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After nearly four years at ����Ӱҵ College as London Outreach Officer, Gwyneth Hamand is retiring.

Gwyneth has had a role in transforming recruitment at the College, under Tutor for Admissions and Outreach Dr Chris Scott, and alongside colleagues, inspiring school pupils to apply to the University of Cambridge and Caius. Some students have attributed their applications to Caius to Gwyneth, including Tia McBurnie (HSPS 2022), who is graduating this summer.

Praising colleagues past and present in the Admissions and Outreach office – Chris, plus Schools’ Liaison Officers David Rennie, Matthew Bowen and Francesca White; Admissions Officers Vicky Levet and Tabitha Barker, and Admissions and Outreach Coordinator Bethan Holloway-Strong – Gwyneth is keen to accentuate the collaborative role.

“We plan as a team and we deliver as a team,” she says.

Gwyneth became the College’s first London Outreach Officer in October 2021, providing specific support for the seven London boroughs with which the College is linked through the , in a position first made possible by the generosity of Caius alumni.

With a background as a physics teacher and access specialist in post-16 education, Gwyneth was already well acquainted with schools and colleges throughout the boroughs where she has worked so successfully, building and maintaining relationships to facilitate school visits and workshops for pupils from Year 7 to Year 13.

Caius Schools, as the admissions and outreach programme is known, has a and runs targeted outreach programmes, including super-curricular events, visits and residential initiatives.

The collective aim is to promote ambition to university (not just Caius and Cambridge) among those with academic potential, as well as to encourage applications to Caius. It has worked. State-school offers figures have grown from under 60% to over 80% in a short period. 

“The change in our recruitment has been spectacular,” Gwyneth adds. “That change is reflected in our engagement with schools and colleges. Events that we promote are now over subscribed.”

Gwyneth praised the College for “the desire and willingness to make the change” by providing a team dedicated to widening participation and access. 

Schools’ Liaison Officers are often new graduates offering energy and immediacy to their own experience. Gwyneth’s experience has enabled her to learn from past mistakes, including during her time at Caius.

“I'm particularly pleased with the work that we've developed in engaging with care experienced young people,” says Gwyneth, who reflected on the first experience when only a handful of the anticipated bus-full turned up at Caius.

“The next year, everybody knew what was happening and so we got more than 30 kids; this year it was a full coach. Now we’re planning for a residential for 12 care experienced children. That work continues.”

Time is something Gwyneth will now have a little more of, but she is optimistic the work she has been a core part of at Caius will continue and more and more pupils will be inspired to apply.

She adds: “When young people go to university there are lots of people that are involved in that journey. If we can be part of that journey by offering the right support and interventions, it clearly makes a difference.”