Cambridge Northern Society
Joining Northern Cambridge Society
2022
I first joined Northern Society Cambridge in 2022, during my time as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge. At the time, it was a small but meaningful presence, and for me it represented something quietly important: a shared understanding of northern identity, and a space where that identity could exist confidently within Cambridge.
Over time, the society became more than a social group. It became a reminder that regional background can carry its own culture, resilience, and distinct perspective, and that there is value in making that visible rather than minimising it.
University of Cambridge
The NOrthern Society
The Cambridge Northern Society is a student-led community for anyone from the North of England – and anyone who loves it. Whether you’re from a village in Northumberland, a city like Manchester or Leeds, or the rolling hills of Yorkshire, we’re here to bring a bit of home to Cambridge.
Founded to celebrate shared culture, support students, and foster lasting friendships, the Society is open to undergraduates, postgraduates, and anyone who feels a connection to the North. We host everything from pub nights and formals to speaker events, cultural celebrations, and collaborations with other regional and access-focused societies.
More than anything, we’re about community. Cambridge can feel like a world away from home but it doesn’t have to. Northern Society is a place to meet people who get it: the accent confusion, the flat-cap jokes, the longing for Greggs. It’s a place for laughter, warmth, and pride in where we come from.
Executive Committee
Digital Media Officer
Joining the Executive Committee
2025
In April 2025, I joined the committee as Digital Media Officer. This role became the beginning of a much larger project than I initially anticipated. While Northern Society already had a clear sense of purpose, I saw an opportunity to strengthen how that purpose was communicated and to build a more coherent visual identity that could support the society’s long-term growth.
Rebrand and Website Development
After joining the committee, I began a full rebrand of Northern Society Cambridge. The aim was not to change what the society represented but to express it more clearly and consistently across every public-facing platform.
This included refining the visual identity, improving the clarity of communications, and establishing a stronger digital presence. A key part of this work was developing the society’s website, which I approached not simply as a functional platform but as a long-term archive and reference point for the society.
As part of this process, I produced a formal rebranding vision to guide the society’s long-term identity and public presence. Rather than focusing on novelty, the rebrand was designed to strengthen clarity, credibility, and continuity, ensuring that the society’s outward identity accurately reflected its purpose and ambitions.
The website became a way to consolidate information, formalise the society’s outward identity, and support future committees with a clear structure that could be built upon rather than restarted each year.
2025 – The Northern Society – 2026
The Northern SOCIETY
MEMBERSHIP
The Cambridge Northern Society is proud to bring together people connected to the North of England – whether they are thinking of applying to Cambridge, currently studying here, or looking back on their time at the University.
We offer three types of membership:
Prospective Students, Current Students, and Alumni. Each group is welcome and valued – and together, we make up the Northern community at Cambridge.
Extended Committee
Creative Consultant and Alumni Lead
Extending the Committee Beyond Cambridge
When I later left Cambridge, my involvement with Northern Society did not end. Instead, it evolved.
The society had grown into something I still cared about deeply, and I wanted to ensure that the work being developed was not limited to a single year, or dependent on one committee. As a result, I joined the extended committee structure, continuing to support the society in a longer-term capacity.
I now contribute as Creative Consultant and Alumni Lead. This role allows me to remain involved in the society’s strategic direction, identity, and digital development, while also supporting the expansion of the network beyond current students.
Northern Alumni Network
Building a Longer-Term Network
What began for me as a student society has become a broader project: one that holds the potential to grow into a meaningful northern network that extends beyond Cambridge itself.
The alumni element is particularly important. Student communities often dissolve after graduation, even when the relationships and shared background are genuinely valuable. Developing an alumni structure creates continuity, allowing the society to become something lasting, rather than temporary.
Northern Society Cambridge has been a small but consistent thread through my Cambridge years, and I remain proud to support its next stage of development.
Press Coverage
The Northern Society has received notable press coverage reflecting its role in fostering community and representation for northern students in UK universities. The Yorkshire Evening Post featured the society in an article exploring how northern students build community while studying away from home, highlighting the value of shared identity and belonging that the society provides.
National media have also engaged with the broader movement of northern student societies. The Guardian covered the revival of a Northern Society at the University of York and noted that the University of Cambridge’s branch has “a more serious side”, reflecting how the society positions itself not only as a social community but also as a support structure for access and representation. These features underline how the society’s activities resonate with wider discussions about regional identity, inclusion, and support in higher education.
Alyssa Denise Walsh 