The Bugle - Spring 2024

THE BUGLE

Old Boltonians’ Association 1895 - 2024

Bolton School Merchandise

A variety of merchandise, including our popular hoodies, priced at £25 each and available in black or burgundy, is available from the store on the School’s website – please visit www.boltonschool.org/our-community/commercial-services to see the full range and details of how to order.

All profits made from the sale of merchandise go directly to the Bolton School Bursary Foundation which helps to make a Bolton School education open to all academically gifted pupils, irrespective of their families’ financial situations.

Stay Connected

We hope you enjoy being kept up-to-date with what is happening at School and within the Old Boy community as much as we value the opportunity to stay connected to you. If your contact details have changed, or if you have not yet let us know your communication preferences and wish to continue hearing from School, then please contact the Development Office as soon as possible, or complete the Alumni Communications Update form found in the ‘Alumni and Giving Back’ section of the School website, www.boltonschool.org Stay

WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT

It’s mid-March 2024, with ten months ‘down’ and just two months to go of this year as your President. My main reflections are ones of gratitude for the past and excitement for the future.

I have had the opportunity to refresh and to deepen connections with School – and with Old Boys (and Old Girls) of all vintages. It turns out that preparing speeches for four different Dinners clarifies one’s thoughts! It has prompted me to reflect more deeply on my own Bolton School experiences, and I have heard many others reflect on theirs. I am left in awe (more than ever) of what Bolton School can do for the young people who pass through on their varied journeys through life – and excited (more than ever) about the potential of Alumni to support the School.

These feelings were crystallised at the Joint London Dinner on 1st March at the House of Lords – a truly fantastic night that will live long in the memory. There was huge energy in the room from 120 Old Boys and Old Girls from right across the generations – so many great conversations. It was special to be joined by 12 friends from the Class of 1993.

Dinners in Oxford, Bolton and Cambridge were equally special – for different reasons. At Oxford, it was a treat to return to my old University (at Balliol College) with c 80 Alumni and to compare notes on the ‘Bolton to Oxford’ transition and the opportunities that can follow. At Bolton, in the splendid Arts Centre, there was a panoply of Old Boltonian legends – and it was a joy to be with many old friends. My Dad, Keith (Class of 1963) and brother, Ben (parent of Ted in Year 7 and Ava in Year 10) amongst the c 90 guests. At Cambridge (Clare College), I was potentially on ‘enemy’ territory – but found a friendly reception and swathes of common ground.

At the Dinners I have remarked on having been “made by Bolton School” in four ways: by the Sport, by the Scouts, by the Teachers and by Friends. I have asked Alumni to reflect on what resonates with them – what ‘made’ them? I ask the same of you now!

I remain focused on supporting ‘Growth’ in three key areas:

1) Growth in participation in the many brilliant OBA events – the Dinners, Lunches and Reunions that are the bedrock of the OBA, where personal connections and friendships are refreshed and maintained – and which are such great fun! When it is your Reunion, please ‘get stuck in’ and make the most of it. Key learning: so much can be achieved with LinkedIn (to track people down!), WhatsApp (to build a community) and old-fashioned ‘word of mouth’.

2) Growth in involvement of Alumni in offering practical help to pupils – especially through the ‘Career’ sessions for pupils and the ‘Find Your Path’ Mentor Scheme for recent leavers. Fellow Class of 93-ers have got involved: Stuart Yardley talking to pupils on Investment Banking and Nilesh Thakkar on running the X-box Program at Microsoft. Martin Knowles ran a great session for Mentors on connecting with Generation X, Y and Z. It’s practical help like this that makes all the difference.

3) Growth in Alumni support for the bursary scheme – providing such life-changing opportunities to so many young people in Bolton and across the North-West. Alumni contributions already have huge impact – please consider what you can do.

Finally, a huge THANK YOU to Laura Firth, Rebecca Brayshaw and the School Development Team for organising such brilliant events – they do a world-class job. All you have to do is ‘be there’!

Richard Washington (Class of 1993) Old Boltonians’ Association President, 2023-2024

A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF BOYS’ DIVISION

Spring Term is often a transition time in School, with the Summer sports such as cricket starting their practices and our Winter sports teams reaching the conclusion of their seasons.

Our footballers are progressing well in the town cup competitions and our rugby teams have two Lancashire Plate finals and one semi-final to look forward to in the coming weeks. Hockey has continued to grow in popularity and it was nice to see the 1963 Hockey squad featured in this edition of The Bugle (page 6); can you help identify the last remaining member of the squad? Sport has always been an important part of School life and a source of many happy memories for Old Boys and staff, so I know that you will enjoy the ‘Old Boys in Sport’ feature on page 14. The stories here, and in the other career-focused activities that are featured, show how important it is to work hard and follow your passions. Jonny Ashton’s quote, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” (page 13) will resonate with the boys here as it is a common theme in assemblies and careers sessions in School.

I was pleased to welcome a team of inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) earlier this term. I was delighted that they saw School in the same way that I do; a caring community that develops boys exceptionally well both academically and pastorally. The ISI team were able to see evidence that we fulfil our aims of producing students that

are equipped and willing to go out and make a difference for good in their communities. They were particularly impressed with our range of extracurricular activities, the opportunities for outdoor learning and our provision for broader cultural learning. It is these areas where boys find their passions and develop the character traits that will enable them to have long, varied and successful careers. The A-Z Careers, Perspectives lectures and World of Work talks featured in this edition have once again demonstrated to the current generation of Old Boys the importance of adaptability and hard work alongside their passion for what they do. I would like to thank all Alumni who have given their time to inspire the current generation of pupils.

Finally, it was great to see the School featuring once again in a major TV series (page 8) with the programme not only showcasing our lovely buildings, but also supporting the bursary scheme. Following its launch, I have had many Old Boys asking if that really is my office or commenting that the study has changed from what they remember. I can confirm that they only used the outside door of the study and not the inside of my office! If you haven’t seen it, I do recommend the programme as a source of nostalgia if nothing else.

Nic Ford Head of Boys’ Division

A Message from the Head of

The entrance exam for Senior School has taken place, the interviews are at an end and the offers have been posted. Over coming weeks, the 2024 intake will accept their offers and in September will embark on their Bolton School journey. We have designed an entrance process that looks for potential and aspiration and that seeks to identify those with the character attributes that

we know we can develop so they leave as young men and women ready to go out and make a difference for good in the world. This year for the first time we were able to survey Year 13 leavers to see if those attributes we had sought to identify seven years earlier had been developed and that the young adults heading to their next steps felt we had made a difference to them. The results of that survey were uplifting. It is far more difficult, but far more important, to shape character than it is to pass exams and it was good to have some evidence that we excel. The recent inspections of Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions confirm this view.

A key feature of this success is how inclusive the School is. The Governing Body has recently been focused on how it might steer Bolton School through the possible imposition of VAT on school fees. That they began this process by thinking what sort of school we are and want to be, rather than with a financial spreadsheet, is enormously important. The top priority is to be an inclusive school, with fees that make us

accessible to a wide range of those with decent incomes but who are by no means wealthy – teachers and nurses, shop owners and bank clerks. As has always been the case there will also be families who can comfortably afford fees and those who can’t, who need bursary provision. To control fee rises whilst accommodating VAT is a challenge we can meet. The most immediate impact is that our nationally leading bursary provision will not grow as quickly as we would like it to. Even this is being treated as a call for action, with a campaign planned to raise more bursary funding to maintain our ambitions. If we don’t act to try to ensure our School is what we wish it to be now, then generations to come may wonder why. Success will hinge on the participation of the many, and we would welcome support from all Old Boys and Old Girls who share our intention that the School should remain as inclusive as it has always been. To learn more about our ambitions for the bursary scheme, and the ways you could support their achievement, please follow the QR code to the School website.

Certainly, these will be interesting times. For that reason, I am pleased that I have been elected as Chair of the HMC (the organisation for the leading independent day schools) for 2025-6 and will begin as chair elect this September. This will place the School at the centre of charting the course of the independent sector, articulating its moral purpose and ensuring our future. Mr Baggley was Chair of HMC in 1978. Dr Spurr and Miss Hincks were both President of the Girls’ School Association. The School is no stranger to taking a lead on important national debates and I look forward to following in their footsteps.

1,784

VISITED THE BUSINESS DIRECTORY PAGE, 36% HAVE GONE ON TO CLICK ON THE OFFER PAGE, WHILE 20% OF THOSE HAVE GONE ON TO INTERACT WITH THE OFFER.

CONTINUING SUPPORT

During the 2022-23 academic year, the School community made pledges and gifts in support of the School and its pupils totalling an astonishing £2.39 million.

Within that total, an amazing £2 million was given in support of the Bolton School bursary scheme, including £47,000 donated by 191 families of the Class of 2022, who gifted their children’s deposits for bursary funding; and a further £638,000 bequeathed by eight Alumni and Friends of the School, who remembered the School in their wills and whose legacies collectively provided in-year funding for 64 bursary recipients.

As a result of this generosity, last year the School spent £3.5 million on means-tested bursary funding, enabling 356 pupils – one in five across the two Senior Schools – to attend the School when otherwise they would have been prevented from doing so.

In addition to this transformational sum, an additional £140,000 was gifted to the School to provide hardship funding for pupils with families experiencing financial difficulties, and another £252,000 donated to provide extra-curricular support and ancillary costs for bursary pupils, university scholarships for recent leavers, academic prizes for pupils in both Senior Schools, the continued development of Patterdale Hall, the development of the School’s Music and Design Technology facilities and the expansion of the School’s bursary outreach programme.

A Bolton School bursary can transform the trajectory of a child’s life forever.

Last year, 54 members of the Class of 2023 had their aspirations raised and their opportunities for success increased, thanks to the bursary support they received. In the A Level results published in August 2023, 63% of those bursary recipients achieved grades A*-B, with 37% of those pupils securing grades A*-A. 39 of those bursary pupils left the School to study at university, including 23 pupils who are now studying at one of the prestigious Russell Group universities, including Oxbridge, whilst a further four bursary pupils secured places on highly-competitive Degree Apprenticeship schemes with a variety of national and international businesses.

For over a century, Bolton School has driven social mobility in communities across the town and beyond. The Governors are determined that, by the end of this decade, the School’s bursary scheme will have expanded to support one in three pupils joining the two Senior Schools, a long-standing ambition to which we know the School community shares our commitment. Regrettably, the expected change in Government next year, and the legislative changes anticipated thereafter, will place the achievement of these ambitions under significant threat.

Bolton School is a special place, and an education here can be life-changing. Whether your time at School was made possible by a funded place, or you had friends whose time here was enabled in that way, we hope you agree that our diverse pupil body has always been fundamental to the special atmosphere that endures here on Chorley New Road.

It has been the generous support of the School’s supporters that has made the success of our bursary scheme during the past quarter of a century possible. If we are to ensure that this vital work continues, and that the expansion of our bursary scheme is not derailed, then we will need to rely upon the sustained generosity of the whole of our School community in the years ahead. If you feel able to do so, please do consider pledging your own support to our bursary scheme, so that we can, together, ensure that the School remains open to all who would thrive here, irrespective of background or position.

“I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my benefactors for having faith in my ability and investing in me from such a young age. I hope one day that I will be in a position where I get to pay it forward to the young minds of the next generation.”

Class of 2023 Leaver and Bursary Recipient

If you would like to learn more about supporting the School’s bursary scheme, and how you can play your part in paving the way for the next generation of Boltonians to join us, simply scan the QR code on the right. Whether you are considering making a one-off donation, establishing a regular gift or remembering the School in your will, your support could make a real difference to our ambitions to expand the bursary scheme.

If you would like to discuss your intentions in more detail, please contact Laura Firth, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, by calling 01204 434718 or by emailing development@boltonschool.org.

Popular University Destinations of Bursary Recipients, 2023

School Celebrates its Cultural Diversity

Bolton School’s inaugural Culture Festival, held during October, celebrated the rich tapestry of cultures within the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions.

‘Butch’ Launches at Patterdale

Pupils enjoyed activities including dance, art and comedy workshops, cooking sessions, a visit to the Whitworth Gallery, musical evenings and community theatre enrichment and community arts collective studio sessions, and were encouraged to share their personal culture on non-uniform days during the festival.

The Festival, overseen by Naomi Lord (Class of 1998), Foundation Director of Creative Learning and Partnerships, aimed to promote respect and cultural curiosity and to instil in students the value of embracing and learning from diverse cultures.

Throughout the 2022-23 academic year, the team at Patterdale Hall has successfully undertaken a fundraising campaign to enable the purchase of a brand new Rescue Powerboat (RIB) to support the Centre’s activities on Lake Ullswater.

Tim Taylor, Manager of Patterdale Hall, said “We have been blown away by the support that we have received from the Friends of Bolton School, the Scott Trust, the Clifford Ingham (CHI) Fund, Governors, Parent Associations and a number of individual Alumni. Their generosity has meant we have raised £35,000 to fund the cost of the new rescue boat, which we have been able to order far sooner than we had hoped”.

The new boat will be named ‘Butch’, in honour of the late Former Boys’ Division teacher Clifford Ingham and in recognition of the generous grant received towards the boat from the CHI Fund. It will be launched in early Summer, when, along with supporting rafting, sailing, canoeing and standup-paddleboarding, it will provide a superb platform for the remote supervision of groups undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award expedition along the Ullswater Way.

School Stars in Major TV Drama

The New Year had many of us hooked on the eight-part Neflix drama Fool Me Once, starring Michelle Keegan, Joanna Lumley, Richard Armitage – and Bolton School! Old Girls and Old Boys were thrilled to spot The Riley Centre, the Levels, the Great Halls and many of the corridors masquerading as the Franklin Biddle Academy as the story unfolded.

Bolton School is a popular filming location with the income generated supporting the School’s bursary scheme.

Around the World in 80 Days

This year’s joint production showcased an outstanding collaboration of pupils from Years 8 to 13 in a mesmerising performance of Around the World in 80 Days.

