Flourish The annual report of giving at College January 2018
Building on Success Welcome to this, the latest edition of ‘Flourish’. 2017 closed with the College community bidding a very fond farewell to Alex Peterken as he moved on to take up the Headship of Charterhouse in Surrey. Working closely with the College Council, Dr Peterken has provided the vision and leadership that has helped College firmly re‑establish itself as one of the leading co-educational boarding schools in the UK and internationally. We owe him a very considerable debt of gratitude. We have been delighted to appoint Mrs Nicola Huggett, currently the very successful Head of Blundell’s School in Devon, to lead College through the next phase of its development, building on the excellent work and strong foundations laid by Dr Peterken. Mrs Huggett joins us in September; in the meantime the leadership of College is in the very capable hands of Acting Head, Crispin Dawson. Next September will also see Tom O’Sullivan join us from Old Buckenham Hall, as Head of the Prep, when Jon Whybrow retires following five very successful years at the helm. Jon’s Headship has seen the Prep develop and improve in so many ways and he leaves the school in very good heart.
In a number of other ways 2017 has been a transformational year for College with the purchase of a new Girls’ Boarding House, College Lawn, and big changes to our catering facilities at the Senior school. We have also made important improvements to our existing boarding facilities, with more to come this year. We are immensely grateful for the generous support received from Parents, Old Cheltonians and Friends of College that has enabled these and the other projects completed during the year, some of which you can read about over the next few pages. The continuity of approach that I referred to in my introduction to ‘Flourish’ 12-months ago, remains steadfast. The twin foundation stones of further raising academic standards alongside a full and varied co-curricular programme, and at the same time running the business of College efficiently, remain firmly in place. During a prolonged period of economic uncertainty College has not only continued to thrive but has also succeeded in expanding and moving forward. Sustaining this momentum is vital and your support of College is genuinely important to our mission of securing the future for this great school. We remain grateful, as always, for all gifts to College and along with my Council colleagues I shall look forward to seeing many of you in 2018.
William Straker-Nesbit President of Cheltenham College Council
Together we flourish 2017 has been another successful year for fundraising at College, even more so with the first generous gifts received from Old Cheltonians in Thailand, Malaysia and as far afield as Australia. Under the leadership of Dr Alex Peterken we have seen some truly transformational changes since 2010, including the Science Centre, two new girls’ houses and most recently vast improvements to our catering facilities. In the last seven years, more than £20m has been invested to improve and develop the College estate, over £6m of which has been received from generous donations. We are incredibly grateful for all the support received which enables us to look after our heritage as well as undertake exciting new building projects. The philanthropic support received has also allowed us to offer transformational bursaries (up to 110% of fees) to talented children. We want to build on that and are keen to hear from Parents, Alumni and Friends of College who would like to invest in the lives of young people. Projects supported throughout 2017 have included the new Peterken Song School and further work on the Chapel Lunettes. The Organ has undergone a complete refit, eight general pistons were added along with a stepper system which, whilst retaining the existing divisional piston system, added further versatility to the instrument. This has brought the College Organ in to the 21st Century. Opportunities to sponsor stops and pipes are still available so please do get in touch if you would like to get involved.
This year also saw work commence on the College Boat House in Tewkesbury thanks to a generous gift of £250,000 received. You can read more about this and rowing at College later on. As well as College’s ongoing Estates programme, Newick House, Christowe, Leconfield and Hazelwell have also received substantial donations. We are always delighted to hear from Parents and OCs who wish to support additional projects, not ongoing improvements. Looking ahead we are keen to invest in our Heritage by raising extra funds needed for the College Archives. Funding is required for further digitisation of records and cataloguing system. We are particularly keen to provide online access to the Cheltonian (1866-present). School fees pay for the running costs of College. For us to be able to develop our facilities, expand into new areas of teaching and learning and provide increased extra-curricular opportunities, the support and involvement of parents and Old Cheltonians is crucial and most welcome. We are hugely grateful for the many generous donations we receive from OCs, Parents, Staff and Friends of College. These gifts have enabled us to modernise existing facilities as well as develop new ones much faster than otherwise possible over the last few years. There are many ways to support College and we are immensely grateful to all those who have given their time for careers talks, lectures as well as mentoring current students and recent leavers. Thank you very much for your support of College. I look forward to meeting many of you at College or at one of our Cheltonian Society events in 2018.
