Beyond the Barrier Winter 2020

WINTER 2020

Beyond the

BARRIER THE MAGAZINE OF THE LOUGHBURIANS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

Beyond the

BARRIER FEATURES 3

The School Year

5 Events 8

Alumni News

14

Announcements

26

Careers Focus

32

From the Archives

41

Tableaux at 100

49 Sport

LGS TOWN TRAIL Try out the Town Trail, created by John Weitzel, LGS Archivist, celebrating the rich history of the School in terms of landmarks and locations in Loughborough.

Visit https://bit.ly/2JfgxjN or use the QR code to head straight to the specially created App. The booklet makes interesting reading in itself even if you aren’t local enough to experience it ‘live’.

Dear fellow Loughburians

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t seems a very long time since our last edition of Beyond the Barrier. None of us could have foreseen the exceptionally difficult year ahead. We are inevitably only aware of a small fraction of the devastating impact on the lives of our members and their loved ones. Nevertheless, our best wishes go out to all of you.

I am extremely grateful for the Development Office’s hard work in keeping our ship afloat during the crisis.

Their regular bulletins have been uplifting, with updates on the schools and stories of alumni making notable contributions in their communities.

Clearly, our 525 school anniversary celebrations and many other planned events have been decimated by the pandemic. However, we are not deterred! Regarding ‘525’, we have rebooked The Plaisterers’ Hall for our gala dinner on Saturday 20 November next year. We anticipate a sell-out event, so get your bookings in early.

Behind the scenes, a new internet careers and networking platform we are calling ‘Loughburians Live’ has been developed and is ready for you to use by visiting www.loughburians.com. You can find more details about Loughburians Live on page 30.

The website will be an invaluable opportunity for you to support each other and perhaps particularly our younger alumni making their way in the world.

Indeed, we are particularly mindful of our recent school leavers and newest Loughburians. They had a somewhat deflated end of their time at school and missed out on the traditional Leavers’ BBQ in September. So, a warm Loughburians welcome to the Class of 2020 – we look forward to belatedly celebrating your school leaving sometime in the near future.

The Loughburians Alumni Association committee is taking advantage of the hiatus to assist the Development Office in a 360 degree review of our offer to you and the schools. We are open to all your ideas and grateful, as always, for your input. Please get in touch via alumni@lsf.org. Perhaps the starting point for you is a visit to the website www.loughburians.com where I can also highly recommend the link to the Grammar School digital archive. We are so very grateful to John Weitzel for all his work on the archive, a real treasure trove of past glories and achievements that echo down the generations. In an uncertain and potentially lonely time, we can remain connected and feel a sense of belonging. One family unbroken!

On a lighter note, we can even help you with your Christmas shopping. Have a look at the merchandise on the website, especially the new 525 items. Gentlemen, I hope you like the new tie.

Which brings me to end by wishing you all a safe, but still Merry Christmas and a New Year in which we will be able to meet and enjoy each other’s company again.

Dr Peter Cannon (Class of 1980) Loughburians Chair

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THE SCHOOL YEAR Alex Eveson Review of the Year by LGS Head Boy

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ndoubtedly the most unorthodox academic year since records began, 2019-2020 will perhaps be remembered as the year when time stopped, exams were cancelled and uncertainty loomed large over the school. This will be, I believe, a profoundly unfair assessment. It is very easy, with our short-term memories of a year fixed around the trials and tribulations of online learning, to forget the great deal of good done within the two-thirds of the school year not dominated by lockdown. The boys, as always, have shown their trademark excellence in an astounding number of fields.

2020 saw the 525 anniversary of the school and although celebrations were sadly dampened by the global situation, the school did see a number of events recognising the milestone. A service was held in the Quadrangle to recognise the significance of 2020 in the historical context of the school in which a ‘human sculpture’ was formed and captured from a drone above, the entire school arranged into a massive ‘LGS 525’ (the results of which can be seen on the front cover of this magazine). The annual drama production underwent a spectacular change this year in celebration of 525, massively increasing in size and splendour as Les Misérables was performed in the Hodson Hall rather than the Drama Studio to sold out audiences over five days. The musical involved a cast and orchestra comprised from the three senior schools, cumulating in a true spectacle of musical and dramatic talent that will not soon be forgotten.

The 525 anniversary of the school was initially planned to have been accompanied by a lecture series, seeing experts in a range of fields come in to educate the boys on myriad interesting topics. Although the majority of these unfortunately could not occur, two successful lectures were attended en masse before the end of the school year. The first, ‘The Future of the Motor Car’ was delivered by Professor Rachel Thomson and was a great success. This was followed by another successful lecture entitled ‘After the Break: United Kingdom law, EU law and Brexit’ delivered by Loughburian James Flynn QC (Class of 1974).

One of the more inspirational moments of the year came through the return of Loughburian Charlie Richardson (Class of 2011) to the school to talk about his experience fighting Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Charlie, now working as a sports journalist for the Telegraph, told the story of his resilience with a humour that had a profound effect on all those there to listen.

Along the theme of sport, 2020 saw the inaugural game of the ‘The Clash’, a 1st XV rugby match against Nottingham High School played under the lights at Loughborough University.

Despite being on the wrong side of the score, the game set a precedent in fundraising for the school, amassing over £5,000 for Leukaemia UK. We hope that the spirit of charity shown in the game will become a tradition, and that ‘The Clash’ will become an annual fixture.

Whilst, as a Sixth-former, it has been easiest for me to identify with my own year-group’s upturned manner of leaving the school, it is important to recognise that we are not the only ones to have had our final moments at LGS uprooted by the pandemic. A massive thank-you must go out to Mr Jackson, Mrs Prince, Mrs

Baker, Mrs Briars and Mrs Krarup for their dedicated service to the school. I am sure that their presence will be sorely missed.

One potential advantage of the ensuing global chaos caused

by COVID-19 has been an unparalleled opportunity for satire within the school community. VOX, the school newspaper, has witnessed something of a resurgence in the past couple of years and the weekly publication of its witty and cynical journalism has provided the school with an availability of humour and self-deprecation that many have found invaluable. The unique ability of those involved in the paper to find humour in all walks of school life has enriched the way that boys look at the school each day; I certainly will miss reading the well-written, original jokes at my expense each week!

In truth, there is a great deal that I will miss about the foundation that has raised me since I was four years old. I will miss the everyday of the school; the sitting around in the Sixth-Form centre talking about everything and nothing; the heated debates with teachers over the finer points of the GCSE and A-Level syllabuses; the food… However, it would be naïve to suggest that my time at school was what it was without the help of my fellow students. My deepest sympathies go out to those leaving the school who have had their rites of passage in leaving cut short. I simply cannot thank enough that group of boys for making me who I am today, and I hope that we will all meet again very soon.

Naomi Wilbram Review of the Year by LAS Head Prefect

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his past year has had some great achievements from across the school and everyone involved should be extremely proud. We have also had some unexpected events that have meant LAS have had to adapt to the changing circumstances. The country-wide lockdown meant students received online lessons and tasks. However, the pupils’ motivation and enthusiasm was kept high due to weekly activities and challenges. These included; Miss Barham’s PE challenge, cooking, geocaching and science activities. The large range of weekly tasks kept students busy and their energy levels up.

This year we have seen some staff changes. We say farewell and thank you to Mr Charles Price, our wonderful music teacher, leader of fortnightly ‘congers’ and Head of Peter House. Mr Price has been redeployed to the Grammar School and we welcome to LAS Mr Rob Connolly. Miss Syan Gallagher joins us in the new role of Pastoral Support Assistant, with the aim of maintaining and building on our outstanding reputation for pastoral care. Welcome (or bienvenida) to Mrs Rebecca O’Reilly-Naik our new Teacher of Spanish, a new addition to our expanded and highly successful languages department. In the mathematics department we send our best wishes to Mr Johnathon Taylor, who provide us with excellent Maths teaching for a year. Welcome to Mrs Neena Sonecha, an outstanding new teacher of Mathematics who has relocated from London to join our staff. Best wishes to Mr Graham Sutch on his retirement and to Mr Richard Wright, who joined us from the Grammar School to support in Physics for one year. Welcome to Dr Sarah Wilson, our new full-time teacher of Physics. In January, Mrs Jo Kitchener joined us as maternity cover for Mrs Lucy Travis, our SENDCo. Mrs Kitchener has proved such a dedicated, creative and generally 3

brilliant member of staff that we have persuaded her to stay on as support for the SEN department and as our new Head of Years 9-11. We also say farewell to Mrs Jo Bexon, our much loved Head’s PA, who retired in August. Her role will be taken on

by Jo Gillett, who is already PA to Miss Davies. Best wishes to Mrs Emma Hopper, Head of PE, who is now on maternity leave.

This year saw Amherst’s first intake of boys into our senior school. The boys settled in amazingly and added to the warm, family like feel of the school with football games played on the grass most lunchtimes. We also saw the start of boarding life at Amherst, as we welcomed the eight new students who had been selected to join the new Loughborough University National Tennis Academy. The programme provides the players several hours of specialist coaching and training per day. The players compete regularly in international tournaments, and the first year saw our players travelling all over the world, including to Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Morocco, Latvia, France, the USA, and others. While away at tournaments, all the players have been able to keep up to date with their school work. They have all had some success in tournaments and they have brought home several cups and medals.

Music this year have had some spectacular events; at Christmas we had our annual Carols service, where two LAS choirs performed beautifully and made the evening very special. We also had our first house music competition, organised by Mr Price, which took place on the last day before the Christmas holiday.

This was full of fun with performers from all age groups, Agnes took home the victory this year after a fabulous whole house performance. A few of the winning performances were from Maisie in year 6 on the violin and Peter in year 12 on the piano.

The LAS show, set to take place in March, was cancelled because of Covid-19 but I would still like to say a big well done to everyone involved. We had dancers and singers from the whole school participate and the dress rehearsal was a small glimpse at how fabulous the show would have been. I am so proud to be a part of this year 13 class and am excited to see how Amherst will continue to grow in the second year of being a fully co-educational school, and to see what new directions my fellow leavers follow.

One last thank you to all our teachers for their continued support guiding us through this challenging year. I hope Loughborough Amherst School continues to be the warm, friendly place that it is and I know year 13 will look back and remember all the beautiful memories we made during our time here.

Sarah-Jane Feeley Review of the Year by LHS Head Girl

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t’s safe to say the 2019-20 academic year has been unlike any other in LHS history. Throughout the year, whether at school together in person or, with the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic, virtually on Microsoft Teams, girls have continued to show enthusiasm, passion and determination and have been rewarded with success in all aspects of life at LHS. Alongside the great changes in the world during the past year, there have also been some changes in long-serving staff at the High School. Since the end of the summer term in 2019 we have said farewell to Director of Studies and respected Chemistry teacher, Dr Jackson, and much loved Biology teacher and former Head of Sixth Form, Miss Todd. Between them they gave over

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70 years of service to LHS. We have also said goodbye to Miss Hitchen, teacher of maths and Assistant Head of Curriculum, Mrs Lewis, Head of Religious Studies and two LSF alumnae in Ms Shipman, Charity and Events Coordinator and Dr Burnett, Head of Sixth Form and Careers. They will be greatly missed by all at LHS and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

The end of the academic year also marked the first full year with Dr Miles as Head, and what a year it has turned out to be!

On the academic front, STEM students were rewarded for their efforts before the new school year even began. Following their success in The Big Bang Competition, being crowned GSK UK Young Engineers of the Year for their project ‘Music Splash’, Grace and Aalia kicked off the success of the new school year in July after taking home a silver medal representing the UK at the CASTIC 2019 international science convention in Macau, China.

This year has been an exciting time for Sport at LHS as phase one of the new Parkin Sports Centre was completed. The opening of the state-of-the-art Sports Hall in September has provided facilities to support ongoing sporting endeavours at LHS, as well as further opportunities in new sports with girls competing in Basketball, Indoor Hockey and Trampolining for the first time. Although many competitions concluded prematurely owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, sporting highlights from this year include the U13 Hockey and U14 Netball Teams qualifying for the Regional finals, the U14 Hockey Team competing in the National finals at Lee Valley Hockey Centre and the 1st XI Football Team winning the ISFA Midlands League and reaching the Quarter Finals of the National Cup. There has also been significant individual sporting success at LHS. At the Leicester Mercury Sports Awards two athletes were rewarded for their hard work and dedication as County crosscountry runner, Indienne (Year 11), was awarded the Junior Sportswoman of the Year and British Team swimmer Michaella (Year 13), was named Young Sportswoman of the Year.

LHS students have continued to thrive on stage alongside students from across the Foundation in what has been another busy year for the Drama and Music Departments. In August 2019, LSF once again took the Sixth Form Drama company, Siege of Herons, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where they gave an excellent performance of Rats’ Tales, a sinister and magical mixture of traditional and invented folk stories. As the school year began, rehearsals were focused on the cast of Year 9 and 10 pupils who performed an abridged version of ‘As You Like It’ at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, as part of Shakespeare Schools Festival.

The Music Department have been busy with a host of concerts throughout the year. As Christmas approached, the High School Choirs Cantamus and Cantilena once again sang beautifully to accompany the 99th annual Tableaux in which Year 13 embraced the classic green eyeshadow, grey body paint and beards for the carol service. The Spring Term brought the Loughborough Music Competition in which students from across the foundation competed against other talented local musicians.

As Covid-19 arrived in March and school closed, it was an emotional day in fancy dress for myself and my fellow Year 13s as seven years at LHS ended prematurely. As a school we came together on the Quad for a final rendition of the School Hymn before leaving through the Blue Gates for the final time.

Although our time together ended prematurely, as the Class of 2020 begins the next chapter in a strange and uncertain world, the time in lockdown has given us a great opportunity to reflect on, and be grateful for, all the memories and experiences we have gained over the years. For me, it has been seven years well spent at LHS alongside a fantastic group of girls and I am truly grateful to have spent my time here in such great company. I am excited to see how we all progress in the next stage of our lives and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for us and the legacy we have left at LHS.

EVENTS Les Misérables, LSF Production, March 2020

By Nick Grainger (Class of 1980)

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arlier this year, months of dedication, blood, sweat and tears came to magnificent fruition in the form of The Foundation’s production of Les Misérables, performed over several nights in early March. The event was supported enthusiastically and in great numbers by the whole LSF community and attended by a large number of alumni and former teaching staff (including Mr & Mrs Neville Ireland and Mr Barry Percival who met up with old boy, Ian Ellis (Class of 1968) who made a special journey from his home in Kentucky to attend the event!) Indeed, it became apparent that alumni representing all years between 1950 and the recent past were present during the show’s run and I, myself, was particularly keen to witness the event given that my son, Ted, was in the cast and that I had been involved in the school’s landmark production of Die Fledermaus 40 years before. Back in 1980, the school was praised for its ambition in attempting such a demanding piece of theatre and now it must receive even greater plaudits for the scale of this achievement.

I first saw Les Mis in 1988, then only two years into its first West-End run with Michael Ball as Marius and Colm Wilkinson as Valjean. It was less a musical, more a phenomenon and it immediately became my favourite show, it was played and listened to hundreds of times over the next thirty years. I know and love it…well. Consequently, I came to enjoy myself on that Friday evening in March and I was not disappointed.

Director, Sally Bruton’s set together with the lighting and sound were excellent, transforming the Hodson Hall from school assembly venue into a vibrant amphitheatre and drawing the audience into 19th Century France with irresistible realism.

The well-known score was expertly delivered by the fine orchestra under the baton of Stuart Thompson (I know this because I didn’t notice them) and the cast were, quite simply… outstanding.

Playing older men when you are still in your teens is difficult for male performers but Freddie as Valjean and Olly as Javert carried off their parts with great control and gravitas whilst Alex was simply wonderful as Thenadier (a great part, yes, but it needs to be done well to avoid audience disappointment). Ben looked the part and was suitably heroic as Marius whilst Will led the doomed students with defiant gusto. The female leads were impressively professional in their acting and singing - Fran, Lucy and Emilia as Cosette, Eponine and Fantine respectively were all superb and delivered their showstoppers with skill, passion and wonderful technique (congratulations to Musical Director David Morris) whilst Jess was wonderfully comic as Mme Thenadier. The supporting cast of students, townsfolk, prisoners and whores was high on energy, commitment and talent and provided a perfect frame for the endeavours of the main protagonists. Bravo everyone – as a Loughburian thespian of the past I was made to feel very proud and to realise how the quality of school productions has moved on in recent years.

