William and Frances Dobie Charitable Foundation

Funding our Celebrate Science Festival

William and Frances Dobie chose to give though their will by creating a charitable trust to 
donate to the charities and causes which they supported during their lifetime. William 
(Advanced Physics and Electronics, Kings College, 1950) always fondly remembered his 
Durham days, and wanted to give something back to help others. Both he and Frances cared 
deeply about inspiring and aiding people to access education, particularly in the areas of 
Science and Music. 

The generous gift from the William and Frances Dobie Charitable Foundation was pivotal in 
funding Celebrate Science. Celebrate Science is our annual, free, three-day family science 
festival, held for and with our local communities. The aims of the festival are to involve and 
engage people of all ages in science. The festival showcases Durham University’s latest 
scientific research, and involves several of our partner organisations including schools, 
businesses and charities. Each year, during the local schools’ October half-term holiday, more 
than 200 staff and student volunteers from departments across the University participate in 
this event, which is attended by upwards of 5000 visitors each year. 

• Click here to read further visitor testimonials
• Read more about our science engagement work here