OC events

Heath Harrison House Drinks At the start of the academic year, 100 recent leavers joined the Headmaster and staff for cocktails and street food for the first OC event in almost two years. Having had multiple events cancelled due to the pandemic, it was fantastic to see so many OCs attend and catch up with each other. The in-house catering team from Sodexo provided a cocktail bar featuring delights such as ‘Nicholson’s Revenge’, ‘Pavilion Nights’ and ‘Ramshill Sunset’. Also making its debut was the new Churcher’s 1722 Pale Ale from Langham Brewery. Entertainment was provided by Ella Conder (21) who gave a beautiful rendition of two of her songs from her EP, ‘Worlds Apart’.

Tercentenary Drinks A drinks party was held in September at the ‘In & Out’ Club in St. James’s Square, London to get the ‘off-site’ tercentenary celebrations going with the Old Churcherians. Despite the pandemic and national rail disruptions causing havoc with everyone’s plans, the room was full with more than 80 OCs spanning 25 year groups who all made sure it was a fun night out! Focusing on rekindling old friendships and drawing on the importance of the Richard Churcher Foundation, Nick Smith, Head of Development, and Headmaster, Simon Williams, welcomed the guests and spoke of the enduring legacy of Richard Churcher. From the first intake of nine boys who began their Churcher’s education in 1730, now at over 1,200, I think we can truly say that Richard Churcher’s legacy lives on.

OC Day

On Saturday 26 March, more than 200 Old Churcherians returned to the College for the inaugural OC Day in this special tercentenary year. It was a day packed with activity and reconnection and we were delighted that the sun decided to join in as well!

OC Sport Throughout the morning it was terrific to see so many OCs competing for the Eaton Trophies and to have lots of spectators showing their support. The OCs were up against strong school teams and the matches were keenly contested, good fun and had a great competitive spirit. The final results were as follows: • OC Women Vs 1XI Girls Hockey: 3-3 • OC Men Vs 1XI Boys Hockey: 3-4 • OC Women Vs 1VII Netball: 25-42 • OC Reunion Lunch

OC reunion lunch Over 150 Old Churcherians sat down for an ‘authentic school dinner’ in the dining room and Old Assembly Hall, representing 37 year groups, spanning over 60 years of education from 1955 up to and including 2019. It was lovely to see so many OC friends reunite and get to know other OCs they had never met before. Welcome drinks, including the ‘Churcher’s 1722’ Classic Cuvée, were held in the new Music School auditorium, when Old Churcherians got the chance to sing the school song in full voice, much to the surprise and delight of some more recent OCs who had never heard it before!

Tours Afternoon tours of the school were very popular and gave an opportunity for OCs to reminisce about their school life and see the various building developments. The tours were led by current Sixth Form students who really enjoyed meeting the OCs and hearing some of their stories from yesteryear.

OC Music In the evening, the Old Churcherians and current pupils came together to perform in the Music School auditorium in front of a packed audience. It was a tremendous occasion, considering those who were taking part had only one afternoon to rehearse! Thank you and well done to all those involved and a special shout-out to Richard Saxel (92) who gave a fantastic solo performance on the piano. We hope this musical event will be the first of more OC Choir and OC Orchestra performances.

Thank you To everyone who was able to join us for OC Day this year. For those of you who could not make it, we hope to see you for the next OC Day on Saturday 25 March 2023. If you would like to join one of the OC Sport teams, please contact Catherine in the Development Office.