Freemen's Calling 2021

Headmaster’s Welcome

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Love Freemen’s

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Leaving a Legacy

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Memories of Freemen’s

FREEMEN’S CALLING SUMMER 2021 | ISSUE 6

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OFA News

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Hello from the Headmaster Dear Alumni, Despite the low-key nature of the ‘hand-over’ of Main House from the contractors earlier this month, it was a big moment in Freemen’s history and of great importance to the School 95 years on from our first acquaintance with Ashtead Park. Huge efforts were made to have the building available for students and staff to enjoy for the last weeks of term. As with all major building projects, there are the finishing touches to be completed during the summer holidays, but I am delighted to report that doors of Main House stand proudly open and the results are truly breath-taking. Lower 6 excitedly enjoyed a tour of their Sixth Form Centre, and hot on their heels followed Lower 5 pupils for a ‘taster’ morning to give them a glimpse into how Sixth Form life will be for them in just over a year’s time, ahead of the Sixth Form Open Evening in September. As soon as we can invite alumni onto site, we will be welcoming everyone for a look around this amazing facility, which will continue to provide a learning and teaching environment enabling us to ‘Make a Difference’ to student life for many years to come.

This edition once again highlights the extraordinary breadth of experience and opportunity that await Freemen’s alumni once they move on from the School, as well as shared memories of what the School used to be. I particularly enjoyed the ‘The Life of a Girl Boarder in the 1950s’ which provides a fascinating reflection of life at Freemen’s some 70 years ago, in contrast to the recent developments and rejuvenation of Main House and how the learning experience at Freemen’s has been enhanced for our current, and future cohorts.

I hope you enjoy Freemen’s Calling and we look forward to welcoming some of you on site in the year ahead.

As ever, Roland Martin

www.freemens.org | Email: development@freemens.org | Telephone: 01372 822454

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Message from the Development Office Welcome to the summer 2021 edition of Freemen’s Calling. This edition of the magazine celebrates the achievements of our former pupils and their continued commitment and passion for the School, evident in the support we have received during a challenging time in School history.

Alumni features in this edition include an interview with Mark Cuthbert (Class of 1972) who shares his journey as an architect and musician. We are grateful to Mark for declaring his intention to leave a gift to Freemen’s in his will and also supporting the inaugural Mark Cuthbert Guitar Bursary that was awarded to two of our students this year. Sarah Reynolds Watt (Class of 1999) writes about her time at

Freemen’s and her progression in the cosmetics marketing industry. Aila Duffey (Class of 2016) has contributed an insightful piece on sustainable living providing tips on what each of us can do to have a more positive impact on the environment.

On a personal note, I wanted to let you all know that by the time you receive this magazine, I would have left my position at Freemen’s to take up a new role at the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. Jason Harrison-Miles (Director of External Relations) will be picking up the alumni relations and fundraising work until a replacement has been found for my role. If you would like to reach him, please feel free to contact him at jason.harrison-miles@freemens.org

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know the Freemen’s alumni network over the past two years.

I wanted to thank you for the support and encouragement you have provided to both myself and the School. I wish you all the best for the future and continued success for Freemen’s in the years to come.

Best wishes, Reema Agarwal Development Officer

Opt-in today to keep hearing about Freemen’s!

Virtual Christmas Drinks 2020 The Freemen’s Development Office hosted our first Virtual Christmas Drinks event for Freemen’s alumni in December 2020. The event featured guest speaker Desson Thomson who shared fascinating stories from his time as a Freemen’s boarder in the 1970s to his incredible journey in the world of politics and film in America. The Zoom Christmas drinks was attended by Freemen’s alumni from across the decades who enjoyed the opportunity to engage with each other and connect over their shared Freemen’s experience.

Thank you to everyone who attended and a special thank you to Desson for joining us all the way from Washington, D.C. We look forward to hosting more virtual alumni events in 2021.

We want to be able to share Freemen’s news, events and fundraising campaigns with you via email and post but we need you to opt-in so we can do this. The Development office sends out termly newsletters to Old Frees with updates on happenings at the Park along with further communications around special events and news. If you haven’t yet opted in to continue hearing from us, you can do it simply online by completing the form: www.freemens.org/keepintouch We’ll always be mindful of how often we communicate and you will be able to update your preferences so they are never set in stone.

Careers Talk

The Senior School would welcome alumni to come into school and talk about their professional experiences with current students to inspire the next generation. Please contact development@freemens.org if you are able to help and for more information.

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We are fortunate to have an active and engaged community of students, parents, staff and alumni, with a shared love for Freemen’s.

Earlier in February, we celebrated our wonderful Freemen’s community spirit during the inaugural Love Freemen’s Week.

Members of our Freemen’s family, including pupils, staff, parents, grandparents and alumni were invited to share thoughts on what they love about Freemen’s via short video messages. As part of the initiative, the Freemen’s Music Department produced a special online concert, featuring the first performance of the Freemen’s Virtual Community Choir, involving staff, students and alumni. The concert was released to coincide with an appeal to parents and alumni for hardship bursary support from Mr Martin, Headmaster.

In celebration of Love Freemen’s Week, we have specially designed Love Freemen’s merchandise for sale, with all proceeds benefitting our Bursary Fund.

We invite you to view our Love Freemen’s videos, as well as the virtual concert on our website at: www.freemens.org/letslovefreemens

Love Freemen’s Merchandise In celebration of #LoveFreemens, we are delighted to introduce our brand new Love Freemen’s umbrellas.

These eye-catching, red umbrellas branded with the School crest and #LoveFreemens design are sure to brighten up your rainy days. We also have our beautiful, custom-made Emma Bridgewater Love Freemen’s mugs in stock. All money raised from merchandise sales goes to support our Love Freemen’s campaign for hardship bursaries. Orders can be placed by contacting the Freemen’s Development Office at: development@freemens.org

We are delighted to announce that a fantastic total of £53,000 has been raised in support of our hardship bursary fund through the Love Freemen’s campaign so far, thanks to the generous donations of our Freemen’s Community. If you would like to make a contribution to our hardship bursary fund, please contact development@freemens.org

Freemen’s Virtual Community Choir The Music Department produced a special virtual concert in aid of our Love Freemen’s campaign. The concert featured performances from our talented staff and students, as well as the debut performance of the Freemen’s Virtual Community Choir. Everyone in the Freemen’s Community, whether student, parent, grandparent, third cousin twice removed, staff or alumni we invited to participate in the Freemen’s (Virtual) Community Choir.

The Choir was led by Freemen’s alumnus and current Creative Producer, Timothy Peters. Mr Peters prepared three video sessions with vocal warm-ups, singing 4

exercises and general top tips and tricks of the singing trade. In the second half of the video sessions he taught the Community Choir relevant parts to Stephen Paulus’ The Road Home. In the third and final session there was an option to record the individual parts and send them in to be added to our Virtual Choir produced by Mr Peters.

In excess of 50 members of our community - pupils, parents, alumni and staff - responded to the invitation to join their voices with others with a great deal of technical wizardry from Mr Peters. It is a wonderful achievement and the final concert is available to view on our website at: www.freemens.org/letslovefreemens We look forward to the next performance by the Freemen’s Virtual Community Choir. If you would like to join the Choir, please contact development@freemens.org

95 Years in Ashtead Park 95 years ago Freemen’s relocated to Ashtead Park, taking up residence in Main House to make a difference to young people’s lives. Thanks to work from Hawkins Brown, Gilbert Ash and Mott MacDonald, we will ensure we continue in our mission through the transformation of this historic building.

Students enjoying the restored Orangery

Students studying in the new look classrooms

From L to R: Mat Clark, Richard Chamberlain, Noyon Choudhury, Roland Martin, Ola Obadara, Brendan Carragher, Grace McCann, Kevin Mallon, Andrew Shorten

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SCHOOL NEWS

Freemen’s Music Partnership Programme

During the last academic year, the Community and Partnerships Department and the Music Department had planned to provide music lessons for Year 4 students in local schools, culminating in a joint performance of all students at Freemen’s School in July. Sadly this was not able to go ahead. Undeterred, the two departments organised a music collaboration with two local schools in the summer term, resulting in a wonderful performance of ‘Even Apart We’re Together’, a piece written and composed by Old-Free Timothy Peters.

This academic year has seen the launch of the new Freemen’s Music Partnership Programme. A series of six pre-recorded lessons have been shared with three maintained primary schools and one special school throughout this term. The lessons have focussed on various music techniques and activities, including demonstrations of Indian rhythm patterns by a tabla player, and African rhythms by a musician and dancers in northern Uganda.

Freemen’s Diversity Council Inspired by the BLM movement and changes in wider society, the students formed the council with the aim to promote an environment of open debate and discussion about current social issues and a forum through which students can feed their ideas to back to teachers.

Over 200 students from five schools (Freemen’s, Walton on the Hill Primary, Epsom Primary, Galleywall Primary, and Woodlands Special School) have joined together for an end of term performance of ‘Bring Back The Snow’ – an original piece about the impact of climate change on snowy weather, specially written and composed for the Programme by Timothy Peters.

The Programme continues throughout this academic year with joint performances in March and July, providing Freemen’s students with further opportunities to ‘Learn, Lead and Make a Difference’, remaining faithful to the School’s roots.

Strength in Numbers

We are very excited to have recently launched a new online maths support programme called Strength in Numbers. The programme was developed and piloted by Colet Mentoring, a partnership between St Paul’s School and EasyA (an online maths tutoring app).

Volunteer ‘mentors’ (A Level maths students) provide support during designated ‘homework hours’ each week, to a targetted group of younger students via a WhatsApp style app. The programme will not only support younger students at Freemen’s and our partner schools, by strengthening their mathematics ability, but will also provide valuable volunteering experience for our sixth form mentors, building confidence and wellbeing at a difficult time for all young people.

We are aiming to roll out the programme across our local partner schools and the other City of London secondary-phase schools over the next couple of months.

All participating students will be completing impact surveys in order to ascertain the difference made by the programme during the remainder of the school year.

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Joshua describes what diversity means to him,

“To me, diversity is, diversity of thought, acceptance and tolerance of everyone and everyone’s opinions.”

The Council is keen to use the opportunity of being in an educational setting to be a positive influence in the Freemen’s community and there has been a great response from fellow pupils, with many enthusiastic to get involved.

In an interview shared on our website, Mia speaks about the significance of understanding and acceptance every gender, race, culture and religion,

“As a council, it is important for us to understand and reflect the world that we’ll be going into following our time at Freemen’s.

The full interview can be viewed at: www.freemens.org/diversitycouncil

SCHOOL NEWS

20/20 Vision - Charity Fundraising True to our School Mission of ‘Learn, Lead and Make a Difference’, we made a pledge in autumn 2019 to raise an ambitious £20,020 for charity. As part of our 20/20 Vision project, we picked three charities to support throughout the year including Sightsavers (Junior School), Sight for Surrey (Upper School) and Disability Challengers (Sixth Form).

We also raised money for a number of other charities including the British Legion Poppy Appeal, Children in Need, Genetic Disorders UK, MacMillan Coffee Morning, ‘Movember’ and Sport Relief.

“Junior School pupils took part in a sponsored read, families went on sponsored walks, we held cake sales and a pancake tea and during November some of the staff and sixth form boys grew moustaches for Movember to raise awareness of men’s health issues.”

Given the COVID restrictions, we had to change some of our fundraising plans and the pupils were disappointed not to be able to hold our annual RAG (Raise and Give) week. However, other opportunities were found such as wearing MUFTI for Orange October, and denim to raise money for Jeans for Genes. Junior School pupils took part in a sponsored read, families went on sponsored walks, we held cake sales and a pancake tea and during November some of the staff and sixth form boys grew moustaches for Movember to raise awareness of men’s health issues.

As well as raising funds, pupils collected items that charities needed including 1,378kg of food for Epsom and Ewell Foodbank, 121 shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse and PPE equipment for our local NHS. With the final fundraising event of 2020, Christmas MUFTI in aid of Sight for Surrey, we exceeded our £20,020 target - just over £20,500 has been raised.

We hope the 20/20 Vision project will also have helped develop foundations of awareness, empathy and generosity in the pupils.

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Guest Blogg Leaving a Legacy in your Will As part of #FreeWillsMonth in March 2020, Old Free Gary Youssef (Class of 1992/Director at GSQ Wealth and Sangeeta Rabadia (Senior Consultant Solicitor at Allard Bailey Family Law) facilitated a virtual workshop for members of the Freemen’s alumni community and wrote an article on important things you should consider when writing or amending your will.

A Will is an important document that most people know they should have, but don’t tend to see it as a priority.

What is a Will?

It is a legally binding document stating who benefits from your wealth when you die. It also nominates someone whom you trust to do the execution of your wishes (the ‘Executor’). A Will also allows parents to appoint guardians who will look after their minor children in the event of death.

How do I ensure my Will is valid?

By law in order for a Will to be valid you need to make sure:

It is advisable to use a solicitor to draft, or in the very least check over your Will, to ensure that it has the effect you want, as mistakes can mean that your wishes are not followed. Wills executed without proper advice are more likely to lead to disputes, which can be both emotionally and financially draining for your loved ones.

Some inheritance tax planning by a solicitor working alongside a wealth manager, could also help you reduce your beneficiaries’ inheritance tax bill.

Can I change my Will?

You can change your Will as many times as you like during your lifetime. It is recommended that you review your Will every five years or so, especially when you experience a significant life event, such as birth, marriage, divorce, business set-up or receipt of a significant inheritance.

• It is in writing. tion).

• It is signed by you (or by someone at your direc

h watc who sses witne t • There are two independen you sign your Will.

• The two witnesses also sign your Will after you have signed it.

If I own a business how does that affect my will?

Sangeeta Rabadia at Allard Bailey law firm also e suggests you include the following in your Will to reduc the risk of a dispute:

What happens if someone dies and they don’t have a will?

• Date your Will – if you have executed more than one Will on the same date, then include a timetion stamp on each Will so that an order of execu can be established. your • Clearly state if you want your Will to apply to UK. the in worldwide assets or just those will • Choose Executors whom you can trust and know be could They ed. follow ensure your wishes are such family or friends, or alternatively, a professional. firm ation nistr admi e estat an or as a solicitor , • If possible, discuss your wishes with your Executors especially your funeral wishes. wishes • If your Will is more complex, write a letter ofents cont its in expla or a statement of reasons to and keep it with the Will.

• Consider your inheritance tax position to ensureto a that the contents of your Will do not give rise tax bill that could otherwise be reduced. ns • Speak to a professional to ensure the implicatio of your Will mirror your intentions.

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Is it better to get a solicitor to draft my Will or do it myself or with an online service?

This is something that should be included in your Will as you need to think about who would inherit the business, or if it would need to be sold in the event of death.

The law of intestacy applies, which means assets will be divided as stated in the law. Even if you’re married, your spouse may not automatically receive 100% of everything you own. People you wouldn’t want to benefit from your estate could inherit or be given control of your assets under intestacy laws. Even worse, the Courts would decide who would be appointed to raise your children.

In conclusion, this article sets out a brief summary of why Wills are important and the downsides if they are incorrectly drafted or not drafted at all. What is most important is that you do seek professional advice, whether it is to draft the Will on your behalf, or to check over a Will that you have already drafted, to ensure it is valid.

Article written by: Gary Youssef (gary.youssef@sjpp.co.uk), GSQ Wealth Ltd Sangeeta Rabadia (sangeeta@allardbailey.com), Senior Consultant Solicitor at Allard Bailey law firm.

Wills are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

ALUMNI STORIES

Mark Cuthbert Class of 1972

Mark Cuthbert engaged with the Development Office in early 2020 expressing his intention to leave a legacy in his Will. We are grateful to Mark who is now also supporting guitar music lessons for two bursary students at Freemen’s through the Mark Cuthbert Guitar Bursary award. Mark shares memories from his time at Freemen’s, his professional journey as an architect and his passion for guitar music.

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The courtyard area (through the clock tower) where the younger students were taught along with metal work, carpentry and cooking. The prefect room and upstairs the Sixth Form.

c. The new block (up steps from the courtyard) where the science labs were situated along with the classrooms.

The facilities were basic compared to today’s standards.

The teaching was formal with most of the teachers wearing gowns and the headmaster was to be feared. Beatings were not uncommon as a form of punishment (along with detention, some other task or writing out lines). I hated it then and still do; teaching then was primarily rote learning.

Are you still in touch with friends and former classmates from Freemen’s?

I’m not an ‘old school’ type of person, but am still in touch with three friends from Freemen’s. One was my best man and I sit on a board of a charity with another. The third lives in Asia, though I see him when he visits the UK. We still speak regularly, though none were in my class!

Any teachers who made a significant impact during your time here?

Mark is pictured holding the cup

Tell us about your time at Freemen’s?

I started at Freemen’s in 1963, aged nine, and stayed until 1972, doing both my O and A Levels. I was a day student as opposed to a boarder, although often stayed late after school in order to ‘do’ things with the boarders. What I remember most was the ‘inclusivity’, as part of the School’s ethos and a co-educational approach for most subjects and activities.

I don’t think that the teaching was exceptional, indeed the choice of subjects at ‘O’ level was quite limited. However, the extracurricular activities were varied and generally helped to educate the student as a ‘broad’ individual, rather than just concentrating on academic achievement.

What was life at the School like in the 60s and early 70s and what are your best memories from your time at Freemen’s?

I remember two teachers who enriched my time at Freemen’s. Firstly, was the music teacher, Mr Roger Carter, who encouraged my musical abilities (particularly when I was ill, aged 15, for a long time). Secondly, a recently qualified English teacher, Miss Johnson (who joined in January 1972) and taught us at A Level, after our disastrous mocks.

She taught us to approach English Literature in a conceptual way and treated us as equals, which I think developed an adult approach to the subject (and a grade A for me!).

Both teachers were influential on my later teaching career.

Tell us about your journey since Freemen’s and your career as an architect?

After I left Freemen’s, I briefly dallied with the notion of being a musician, but I also wanted to be an architect/artist, (both precarious careers!) so I went to Kingston School of Art/Architecture to study a revolutionary course at that time. My career as an architect followed a pretty standard route. I worked in London for ‘starchitect’ practices and after a number of redundancies, (those practices staffed up for projects and the staff moved on), I started my own practice, originally in a partnership and then on my own.

In the 60s and early 70s, the School was very different and much smaller than today. There were primarily three main teaching areas:

One cannot do architecture ‘partially’, the costs of a business, including copious insurances, mean that it really is more than a full-time occupation/vocation.

a. The Main House – art, music, library, main hall/dining and sports changing facilities and the Headmaster’s Study.

I think I was lucky, having had work from all over the world and in the UK. I/we offered both Architecture and Interiors.

Architecture is strange. On the one hand you are running a 9

ALUMNI STORIES

business, on the other you are an architect/ artist trying to create your best work, both for your client and yourself. Financial profit was never a priority, (however important) quality was.

I also taught at various schools of architecture at the same time as practicing. Looking back, I should probably have taught more! I retired in my early 60s, when I could see a window to do so. One cannot do architecture ‘partially’, the costs of a business, including copious insurances, mean that it really is more than a full-time occupation/vocation.

Your love for music, specifically guitar, is something you have kept up with all these years. Tell us how and when you discovered the guitar and how you kept up with your passions despite your full-time career as an architect.

I discovered the guitar when I was seven and found that I had a talent for the instrument. The music that inspired me, starting on a holiday in Spain, was traditional Spanish, 20th Century classical guitar music and flamenco. I started teaching guitar relatively early in my career and managed to work for Surrey County Council, as an adult music/ guitar teacher, whilst studying for my architectural degree and diploma. I have taught guitar to adults and children whilst working as an architect/artist for all my life. I simply followed/indulged my passions.

You recently engaged with the School with regards to leaving a legacy and also setting up a regular bursary for pupils interested in learning the guitar. As a result, the Mark Cuthbert Guitar Bursary was awarded to two students who began their musical journey in January. Tell us how this idea came about and why it is so important to you to give back in this way?

Although the guitar was not taught at Freemen’s when I was there, I wanted to leave a guitar legacy for a student.

It started when my wife and I were re-writing our wills, I realised that I had a lifelong affair with the guitar and wanted to pass this on – hence setting up a bursary. The School is an obvious choice because the structures to deal with the students, the teachers and the financial aspects of a bursary, are already in place.

Music simply enriches one’s life.

How do you think your education at Freemen’s helped shape your future choices?

I don’t think my education at Freemen’s was about formal learning. It was more about being comfortable in myself, and in the company of others, from whatever the socio-economic background. I think my time at Freemen’s gave me life skills that I was able to use throughout my career. I also believe that a co-ed education from a young age helped shape my attitude to other people, whoever they might be. My family and Freemen’s gave me the confidence to follow my own path.

Words of wisdom you would like to share with current students at Freemen’s?

I hope that this is not presumptuous of me but perhaps: - Be true to yourself and trust your judgement (formerly, Hamlet’s ‘To thine own self be true!’). Sometimes the wisest words are the oldest…

The 1854 Society Freemen’s was originally set up to provide an education for orphaned children of Freemen of the City of London.

The School has changed tremendously since its foundation in 1854, but the ethos here remains the same.

The Freemen’s Foundation was launched in 2018 and we are extremely grateful to individuals and families who give to the School to support bursaries as well as our estate development plan. Through the 1854 Society, we aim to recognize and honour donor contributions to Freemen’s.

All donors expressing their intention to leave a legacy to Freemen’s or giving cumulative gifts of £1,854 or more will receive:

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• A written thank you letter from the Headmaster inviting donors to join the 1854 Society.

• Annual drinks reception hosted by the Headmaster for members of 1854 Society.

• Invitation to Donor appreciation events.

• Invitation to and reserved seating at selected school events.

Cumulative gifts of £18,540 or more will also receive: • Recognition on Donor Appreciation Wall the new Main House for their support.

How has the School changed over the years?

Quite a lot. The Haywood Centre was not built. Sixth Form Centre did not exist. Junior School was much smaller and Main House was the centre for the girls’ boarding accommodation; Headmaster’s study; deputy heads’ offices, secretaries’ and bursar’s offices, staff rooms, dining hall, Music section, as well as three classrooms. It seems nearly impossible that only one building housed so many different sections of the School, but it did!

Flashback Maria Willis Jones Where were you before Freemen’s? What brought you here?

I was working at the Spanish Institute (currently Instituto Cervantes) in London and at Kingston Polytechnic (currently, Kingston University). I had two very small children so I decided to find a job locally to avoid commuting into London every day.

Do you remember your interview? What were your first impressions of the School?

It was a summer afternoon; the School had just broken up for the summer holidays and I was interviewed by Mr Steptoe, Head of Modern languages at the time; by Mr Haywood, Headmaster; Mrs Spicer, first Deputy Head and Mr James, second Deputy Head. My first impression was of calmness and friendliness.

“Female teachers were not allowed to wear trousers in those days and it took several years of quiet campaigning to be allowed to wear trousers at work.”

“Teaching languages is not always easy but it is extremely rewarding when you see pupils gaining confidence and trying to communicate in Spanish outside the classroom.”

What makes this school so special? What has kept you here for so many years?

Community spirit and friendliness makes this school very special. I felt very much at home at Freemen’s and living not too far away from the School has kept me here for 30 years so far!

Have you always taught Spanish at Freemen’s?

What do you love about teaching languages at Freemen’s?

I have been teaching Spanish throughout and I taught some French for a couple of years. Teaching languages is not always easy but it is extremely rewarding when you see pupils gaining confidence and trying to communicate in Spanish outside the classroom.

How has the languages department at Freemen’s evolved from when you first started to what it is now?

It has grown quite a bit. When I first joined the School, Spanish was only offered as an option in Year 9 and then pupils could continue studying the language for GCSE and A Level as a second foreign language. Nowadays, Spanish is offered from Form 1.

Describe yourself in three words.

Enthusiastic, hardworking, friendly.

What was life at the School like in the 90s?

It was a bit different. What I remember best is the division between Master’s and Mistresses’ Common Room: The Master’s was cold and a very formal room, whereas the Mistresses’ was friendly and full of laughter. If you wanted to see a member of staff in the other room, you had to knock before you were invited in. Female teachers were not allowed to wear trousers in those days and it took several years of quiet campaigning to be allowed to wear trousers at work.

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Describe your perfect Sunday.

Sunbathing in the garden, reading a book and listening to music and Frida Kahlo as I love her paintings and I find her life story most interesting.

rules, that I should wear P.E. kit to teach my Geography lessons, it was madness changing two, three and sometimes four times a day! We had Banda machines instead of photocopiers and overhead projectors instead of interactive whiteboards. Pupils had a School tie and a House tie, which they wore on a Friday.

How has the School changed over the years?

Flashback Philippa Whiteley Where were you before Freemen’s?

I came to Freemen’s straight from completing my Geography, P.E. and Sports Science Degree, as well as my PGCE at Loughborough University. I knew the area very well and at the time wanted to teach close to home due to family reasons. My first impression of the School was how beautiful the grounds were, driving up to park outside Main House the playing fields and surrounding woods looked amazing.

What was life at the School like in the 90s?

Many aspects were so different to School life today, but what has remained throughout is the friendliness and support of staff and the enthusiasm of the pupils.

Back in the 90s there was a more traditional approach to the staffrooms – the Mistresses, Masters and Mixed Common Rooms were all in Main House. This was the central hub of the School with the P.E. Departments downstairs and Girls’ Boarding House upstairs. Staff would often meet at the end of the day at 4pm for tea, bread and jam before heading out at 4.15pm to a sports squad or club.

“We had Banda machines instead of photocopiers and overhead projectors instead of interactive whiteboards.”

Smart clothes were worn for lessons, no trousers were allowed, and academic gowns were worn for a lot of the School events – the SLT wore them to all assemblies.

I had to change, very quickly, between lessons from P.E. kit to non-P.E. kit and back, after a term of this I persuaded the first Deputy Head, who was a stickler for

Well, it has certainly grown in size – I believe there were about 650 pupils on roll in my first year. Many of the buildings that we have today had not been built. We had an indoor hall, the Gym, which was only slightly bigger than a badminton court between the Junior School and the Sixth Form Centre. I also taught dance in a squash court below what is now the Sixth Form Common Room.

The arrival of the Sports Hall certainly made a difference to my teaching environment. Geography classrooms were where the Science Block is, and whilst the Haywood Centre was being built, I taught in Portacabin classrooms on the netball courts – they were freezing cold in winter!

What are some of your favourite memories from the past 30 years at Freemens?

There have been so many – I have been so lucky to be able to accompany our pupils on many trips, tours, visits and sporting events. I have always been proud of the achievements of all my sports teams, at whatever level I have coached, but 2008 was a special year as the girls broke records and won all their events at the ESSA National Primary Team Championships in Sheffield; Sports Tours to Scotland and South Africa; Geography Fieldtrips to the south coast, Isle of Arran, Isle of Wight and my favourite in 2018 to Iceland; the many musicals directed and produced by Paul Dodds and Phil Tong; the Junior School Pancake Race; Ski Trips; Junior School Talent Shows; City Visits especially, the 150th celebration at St Paul’s cathedral; and 75th anniversary celebrations with a summer funfair on the School field, bumper cars and all!

What makes this School so special and what has kept you here for so many years?

Freemen’s has always had a family feel for me, despite being a much bigger school than when I first joined, there is still a caring community that looks out for each other; both staff and pupils and not more so than during this last year.

Variety - throughout my three decades no day has ever felt the same. To be in a job where, as well as educating children, you are also learning so much as well. Each year is a new adventure – a new form, new pupils, new classes.

My days might be long and require a lot of planning and preparation, some will bring challenges but overall are rewarding. There isn’t ever a day that goes by that someone, whether it is a pupil or a colleague, doesn’t make me laugh!

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• • •

the end of it you had unknowingly volunteered to take on some responsibility.

Beating Millfield to win the National Schools Swimming Championships with the U14 boys.

Cricket tour in Barbados we got to play at the Kensington Oval.

After 15 years of battling, finally getting GCSE P.E. on the curriculum for 2016, then achieving 13 grade 9s with a group of 21.

What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning and come to Freemen’s?

Flashback Jon Moore How long have you been at Freemen’s and where were you before you joined the school?

I joined Freemen’s in September 1996. Prior to that I taught at RGS Guildford then went on a round the world trip before playing a season at Birmingham & Solihull RFC. My final game for B&S being a pre-season match v Leicester Tigers.

What attracted you initially to your job at Freemen’s? What were your first impressions when you came for your interview?

Having already worked in Surrey, I was aware of Freemen’s and the quality of coaches it possessed.

Bill Deighton was involved with England Schools Rugby and Neil Stewart with the Surrey Cricket Academy, I was keen to learn from and work with both these guys.

What are some of your favourite highlights from your time at Freemen’s so far?

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My favourite part of the job is taking teams so most of my highlights would be around a team. 1st team made it through to Daily Mail Vase London & SE final. We played Felsted in the first schools match to be held at Allianz stadium just after it was opened in 2013.

Setting up a 50 over cricket festival with Felsted, Kings Bruton and St John’s then beating all three schools to win the Miller Shield (Miller was the schools construction company at the time who we got to sponsor the tournament).

My boss at the time Bill Deighton had an uncanny skill of sitting you down for a conversation and by

The pupils are my key motivating factor, I cherish the opportunity to work with them and thoroughly enjoy the journey involved when developing a team.

If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

Muhammad Ali Freddy Mercury Pablo Picasso All three break the mould and think outside the box. I hold all of them in the highest regard and find fascinating – I would love the opportunity to dive into their minds but also just listen to them.

How would you spend the perfect Sunday?

Family breakfast followed by watching or doing a sporting event with lots of friends. Finish with Sunday roast and a nice bottle of red.

What would you like to be known for at Freemen’s?

The quality of my teaching and coaching, particularly rugby and cricket…driving up standards on and off the sports field.

ALUMNI STORIES

Laura Madon Class of 2016

Laura was a student at Freemen’s only five years ago and shares her journey since Freemen’s, her thoughts on supporting women in the STEM sector and offers advice to current students, especially young girls considering careers in STEM. Please introduce yourself and tell us briefly about your time at Freemen’s.

Hello All – I’m Laura, and I left Freemen’s in 2016 after 11 brilliant years there. I went on to study a BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Birmingham, took a gap year to travel (which I highly recommend doing after university), and am now working as a Consultant in the Technology Consulting and Assurance team at Mazars (an international professional services firm). I loved my time at Freemen’s, and the people are what made it so special. The teachers helped me achieve strong A Levels to move forward in life with, but the most important lessons I learnt during my time at Freemen’s were to do with key life skills such as respecting others, how to present myself professionally, and how to take a moral approach to life.

Tell us about your career journey so far and what you do now?

After graduating, I worked for three months at an insurance firm, which gave me good experience of the financial services industry but more importantly experience being in an office every day (it is quite an adjustment to go from being free to choose your schedule at university to office work). I knew this wasn’t for me and continued to apply for technology consulting graduate schemes until I got my current role – ‘Technology Consulting and Assurance Associate Consultant’ at Mazars in the London office. Here, I work on a wide range of engagements from External IT Audits to Advisory work on Operational Resilience, Data Privacy and Cyber Security. It is a great career to choose if you like variety and a challenge.

“I’d always wanted to achieve a very senior position in a company as an end-career goal, and so I looked at role models and worked backwards from their CVs (LinkedIn is great for this) to see where they started.”

How/when did you know your current career path was for you?

During my first year of university, I realised that whilst I enjoyed learning about Biology, I didn’t want a career in it.

I started researching career options by talking to people, attending career events and doing a lot of googling. I’d always

wanted to achieve a very senior position in a company as an end-career goal, and so I looked at role models and worked backwards from their CVs (LinkedIn is great for this) to see where they started. When I came across professional services consulting sometime in my first year of university, it immediately jumped out to me. Building client relationships whilst challenging myself with problem solving-based work projects aligned well with my personality, and I thought this industry was somewhere I would be happy. Being happy, at the end of the day, is the most important part of all of this.

If women are underrepresented in your industry, is anything being done to address this?

Women are currently very underrepresented across all STEM careers, and the technology industry is no different.

However, there are many movements set up to support women who want to know more about getting into STEM careers – just have a look on LinkedIn and you will find many ‘Women in Tech’ or ‘Women in STEM’ groups to follow and events to attend. I feel really lucky to be in a team where our Partner (the head of the team) is extremely supportive of the Women in Technology movement, which has allowed the women in our team to come together, share ideas and see how we can make a difference.

What would be your one most important piece of advice for our current students?

In the words of Doris Day, ‘Que sera sera; whatever will be, will be’. This means, do not worry about the future.

Your happiness is the most important thing, so please trust yourself that everything will work out as it should be. I find taking one thing at a time really helps me –finish your GCSEs, then focus on your A Levels. Figure out what kind of higher education would suit you best – if you’re looking at universities, consider what the course has but also what the university and its city have to offer. Take each step as it comes and enjoy your time at school and university because once you’ve left, I am sure that you will miss it.

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ALUMNI STORIES

Aila Diffey Class of 2016 Living sustainably

Whilst the pandemic has been incredibly difficult for so many, it has given people time to stop and think about how to have a more positive impact on the environment.

It has also put sustainability and green initiatives at the forefront of business minds, one reason behind this is that evidence shows that companies with a pre-existing focus on sustainability have fared much better and will continue to do so than companies who have not.

I want to outline several key ways to introduce sustainability into your lifestyle and most importantly make it work for you. The most important message I have is that ‘it doesn’t have to be 100%’. You do not need to overhaul your lifestyle overnight; you do not need to throw away everything plastic in your home straight away. Make small changes that you will be able to keep, make it affordable to you and make it work for your lifestyle. Otherwise they will not be sustainable changes and you are back to square one.

Fashion

Reduce the number of clothes you buy and when you do buy make sure to research the brand and find one that has a sustainable and ethical ethos with environmental values centred at the core of their brand. Buy second hand if you can, many people get rid of items that are in amazing condition and you can get them for a much cheaper price and can also help to support charities - an added bonus!

Food

Minimise food waste and learn what you can do with your food waste to use it effectively. Grow your own food and

produce. This not only means you eat what is in season but also means that you can heavily reduce your weekly or monthly food bill. Growing food can be very simple and easy to do (even if you do not have a garden!). Look at what you are eating - reduce meat consumption and if you do eat meat then look at where your meat has come from. Ideally shop locally to reduce the carbon footprint of the food from ground to plate.

“Look at what you are eating - reduce meat consumption and if you do eat meat then look at where your meat has come from.”

Reduce consumption

Shop local where you can, buy biodegradable, reusable and recyclable products and understand where things you buy come from. Go paperless with as many things as you can.

Reduce chemicals in your cleaning products or even better make your own. Follow the term ‘make do and mend’. For example, repurpose clothes for alternative uses or upcycle clothes. Learn to sew as this will help to keep the costs down. So many things you own will have a much longer ‘life’ if you simply care, repair and mend. Make your house more environmentally friendly by thinking about how to reduce consumption of electricity, gas and water which will help to conserve energy and reduce bills and in addition invest in renewable energy methods. Use eco-friendly beauty products with zero-waste packaging and reduce water usage in beauty routine. Also ditch the face wipes – they can take up to 100 years to break down in landfill.

Travel

Think about the way you travel and try to walk/cycle/run or use public transport and lift share as much as you can.

If you do drive, then look at the car you have and consider exchanging for a more environmentally friendly model.

Levels of emissions have dropped dramatically, with people not commuting to work as frequently, other journeys reduced significantly and industry levels decreasing, global emissions have been estimated to have dropped around 17%. It is important as the world ‘re-opens’ to help keep these figures low and set a new standard.

Research and learn

Talk to others and learn from each other about eco-friendly lifestyles. By sharing understanding and knowledge with those around you will help to reiterate the importance of this message and encourage people to start making small changes.

Like I say in most of my posts, instead of 10% of people changing to a lifestyle that is 100% sustainable we need 100% of people to be switching to a lifestyle that is 10%.

Again, it is that importance of ‘what you do does matter’ and will reflect in a much bigger way than you might initially think. Please do follow my Instagram page @simplysustainablee for future posts about simple steps to sustainability.

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ALUMNI STORIES

Sarah Reynolds Watt Class of 1999

Were there any teachers that made a significant impact during your time at Freemen’s?

I think every teacher makes an impact in one way or another.

Mr Haywood was Headmaster for the entire time I was at Freemen’s, and he was always so calm and measured in his leadership. My best subject was Physics and I think that’s in large part thanks to Mrs Hughes and the simple concepts she presented seriously but with a smile. I will always remember Mr James for his absolute fascination with the starry universe - we were just mesmerised out on the steps of Main House during one of the Sixth Form balls as he talked through all the constellations.

“I think every teacher makes an impact in one way or another.”

Tell us about your time at Freemen’s?

I started Freemen’s in Form 1 aged seven, in 1988, and enjoyed 10 years through the Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form until 1999. I remember being pretty shy before starting Freemen’s, and the size of the School (and the Senior School’s rows of single desks, which were rather old and tatty at the time) intimidated me. But that feeling quickly passed once School started. Mrs Darke made the transition comforting and creative, and with lots of new friendships blossoming, I soon started to get the hang of trying to make the most of new opportunities. Aside from the obvious academic education, the biggest impact Freemen’s had on me was building my confidence.

Mr Turner, who inspired us to write stories entire exercise books in length, create fantastical projects and presentations, build 3D modelling of contour lines, and was brave enough to take a class of 9-10 year olds on adventurous trips from Belgium to Bracknell’s Coral Reef water park! Mr Goldhawk, who transformed history for me from ‘wrote learning’ dates and names (which I found boring and hard), to wonderful storytelling and understanding human psychology and behaviour (which literally overnight made it interesting and easy!)

What did you study for A Level and at university? How important did this turn out to be in your choice of career?

I left Freemen’s with A Levels in Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Spanish and General Studies, and AS Levels in Physics and Chemistry, and went on to study Natural Sciences (Neuroscience) at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge.

I was absolutely fascinated by the brain and the mind (actually I still am), and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to enjoy those years of study. I came across L’Oréal’s internship programme when researching biotech and pharmaceutical internship opportunities.

Science seemed my more obvious strength at the time, but I enjoyed creativity, and was intrigued by the business world, and this seemed like a great opportunity to have a go at combining multiple interests… and it turned out to be exactly that. I started out as a Scientific Advisor, and subsequently built broad experience through a series of roles across complimentary functions: Retail Leadership, Category Management, Commercial/Sales, Marketing, and eventually General Management. The generalist approach satisfied my broad interests, and I enjoyed the very new challenges and opportunities to learn every few years. I moved from the world’s No.1 beauty company L’Oréal, to record breaking Charlotte Tilbury, as a General Manager for the UK and Middle East markets, and after two years in that position, took the role of Global Chief Marketing Officer in Jan 2020.

What are your best memories from your time at Freemen’s?

With 10 years at a school with such an incredible extra-curricular focus there are so many! The annual City Visits (London Zoo was the first and I can still remember the little project we completed afterwards…), Saturday morning hockey and tennis matches, and mid-week evening swimming galas.

The theatre quality musical productions led by Mr Dodds, and charity variety shows so many of us supported each other in. The Sixth Form Balls that Becca and I organised. Six Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions. Lambing in Aberystwyth.

Extraordinary school trips: visiting the trenches and memorials in Belgium, the Model United Nations in New York…we could be here all day so I’ll leave it there!

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The Life of a Girl Boarder in the 1950s Jennifer Cordwell, known in school as Jennifer Gibson, reflects on life as a Freemen’s pupil in Ashtead Park back in the 1950s.

Most of us slept in dormitories containing six or seven beds, one of which was occupied by the dormitory prefect. We each had the use of two drawers and some hanging space in the dorm wardrobe, and we also each had a chair to put our clothes on for use again the following day.

At 7.10am promptly, the school porter rang a hand bell to wake us up. We threw the bed covers over the rail at the foot of the bed and left them there to air while we washed in the communal washroom, dressed and had breakfast, which was served in the hall, with grace being said in Latin at the start and end of the meal. After breakfast, we went upstairs again to clean our teeth, make our beds - with hospital corners - and sweep and tidy our dorms. There was also a rota for sweeping the corridor, which had to be done when all the dorms had been inspected and passed by Matron.

As there was only about half an hour between the end of breakfast and the start of taking the register (we did not call it “registration” in those days), the girl sweeping the corridor was often late for school.

Once the registers had been taken in the classrooms, which were in the old stable block, the whole school went to the hall for assembly, which consisted of a hymn from the ‘Songs of Praise’ hymn book (long before the television programme of that name), some prayers and the day’s notices. The few pupils who were not at least nominally Protestant Christians were allowed to miss the worship part of assembly.

Jennifer is pictured here in the middle row, Fifth from the left.

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In the middle of the morning, we were all provided with a small bottle of milk, which was a legal requirement at that time. The milk bottles were stored in crates on a trolley in the covered quad. In the winter, the milk was often frozen so that it stuck out of the neck of the bottle with the lid sitting on top; in the summer it was quite often turning sour by the time we got it! Unless the weather was really dreadful, we were expected to spend our break times out of doors.

“At the end of the meal, we all stood again for another Latin grace. We then had free time until the afternoon classes started.”

After break we returned to lessons until lunch time. Lunch was also served in the hall, and we had to queue in the corridor before being allowed to take our place at the tables.

The tables were in pairs, placed end to end, and each pair seated 22 pupils, 10 on each side and one prefect at each end. The Master on duty said grace, after which we were allowed to sit down. The prefect at the end of each table served the food, ensuring that all 11 people on his or her table had something to eat. At the end of the meal, we all stood again for another Latin grace. We then had free time until the afternoon classes started. Once again, we were expected to spend this time out of doors.

At the end of the school day, the boarders were free to do what they wished (within reason, of course) until tea at 5.30pm. After tea, we went downstairs to the boarders’ cloakroom in the basement to clean our shoes, which were inspected before we could go upstairs again. We then had an hour of prep in the dayrooms until prayers and supper.

I don’t recall which order these came in or at what precise

time, but the younger children went to bed about 8.00pm and the older ones did more prep after prayers or supper and went to bed about 8.30pm or 8.45pm. On a Saturday, as there was no school on Sunday morning, the senior girls were allowed to stay up until 9.15pm.

On Saturday afternoons, we lined up in the nurse’s room in the sick bay, where we had head inspection for nits which, I am glad to say, I don’t remember ever being discovered.

We then went upstairs to have a bath if it was our turn, and to wash our hair, which was permitted once a fortnight (although the older girls would wash theirs every week and try to stay out of sight of the housemistress until it was dry, if it was not their week to wash it). We were then allowed to change into mufti and to go into Ashtead or Epsom, in twos or threes, to do a little shopping, if we were not involved in inter-school matches – tennis or rounders in the summer and hockey or netball in the winter.

Aerial view of Main House – School Archives On Saturday evenings, there was usually some sort of entertainment in the hall, arranged by the senior pupils for anyone who cared to attend. This might be a film, a dance or a musical evening often featuring the Freemen’s Jazz Band.

When Rock and Roll came in, we were not supposed to do that because it was feared that it would damage the hall floor – or that was the reason we were given. Ballroom and country dancing were acceptable, though.

Twice a year – at the end of the Christmas and summer terms – we had a formal dance for the senior pupils only, when we girls wore proper evening dresses and a bit of make-up and felt very sophisticated.

On Sundays we were expected to attend two services, one of which was the school service in the hall in my early days at Freemen’s but in the parish church from about 1956 or 57, when we had a School Chaplain. The second act of worship could be Holy Communion or Evensong in the parish church or, for the younger girls, Crusaders in a hall in Lower Ashtead, which tended to be followed by a go on the giant stride or the seesaw in the rec on the way back to school.

Senior Girls’ Day Room – School Archives

We spent our free time reading, writing letters, knitting and sewing, which included mending our clothes – darning, replacing buttons, patching holes and tears etc.

A fully-equipped sewing box was on the list of things each girl boarder had to take with her to school. We also played records (78 rpm shellac) on a wind-up gramophone belonging to one of the girls (I think it was Jasmine). This was supposed to have a new needle for each record, but we made each needle last for many records, which did the records themselves no good. If anyone went shopping, she was expected to buy another box of needles for the gramophone. When Jasmine(?) left school, we used my portable Dansette electric one with a sapphire stylus. This allowed us to play the new vinyl 45s as well as the old 78s. Around the mid-50s we also acquired a radio, which was bought with the ‘dayroom fund’ and thus belonged to everyone; we would gather round it to listen to the Goon Show. Around that time a television set appeared in the hall for the use of all the boarders, but we were only allowed to watch children’s programmes on it and, as these tended to be rather babyish cartoons, most of us didn’t really bother.

“There was also a swing fixed to a branch on a huge old yew tree. The branch was quite high, so the chains were long and we could swing quite alarmingly high if we felt brave enough.”

We could also amuse ourselves in the grounds; some of us had pet rabbits which needed to be fed and cleaned out and exercised on the grass; and we were allowed to play tennis on the grass courts, although I think we had to have permission to use the hard court which was enclosed with wire netting and which doubled as a netball court in the winter. There was also a swing fixed to a branch on a huge old yew tree. The branch was quite high, so the chains were long and we could swing quite alarmingly high if we felt brave enough. In the winter, we would have snowball fights, and if the winter was cold enough and the ice thick enough, we could skate – or, more likely, slide – on the frozen ponds in the copse the other side of Rookery Hill.

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Memories of Freemen’s Founded in 1854, the City of London Freemen’s School has a long, celebrated history start in Brixton before the move to Ashtead Park in 1926. We hope that you will take pride in Freemen’s history after reading these reflections from Reverend Colin Clay (1945) and our School Archivist, Mrs Patricia Jenkins nee Hardy (1952) Reverend Colin Clay (1945) I was eight years old when I joined Freemen’s in Form 1; Mrs Rowland was a delightful teacher, always ready to encourage us youngsters. This was also the time when air raids were common every night and my elder sister and I sometimes occasionally encountered one as we walked to and from school through Ashtead Park. I remember the support we always received from the school staff, and there were extra interesting programmes provided for us after school. The French teacher, Mr Taylor, sold stamps (many from South Africa) for us to collect, which developed into a great interest for many of us; and on Tuesday evenings he showed movies in the main hall which I always enjoyed. Of course the Pathe’ news were special favourites when he could get them.

“I remember the support we always received from the School staff, and there were extra interesting programmes provided for us after school.”

I truly believe the school helped us to handle living in wartime with a calm sensitivity. When the V-1 doodlebugs came incessantly there was no panic. A senior boy sat on the class block roof, and if he spotted one he would ring the big bell and we all got under the desk until it had passed over the Ashtead-Leatherhead area. A few anxious moments, I am sure, but our lives were never overwhelmed with fear. For this I shall always be thankful for my years with the staff and fellow students at the Freemen’s school.

Patricia Jenkins nee Hardy (1952) School Archivist I considered myself very lucky to come to a school in such a lovely setting and worked hard as I was not the brightest student.

We really appreciated the rural areas after seeing so much bomb damage from World War II. Here was a lovely old house with accommodation for boarders on the top two floors and basements for changing rooms for sports, as well as kitchens to feed both day and boarding pupils and staff. There was even space for lessons in the boarder’s day rooms when the school rose to 250 pupils and the Stable Block, later re-named the Sixth Form Block, got a bit crowded. This was followed by a prefabricated New Block which kept that name until it was finally pulled down many years later and which supplied a good number of classrooms and cloakrooms.

I happily kept in contact with a number of friends amongst both staff and pupils and enjoyed seeing them again on Old Freemen’s’ Days. Both my son and daughter who attended the School, had the benefit of the school setting but with a number of modern improvements. Gradually, old workshops were pulled down and the new Departments started to be built until it became the well equipped school it is today, though still harbouring more plans for the future.

“Both my son and daughter who attended the School, had the benefit of the school setting but with a number of modern improvements.”

My keen interest in the school led me one day to suggest to the Headmaster that it seemed a shame that such a lovely school did not have an archive room. He agreed and assigned me three basement rooms, in Main House, which I quickly filled - ably assisted by a number of my contemporaries. True to the traditions of the school, Main House was cleared for a mammoth refurbishment and the Archives and I moved in to a small flat only fit for storage and record searching.

So a new home is being found for Archives and Archivist in Main House, when the wrappings come off, and the house becomes known as the Sixth Form Centre.

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Old Freemen’s Association Simeon Lando (1993) and Nikki Linsell (2002) are the new Co-Chairs of the Old Freemen’s Association.

Tell us about your time at Freemen’s?

SL: I had a great time at Freemen’s. I made friends for life and it gave me loads of opportunities that I was very fortunate to experience. Looking back, I should maybe have spent a little more time on the academic side and a little less time focused on rugby!

NL: It’s a real cliche to say, but there really was an inclusive ‘family feeling’ to being at Freemen’s. I feel like it gave me an all-round education ...and like Simeon, a really important group of friends for life.

Tell us about your career journey since Freemen’s?