The classic narrative was skilfully interwoven with the remarkable true story of Nellie Bly, the pioneering journalist who completed a global circumnavigation in an astounding 72 days. The show, which combined pace, action and a plethora of great performances, featured Japanese floating gardens, storms at sea, transcontinental train rides assailed by bandits and, of course, an elephant.

The Very Best Start in Life

The recent annual Department for Education report on assessments of children’s development in the Summer term of their Reception year shows that at Bolton School 91% of children make the top grade, called a Good Level of Development (GLD). Nationally this figure is 67.2%.

A delighted Mrs Jo Field, Head of Beech House, said: “The high GLD figure at Bolton School has been achieved by experienced, highly-skilled and dedicated teachers creating learning opportunities to engage and excite our youngest learners from the moment they arrive at Beech House. Baseline assessment data at the start of Reception, daily interactions, observations and planned assessments throughout the year lead to targeted teaching and interventions to ensure our children make excellent individual progress.”

Tyger Author Shares Story Behind Book

Author SF Said, whose book Tyger is one of three nominated for the 2024 Bolton Children’s Fiction Award (BCFA), Zoomed in to speak with members of the Boys’ and Girls’ Division Book Clubs and Year 6 pupils at the Junior Girls’ School.

After reading a thrilling extract from Tyger and sharing his process for writing the book, SF talked about his influences, which include Middle Eastern folktales, and his love of animals, before giving advice to aspiring writers in the audience.

The virtual visit was part of a series of author talks arranged by Bolton School’s librarians as part of the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2024, offering further insight into the shortlisted books and their authors’ wider works.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Perspectives

The Perspectives Lecture series invites a panel of Old Boys and Old Girls to speak to an audience of pupils, staff and parents of both Bolton School and other local schools, Alumni and members of the local community.

Perspectives on Life as an Entrepreneur

The first Perspectives lecture of the 2023-24 academic year heard from four Alumni who have started their own businesses – and, despite the risks, made a success of them.

Rob Dobson (Class of 1982)

After leaving Bolton School, Rob gained a first-class degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Southampton and went on to join a small consultancy run by his university professor.

Realising he had always wanted to make his own products and how he had started with hardware but moved to software. Rob’s company, Actix, experienced rapid growth employing over 200 people in eight locations around the world as it focused on algorithmic optimisation for mobile phone networks. Rob believes that entrepreneurship is about following your passions and advised pupils to try to work out their passions and to follow them.

Krish Patel (Class of 2010)

Krish Patel shared his view on entrepreneurship as finding the gaps and finding the solutions and advised the listeners to be creative and do things your own way.

After injury halted his career as a professional footballer, Krish moved into work that showed people how much helping others matters. Fuelled by this ambition, he went on to found Tales to Inspire, a platform to share people’s stories online to inspire change and later StoryOak to capture life on film so no story goes forgotten.

Rob and Krish were joined by Old Girls Charlotte Morley (Class of 1999), founder of thelittleloop, a sustainable childrenswear rental brand, and Katherine Swift (Class of 1990) founder of OMG Tea, a specialist matcha green tea company.

Perspectives on a Career in Science

November’s Perspectives Lecture focused on the wide variety of career opportunities under the science umbrella – with three of the four panellists joining based across the world, it truly demonstrated the international power of science.

Andrew Markson (Class of 1981)

Tennessee-based Andrew recalled receiving an enriched and wellrounded education at Bolton School and being inspired to study Chemistry at the University of Reading by a new teacher at the time, Hugo Schenk (Boys’ Division Staff, 1979-2010).

After graduating his PhD, Andrew worked in organic chemistry as a researcher on industrial lubricants before moving into the aviation field and emigrating to the States. Now managing the speciality fluids technology group within Eastman Aviation Solutions, Andrew advised the pupils to follow your passion and, when there are unexpected shifts in your career: make the most of them!

Andrew Bird (Class of 1989)

Andrew, based in Dubai, but joining the call from work in Mexico, offered three top tips for a successful career: become good at something, find a mentor and have no regrets – and credited all for the variation and success he has enjoyed throughout his career.

After graduating with a PhD in Chemistry, Andrew began his career as a research chemist, but changed track and went on to gain an MBA to work within the commercial world of pharmaceuticals. Highlighting a theme of many speakers, Andrew spoke candidly about taking opportunities that arise and that your career path doesn’t need to be linear.

The panel also included Old Girls Grace Ball (Class of 2017), PhD student at the University of Birmingham, and Julia Miskelly (née Gorski, Class of 1995), Genomics Core Technology Unit Manager at Queens University Belfast.

Each Lecture hears from four Alumni working in a particular field who offer their ‘perspective’ on that career. To date there have been 16 Lectures in the series, with two more planned for this academic year; all are available to watch on the School’s YouTube channel.

World of Work

The World of Work talks aim to encourage current pupils to broaden their horizons via a series of Zoom sessions by a range of inspiring Old Boys. We asked recent contributors to reflect on who and what had inspired them during their time at School.

Recent Leaver Entrepreneur

Jayden Patel (Class of 2015)

Year 10 and 11’s first World of Work session of the academic year featured Jayden discussing his career to date. After leaving Sixth Form as part of the first cohort through the Sixth Form Riley Centre, Jayden went on to study Accountancy at Nottingham before deciding, two years in, that he wanted to be an entrepreneur and switching to Accounting and Business. After graduation, Jayden worked for two different businesses to learn the skills needed before launching his tech-start-up Aquaint – an app that helps restaurants manage operations through checklists, temperature monitoring, allergen controls and communication with the team. Considering a career as an entrepreneur, Jayden said the key skills were patience and the desire to keep learning.

Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Doesn’t Work Hard

Jonny Ashton (Class of 2005)

Jonny, now a freelance documentary director, joined Years 12 and 13 to recap his career, telling how he had recently directed two of the new Louis Theroux Interviews programmes, a film about alcohol addiction and a documentary about Will Young, who lost his twin Rupert to alcoholism. He said he aims to create programmes that matter, inspire and inform and, if possible, make people laugh too.

Jonny revealed how the job of a director is to oversee everything that appears on the screen and that each story needs a beginning, middle and an end – but not necessarily filmed in that order! Considering different techniques, he recounted how he might write scenes on post-it notes and then move them around to see things differently and to work out how best to build a film.

Reflecting on his own School days, Jonny recalled how he had wanted to be an actor and how he had joined the National Youth Theatre and taken part in School plays, but gradually fell in love with being on the other side of the camera and the craft of filming.

A Career in Plastic Surgery

Ralph Murphy (Class of 2005)

Ralph took his audience back to his time at Bolton School when he enjoyed sciences, trips and travel abroad and outdoor pursuits at Patterdale Hall. After determining upon a career in which he would not be sitting behind a desk all day, but working with kind and sociable people, Ralph went to study Medicine at Imperial College, London. Choosing to specialise in orthopaedic surgery, he developed a particular interest in microsurgical nerve repair techniques and how to apply that in plastic surgery.

Ralph said he chose his discipline because it is probably the most varied specialty – a lot of his work focuses on reconstructive microvascular breast and lymphatic surgery and on hand surgery, but potentially he could be working on any part of the body. Ralph highly recommended working in his field; while it is hard work and that you need a varied skillset, it is very interesting, creative and rewarding.

Love What You Do

Nilesh Thakkar (Class of 1993)

After spending much time at School with technology and computer games (before the internet came along!) Nilesh has since spent most of his career working in software.

Pursuing the buzz of making people’s lives better, Nilesh joined Microsoft Dynamics as a program manager in 2005. He went on to change the face of it and to help millions of users in countless businesses. However, after 17 years, he still had a yearning to make games, like he did as a child, which saw him move into the exciting world of making games. Today Nilesh runs a team of program managers at Team Xbox – ensuring the studios deliver on time, on budget and with all the game features that they set out to include.

Nilesh concluded his presentation by telling boys always to follow their dreams, but to be prepared to change those dreams along the way and to have fun.

Previous World of Work sessions can be viewed on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/boltonschoolmedia

Old Boys in Sport

Chris Ray (Class of 2015)

Chris is an Aerodynamicist with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.

“Sport has always been a big part of my life: I started playing water polo for the School team and have played ever since. I always appreciated the support given to me by the School and my teachers which enabled me to go on to represent GB at a junior level with other students in my year group.

“Academically, I was always drawn to STEM subjects and I also had a passion for fast cars. Naturally, this, along with my background in team sport, led me to F1! Aerodynamics was of particular interest as I always thought it was fascinating that such big aircraft could take to the skies and fast cars stick to the ground just using the air around them and so I did a week of work experience at the University of Bolton, getting to use their small wind tunnel to measure the downforce on a sports car.

“This pushed me to undertake a Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Loughborough University where I specialised in Aerodynamics in my later years. My strong academic and sporting background put me in a great place to secure a yearlong internship with Williams F1 in their Aero department which was the start of my career.

“After graduating I secured a permanent role at Williams, continuing my role in Aerodynamic Development – this involves thinking up and designing new external surfaces of the race car to generate more downforce and improve lap time. It’s a real challenge, with a mixture of skills required in mechanical engineering: fluid mechanics, coding, creativity and problemsolving. It’s a fast-paced industry where we design and build the quickest cars on the planet with a brand new car every year. Now I work for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team in a very similar role, but starting to take on bigger projects and responsibilities.

“My advice to pupils who are interested in engineering and motorsport would be to try to get some industry work experience along with some extracurricular activities to help you stand out from the crowd.

“Always follow your interests at each stage of school and university and you’ll end up on a career path you’ll love!”

Colin Spreag (Class of 2003)

Colin is a Director of Coaching at Inter Connecticut Football Club and a coach with the University of New Haven Women’s Soccer program in Connecticut, USA.

“Since graduating from Sixth Form in 2003, I have found myself to be fully in tune with the old adage,

‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life’.

“Although an aptitude for computing led me towards a Software Engineering degree from UMIST/University of Manchester, my heart was never really in the IT world and I couldn’t picture myself working a 40-plus hour week writing code.

“As someone who always loved football – despite being an average player – the opportunity to travel to the USA and coach for nine months after graduating seemed like too good an opportunity to turn down. I’d begun taking coaching courses whilst at university and found the prospect of working within the game in some capacity enthralling. I started my coaching journey the following spring.

“Fast forward 17 years and my career has led me to coach on three continents in all kinds of capacities. I now live in Connecticut, USA with my wonderful wife, Alyssa, and our son, Dylan.”

“What I’ve come to understand as a coach and director is that people – and relationships – are at the heart of everything we do. Although there are always trophies to compete for and accolades to be won, the real wins are the positive influences you can have on players’ lives both on and off the field regardless of their playing level.

“My time at Bolton School taught me that young people often just need an opportunity and a little bit of guidance. Whether it was via a deserved reputation for the setting and maintaining of standards (Mr McNeill, French), or the ability to show empathy and offer support when students are struggling outside the classroom (Mrs Southworth, Art), numerous teachers have helped mould me into the coach I am today. Coaching is a profession that allows me to affect positively hundreds of people each year in small measures – oftentimes younger players who need the kind of help and guidance I received in my formative years without realising it at the time. It is rewarding in many ways I would never have anticipated when I first dipped my toes in the water back in 2007.

The opportunity to build a career in football has certainly been worth the adventurous journey it’s taken to get here.”

Careers in sport are not limited to performing on the football field or the race track – there is a vast variety of stimulating work in this sector, as four Old Boys demonstrate here.

Matt Ashforth (Class of 2003)

Matt is Head of Legal at Everton FC.

“My time at Bolton School has had a huge influence on my life and career. I took History, English Literature and Geography for A Level and got an initial taste for Law through Mr Edmondson’s AS Level class.

Strongly influenced by Mr Joseph, Mr Rich and Miss Burgess’ History lessons, I went on to read History at Durham at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, before deciding that a legal career was my preference.

“My job is extremely varied. I am responsible for the legal affairs of all aspects of the football club, along with its charity, Everton in the Community, and its school, Everton Free School and College.

“This means I can be advising on anything from player trading (transfers) to drafting waivers for the charity to operate a bike library.

“I have taken an unorthodox route to get to where I currently am, first specialising in construction litigation whilst in private practice, and then gradually broadening out, moving in-house whilst working in Dubai prior to joining Everton. Working in sport has always been a dream, and I was fortunate that an opportunity came along at exactly the right time and I was able to take it.

“In my view, working as an in-house legal advisor in a fastpaced organisation requires an ability to ‘cut through’ detail and get to the answer efficiently. Without doubt my background in History has been a huge influence on this, and I credit my early History teachers at School, the late Roger Whitten in particular, with firing my enthusiasm for the subject. A great deal of thanks has to also go to Dr Holland, whose forensic approach to critical analysis of literature at A level was hugely influential.

“My job has some major perks – getting access all areas at a Premier League football club is always exciting (best moment to date was having a Nandos with Sean Dyche late on deadline day), but it is also stressful – anyone following football will know that recent times have been turbulent on and off the pitch for Everton.

“I would recommend that any pupils at School who want to pursue a career in sports law do not get too fixated on ‘sport’ as a legal discipline. My background shows that it is possible to move between areas of law if you have sufficient drive to do so, and are always alert to opportunity. Whilst it isn’t (initially) glamorous, a solid grounding in contract law, both in contentious and non-contentious work is the foundation of a successful commercial legal career.”

Austin Harris (Class of 2001)

Austin is a professional football coach with experience of coaching at four professional clubs. He is now a Coach Developer, tutoring on behalf of the English Football Association (FA).

“Football played a significant part during my time at Bolton School. Having represented both the Junior and Senior Schools as part of competitive house and school fixtures, I always hoped that, although not good enough to play professionally, the sport would one day play a significant part in my career. Memories of playing under Dr Rogers, Mr Field and Mr Pledger still remain vivid, and it is the values and principles of hard work, passion and commitment instilled in training on the Levels which continue to play a huge part in my day-to-day life.

“On leaving School I gained a Degree in German from the University of St Andrews. Although not entirely linked to my current career pathway, the time spent during my year abroad in Austria and summer holidays coaching football in the USA started to shine a spotlight on what was to come.