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Oxbridge Dinner, Somerville College, Oxford, January 2020

By Elizabeth Fair (Class of 2019) The Oxbridge Dinner in January 2020 was one of the highlights of my spring term. I remember hearing my friends talk about their positive experiences of attending when they were at school, and so I was intrigued to attend myself, despite knowing very few of my LSF contemporaries at Oxford. The evening started with a beautifully serene evensong in Somerville College Chapel, followed by a three course meal and speeches. I stayed there much later than I had anticipated, talking and chatting with friends.

The event aims to encourage current year 12 students at Loughborough Schools Foundation to think about applying to Oxford or Cambridge, giving them a taste of some of the more unique features of Oxbridge life and a chance to talk with Oxford and Cambridge students. Although I did not attend when I was at school, I remember friends talking about how surprised they were that the students were so ‘normal’. This was one of my greatest fears when applying to Oxford – that I wouldn’t fit in because of preconceptions and stereotypes about Oxbridge students. I really wanted to help current LSF students explore some of their questions surrounding Oxford life, and uncover the myths that were stopping them from applying.

Talking with the students over dinner, we also had conversations about LSF school life. It was interesting to hear how the schools had changed, exchange stories, and a really good time to reminisce about my time at the Foundation. Oxford terms are often quite full on, and it was good to be able to take this time to escape from the hurry and bustle of term time to think about my time at school, help other students with their application processes and thinking, and enjoy a good time with friends.

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Reunion: Class of 2014 get together Scott Boardman (Class of 2014) organised an impromptu reunion in Loughborough on Wednesday 7 August 2019 - a nice turnout for a school night!

Festivo! De Montfort Hall, March 2020

As concerns grew about coronavirus numbers nationally, the music department of the Loughborough Schools Foundation were putting the final polish on their preparations for our largest single music event of the year. The annual Spring Concert at De Montfort Hall is always a spectacular celebration of music making from across the Foundation and typically alumni of the Schools are invited back to perform alongside current pupils. This year was no exception, with 400 performers taking to the stage for Festivo! on Saturday 14 March, in what turned out to be one of the last social gatherings and performances before the first national lockdown was announced.

Festivo! featured two of the LSF ensembles who had previously enjoyed great success on the stage of the National Festival of Music for Youth. Audience members were left in no doubt of the breadth of talent across the Foundation as ‘Massed Strings’ (forty students from all four of the Foundation’s Schools and some invited alumni) opened proceedings with Andante Festivo by Jean Sibelius. The Symphonic Wind Band then went on to perform Edward Gregson’s Festivo. Following

Reunion: ‘59 years – or thereabouts’

By Christine Ward (née Ramsden) (Class of 1963) A reunion was held on 2 November 2019 for ‘girls’ - we’re all still girls aren’t we? - who left LHS in 1961 (after ‘O’ levels) or 1963 (for those who elected to stay on in the sixth form for ‘A levels’). The reunion, the fourth we have held so far, was at the Donington Manor Hotel, Castle Donington. This took the form of a buffet lunch, a display of school and previous reunion photos and other souvenirs of our ‘salad days’, along with some interesting examples on loan from the LHS archives which portrayed some of the history of the school; there was, in addition, much talk and laughter. There were 28 people present at the reunion and, as ever, we all soon got down to chatting and reminiscing. We exchanged stories of our lives since we left school, as well as remembering schoolgirl life, including lessons, school dinners and freezing break-times that had to be spent outside, like it or not. Also, memories of the staff who taught us; they all seemed rather elderly to us then, but must have been a great deal younger than we are now! The fondest

the interval, the Symphony Orchestra performed Johannes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture.

Whilst performances were universally excellent, special mention must be made to the soloists, then year 13 students now Class of 2020 alumni. Danushka performed a movement from Edward Elgar’s iconic cello concerto accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra, whilst Yash was the vocal soloist as the massed choirs and Symphony Orchestra performed three of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs. The concert came to a spectacular close as the massed choirs and orchestra were joined by year 7 pupils from all three senior schools in a rousing and energetic performance of Charles Villiers Stanford’s joyful Te Deum in B flat and Hubert Parry’s triumphant ‘I Was Glad’.

It was a pleasure to see so many parents, alumni and friends of the Schools bear witness to the outstanding array of musical talent on display. We can only hope that performances of a similar scale will be permissible again soon.

recollections, however, are still those of the fun we had and the hilarious moments we will never forget. The Country Dancing at the annual sports day being a favourite memory; you had to be there to know why it is still at the top of the list of ‘things we didn’t do well’ during our schooldays!

Those present voted the reunion a great success and a most enjoyable time was had by all. Everyone present was delighted when I informed them that we would hold a fifth (and probably final) reunion in two or three years’ time. That will mark 60 years since our long-ago days at Loughborough High School and will celebrate the friendships that we made at school and which are still evergreen: part of our lives all those years ago and still just as important today. Here’s to the next reunion!

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ALUMNI NEWS Covid-19 Edition

By John Weitzel

We felt that this year rather than highlighting Loughburians who had featured in the News we should concentrate on just a few of the many ways that alumni have helped in responding to the coronavirus crisis.

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he most interesting analysis of what life was like for those on the front line came from Peter Brindley (Class of 1987) who is a Critical Care physician at the University of Alberta. He used his knowledge of military history to write a thought provoking piece ‘Life in the Trenches’ in Canada’s National Post. “Like you, we health-care workers are scared as we prepare to ‘go over the top.’ Like the elderly, I have health-care colleagues who worry that we are considered expendable, and those fears need to be heard and addressed. Regardless, I am reassured that at the bedside we have each other’s backs: which is a good job given the daily need to ‘buddy-check’ protective equipment. Hyperbole aside, I truly have never been prouder of our staff. Moaning has been replaced with meaning, and many of us are surprisingly happy not being resigned to barracks.”

It was a similar story closer to home.

John Hardie (Class of 2007) who moved into medicine after studying Music at Oxford is a Doctor in an ICU in Surrey. There he was ‘redeployed’ from the cancellation of his routine operations to help with the vast increase in ICU patients where his familiarity of the ‘acute’ was a big bonus.

For Marcus Wood (Class of 1992) the change to his normal working week was even greater. As a Consultant Anaesthetist at Leicester Royal Infirmary he changed to a 12-hour shift system including resident nights. He wrote: “As Anaesthetists are advanced airway specialists who have been trained in varying degrees of intensive care medicine, we have been tasked with intubating the suspected/confirmed covid19 patients in A&E, transferring them to Intensive Care, setting up the ventilators and placing the invasive lines. All this is done whilst wearing full PPE which includes a full face respirator for most of us. The PPE becomes uncomfortable after about 4 hours but it’s obviously vital to be protected against the virus.”

It was a similar story for Michael Glasby (Class of 1991). “My work as

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a vascular interventional radiologist in Leicester would normally entail a varied mix of procedures throughout the body for limb circulation problems, aortic aneurysms, kidney dialysis, uterine fibroids, prostates etc. However, with the corona virus pandemic, virtually all of the routine practice was stopped as wards were cleared for patients suffering with Covid-19. Within a couple of weeks, the clinics, corridors and public areas in the hospitals, which would normally be bustling with outpatients and visitors were eerily quiet. Conversely, respiratory wards and intensive cares were exceptionally busy. Within my speciality, our practice was reduced to urgent or emergency cases mainly while adapting to different ways of working using PPE, social distancing, using video conferencing to discuss patients and staff often having to self-isolate.”

However, it wasn’t all about Covid-19 as Jon Mutimer (Class of 1992) wrote. “I’m an orthopaedic consultant in Cheltenham. No elective (planned) work at present nationally although we have our trauma to continue with. We have redesigned our rota to continue to do trauma operating and fracture clinics as well as taking minor injuries from Emergency department. Other activities include working on the wards and in ITU which is a bit of a change for a surgeon!!”

For our most recently trained Doctors it was much the same.

Will Crookes (Class of 2013) a Foundation Year 2 Doctor working in A&E at Chesterfield Royal Hospital wrote: “The Covid-19 Pandemic came as a new challenge to Doctors and other Healthcare Professionals at all stages of their careers. As a Junior Doctor in my second year of work, working in the Emergency Department at a time like this pushed me to learn quickly and be flexible, adapting to a situation which, at the height of the initial surge, was changing on a daily

basis. With rotas altered to provide optimum staffing levels in key areas at busy times, we were working a lot of unsociable hours, particularly nights; sometimes for several weeks in a row.

Whilst it has been exhausting, being given the responsibility to assess a high burden of critically unwell patients has been an experience which will serve me well in my future career.”

Keeping the NHS supplied with critical goods was the job of Will Gardner (Class of 2003) who has worked all his life in the transport industry and currently works for PallEx. He found himself on the front line supporting key workers and industry, having signed ‘The Armed Forces Covenant’ last year. Providing food for the NHS fell to Rosie Thomas (Class of 2012) who, after finding her work connecting supply teachers and schools had fallen to zero, shifted to volunteer for the start-up organisation ‘Meals for the NHS’. Working shifts up to 14-hours long, with no access to food after 5pm, and PPE restrictions making it almost impossible to find a meal outside hospital walls, NHS staff had a serious problem, and it needed to be solved. Founded on 21 March 2020, in its first 100 days 100 volunteers supplied over 300,000 meals to 146 hospitals We all know that as ever the Army was at the forefront of our response to the virus, either building hospitals or manning testing sites, and here we found four alumni working in the same team within the Headquarters of the Field Army. Colonel Guy Foden (Late Royal Anglian) (Class of 1994) led a team of about 30 staff managing the domestic operational commitments for the Army. In that team were Major Stefan Siemieniuch (Royal Engineers) (Class of 1999), Major Hamish Waring (Scots Guards) (Class of 2002) and Major Nathaniel Liladher (Duke of Lancaster’s) (Class of 2005). Lt. Col. George Beazley would be proud!

There were many ‘unsung areas’ of our normal life that did not receive the high profile and media coverage that the above did. One of these were the pharmacists. Malcolm Brown (Class of 1990) was typical of these.

In Urmston, Manchester, he and his 25 staff opened their pharmacy for over 100 hours a week only shutting for the odd hour at lunch time and in the early evening to catch up with the increased workload and cleaning down, often working late into the night to complete prescriptions in readiness for drivers to make deliveries to 20 nursing homes the following morning.

Given Malcolm’s workload he would not have been able to enjoy the music supplied by both the Foundation’s Music Department and alumni that the vast majority of the country with so much free time were able to do.

Billy Rigg (Class of 2018) produced a virtual orchestra for the Sheffield University Wind Orchestra involving 36 musicians recording their part of ‘Music from the Incredibles’ in their homes during isolation. However, Chris Hill (Class of 2016) did not need help from anyone else cleverly producing a ‘oneman flute choir’ to play the Intermezzo from Cavaliera Rusticana.

Those hours spent in ‘lockdown’ we know put immense strain on our youngsters and charities supporting them found their donations decreased drastically. Siena Hayes (Class of 2016) did a lot of volunteering for NSPCC Childline whilst at LHS and has continued to do so whilst studying medicine at Cardiff. She decided that to raise awareness and money for Childline she would do an ‘isolation ironman’. With no access to a pool she rowed 3.8km, switched to her indoor Wattbike to cycle the 180km and finally ran the marathon (42.2km).

She achieved this in 9 hours and 10 min and raised over £2,000. Freddie Peace (Class of 2013) had a similar idea to raise £2,000 for Meningitis research and his success at achieving the ‘isolation ironman’ was covered

by BBC East Midlands Today. He completed the challenge in 10 hours 56 minutes.

BBC East Midlands Today also covered the stories of three other alumni. Jeremy Parton (Class of 1983) inspired his year 7 at LGS to perform over 500 acts of

‘Coronakindness’ during lockdown. He writes: “All of the planned celebratory activities had been cancelled or postponed, but the boys were still brimming with energy and enthusiasm to do something meaningful. Options were limited, but the combined efforts of the splendid Year 7 tutors envisaged a project which referenced the 525 anniversary, and the school’s embedded commitment to help others.

Coronakindness 525 encouraged the year group to complete 525 acts of kindness for those around them. The boys were continually reminded about social distancing, and there was no requirement to raise money or seek publicity or thanks. The project was a huge success and over a period of five weeks, the boys exceeded the target by far. There were some impressive fund raising efforts, including a static cycle from Lands End to John o’ Groats, and a virtual climb of Mount Everest via the hall stairs.”

Not surprisingly coverage was given to Harry Gurney (Class of 2005) who last year was named Nottinghamshire’s Sportsman of the Year and was preparing for a stint in the Indian Premier League.

Coronavirus scuppered those plans and also those of Stuart Broad who should have been playing for England in Sri Lanka. Instead the pair re-opened one of their pubs as a takeaway and village shop. A free delivery service was also available for over-70s and NHS workers in the local area. Harry said: “We hope we will allow people to pick up essential goods without having to go to a supermarket.

Here we’ve got the essentials and almost enough for people to do their weekly shop. It’s been quite full on, we’re essentially trying to launch a whole new business in a couple of days.

People have been great, donating baskets for us to put fruit in and donating furniture for us to stack tins on.”

However, by far the greatest media coverage was achieved by the ‘rainbow socks’ designed by Florence, a pupil at Fairfield, the 11 year old daughter of Victoria and Will Orr (Class of 1987).

Produced by their company Orrsum, the 6,000 pairs of ‘rainbow socks’ were soon sold out raising £20,000 for the NHS and bringing a smile to everyone that purchased them!

Once lockdown restrictions were lifted and we were allowed out, Sophie Hainsworth’s (Class of 2008) LoyalFree app came into its own and also had significant media coverage. The app found a new innovative way to encourage people to shop locally whilst also staying safe at the same time. A series of new ‘Home Delivery’ trails appeared on the app, detailing which local businesses can offer their services through online or safe delivery options during a period of social distancing and it was invaluable when ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ was in operation. As a result, Sophie was appointed by the High Streets Task Force to help communities and local government transform their high streets.

Equally clever was the idea of brothers Ian Mercer (Class of 1982) and Simon Mercer (Class of 1985).

Ian, a tech expert based in Seattle, had the idea of using Bluetooth signals and credit card sized ‘raspberry pi’ computers to create an inexpensive monitoring and notification system for shops and restaurants called ‘crowd alert’, which detailed how crowded it was inside. All Ian needed was an imaginative way to display the information so called on little brother Simon, a graphic designer based in London, to do the job for him. The idea was so successful that it won first prize of $20,000 in a worldwide competition supported by Microsoft.

‘Crowd Alert’ for elephants and rhinos is something that Jason Barry (Class of 1984) would love to have to deal with. Instead he highlighted that due to Covid-19, poaching Elephant and Rhino has increased by over 200%, meaning that in the case of Elephants we are losing one every 15 minutes.

Jason now runs a safari company in Tanzania and is a top wildlife photographer. Do visit his websites www.hdrafrica.com and www. wildafrica.com for stunning photos of these beautiful animals.

These are just a few of the many thousands of Loughburians that have been, and still are, involved in the Coronavirus crisis in so many different ways across the globe. I hope that I have given an idea of the breadth of involvement and to everyone who has been involved goes our thanks for all you have done.

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Who’s

WHO?

Mayur Mandalia and Ian Askew met by chance at a COVID-19 briefing near Johannesburg in early March. They soon realised they had both attended LGS, almost 30 years apart. But who are they and how did they end up in the same room?

Ian (left) and Mayur (right) at the conference in Ethiopia

Mayur Mandalia

Ian Askew

(Class of 2007), Technical Officer, World Health Organization Office to the AU and ECA

(Class of 1976), Director, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research

I had never anticipated doing a gap year after LGS - my aim was always to go straight to university. However, unexpected events led me to explore this option with a charity called Project Trust who had come to LGS to present about their work during my penultimate year. Having boarded at LGS for 6 out of the 7 years, I had become quite independent. So, after the euphoria of summer 2007, I found myself preparing to go to Mauritania to teach English for a year. The experience was filled with adventure and trials. Ultimately, it led me to pursue what I am doing today.