Christiane Dickens, Director of External Relations
“It has been a fantastic season, made more so by the committed and exuberant parental support. The success has been a testament to the benefits of hard training, commitment and team spirit. Hopefully this bodes well for the future of the club.” George Maitre, Head of Rowing
Find out more
The 1841 Society We have been delighted to welcome more members to The 1841 Society since its launch in 2016. All existing regular donors to College are automatically members and in June we held our second annual 1841 Society event at College, with guided tours of Chapel and Thirlestaine House, as well as the opportunity to enjoy lunch whilst watching the cricket. In November, a number of members also attended the Cheltonian Society informal London drinks held at Davy’s wine bar in St James’s. It is wonderful to be adding more members, including OCs, parents and staff to our benefactor boards which have been installed at the entrance to The Chatfeild-Roberts Library.
This year funds have supported Bursaries, the restoration of some of the Chapel Lunettes and a contribution to the refurbishment of the Chapel Organ amongst other projects. The education that pupils receive at College has been supported by generations of donors since 1841 and we would be delighted for more OCs, parents and staff to join The 1841 Society. If you would like to follow the philanthropists of the past by making an investment, of whatever size, in the future of College please contact Sebastian Bullock, Deputy Development Director, on s.bullock@cheltenhamcollege.org or 01242 706812.
To find out more: www.cheltenhamcollege.org/regular-giving
The Cheltonian Endowment Trust – 100 Years Later On the ‘twenty seventh day of September one thousand nine hundred and seventeen’ John Brunner MP, Norman Coghill, Major Victor Ferguson, Sir Arthur Hamilton Lee MP and Herbert Page from Cheltenham College constituted themselves Trustees, to be known as ‘the Cheltonian Trustees’ as part of a new fund authorised by the Cheltonian Trust Deed. The purpose of the fund was to acquire monies through donations, subscriptions and legacies and applying the income for the benefit of the school – Cheltenham College. I am sure they would be both surprised and delighted to know that their legacy has lived on and, having moved through the years under a number of guises, now finds itself as the core Deed for the Cheltonian Endowment Trust – otherwise known as The CET. The Trustees were charged to apply the income from the Cheltonian Trust for the benefit of the School and the promotion of its interests. The Deed specifically states: 1. Making any contribution towards any ordinary or extraordinary expenditure to be incurred in maintaining and carrying on the School. 2. Providing, increasing or contributing towards the salaries of Masters at the School (including the Principal) or any pension or retirement fund for the benefit of former masters and their widows and families. 3. Generally in their uncontrolled discretion providing for the general benefit of the School and the promotion of its interests both Scholastic and Athletic. 4. Doing all such things as may to them in their uncontrolled discretion appear to be incidental or conducive to the attainment of the aforesaid purposes or any of them. Clearly the first Trustees had a very wide view of what was needed and in particular, in 1917, there was a very real demand from widows and their families of those who served in the Great War. Records show that after the Great War
£12,665 (a considerable sum in those days) was spent on the education of sons of OCs fallen in or died as a consequence of that war. The Trust also accepted the administration of the War Memorial Fund (1914-1918) which provided for the names in the Cloisters and the Chapel. The Trust Deed specifically states ‘Provided also that so long as the Cheltonian Society shall remain in existence no person shall be capable of being appointed a Trustee who shall not have been previously nominated for that purpose by a resolution passed by the Cheltonian Society at a general meeting of its members’. The independence of the CET from the management of College has long been held as an important principle to ensure the long term relevance and sustainability of the fund and so the rule still exists today that all Trustees of the CET must be approved by the Cheltonian Society. Throughout its existence, and by common practice, the composition of the CET Board has always been made up of Old Cheltonians. Over the years the fund has sought to support College in a number of ways which fortunately, due to the wide scope of its purpose, can be easily adjusted to the needs of the time. Much has depended on the funds available and College has been fortunate to have the support of quite a number of Old Cheltonians. Various memorial funds have been in existence and in April 2005 they were all consolidated, for ease and efficiency of management, into one fund entitled the Cheltonian Endowment Fund. For some years the fund was managed by a number of professional firms but always with Trustees making investment decisions. In a fast-changing financial world this was proving inefficient and dangerous! Therefore in 2008 it was decided to give discretionary powers to our investment managers so they could buy and sell without recourse to the Trustees, their remit being to both preserve the core endowment fund and develop a reliable and sustainable income. Given the subsequent financial crisis this proved to be a timely and prudent move and we now have a regular income with which to support College.