“After graduating I moved to work as a trainee teacher and sports coach in Hampshire. Teaching became my profession and, with football coaching alongside, my experiences from volunteer to professional coach started to grow and flourish.

“In 2007, I was offered my first full-time role in football, working within the boys’ academy at Portsmouth Football Club. This was a fantastic starting point for a career change into the football industry but also served as a warning to the pitfalls and insecurity that working within professional sport can bring. With the club entering administration in 2011, my role became redundant; however, I was lucky enough to gain a new coaching position at Crystal Palace FC Academy.

“My two years coaching in London allowed me to develop my coaching skills as well as my understanding that players are people first who use the beautiful game as an escape from the issues that living within our capital city can bring.

“After completing both my senior and youth UEFA A-Licences in 2013, my coaching career took me to Brighton FC Academy where I was privileged to work with many talented players and played a small part in their journey to becoming pro, most notably with current professional players Ben White and Jack Hinshelwood gaining Premier League, EFL and International honours.

“In 2012, alongside my full-time teaching and coaching commitments, I started working for the FA as a National Coach Developer, a role in which I am responsible for delivering qualifications to volunteer grassroots, aspiring professional and international coaches as well as mentoring the next generation of coaches as part of FA’s coach education pathway.

“From Chorley New Road to Premier League to our National Governing Body, I feel very privileged and honoured to work full-time in this industry.

“A journey that began in the playground at Park Road continues to inspires me daily - like my former Bolton School teachers once did.”

An Interview with Adam

Adam Crook (Class of 1992), winner of last year’s Old Boy of the Year award, was honoured to deliver the 51st annual Tillotson Lecture in the Boys’ Division Great Hall. Year 13 pupil Jack Stevens chatted with Adam about his route to his current role with Goldman Sachs and how his experiences at Bolton School shaped his outlook and his motivation.

Adam followed a somewhat unconventional career path. After leaving School he studied Modern History at the University of Edinburgh, and proceeded to pursue officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, going on to join the Queen’s Lancashire regiment as an infantry officer. He described the gruelling training process at Sandhurst, where, over 11 months of exercises, sleep deprivation, endless marches, tactical battle exercises in the freezing cold and rain, they essentially strip you raw in order to rebuild and remould you as a leader. Despite all this, Adam still felt like an imposter when he took over his first platoon of soldiers as a 23-year-old second lieutenant, diving straight into the crucible of Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s. Yet this imposter syndrome was short-lived, as the lessons that Bolton School and his training had given him came through: to lead from the front and by example.

Adam describes his defining moment in the army on a sunny Summer’s day in August 1998, when he narrowly avoided a devasting car bomb

The bomb exploded in a busy shopping street in Omagh, County Tyrone: 29 killed, 300 injured, the worst atrocity of 37 years in Northern Ireland. Triaging, medically evacuating and humanely storing the deceased, in a town with a hospital of only ten beds, was incredibly difficult; however, one of the things managed less well was the lack of counselling for the soldiers on the scene. They were back on guard duty the very next day for hours on end, alone. With no concept of PTSD, these soldiers were left, and, sadly, some ended up taking their own lives. This fuelled Adam’s lifelong commitment to supporting veterans, especially those who have physical and mental scars from defending their country.

In early 2001, the world was relatively peaceful –Northern Ireland insurgency over, Bosnia over, and Adam was a mid-level captain and his immediate future was a succession of staff jobs.

Adam took a risk and self-financed an MBA at London Business School, with the intention of starting his own business.

He became enamoured with the world of finance: the financial markets, being driven by economics and current affairs (two topics that fascinate Adam), as well as the sensory overload of the trading floor – a constantly-changing puzzle as new information breaks with six screens and three telephones. After starting again at the age of 30, and being one of the oldest recruits in the room, Adam learned that it’s never too late to change course.

Moving to Barclays Capital straight out of his MBA, he found immediate success with the head of his department, Roddy Boulton, who took a risk on Adam and hired him based on his potential despite his lack of direct professional experience. Roddy acted as a mentor for Adam, pushing him outside his comfort zone, as well supporting him when he made mistakes. This guidance and motivation allowed Adam to push his career to new heights, moving to Goldman Sachs in the midst of the financial crisis in 2008.

The imposter syndrome Adam previously felt in the army was mirrored on his first day at Goldman Sachs, walking into the trading floor – a trading floor which saw events such as the financial crisis, European debt crises, Brexit, and the Covid pandemic. Despite this, the meritocratic culture of the industry was still the same – a direct relationship between how hard one works and how well one does was clear.

Climbing the corporate ladder in one of the biggest investment banks in the world is not an easy feat, and Adam describes the two-stage process to promotion run by Goldman Sachs every two years. Every aspect of your commercial impact is reviewed, graded, and in-depth feedback is written, as well as the degree to which you carry the culture of the firm internally – all in total secrecy. The process is repeated to a very small number of individuals, around 60/70, in a population of 45,000. The second stage of the process, however, is when they fail you for the first time, just to see how you react. Goldman Sachs wants leaders who don’t panic or walk away, but rise above the stress and hold their nerve, and through this initial setback this is tested. Adam went through this process four times; in 2013 he was promoted. In 2018 he ran for Partner. In the 158-year history of Goldman Sachs, they had promoted fewer than 100 British Partners. The day before the announcement, Adam was told he had missed it by a slight margin, yet instead of acting on his initial feeling to walk away, Adam worked even harder, and in 2020 was promoted to Partner. Through this process, Adam learned there is no success without failure, and is currently succeeding in his role of Partner in Global Markets.

Adam delivered this year’s Tillotson Lecture

Bolton School’s Alumni of the Year Awards, launched in 2022, seek to honour Alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to society through their voluntary service, academic achievements or professional success, or whose behaviour and values inspire others – in short, Alumni who embody the School’s ethos of producing people who go out into the world and make a difference for good.

Finalists Fêted

The shortlisted candidates for the 2023 Alumni of the Year Awards were delighted to return to School to enjoy a lunch held in recognition of their achievements.

Norman Longworth (Class of 1953), founder of the Lifelong Learning Initiative, and David Seddon (Class of 1971), co-founder of the Old Boltonians’ Association’s Find Your Path Mentoring Scheme, joined Girls’ Division finalists Angela Rowley (née Hadcroft, Class of 1969), a committed volunteer who has supported communities in Kenya and in her hometown of Bramhall, and Jane Boland (née Connell, Class of 1983), Head and Clinical Lead of James’ Place Liverpool, which offers free, life-saving treatment to suicidal men, at a special gathering to celebrate their contributions to ‘making a difference for good’.

Who Will You Nominate This Year?

Members of the School community are invited to nominate Alumni, including themselves, who they feel are deserving of the 2024 Old Boy of the Year and Old Girl of the Year Awards by 12pm on Friday 17th May. The winners of the two awards will be announced later in the year.

For further details, including the Awards’ rules, and to make your nomination, please visit the ‘Alumni and Giving Back’ section of the School website or scan the QR code here.

Thank You!

We are very grateful to all Old Boys who have given their time to support current pupils through a variety of careers and enrichment events and opportunities!

Raja Mukherjee, MBE (Class of 1991), an expert in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and plastic surgeon Adam Razak (Class of 2002) who gave their time, separately, to speak to Sixth Form students at the Medical Society.

Stewart Knights (Class of 2018) who hosted some mock parliamentary debates with Year 12 where the lads argued the use of AI in education.

Sean True (Class of 2010), Vehicle Performance Software Engineer for the Aston Martin F1 Team, who kindly hosted a mock interview for one of the Year 13 girls ahead of her university interview to study Materials Science.

Surgical trainee Waqqas Patel (Class of 2014) and cosmetic dentist Zuhair Patel (Class of 2015) who were joined by Old Girls and current and former parents for an afternoon of mock medicine and dentistry multiple mini-interviews for Year 13 applicants.

Stuart Yardley (Class of 1993), Managing Director at Nomura in Sydney, Australia, who delivered a talk on Investment Banking as part of the A-Z of Careers series.

There are many ways to support School’s careers and enrichment activities – please do get in touch with the Development Office for further information.

The School Magazine

The Boltonian remains the premium magazine for the Boys’ Division. As an Old Boy it is possible to become a subscriber to The Boltonian and have a copy mailed directly to you each year.

The magazine costs £15 per annum for UK subscribers and £20 per annum for non-UK subscribers. All prices include postage and packaging. Single editions (including some earlier editions – subject to availability) are also available. Any profits made from the sale of the magazine will go towards the running of the Old Boltonians’ Association.

For details of how to subscribe, please contact the Development Office.

Old Boys’ Association Dinner

Friday 1st December 2023

The annual Association Dinner was thoroughly enjoyed by Old Boys from several generations.

1. Veer Patel, Harry Adams (Vice Captains), Alex McKie (School Captain), Nic Ford, Richard Washington OBA President (1993), Chris Taylor (1973) 2. Liam Watkinson (2009; BD Staff), Chris Brownlow (2016), Adam Syddall (1998), Tom Liversedge (2005) 3. Marc Dickinson, William Young, Neil Sarkar (all 1993) 4. James Chadwick (1998), Phil Rothwell (1971) 5. Richard, Keith (1963) and Ben Washington 6. Jon Twist (1992), Richard Morris (1986), David Williams (1999), Martin Wadsworth (BD Staff, 1974-2006) 7. Alex Brodie (1996), James Brodie (2001), Pat Spielmann (1996), Rob Lees (1996; BD Staff 20102018), Jim Lee (1996), Jim O’Reilly (1996) 8. Alastair Harris (2022), Peter Watson (1966), Robert Harris (2020) 9. Simon Turner, Huw Dixon (both 1994) 10. Jon Marsden (1993), Rob White (1992), Jon Twist (1992), Gary Fitzpatrick (1989) 11. Robin Magee (1963), David Brookes (1961), Steve Wood (1960), Roland Wild (1961)

Alumni Oxford Dinner

Balliol College, Friday 17th November 2023

Old Boys and Old Girls from across the decades gathered in the beautiful surroundings of one of Oxford’s oldest colleges for an enjoyable evening of dining and discourse.

1. Sarah McKeown, Laurence Britton (2023), Tom Boardman (2023), Hannah McKee (2023), Arsh Pantankar (2022) 2. Roger Smith (1979), John Craven (1982), Nancy Craven (née Gaskell, 1983) 3. James Hopkinson (2022), Thomas Britton (2021), Charlotte Rumney 4. David Williams (1999), Mark Williams (1996)

Joint Old Boys’ and Old Girls’ Lunch

Bolton School, Tuesday 16th January 2024

Many Old Boys and Old Girls made it to the joint lunch despite a heavy fall of snow that morning – proof that the tenacity, grit and determination instilled at School endure for life!

Alumni Cambridge Dinner

Clare College, Friday 2nd February 2024

Clare College, the University of Cambridge’s second oldest college, provided a stunning venue for Old Boys and Old Girls to get together over dinner.

1. Chris Taylor (1973), Gordon Midgley (1971) 2. Carolyn Radcliff (née Garrett, 1975), Allan Eaton (1974) 3. Roland Wild (1961), Steve Wood (1960), Roy Baxendale (1964)

4. Doug Slack (1959), Brian Craven (1958), Rod Lonsdale (1961)

1. Stan Webster (1964), Martin Thompson (1973), Stephen Parry (1974) 2. Peter Counsell (1976), Richard Washington, OBA President (1993), Sarah Banks (2008) 3. Francesca Adams (2017), Ben Wilson, Kirsty Fielding (2017) 4. Graham Pendlebury (1977), Philip Britton, Ananya Ajit (2023), Krishnan Ajit (2020), William Miles (2022) 5. Oliver Quayle (2010), Paul Greenhalgh (2015)

Alumni London Dinner

House of Lords, Friday 1st March 2023

The atmosphere was buzzing in this prestigious venue and those who were lucky enough to obtain a ticket to this sell-out event had a fabulous time!

1. Deborah and Rik Thwaites (1977) 2. Jack Diggle (2019) and Karen Diggle (1976) 3. Shivam Patel (2019), Anika Patel (2018), Sam Wellwood, Priya Guhathakurta (2018), Hannah Daley (2018), Maisie Camm (2018), Jack Diggle (2019), Isabelle Pearce (2016), Alex Hopkinson (2016), Jack Toner 4. Stephen Aldred, Bob Higson (both 1970) 5. Jon Twist (1992; Secretary OBA), Annabel Worsley (née Lane, 1990), Richard Washington (1993; President OBA), Phil Riding (1978; Treasurer OBA) 6. Lydia Riding (2014) and Phil Riding (1978) 7. Timothy (1982) and Clare Stott, Nancy Craven (née Gaskell, 1983), Adam Hall (2018)

Alumni Events Calendar

To reserve your place for any of our Alumni events, please call the Development Office on 01204 434718, email development@boltonschool.org or visit the ‘Alumni and Giving Back’ section of the School website (www.boltonschool.org) where you can book online.

2024

Saturday 20th April ‘4’ Class Reunion

Friday 3rd May Alumni Scottish Dinner

Tuesday 7th May Hulton Lecture

Wednesday 8th May Founders’ Day Assembly

Monday 20th May Old Boys’ Lunch and AGM

Bolton School, 11am-4.30pm

University of Edinburgh, 7pm

Girls’ Division Great Hall and online, 5pm

Boys’ Division Great Hall and via Livestream, TBC

Bolton School, 12-2pm

Wednesday 5th June Foundation Former Staff Lunch Bolton School, 12-2pm

Friday 21st June Alumni Cumbria Lunch

Monday 24th June Recent Leavers’ Reunion: Class of 2023

Thursday 27th June Boys’ Division Prizegiving

Lindeth Howe Hotel, Windermere, 12pm

Bolton School, 2.30pm-5pm

Boys’ Division Great Hall and via Livestream, 7pm TBC MCC Match Bolton School

Class of 1992!

Can you believe it’s over 30 years since you left School?