After Mauritania, I studied at Warwick for a Bachelors and a Masters in Public Health. By that point I was yearning to return to Africa, but, as it turns out, I needed to be patient.

Soon after leaving Warwick, I moved to Geneva to intern at the World Health Organization (WHO). That led to a move to the International Committee of the Red Cross where I supported the initial response to the humanitarian situation unfolding in Syria, truly a sobering experience. Happy but needing more secure employment, I moved to Brussels to work for the International Diabetes Federation. Here I was exposed to different aspects of health policy, research, advocacy and working with the pharmaceutical industry.

The chance I had been waiting for came two and a half years later. Positions opened up with the WHO through the Junior Professional Officers Programme including one centred around working on national health policies in Africa. I applied, was interviewed, and, after a tense period of waiting, was selected to the position, based in the Regional Office in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. This was the opportunity for a young professional working in Public Health. Initially, I was going to be there for a year however I ended up staying for three. The opportunities to travel and support countries in different areas of health policy and health systems was incredible. Living in Brazzaville was also an experience in itself.

After three years I felt that I needed a different perspective on what the WHO does. I moved to Addis Ababa to work at the WHO Office to the African Union (AU) and UN Economic Commission for Africa. My work here is to increase the WHO’s influence in AU’s work in public health and health security. I’ve been in this post for over a year and find it uniquely positioned to work both bilaterally, in Ethiopia, and multilaterally with the AU and other continental bodies. COVID-19 has definitely reshaped my work, but thanks to my diverse experiences, being adaptable has been important to continue to deliver as circumstances change.

From LGS I went to the University of Exeter to study geography.

Although intending to use my degree to start a career in town planning, my first job was as a research assistant in the Institute of Population Studies at the University. For this job I had to read every article ever published on the topic of menstruation and was also required to teach human reproduction and family planning to international students on a diploma course, many of whom were old enough to be my parents. After a year, I went to Canada to do a Masters in geography, but found that I preferred working in family planning to town planning. I returned to Exeter to do research and teaching on reproductive health, while getting a Doctorate in sociology. After almost a decade of traveling to work in countries throughout Asia and Africa, I settled in Senegal. I joined an American non-governmental organisation (NGO), called the Population Council, which provides assistance to governments and private organisations on reproductive health.

After two years in Senegal, I moved to Nairobi which, 30 years on, I still consider to be home. Although based in Kenya I work across the world on what is called ‘sexual and reproductive health and rights’, which includes contraception, maternity care, abortion, infertility, sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), sexuality education, gender-based violence, female genital mutilation and sexual functioning. About five years ago, I applied for my dream job, which was to head the department of sexual and reproductive health at the WHO, based in Geneva. My role here is to lead the WHO’s work in developing global guidance to countries on how best to meet people’s needs for information and services for sexual and reproductive health. Having previously worked primarily in academia and the non-profit sector, working within the United Nations has brought a whole new perspective on sexual and reproductive health, as national and global politics often influence which of these services are provided. Consequently, I work closely with political decisionmakers, and especially parliamentarians, which is how I came to meet Mayur.

I’m very proud of the WHO’s role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic; my department has been advising national ministries of health all over the world on how best to keep providing reproductive health services – especially for pregnancy, childbirth and family planning – despite the huge challenges of caring for those infected with the virus and reduced access to services because of lockdowns.

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From the ward to The Cube

By Priya Shah and Shreya Shah (Class of 2011)

2

020 was supposed to be a huge year for us as we would graduate and start work as junior doctors. If you told us that it would have played out the way that it did, we would never have believed it. As the country went into a national lockdown our time at university came to an abrupt end. Our final exams changed format, medical electives were cancelled, graduation celebrations were cancelled and suddenly we were doctors, months earlier than expected.

Hearing about the enormous strain that the NHS was under we were eager to start work and help the NHS during this challenging time. As we waited to be recruited at our local hospitals, we took the initiative to set up an Instagram page @twin.doctors to share our love for fitness, food and medicine.

We started work a couple of months before we were initially meant to. Priya started on her respiratory rotation at Leicester Glenfield Hospital and Shreya started on Diabetes and Endocrinology at Kettering General Hospital. As newly qualified doctors we were both excited and apprehensive to start work with the knowledge that things would be very different to what we were used to. There have been numerous challenges that we have faced but also countless moments of gratification from working in this new hospital environment. Our faces which were now covered by masks posed a new barrier in communicating with patients.

We had to deal with the difficult emotions felt by patients who hadn’t had any visitors during their whole admission. The hardest part was that despite learning about hundreds of medical conditions, the one we were suddenly facing was something we knew nothing about, and there were heart-breaking moments when dealing with patients with Covid-19.

Despite these challenges, it has been an enormous learning curve and we have gained new skills and grown as people.

Out of the blue we got a message on Instagram asking us if we were interested in applying to be on the ITV gameshow The Cube. We were so excited to hear about this gameshow returning to our TV screen that we instantly jumped at the opportunity to apply and we recorded our audition video. Shortly after

we had a phone call from the recruitment team wanting to know more about us, and week on week we went through the different stages of auditions until we finally heard that we had secured a slot for filming. We were ecstatic, until we realised that we were living in the area of Leicester that was the only place in the country still under lockdown, with the strict rule of not leaving unless it is for essential travel or work. It was the longest waiting period, as we had 2 weeks before filming, hoping that lockdown rules would be lifted. As each day passed by with no news we waited anxiously to see if we would be able to have our chance to take on The Cube. Luckily, the week of filming was the week that we were able to travel out of Leicester and we managed to make it to the studios.

The week that they were filming both of us were ‘on call’ which meant that we were doing 13-hour shifts in the days prior to filming the show. However, we only had one chance to take on The Cube and so our parents would prepare games and challenges all around the house for us to practice when we got home from work.

Whilst we may have been faced with several challenges since March, we definitely faced even bigger challenges inside The Cube. We had an absolutely incredible experience in the TV studio and thoroughly enjoyed our time! We felt like film stars, having our own dressing room, getting our hair and make-up done and having a camera pointed at us constantly! We went in with a game plan about how we would tackle The Cube. It started off really well and we built some confidence whilst playing the games. The last challenge we took on really tested us.

From outside, The Cube felt manageable.

But once the blindfold was on we were completely disorientated. Overall, the experience taught us so much, we learnt that we work well together as a team, we support each other even when things get tough and we both love a good challenge!

These last few months have been a whirlwind of an experience! We’ve had days which push us to the edge, moments where we question the decisions we have made and experiences that we will cherish forever.

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We’ve got the CCF covered. By Dan Murphy, Contingent Commander (Class of 1996)

Undercover CCF

By Dan Murphy, Contingent Commander (Class of 1996)

W

ith thanks to a very generous donation from the parents of a recent cadet, and the support from the Parents’ Association, we have been able to procure this superb multi-purpose shelter. Extremely robust and waterproof, the 6m x 3m pop-up gazebo can be used as an HQ tent on exercise, an air rifle and archery firing point, cover at parades such as Annual Review and Remembrance and myriad other uses (a new location for the Parent Association’s very welcome coffee stand perhaps?!). We look forward to many years of hard use for this superb gift, and would like to thank those who made it possible.

Former members of the CCF may be interested to note that despite the lockdown restrictions, cadet training continued each week during the summer term, albeit remotely. We were especially impressed by our Non-Commissioned Officers who planned and delivered so many of the lessons and activities.

CCF Highlights from March-July 2020 include: •

daily challenges, discussions and articles from the RAF: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Flight

•

video tutorials on military knowledge, seamanship, drill, physical training, navigation and infantry tactics

•

video tutorials on air rifle handling, including an online ‘theory test’

•

70% of RAF basic cadets passed their Leading Cadet exams

•

video compilation of cadets paying their respects to accompany the Headmaster’s VE Day address

•

competitions and quizzes including best boots, best back-garden improvised shelter, rangecard assessments, best home-made aircraft and 5km running challenge

Furthermore, several cadets conducted interviews with Loughburians and former LGS CCF cadets about their lives in the military, including:

Jared and Archie discussed life in the navy, flying helicopters, and being a ship’s captain with Commander Pete Higgins AFC RN (Class of 1997)

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Tom and Lily interviewed Lieutenant Colonel Adam Foden DSO MBE (Class of 1996), the current Commanding Officer of the Royal Lancers, about life in the armoured cavalry

Ryan and Steffan spoke to Ben Murphy (Class of 1993) about his experiences as an RAF Harrier pilot, leader of the Red Arrows and running Britain’s Red Bull Air Race team.

Al interviewed S/Lt Jack Edwards RN (Class of 2014) about his time as a cadet in LGS CCF, being a member of the University Royal Naval Unit, joining the Royal Navy, and life as an officer under training.

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Making a Local Splash

By John Weitzel

n September 2019, stepping down as Loughburians’ Chair was an easy decision for Richard Bailey (Class of 1996) as four months earlier he had been elected for the first time as the Conservative Councillor for the Loughborough Outwoods Ward on Charnwood Borough Council. There he joined fellow Loughburians Ted Parton (Class of 1990) and Paul Mercer (Class of 1979) who had both been re-elected as Councillors for the Southfields Ward. Since then all three have made their mark in Borough.

With Paul as Cabinet Lead Member for Local Housing and Richard as Lead Member for Planning, the future development of the Borough is in for exciting times!

However, it was Ted that captured the headlines after he read a letter from another Loughburian, Nick Hardy (Class of 1980), concerned about the state of Loughborough’s Town Centre. Together with architectural designer, Raffaele Rosso, the three formulated a plan to create an art trail around the Town Centre. This was not to be an ordinary trail but one involving 20 high quality large murals on walls around the Town Centre – suddenly their distinctive logo appeared and the ‘Ladybird Collective’ was born, creating massive community and media interest.

The first mural appeared in Ashby Square and was that of Leicester City footballer Hamza Choudhury. Hamza is a Loughborough boy, scouted from the town as a youngster before progressing through Leicester’s academy system all the way to the first team and England U21 recognition. He was selected because of his significance across the community and hero status for the youngsters of our town. Hamza is the first ever footballer of Bangladeshi heritage to play in the Premier League. But the mural I see most is that of Paula Radcliffe on Pinfold Gate and there are plans to have ‘Johnnie’ Johnson painted in the future.

When Richard, Ted, Paul and Nick were at the School, Politics was not taught as an A level subject.

Until Politics first appeared on the syllabus in 1997, the boys’ interest in Politics was restricted to being lucky enough to be at the School when a General Election was called and a mock election was held as a result. The advent of it being an A level subject means that now boys are interested in politics from an earlier age and this was reflected by Bertie HarrisonRushton (Class of 2016) being elected Councillor for Kegworth on the North West Leicestershire District Council at the age of 21, although the School can take very little credit for that as his father, Councillor Nick Rushton, is Chairman of Leicestershire County Council! Even younger was Kieran Hopewell (Class of 2019) who failed to get elected for Sutton Bonnington.

Being just 18 appealed to voters but having to canvass whilst preparing to do A levels was a challenge! Both did get A*s in their Politics A level.

Having no power but holding the oldest secular office under the crown dating back to 1066 is the position of High Sheriff, who originally was the principal law enforcement officer in the County. Tim Hercock (Class of 1981) was High Sherriff of Leicestershire for 2019/2020 which led me to thinking: how many other alumni have held this position in the past?

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ANNOUNCEMENTS New Arrivals Baby Murphy

Baby Hopper

You may struggle to see little Leo in his camouflage top... Born 10 February 2020 to Lucinda Murphy (nĂŠe Buck, Class of 1996) and Daniel Murphy (Class of 1996)

Baby Alexander Henry arrived at 1.33am on Friday 23 October weighing 10lb 8oz to the delight of mum Emma (LAS Staff), dad Tom (Class of 1995) and siblings Eva and Peter.

We welcome the following staff into the Loughburians community as they move on to pastures and adventures new this Christmas after many years of service to the schools, supporting and inspiring our young people. Good luck and best wishes to...

Arran Jennings

Liz Smith

Deputy Head, LAS Joined what was then OLCS in September 2001

Head of Spiritual Life, LAS Joined what was then OLCS in September 2002

Mrs Christine Parsons

Mrs Lisa Sutcliffe

Mrs Dawn Briers

Fairfield Part of the Fairfield family since 1994

Fairfield Part of the Fairfield family since 2004

Head of Boarding, LGS Has supported four Head Teachers in her 36 years

New Horizons

We hope you will stay in touch! We are happy to pass on your messages and memories to them – just email us at alumni@lsf.org 14

Obituaries Charlie Wood CLASS OF 2018

Brenda McConachie MATRON 1990-1999

By Bill Dyson We are saddened to report the death of Brenda McConachie in October 2019, after a long illness. Brenda was the Grammar School Matron from 1990 for almost a decade – a record time in that most essential role.

She was also the last in a long line of traditional live-in Matrons, residing in School House for 6 days a week. The boarders, and indeed the wider community of LGS boys and staff, got to know her in sick bay, at sports venues, at CCF parades, and, most importantly, as a kind and smiling face around the campus. For the boys she was a friendly and wise mother – indeed grandmother – figure, along with her adored cat Felix, who also became part of the fabric of the place.

The teaching staff appreciated her long after she had retired as underlined by her involvement in the Scrabble Circle, dinner parties and Tuesday Club (a wine-quaffing, put-the-world-to-rights gathering). She developed lifetime friendships with the secretaries Cecilia Sharman, Betty Cooper, Frances Pilkington, as well as Heidi Tivey (wife of the legendary CPT and still going strong), and Gwen Smith.

From the outset Charlie was an outward going, confident and popular young man. As Cinderella he was the star in the Year 7 pantomime and then his band, cleverly named ‘Saturday Detention’, were crowned worthy winners of the Year 7 talent show after two enthusiastic performances to a near hysterical audience. It was also apparent that he was obsessed with Leicester City F.C. and this was to remain for all seven years with their success in the Premier League followed by Champions’ League football requiring great skill in getting to away games midweek!

Initially his summer sport was cricket. A technical batsman who batted anywhere for his team and a low arm swing bowler, he was always frustrated as to whether he was a batsman who bowled or a bowler who batted. He made an admirable captain of the B team and was always well-liked by his players.

But he realised the older he got that golf was a better game for him, and soon he became obsessed by that as well.

Within the classroom, staff remember him as an endearing, hardworking boy, always with a smile on his face who wanted to please and whose work was always carefully presented.

He was always ‘great value’ in the classroom and was able to tread the fine line between having fun and getting on with the necessary work.

He took every advantage of any help on offer through attending extra coursework and revision sessions to maximise his potential but it was the educational trips he enjoyed the most. He went on History trips to the Normandy beaches (Year 9); Ypres and the Somme (Year 10); Florence (Year 12), but it was the Spanish homestay to Cadiz when in Year 11 that was the trip he enjoyed the most. In his yearbook entry he said that the thing he would miss the most about the School would be ‘The Lads on Tour’!

He left and went to study Event Management at Coventry University and it was there that in his second year he died suddenly on 1 February 2020. He was 19.

Maggie Stevenson LGS CATERING STAFF 1990-2004 For hundreds of sixth formers the most common face they saw was the always smiling Maggie Stevenson who for most of her 14 years at the School kept them ‘fed and watered’ in the Sixth Form Centre at break and lunch time. Managing the increasing number of young men desperate for food each day did not seem to worry Maggie at all and the sixth formers appreciated her mild-mannered approach and kindness to them all. Indeed, the only real ‘hassle’ she had was when son Nathan and his friends entered the sixth form in 2000!

The job of keeping 250+ young men each day in good order was perfect experience for her next job as landlady of the Anchor Inn in Walton on the Wolds and in addition to that for many years she ran the catering on the Great Central Railway. She died on 31 December 2019, aged 68.

