Lyceum legacy to the women of Cambridge

With the best will in the world, there can come a time when a good thing must come to an end, but even when the people who originally set out are long gone, ways can be found to continue their mission.

So it has been with the closing of the doors at the Lyceum House in Cambridge – a venerable social institution has reached the end of its life, but has left a legacy that will keep on giving to its community forever.

The first Lyceum Club opened in London in 1903, as a place for professional women to gather, develop and support one another. It was named after the place where Aristotle held court in ancient Athens.

Lyceum House committee - back l-r Kaye Pollock, Florence Monson, Daphne Caddie, Susanne Whitehead, patron Jocelyn Cooney, Glenda Little, Pat Harbutt; front l-r Lyndsay Mason, Mary Shaw, president Barbara Fisher. Dianne Murdoch was absent.

Cambridge’s own example was founded by country women in 1940, with their Lyceum House clubrooms then opening in 1953 as a popular centre for locals to socialise and network, while fundraising for their wider community.

Decades of fun, companionship and learning were enjoyed by hundreds of members at the House, with the ladies of the Lyceum being a formidable force for public good in Cambridge town and district.

However social habits changed as the years went by, and Lyceum House’s membership got older as new and younger recruits got fewer and fewer over time. In 2021 with their numbers dwindling, they sold Lyceum House, then held their last gathering in July and dissolved the organisation this month.

After the assets of Lyceum House had been realised, the remaining members were left with a significant sum of money to grant to charities.

The Lyceum ladies have chosen to give one-fifth of their club’s ‘estate’ to the newly established Cambridge Community Fund at Momentum Waikato, with a preference that the investment income generated by their donation be used to support women’s education in Cambridge.

Cambridge Community Fund champion David Cooney, pictured below with the Lyceum ladies, thanks them for their amazing gift and is committed to ensuring their legacy is realised in a worthy manner.

“We are most grateful to have received a generous donation from Lyceum House and look forward to continuing their legacy for many years to come,” says David.

The Lyceum House’s other major closing grants have gone to the Cambridge Fire Brigade, Cambridge Lifeskills, the Cambridge Community House and the Cambridge Town Hall Trust, a combination of charities that reflect the ladies’ concerns and interests, as well as their long-term familiarity with which social support organisations are most effective in their community.

Momentum Waikato is well placed to enable the legacies of community groups that have run out of steam, get in touch to find out more.