As you are all contemplating turning the big FIVE O you now have the opportunity to celebrate this milestone with a blast from the past!

Members of the Class of 1992 are arranging a reunion on Saturday 18th May 2024. This will not be a School-organised event, but will take place at Seven Brothers in Ancoats, Manchester. It will be a fun night of reliving old memories and creating new ones. Over 50 have bought tickets so far, and we are still actively looking to get in touch with lots of ‘lost’ 1992 leavers. Please register your interest at www.avinitagain.com, request to join ‘Avinit again! 2024 on Facebook or email: avinitagain2024@gmail.com We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible!

Do You Live Down Under?

Summer Fun

The Bolton School Summer Festival will take place on Sunday 23rd June 2024. It will be an afternoon of activities for all ages, open to all Bolton School families as well as the wider community.

If you or your business would be interested in sponsoring an element of the Festival or donating prizes for a Grand Raffle, please get in touch by emailing bsbdpa@gmail.com

We are planning a virtual catch-up for Old Boys and Old Girls who live in Australia, New Zealand or South East Asia. If you would like to join our Australasian Zoom, please contact the Development Office.

Hulton Lecture

This year’s Primary Division lecture, named in recognition of the Hulton Charity Trust, will be given by Old Girl Alisha Whitehead (née Patel, Class of 2011), Manager of the Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre in Salford.

The lecture, which will take place at 5pm on Tuesday 7th May in the Girls’ Division Great Hall (and will also be available to view online), is aimed at pupils in Year 6 and above and their families, and complements the Boys’ Division’s Tillotson Lecture and the Girls’ Division’s Platt Fisher Lecture.

Find Your Path

Offered to all young Old Boltonians seeking support and guidance on their journey into and throughout work, the Find Your Path mentoring scheme has now seen over 85 mentees gain valuable support from their Old Boy mentor.

“After graduating I had a broad range of paths to consider and felt the scheme could really help me assess myself and give me some guidance on my next steps. My mentor helped by looking over my portfolio and CV; gave advice on how to tailor my applications to show the best of my abilities; and helped me prepare for interviews. I have now started my professional career assisting in the design and production of sportswear for professional teams across various sports.

“The mentoring scheme is a brilliant resource I felt very fortunate to have; it made a real difference in taking me from feeling lost and slightly overwhelmed to understanding the best way to present myself.”

Luke James (Class of 2019)

If you would welcome the support of an Old Boy mentor, please contact development@boltonschool.org

Staff in the Spotlight

Many Old Boys will know Mr Prentki, who has been teaching at Bolton School for nearly two decades. As well as introducing countless boys to the beautiful French language and accompanying them on the annual Year 7 trips to France, he has been instrumental in the School’s success on the football pitch.

“I started teaching at Bolton School in September 2005, although my teaching career started at Merchant Taylors’, Crosby, where I spent four years.

“The best part about working at Bolton School is quite straightforward, really: it is the students and working alongside my colleagues from across the Foundation. What first struck me about the School when I first arrived was the well-mannered nature of the students and their politeness. They are also an incredibly biddable and pleasant bunch, which I have witnessed not only on the corridors and in the classrooms, but equally during the many and varied trips, both domestic and foreign, that I have been fortunate to enjoy in their company. Running School football teams for the past 19 or so years has also, without a shadow of a doubt, reinforced this belief. And of course, it would be remiss not to mention my colleagues both within the Languages department and the wider Common Room, but also other colleagues across the Foundation who continue to make the School what it is today.

“I have many fond memories of my time at Bolton School thus far, but one that stands out in particular took place on a Holland Football Tour when our U13s were playing Ajax at their academy. The boys were warming up before the game and, whilst in discussion with Fraser Mullins (Deputy Head, Boys’ Division) in the dugout, I glanced to my left to spot that the Ajax coach was none other than Dennis Bergkamp. To say that we felt somewhat inadequate in comparison is putting it mildly, but, in the end, our boys played well and secured a draw. Bergkamp, to his credit, accepted an offer to come to talk to our lads after the game, which was a memorable occasion for our boys and the accompanying staff.

“The pastoral life of School has changed and adapted to the ever-changing landscape that surrounds us, becoming an increasingly demanding part of School life. Where a handwritten note or a spoken word were very much the primary source of communication, the reliance on e-mail and being IT literate have certainly changed how we do things, and the speed at which things are expected to be carried out.

“My favourite School tradition is Full Assembly. A packed-out Great Hall with the entire Senior School in one place, greeted by the magnificent sound of the organ is something to behold, setting the tone for the day and the week ahead.”

Alumni Authors

A Man and His Home

by John Holden (Class of 1973), Pallas Athene (Publishers) Limited

Every House has its own story and the story of Hinton Ampner has many chapters. Inherited by Ralph Dutton from his grandparents, the original building was in his opinion ‘a monstrosity’ and he arranged for it to be largely demolished. Working with an architect, Gerard Wellesley, the seventh Duke of Wellington, Dutton rebuilt in an eighteenth century style so successfully that to his chagrin the house was required during the second world war to accommodate Portsmouth High School for Girls. Some years after the war fire destroyed most of what he had created and a second demolition followed. A man of unwavering resolution and immense wealth, he rebuilt again, and the historian, Adrian Tinniswood, described the result as ‘a stunningly beautiful piece of neo-regency inside and out’. The house and its gardens are now owned by the National Trust and open to the public. Ralph Dutton’s knowledge of

architecture and design is apparent in the books he wrote. The author of this biography, John Holden, writes that the best of these is about Hinton Ampner, A Hampshire Manor Dutton’s knowledge originated in childhood visits with his mother to great houses and great collections. Eton and Oxford, where he read Modern Languages, gave him important contacts and during his youth he travelled widely, sailing as a far as Tahiti and Japan. John Holden’s book takes the reader into worlds which many have heard of and few have known. There is a photograph of the Uffizi Society at Oxford, devoted to the study of fine arts, where Dutton sits with other students, many of whom, including Anthony Eden, became significant in our national life. It is a depiction of privileged youth and some, like Dutton, shared their privilege through voluntary expression of their enthusiasms. In writing this fascinating history the writer successfully involves the reader in the presentation of a period, its personalities, their interests and their setting.

Charles Winder (Boys’ Division Staff, 1964-1999)

Mr Prentki is now Head of Sixth Form

Your correspondent is looking forward with hope as he writes at the end of this darkest wettest windiest of Januaries. Some may feel this is a tad foolish for the five months of the season to date have been tough.

Shorn of the A Team, the two Saturday teams had intended to consolidate as well as integrate youth from a number of sources. This process has proved daunting, exacerbated by the unprecedentedly soggy Autumn. Two thirds of the way through the season, the Firsts occupy a spot just above the relegation zone and the Reserves are eighth of eleven in a tough battle for survival in their division. The loss of a sizeable number of highly experienced players has yet to be offset by the infusion of skilled youngsters whose naivety has shown a little too often.

The Veterans have, however, expanded their numbers to accommodate frequent unavailabilities and sit solidly enough in midtable in their second tier. The Ladies, now in their premier division and after many personnel changes, are fifth looking forward with some confidence.

The Committee, as promised, is exploring new ways to assure the future. Vital is the need to increase numbers for, as is the case for almost every open age amateur football team, there are simply fewer people playing and volunteering. The Committee needs new blood; we need more willing to manage – reviving a third Saturday team, be it open age or under-18s or the like, is high on the Club’s

Old Boltonians’ Golf Society Report I SPRING 2024 SPORTS Hope Springs Eternal

priorities; more players are the sine qua non if our plans for the next decade are to be fruitful. Reviving links with School, School leavers and recent graduates returning to the area are evolving; connections with the university and bodies linked to BWFC are intriguingly in the pipeline; several past and present players have strong links with local junior teams – exploration of potential links continue.

The 2023-24 season will be in its final throes as this reaches readers and the School Foundation in its fullest form is rightly where we want to find more people – consequently I finish, showing my eternal hope, with a missive to recent leavers, returnees, parents past and present et al - all are more than welcome to join us in preparation for the coming season and the ever-evolving and strengthening future of OBAFC.

Please contact the Development Office with details if you are tempted; your interest will get through to us at the club and we will be in touch.

Martin Wadsworth (Boys’ Division Staff, 1974-2006)

In an effort to boost membership, we are aiming to get new blood into the Society via closer links with the School and the other Old Boys sporting sections, most noticeably the football club.

The real focus will be opening up the Golf Society to ‘those with links to the School’, ie parents of current pupils, anyone who has represented Old Boltonians in other capacities (eg football) and, of course, any Old Boys and Old Girls who play golf.

We will once again resume the Taylor Trophy in September this year at Bolton Golf Club and a date will be communicated in the near future. The competition this year will be open to Old Boys and Old Girls, parents of current pupils and anyone playing for the Old Bolts Football Team.

We will reprise the Gwynne Jones Goblets this June which is a pairs competition and will be available for all Old Boys and Old Girls, as well as current pupils and their parents.

Details of both competitions will be published as soon as we get confirmation of dates from Bolton Golf Club.

We will again be sending a team to Fixby for the Grafton Morrish Qualifying in May and I hope to report a more successful outcome than last year.

In the meantime, if you haven’t previously been involved in the Golf Society, but would like to do so, then we would be delighted to hear from you – please contact me either directly on 07711 594030 or via the Development Office.

Mark Millhouse (Class of 1994) Golf Secretary

OLD BOYS’ NEWS

Class of 1940-1949

Brian Heap (Class of 1946)

The 55th annual edition of Brian’s book on degree course offers (Heap 2025) will be published in May. He sends best wishes to any of his contemporaries who were in the Shell forms in the early 1940s; his email address is brian29heap@btinternet.com.

Class of 1950-1959

Norman Longworth (Class of 1953)

Norman was delighted to return to School in November after 70 years of absence. He notes that it has changed very much and for the better. He was mightily impressed by the scope of activities and the welcome. Norman is now retired, but continues to write. He is in the process of translating his autobiography, The Lad from the Back Streets of Bolton, into French using AI. It will be Le gamin des ruelles pauvres de Bolton just in case someone wants to read it in French!

Class of 1960-1969

Martin Spencer Poskitt (Class of 1962)

Martin, son of legendary Headmaster FR Poskitt (‘FRP’), visited School during a trip from his home in Kuala Lumpur. He and David Brookes (Class of 1961) reminisced about their time in Park Road and the Boys’ Division and their fathers’ careers as Head and Deputy Head respectively. The two Old Boys remembered the Park Road clock under which you stood to wait to be told off by the Headmaster, and recalled being told in assembly that George VI had died. They enjoyed a tour of the Boys’ Division, during which they

visited the Poskitt Room at the top of the memorial stairs on B Corridor and the Green Pavilion, where the tree commemorating Mr Poskitt is planted.

John Chandler (Class of 1966)

John has announced his retirement as Chair and founder of the multi-arts Liverpool Irish Festival (www.liverpool irish festival.com). John created the annual Festival in 2003 and has been the Chair of the Board since then, delivering 21 Festivals each October. John announced his retirement at a reception, held in the Irish Embassy before last year’s Festival to mark the landmark anniversary. He will now have more time to devote to playing guitar and has already begun recording an album. John contributed a video recording for the Bert Jansch Foundation’s Around the World in 80 Plays project on YouTube (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5yxnE74mWTQ) where he plays ‘Angie’, which he recalls playing at a concert in the Girls’ Division in 1967. Whilst principally known for playing Celtic music on the guitar, John also features, playing another Jansch tune, on the digital album 80 Plays for Bert, Volume 1 on Bandcamp (bertjanschfoundation1. bandcamp.com/album/80-plays-forbert-volume-1) for the Foundation’s charitable support of young musicians.

Roger Dobson (Class of 1966)

Roger is one of four LibDem Councillors out of 46 on the new Unitary Cumberland Council.

His rural Ward covers about 60 square miles and is bounded by the River Eden in the West, Northumberland in the

East, the River Irthing to the North and the Pennine Fells to the South. There are about 4,000 residents with votes. In addition to casework, Roger is kept busy with Committees. He is Chair of the area Community Panel, Vice Chair of Planning and Senior Appointments, and a member of Harbour, Staff and Disaggregation Committees. He also represents Cumberland on the North Pennines AONB Partnership and the Scrutiny Committee of Transport for the North. Whilst this is almost a full-time job the variety and complexity of issues is fascinating, from helicopter spraying of herbicide to control bracken on the fells, quarrying sand and recycling waste to planning applications for huge solar farms and battery storage. Sellafield nuclear is within scope. Campaigning to be elected was fun –Roger differentiated himself from the competition by visiting everywhere on his electrically-assisted bike! The forthcoming General Election will bring some added interest and memories of the 1966 mock election at School – who remembers ‘All the Way with RAA’ and ‘DRN for Number 10’?

Class of 1970-1979

Martin Thompson (Class of 1973)

Martin and his wife, Lesley, recently met up with a select group of fellow students from their days at Cambridge – and they thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing in the picturesque colleges of the University.

Martin and the bust of his father in the Poskitt Room

Lesley (second left) and Martin (third right) enjoying a trip down memory lane

Ivor Timmins (Class of 1977)

Ivor has just finished co-writing a book (with Chris Fitzgerald, University of Limerick), Corpus Linguistics for Oral History, for Routledge. The book illustrates how techniques of linguistic analysis can shed light on oral history testimonies.

Ivor has also been appointed as a Visiting Professor in English Language Teaching by the British University in Egypt. Full retirement remains elusive!

Class of 1980-1989

Charles Cowling (Class of 1981)

Congratulations to Charles who has been elected President of the International Actuarial Association.