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Ruth Griffiths LHS STAFF 1955 – 1995

By Miss J.E.L. Harvatt Mrs Ruth Griffiths taught part-time at the High School from 1955 to 1995. Her whole professional life benefitted the High School in many ways. Her love of Modern Languages (especially German) was passed on to generations of students, many of whom went on to study German at University.

She was a talented teacher – meticulous with her work, unfailingly enthusiastic and energetic and unstintingly of her time. Having fun was, for her, synonymous with education. She would always help a girl in need, was very fair-minded and ever encouraging, always managing to see the very best in her pupils. Though personally kind and tolerant she could be clear-eyed and firm when needed. Her loyalty to school was total: even when injured in a staff versus the girls match she taught groups of Sixth Form students in her garden in Burton Street. In retirement she gave much time to help prepare pupils for oral examinations. As Head I very much valued her intellectual input.

Though part-time, Ruth took an important part in school activities. She was a keen housemistress, ran the Debating Society, worked tirelessly for many years serving on the Old Girls Association Committee and enriched German Society meetings, especially our annual Weihnachtsfeier and our end-of-year lunches for leaving linguists.

A wonderful colleague within School, Ruth was a most generous and welcoming hostess and superb cook.

The part-time German staff enjoyed German lunches in retirement and we could always rely on her to furnish us with the latest news of colleagues and former pupils – her networking was brilliant. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother who did so much for the next two generations of the family.

In retirement Ruth and Bob made a new home in Yew Tree Lodge. She was a wonderful home-maker and was so kind to former colleagues, preparing for them her famous food boxes when making their own Sunday lunch became impossible. To be in her company was always uplifting and her characteristic chuckle always made one feel so much better. The Griffiths’ partnership was one of pure gold and the Endowed Schools owe so much to both of them – the Griffiths’ dynasty will always be in their debt.

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Robert ‘Bob’ Griffiths LGS STAFF 1955 -1991 Robert Griffiths was appointed to the Grammar School as Senior History Master in 1955 by the then Headmaster, Mr Garstang. During his 36 years at LGS he became one of the real ‘characters’ of the School, and his total commitment to his teaching and his pupils was legendary. ‘Neddy’ (as he was affectionately known) had LGS in his very bones; he served 4 Headmasters and countless numbers of pupils with enthusiastic dedication.

His history teaching style was unique: challenging and thought-provoking, wide ranging, often strictly irrelevant, hopping from one point to another, usually in mid-sentence. He encouraged individuality, but not eccentricity, and there were many who studied History to A level and beyond who were profoundly grateful. He ran his department with a caring hand, encouraging his colleagues to pursue their interests. He was very concerned for their progress as individuals, for their families and their careers.

His involvement was total. From 1955 until he married Ruth, who he had met at a Burton Service in 1959, he was in boarding in School House. He was involved in Scouts and although not a sportsman himself was always ready to accompany school teams. He ran the 20th Century Society with distinguished flair and for many years was Housemaster of Griffiths House. It was his ideas which flowed consistently into various School innovations, and the Sixth Form Centre, with its multifarious activities, that owed much to him. His three sons attended the School.

After his retirement as Senior History Master he took over General Studies and became Senior Master. Even then he kept many links with Old Boys who he would invite in to enhance the General Studies programme or give advice on careers, universities and courses. In retirement he was to keep those close links with the School. He was frequently a visitor to the office and was always to be seen on ‘results day’ to acquire a set of A or O level results to check on progress. In recent years he was fortunate to have two grandsons in the School to keep him fully informed about how the School was doing right up until he died.

P. Malcolm Holyoake CLASS OF 1945 Anyone who has attended Prize Giving since 1954 will know that one of the prizes is the Holyoake (Cup) Prize for Public Spirit. (Peter) Malcolm Holyoake entered the School just after Easter in 1942 and at no stage in his 3 years here showed himself to be an academic, being repeatedly bottom of his form and failing his School Certificate. However, shortly after arriving, aged just 12, he found himself in the Cricket 1st XI as wicket-keeper: ‘He shows remarkable batting ability in one so young, but must watch his judgement of runs, which is a little hasty.’ He goes on to play for the 1st XI for 4 seasons. One can see why he awarded a Cup for Public Spirit from the description of him as Captain in 1945, aged 16, as not being in the 6th form meant he was probably the youngest captain the School has had. ‘A sound left-hand bat and an excellent wicket keeper he proved to be a first-rate captain, and by precept and example developed an excellent team spirit in the 1st XI. It was his misfortune that the School was short of cricket talent this season but he never lost heart in spite of the many difficulties he had to face.’ He was also a member of the football 1st XI. On leaving he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps based in Portsmouth and he continued his connection with the School by always sending Christmas greetings to the Headmaster. He attended the OLA Centenary (of moving site!) Dinner in 1952 and the Cup bearing his name was awarded for the first time two years later. He died on 9 April 2020 aged 91 in Devonshire Court, Oadby.

John Barker

Naveen Suri CLASS OF 2004 It is difficult to imagine a more popular or friendly boy at School and then Old Boy than Naveen. A solid academic, it was on the sports field where he was most popular. In what was to be one of the most successful cricket sides it is interesting to reflect that back in the U12 XI it was Naveen who hit the first 50 for the team. In that year he was also an integral part of one of the most successful U13 tennis VI we have had.

Both cricket and then hockey were then to be his great love and he played both throughout the School.

Within the CCF he was a Corporal in the Army Section responsible for the day-to-day running of the Administration, Stores and Armoury sections, and he put his knowledge gained from studying Business Studies to good use being in charge of Young Enterprise. It was no surprise that he was to go on and study Business Finance at Durham University.

Initially with Lloyds Bank, where he qualified as a management accountant, he moved into financial planning and analysis and Investor Relations with KRNS Property Services and Reel Cinemas.

Immediately on leaving, he started playing for OLA Cricket and he was a regular member of the side until illness prevented him from playing but even then he would come along and support. He was devastated by the death in 2017 of his best friend Sam Yaxley and hoped that a liver transplant 18 months later would enable him to recover from illness. Alas it was not to be and further complications led to him losing his sight and a continual deterioration in his condition. He died in September 2020, aged 34.

CLASS OF 1984 Whilst John certainly was not a natural mathematician – I struggled to inspire him in 3G2 in 1979/80 – he was a superb athlete. Dominant in both Cross Country and Athletics he was County U14 Champion in 1500m in 1979 and in 1982 was County U17 Champion in the 3000m. At Sports Day, as both a junior and intermediate, he was always in contention for the Victor Ludorum as he was a certainty to win both 800m and 1500m. It was just a matter of his field event, the javelin, as to whether he won it, or not, being fortunate to do so as a junior. He left after the end of the 5th form and joined his father on their farm in Hathern.

He had a great love of animals and he converted the farm to College Garth Kennels, which takes in and tries to rehouse stray dogs. In 2014 his work was instrumental in North West Leicestershire Council being awarded a Gold Footprint Award by the RSPCA for the third year in a row. He died on 30 January 2020, aged 54.

David Briggs FAIRFIELD 1923-1924 David was six and a pupil at Fairfield (which was associated with the High School at the time) when his father, Canon George Briggs (LGS 1891-1893), wrote the School Hymn whilst Rector at Loughborough Parish Church. He left shortly afterwards after winning a Choral Scholarship at Kings College, Cambridge and was in the choir when it made its first Christmas broadcast in 1928. After completing his education at Sedbergh and Marlborough he returned to Kings on an academic and choral scholarship. After serving in the Medical Corps during the war, he started his teaching career at Brynston before returning to Kings College School as Headmaster in 1959, a position he was to hold for 18 years. He visited the School in 2013 when the room carrying the family name was dedicated in the Music School. He died on 26 March 2020, aged 102.

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Mark Balmbra

Richie Barker

CLASS OF 1987

CLASS OF 1958

At the beginning of February, we were greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Mark Balmbra at the age of 51. Right from the outset he showed himself to be a natural leader. He was Captain of the Junior Rugby teams – leading by fine example as a formidable forward – and within the Scouts he was a fine patrol leader achieving his Chief Scouts Award in 1984. He was to dominate in rugby for all 7 years and was vice-captain in his final year, which included a memorable tour to Portugal where the side found itself up against teams four years older, but still won! The summer months were spent doing athletics and also tennis where he played for the 1st VI. When the opportunity to join the CCF arose, he was the first to ‘join up’ and for four years was a fine cadet and an integral part of the troop – not least in the Corps of Drums where he threw everything at the tenor drum!

On leaving School, he qualified as a teacher and in 1991 took up a post at Ratcliffe College where in addition to teaching Geography and then BTEC Sports Studies he was able to continue to pursue his interests of Rugby and the CCF. In the latter he was to become Contingent Commander and in 2016 was mentioned in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the CCF. Being so local we never lost contact with him and each year he would return here for CCF inspection. He was a great friend of the School and will be sorely missed.

Richard Joseph (Richie) Barker was described as ‘one of Loughborough’s’ finest footballers. So, it was a great shame that the School had converted to Rugby two years before he entered in 1950 and he had to play his football with Quorn, breaking into their first team in the Leicestershire Senior League aged just 14. He left school having passed his School Certificate and went to work as a Draughtsman at Hathenware whilst pursuing his football career. His professional career began in 1960 with Burton Albion, for whom in the next 7 years he scored a club record 159 goals before joining Derby County in 1967 as one of Brian Clough’s first signings. In 45 games for them he added a further 14 goals before being sold to Notts County in December 1968. He enjoyed a far more successful career in his two years there, adding a further 33 goals before finishing his playing career with Peterborough United.

He began his coaching career with Shrewsbury Town and in 1978 became their Manager for nine months before moving to Assistant Manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers, helping them lift the League Cup in 1980. Like all football Managers he managed several clubs – Stoke City; Notts County; Ethnikos Piraeus (Greece); Zamalek (Egypt); and finally West Bromwich Albion. Richie died on 11 October 2020, aged 80.

Kathleen Mary Hammond LHS STAFF 1972-1989

By Rachel Emmerson, daughter (Class of 1978) Kathleen was born in Farnworth, Lancashire. She attended Bolton School before studying Geography at Edinburgh University. She then did Teacher Training at Cambridge where she met her future husband, John Hammond, who was Head of the LHS Classics Department from 1972-90. They married in 1953 and lived in Buxton and Wrexham before moving to Morpeth and Loughborough where Kathleen joined John on the staff of LHS. She taught Geography and Science and had great enthusiasm for both subjects. She combined teaching with bringing up three daughters. While on the staff of LHS she helped with the tableaux for the Carol Service by painting scenery and helping with make-up.

After retirement Kathleen and John led an active and busy life. Kathleen pursued her interest in painting by joining her local Art Group. She attended the regular lunches for ex-LHS staff for many years. When John developed dementia she cared for him without complaint. Soon after John’s death in 2016 she suffered from ill health herself, but still took great pleasure in family and friends. She passed away in August 2019.

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Dr Nick Foster CLASS OF 1973 Nick entered Denton House as a boarder in 1965 and he was to return there six years later as a prefect. 1971’s Loughburian recalls ‘Decorating fever is with us and our two new prefects Tim Jeffries and Nick Foster started the ball rolling by making an excellent job (with advice from Mr Salter) of papering their study. The Map Room was next’. It also recalls that he was on stage in both the School play ‘Becket’ and the Opera ‘The Beggar’s Opera’ where he played the part of The Beggar.

Originally he did Dentistry but then had a varied career prior to settling in general practice. Following medical training, he first trained in Maxillo-Facial surgery before taking up a career in Anaesthetics. He later retrained in general practice and was a well-loved GP in Kegworth for many years.

Nick was a long-time member of the British Association for Immediate Care and he provided care as part of the East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme (EMICS) and prior to that the Rutland Accident Care Scheme. He was first on scene at the Kegworth Air Crash in 1988.

His contribution to immediate care throughout the East Midlands was enormous and included serving as one of the on call Medical Incident Officers for East Midlands Ambulance Service until 2015. His youngest son, Dominic, also attended the School and he and Sebastian wrote: “Today we said goodbye to the kindest, bravest and most caring man we’ve ever known. We are so unbelievably proud of him, serving his community for 40 years, not only as a medical practitioner but also in a voluntary position as clinical lead in emergency care and major incident doctor. He set the example, going above and beyond for the patients in his practice and those in traumatic incidents throughout the East Midlands, treating and rescuing 3,500 patients, on call throughout the night, unpaid 365 days a year, to care for those most in need.”

Nick died after a short illness in September 2020, aged 65.

William Fearn CLASS OF 1993

By Hilary Walters In a talented cohort, Will shone with his zest for learning and enjoyment of ideas. He joined our first Classical Civilisation A Level set, when we introduced this blisteringly demanding subject (with a syllabus literally twice as large as today’s equivalent). With his lawyer’s ability to command large amounts of information, he thrived and achieved a top grade. Almost the entire set joined our trip to Italy in their Upper 6 year and proved excellent, lively and amusing companions. Will was distinguished by a garish tartan jacket, which he explained as “my only hope of pulling!”.

After completing his history degree at St Catherine’s College Oxford he did a Masters and then qualified in law, specialising in shipping and anti-piracy. It was during a case where he showed his skill in this area – the shipping firm he was prosecuting were so impressed they immediately offered him a position in-house. He died from an allergic reaction to a wasp sting on 21 September 2019, aged 45.

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Steven Raynes CLASS OF 2000

Professor Roger Duffell CLASS OF 1955 (James) Roger Duffell started at the Grammar School in 1945 aged 8. Within the Senior School he was a ‘C’ Former with only modest academic achievements, however it was on the athletics track that he was to excel. On sports day in 1954 he won the 440 yds in a time of 58.4s and in the 880 yds won with a time of 2 mins 8.6s, which was a School record. He was also a monitor, played 2nd XV rugby and was a Flight Sergeant in the A.T.C. On leaving in 1954 he was articled to Leicestershire’s Surveyor on civil engineering work. On passing the Civil Engineers exams he progressed to the University of Birmingham to do a post graduate degree course before moving on to become a Scientific Officer at the Building Research Station at Watford. In 1963 he moved on to work with John Laing Limited as a Design Engineer and after achieving his M.Sc. worked with R.Travers Morgan and Partners as a Project Engineer on Motorways and Transportation Studies.

In 1970 Roger moved to the academic side becoming Senior Lecturer in Transportation Engineering at the then Hatfield Polytechnic (now the University of Hertfordshire) before becoming its Principal Lecturer the following year.

In that capacity he travelled widely giving lectures to civil engineers abroad including Australia and Canada. The fellow members of the ‘Class of 1948’ were truly impressed by his academic success as it represented an outstanding example of a late developer. On his retirement he became an Emeritus Professor of the University. A council member for the Institute of Civil Engineers, in 2000 he represented them at the World Congress on Sustainable Development in Calcutta where he presented a paper. He and his wife, Anne, were always active members of their local church and were especially keen members of its Choir.

He has always been a keen supporter of the School and an active Old Boy. He was a subscriber to the Organ Appeal in 1960 and 2 years later suggested the OLA revive the London Dinner, organising it the following year at the Reubens Hotel in Buckingham Palace Road. 45 members attended and the evening was a great success. It has been held annually ever since with the exception, for obvious reasons, of this year thus The Loughburians has a lot to be grateful to him for. In 1998 Roger gave a Cup and Prize for Arts and Science and every year at Prize Giving he would always meet the recipient to congratulate them in person.

However, it wasn’t just the School he supported. He was actively involved with the National Deaf Children’s Society in Berkhamsted for 7 years, as a principal fundraiser, before he relocated to Shropshire. He died on 29 October 2020 and is survived by his two sons, Phillip and David.

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It seems like only yesterday that I was looking after Steven in my form, 1W, as he entered the School. Over the next seven years there are few boys who have been so involved in the life of the School. He was a talented sportsman.

He was a superb middle distance runner – setting the School Record for U15 400m and then competing in the English Schools’ Championships at the same distance two years later. He also excelled at 800m and 1500m as well as triple jump and won the Victor Ludorum on Sports Day on several occasions. This meant that he was in demand to run in the Cross-Country teams which he somehow managed to juggle with playing ‘A’ team Rugby – where the highlight was the tour of South America – and then football as well in the 6th form.

