Our head porter, Helen Stephens, retires at the end of December after 16 years and four months at Selwyn.

Helen - Cambridge's first female head porter - has transformed the college's approach to portering over the years, building a welfare-focused team that supports students and guests through everyday college life. During her tenure she worked with three masters, three bursars and seven deans.

Speaking at a gathering of staff and fellows on 17 December, Helen neatly described how important Selwyn is to her. She said: "To work somewhere that challenges, enlightens, emboldens and befriends is a privilege."

Her connections to the college are tangible: two kittens rescued here nearly 12 years ago, a tree planted behind the Old Library to commemorate her nephew's christening, and a portrait in the Cripps Building stairwell.

She paid tribute to the porter team: "You are the heart of this community. I am enormously proud of you, eternally thankful for your resilience, impressed by your gutsy, passionate, earnest commitment to Selwyn."

Helen will be succeeded by deputy head porter Lee Scott, who joined Selwyn in 2023. Lee is the third consecutive deputy under Helen to be promoted to a head porter role. The previous two - Bob Watson and Kevin Sargent - went on to lead the porter teams at Newnham and Downing.

Above: Bob Watson, Helen Stephens and Kevin Sargent; and Lee Scott in the right hand picture. 

Pictures by Adrian Powter, Howard Beaumont and Thisath Ranawaka