Nick Johnson, MBE (Class of 1984)

After a two-decade-plus career in real estate with Urban Splash, seven years Chairing Marketing Manchester, five years as a Commissioner for Architecture and the Built Environment and a two-year stint as a Visiting Fellow at YALE School of Architecture in the US, Nick ‘dropped out’ in 2012. He renounced his ‘establishment’ past only

to be awarded an MBE for ‘Services to Business and the Food Sector’ in the 2024 New Year’s Honours list following his more recent reinvention, with his partner Jenny, at Altrincham Market; Mackie Mayor in Manchester; Picturedrome, Macclesfield and The Nag’s Head, Haughton, Tarporley. All nurture new talent, celebrate the identity of England’s North West and deliver places that bring family and communities together in these fractured online times. Nick knew he was in a class of 33 at School – he came 33rd in every subject. He enjoyed every minute. He has four daughters.

Class of 1990-1999

Nicholas Britton (Class of 1998)

Nick has a new role at the AIC (Association of Investment Companies) where he has been for some years – he is now ‘Research and Content Director’. He took the third and final part of his CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) qualification in February.

Tom Whittaker (Class of 1999)

After completing his A Levels Tom took a leap of faith to leave his family, friends, and life in the UK behind to join the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College in south east Ohio. The academic and sporting development opportunities at Bolton School made this possible, and it was a decision that has influenced Tom’s life in countless ways since; most importantly, he learned about himself and what he wants in life – to help and support others, make a positive impact, and enjoy himself.

Accordingly, Tom has recently joined The University Guys as an education consultant, helping students choose their path in life through finding their best fit university, and he looks forward to applying his professional and personal experience with students and families to help them on the journey to future successes.

It is 25 years since Tom left Bolton School – although a home, career, wife, and twin boys of school age betray his surprise at the passing of time! He extends a belated thank-you to all his teachers, in particular Mr Rigby for his encouragement during a low ebb, Dr Holland for inspiring his writing and creative side, and Mr Wadsworth, Form Tutor in 1D, Business Studies teacher in the Sixth Form, and a vocal supporter during Tom’s days playing with Old Bolts AFC.

Class of 2000-2009

Joshua Hellier (Class of 2009)

Since finishing his PhD in 2019, Joshua has worked as a civil servant at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. This year he is taking a sabbatical from his position as senior radar imaging scientist to work at the University of Manchester as a postdoctoral research assistant, investigating new bayesian inverse problem-theoretic techniques for multistatic and multipolarimetric synthetic aperture radar.

Class of 2010-2019

Myles Blackwell (Class of 2015)

Lizzy and Myles on their big day

Congratulations to Myles who married Lizzy Dillon (Class of 2015) on 29th July 2023. The couple, who met at School, got married in Tockholes, Blackburn, and many Bolton School friends joined the celebrations..

Raphael Scott (Class of 2015)

Raphael visited Orlando, Florida to compete in the Dopey Challenge – a running event made up of four consecutive races (5km, 10km, Half Marathon and Full Marathon). The total distance was 48.6 miles/78.2 kilometres. This was the first marathon that he had attempted, but what made this event even more challenging for him was the need to wake up at 01:50am in order to beat the Florida heat.

Raphael first found his love of running through the lunchtime club at Park Road, which continued throughout his entire time in the Senior School through participation and victories at the Bolton Town Championships, various biathlons and triathlons, athletics meet-ups and

cross countries. He would like to thank all the members of staff at Bolton School who first guided him on this path, as it would not have been possible without their help over the years.

Oscar Oldbury-Swift (Class of 2018)

Congratulations to Oscar who has graduated with a first class degree in International Business Management and study abroad year from the University of Chester. Oscar has now relocated to Surrey where he is on a two-year graduate scheme in the defence and intelligence industry.

Morgan Skeels-Caldwell (Class of 2018)

Congratulations to Morgan who was named Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) Student Officer of the Year at the annual Chief Constable’s Awards in October.

Detective Constable Skeels-Caldwell was very honoured to win the award.

Freemasonry

He describes the first years of his career in the Police as exciting, enjoyable, difficult and frightening, yet one of the most rewarding times of his life. Working in the Police is a huge challenge at times, but every day there is something new to do or learn; Morgan says he cannot now imagine doing anything else and he has many ambitions for his career going forward.

Jos Winstanley (Class of 2019)

Jos took on a running challenge in November of last year to raise money for charity. He ran 10km every day throughout the month in memory of a close family friend, Bradley Evans, who unfortunately passed away in 2021 at the age of 27. Jos was raising money for the Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) –a charity close to the hearts of Bradley’s family due to their support in the final stages of Bradley’s life.

CHUF’s mission is to make life better for children and young people who are born with, or who develop, heart conditions by providing lifelong support to them and their families. CHUF supports children and families who receive treatment at the Children’s Heart Unit based at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle and the many other hospitals providing care for cardiac patients throughout the North of England.

Jos completed his challenge raising an impressive total of £1,545!

The Old Boltonians’ Masonic Lodge, No 5814, meets regularly in the Senior Library at School throughout the year. In line with the charitable intentions of the society, each year the Lodge provides support to both Divisions of Bolton School, in the form of pupil Bursaries and Scholarships.

Whilst membership of the Lodge has been opened up to other Freemasons, the majority of its members are Old Boltonians, providing a unique way of keeping in touch with fellow Old Boys. Members range in age from their 20s to their 80s, providing friendship to fellow Masons of all generations.

If you would like to hear more, please contact:

David Poppitt – The Lodge Secretary E-mail: DPoppitt@aol.com Tel: 07785 728700

L-R: Richard Humphrey (2015), Antigone Blackwell (2020), Swathi Saravanan (2015), Lizzy, Myles, Holly Bakker (2015), Polly Hughes (2015), George Blackwell (2017)

Mini Reunions

Class of 1963 Reunion

Well, for us it was now Sixty years on - yet from afar and asunder the parted returned, amazingly, some twenty-five including wives!

Many travelled quite some distance to attend, the furthest being: David Gregory and Brenda from Cape Town; Alan Nimmey and Aracelis from Bordeaux. The photo shows most of us – except for Tony Castledine, Mick Taylor, Ted and Janet Wood – plus Sue McNeill and Gwynneth Nightingale who met up with us on the day.

We first gathered as a group in 2015 for the 100/500 Year Grand Reunion. The sweet nostalgia of the occasion was too intoxicating to not repeat, and we all decided to meet biennially at a Bolton restaurant, for as long as health and energy permitted.

This year the School hosted the ‘3’ Decade Reunion’ so we just had to piggy-back the event, but with the addition of an evening session at the Jolly Crofters, sustained with sandwiches and bowls of chips!

Sadly, not all those from the 2015 event are still around – thankfully many are, including some new faces – still recognisable, although so different from School photos.

Wives and partners, some ex-Girls’ Division, now join us and also share the enjoyment of reminiscing.

We thank Robin Simmons, our ‘resident photographer’, who took many superb photos and uploaded them to his website for us all to enjoy in the following days. But, we especially thank our other Robin, Magee, who organised us all, emailing and chasing slow responses!

Yet again the event was a roaring success. Thank you to School for hosting the day. Our ‘63 Group are now considering that reunions change from biennial to annual. At our age, months and years seem to fly, so we need to meet together as often as we can for as long as we can. So, here’s to ‘Reunion-2024’ –God willing!

If any readers of this article are of the same vintage, or nearly so, and want to join us next year, please do contact Robin Magee via the school Development Office.

John Wright

Rugby Reunites

Caspar Joseph (Boys’ Division Staff, 1986-2022) recently met up with ex-School First XV Captain Shaun Hughes-Grundy (Class of 2020) and Andrew Hughes (Class of 2013), ex-School First XV, England U18s, Sale Sharks and current Captain of Sale FC.

96-ers Meet Up in Nottingham

Alex Brodie (Class of 1996) recently organised a little gathering of Old Bolts down in sunny Nottingham. Sam Hilton, James Lee and James O’Reilly ventured south(ish) to join Alex for a real ale tour of Nottingham city centre, taking in a variety of pubs including Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem which evoked fond memories of Bolton’s very own Ye Olde Man and Scythe. The foursome reminisced about their time at School and, perhaps through rose-tinted glasses, their outstanding sporting achievements, Trek Camp tales and time spent with such fabulous teachers as Messrs Wadsworth, Joseph, Whitten and, of course, Prince. A fine time was had by all!

L-R:

Sam Hilton, James O’Reilly, James Lee, Alex Brodie (all Class of 1996)

Standing, L-R: Robin Simmons, Keith Washington, David Fielding, Robin Magee, Alan Nimmey, David Gregory, Harry Lane, John Wright, Glenn Sutton, John Shuttleworth, Ernie Marsh, Phil Westhead, David Woods Seated, L-R: Genevieve Fielding, Margaret Allen, Caroline Simmons, Brenda Gregory, Christine Lane, Sue McNeill, Aracelis Nimmey, Gwynneth Nightingale, Lynda Wright, Jean Marsh

Destinations of Leavers 2023

Samuel Abram Newcastle University History

Mohammed Ahmed Keele University Medicine

Amaar Ahmed Gap Year

Ubaid Ahmed

Degree Apprenticeship – BAE Systems

Muhammed Akhtar University of Manchester Physics

Zain Akram Gap Year

Mohammed Farhan Akram University of Central Lancashire

Physiology and Pharmacology

Mahad Anwaar University of Manchester Economics

Sahil Pravin Arjan University of Leicester Computer Science

Marcus Ashall-Payne Gap Year

Charles Ashton Newcastle University Business Management

Paul Bigger University of Liverpool Engineering

Thomas Boardman University of Oxford Chemistry

Thomas Brennan Newcastle University

Business Management

Laurence Britton University of Oxford Classics

Joe Burrows Newcastle University Chemical Engineering

John Campbell Newcastle University

Combined Honours

Maximilian Carter University of Exeter Medicine

Callum Cavanaugh Gap Year

Ibrahim Cheema Gap Year

Frankie Chen University of Cambridge Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

Muhammad Ali Choudhary Newcastle University Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry

Daniel Corr Durham University

Samuel Couriel University of Bristol

Joe Dady

General Engineering

Social Policy and Politics

Gap Year

Bill Danson University of Leeds Law

Rhys Davies University of Reading

Jamie Death

Classical Studies

Gap Year

William Duffy Manchester Metropolitan University Photography

Tony Duong University of Sheffield

Shuaihan Feng

Jack Fletcher Imperial College London

William Fothergill Durham University

William Garlick University of Sheffield

Thomas Ghee Durham University

Mohammad Hadi Liverpool John Moores University

Ammaar Haffeji

Haseeb Hajee University of Central Lancashire

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Gap Year

Mathematics and Computer Science

Modern Languages and Cultures

Mechanical Engineering

Degree Apprenticeship – PwC

Pharmacy

Degree Apprenticeship – Horwich Farrelly

Law with Business

Daniel Heather Newcastle University Economics

James Hodgson Newcastle University Pharmacy

James Hodson University of York

Matthew Hope University of Nottingham

Business and Management

Medicinal and Biological Chemistry

Sharull Hossain Gap Year

Jake Hudson Manchester Metropolitan University

Advertising and Brand Communications

Hashim Iqbal Gap Year

Mohammed Itowala

Degree Apprenticeship – Crowe

Daniel Jarvis University of Sheffield Physics

Ali Hasnain Jiva University of Liverpool Law

Samuel Johnson Northumbria University, Newcastle

Nathaniel Kampers University of Liverpool

Kaushik Kathiriya Lancaster University

International Business Management

English Language and Communication and Media

Degree Apprenticeship – BAE Systems

Luca Kelly King's College London Politics

Barnaby George Keogh Durham University

Modern Languages and Cultures

Fadi Khaled Baiza Hull York Medical School Medicine

Owais Khan Manchester Metropolitan University Law

Muhammad Khan Newcastle University Dentistry

Morgan Kirkpatrick Apprenticeship – DHL

Sunyul Koo UCL (University College London) Mechanical Engineering

Oliver Leahy University of Central Lancashire Aerospace Engineering

Kuan-Cheng Liu University of Manchester Medicine

James Lockie Nottingham Trent University Economics

James Logan University of Bristol Mathematics

Oliver Longworth Loughborough University Product Design Engineering (2024)

Benjamin Male Employment

Amin Maljee Gap Year

Adil Master Lancaster University Economics and Finance

Harry Mathieson Heriot-Watt University Engineering

Ellis Matthews Newcastle University Sport and Exercise Science

Kelvin Matthias Manchester Metropolitan University Law

Ben McCarthy Lancaster University Computer Science

David McGlynn University of Lincoln Classical Studies

Hamza Mehraj Lancaster University Biomedical Science

Robert Murray Lancaster University Economics

Rishi Narla Gap Year

Marcus Ng University of Leeds Biological Sciences

Zane Nirodi University of Liverpool Medicine

Henry Nuttall University of Leeds Politics

John Oxley-Harrison Newcastle University Earth Science

Siddhant Rajeshkumar Patel University of Cambridge Medicine

Mihir Patel Gap Year

Mohammedzayd Patel University of Manchester Medicine

Neerav Patel University of Manchester

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Rayyan Patel Lancaster University Economics

Aadam Patel Lancaster University English Language

Cian Patel Leeds Beckett University Product Design

Amaan Patel University of Manchester Accounting

Rory Pixton Newcastle University Mechanical Engineering

Aran Pomian University of Nottingham Economics

Joseph Prudham University of Nottingham English and Philosophy

Alistair Reed Loughborough University Mathematics

Hashir Sapra Gap Year

George Seddon Durham University Physics

Guy Seddon University of Leeds Geography

Hasan Shaikh University of Varna, Bulgaria Dental Medicine

Reuben Simpson University of Warwick Classics

Neeraj Singh

The University of Edinburgh Biological Sciences with Management

Frederick Summers University of Salford Marine Biology

Shahzeb Syed Gap Year

Sebastian Thompson Employment

Xuan Wang The University of Edinburgh Biological Sciences

Simon Whitmore University of York Economics

Harry Whittles Lancaster University Economics and Finance

Christopher Williams Newcastle University Law

Ryan Williams Newcastle University Pharmacology

Marcus Williams University of Salford Computer Science

Thomas Yates Durham University Chemistry

Kass Young Edge Hill University Business and Management

Brandon Yuen Swansea University Aerospace Engineering

Zaid Yusuf University of Leicester Accounting and Finance

Shuaitong Zhou University of Manchester Economics and Finance

THE MAIL BAG

A selection of emails and letters received since the last edition of The Bugle was published.