At his funeral much was made of his great love of ‘Les Misérables’. He had seen it all over the world and would regularly take friends and relations to see it in this country. On all these occasions he would recall the first time he had seen it – as a 13-year-old along with the rest of the School as part of the Quincentenary. This also gave him a desire to be involved in drama and later that year he played one of the leads as ‘The Enforcer’ in ‘The Hunting of the Snark’ – the inaugural production in the newly built Drama Studio. ‘Raynes skilfully combined a zest for adventure with an alarming enthusiasm for violence’ is how his performance was described in the Loughburian.

Two years later he played the ‘skin-deep’ hippie, Robert, in ‘Half Way Up the Tree.’

He was a member of the Scout troop and I had a wonderful holiday with him on the Paris/Brittany trip. On leaving in 2000 he went to read American Studies at the University of Reading.

It was during that degree course that he developed his great love for the NFL and the New England Patriots in particular. After living and working in the wine trade in Stroud he had just returned to Loughborough when in late October 2019 he was admitted to hospital with stomach pains. Primary liver cancer was diagnosed and he died three weeks later on 8 November 2019. He was 38.

Tony Scottorn CLASS OF 1955

By Bas Hardy (Class of 1955) Having enjoyed one of our regular long-distance telephone calls only three weeks previously, it was with shock and great sadness that I heard of Tony’s death on the 23 March 2020. Tony was 82, and had been a life-long supporter of the Grammar School and the alumni association of which he was a Vice-President. He was also the constant driving force behind our ‘Class of 1948’, comprising boys who had entered LGS Forms 3A, 3B & 3C (Year 7) in September 1948, photographs and stories of whose diverse ventures have featured, over the years, in the alumni magazine.

Tony’s parents originally had a garage business at Six Hills but later farmed near Wymeswold, and, after leaving school in July 1953, he joined his father working on the farm and on land and buildings previously part of RAF Wymeswold.

Tony left farming to embark upon a life-long career in the motor trade, first working in car sales at Arthur Prince’s in Loughborough, and later moving on to similar work in Chalfont St Peters. After he secured the Sales Manager vacancy at Sandicliffe, the Ford Dealership, he returned to Loughborough, eventually becoming Group Sales Manager.

In 1980 Tony branched out on his own, establishing the Charnwood Car Company and securing the Renault Dealership. In 1990 he parted company with Renault and took over the Citroen Dealership, which he held until 2000 when he left the retail car trade and the Charnwood Car Company became a car servicing business. Alongside this he also ran his wedding car business, which he had set up in the mid-1990s, comprising of 7 Rolls Royce and Bentleys. It is interesting to note that over the years several of his by then retired Class of 1948 pals have volunteered to drive those wedding cars, to his and their enjoyment and mutual benefit.

Tony had no interest in the sports at LGS but his enthusiasm for Motor Sports heightened during his early working life. Attending the Isle of Man TT Race was an early attraction. Whether during the early years motoring to Liverpool with Carole, his wife, on the back of a Frances Barnett with a homemade pillion, or in later years with friends as pillion passengers on much more powerful bikes, or in recent years, arriving with the bike stowed in the back of a minibus; Tony’s essential objective was to join other keen enthusiasts and ride the TT circuit on ‘Mad Sunday’. For a number of years, Tony also held several national Go Karting records and in 1993 broke a number of records driving a Citroen ZX turbo diesel car.

His daughter Melanie began working for Tony in 1982 and

in 2017, after 38 years, took over the business. But Tony never completely retired. He retained his back office domain and continued his daily presence, genially welcoming clients and friends, fountain pen ever handy to jot down anything he thought relevant (ever since his school days Tony had been a resolute ‘pen and ink’ man not a ballpoint scribbler!)

Tony was a dear friend to many; a steady, dependable and industrious gentle man, always charming – particularly with the ladies – generous to his friends, employees and customers.

Many were welcome to visit his holiday home in Beuzeville, France, sometimes for a vacation, and at other times to help paint, repair, or otherwise fettle the premises, and return to the UK in a vehicle overburdened with bottles of wine. Tony is survived

by Carole, their children Gary, Melanie, Steve, 5 grandchildren and 2 greatgrandchildren.

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HEADLINES

By Duncan Byrne, LGS Headmaster

I

am delighted to be able to update you on life at LGS after probably the most disruptive period for the Grammar School since the Second World War. The restrictions that have governed our daily lives for the past nine months have had a strange effect on our perception of time. The voids in our lives such as families we cannot visit, hobbies we cannot pursue, and cancelled holidays, have slowed the passage of time. However, in other respects the need to reinvent our professional lives in response to Covid-19 has kept us fully occupied. Summer Term 2020 was an extraordinary period for the School as we quickly learned how to take our lessons online. Although our beautiful campus lay silent, bereft of young voices as the cherry blossom bloomed in the Quad, teachers were busier than ever inventing ways to ensure that the curriculum could be covered so that long-term academic ambitions would not suffer. We were also focused on the importance of supporting boys’ mental health as their hopes and expectations were regularly dashed by fastmoving events.

The cancellation of A Level and GCSE examinations was a shock to us all, and the results process followed by a confusing scramble for university places was uniquely stressful for students, parents and staff alike. We are particularly sorry for our Year 13 leavers who, having provided outstanding leadership during their final year were robbed, not only of the exams, but also of the valedictory events that serve as a celebration of shared experiences over a school career. Time is the proverbial healer, and Covid-19 will eventually prove to be a mere footnote to their LGS lives rather than the defining moment that it might currently seem.

It seems like a very long time since our last alumni event.

As you are aware, 2020 is the 525 anniversary of the Grammar 22

School, please take a look at www.lsf.org/525 for more details.

Our celebrations got off to a wonderful start. A brief service of commemoration in the Quad saw boys spell out ‘LGS 525’, whilst the first two speakers in our 525 Lecture Series were very well received. An early highlight was the joint Schools’ production of Les Misérables in the Hodson Hall: an astonishing dramatic Tour de Force demonstrating the very highest of standards. Events since then have been postponed but our intention is to reschedule them for 2021 instead. There is a precedent here for delay, as Her Majesty came to Loughborough a year after the Quincentenary! We had already had excellent levels of interest in the gala dinner taking place at the Plaisterers’ Hall. Please keep the re-arranged date of Saturday 20 November 2021 in your diaries.

Finally, I would like to address the allegations of racism that were made public in June. These were extremely shocking to us, but several alumni were subsequently in touch with us stressing that they reflected their own negative experiences of such behaviour over a long period of time. This has been a wake-up call for all of us. The School had been dismantling the vestiges of a ‘Boys will be Boys’ culture in recent years focusing on bringing an end to abuse being excused as ‘banter’.

However, we had not truly appreciated the degree to which racist abuse has been used by boys even recently. A review of our procedures in promoting diversity and equality was carried out in September by two independent experts, and we are looking forward to implementing their recommendations to ensure that the future looks positive for all students irrespective of their ethnicity.

I wish you all fortitude and look forward to meeting again very soon.

A Journey to GREATness

By Charlie Richardson (Class of 2011) Charlie Richardson, former Deputy Head Boy and now a sports journalist for the Telegraph, visited the Grammar School in March to talk to both boys and staff about his journey from the point he left LGS as well as reflecting on his time at the school. It was an inspiring tale of triumph over adversity and having the courage to follow your dreams. Charlie gives us a taste of that here.

There is no need for it to be Virus acquirit eundo just yet.

If my talk was able to whip up even a modicum of motivation for the boys, instilling even the tiniest crumb of belief that their dreams can come true even in the face of adversity, then I will view it as a worthwhile exercise. If, to paraphrase Kipling (and Mike Bassett), they can keep their heads when all about them are losing theirs, then they will go on to become GREAT men.

For the boys at LGS, the present situation can be seen as a fleeting speed bump to be rolled over; it need be nothing more.

Photo credit: Heathcliff O’Malley

T

o have been invited back to LGS to talk to the boys about my post-school life was humbling, surreal and terrifying.

Humbling as I had never considered myself anywhere near qualified enough to give advice on life or careers – to anyone, let alone the precocious minds that LGS nurtures; surreal due to the fact that I had a pre-talk lunch at the teachers’ tables in the Burton Hall with some of my erstwhile teachers; and terrifying because it hit home just how old I was. 2021 is the 10-year anniversary of my year’s departure from Burton Walks. It barely seems like five.

The invite came in the context of the school’s GREAT men initiative which was particularly concerning for me, seeing as very few people – including myself – have ever described me as such.

Except for, perhaps, regarding my physical stature (and width).

My visit came just before coronavirus put a stop to life as we know it and, writing now, it seems strange to think back to a time of such unperturbed innocence, with the world unwittingly on the cusp of a global pandemic. There was hand sanitiser in the refectory but, other than that, school life continued as normal; the boys bustled and barged their way through the long dinner queue, there were no bubbles, and no one had to drive to Barnard Castle to test their eyesight.

My remit was to talk about my journey since leaving LGS, one that has encompassed two (successful) battles with cancer, two (not as successful) degrees, and now a job in an industry that I had dreamed of entering since before I first stepped foot on the quad all those years ago.

While that journey might seem objectively inspirational, it was important – for me, at least – to make clear that a story such as this did not make me a GREAT man by default. The way in which the boys deal with the mud life throws at them – no matter the quantity – is how they should define their own GREATness. Hopefully none of them will ever have to experience anything as wicked as I did, but many of them will still achieve GREATness.

The cornerstone of my talk was that it is the way in which we adapt to adversity that makes us GREAT, rather than the possibility of a triumphant end result. To borrow a slightly hackneyed sporting analogy, if you concentrate on the performance, then the result takes care of itself.

In many ways, adapting to adversity has scarcely been better evidenced at LGS than today, in what must be the most challenging and tempestuous period that the school has faced since the Second World War. And yet the boys – and staff – are still going strong. In these most fraught of times, they are showing the mightiest courage in the face of the most severe disruption. Even if this arcane virus is unlikely to cause them significant physical harm, the damage that it could potentially cause to their ambitions and future aspirations – if they let it – could be just as toxic.

I have spoken at length with Sam Ferraby (Class of 2011), one of my closest friends, who is now a literature aficionado in the LGS English department. He told me of how well the boys, and school more generally, are adapting to the new measures – of bubbles and social distancing – that have been implemented. They are clearly au fait with the school motto, Vires acquirit eundo, meaning, for those who have forgotten, ‘We gather strength as we go’. The school, its staff and pupils are refusing to be defined by this stealthy assassin.

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Model Students

By Isi Webb-Jenkins (Class of 2016)

F

rom one bubble to another. In the 2016 yearbook, I was awarded the title of ‘Most likely to return to teach at the High’, and whilst I am not planning to be a teacher, my classmates did recognise within me my love for the bubble – the intimate, pro-active, and sociable nature of LSF became my requirements for any circumstance.

Therefore, it was a surprise to no one when I fell comfortably into life at the University of St Andrews, an equally small, supportive and busy education environment. It was easy to see how my university activities reflected the interests and values I had garnered over my 14 years at LSF – the abundance of theatre, involvement in charity and a complete lack of sport mirrors exactly how I spent my school days.

But throughout my time at university, it has become apparent that the culture 24

and environment at LSF did not just have a profound effect on me, but also on many of my fellow classmates. There are only a few Loughburians currently at St Andrews, but those of us that are here run a high risk of bumping into LSF alumni - partly due to the small student population, and partly due to our shared attraction towards activity and commitment, undeniably forged during our school days. One such time, I found myself hosting a drag show alongside fellow Loughburian Izzy Peek, who had been Head Girl in the year above me, which I followed in the role of mere House Captain. Maybe giving school assemblies or rallying a crowd at sports day had had a greater effect upon our dispositions than we gave it credit for.

But there is a more prevalent example in my current university circumstance which speaks even more loudly of the

invisible culture which is integral to life on the Walks. In my third year, I signed up for a charity fashion show called CATWALK – I was keen to be involved in the student fashion shows which play a large part in the St Andrews events calendar. What I did not expect to discover in a committee where I supposedly knew no one was to find one of my colleagues, and now close friend, was from the other side of Burton Street as a former pupil of Our Lady’s Convent School (now Loughborough Amherst School). Millie Elliott and I have spent the majority of our education in alarmingly close proximity: less than 500 metres from each other at LSF, she at OLCS and I at LHS, and then 2 years in the same small university town, all the while ignorant of each other’s existence.

But Millie’s school experience greatly mirrors my own; she held the role of Caritas Prefect from 2013-14, and then

progressed to Head Girl of OLCS for 201415, showing a penchant for commitment and activity from a young age. Despite not knowing each other, we both have taken very similar paths and have reached a very similar final destination for our final year at St Andrews: as Director and Vice Director of CATWALK 2020. These roles will challenge us much more than any other previous project, as we oversee and co-ordinate one of the largest fashion shows in St Andrews, striving to create an impressive event, and raise a minimum target of £10,000.

It is not a coincidence that two women educated at LSF, and brought up in an environment which celebrates extracurricular achievement as highly as academic attainment, have individually forged paths which led to the same goal. As a third alumna joined the team this year (Iona McNeill - another former OLCS pupil), the evidence really was incontestable. The fact that we all sought something beyond our degree reflects an extra-curricular convention which is rife in LSF, and it is often apparent in the lives of my other school friends who are at different universities. The fact we were all attracted to the only fashion show in St Andrews which donates all revenue from ticket sales and fundraising events to charity, a significant difference to the other fashion shows at our university, echoes the philanthropic and genuine nature which was encouraged through many endeavours in our time at LSF. The fact that three women, educated in an all-girls environment at LSF schools, are striving to raise large amounts for charity whilst growing a creative brand and rising within a team, speaks volumes on the value we feel an all-girls, LSF education has had upon our characters.

CATWALK has always relied upon generous donations from our sponsors to raise the extraordinary amount which we have already achieved (£45,000 since 2015).

If you are able to support us and forge yet another link between the Foundation and this charitable cause, either through corporate sponsorship or through direct donations to our charitable total, it would mean a great deal to us, your fellow alumni.

Many thanks.

If you are interested in helping the CATWALK Charity Fashion Show, please visit their website www.catwalkstandrews.com or email catwalkstandrews@gmail.com

HEADLINES

By Dr Julian Murphy, LAS Headmaster

T

he last two years have been extremely successful for Loughborough Amherst School, with our numbers of pupils rising by 40% from 208 to 291. Some of this rise has been due to our decision to open our senior school to boys from September 2019, but much of it has also been due to our growing reputation for the quality of both our academic and our pastoral provision. We hope to continue growing our pupil numbers over the next few years, although we remain committed to maintaining our unique identity as a small school with a warm family atmosphere.

Like any such success, this growth in numbers has increased our workload and, coupled with the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic, has made this year a very demanding one. I am hugely grateful to all our staff for their fantastic efforts over the last seven months. The quality of the teaching and pastoral support we provided during the lockdown in the spring and summer was excellent, and our teachers have also worked really hard to help our students during the reopening of the School. In particular, I am grateful to Grace Davies (Senior Deputy Head) and Izzy Winton (Head of Prep School), and to Polly Fender and Jo Kitchener - our heads of Years 7-8 and Years 9-11 respectively – for maintaining our outstanding quality of pastoral care during such strange times.

This summer saw the opening of the second of our two boarding houses for elite tennis players at the Loughborough University National Tennis Academy. I am delighted that this partnership with Loughborough University has proved so successful and hope that it is the first of many such mutually beneficial initiatives. You can read more about the Loughborough University National Tennis Academy programme on page 50.

This December sees the retirement of Arran Jennings, our long serving Deputy Head Academic, after nineteen years of service. I am hugely grateful to Arran for the central role he has played in the improvement of our academic provision during the last four years. I wish him a happy and fulfilling retirement. I am really excited that Arran’s replacement as our new Academic Deputy Head is Richard West, the Foundation’s current Director of Music. I am really looking forward to working with Richard to build on our academic improvements and take things to the next level, both in terms the quality of our teaching and learning and the progress monitoring and support of our students.

