Yesterday was truly a scorcher at St Catherine’s College! Students were wiping the sweat from their brow as temperatures exceeded 36 degrees in Oxford. The hottest British July day on record, it was certainly not one that anyone wanted to be out in for long periods of time.

Lessons got off to a sizzling start early on; Catz has been a home to our students for almost a week now, and it was great to see everyone getting to grips with their surroundings, as well as with the curriculum, their knowledge of which will be put to the test next week.

In the evening, and once the sun had finally dipped down along with the stifling heat, many students decided to try their hand at Yoga. Whilst certainly difficult, it did at least provide the students with the opportunity to unwind after an exceptionally hot day on campus. Meanwhile, others decided to convene at Art Club, during which there was an especially relaxed atmosphere. Students were playing music, and in some cases even singing along. The pictures people were creating varied in style, from watercolour to stencils. Even the councillors had a go!

Today, the temperature is set to be much more bearable, with the worst of the heatwave now firmly behind us. The students will be looking forward to the weekend and, in particular, the Great Debate on Sunday. The topic will concern one’s own comfort zone, so it will be interesting to see who leaves their own comfort zone and takes part!