Star Letter

Homage to Howard Northam

Rick Clegg (Class of 1968) read David Shaw’s tribute to Howard Northam in the Autumn edition of The Bugle with mixed feelings: sad that a good man had left us; happy with the memories stirred by David’s words.

“David writes of Howard’s Austrian hikes. I was lucky to go on two of these. The first, in 1966, coincided with England winning the Soccer World Cup. Up in our mountain retreat it took us two days to find out we’d won! With Howard sensibly conscious of the risks, before travelling we trained in the use of ropes in the Scout Road Quarries. The skills we learnt prepared us for safe walking in the rugged Alpine terrain and for glacier crossing.

“They were magical trips; the mountains were spectacular and challenging to climb. The views, when the clouds permitted, were breathtaking. These hikes were lifechanging and implanted a life-long love of mountain exploration; proof that a mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimension. Howard was one of those inspirational teachers for whom the classroom was only a small part of a first-class education.

“So, 57 years later, how did I spend part of my holidays last year? Answer: walking in Austria in a neighbouring valley to the 1966 School trip!

“Thank you, Howard, it is a privilege to have come under your wing, if only for a few weeks.”

Rick also notes that the December 1967 Boltonian has a report of that year’s hike.

Hockey Team (almost) Identified

Stephen Bentley (Class of 1965) spotted himself at the beginning of the front row in the 1963 Hockey team photo sent in by Alan Pearce (Class of 1963) featured in the Autumn 2023 edition of The Bugle! Just one team member has not yet been identified – can anyone help?

Wartime Recollections

Reading the Autumn edition of The Bugle stirred many memories of his schooldays for Donald Cole (Class of 1947) – in particular he recalls standing many times during the early war years to remember Old Boys who had been killed. He also remembers wonderful night walks with sleeping bags on the moors to the North of Bolton and that all ‘holidays’ involved farming, forestry and fruit picking! As an aside, he noted that his father, a civil engineer, designed the large air-raid shelter under the first football field for all staff and pupils – although, thankfully, Donald and his friends never had to use it.

Lives Remembered

The Autumn issue of The Bugle prompted Jonathan ‘Jed’ Livingstone (Class of 1975) to compose this poem, a tribute to the School and to former pupils remembered:

The old School magazine arrived today

Full of hope and futures formed Buildings grander than the town around Enduring values in a changing world.

The Head introduces the year ahead.

There’s Staying in Touch and Bursaries please Mentoring help and Who’s Retired Reunion Dinners with smiles and ties.

It’s Lives Remembered that captivates me Friendships shared for fifty years

Sporting glories – the joy undimmed Lives complete. Once boys, now gone.

A talented bunch, with good careers

Yet, it was their interests and passion that made them rich The families, they leave. And there was love Their ages advance towards my own.

Whilst Jonathan does not envisage this as great art, it is a tribute to the School and pupils remembered in issues of The Bugle The poem sums up his feelings on receiving the last issue of the magazine.

Back row, L-R: Kerry Moorcroft, ?, Alan Pearce, David Seddon, Alan Aldred

Front row: Steve Bentley, John Cubbin, Stan Webster, David Forber, John Shuttleworth, Alan Middleton, Robert Carrington

Looking Back

1

2 Shahzeb, wearing sunglasses, is standing next to Dr Holland

3 Shahzeb (top, middle) and Rayyan (third from right) with Mrs Jepson (formerly Miss Bramhall), Dr Yates and classmates

4 Head of Sixth Form Mr Prentki with L-R: Hasan Shaikh, Hashir Sapra, Rayyan and Farhan Akram

5 Rik Thwaites (1977) sent in this photo of a coach trip from Park Road, L-R: Andrew Palmer, Michael Parkinson, Chris Ramsden, Mike Hilton, Bob Ogilvie, Rik Thwaites (all 1977)

6 Football, 2004-05

7 Primary Division fundraising, 2007

8 Mr Fernside (BD Staff, 1992-2023), Sport Relief Clocktower Abseil, 2008

If you have any photos of your time at School which you would like to share please email them to development@boltonschool.org A

Athletics Team, 1954, Back, L-R: NW Williams, B Oatley, N Marsden, KJ Wall, F Gee, G Windsor, Front: H Gibson, MD Crompton, CE Goudge, PJ Harrison, AR Morriss

nostalgic trip down Chorley New Road – photographs from across the decades.

Thank you to Shahzeb Syed and Rayyan Patel (both Class of 2023) who sent in these photos of their final day at School.

ARCHIVES

Lord Haslam

Robert (Bob) Haslam was born on 4th February 1923, the son of Percy and Mary-Alice (known as Cissy) and his primary education was at Church Road Council School. He was unsuccessful in the scholarship examination for Bolton School, but Mr Poskitt (Headmaster, 1933-1966) clearly saw potential because he offered him a Foundation Exhibition whereby his father would only be required to pay half fees. Thus it was that Bob entered School on 14th September 1923, becoming a member of Blackburn House.

During his time at School, where Bob was for some reason called Sam, he excelled at sport rather than academic subjects, albeit he did have a flair for Geography where his teacher was HA (‘Pip’) Porter and he was responsible for starting the Geographical Society in 1940. His father had encouraged him from an early age to take part in all sports, but it was football and cricket that he enjoyed most. He became Captain of both Football and Cricket, not only for his House but also for the School.

Sport apart, he became an Assistant Scoutmaster, was the School representative on the Bolton Youth Forum and played a key role in helping to organise the wartime fire-watching. This was probably the only time when boys and girls could get together at School because the two Divisions were otherwise kept strictly apart. The Boys’ Sixth Form was responsible for fire-watching and slept on the premises overnight. The Girls, for their part, prepared emergency rations.

Bob became School Captain in Autumn 1940 and left School in Summer 1941. Mr Poskitt wrote that from the beginning of his School career he had revealed outstanding qualities of leadership and an exceptionally strong and healthy influence on his contemporaries. Praise indeed and early recognition of the characteristics that would manifest themselves in later years and serve him to such great effect in his business career.

Bob had an Open Scholarship to read Geography at Cambridge, but he failed the Latin Entrance Examination. He went instead to the University of Birmingham, intending to read Geography, but, as this subject was being phased out because of the War, he opted instead to do a coal mining degree, graduating with a First Class Degree in 1944.

He embarked on his coal mining career by joining Manchester Collieries and, after three years working underground, obtained his Colliery Manager’s Certificate in 1947. The same year he not only married his first wife, Joyce, with Harry Whittle, Old Boy (Class of 1940) and British Athletics Captain at the 1952 Olympic Games being his Best Man, but also joined the ICI Nobel Division in Glasgow. He was responsible for advising and supporting customers about the use of explosives in various areas, including deep and open cast mining.

Bob and Joyce had two sons, Roger and Nigel, both of whom were born in Glasgow. He stayed with ICI for 36 years, the last three

of which he was Deputy Chairman of ICI. He then took on two Chairmanships in tandem: Tate & Lyle (1982-1986) and British Steel (1983-1986).

Knighted in the 1985 Honours List he then became Chairman of British Coal in 1986 after the 1984-1985 Miners’ Strike. He retired in 1990 and was created a Life Peer, taking the title of Baron Haslam of Bolton. His wife, Joyce, died in 1995 and in 1996 he married his second wife, Elizabeth Sieff.

Through all these years Bob, now Lord Haslam, had maintained his links with School and was elected President of the Old Boys’ Association in 1985, in which capacity he laid the foundation stone for the new Sports Hall and swimming pool.

He became a Governor in July 1990 and immediately became Chairman in succession to the 3rd Viscount Leverhulme, becoming the first Chairman of the new Foundation not to be a member of the Leverhulme family. He was an energetic and inspiring leader and his term of office is memorable for diverse reasons.

He was, for example, responsible for a complete revision of the constitution and the method of operation of the Governing Body, including the dispensing of the former Divisional Committees. Thenceforth there was a smaller Joint Governing Body with a revised sub-committee structure. All this required painstaking discussions with the Charity Commission and the production of a new Scheme of Arrangement. He also prepared the ground for the Nursery and led the Funding the Future Appeal that led to the conversion of the old swimming pool to the Arts Centre, which was formally opened by Diana, Princess of Wales, in October 1993.

Lord Haslam retired as Chairman of Governors and died, aged 79, on 2nd November 2002.

Meet the Archivist

Eric Fairweather

If you have a question about the School’s history or would like to donate to the Archive any photographs or artefacts from your time at School, Eric would love to hear from you. E: development@boltonschool.org

Diana, Princess of Wales, with Mrs Spurr, Lord Haslam, Mr Wright and Mr Watkinson

Sir Robert Haslam laying the foundation stone for the Sports Hall, July 1985

LIVES REMEMBERED

Jean Bailey (Boys’ Division Staff, 1971-1991)

Telephonist and Receptionist Jean Bailey will be fondly remembered by many former pupils and former staff for her time in the old Sergeants’ Office where she had a pivotal role in the day-to-day life of the School.

Operating the switchboard, she was efficient within the School and her qualities were acknowledged by callers from outside. Jean knew everyone, was widely respected and actively sympathetic to boys who called in Sergeants’ Office with problems, but her generosity did not prevent her from being direct when she needed to be, even with Headmasters. Whilst she recognised the importance of discretion, she was well practised in conveying urgent news. Even on their wedding day she was able to tell John, waiting at the altar, the latest score in the Ashes test match. The year was 1953, when England won the series, and their shared love of cricket reflected their lasting love of each other. Summer Saturdays would always find her wherever Tonge CC were playing, supporting John and, later, their son. When John was Chairman they met many visiting professionals and it was through their friendship with Trevor Hohns that their son, and then they, emigrated to Tasmania. Their spirited support of England through thick and thin was well-known to their neighbours, not least because they always flew the flag in their garden during Ashes series. During her time at Bolton School, long before the mobile phone, she would keep staff enthusiasts up-to-date with the score.

Jean loved the School and loved Bolton. Every year she and John returned for long periods in the summer, often staying with Roger Kirk and maintaining a strong and supportive friendship with Sergeant Gerrard. This allowed them to visit Rivington Bowling Club on Thursdays when former staff play during the summer months. It was always a pleasure to meet them again, to play alongside John and to hear Jean’s humorous reservations about our game. She was always the same and we hear her voice still.

Charles Winder (Boys’ Division Staff, 19641999 and David Shaw (Boys’ Division Staff, 1964-2002)

John Robert Benyon (Class of 1970)

John was one of the ‘Bury set’ who used to travel in to School aboard the 23T bus from Bury, along with the likes of Stuart Crompton and Tim Chadwick.

His family home was the base from which one of the ‘pop groups’ in School was formed, Stuart Crompton and Barry Livesey being founder members of what became

The Assassins. He left School after sitting his O Levels and continued his studies in engineering at Blackburn College, from where he went into the engineering and sales side of the rubber and plastics industry. My first encounter with John following School was when I worked for a plastics company and, whilst sauntering across the factory floor one day, I heard the call of: “All right, Gary?” in a broad Bury accent as John emerged from beneath a large machine he was dismantling, having purchased the said machine for his own company. At no point did he ever try to disguise his roots, especially that Bury accent – and why should he?

As a teenager, John was a good runner, showing a fair turn of speed, especially bearing in mind that he was a fairly solid unit which took a fair bit of stopping in class and junior house football games, even though he was far from keen on ball sports. He was a keen cyclist right up until he could drive, when sporty cars replaced the cycles. His much-modified Mark 2 Cortina GT was much envied by friends. He developed a fondness for Fell walking after venturing into the hills on School trips; this love stayed with him and was passed on to his own children and stepchildren. He also had a fondness for a good pint of ale; he probably passed that on, too.

John developed multiple sclerosis at quite an early age and had to give up work and driving, something he found particularly difficult. The last 20 years of his life were spent in care homes and then nursing homes as his condition deteriorated, but, despite the challenges which life presented him, he was never one to grumble; in fact, he would often become annoyed with others who concentrated on life’s woes rather than “cracking on”. His dry sense of humour remained with him, along with his

love of beer, for as long as he could manage to drink it. He enjoyed visits from old friends, although visits from School friends dwindled somewhat in recent years. One contact he particularly enjoyed was a get-together of the Class of 1970 held in a Bolton hotel in 2012. As soon as he knew about the planned get-together, he was adamant that he would be there, no matter how difficult the logistics. Somehow, John ensured that his allowances would stretch to paying for an accessible taxi from his nursing home in Rochdale, with the cost of his meal and a carer being covered by School friends.

The popularity of the guy was illustrated by the vast number of people in attendance at his cremation service in Radcliffe, not everyone being able to be accommodated in the chapel, with folk from all aspects of John’s past life being represented, from both Divisions of Bolton School, work, his social life and, particularly, from his golf club, where he was a popular member.

John left a widow, Julie, a daughter, Lucy, two stepsons, Henry and Christian, and a sister, Linda. He also left many memories of a ‘very nice chap’.

Gary Sykes (Class of 1970)

Oliver Dearden, OBE (1942-1951)

Oliver was born in Bolton on 22nd September 1931, and was a scholarship pupil at Bolton School.

He left school with a Joint Matriculation Board Higher School Certificate in Pure Mathematics, Theoretical Mechanics and Physics. Oliver went on to obtain a First in Civil Engineering from Nottingham University in 1954, and then started his first full-time job as a Technical Engineer at the Bristol Aeroplane Company (BAC).

One of his first projects at BAC was developing designs for the proposed Bristol Type 198 supersonic airliner, which later evolved as part of the joint Anglo-French

project that delivered Concorde. Whilst he was at BAC, he joined the Bristol Gliding Club where he met his wife, Mary, who worked in the BAC drawing office and was already a skilled glider pilot. Mary was the first woman in the Bristol club to qualify as a glider pilot back in 1951. Oliver obtained his gliding licence in 1955, and a solo flying licence in the 1970s.