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CAREER FOCUS A regular feature in Beyond the Barrier is our focus on careers where we invite alumni to give us an insight into their career path and life journey since completing their schooling. We are grateful to Wesley, Anna and Roxanne for sharing their stories. This year we are also proud to announce the launch of our new online networking and mentoring platform – Loughburians Live.

Wesley Haigh (Class of 2012)

W

hen I left Loughborough Grammar School in 2012 I did not really have a clear idea of what I was going to do for a career. I had secured a deferred place at the University of Warwick studying physics but beyond this I had no obvious plans for the future. In between leaving LGS and starting my degree I moved to Sydney, Australia and worked for a small software company as a software developer to earn some money and gain some professional experience. This was a hugely positive experience and gave me my first proper taste of what the world of business was really like. The first time that I was able to write some code, see it come to life in the form of a website or an application and actually point to it and say “wow look at that. I made that!” was the moment that I realised I had found the career for me.

I came back from Australia and stuck to my original plan of studying physics at Warwick, although now I loaded my schedule with as many computer science modules as my course allowed. I graduated with 1st class honours finishing 3rd in my class and headed straight to London to pursue my new found passion of software engineering. However, moving to London was not exactly straight forward. Having only ever been to London to see the usual tourist attractions I was not exactly familiar with where in London would be a good place to live.

On top of this I only gave myself 5 weeks to find a place before my first job started. The London rental market was a true sellers’ market with listings often going within a day. My cousin who lived in London suggested that I look at places just south of the Thames such as Clapham and Brixton. After several frantic days searching in these areas, and seeing a real mixture of flats (one of which included a police notice on the front door of the building asking for witnesses to a serious crime that was committed inside), I still had not found somewhere to live. In the end it was a stroke of good luck that led me to stumble across my first flat in Battersea which, whilst not my first choice location, has ended up being a fantastic place for work and exploring the City.

My first job in London was a graduate job in the technology consulting firm PA Consulting. I chose this role and company because I was unsure of exactly which business sector or even what type of software developer role I wanted to do and this job allowed me to gain a wide range of experience working with different clients in different sectors. Another surprise benefit of this role was that clients always expect you to be an expert in whatever

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it is that you are there to do and as a result you are given a lot of responsibility very quickly, even if you are a graduate who only joined a few months earlier. There are not many jobs where a graduate straight out of university is given the responsibility to deliver business critical software for a FTSE 100 company. I stayed at PA Consulting for 3 years rising from a junior analyst to a technical team lead and senior software consultant and worked on projects ranging from satellite companies to rat traps that are connected to the internet (yes… seriously!).

More recently I have joined a company called Dice Technology as a senior software engineer. This company can be most succinctly described as the “Netflix of sport”. If you are watching a live stream of a sporting event over the internet anywhere in the world there is a high probability that Dice is behind the scenes making it possible. Last year I was part of the team that helped deliver a near flawless live streaming experience for over 15,000 events with over 2.2 billion views over the course of the year. It has been really exciting to be working at the edge of live streaming technology and something that I would never have imagined doing when I left LGS 8 years ago.

Anna Murphy (Class of 1996)

W

hilst for most of my life I have known the Loughborough Amherst School as Our Lady’s Convent School, I am delighted that the school has a new lease of life as it heads towards its 200year anniversary. My mother and aunt were pupils back in the 1950s and 1960s and I started in first year (now year 7) in 1989. I was followed there by my sisters – Lucy (1992), Ruth (1994) and Maria (1998). We four sisters have always been close and our parents encouraged us to bring our friends home. Their welcoming attitude coupled with our home’s close proximity to school meant that it was constantly filled with groups of Convent girls usually laughing and talking but, of course, occasionally fighting and crying!

I have stayed in close contact with several friends from school who still live locally and am in rather less close contact than I would like with many. In preparing to write this article, I spent time thinking about the different life paths that we have chosen or found ourselves on and identifying what lessons school taught us to help us as we grew to adulthood and what values were instilled in us.

Giving to others was a common theme of my school days – whether that was donating tinned food for Christmas hampers for the needy or being encouraged to help younger pupils who were struggling with friendship group problems (a perennial problem for teenagers!). Service to others was a virtue widely encouraged, practised and praised at school. I think it is no coincidence then that as I look around the local community and on Facebook feeds that I see so many ex Convent pupils involved making a difference in the lives of those around them – whether this is by chairing the PTA, helping run youth clubs at church, working with local charities or volunteering at community sports clubs. As Louisa May Alcott tells us in Little Women, “The humblest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them.”

Most of us aren’t called to do jobs which bring us fame or fortune but we can each make a difference through serving those we live amongst.

After school, I spent 4 happy years at Durham University (once I got over the initial homesickness) studying (perhaps rather less than I should have), socialising (perhaps rather more than I should have) and generally spreading my wings and growing up a bit. In my final year I was chair of the Junior Common Room of my college, which again I think reflects the importance of serving your community which I learned at school and home.

When the time came to choose what career to pursue, I knew that my vocation was something in the public service but exactly what was difficult to discern! On the advice of my tutor, I sat the civil service exams initially hoping to get a job working for a Government department.

But whilst reading through the FastStream brochure,

I found out about a small number of graduate jobs available at the House of Lords and I decided straight away to apply for this option. Twenty years later, I am still working at the House of Lords – in that time I have held a variety of posts within the administration which have kept me challenged, busy and fulfilled.

Like all of us, my life is busy. Family life with my husband and three children is busy and even, some might say, chaotic! A few years ago I was asked whether I would be the speaker at the Amherst prize giving and I was delighted to accept. Following on from that I became a governor at the school. I have greatly enjoyed rekindling my close connection to the school and seeing first-hand how the values of the school which inspired my generation are now being instilled in a new generation of pupils.

The words of St Henry Newman about vocation resonate with me, “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.” This lesson of love for and service to others was kindly and gently taught to me by example rather than word. I shall be forever grateful to the school and my parents for the many opportunities I was given and the kindness with which I was steered towards finding a fulfilling and happy path in life.

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Roxanne Davur (Class of 1971)

W

ell, here I am, sitting in rural India, at my animal shelter, ‘Probably Paradise’, penning my thoughts on my journey from a young student at Loughborough Girls High School, to where I am now. I am sure you are wondering how I got here, what part of my studies at Loughborough led me here and how you can follow your passion, as they say?

Let me start by describing my job (which is my vocation) and my shelter. Perhaps best to try a typical day, not that one exists. It starts around 5.15 am with a very large cup of South Indian tea especially couriered from the estates, with one or other of our residents deciding that as the sun is rising and then so will he or she. This begins the first of many rounds that I will do during the day to check on all and sundry, for along with me there are well over 300 animal residents, 11 staff on the books and one or more volunteers, who will need my attention and time. The animals in our care are dogs, cats, donkeys, horses, ponies, a cow called Mimosa and a resident pig called Barbie-Q. What attention do I give them? This could be anything from feeding them, to cleaning wounds, to responding to emergencies, to rushing off in our ambulance to pick up an injured animal. The list could go on.

And how did they get here? Human neglect, cruelty, old age and in our eyes, and theirs, luck that we were here for them. Most will see out their days here, some will get lucky and find a new home, but all here who pass through our care will do so with dignity and knowing the power of human love and compassion.

I am Roxanne Davur, and it is now that I turn to me, as I am not the important one here; I make it happen, and that is perhaps my link with our school. We all leave school with something, and my time at Loughborough taught me that if something had to change, then I would have to do it; no one was going to do it for me, and we all have in us the power to do something, so long as the belief is there. I spent a brief time at our school, being the very last full time boarder, but enough to imbibe the values of self-belief and determination and the need to do good in the world, which I believe is the cornerstone of the LHS vision.

A shelter does not happen overnight. I opened my shelter, ‘Probably Paradise’, on Christmas Eve in 2011, but before this, I spent many years, working in other areas, building the skills that I would later need.

No job is wasted; each will develop your skills and passions and these are what I believe you must persist in, as you manage your ‘career portfolio’. I did my Masters in Animal Welfare and worked in Ooty, a Hill Station in South India as an animal welfare inspector and as a racecourse inspector. To run a Charity shelter like Probably Paradise you need many skills from management; I manage the animals, the staff, and visiting vets, visiting dignitaries, guests, volunteers and many others. Communication; every day I am communicating with a range of people and in different ways, phone calls, social media, face-to-face; not

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to forget the different languages. On a daily basis, I may speak in English, Hindi, Marathi (our local language), and German, a bit of Spanish, French and, not forgetting the most important of all, communicating with the animals. I worked for years in the airlines industry, herding passengers into correct waiting rooms and hopefully onto the correct flight. Principally all the same.

I beg like a starving dog to feed and run the Shelter, I can draw blood from a stone and turn the proverbial penny three times around. Running a Charity is hard work especially administration. We constantly look forward, acting responsibly to the environment; we are now solar powered. We have built stables for our horses and have a major project for training facilities for vets and their assistants still to be realised.

All the animals have their stories to tell. There is Sam the dog, tied to a railroad track and left waiting for the train.

He was rescued, lost a front leg in the process and needed patching up. We did that, and he is waiting patiently for a family, never giving up hope in the human race, he tells me with a smile on his face. There is Noorie, raped with a foot-long stick; there are the pack ponies; blind, arthritic, ex racehorse JD; and then Ranger who was sprayed with acid. So part of my job is to put it right; I know and have studied the Indian animal laws, and my organisation and I use them to fight for the rights of the animals.

We go to court, we pursue justice through the courts and we make a noise to change laws or strengthen them for today’s age. We work with schools; we have an education section, I do career counselling and I will visit schools and teach the children about respect for everyone around them. They in turn go home and teach their parents; so day by day, bit by bit, we change behaviour when others would say “oh well it’s our tradition”.

Each day brings new challenges and again I think back to my days at LHS and at the way it taught me to rise to challenges and that you did not have to follow the norm or fit in - I was the first divorced child in the school as well as being Indian. We, at Probably Paradise, come in many shapes and sizes; all are welcome and all take their own story away from their stay here. I do hope that this short article has inspired you all to strengthen your skills, to have a dream, to look around you, and to dare to make a difference in your community and in the world.

To you all, I dare you to join us, to visit us, to spend time with us, to meet our staff, to discover a fast-disappearing rural India. We are half way between the two main Maharashtrian cities of Bombay and Pune. We believe that we are a voice for the animals, be they domestic or wild. You work with us and you discover the best of yourself and the power you have to bring change. We challenge the young people that visit us from a range of schools to look beyond their ‘phones, and to learn kindness and courtesy and above all how to share their world with other living beings.

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I N T R O D U C I N G

Loughburians Live

L

oughburians Live is a brand new online mentoring and networking platform exclusively for Loughburians.

2020 has been a year of changing plans and rethinking the role that the Alumni Association can play in the lives of all alumni. The curtailing of events due to Covid-19 meant that we have to do things differently to keep in touch and engage with one another. Furthermore, the stories of racial abuse at some of the schools that surfaced this year was a reminder that we must do whatever we can to ensure that the Alumni Association is relevant to all Loughburians. These are just a couple of the reasons why we have invested in Loughburians Live.

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Loughburians Live is your platform to use in a way that works for you. It brings our alumni community together by providing members with access to the following: A running feed of alumni updates, interesting content, photos and conversations. As well as seeing what others are up to you can post your own updates and also keep track of current school activities.

A full opt-in directory of alumni and former staff allowing you to connect with the Loughborough Schools Foundation community around the world. You are in full control of what information you provide and what you want others to see about you.

A mentorship program, giving you the opportunity to be mentored by others or offer mentorship to fellow alumni and current pupils. Sharing career knowledge and opportunities has always been a part of being a Loughburian. As the job market becomes ever harder and competitive, Loughburians Live will make it easier to take part in career mentoring.

A job board with current opportunities, posted by alumni and strategic partners. Like everything on Loughburians Live, posting job adverts is free for alumni. If you are recruiting then posting your vacancy on Loughburians Live will increase your pool of possible candidates. And if you are job hunting then make sure you add Loughburians Live to your list of job search sites.

Group conversations allowing you to engage at a more granular level with those with the same year group, interests, careers, industries, locations as you.

Re-connect with old friends and make new ones. You control the subjects you want to discuss although we have already started a number of special interest groups like the Class of 2020, Boarding Loughburians, Legal Loughburians and the Loughburian Golf Society.

Events posted by alumni, the Alumni Association and our Schools, inviting you to attend, encouraging popup engagement, coffee meetings around the world, webinars hosted by subject matter experts within our networks and other organic engagement opportunities created for and by you.

You can sign up in less than two minutes and you can even register using your Linkedin or Facebook profile. Register now to expand your network at www.loughburians.com 31

FROM THE ARCHIVES

100 Years Ago LHS in 1920

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hilst rummaging around in the LHS archive, I came across this fascinating piece of correspondence between Miss Bristol, who began as Headmistress at LHS in 1920, and a Miss Scotson Clark, Headmistress of a school in Leeds.

Miss Scotson Clark has contacted Miss Bristol regarding a pupil who had recently arrived at her school that she knew had previously spent time at LHS. She has concerns about the child, Winifred, but also about the girl’s mother who she diplomatically describes as ‘difficult’. A great insight into how much things have changed… but also how much they haven’t!

Miss Bristol writes in reply:

Thank you for your letter. I am much interested by your enquiry about Winifred. She was here as a boarder for five terms, from January 1920 to July 1921. We were about the tenth school, I think, she had been at already and she was then only 11. She had good ability but as a boarder she was most objectionable and so was her mother. I do not know how her father made his money but she was the only sample I had had of the type that Punch calls the Profiteer. She was new with me, and I had never had boarders before. I had gradually to learn how to secure what I wanted in the way of regulation of tuck and things that do not enter into the life of the ordinary day school. Winifred was appallingly greedy, and although the giving out of tuck was regulated, she seemed to take pride in having twice as much in the cupboard as anyone else, and in taking out, when the cupboard was opened, an amount which earned her the nick-name “Porker”, which I must say was thoroughly deserved. We found out afterwards that she sometimes got parcels of food through the day girls. Protests to her mother were quite unavailing, and her mother seemed always to imply that the children were underfed. She constantly criticised the school food, quite undeservedly for my House Mistress was most particular that the children were well fed, and we all had the same food. Similarly over the fruit – bananas, apples, oranges, which at the parents’ request, I supply for the children and charge at cost – it was not good enough for Winifred, her mother must order special fruit to be sent up twice a week by a fruiterer in the town. I do not tolerate these exceptions now. I bought my experience dearly. But the best of it was, that in spite of the perpetual swagger about her clothes and other possessions being so superior to those of the other girls, we had a scene with the fruiterer because he could not get Winifred’s mother to pay the bill which by her instructions was sent to her direct. Finally, if I remember rightly, I paid it and charged it on the next terminal account. When Winifred left her mother did not pay the account for school uniform and other sundries spent for the child during the last term nor can reiterated requests get any reply. It was not a large amount but the failure to pay was an amusing comment on the general attitude of swagger about the money.

The mother was also difficult to deal with in other directions, she always backed Winifred against the school. She insisted on sending her every week rolls of illustrated newspapers, some of them of quite dubious character, and paid no attention to the requests not to send them.

Winifred had sometimes a very rude manner and her mother objected to her bearing the consequences of rudeness to a mistress. The child was here in 1920 and 21, immediately after the War when the servant problem was exceedingly difficult, and when we got into difficulties we all of us lent a hand. The mother objected to this and wrote to say that she paid the fees and did not send her daughter to be trained as a house-maid.

We also had a coal strike whilst she was here, and our supply of hot water had to be used economically owing to the shortage of coke. The children had their hot baths twice a week as usual and hot water at night, yet Winifred’s mother dared to write to complain that Winifred was expected to wash her hands in cold water a practice which she regarded as very dangerous.

I was thankful when she wrote giving notice. In fact, I had been debating whether I should ask her to remove Winifred from the school. I rather imagine that other schools met with similar difficulties in dealing with her and that Winifred was never long enough at any school to learn the first meaning of discipline, but I have heard nothing of what happened to the child after July 1921. I only wish you had had her earlier. There is good stuff in the child but she was being absolutely ruined.

