To mark 50 years since this landmark moment, the College hosted a year-long programme of events during the 2022–23 academic year. The overarching theme was a celebration of the Clare women who have contributed so much over the past half-century, not only to the life of the College but to society in general – alumnae who have, in the words of Lady Clare herself, seized the opportunity to ‘discover and acquire the precious pearl of learning, so that it does not stay hidden under a bushel but is displayed abroad to enlighten those who walk in the dark paths of ignorance’.

The year opened on a reflective note with the unveiling of a new sculpture, ‘HOMMAGE’, by the internationally renowned sculptor and Cambridgeshire resident, Helaine Blumenfeld. The soaring marble sculpture, installed in Ashby Court in front of the Forbes Mellon Library, speaks to the struggle for equality and the positive power of education. As Helaine remarked, ‘You’ll see that HOMMAGE rises from a rough-hewn base, not a traditional pedestal, which speaks to the turbulent origins of equal education, the uneasy road. The sculpture then moves upward, its separate strands join together, rising and expanding to an expression of hope, aspiration and the possibility of continuing advancement’. The siting of the sculpture in Ashby Court pays ‘homage’ to the visionary leadership of Eric Ashby, who as Master of Clare guided through the decision to become co-educational. His simple but bold proposition was that, ‘If Cambridge does indeed offer benefits superior to those of other universities, then they should be on offer to women on the same terms as to men.’

After the unveiling, at which members of the Chapel Choir sang the 1910 suffrage song ‘The March of the Women’ from the Library balcony, the College hosted the first in a series of 50^th Anniversary Lectures. This was given by Polly O’Hanlon (1972, Bye-Fellow), one of the first cohort of women undergraduates to study at Clare, later a Fellow and much-loved Senior Tutor. Polly reflected on the ups and downs of being a pioneer of co-education, on the challenges of change, and on the continuing struggle for equality. The second 50^th Anniversary Lecture, later in the Michaelmas Term, was given by Trish Greenhalgh (1977), Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford.

The focus in Lent was a series of Sunday evensongs, each featuring a woman preacher, each preceded by a recital showcasing the talents of Clare’s female musicians and composers. The Choir commissioned several new pieces to mark the anniversary, and the combination of music and spiritual reflection in Chapel would no doubt have pleased Lady Clare. Also in Lent, Helen Thompson (Fellow), Professor of Political Economy at the University of Cambridge, gave the third of the 50^th Anniversary Lectures. Recordings of all three Lectures can be found on the College website.

The anniversary celebrations culminated in the Easter Term with two major events. First, in May, Clare alumni from the past five decades – and more – came together in West Road concert hall to perform a programme of choral and instrumental music that included the premiere of a new commission by John Rutter (1964, Honorary Fellow). Then, on 1 July, the College hosted a special 50^th Anniversary Gala Day, featuring talks by alumnae and female Fellows and the unveiling of a sculpture of the silver seal matrix given to the College by Lady Clare in 1359. The complex iconography of the seal speaks to Lady Clare’s vision in founding the College we know today.

Throughout the year, the College has showcased the achievements of Clare women on the College domus and online. An exhibition of photographic portraits of female Fellows has hung in the octagon of the Forbes Mellon Library, while a series of ’50 stories for 50 years’, published on the College website, has shared the experiences of Clare alumnae from every one of the past fifty years.

In art, words and music, the College has been proud to celebrate the achievements of its female members over five decades – confident in the knowledge that more lie ahead.