For much of this week, there had been an atmosphere of growing excitement among the students in Clare College. For all the excursions, activities, musicals and safari parks, there is something special about performing yourself, and about watching your friends perform in front of you: and today, with the much-anticipated arrival of ORA’s Got Talent in the evening, the hours of rehearsals were made entirely worthwhile.

Before that, however, there was the penultimate morning of lessons and workshops, before a slightly unusual but much enjoyed activity: cupcake decorating, held in the marquee. Some very creative skills came into the light, and there were some impressive, almost impressionistic decorations alongside a detailed depiction of King’s College and Mike from the film Monsters, Inc.

The Talent Show, finally upon us, revealed a host of abilities among the students, some of them perhaps coaxed out of hiding by the promise of free pizza for participants (although truth be told, there was so much that both performers and audience had plenty to enjoy!). Costumed dancers impressed the audience with some limber moves, stand-up comics amused them, and numerous singers stirred them up and wafted them down. Even the counsellors got in on the act, with a performance of the traditional Macarena revved up with some rather more modern dubstep concluding the formal schedule. The winner of the competition was Sucheta Mahapatra, who gave a beautiful acoustic rendition of ‘Lost Boys’ by Ruth B. Her victory was greeted by loud cheers and clapping, something far from an anomaly: the atmosphere was very warm and happy throughout, and on several songs the audience even joined in.

After the talent show, the music, singing and laughter was far from over. With a guitar passed from hand to hand, students stayed in the marquee together all the way until curfew.