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100 Years Ago LGS in 1920

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920 must have been an interesting time for Headmaster Stinton as the full effect of the 1918 Education Act was felt. In July he ended the year with 189 boys in the School including 14 boarders. In September there were 271 boys with 27 boarders – virtually a 50% increase in size overnight, something that had never occurred before or since. With buildings designed for the 110 boys that there had been three years earlier, you can understand Stinton’s comment.

‘Having not graduated as a sardine packer, I am at times perplexed since the Board of Education, in vetoing any more development, appears to be more concerned with fitting boys into buildings than expanding buildings to fit boys.’ However, buildings were not his biggest problem, in post war Britain getting suitable staff to deal with the expansion was virtually impossible.

The growth in numbers had immediate consequences. The ‘two House’ system was clearly not suitable and in the spring term of 1920 the Loughburian records the change back to 4 houses that had been the norm up until 1907. ‘House Competitions. This term, with a view to providing better games for those not playing in either of the elevens, we have divided the School into four Houses, according to where the boys reside.’ Thus the Houses were named North, South, East and West.

This system was to remain until the

LGS 1st XI 1920

1960’s and seemed to have been well received. ‘the wisdom of returning to the old system of dividing the School into Houses North, South, East and West, has been fully justified by the increased keenness of competition which has been displayed on the cricket field, the tennis courts, and at the Athletic Sports. There are signs of the same healthy spirit invading the classrooms, and we hope the day is not far distant when a House will be no less proud of the distinction gained by its members there’.

Normality started to return after the war. Inter House athletics returned for the first time since 1914. (Remember this was held on the field at School).

Mrs Stinton provided tea for over 300 of the visitors and the prizes were awarded by the Mayor and Mayoress.

The football teams continued to win the majority of their matches and the cricketers were boosted by the return of their coach, ‘Sep’ Atterbury, after serving in the Navy during the war.

Under his care the cricket ground resumed its pre-war appearance and the wickets were infinitely better than the ones the boys had prepared. As one would expect after a disastrous season in 1919 the cricketers performed much better, winning six of their 12 matches.

Their most notable victory came in the game against the OLA but it was not the boys who were responsible for this! Sep Atterbury took 3 wickets and scored 22 but Headmaster Stinton took the other

7 wickets and was 52 not out when victory was achieved…. but then he had played for Worcestershire in 1907!

Prize Giving in October saw the return of Cecil Kaye, Headmaster 1894-1901, then Headmaster of St Bees, to distribute the prizes and he received a hearty welcome from many of the former pupils and his old friends in the town. Also present was Mr & Mrs Turner, Headmaster 19011919, ‘They came from Chester on Mr Turner’s motor-cycle and side car, and stayed several days in School House.’

Having three Headmasters on stage constituted a unique occasion and the Rector of Loughborough – Rev G.W.Briggs, LGS 1891-93, who 3 years later wrote the School Hymn – made a presentation to Bingham Turner.

The two previous Heads had been at the centre of controversy earlier in the year. On Monday 26 January at a meeting held in the Town Hall’s Council Chamber presided over by the Mayor, W.F.Charles (LGS 1872-75), the Old Loughburians’ Association was revived with Messrs Kaye and Turner being made vice-presidents. At the first AGM in July the Association received a letter from Charles McCurdy MP, (see Unearthing an LGS MP and a botanical surprise on page 38) complaining that John Colgrove, Headmaster 18761893, was not a vice president. This was hardly surprising as after he had been sacked he set up a rival School in Burton House! He ended his letter ‘We don’t want to go into past quarrels, but I do think the Old Boys of his time (of which he was one) owe him this tribute of respect and affection.’ The AGM agreed and not only did Colgrove become a vice-president, he is also the only Headmaster remembered in the Burton Chapel.

The effects of the increasing numbers were evident in every aspect of school life as the December School Concert had to forsake the School Hall and transfer to the Corn Exchange.

With numbers planned to rise in subsequent years ,the year ended much as it had started, with Stinton worried about not only where he was to put the boys but also who was going to teach them!

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50 Years Ago

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he New Year started with a new face, Miss Godfrey, replacing Miss Woodward as the Head’s secretary. ‘Woodie’, as she was affectionately known, had retired after 32 years of service under 3 Headmistresses. As Headmistress Miss Hadlee wrote, ‘She was not merely a school secretary but created for herself a unique position at the centre of the whole life and running of the School.’

In her letter to the School Magazine Miss Woodward recalled those early days: ‘In 1939 we had small boys aged 5, 6, and 7 as boarders as well as small girls of a similar age. There were electric trains running round the Boarder’s Common Room, mixed up with dolls and all their paraphernalia.

I remember being shot at through the bannisters when showing some parents upstairs. Unfortunately, the arrow missed me and hit one of the visitors.’ (Up until 1969 when Fairfield was formed the youngest boys attended LHS before moving to LGS aged 8) One hopes there were no shots fired during the joint production of HMS Pinafore in the spring term. ‘As usual, Mr Moore’s unruffled and reliable conduction made this a very enjoyable experience… I would like to have given more time to detailed learning of the choruses: some of the singing was a little vague and some of the printed scores showed little signs of having been fully studied.’ Fortunately, the traditional Form Concerts were shelved at the end of the Summer term the previous year and replaced

Miss Woodward with (from left) V Saunders, L Cramp, S Hartridge, S Howarth

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LHS in 1970

with Form Sight-Singing Competitions instead, which meant the Chorus had fewer problems than might otherwise have been the case.

Sadly Kenneth Smith, who had been tuning the High School pianos since 1945, following on from his father, died shortly after visiting in January.

It was a good year on the sporting front. The Hockey team became County Champions and overall won 12 of their 15 matches. The netball team, who had been runners up in Leicestershire in the autumn, were disappointed when the East Midlands tournament in the spring was cancelled due to snow. Both Rounders and Tennis teams had seasons of mixed fortunes; a record number of 168 girls achieved awards in the A.A.A. 5-star scheme in Athletics where, not surprisingly, Sports Day was ruined by rain. Such technicalities did not stop the newly formed Hiking Club heading off with 33 members to Dovedale in February. However, they were faced with the normal English problem: ‘It rained lightly all day and the ground became very muddy.’

The Guides had different problems to contend with. After a successful camp, also in Derbyshire at Whitsun, the departure of Miss Burton and Miss Cooper meant they feared the Company might have to be split up as there was no one to run it. Fortunately, Mrs Tennent agreed to lead the Guides again. Their popularity meant that a 7th patrol had to be added.

Prior to the School play, Becket, in the Autumn: ‘The summer term ended

with the House plays. Although the weeks beforehand were rather chaotic, the plays were performed with much enthusiasm and were adjudicated by Mr J.Dixon who chose Fearon’s Aunt Deborah as the most successful play.’

The Autumn term started with much excitement: ‘Passers-by will now notice the enthusiasm with which the girls stampede across to the dininghall. This is all due to the new dinner system, which has given the seniors the prospect of three choices of lunch every day.’ It also saw a change for the Lower Sixth who were now allowed to wear their own clothes: ‘The birth of the midi has proved very popular in the Sixth Form and we wonder how long it will be before hot pants arrive on the scene.’

The year ended with genuine concerns over the strikes, which followed Edward Heath’s victory in the General Election in June. ‘One which notably affected the school was the electricians’ strike, which resulted in numerous power-cuts just before Christmas. The first thing which sprang to our minds was the Annual Carol Services. As expected most of the tableaux were affected. However, thanks to Miss Roberts and her stage crew, who staggered courageously under the weight of heavy torches, we managed to carry on with the tableaux without a hitch. Likewise, the singers and readers coped with the situation admirably and many visitors commented on the serene effect of the lighting and the atmosphere which was created.’

Miss Woodward with the OGA

50 Years Ago LGS in 1970

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ith the 450 anniversary of the School being in 1945 it was no surprise that much was made of the 475 anniversary in 1970. ‘The activity of the School over the past two terms has been centred around the preparation to mark our 475 anniversary. To this end a special blue crested ‘475’ tie has been produced and was worn for the first time at the Burton Service. A ‘475’ cake is also proposed and will be baked especially for the school by a well-known German confectioner. In addition to this, the Cross-Country Club has undertaken to run a course around the school grounds 475 times. We wish them luck! Ron Hassett, the leader of the School Orchestra and a School Monitor, made a fitting gesture when he left us in March by roaming the school with his violin playing 475 verses of the School Hymn.’

The anniversary was marked in other ways most notably by having a record number of school trips in the Easter Holidays. These involved over 20 members of staff, which in 1970 represented more than 50% of the workforce. Apart from 2T’s trip to France, they covered the length and breadth of England and Wales: hiking in the Yorkshire Dales; studying the coastal features of Dorset; two trips to the canals of Staffordshire; Cycling in East Anglia and the Cotswolds; Youth Hostelling in the Lake District; studying marine life in Wales and visiting the Isle of Man. 1970 was election year and as usual the School held a mock election.

Well in fact two! Unlike the present

day when the election covers the whole school, in 1970 there was an election involving the 6th form and also one covering the lower school.

As you might expect, the 6th form bore very little resemblance to the national scene apart from having a Conservative candidate. The other two candidates represented the People’s Freedom Party and the Cosa Nostra!

The juniors looked more normal. It will come as no great surprise that the School mirrored the country by electing two conservatives. Ted Heath would have been proud!

It was an excellent year in the Classroom. Both A level and O level results were an improvement on the previous year and a record number of 11 places were won at Oxbridge. It is interesting to reflect on the difference of university entrance then and now with 36 boys, out of 70, going to university. On the sports field Norman Walter reported at Prize Giving ‘I can tell you that sport in general has thrived, with a successful rugger season and much strength in the lower age groups. In hockey we created a new

2nd XI, so that we now field 3 teams.

Cricket seemed to me to have the best season for some time and after a short tour after term, the first of its kind, resulted from the appreciation of the 1st XI shown by several parents. A marked improvement showed in junior athletics and for a change after some years, we were blessed with a glorious Sports Day that saw several new records.’

On Stage it was an exceptional year with the Gilbert and Sullivan production of HMS Pinafore being followed by the School’s play, Jean Anouilh’s ‘Becket’ and the School’s music in general was aided by the purchase of several new instruments and the appointment of the first fulltime instrumental teacher.

For the first time the School entered the National School’s Business Game sponsored by ICL. In the first round they beat their opponents by £400,000 and the adjudicator said ‘Loughborough showed their class and with their cautious approach should go far in the competition.’ Unfortunately, this was not to be so… at one stage being £1,000,000 behind in the next round.

This time the adjudicator reported ‘In the last period, Loughborough made a gallant do-or-die effort, and unfortunately died!’ It is interesting to reflect that the Chairman of the team was Neil Davidson (Class of 1970) who went on to work for 28 years in the Dairy Industry, the last 11 of which were as CEO of Express Dairies. He was awarded the CBE in 2006 for his services to industry.

Unusually, in July nine members of staff moved on to other schools and there were ten new members of staff in September. They, of course, did not have the problems of the new first formers, one of whom recalled after just two days in the school, ‘The amount of walking we have to do in my mind is terrible, the worst day being Tuesday when we have to go to B2, L4, SB3, N2, H1, R and L5. But in a way this is an advantage as you can muck about and waste time between periods.’ He clearly was a quick learner but there were also disadvantages: ‘I thought we had got rid of women teachers, until we had French.’!!!!!

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25 Years Ago LHS in 1995

Miss Harvatt (right) and guest speaker Margaret Drabble (left) with some prize winners

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hroughout the year the School was involved in the Quincentenary Celebrations. As its magazine’s editorial said ‘Perhaps it ought to be pointed out at this juncture that when Thomas Burton made provision for education, it was ‘for the young people of Loughborough’ – it is our and Fairfield’s Quincentennial as well!’ Thus, the School Choir sang ‘Seeing is Believing’ at the ‘500 celebrate the 500th’ in the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham ‘an event which had to be seen – or at least heard – to be believed’ and Sarah Carter’s piece for orchestra, Street Show, received its world premiere.

The choristers were also involved in Carmina Burana with its spectacular finale: ‘At the beginning of the last movement, the event was brought to a stunning climax with extravagant fireworks set off from behind the stage. Unfortunately, the choir was unable to see the fireworks, which were perfectly timed to ‘O Fortuna’, as the stage blocked the view. However, several of us looked surprised, even terrified, as the first firework exploded!’

However, the one event where the two Schools did not combine was the Burton Service: ‘Well, after the initial shock of the absence of the Grammar School, no-one knew quite what to expect from this year’s Burton Service. The first problem to be overcome was getting the entire High School to the Parish Church – easier said than done. Surprisingly this went smoothly and the service began on time. It all began very impressively with readings from each century beginning with the 15th. The tableaux of girls in costume through the ages kept our interest and the readings were exceptionally well chosen… The speaker for the service was Mrs Margaret Staple, Head Girl in 1950… It was my first visit to the Parish Church.

I didn’t know what to expect, but was 36

Final LHS boarders

pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was very relaxed and the church felt welcoming with its gothic arches and pillars. The service was just the right length and as soon as it had finished, streams of grey flooded from the church into town – the holidays had finally begun.’

During the holiday the classicists headed to Greece. ‘We’d studied the language, attended (nearly!) all the meetings, packed our best summer clothes, and now after a couple of last-minute passport panics – we were on our way to Greece. When we finally set foot on Greek soil – 2 hours’ delays, 3 hours’ flight and virtually no sleep – it was pouring down with rain; you could see the dismay on people’s faces as they thought of their luggage crammed with summer clothes.’ Fortunately, the sun came out for the week they were there and the same was true of the Senior Ski Trip earlier in the term: ‘this year’s ski sundae was a wicked cocktail of sun, snow and high spirits.’

15 girls played hockey for the County with the U16 team being particularly successful, whilst in netball the School beat the staff 11-8 despite some ‘lenient umpiring’. The U13 and U15 Tennis Teams were county champions and in the Area Athletics all the teams won convincingly. Also, in the summer the 5 yearly all-school photograph was taken.

The end of the summer term saw the closure of the Boarding House. On her appointment as Headmistress of the New Girls’ School in 1850, Miss Charnock wrote this in her letter of acceptance: ‘since my visit to Loughborough I have talked over with my mother the subject of boarders and finding there would be four or five very desirous of finishing their education with me I feel almost bound to accede to their wishes more especially as the Trustees seemed to think it might be an advantage to the Institution and as

the girls are sufficiently advance in their education to give a tone to the rest of the School.’ Thus when the School opened on 11 March 1850, some of the 18 pupils were almost certainly boarders and that position had continued for the next 145 years, although in recent years there had just been weekly boarders.

Over the holidays, the boarding facilities were converted into a new library funded by the Cope Foundation and so it was entirely appropriate that Prize Giving at the start of the Autumn Term saw one of the bestknown female novelists, Margaret Drabble, as its Chief Guest. In her meeting with the girls it transpired that she had not intended to be a novelist. ‘I was an actress to begin with but then found myself with nothing to do. The acting didn’t work out; you’ve got to be so pushy so I started writing out of boredom’.

However, for most old girls the most significant event of the year occurred elsewhere in the School. ‘Even Rokeby, the sixth form area, has been redecorated which means the demise of the orange curtains in room 21; they will be sadly missed.’

25 Years Ago LGS in 1995

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995, our Quincentenary Year, must be a year which no one is ever likely to forget. In a year of special events, masterminded by John Weitzel (JSW), the London Day and Carmina Burana were undoubtedly the highlights. The London Day was a tour de force of organisation by JSW, and the service in St Paul’s Cathedral was unquestionably the centre-piece of Quincentenary celebrations. None of us who took part will ever forget it, whether it was one of the 1,200 boys, staff and guests who boarded twenty buses in the school car park at 7.30am or as one of the choristers or musicians who had the honour of performing in the Cathedral and had spent the previous night in a London youth hostel.

