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Dr Chenying Liu holding origami

Dr Chenying Liu wins two national prizes for science engagement

Christ Church Lecturer in Engineering Dr Chenying Liu has received two national awards for her outstanding science communication and research. The British Science Association (BSA) has chosen Dr Liu as this year’s British Science Festival Award Lecturer for Engineering, Technology and Industry, and BIG – the UK’s foremost network of STEM communicators – has presented her with the Josh Award for Science and Showmanship. 
Peter Holder sitting at the Christ Church Cathedral organ

Christ Church announces appointment of new Organist

The Governing Body of Christ Church is delighted to announce the appointment of Peter Holder as Organist and Official Student, with effect from the autumn.

Peter has, since 2017, held the position of Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey, in which role he has played for many major state and royal occasions, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, broadcast to billions around the world.
Winners of the Tower Poetry Competition 2024 with the judges and the Dean of Christ Church

Winners of the 2024 Tower Poetry Competition announced

Christ Church, University of Oxford is delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 Christopher Tower Poetry Competition, the most lucrative prize for young poets in the UK.

Teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18 reflected on this year’s theme, ‘Mirror', and came up with a vast array of interpretations. 

The judges, Will Harris, Jane Yeh and Mishtooni Bose, were faced with the difficult task of choosing just thirteen poems from over 17500 entries. First prize was £5000, second prize was £3000, third prize was £1500, and there were ten ‘Commended’ awards of £500 each. The total prize money amounted to more than £14,000.
A large group of women ordained in 1994 are gathered wearing albs and stoles, and joined by Bishops Olivia Graham, Steven Croft and Gavin Collins. The first female Dean of Christ Church, Sarah Foot, is also present. They are waving and looking thrilled that women triumphed over discrimination to flourish in spirit and ministry.

Celebrating Thirty Years of Women's Ordination to Priesthood

A special service of celebration took place in the Cathedral last Sunday to mark thirty years since women were first ordained as Church of England Priests in the Diocese of Oxford. While women could be ordained as Deacons from 1987, it was not until later that they were able to become Priests permitted to celebrate sacraments such as Holy Communion. The first ordinations of women in the Diocese of Oxford took place on April 16th and 17th 1994 in Abingdon, High Wycombe, Reading, Banbury, Buckingham and Oxford. The service was led by the Diocese’s first female Bishop, The Rt Revd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading; while the first female Dean of Christ Church, The Very Revd Professor Sarah Foot, served as liturgical Deacon. 
A view of the Chancel, with the former chancel organ visible under the arches

New East End Organ Project Begins With Ground Surveys

We are excited to take the first steps of a long-term project to commission a new organ for the Cathedral's East end. The new instrument will be designed to accompany the choir during worship and concerts as a complement to the Rieger organ at the west end, which will continue to be used for congregational singing and solo pieces. The commissioning process will begin next week with floor surveys of the proposed location for the new instrument. Our current chancel organ, rented from charity Pipe Up For Pipe Organs, will be removed to allow this critical work to take place. We are excited to work with our new organist to take the project to its next stages, following their appointment later this year.
Learning from Evaluations of Projects and Programmes in Newborn and Child Health event

Sharing perspectives in newborn and child health

On 4 December 2023 representatives from international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), other third-sector organisations and academia gathered at Christ Church’s Research Centre to share their perspectives and experience in the field of neonatal and paediatric health. The event, ‘Learning from Evaluations of Projects and Programmes in Newborn and Child Health’, was convened by Professor Mike English, Senior Associate Research Fellow at Christ Church.