St Chad’s College Durham

Charity Details

History and Activities

St Chad's is a "recognised college" of Durham University, meaning that although it is part of its federal system is not maintained or directly governed by the university. It is located adjacent to Durham Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the centre of Durham. It can trace its origins to 1902, when the Rev. FS Willoughby opened a hostel which prepared men without sufficient financial means, to undertake theological training, which was only possible at Oxford and Cambridge at the time. Willoughby attracted the support of Douglas Horsfall, a wealthy businessman. It was licenced the University of Durham in 1904, assuming the name St Chads, after St Chad of Mercia, a 7th-century bishop.

St Chad's is the smallest of the Durham Colleges, catering for just 400 undergraduates and 150 postgraduates. It has the highest staff/student ratio of all the Durham Colleges and achieves the highest academic results; in 2017, 43% of their students graduated with a 1st class degree. It is home to a Research Unit, called Policy and Practice which is headed by Professors Tony Chapman and Fred Robinson, who have published widely on issues of inclusion, poverty and social justice in the North East.

In 2017 St Chads received £102,046 in donations from alumni and a further £3,450 from other donations. It has a small number of endowed restricted funds which are used for particular purposes. For example, the Elizabeth Griffiths Trust exists as a result of a donation received in 2014/15. It is restricted such that any interest receivable is used for scholarships and bursaries for students of the College. Likewise, the Chaplaincy to the Arts Fund is a restricted gift to be used to fund Arts in the North East via annual/biannual awards.

Vital Statistics (year to 31//2017)

Website

https://www.stchads.ac.uk/

References