I don’t intend to provide a history for the fund but rather to give an indication of how the fund is supporting College at the moment. There are three main areas of activity. Firstly, and most importantly we provide grants and bursaries to students at the senior school who are in danger of having to leave College through no fault of their own. Circumstances such as parents separating, a death in the family or being made redundant are the most common factors. We do our best to ensure that the student can remain at College until the next appropriate stage in their education. Secondly, we provide support in the form of Travel Bursaries to the Lower Sixth. These grants are specifically to enable students to achieve better results at A level or to support their University application. For example; enabling a student who plans to be a Doctor to spend a few weeks working in a hospital in Africa. We are fortunate, in the Spring term, to have the opportunity to interview all the student applicants and to see something of their determination and enthusiasm – as well as their interview technique! Finally, whenever we can, we respond to one off requirements at College. Our most recent project was to refurbish some of the Science laboratories which were in urgent need of upgrade. We also continue the tradition of ensuring that suitable memorials for OCs are placed in Chapel.
Our assets are in the form of an investment portfolio under professional management in the City and also in the form of property in Cheltenham. We have recently purchased a modern house within walking distance of College which the CET rents out to College as staff accommodation. In this way CET retains an asset which over time will accrue in value, at the same time College is paying rent for a property, the rent for which is being recycled through the CET for the benefit of College! Everyone wins! All of this of course does not happen by itself! The CET is run by a Board of Trustees, normally about twelve strong, all of whom are Old Cheltonians. The Board members are chosen for their wide range of skills and experience. We also look to draw from across the generations and I am delighted to say that in recent years Clare Thompson (Cha, 1988), Tom Robinson (OJ & L, 1995) and Toby Orr (OJ & L, 1995) have joined us. They all work hard, communicating through emails and meeting twice a year to both ensure the funds are being well run and to make sure we are fulfilling our declared commitment to College. All in all, it is a very satisfying and worthwhile way to both support and remain connected to College and I am always grateful to my fellow Trustees for the time and effort they put into making the fund work so effectively.
Paul Arengo-Jones (BH, 1962) Chairman, The Cheltonian Endowment Trust
The College Boathouse and Boat club With the appointment of George Maitre as Head of Rowing the Boat Club is now entering a new phase. The coaching team is now stronger than ever, aided by Rio Olympic gold medallist Matt Gotrel MBE and Julian Scrivener who has just returned from coaching at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, USA. The Boat House at Tewkesbury is currently undergoing a radical redevelopment including a new roof and first floor renovation and followed by a second phase which will create a new workshop better enabling our Boatman Jed Greenhouse to maintain the fleet. There are also possibilities of other projects to enhance the Boathouse further still. With this investment a training room will be created at the Boathouse so when the River Severn is in flood the pupils still have a viable training alternative to switch to. This new space which the pupils can call the home of the Boat Club will once again have on show the large amount of historic rowing memorabilia currently in safe keeping in Archives. With a new drive for the pupils to learn more in small boats, the focus is now to equip the fleet to enable this to happen. We have recently purchased 4 new WinTech single sculls to bolster this part of the fleet which is currently our Achilles heel, and a long-term plan to continue development in this area. The aim is to rejuvenate the House Pots competition in small boats and a Tewkesbury Regatta returning our beautiful stretch of water to a thriving rowing hub once again.
