Lent Lecture

One of the first aims of those who founded the Marlborough Brandt Group in October 1981 was to bring issues concerning global poverty and international development to as wide a constituency of people as possible. The annual Marlborough Brandt Lecture was established that same year in order to contribute to that purpose.

Since then over thirty lectures have been held, originally as a collaborative effort of MBG and the Marlborough Christian Aid Committee. From MBG's point of view the lectures have done a great deal to further the Group's aim to bring the problems facing the poorer nations of the world to a wider public.

The first lecturers were lured to Marlborough by Bill Spray, an MBG founder and its first President. Then in 1988 Nick Maurice, MBG's Founder Patron, took over the task. The lectures have shown the same passionate concern about justice and fairness for all that fired MBG's founders.

Our Lent Lectures were postponed in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, however we hope to deliver the lectures once again from 2024.

Past Lent Lectures

  • 2017 Mark Goldring CEO Oxfam GB 'Ending global poverty: great progress but what do we have to do to complete the job?' Read more on the lecture here.

  • 2016 Harriet Lamb CEO International Alert 'To Bomb or not to Bomb - that is the wrong question!' Read more on the lecture here.

  • 2015 Baroness Cox Founder HART 'The Pain and the Passion - the privilege of making a difference' Read more on the lecture here.

  • 2014 David Mepham Director Human Rights Watch Putting Development to Rights. Read the transcript here.

  • 2013 Dambisa Moyo Global Economist - 'The Problem with AID'

  • 2012 Lord Boateng 'Africa – From Poverty to Prosperity - Beyond the Millennium Development Goals'

  • 2011 Andrew Mitchell Secretary of State for International Development UKAID

  • 2010 Lord Kinnock 'Global Governance in a World Turned Upside Down'

  • 2009 Kamalesh Sharma Secretary General, Commonwealth 'The Commonwealth@60 Serving a New Generation'

  • 2008 Barbara Stocking Director, OXFAM

  • 2007 Frank Gardner BBC Security Correspondent 'The Much Misunderstood Middle East'

  • 2006 Mark Malloch-Brown Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations 'Big Issues in a Small World'

  • 2005 Fergal Keane BBC

  • 2004 Clare Short UK International Development Secretary

  • 2003 Frank Judd 'North/South Divide 21 Years On : What's Changed?'

  • 2002 Dr Daleep Mukarji Director Christian Aid

  • 2001 George Alagiah BBC News 2

  • 2000 David Bryer Director Oxfam

  • 1999 Jonathan Dimbleby President VSO

  • 1998 Archbishop George Carey Archbishop of Canterbury

  • 1997 Mark Tully BBC India Correspondent 'India and the West'

  • 1996 Rabbi Julia Neuberger 'Needs, Creeds and Action'

  • 1995 Paddy Coulter OXFAM and Comic Relief Trustee Comic Relief

  • 1994 Jon Snow Channel 4 News 'Is One World - a realistic possibility?'

  • 1993 Glenys Kinnock One World Action 'The Rights of Women: North and South'

  • 1992 Chief Emeka Anyaoku Secretary-General of the Commonwealth 'The Commonwealth Idea'

  • 1991 Rajamani Rowley Director of Population Concern 'The Population Crisis'

  • 1990 David Cope Master of Marlborough College 'Toward One World'

  • 1989 Jonathon Porritt Director, Friends of the Earth 'The Environment: what has that to do with me?'

  • 1988 HRH The Princess Royal President, Save the Children Fund 'The Developing World'

  • 1987 Michael Taylor Director, Christian Aid

  • 1986 George Galloway Director 'War on Want'

  • 1985 Nicholas Hinton Director, Save the Children Fund

  • 1984 Guy Stringer Director OXFAM

  • 1982 Frank Judd Director VSO