Alumni events FAQ

Refunds, Cancellations and Amendments

The majority of our Alumni events can be booked online. If you have any difficulty with your online booking, please contact the Alumni and Development Office at events@caths.cam.ac.uk. If you wish to make your event booking and pay via the telephone, please call +44 (0)1223 748164.  

Once you have booked for an event online, our system does not allow changes to be made to your booking form or personal details. Should you wish to amend your booking please contact the Alumni and Development Office.

The closing date for events will usually be 10 days before the event. Cancellations will be accepted via phone, post or email.

Refunds will not usually be offered if you cancel your booking within three working days of the event or for non-attendance at an event. We cannot accept responsibility if weather or disruption to travel prevents you from attending an event. Requests for refunds will be considered on an individual basis, and refunds will be issued at the discretion of the Alumni & Development Office. 

All refund requests must be made by the person who made the original booking or the credit/debit card holder.

Should circumstances arise which cause an event to be postponed, guests will have the option to either receive a full refund or transfer registration to the same event at the new, future date.

The policies above apply to all events hosted by the St Catharine’s College Alumni and Development Office unless otherwise noted in the corresponding event materials. Please read all individual event information thoroughly.

Bringing guests

Regrettably we are unable to accommodate guests at our Members’ Reunions and Ten Years On Reunions who did not matriculate from St Catharine’s within the specified years invited to the event. This is so we can welcome back as many Alumni as possible to our Reunions.

We hold a range of events throughout the year, to which partners and guests would be most welcome. Please see the Alumni Events page for more information.

Accommodation

Accommodation is available for events which are held out of term only, when the students are not in residence. All rooms will be within the main College site and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that bedrooms in College are basic, single study bedrooms, with only a limited number of ensuites available.

Check in is at 2pm unless otherwise specified, and at the end of your stay we politely ask that you vacate your room by 10am.

Overnight guests can leave luggage in the Porters’ Lodge if wishing to explore Cambridge for the day. However, the Alumni and Development Office can accept no responsibility for belongings left unattended, either during the event itself or for the remainder of your time in Cambridge.

Accommodation offered for Alumni Events is in single student rooms. Alternative accommodation suggestions are available below.

College also participates in an out-of-term B&B scheme called University Rooms. All bookings are taken online and St Catharine's alumni are entitled to a discount (please contact us to obtain the promotional code). 

Disabled facilities

There is disabled access to all main areas of College including the playing fields and pavilion. Some bedrooms can be accessed by the lift, however there are no ground floor or accessible rooms. Alternative accommodation suggestions are available below.

Hotels and B&Bs

We are unable to provide accommodation during term time. Here are a selection of hotels and B&Bs which we hope you may find helpful when arranging your visit to Cambridge. There are, of course, many more to choose from and you will find more information about places to stay and more at the Visit Cambridge website. Please also visit TripAdvisor for reviews and recommendations. Alumni receive discount with their CamCards at both of the Hilton hotels, Hotel Felix, The Moller Centre and Madingley Hall.

Citystay Apartments (£): Self-catering serviced apartments at a variety of locations throughout the city. 
Ibis Cambridge (£): Located in Station Square, one of the best value for money hotels in Cambridge, with good rooms starting from £65.
Moller Centre (£): Located on the grounds of Churchill College, this facility offers a range of comfortable, fully equipped ensuite double bedrooms with extensive views of the spacious College grounds.
Premier Inn Cambridge North (Girton) (£): With a bus stop opposite, this Premier Inn has good access to the city centre while benefiting from free on-site parking. 
Rectory Farm (£): Located on Madingley Road with a bus stop to the city centre within 5 minutes walk. Georgian-style house, set within gardens with on-site parking.
Travelodge Cambridge Central Hotel (£): This is situated close to the station. The hotel does not have a car park; there is a pay and display car park in front of the hotel and a multi-storey 200 yards from the hotel. 
Travelodge Cambridge Orchard Park Hotel (£): This is situated on the outskirts of Cambridge close to the A14 Jct 32. The Premier Inn can be accessed from the same junction.
Travelodge Cambridge Newmarket Road Hotel (£): The closest Travelodge to the city centre. Parking at the hotel is limited, but there are designated parking areas and car parks nearby. There is also a Premier Inn on Newmarket Road. 
Westminster College (£): Close to the Backs and a short walk from St Catharine's, the Alumni & Development Office are pleased to recommend the facilities at Westminster College. Please note that accommodation is not available to those under 16 years of age. 

Hilton Cambridge City Centre (££ - £££): This hotel is located very close to both St Catharine's and the Grand Arcade shopping centre. Facilities include a fitness room and free WiFi. 
Regent Hotel (££ - £££): Regent Hotel was completely renovated a couple of years ago after a fire. It is a small, privately owned hotel situated on Regent Street backing onto Parker’s Piece.