Oliver and Mary were married in March 1957 in Bristol. In 1958 they moved to Bedford and Oliver joined John Laing and Sons as a civil engineer working on early sections of the M1 Motorway, as well as major road projects in London and Gloucestershire. After leaving Laings they returned to Bristol and Oliver became a Project Engineer in the Bristol Highways Department. In 1976, with the reorganisation of Local Government, Oliver transferred to the new County of Avon, setting up and managing their Highways Design Office until his retirement in the 1990s.

Mary and Oliver’s interests in aviation were always part of their lives together. They volunteered at the Weston Super Mare Helicopter Museum for many years. Once they retired they continued to devote the majority of their time to aviation history, collaborating with many other volunteers to acquire and preserve as many of the aviation artefacts developed at BAC over 100 years into what became the Bristol Aero Collection.

Oliver cared for Mary through a long debilitating illness until she passed away in 2006. After her death, Oliver then put the majority of his time into securing and preserving items for the Bristol Aero Collection Trust, where he was a trustee for many years.

Oliver Dearden

Oliver was involved in the negotiations and arrangements to secure the last Concorde built at Filton (Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, No 216), and he led the trust volunteers’ open air ‘Concorde at Filton’ exhibition, prior to the Aerospace Bristol museum being established where Concorde is now the star attraction. Oliver was also very proud of the WWI Bristol F2 Fighter exhibit for which he arranged and funded the plane’s purchase, transport (from the US), and installation, in memory of Mary.

In 2021, Oliver’s contribution was recognised in the New Year’s honours list with an OBE for services to aviation heritage.

Oliver died peacefully in Southmead Hospital, Bristol at the age of 92 on 3rd December 2023.

Andy Dearden

J Roger Holt (Class of 1951)

(John) Roger Holt was born in Bolton on 23rd December 1932, the son of Bolton School stock – his father, Alfred (Class of 1919), his mother, Helen (née Howarth, Head Girl, Class of 1922), his older sister, Elizabeth (Betty) Harrop (née Holt, Class of 1950) and aunts Edith (Class of 1922) and Millie Holt (Class of 1928) all attended. Roger and Elizabeth lived in Longsight Lane, Harwood and spent much of their free time out exploring the nearby countryside or helping out on the local farm.

Roger enjoyed all sport at Bolton School where he excelled at football, but less so on the academic side and he left school with one A Level in Biology.

Before he could put his Biology to use by attending agricultural college, Roger was required to gain some practical experience. However, his first taste of agricultural life, on a farm in Norfolk, proved less than idyllic as he spent most of his time driving a truck full of sugar beet to the station and loading it onto rail wagons by hand. Whilst this made him very fit, his farming knowledge remained somewhat limited!

At 19 Roger was called up for National Service and was posted to RAF Ballykelly, Northern Ireland where he worked in air traffic control – and he also used his lorry driving experience by driving one of the 15 hundredweight lorries on the airfield. It was his job to keep paraffin flares along the runways topped up and lit to guide the planes in.

Roger’s love for the outdoor life, kindled in the Boy Scouts, saw him and his friends skiing and climbing from the early 1950s, undertaking many expeditions to the Alps, including a climb of Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria. He also continued playing football and was a regular for the Old Boltonians.

On returning to Bolton, Roger swapped farming and RAF lorries for typewriters, and found a temporary clerical job at the national insurance office in Bolton, before securing a permanent position as Assistant to the Sales Manager at Geigy Pharmaceuticals in Manchester. Their office was based in an old house and he had to make do with a bathroom as an office with a makeshift table of a piece of wood over the bath! Despite that start, he stayed 38 years with Geigy – which then became Ciba Geigy and latterly Novartis – working in marketing, distribution and medical research, before retiring in 1992, aged 60. Roger married Carol Holt (née Simpson, Class of 1955) in 1960 and had three daughters, Jocelyn, Sarah and Philippa. His job then took the family to Macclesfield and then to Wisborough Green in West Sussex. Family holidays with his sister and the Harrops involved camping near Cairngorm for skiing at Easter and camping near beaches in the UK in the Summer were where Rog could really get into the outdoor life.

Gardening was another of Roger’s passions and, whilst in Sussex, he was very proud when the village horticultural society with which he was heavily involved was awarded a gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show. In 2000 Roger met his new partner, Mary, and moved up to Carlisle for five years. Here he was in his element and he completed his quest to climb all 214 Wainwrights which added to his bagged Munro collection. His next move was to Pury End near Towcester, Northamptonshire where he continued his passion for being outdoors – making new friends to play golf with and to share fishing trips with (another of his favourite past times), he also helped out regularly as a beater on a local shoot.

Suffering from Parkinson’s made the last few years very difficult for Roger, but, helped by Mary, his carers and his daughters, he carried on without complaint until his death at home two days after Christmas aged 91.

Life was always adventurous and fun with Rog around. He will be greatly missed. Roger Harrop (nephew) (Class of 1982)

(photo credit of Peter Gibbs)

Roger, third left on back row, played for the School’s 1st 11

Martin Orrell (1944-1953)

Martin was born in Leigh, Lancashire, only child to Herbert and Annie (née Sagar) Orrell.

Martin went to Bolton School, which he remembered fondly. A couple of memories which he told children and grandchildren were of various scouting holidays to the Lake District, New Forest and France. On one occasion, he accidentally managed to set his tent and bag on fire while cooking … this pyromaniac tendency followed him throughout life.

He also remembers acting at Bolton school, although admits he was not very good. He played the soothsayer in the play Julius Caesar at School and remembers his toga being too long and him falling off stage. He said it was a bit embarrassing as it was in front of Ian McKellen, who was also acting in the play and a couple of years below him at School. To the relief of everyone Martin did not pursue his acting any further.

Martin went to Caius College, Cambridge in 1953, to study Medicine – the first in his family to go to university. He spoke of how hard it was being a medical student/doctor back in those days with the relentless shift work.

While a medical student at Westminster, he met a pretty redhaired nurse who was sharing the same house as him in the flat below. Her name was Wynne, and Martin was smitten – and consequently failed his finals! He passed them six months later. Martin pursued Wynne around London for the next nine months “trying to get her to marry me” and, in his own words, “eventually wore her down and she said ‘Yes’”. They married in July 1960 in Weymouth, as this is where Wynne had been born and grew up. They moved down permanently to Weymouth in 1962, after Martin did various house jobs in Gloucester. Martin was the first in the family to move away from the Leigh/Bolton area.

Martin started work at Royal Crescent General practice surgery, Weymouth, as a junior partner. He became senior partner and for the 38 years he was there he oversaw the expansion of the surgery from a small cottage practice of two partners to moving to the seafront with 14 partners. The surgery was the first to have a training

practice and practice manager. Martin as senior partner made sure there was equal partnership, unlike instances where senior partners would exploit their junior partners. He was a family doctor for many years, some families had three generations being looked after by him. A lot of his patients remember him as a lovely doctor, and talk of him fondly for his care and compassion. Martin retired after 38 years as a GP, in 1994. He was much missed by his patients, but still remembered.

His Grandfather was the manager of a busy bookshop on Newport Street in Bolton and the family home was full of interesting reading material.

Martin had many hobbies, including gardening and golfing. Later in life he took up watercolour painting, and various grandchildren have some of his artwork. He enjoyed going away in a caravan with his grandson, and spent a lot of time with grandchildren who were nearby in Weymouth and not so near in Bristol.

Martin and Wynne had three children, Jonathan, Jane and Mark, who went down various medical, nursing and pathology lab manager routes. They had eight grandchildren: two of them are doctors and a further one is in medical school. They were proud of every single one and followed their achievements and lives with interest.

It is very hard as we have lost Martin and Wynne in a short space of time. Martin passed away on 1st January 2023, having lived for years with Parkinson’s. Wynne passed away in September 2023.

Martin was a very compassionate, kind man. He was a good listening ear and had great insight and advice. He was a devoted husband, loving father and a wise grandpa. We shall all miss him very much. The Orrell Family

Norman Parker (1946-1951)

Born in Bolton, Norman was Chief Librarian of the town for 21 years.

Norman lived in Westhoughton until he was five years old, when his father, an Electrical Engineer in a colliery, died suddenly. His mother decided to move him and his younger sister, Audrey, back to live with their Grandfather in Bromwich Street, Bolton.

Norman enjoyed school and was passionate about learning. He worked hard and gained a scholarship to Bolton School.

He left School in 1951, aged 16, to become a Library Assistant; that was cut short when he was called up for National Service in 1953. Norman was assigned to The Royal Signals and in 1953, aged 18, he found himself in barracks at Catterick. Norman immersed himself fully into army life. His trade was a Radio Mechanic, but it was the discipline, the camaraderie, learning new skills and meeting new people that he thrived on.

In 1954 he was attached for 18 months to The Royal Horseguards (The Blues). Norman attended numerous events where the Royal Family were present; he even had a souvenir polo ball which Prince Philip hit at a polo match at Windsor on 17th June 1955.

In 1955 he completed his National Service, and he returned to his role as a Library Assistant. He was ambitious and in 1959 he completed his final exams to be a Librarian. In 1963 he married Ruth, and they had two children, Michael and Diana.

He worked incredibly hard in pursuit of the career he was passionate about, and in 1974 he became Chief Librarian of Bolton, a job which he thoroughly enjoyed for 21 years until he retired in 1995.

Norman was a fiercely proud Boltonian, interested in local history. He was the Honorary Secretary of the Bolton Festival Committee, which worked hard to bring interesting events to Bolton, and bring people into the town.

In later years he became a member of Rotary, working together with like-minded people to help local causes.

Norman was a lifelong Bolton Wanderers supporter, and one of his earliest experiences watching Bolton play at Burnden Park was in March 1946, when he was present at the Burnden Park Disaster, when sadly 33 people died and hundreds were injured.

In his youth Norman was a keen mountaineer and he travelled around Europe fulfilling his climbing and hiking ambitions.

In retirement he and Ruth travelled worldwide, including several trips to New Zealand to visit family. In later years they favoured holidays in Scotland, one of their very special places.

Norman passed away peacefully in Beechville residential home in February 2024. He leaves behind his children, Michael and Diana.

Diana Boyle (née Parker)

E Glyn Price (1952-1959)

My brother, Glyn, was born in Horwich in 1941 and joined Bolton School in the Shells as a scholarship boy in 1952. Due to our age difference, I was never Glyn’s contemporary at School – he left in 1959, the same year I started at Park Road.

After retirement, as well as frequent overseas visits to see the family, he continued his interest in fellwalking and was able to pursue his lifelong obsession with trams and buses.

Sadly, Agnes died in 2019 and, in his latter years, Glyn suffered from aphasia, and spent his last couple of years in a nursing home. He died peacefully on Halloween 2023.

Ian Price (1959-1969)

L-R: Althea Sharp, Gwynn Pritchard, Dafydd Pritchard, Anna Bailey, Nia Pritchard, Rhodri James

Gwynn Pritchard (1957-1964)

My father, Gwynn Pritchard, who died in March 2023, was a kind and gentle soul whose innate curiosity helped him live a richly interesting and varied life as a television director and producer.

The 1950s were arguably the glory days of Richard Poskitt’s headship and Glyn was mightily impressed with Joe Boss (as he was known) and his command of the School. Glyn quickly joined the Scouts (then run by Bill Brookes) and greatly enjoyed his time with them, particularly the camps, including trips to Luxembourg, Holland and the Black Forest in Germany. In 1958, he became one of the first boys at School to become a Queen’s Scout. In later life he continued his involvement with the Scouts, as a parent and then as a Scoutmaster, helping to run troops near where he lived. Despite doing Science subjects at A Level, it was at Art that Glyn excelled, and it was this that led him, in 1959, to gain a place at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London where he was to study a new course in industrial design. His contemporaries at the RCA included the artist David Hockney and the fashion designer Zandra Rhodes. Glyn was particularly appreciative that his old Headmaster, Mr Poskitt, took the trouble to attend his degree ceremony in 1963 with him being the first ex-Bolton Schoolboy to graduate from the RCA. After graduation, Glyn worked advising on design with the majority of his career being with the Scottish Design Council in Glasgow. Indeed, it was in Scotland that he was to spend the rest of his life. He married and moved to the new town of Cumbernauld where he and his wife, Agnes, raised a family of four who later provided him with seven grandchildren.

Born Iorwerth Gwynn Pritchard to Islwyn and Megan (née Lloyd) in the Flintshire village of Ffynnongroyw in 1946, Gwynn’s childhood set the tone for a well-travelled life. Islwyn’s work as a unitarian minister took the family to Trebanos in the Swansea Valley and then to Chorley (as well as Chicago, Belfast and London later in life).

Gwynn’s time at Bolton School fostered a lifelong love of literature, theatre, music and film, and earned him a place at King’s College, Cambridge, where he studied English Literature and Philosophy and met my mother, Marilyn (née Bartholomew), whom he married in 1970.

They moved to London, where Gwynn embarked on a career in television, starting with the BBC. During his nine years at the BBC in London, his son, Matthew, and daughter, Nia, were born in 1975 and 1977. Gwynn’s work took him all over the world and encompassed a wide range of subjects, from politics in China to living with Inuit people in North America.

The family moved to Cardiff in 1979, where I was born 10 years later. Gwynn worked for BBC, HTV Wales and Channel 4 before returning to BBC Wales as Head of Programmes in 1992 and retiring in 2001 to become an independent producer. Marilyn died of cancer in 1994. Gwynn married Althea Sharp in 1998.

Gwynn admired anyone who “wore their knowledge lightly” – and did that himself. One Christmas, Nia, Matthew and I were talking about soul music with Dad, who casually mentioned he had interviewed Marvin Gaye for a documentary he directed in the 1960s. On a trip to Paris with him before I started university, Dad nonchalantly remarked he had received a French knighthood a couple of decades earlier for a film he made about the French revolution.

These experiences were only a small part of what made Gwynn such a magnetic, interesting person. His intelligence and myriad interests made him brilliant company, but, more importantly, he was a generous and thoughtful person, a good listener who took a genuine interest in others.

