College JCR has created three fundraiser events: The Great Queens’ Shave Off, in their words a “sponsored live mass shaving of Queens’ student heads”, is one of these. Anyone can make a sponsorship to a charity of their choice. Other events in the Queens’ calendar include a “Q-Raffle“, from which proceeds will go to Jimmy’s, and “The 1448 Mile Challenge“, a sponsored fundraiser whereby Queens’ students collectively run 1448 miles.

Cambridge students are doing a LOT of baking

The Cambridge students lucky enough to find flour in their nearby shops have been flexing their baking skills, and I’m seriously impressed.

Find some examples of Cambridge students’ cooking masterpieces here.

Photo credit: Marina Mateo

Apple and cinnamon cake (photo credit: Sinthu Devkumar)

Stay tuned for more good news next week!

Featured image: Flickr, Pixabay