The nerves were escalated at the start by a wind assisted crash in the first 10 strokes which meant the race was reset. The restart was clean and frantic, crews in outside lanes heading out at unsustainable pace and Norwich disappearing off in the lead giving a masterclass of rowing. At 1750 Cheltenham J15 boys suddenly found a little bit of extra belief in themselves rowing through Hampton man by man and closing the gap to Bedford. The race finished Norwich Gold, Bedford Silver and Cheltenham a fantastically well-deserved Bronze. The boys winning the first medal at National Schools level for nearly 15 years. The season did not end there and the boys went on to come 2nd in Novice 8s at Reading Royal Regatta, this involved knocking out both men’s and university crews, before losing in the final to Southampton University by “1 foot”. The crew came back on Sunday in coxed fours with the A boat winning a close final against Winchester. This has been a fantastic season, made more so by the committed and exuberant parental support. The success has been a testament to the benefits of hard training, commitment and team spirit. Hopefully this bodes well for the future of the club. The J15 are J Taylor-Kimmins, C Callon-Hine, T Haddock, J MacInnes, C Stevens, J Clayton, M Morris, G Kemp, P Merheim-Kealy, J Lowde and J Cunningham.
The stand out crew from last year was the J15 boys who had a fantastic season. It was clear that we had a crew of boys who enjoyed racing and so it was important to quickly harness their power and passion.
The 2017 / 2018 season has started well this year with two wins at Worcester Small Boats Head. All of the current group of pupils are training in singles and doubles before bigger crew boat categories get formed later in the year.
The shortened Schools’ Head course was the first indication that we had a quick crew, scalping many 8s from higher and older divisions. Easter training camp gave some of the crew an opportunity to hone their skills and build fitness, ready for some new crew members to jump in and join the boat for the summer term.
The Boat Club needs more small boats in the fleet which will equip them with different hull sizes and differences in speed quality. They are looking for support to purchase additional WinTech single Sculls from this range:
Summer racing in a mixture of 4s and the 8 allowed the crew to learn the skills for racing. They learnt what happens if you let a crew get away off the start, and what happens if you don’t put your opposition to bed once you are ahead.
• Medallist - dual carbon, full honeycomb core single scull
They raced at the National Schools’ Regatta at Eton Dorney. As always, the event begins with a 2K time trial. This saw Cheltenham row down London Oratory School, and qualifying with the 4th fastest time. The late afternoon final was amazing for many reasons. On the bank, as the coaches lined up, at least 5 former College coaches (there with their current clubs) joined the current staff, giving their support. Many did not know which crew to cheer, often forgetting their own schools and adding to the Cheltenham chorus!
• Cobra - premium single scull. This racing boat features a bladder moulded bow mounted carbon wing rigger • International - Kevlar/carbon laminated, full honeycomb core single scull • Competitor - intermediate fibreglass and carbon laminated single skin single scull • Junior Racer - entry-level fiberglass training single scull
George Maitre, Head of Rowing If this is something you would like to get involved in, please get in touch with Sebastian Bullock, Deputy Development Director on s.bullock@cheltenhamcollege.org or 01242 706812.
Thank you Thank you to all those who have made donations to the Cheltenham College Charitable Trust or have attended a fundraising event supporting College between 1st Jan 2017 – 31st Dec 2017. We would also like to express our gratitude to all those who wish their support to remain anonymous. Christopher Adams
BH, 1957
Christiane Dickens
Staff Member
Nicholas Adams
S, 1992
Timothy Douglas-Riley
BH, 1968
Lawrence Anderson
Th, 1959
Dr & Dr Dowley
Past Parents
Timothy Arengo-Jones
BH, 1995
James Elliott
L, 1996
David Bartholomew
Xt, 1970
Karen Ellis
Current Parent
David Bennett
Ch, 1976
Robert Epton
NH, 1952
Benjamin Bennett
H, 1958
Jim Evans
NH, 1961
Charles Bennett
H, 1980
Penny Evans
Past Parent
Christopher Bennett
H, 1975
Alan Foster
Xt, 1965
Edward Bliss
NH, 1954
Charles Foulkes
Past Parent
Brian Blowers
Past Parent
Kwabena Frimpong-Ansah
L, 1976
Simon Bowes
OJ
Andrew Gasson
Past Staff Member
Peter Bowman
L, 1969
Peter Hammerson
L, 1962
Simon Bullers
S, 1987
Andrew Harris
Past Staff Member
Nicholas Burge
BH, 1979
Neil Harvey
NH, 1981
Ian Burns-Thomson
DB, 1951
Matthew Hind
W, 1986
Sir Edmund Burton
Th, 1961
Nicholas Howell
BH, 1963
Anne Cadbury
Hon OC
Thomas Hughes
NH, 1997
Michael Caines
Xt, 1995
Malcolm Hutton
Ch, 1959
Jae Chalfin
L, 1996
John Hyatt
Xt, 1964
Hugh Champion
H, 1972
Robert James
H, 1951
John Champion
Bursar
Bridget Jepson
Hon OC
Mr & Mrs Chesterfield
Past Parents
Ann Johnson
Past Parent
Christina Chong
Cha, 2002
James Kellie
BH, 1957
Giles Cook
L, 1964
Tunku Yaacob Khyra
H, 1979
Richard Corbett
Current Parent
Wilson Kwong
BH, 1994
Karen Davies
Past Staff Member
Malcolm Leeding
DB, 1958
Paul Davies
BH, 1969
James MacKaness
H, 1975
David Delaney
Ch, 1955
Murdoch MacKay
L, 1954
Thank you continued Mike Marx
Th, 1971
Robert Stephens
H, 1955
John Maxwell
L, 1960
Harold Stranks
H, 1948
Ivan McMeekin
NH, 1952
Michael Swiney
NH, 1969
John McMeekin
L, 1955
Richard Thomas
NH, 1953
Michael McWhinney
BH, 1958
Robert Thompson
L, 1984
Sir Michael McWilliam
Ch, 1952
Jeremy Tong
H, 1995
Alan Miers
Hon OC
Daniel Townley
Staff Member
Ian Moody
Ch, 1946
Ted Tuppen
Past Parent
Michael Muller
Th, 1969
Mike Vernell
BH, 1968
William Nicholls
BH, 1945
Mr & Mrs Vongkusolkit
Past Parents
David Noble
NH, 1981
Christopher Wegerif
NH, 1951
Stephen Page
H, 1964
Gregor Wessling
H, 2000
David Panton
BH, 1968
William Whittuck
NH, 1960
Simon Pattinson
NH, 1962
Anthony Wilkinson
L, 1962
Timothy Pearce
Past Staff Member
Simon Williams
NH, 2000
Jonathan Pepper
S, 1995
Timothy Woollatt
Xt, 1954
Alex Peterken
Cheltenham College Head
Peter Wynter Bee
L, 1973
Robert Yorath
NH, 1972
Mary Plint
Staff Member
David Young
Ch, 1960
Matthew Rees
NH, 1989
Enid Robinson
Wife of OC
Companies
Robert Sanders
Xt, 1958
Abbey Business Group
Edward Sealy
BH, 1994
Savills
Charles Seltman
H, 1966
Trinity House Paintings
David Sewell
DB, 1959
Nicholas Shryane
Th, 1974
Every effort has been made to ensure that these details are correct, but we apologise for any errors or omissions. We will be happy to publish corrections in the next issue of Flourish.
Dr & Mrs Sloan
Hon OC
Peter Smallwood
OJ
Michael Smith
L, 1975
Mr and Mrs Steel
Current Parents
Julius Steinert
L, 1998
Michael Stephens
L, 1959
Legacies Received Air Commodore Michael Swiney
NH, 1944
David Vetch
DB, 1943
Contact details Director of External Relations Christiane Dickens c.dickens@cheltenhamcollege.org Deputy Development Director Sebastian Bullock s.bullock@cheltenhamcollege.org 01242 706815 Cheltenham College Charitable Trust. Registered Charity No. 1006429