3 minute read
20th anniversary
What were you doing twenty years ago? Who was the Prime Minister?* Were you working or studying or doing something else? Which songs were popular?** A lot happens in twenty years, and it can be fun to reminisce about how things were and reflect on changes over the years. As a parent, it certainly feels like another world to think back on pre-parenting days!
September/October 2002 – twenty years ago – was Families Thames Valley West magazine’s first issue! Eagle-eyed readers will wonder why this issue is number 120 and not 121; we missed one during the pandemic, but otherwise it has been going strong for twenty years!
To celebrate, we have spoken to some family-friendly local businesses and some local schools to find out what they have achieved since our first issue. You will find their stories throughout the magazine.
Thames Valley West
20
YEARS 2002-2022
J US T FOR F U N
Leighton Park
Happy Birthday, Families magazine! Leighton Park is pleased to have been a part of your 20-year journey; we’re 132 years old now so can spot an excuse for cake!
We will be marking both the 100th birthday of Fryer House for Years 7 and 8 next year and our 40th anniversary being fully co-educational, our intake at Year 7 now at 50:50.
We’ve invested in our facilities in the last two decades with a new circular restaurant offering glorious views of the 65 acre park, a magnificent Music and Media Centre with live lounge recording studio and media production suite, and we are opening our stunning Sixth Form Centre in September 2023. Our fourth Head in 20 years led us to a ‘Double Excellent’ award from the Independent School Inspectorate in January and two consecutive annual awards for Outstanding Local Community Engagement from the Independent Schools Association. We’ve got plenty to celebrate!
Find out more at www.leightonpark.com
Here’s a little quiz to cover events of the last twenty years: In which year did these events happen (answers at the bottom of the page)?
1. YouTube was founded.
2. The Ice Bucket Challenge was the big fundraiser of the year.
3. President Obama was sworn in as President of the
United States.
4. Popular children’s film “Encanto” was released.
5. Prince William and Kate Middleton got married.
6. The last “Big Brother” show was aired.
7. The Summer Olympics were held in Beijing.
8. The last commercial Concorde flight took place.
the UK charts at the beginning of September 2002. by Atomic Kitten was number one in ** “The Tide is High (Get the Feeling)” *Tony Blair
Celebrating 20 Years at St Joseph’s College, Reading
Over the last 20 years or so, St Joseph’s College has evolved and grown significantly, and it has had a lot to celebrate!
In 2010, the College became fully co-educational, and since then the number of pupils has grown from 300 to 500 across 3-18. Then, in 2015 St Joseph’s College was proudly named Independent School of the Year at the TES Independent School Awards, where the College also received the Financial/ Commercial Initiative of the Year award, owing to the bold financial decision to make the school more accessible by reducing the school fees.
2019 marked the 125th anniversary of the foundation of St Joseph’s in 1894 by the Sisters of St Marie Madeleine Postel, and in 2021, St Joseph’s waved goodbye to headmaster, Mr Colpus, and welcomed new head, Mrs Stotesbury to take up the reins and continue the successful leadership of the school.
St Joseph’s College remains very much a family school which maintains a focus on academic achievement and growth as a whole person, so pupils are well equipped to flourish in life after St Joseph’s.
