Development Office

Whilst the pandemic managed to disrupt and derail many plans, it could not stop us from celebrating the 300th anniversary of Churcher’s College! The Development Office has been busier than ever, supported by our whole community – pupils, parents, alumni, staff, local administrators, businesses, charities, community groups, and many others – to help us mark our tercentenary. Our ultimate goal in planning the anniversary celebrations was to engage the whole school community, recognising the past, where we are today, and taking inspiration for the future. To kick things off, before we even entered 2022, the whole school, including pupils and staff from both the Junior School and Senior School, came together for the ‘300’ photo on Memorial Field. Twenty-five different year groups of Old Churcherians also helped us get things started, coming together for the Tercentenary Drinks event at the In & Out Club in London.

Continuing in the footsteps of our benefactor, the Senior School pupils were each handed 300 pennies (in pound coins!) and challenged to come up with some inspirational and entrepreneurial ideas to raise funds for the Richard Churcher Foundation. This raised over £5,000 for the provision of bursaries in the process. Thank you to the many parents, alumni, and other supporters who have also made generous gifts to the Foundation in this special year, not forgetting the profits from sales of Churcher’s 1722 Pale Ale and Classic Cuvée! Richard Churcher’s impact and the passage of time was recognised brilliantly on the stage by the Senior School pupils, who performed 1722: The Musical. In addition, the Junior School unveiled their amazing ‘300’ mosaic on the very same calendar day that Richard Churcher signed his will 300 years ago. Shortly after this, Petersfield Museum unveiled a special collection of Churcher’s archive items on display to celebrate the tercentenary.

Over the course of three days in February, managing to avoid Storm Eunice by a matter of days, the pupils at both schools all got the chance to plant a tree to create Tercentenary Wood for Petersfield, at Penns Place. This also marked Her Majesty The Queen’s request that we all plant a tree for the Jubilee.

The Old Churcherians came out in force in March, with more than 200 of them coming back to Petersfield for our inaugural OC Day. This included the annual sport fixtures against the pupils, a huge ‘school lunch’ in the dining hall, and the OC Choir and OC Orchestra making their debuts in the evening, performing alongside current pupils in the new music school.

The Summer Term was wrapped up in style with the Grand Summer Open Air Concert. More than 1,800 people packed Memorial Field to enjoy fantastic performances from the school orchestras and bands, not forgetting the fantastic Tercentenary Chorus, which was made up of hundreds of people from the wider community, including pupils, staff, parents, alumni, and friends.

The very next day, Churcher’s played host to the Petersfield Community Fair, involving more than 40 local charities, community groups, schools, and businesses – whether they were performing on the stage, raising awareness, or selling their products. With a wide range of entertainment, the sun shining, and thousands of people from Petersfield and the surrounding area coming through the school gates, it was a fitting way to end the school year.

Thank you to everyone for getting involved with our 300th anniversary celebrations.

Nick Smith