New member afternoon ceremony –14 May 2024

• New members will be asked to take their seats in the Dorchester Library promptly at 12.00pm following the sounding of the gong
• It is important you sit in the correct seat as you will be called up to the stage in alphabetical order by surname
• You will be given a briefing at 12.15pm before the ceremony begins
• The ceremony will begin at 12.30pm and we ask that all members are punctual as it is difficult to admit anyone once proceedings have commenced
• Only one adult guest per new member will be permitted to watch the ceremony from the Dorchester Library gallery
• A link will also be made available nearer the time for family and friends to watch from home

• Following the ceremony, we will host a celebratory reception
• New members can attend the reception for free, please select the ticket option New member – attending ceremony + reception
• All guest tickets include attendance at the celebratory reception, tickets must be pre-booked and paid for in advanced
  • A guest ticket to the reception costs £25 per guest aged 12 and over
  • Children under 12 are welcome at the reception but are free of charge
• Please advise us of any dietary requirements in advance so that these can be accommodated

• All members are invited to bring a maximum of 4 guests to watch the ceremony
• All new members and guests must be pre-registered, we cannot accommodate any additional guests on the day
• Children are welcome and those over 1 are included in your guest count
• We do have crèche facilities available at this ceremony, however places are limited, please see further information about the crèche facilities within this document
• One guest per new member will be able to watch the ceremony from the balcony of the Dorchester Library. Due to health and safety children are not permitted to view the ceremony from the balcony. For new members bringing one adult guest and one child they will both need to view the ceremony from one of our lecture theatres.
• All other guests will be invited to watch the ceremony via live stream into one of our lecture theatres

• We are pleased to offer a crèche facility at this new member ceremony, it will be open from 11.00am – 2.00pm
• The crèche is run by experienced staff from Pop up, party and play who will care for and entertain your children
• The crèche can offer limited places to children between the ages of 3 months and 12 years
• If you wish to book your child into the crèche you must book in advance as places are limited
• There is a £30 charge per child which must be paid in advance
• Children placed in the crèche who are over 1 years are included in your 4 guest tickets
• Please add your child’s name and age in the access requirements box during the booking process

• Tempest will be present to facilitate gown hire for the ceremony
• You will be able to collect your gown in the Linacre Room from 10.30am – 12.00pm 
• Members will be able to hire gowns to be worn during the ceremony or for the official photography, however it is not compulsory
• Gown hire costs £45 and can be ordered and paid for on the day, pre-ordering is not required but will be available on the Tempest website from 30 April 2024 https://rcp.graduategowning.co.uk  you will need to provide your RCP code in order to pre-book a gown.
• Gowns will need to be returned to the Linacre room ahead of leaving the premises.
• Payment for gown hire must be paid at the time and the contractual agreement is between yourself and Tempest
• For more information or any queries relating to gowning please contact Tempest Graduation by email info@graduategowning.co.uk or by phone 01736 751 855

• Tempest  will also be providing the photography services for the ceremony
• The photography studio will be in the Council Chamber from 10.30am – 12.00pm 
• If you chose to have photographs  taken you need to attend within the pre-stated times, there is no need to book in advance
• It will not be possible to be photographed with your actual certificate before the ceremony, but you will be presented with a certificate case to be held for any photographs
  • This case will be cleaned between use
• Tempest will take a photograph of each new member receiving their certificate from the president
• Payment for photography must be paid at the time and the contractual agreement is between yourself and Tempest
• For more information or any queries relating to photography please contact Tempest Graduation on 01736 751 855

• We will be offering members and their guests the opportunity to be taken on a heritage tour, guided by the Archive and Museum Services team
• Tours will take place at 10.50am, 11.10am and 11.30am 
• Pre-booking is not required, please arrive 5 minutes before the time you wish to attend to join in on the tour.

• We will be offering new members  and their guests the opportunity to be taken on tours of our garden, guided by our garden fellows
• Tours will take place at 10.30am, 11.00am and 11.30am 
• Pre-booking is not required, please arrive 5 minutes before the time you wish to attend to join in on the tour.

For the purpose of the ceremony, we will be issuing out sample certificates. If you have not received your official certificate already, they are being issued out by our examinations team via post. To receive an update on the status of your certificate please contact the team on diplomas.queries@mrcpuk.org or you can also contact the college directly using the following phone number +44 (0)20 3075 1550

If you require further support for your visa application to attend our ceremony, we provide a headed confirmation letter of your booking once it is fully complete. If this has not been received after booking, please contact ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk where a member of our team will be able to re-issue this for you. 

Each new member can bring a maximum of 4 guests to the ceremony. If you haven’t added all your guests to your booking, you can make a booking for them using by clicking the "Book now" button. If you need any support when completing their booking, please refer to the downloadable “how to guide” or contact ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk