Foundation Office & Lancing Society

Both of these occasions included emotional services in the Chapel, and you can see how visibly it provides sanctuary at times like this for so many generations. It is incredibly moving to see how much our vintage generation of OLs still care about the direction in which the College is going and at the same time to feel the excitement of our 2023 leavers as they start the next phase of their life after Lancing.

It has been an exhilarating Summer Term as we are back in full swing with our events programme. Even with three bank holidays in the calendar we managed to fit in ten events, and you can read about most of them in the following pages and perhaps linger over the accompanying photos to find the faces of old and young friends.

In the midst of all these Lancing events, the nation was busy celebrating the Coronation weekend and all of its festivities. At the last Coronation in 1953, three OLs were singing in different choirs at that time; Christopher Brooker, Head’s 1958–1962 (St George’s Chapel), Christopher Opstad, Field’s 1956–1960 (Westminster Abbey) and Michael Windross, Second’s 1957–1961 (St Paul’s Cathedral). They joined a choir of 395 voices in Westminster Abbey, little realising that they would meet again in the choir stalls of Lancing Chapel some five years later. Christopher Brooker has written more on this extraordinary experience on page 65 of The Quad

Every year our work in the Foundation Office increases as we engage with more OLs and parents and we seem to be busier than ever. We would not be able to accomplish any of this without the tremendous support we receive from the Lancing Foundation Council, The OL Club and the Lancing Parents Association. We rely on so many dedicated volunteers to be on committees, be guest speakers and to host networking events, and I would like to thank all of you for your endeavours on our behalf.

I am looking forward to sharing with you soon the anniversary series of Head Master’s Lectures where you will see more of the talented resource hidden within the Lancing community coming to the fore and speaking on a fascinating range of topics.

I wish you all a wonderful summer. Best wishes, as always,

CATHERINE REEVE Foundation Director