He was a loving father to Matthew, Nia and me, and a doting grandfather to Nia’s children, Jac and Efa, and my daughter Maia, who was born on Dad’s birthday in 2023.

Gwynn was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2016 and, although that slowed him down in the last few years, he still lived a fulfilling, stimulating life and was always fantastic company. He died suddenly following a cardiac arrest at home on Sunday 19th March 2023. It was a terrible shock but a small comfort that his death was quick and painless, in Althea’s arms.

I still miss him terribly, but am so thankful to have had him as my Dad, and I am grateful that he knew how loved he was.

Dafydd Pritchard

John Russell Gregory (Greg) Salt (1965-1972)

John Russell Gregory Salt was born in Chester on 26th May 1954. His father was John, and he hated the name Russell, so he was universally known as Greg.

Gwynn and Marilyn

His parents moved to Bolton when he was 11 and he began at School in 1965.

His first school friend was Ray Prendecki, a friendship which would last for nearly 60 years.

In addition to his academic efforts, Greg was good at sport, particularly cricket, and he represented the School team at all levels. He also played football and later hockey. He kept goal for Old Boltonians FC for many years Greg left School in 1972 to study chartered accountancy, working initially at Peat Marwick Mitchell before entering the commercial world. Whilst at Peat Marwick, he played in their football and cricket teams. He took his accountancy exams with his School friend Ray who was proud to have Greg as his Best Man.

One of his jobs was with Springrove Services, an industrial laundry firm which he would one day buy, selling when he approached retirement. The firm was based in Queensferry, so much of his time would have been spent on the road, although I suspect as many business trips as possible coincided with Chester FC home matches!

In one way, Greg was unusual – plenty of people take interest in a local sports organisation and devote their time and effort to it. Far fewer achieve this with two clubs, as Greg did with Dunscar Golf Club and with Eagley Cricket Club.

Introduced to Dunscar by golf-mad parents, he became a good golfer and in later years devoted his time to a variety of administration roles. Similarly with Eagley, Greg was a good batsman and captain, going on to act as Treasurer and Chairman. Only four players have scored more runs for Eagley than his approaching 9,500. He was a life member of both clubs. Greg devoted his free time to the things that interested and delighted him, paramount of which were his many friends, Chester FC and Salford Rugby League club. He also had a passionate interest in American football, horse racing, never forgetting his devotion to the music of Bruce Springsteen.

On a personal note, Greg was my friend for 50 years. There can not be much of northern and central France that we did not visit on countless holidays. There were trips to watch Salford home and away and the simple pleasures of meeting up most weekends for drinks. Greg liked nothing better than a couple of beers and a good curry. I was as proud as Ray before me that he stood as my Best Man.

Marriage and moving away from Bolton meant seeing Greg became much less frequent, but like the best of friends, I always knew that if I needed him, he would be there. He could have forthright views and was not afraid to air them, but despite

that was always great company. I followed his long-running illness with great sadness, kept up to date by friends who were in more direct contact with him. His death on 16th December 2023 was not unexpected, but nontheless a massive blow. The huge attendance at his funeral bore witness to the affection and respect that Greg enjoyed from so many people. He will be greatly missed.

Geoff Cleworth (Class of 1970) and Ray Prendecki (Class of 1973)

David K Sharp (1949-1956)

David attended Devonshire Road County Primary School before joining Bolton School in 1949 with a Bolton Free Place. A quiet and conscientious pupil, he maintained very high positions in his form.

He was a member of the School hockey team and supported a number of School societies, including the Choral Society, the Chess Club, the Scientific Society, the Film Society, the Astronomical Society, the Philharmonic Society and the Political Society. He was a prominent member of the School Scout Troop and in his last year was a Troop Leader. He assisted with the Boy Scouts into his later life and was a leading figure in the making of a yacht which was launched on Lake Windermere.

David attended numerous School camps, including Saundersfoot, and many Scout camps. In a letter to Headmaster Mr Poskitt in 1950 in which he described what he had done during the Summer holidays, he gave a detailed account of a Scout camp at Tal-y-Llyn in Wales which he “enjoyed very much, in spite of the rather bad weather” – somewhat of an understatement, as he went on to say “the most unpleasant moment of he camp was when the tent was flooded and we were lying in a foot of water”!

He did well in his A Levels in Chemistry, Maths and Physics and gained a State Scholarship. He was offered a place at Christ’s College, Cambridge after completing his national service and gained a degree in Chemical Engineering. While at Cambridge he attended meetings of the Chemical Society and played tennis and squash. He also played hockey for one of the College subsidiary teams – and was awarded a tie for his efforts. For a number of years he was President of Cambridge Old Boltonians. His first job on leaving Cambridge was as a

chemical engineer with the Shell Chemical Company at Carrington. He subsequently worked and trained with IBM.

Graham James Smith (1962-1969)

Graham joined Bolton School from Moorside Junior High in 1962. His goalscoring exploits meant he soon became high profile, with regular announcements of his achievements in Monday morning assembly.

Whilst his sporting prowess was broad based (including cricket, tennis and athletics) it was football where he really excelled and is best summarised with two extracts from the School Magazine.

The March 1969 Magazine commented that: “Special mention must be made of the outstanding achievements of Smith, centreforward for the past four seasons and this year’s captain. Ever since his startling debut in senior football at the age of 14, when he scored seven goals in his only game for the 2nd XI, he has been an automatic choice for the 1st XI and has played in 74 consecutive matches, scoring 119 of the team’s 254 goals. He has played in all the Lancashire Senior Schools’ FA XI’s games in the past two seasons. Any aspiring young player should note that, though endowed with great natural skill, Smith has become one of the School’s most outstanding players not through this alone, but also through an almost professional dedication to the game. In other words, he has worked hard at the game, enjoying every minute of match-play and practice – yes, practice. This enthusiasm, which has communicated itself to the rest of the team, has, together with his good sense, modest bearing and readiness to encourage his team-mates, made him an effective captain. We are very sorry that this is his last season with us; but his departure will no doubt cause rejoicing and much relief among the union of school goalkeepers. More senior goalkeepers had better watch out.”

Football 1st XI, 1967-1968 – Back L-R: MC Birchall, M Bennett, JW Ellis, PE Booth, S Hughes, PJ Labbett; Front L-R: D Willson, MS Holt, MAT Hesketh (Captain), GJ Smith and J Oldham

The July 1969 Magazine said that “Our heartiest congratulations go to Graham Smith who crowned an outstanding School career by gaining international honours. He played Centre Forward for the England Schools’ team in their match against Scotland at Ibrox Park, Glasgow on 3rd May and thus became our first international player since season 1959-1960.”

On leaving School Graham attended Loughborough University, gaining his degree in 1972, and progressed into a teaching career. During this time he played for several semi-professional teams, scoring goals with monotonous regularity. Initially, post Loughborough, Graham played for Folkestone in Kent and, on returning to the North West to pursue his teaching career, for Ashton United, Winsford United and Northwich Victoria.

During one fraught period Graham withdrew his services to ensure an improved contract with a new club. He was obviously no pushover.

A new National League, or ‘Fifth Division’, was introduced as a gateway to the Football League which had previously been a closed shop. Playing for Northwich Victoria in the inaugural season he set the record for the number of goals scored in a season in that league for many years until Peter Taylor, who played for Spurs and managed England for a spell, exceeded it. Graham’s football career ended abruptly with a broken leg aged 29, and he continued his chosen profession in Norfolk and, latterly, in Northampton.

Pursuing two careers with four children meant little spare time, although he did enjoy cooking for his family.

This tribute is dominated with sporting achievements, but, of more significance, is how he lived his life, how he was viewed by others, and how he will be remembered by his family and peers: modest, humble, deflecting any praise others tried to bestow on him for his achievements in all facets of his life. This is the true measure of the man and will be the enduring memory of him for many.

This tribute comes from remaining members of the fine 1967/68 1st XI for whom Graham was an outstanding performer.

Graham leaves wife, Sharon, and four children, Matt, Becky, Joe and Amy. Pete Booth (Class of 1969), Pete Labbett (Class of 1968), Carlton (Bill) Wright (Class of 1970) and on behalf of Mick Bennett (Class of 1968), Mike Birchall (Class of 1969), Steve Hughes (Class of 1970), Mike Taylor (Class of 1969), Dave Willson (Class of 1969)

Neil Richard Sutcliffe (Class of 2004)

Unexpectedly taken from us while on holiday abroad. Neil is survived by his parents Derrick and Linda, and his siblings John, Mark, Kate, Gabrielle, and Clare. Always willing to light up a room with artwork or music, his spirit and talent will be sorely missed. Rest In Peace.

Hatice Torun (Boys’ Division Staff, 2016-2019)

Hatice passed away after a short illness in December 2022.

Hatice joined Bolton School as a Newly Qualified Teacher of French and German in 2016, having impressed the respective interview panels with her sharp wit and extremely strong personality. I remember

In Memoriam

her interview clearly, as she deftly dealt with the questions thrown at her with such confidence and vigour that it was hard to believe she was only just starting her career. Her engaging personality, sharp wit and nononsense approach became the trademark of her classroom, where boys progressed quickly, but enjoyed themselves as they did so.

Hatice was highly organised and blended both traditional and modern teaching methods successfully in her teaching. She created significant e-learning resources to enable boys to master grammar in both French and German and she was a passionate advocate for the importance of learning languages, ensuring the subjects thrived at Bolton School during a period of national decline. Her passion for teaching was clear to everyone who came into contact with Hatice, and she was an outstanding form tutor who freely gave her time to benefit the boys. She coached several boys to success in the national French Spelling Bee Finals in Cambridge, accompanied and organised overseas trips, involved herself in Model UN and even helped with Scouts. She bought the same tireless energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the extra-curricular life of School as she did to her classroom. Despite only working with us for a relatively short period of time, her impact on the boys, parents and colleagues was profound. No-one who came into contact with Hatice will ever forget her.

Nic Ford, Head of Boys’ Division

Peter Aspinall (1944-1949) - Died 2nd November 2023

L Michael Berry (Class of 1956) - Died 6th March 2024

John Clegg (1943-1953) - Died 8th May 2023

Robert Anthony Ellis (1949-1956) - Died 25th February 2024

Donald Graham (1942-1949) - Died 10th January 2024

David R Heyes (1948-1958) - Died 27th October 2023

Joseph Holt (1941-1950) - Died 10th December 2023

Leon Metcalfe (Class of 1959) - Died 30th November 2023

Ken Nightingale (Class of 1958) - Died 19th November 2023

David Probett (1961-1968) - Died 2nd December 2023

Meurig Roberts (1969-1976) - Died April 2022

Neville Southern (1950-1958) - Died 13th January 2024

Gordon Walker (1950-1964) - Died 30th April 2023

Sir Malcolm Williamson (Class of 1957) - Died April 2023

Remembered with a smile (2nd December 1985-24th September 2023)

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2024

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Old Boltonians’ Association will take place on Monday 20th May 2024 at 12 noon in the Arts Centre, Bolton School.

AGM agenda

• Apologies

• Minutes of Annual General Meeting 2023

• Secretary’s Report

• Treasurer’s Report and Accounts

OLD BOLTONIANS' ASSOCIATION

Proxy Voting Form

I [insert name].......................................................................................................... of [address]............................................................................................................... a member of the Association appoint [insert name].......................................................................................... of [address]............................................................................................................... or failing him the President of the Association (or in his absence the chairman of the meeting) to be my proxy to vote on my behalf at the Annual General Meeting of the Association to be held on Monday 20th May 2024 or at any adjournment of that meeting.

I desire my proxy to vote on the resolutions to be submitted as follows:

• Sectional Reports (these will be taken as the reports printed in this edition of The Bugle)

• Election of Officers and General Committee (save for the office of President, nominations close at the meeting)

• Head of Boys’ Division’s Report

• Any other business

Details of those members of the General Committee who are due to retire by rotation will be given at the meeting. Richard Morris (Class of 1986) is the Presidential nominee and is proposed for election for a period of one year.

Annual General Meeting

(1) To elect Richard Morris as President of the Association for 2024/25

*FOR *AGAINST *Please delete whichever is not required

In the absence of instructions my proxy may vote or abstain from voting as he thinks fit on any matter which may properly come before the meeting

Date .................................................................................................................................

Signed ........................................................................................................................

Please return this form to arrive no later than 11.30am on 20th May 2024 to The Secretary, Old Boltonians’ Association c/o Development Office, Bolton School, Chorley New Road, Bolton BL1 4PA with the envelope clearly marked “OBA AGM”.

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE OLD BOLTONIANS’ ASSOCIATION

HELD ON MONDAY 15TH MAY 2023

The Minutes of the AGM 2022 were accepted as a true record of that meeting.

Secretary’s Report

The annual and sincere thanks were offered to the Development Office for their wonderful efforts in organising and managing the Association’s events and online connections. A full and vibrant calendar was reported on including the first Joint Lunch at school in February and a New York Dinner. Alumni of the Year Awards had been held for the first time, Sir Philip Craven winning the pupils’ vote from the nominations. As well as Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn there are almost 3000 Alumni members on the Bolton Alumni Network.

David Seddon and Peter Acton stepped down as Managing Mentors after almost six years establishing and running the Find Your Path scheme. We thanked them for their efforts.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer, Phil Riding, reported that the finances were in good health.

Sectional Reports

As reported in The Bugle, both the football and golf sections are keen to attract new players.

Election of Officers and General Committee

Adam Syddall, Tim Taylor, Chris Taylor were all re-elected onto the committee for three years. Nick Holt, James Chadwick and Huw Dixon were all elected onto the committee for three years. Irfan Ravat stepped down from the Committee. Richard Washington was elected as President until May 2024.

Following the Headmaster’s report, our outgoing President Roy Battersby expressed his fond memories of his extended period as President. The room thanked him for his time as President.

Prepared by: PA Riding, Hon Treasurer

Subject to independent review by: AJ Syddall, Hon Independent Examiner