Sculpture and portrait of Honorary Fellow gifted to Trinity Hall
Posted:
13 Sep 2025
Today, we were delighted to host Honorary Fellow Sir Terry Waite KCMG CBE and friends for lunch in College, to mark the gifting of two remarkable works depicting Sir Terry: a bronze bust by celebrated sculptor Anita Lafford and a portrait by renowned contemporary artist Sir John Bellany CBE.
In January 1987, while negotiating for the release of Western hostages in Lebanon, Sir Terry was taken captive and remained incarcerated for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in solitary confinement. Anita undertook her sculpture of Sir Terry and of his wife Frances soon after his release in 1991. The sculpture has only recently been cast in bronze and is being gifted to Trinity Hall in commemoration of Sir Terry’s role as Envoy for the Archbishop of Canterbury and in recognition of 33 years since his release from captivity, and his Trinity Hall Fellowship. We are pleased it has found a fitting home at Trinity Hall and will act as a catalyst for future generations to know more about Sir Terry.
Sir Terry had long planned to gift his portrait to Trinity Hall, and the arrival of the bust provided a fitting opportunity to celebrate both works and welcome him back to College.
The first image shows the bronze bust of Sir Terry Waite.
The second image shows the Master, Mary Hockaday, with artist Anita Lafford and Sir Terry Waite.
About Sir Terry Waite
Terry Waite was educated at Stockton Heath High School and The Church Army College in London. On leaving college he was appointed as Education Advisor to the Anglican Bishop of Bristol, England and remained in that post until he moved to East Africa in 1969. In Uganda, he worked as Provincial Training Adviser to the first African Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and in that capacity travelled extensively throughout East Africa.
In 1972, he began working as an International Consultant to a Roman Catholic Medical Order and moved with his family to live in Rome, Italy. From this base he travelled extensively throughout Asia, Africa, North and South America and Europe, both conducting and advising on programmes concerned with Institutional Change and Development, Inter-Cultural Relations, Group and Inter-group Dynamics and a broad range of development issues connected with both health and education.
In 1980, he was recruited by the Archbishop of Canterbury and moved to Lambeth Palace, London. As Advisor to the Archbishop he again travelled extensively throughout the world and had a responsibility for the Archbishop’s diplomatic and ecclesiastical exchanges. He arranged and travelled with the Archbishop on the first ever visit of an Archbishop of Canterbury to China and had responsibility for travels to Australia, New Zealand, Burma, USA, Canada, the Caribbean, South Africa, East and West Africa.
In the early 1980s, he successfully negotiated the release of several hostages from Iran and this event brought him to public attention. In 1983, he negotiated with Colonel Ghadafi for the release of British hostages held in Libya and again was successful. In January 1987 while negotiating for the release of Western hostages in Lebanon he himself was taken captive and remained in captivity for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in total solitary confinement.
He continues to work as a lecturer, writer and broadcaster and has appeared in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa and throughout Europe. He is also President of Emmaus UK, Founder Chairman (and now President) of Hostage UK, Founder President of Y Care International (the international relief and development agency of the YMCA in the UK and Ireland) and Patron of a wide range of organisations. He received a CBE in 1992, and has been awarded numerous other awards including several honorary degrees from universities in the UK and abroad.
Following his release on 19 November 1991, he was elected a Fellow-Commoner at Trinity Hall where he wrote his first book Taken on Trust, and in 2022, he was elected an Honorary Fellow. In the King’s Birthday Honours 2023, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) for services to charity and to humanitarian work.