Conference News Supplements Academic Venues Supplement | Page 5

5 Westminster College: loud and proud Academic Venues Westminster College, Cambridge, has a colourful history with a modern twist for conferences entrally located on the famous ‘Backs’ in Cambridge, and only three minutes’ walk from the City Centre, Westminster College gives today’s organiser the perfect blend of history and modern facilities. Following a major refurbishment and the development of the award-winning Woolf Institute on its campus, Westminster College is no longer a ‘best kept secret’ among the Cambridge college venues. Now proudly and loudly, Westminster College is hosting a wide variety of events all year round, from day meetings to weddings, graduation balls to residential conferences. Established in 1899, through the determination and generosity, vision and drive of twin sisters Agnes and Margaret Smith, Westminster College serves as a Resource Centre for Learning for the United Reformed Church (URC) and has a key role in the development of students for ministry within the wider URC community. The addition of the Woolf Institute in 2018 added five modern, flexible conference spaces to the Westminster portfolio. From the flat-floor-space KC Shasha Suite that can hold up to 100 delegates in theatre-style to the Weston Room with a fantastic view of the Cambridge skyline, the Woolf Institute provides the perfect contrast to the historical setting of the main College buildings. The original College has the beautiful Dining Hall as its centrepiece with space for 120 seated guests. The stained glass windows, fireplaces and wood panelling makes it the classic Cambridge college dining setting – complemented perfectly by a wide range of meeting and dining rooms offering flexibility in setting and layouts. Whether using the Healey Room with space for up to 35 in cabaret layout through to the beautifully intimate Gibson Room for a smaller meetings or dining, Westminster College provides a huge range of opportunity. Westminster College is no longer a ‘best kept secret’ among the Cambridge College venues, now proudly and loudly hosting a wide variety of events all year round. Find out more about Westminster College at www. westminster. cam.ac.uk www.conference-news.co.uk The College recently hosted award-winning tech company Let’s Do This in the Woolf Institute over summer 2019 as they brought together their teams from around the world to Cambridge. Using the KC Shasha Suite, the Westminster team created an office space for 35, complete with power and Wi-Fi, bike storage for the wide range of road bikes used by the team each day for training and commuting and even a designated corner space for the Let’s Do This office dog, Marlowe. The event was a huge success with head of operations, Genevieve D’Arcy Owen, saying: “It’s been an intense 6 weeks for the staff of Let’s Do This, but I honestly don’t think this would have been possible without you and your team ensuring that the Wolf Institute was set up as a great work environment right from day one, so thank you for everything.”