SL: After my undergraduate degree in International Business and Masters in Marketing I’ve been fortunate to work for some great companies including Oracle, PayPal, Barclays and Thomson Reuters. Currently, I am a Senior Director at one of the world’s largest financial technology firms and prior to the pandemic enjoyed travelling all over the world even managing early morning runs on Miami Beach! On one work trip, I managed to get stranded in NYC when the Icelandic volcano erupted and stopped all flights. There are worse places to get stuck! I have kept my links to the City of London, having been made a Freeman of the City and also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors.

NL: Oh gosh, how long have you got?..OK...so I trained as an Architect at Nottingham Uni, did the classic gap ‘yar’ and then managed to become a founding member of an international development and disaster relief charity managing post-disaster reconstruction and development projects across Asia and Africa. Got a scholarship to continue my architecture training in Singapore, thought why not set up a new charity and then spent the next few years predominantly in India and Bangladesh working in the remote Sundarbans. I then revolted from the humanitarian sector and moved to academia, a PhD (that I still need to finish), architecture lecturing, which somehow led to me being a change consultant for a London Uni. Then I pivoted into tech start-ups, specifically in the wellbeing space.

Now, in the last few years, I’ve helped set up a new mission orientated company, to help build local government public planning capacity and change perceptions and diversify those who work in local government. Niche, I know!

SL: You are also currently a parent at the School. Tell us about the changes you have witnessed, especially compared to your time as a pupil here?

SL: It’s a completely different school than the one I attended.

The teaching standard is in a different league, the facilities are amazing and the focus on sport is much more on participation for all than on winning. I guess the biggest change of all for me is that football has been introduced but something my son is very happy about! Josh is also loving

his time at Freemen’s and is excited about being able to take advantage of the super new Sixth Form Centre in Main House from September.

When did you first join the OFA and what have been some of your personal highlights in your experience with the OFA? SL: I joined the OFA when I left school in 1993 and very much enjoyed socialising in the old Memorial Clubhouse. I also enjoy mentoring recent leavers and providing them with work experience to help them with their career decisions.

NL: I joined the OFA Committee when I first helped found the affiliated hockey club. It might sound a little strange but the highlight for me has been the opportunity of working with and building relationships with fellow alumni from all different ages whilst all being of equal ‘status’. I think intergenerational connections and friendships can be the most powerful and the OFA has a lot to thank for this.

You have recently been elected Co-Chairs of the Old Freemen’s Association. What plans do you have for the OFA for the next three years?

SL: Nikki and I have a clear vision for how we want to set up the OFA for future success which we have discussed with the Headmaster and also talked to part of it at a recent FSA committee meeting. Our ‘Mission 2021 and Beyond’ strategy is focused on creating closer links to the School including supporting them in raising more bursaries, closer links with the FSA, engaging with the younger generation of Old Freemen and building a new clubhouse inside Ashtead Park to bring the whole Freemen’s community together.

Words of wisdom you would like to share with our youngest alumni from the Class of 2021?

SL: Enjoy every moment as time flies by, take advantage of every opportunity and make sure to reach out to the OFA who would be delighted to find you a mentor to discuss your future career aspirations.

NL: Be curious, be yourself, and don’t assume or plan too much... you and the world change much more often than you think. Oh and avoid the late-night cheap pizza eating. It might seem like a good idea at the time, but it never EVER is. https://oldfreemens.co.uk/ofa-home

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OFA News Old Freemen’s RFC

Although Covid wiped out the playing season for 2020/21, I am pleased to say that we did manage to keep training outside of the key lockdowns with Jon Moore providing a safe and structured set of training sessions. It was particularly frustrating missing this season as it was the 90th anniversary of the first match we played vs Dorking Town A’s. But the players and other members have kept the spirit of Old Freemen’s rugby going never the less.

Looking forward to next season we’ve been playing touch games since April - and we have some semi-contact matches coming up in May, and we’ll recommence our summer touch rugby in June on Ashtead Rec on Tuesdays, and will start pre-season training in July back in Ashtead Park.

Hopefully with following wind and the avoidance of an Autumn ‘second wave’ we are due to be playing league rugby again with our 1st XV playing in Surrey 2, and the 2nd XV in the Merit Table.

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO! September Pre-season warm up matches followed by league season kick off 18th September.

25th September 90 Anniversary Dinner Dance at Kingswood Gold Club th

19th December Annual Under 23 vs Over 23’s (aka Students vs Old Boys) followed by Christmas drinks Ashtead Cricket Club

Hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy the Autumn Internationals and Six Nations in the winter once again with full stadiums with socials at either Ashtead Cricket Club or The Leg of Mutton and Cauliflower in the village.

If any former pupils, siblings, parents or staff members are interested in playing rugby please get in contact with me.

Bob Davies Chairman OFRFC 07920 518 788 bobclaredavies@btinternet.com 22

Old Freemen’s Cricket Club Ashtead Freemen’s It has been confirmed that Covid restrictions will be lifted Hockey Club sufficiently for club cricket to return, so we are very much looking forward to the 2021 season... with two Saturday XIs playing in the Surrey Downs League (www.sdl.play-cricket. com) and “The Dragons” XI playing in the “Surrey Slam” – a midweek T20 competition played in the evenings. It is also hoped to repeat the success of 2019’s brief but highly enjoyable tour to the West Country.

Hockey has been one of the fortunate sports over this last year as we have been able to squeeze in a number of games in-between all the lockdowns. Needless to say the quality of the games have been mixed but it has been incredible to be out, enjoying hockey and the benefits of spending time with a diverse mix of team mates.

The Sunday side offers a light hearted, friendly alternative to Saturday league cricket, playing around 15 games a season against long standing opponents with similar cricketing values.

Whatever your experience, age or ability, everyone is welcome to play. This is a very sociable side with post-match drinks and the odd BBQ or social (tickets to the Oval) during the course of the summer.

Now, with England Hockey restructuring the club and our one ladies team will be joining a South London league from this September. Our club, founded by alumni of the School and now over ten years old, is open to any women looking to play some competitive but friendly hockey and we provide large discounts for alumni of the School so there are little costs associates with joining, so please do get in touch!

We enjoy the use of both the School’s 1st XI square and Headley CC - two superb and quite unique grounds in Surrey.

The club is therefore very active and caters for all ages and abilities and offers all types of cricket, in a variety of delightful locations. As always, we are very keen for recent school leavers, current and past parents and friends of Old Freemen to join us.

The season proper starts with our first league games on Saturday 8th May. For more information, please contact: David Hammond - Chairman - 07773 525 405 wollHammond@gmail.com Andrew Brooks - Club Captain - 07794 436 410 brooksa92@hotmail.co.uk

Plans for the coming month include a social on a boat, and some hockey(!) - we have joined a summer evening league run

by Surbiton, every Tuesday evening starting in mid May there will be some fun seven a-side games to keep us active.

Tom Glover - Sunday Captain - 07850 980 369 caricaturestom@gmail.com

Get in touch via if you want to get involved: http://ashtead-freemens.org 23

FREEMEN’S CALLING SUMMER 2021 | ISSUE 6

Editor: Reema Agarwal Email: development@freemens.org Telephone: 01372 822444 www.freemens.org

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