Turing Locke hotel (££-£££): This is a new hotel located in Eddington and next to the Madingly Park and Ride.

Graduate Hotel (£££): Located in the city centre next to the River Cam.

Hotel du Vin (£££): Located on Trumpington Street, this hotel is part of a chain of luxury and boutique hotels. It offers stylish accommodation and excellent food and wine. Hotel du Vin is about 10 minutes walk away from St Catharine’s. 
Hotel Felix (£££): Just over a mile from the city centre, this hotel is within easy access to the M11 and A14 North. It offers luxurious accommodation and award-winning, critially acclaimed food.
University Arms (£££): Located in the city centre next to Parkers Piece, on Regent Street. There is no car park at this hotel but the multi-storey Grand Arcade car park is nearby. The restaurant is highly recommended.
The Varsity Hotel and Spa (£££): Located close to the river and just a few minutes' walk from St Catharine's, The Varsity has a restaurant, spa and roof terrace. 
 

Parking and travelling to College

There is no parking available at St Catharine’s, although guests can be dropped off in front of the Porters’ Lodge.

The nearest public car park to College is the Grand Arcade (formerly Lion Yard). However, we strongly recommend making use of the Park and Ride facilities around the outskirts of the City during busy periods, as the centre of Cambridge can become difficult to access. These car parks are open 24/7 and it is free to park for up to 18 hours, with modest charges applying thereafter. The nearest Park and Ride facility is Madingley Road, where a convenient option to get to College is to take the Universal 'U' bus from nearby Eddington Avenue (direction Addenbrookes). The U bus stops on Silver Street outside Queens' College and serves a wide range of University sites as well as the train station.

If travelling to Cambridge by train, the Universal 'U' bus (direction Eddington) from the station is a good alternative to the (approximately) half hour walk to College. The closest U stop to St Catharine's College Island Site is Silver Street outside Queens' College.

St Catharine’s College Society Events

The St Catharine's College Society has branches around the UK, as well as groups abroad, which organise gatherings throughout the year. Please click here to visit their website for a list of branch contacts to enquire further.

MA Dinners and Graduation

You will be contacted when it is your time to graduate with your MA and attend your MA Dinner.

Dress code

The dress code for each event will be specified on the event page of the website. Gowns are not required for Alumni; Fellows (including Commoner, Honorary and Emeritus) will be notified if gowns are to be worn.

Guest lists

Guest lists will distributed only to those who have registered for an event. If you would not like your name to appear on the guest list, or believe that you have been missed off the list as you booked before the list was updated, please email events@caths.cam.ac.uk.

Contacting Alumni

We understand that you may wish to get back in touch with alumni before or after an event. However, due to Data Protection regulations, we are unable to give out contact details without a person’s permission. However, we are happy to pass on a message to your contemporaries to encourage them to book, or to assist with re-establishing contact.

Seating Plans

The seating plan will be available on the day of the event, and will be displayed prior to the meal. If you have particular seating requests, these can be indicated in advance and will be taken into account when the plan is prepared. Please be aware that seating plans may be subject to last-minute changes.

Waiting list

The College and external venues have a maximum capacity. Once capacity has been reached, we operate a waiting list policy. We will let people on the waiting list know as soon as possible in the event of a cancellation enabling them to attend.

Photographs

Photographs may be taken at events, both by the Alumni & Development Office and by other guests of the event. Photographs taken by the Alumni & Development Office (or a photographer on our behalf) may be used in publications, communications, social media, and on the website. If you are not happy for your image to be used in this way, please let us know. We cannot accept responsibility for photographs taken by other guests. 

Children at Events

For Alumni events held in College, minors are not permitted to attend dinners. Depending on the programme, it may be possible to welcome your child at a daytime event, such as a talk or recital; for advice, please contact the Alumni & Development Office. Please note that under-16s are not permitted to stay overnight in College. For Alumni Events held at an external venue, the Alumni & Development Office will be led by the policy of the venue regarding minors. 

Bar

The opening time for the Bar is 6.30pm, unless otherwise specified. Often at Reunions there will be a bar extension until midnight. This will be confirm in the details for each individual event.

Smoking in College

The whole of the St Catharine's site, including the Bar, bedrooms and all outside spaces, is non-smoking. If you wish to smoke, please leave the College site. 

Payments in College

St Catharine’s now runs a cash free policy. The Dining Hall and Bar accept payments by card (credit and debit). 

Data Protection

St Catharine’s College is committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about the information we hold. All data is securely held by St Catharine’s Alumni and Development Office and will be treated confidentially and with sensitivity for the sole benefit of St Catharine’s College. By booking for an event you agree to let St Catharine’s College hold your information under the Data Protection Act in accordance with our Data Protection Statement which can be viewed online.

 If you would like to change the way we communicate with you, you can do so here, or by contacting the Alumni and Development Office.