Everyone who was there will have their own special memories. My own were the splendour of St Paul’s Cathedral (how good that for once we were all confronted by a space and an event which was so much bigger than ourselves); a seemingly neverending stream of boys in LGS uniform walking through the sunlit lunchtime City streets (‘this was the stage where everyone’s street cred went down’ wrote one junior boy); that splendidly-organised packed lunch we all enjoyed in Lincoln’s Inn Field; and the whole atmosphere of the Palace Theatre for the gala performance of Les Misérables. The school had taken over virtually the whole of the theatre and it was typical of JSW’s care and thoughtfulness that we were all there, staff, pupils, bursary staff, ground staff, catering staff et al – the whole ‘School Family’.

The atmosphere the next day at School was electric, so well had the London Day gone and so much had pupils enjoyed it, and a special 500th anniversary five-tier cake was cut after morning assembly. ‘So, overall, was it good?’ our junior reporter ended. ‘Well, I suppose the £22 cost was worth it, if only I can say in a few years’ time, “I was there!”’

And then, right at the end of the summer term, the spectacular climax was the open air concert on the First XI Field, complete with orchestra, soloists and an augmented choir of pupils and parents, who together gave an electrifying performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. The sound of the vocal solos and choruses echoed over the field and over the 3,000 people who had gathered there for shared summer picnics on a balmy summer evening. As the last two movements began, the fireworks took to the air. Choreographed to the music, they were magnificent as they cascaded over the school buildings: 10 minutes, 5,000 shells later and it was all over.

In 1995, the new English Building

(subsequently the Queens Building) was nearing completion, the first completely new building to grace the Quad since the Barrow Building of the 1920s. English teaching had begun in the new building the previous year and, finally, the long awaited Drama Studio, with its up-todate lighting and sound system and its flexible space, was ready for the start of a new era of drama in the life of the School. Dr Rees’s first essay in the new studio was a splendid production of The Hunting of the Snark. Also to celebrate the Quincentenary, the OLA decided to support the replacement of the railings on the Walks side of the Quad which had been removed as part of the drive for scrap metal in the early days on World War II. In the first term of 1995 itself, the Quincentenary Quiz, won by P. Stockdale (years 1-3), D.Brown (years 4-6) and Mr S. Ocock (staff), was swiftly followed by a Quincentenary rugby match when the 1st XV played an ERFSU President’s Midlands XV at Nottingham RFU’s ground.

Twelve of the top swimming schools competed in a Quincentenary gala, the school swimmers achieving an impressive overall victory.

Thanks to the persistence of Alexander Gray, the summer term saw the naming of a new railway freight locomotive Loughborough Grammar School, a huge School charity event which raised £6,000, and a collaborative Victorian evening involving all three of the Endowed Schools which turned the clock back to the 400th Anniversary celebrations of 1895. But it would be wrong to overlook the fact that 1995 was also a ‘normal’ year, with the School going about its everyday studying, sports fixtures, activities and its every-year welcomes and farewells. There was a junior skiing trip to Crest Voland, a Classics trip to Greece, a Paris and Brittany holiday, the

usual trips to the Battlefields and Hadrian’s Wall, the First Form Adventure Holiday based at Whitby and a mammoth world rugby tour to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, the most ambitious ever to be undertaken by the School.

Jim Crookes and Simon Leese organised a second highly successful school expedition to the Karakoram Mountains of Northern Pakistan.

In music, the Concert Big Band entertained the crowd at the Daily Mail Schools’ Rugby Festival at Twickenham and, among all sports, surely the highlight was Richard Widdowson’s 200 for the 1st XI in their match against Henry’s and his record stand for an LGS first wicket (or any wicket) partnership with Stewart Morgan of 278.

On the staff, 1995 saw the retirement of John Moore who for more than 33 years had been in charge of Music. Dr Emma Eadie was enjoying her first full year in the school in 1994/5 as were Mssrs Feakes, Hammond and Kerr, and arriving in 1995 were Messrs Arkell and Roberts.

So, in every way, a remarkable year, and as DNI summed up in the special souvenir edition of the School Magazine: ‘1995 has turned out to be one of the busiest, most joyful and most successful years the School has known’.

From 2010 Old Loughburian: The Quincentenary Year. Compiled and edited

by Roger Willson

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Unearthing an LGS MP and a botanical surprise

By John Weitzel, LGS Archivist

W

hilst researching information about our Fellows of the Royal Society, I was looking in the 1935 Loughburian for information about Arthur Walsh. I stumbled across the following passage in the School Notes section, just under the ‘congratulations to A.D.Walsh on his Open Scholarship of £60 to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.’: ‘We owe a grudge and at the same time a debt of gratitude to our friends at the Junior College for discovering and luring back to Loughborough Sir Samuel Chapman, one of the MP’s representing Edinburgh and an Old Boy of the School. Sir Samuel found time to pay a hurried visit to the School, and was delighted to be shown a photo of himself at the age of 13 as a member of the 1st Cricket XI. The sight of the 1st XI field recalled also a victory in the 100 yards, and he was greatly interested to see the enormous developments which have taken place since his day.’

Until that point I thought we had just been responsible for two MPs. Recently Nigel Mills, Conservative MP for Amber Valley since 2010, who was re-elected with an increased majority last December, and Charles McCurdy, Liberal MP for Northampton from 1910 to 1923.

The son of a Methodist minister, Charles McCurdy was at the School with his brother, Edward, from 1881-87, being Captain of School in his final year. He then went to Pembroke College, Cambridge. After training as a barrister, he was to become Minister for Food in 1920 in Lloyd George’s Coalition Government of 1916. After the Ministry was abolished in 1921 he became Liberal Chief Whip. He was very much in favour of forming a Centre Party made up of Liberals and moderate Conservative and Labour MPs and, in this respect, he could not have been further away from Sir Samuel.

Having been knighted in 1920 for his valuable war work, especially in connection with the Perthshire Prisoners of War Fund, Sir Samuel became Conservative MP for Edinburgh South in 1922 and was to remain its MP until 1945.

However, he became involved in extreme rightwing politics in the 1930s. He was one of the leading campaigners against Jews from Germany being allowed into the country. In 1939 he was a founder member of a secret society called the Right Club, an anti-Semitic and fascist group which attempted to unify all the different rightwing groups in Britain.

Apart from his hurried visit to the School in 1935, I don’t suppose Sir Samuel kept in touch with the School, which was probably a good thing.

Charles McCurdy was the exact opposite and

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every boy since 1958 has passed a plaque with his name on in the School, probably without realising it! In 1938 he gave £500 to be spent on the Library in memory of his lifelong school friend, Wilfred Moss – who incidentally was responsible for the building of the Carillon Tower in Loughborough.

The war dashed any hopes of an early start being made and it took 20 years for the library to be created – not where it is now but where the Wycliffe Room/Chapel is, with it moving to its present home in 1964. Even with added interest, that £500 was insufficient for its purpose and was augmented by Wilfred Moss’s son and daughter to cover the cost of the bookshelves.

However, Charles McCurdy’s gift of £500 was insignificant by comparison to his gift to the School of the SIX volumes of the ‘Flora Londinensis’. The work, by William Curtis, one of the founders of the Royal Botanical Society, was published between 1777 and 1798 and contains 432 engravings, hand coloured, of plants to be found in the London area of his day. Their history at the School is quite remarkable. Charles McCurdy died in 1941 and the first reference to the books is in the Loughburian of 1950 where it talks about them being on display in the Reading Room. The next reference comes 24 years later when the February Loughburian records: ‘But the biggest single item of library news this term has been the discovery that the FIVE volumes of “Flora Londinensis” in the Fine Binding cupboard may turn out to be really valuable; exactly how valuable will be known when consultations with a firm of experts are concluded.’

You will note that there were only five not the full six… the missing volume was found later in 1974 as the July Loughburian reports: ‘Mr Redden, on a visit to the Art Studio, was amazed to discover a boy quietly engaged in copying the illustrations from the missing volume. Evidently, the hue and cry for Volume One had not come to the ears of Mr Major (the art master) who said that the late Headmaster, S.R.Pullinger, had given it to him ‘about 20 years ago…..The discovery of Volume One occurred in a week apparently lacking in newsworthy happenings, so the story was published on the front page of the ‘Loughborough Monitor’, together with a photograph of Messrs. Redden and Massiah, learnedly contemplating the six volumes.’

Pencilled in to Volume One, in a modern script, is the purchase price of the volumes - £12. The valuation the School received back in 1974 was £1,000 but if I was to take it to ‘The Antiques Roadshow’ I reckon I would receive a valuation today of around £25,000. It will be of no surprise that is does not reside in the Library!

Corporal Punishment and Disciplinary Measures

By John Weitzel, LGS Archivist

L

ast August I was delighted to receive an email from Jem Cook (Class of 1959) ‘I enjoy reading Beyond the Barrier and never fail to be impressed by the accomplishments of LGS alumni. It is not easy to compare one era with another but I do wonder how today’s generation would have fared in my time, namely the fifties, when discipline and punishment made daily unscathed survival paramount over devotion to learning. Corporal punishment in all boys’ schools was part of their young lives and LGS was no exception. It is unlikely that LGS boys of the fifties were not on the receiving end and/or witness to the use of Bunsen burner tubing, rugby ball bladders, leather gloves, rulers or cane. In addition, detention on a Wednesday afternoon for trivial offences such as forgetting a library book was a further hazard. Three detentions in a week merited a visit to the head Sid Pullinger and a certain caning. I do recall having two detentions against my name with a day still to survive. I risked playing truant and got away with it.

Corporal punishment was banned in state schools in 1986 and by 1998 in independent schools too. I doubt very much if the number and standard of achievements at LGS suffered as a result post 1998; if anything quite the reverse. I left LGS as soon as possible and lived and worked subsequently in different parts of the world including several European countries. I made a career out of exporting British manufactured goods, translating and interpreting. I was taught by highly qualified linguists who valued their students’ ambitions and never a blow was struck.

I have heard it said by members of the teaching profession that it might be a good thing to reintroduce corporal punishment in boys’ schools. I suggest this reflects more on teacher limitations than boys’ indiscipline.’

At the time I received Jem’s email I was putting the finishing touches to 220 key dates in the School’s History (which can be viewed at the digital archive) and 1984 features as on 11 May the last boy was caned at LGS. Thus, caning existed in the school for the first six years I was here. It is interesting to note that the most common reason was then still getting 3 detentions – indeed, of the 149 boys caned by John Millward, 68 were for that reason. When I left this would have been rather difficult! In my time as Deputy Headmaster I managed to virtually get rid of detentions as well, from around 150 a year to single figures.

If we go even earlier in the School’s history to the early 1900’s one finds that Bingham Turner had a slightly different approach to punishment. In addition to exclusions and corporal punishment, on one occasion, when he found a group of day boys cheating during exams he denounced them to the whole school at assembly and left their punishment up to the boys.

For a day or two, until it stopped, mobs of boys seized the offenders and beat them up as they came to school or at break.

J.L. Cartwright (Class of 1906), who was later to become Vicar of Oundle, remembered that ‘my friends and I were shocked at this performance, which we felt was a grave error on the part of the Headmaster. The confidence which I think I had previously felt for those in authority received a severe blow.’

References to corporal punishment in Headmaster’s Speeches

at prize giving are as rare as articles in alumni magazines! I could find just one – from Norman Walter 50 years ago in October 1970. He ended with these words: ‘I would like to read some parts of a letter received earlier this term from a lad who when here always seemed to be in trouble – so many detentions that he was caned not once or twice – but who was basically a pleasant lad, though by no means one of our academic successes. He wrote:“Having just passed my qualifying exams… I wanted to thank both yourself and the members of staff who put up with me for five years and who through their guidance enabled me to obtain these qualifications. I am deeply grateful for their efforts to teach me and it wasn’t always appreciated then. But looking back I realise that almost everything was done for my benefit but unfortunately I didn’t always take it to heart. Once again, many thanks.” This links up with a comment from a senior member of staff, that he thinks that in this school “the generation gap” is less than when he was at school many years ago… and that you will take these quotations which I have just read as an indication of similar happy feelings enjoyed between staff and pupils at LGS. In summing up, under the providence of God, we have much to be thankful for in the past, much to live up to in the present, and much to hope for the future.’

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Headlines Andrew Earnshaw, Fairfield Headmaster

H

aving basked in the glory of Fairfield’s Golden Anniversary celebrations the previous year, one could have never imagined the course of events that would come to pass in 2020. 23 March 2020 marked the first time in the School’s distinguished history where our pupils were to be educated within their own homes, rather than within their classrooms. This was in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, all schools were to close until further notice, except for looking after the children of keyworkers and vulnerable children.

Fairfield staff ran sessions each day of the Easter holidays, including Bank holiday Monday in order to facilitate the vital role our key worker parents played in delivering across a whole range of essential roles within the NHS. Soon after, our staff and pupils launched themselves into their ‘virtual’ summer term with great anticipation and eagerness. We did not want

children ‘glued’ to a screen for days on end, nor did we want to curtail their sense of becoming independent learners.

Whilst we knew that we could not fully replicate a day spent in the classroom, we designed an online package of remote learning that edged ever closer to it.

Dr Fiona Miles, LHS Head

S

ome eighteen months into my new role as Head, I continue to be amazed and impressed by the richness and variety of life at LHS. While the months of restrictions imposed

by Covid-19 have curtailed our usual on-site activities, pupils and staff have found ingenious ways to continue learning, working together and supporting one another. From virtual house challenges, drama and art competitions to online orienteering, debating and the popular ‘Chef of the Week’ contest; they have channelled their passions and creative energies with vigour during the lockdown. I am proud, too, that so many pupils have looked outwards during this time of national crisis, offering practical support to vulnerable neighbours, preparing meals for those in their community and raising funds through sponsored bike rides and online events.

The summer saw several weeks of turmoil surrounding the release of public examination results and we salute the fortitude and resilience of our pupils during these challenging times.

We are immensely proud of the achievements of our Year 11 and Year 13 students and delighted that there were so many individual successes. This is not a year for triumphalism but we are nonetheless proud that our results reflect the hard work, 40

We decided to adopt a ‘TED-talk’ philosophy, with teachers recording an engaging and stimulating introduction to set tasks. Pupils were then given the opportunity for a followup ‘consultation’ at set times during the virtual school day. Having settled into the rhythm of home school learning, we met the government’s desire to implement a phased re-opening of schools from 1 June, starting with pupils in Kindergarten, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. The staff and I were relieved that, after so many weeks at home, those children made a wonderfully successful return to school and enjoyed life with their friends and teachers. Our euphoria was extended even

further when we welcomed back children from Years 2-5, which enabled Fairfield Prep School to be one of only a few schools in the United Kingdom which offered a full return of all its pupils on a daily basis until the end of the summer term.

Being Headmaster of Fairfield is an absolute privilege and I am immensely proud of what my staff worked so hard to achieve during the period of summer lockdown. Whilst other schools across the country were seeking to deliver ‘catch up’ programmes, extending the summer term and/or bringing the autumn term forward, there was absolutely no need to do this from Fairfield’s perspective due to the online programme surpassing all expectations, and the fact that we were able to fully open the school to all year groups before the summer break. I believe that Fairfield certainly achieved our guiding principle that every child deserves to have an uninterrupted education. We worked tirelessly to provide this before and during Covid and we hope that the children had a memorable end to what has been the most extraordinarily demanding of years!

energy and enthusiasm of our students, and the care and integrity with which our staff awarded centreassessed grades. The vast majority of our leavers secured a place at an institution of their choice and are now pursuing a wide range of courses and careers including engineering, Law, nursing, the military, international relations, aviation, drama, medicine, classics, English, education, and childcare at the prestigious Norland. We are proud of them all and although we have been unable to host our traditional Senior Prize Giving this September, we look forward to celebrating every pupil’s achievements when restrictions are lifted.

This September, we have welcomed the next generation of pupils to the school and each of the four Year 7 forms has brought a new energy to our community. Whether gathering donations for our harvest collection, participating in a yeargroup activity day at Quorn or enjoying spontaneous games of football and table tennis in the LHS Quad, they have embraced every opportunity with relish and we look forward to following their journey over the next seven years.

We look ahead to 2021 with hope. Our wonderful new facility, the Parkin Sports Centre, will be officially opened and plans are underway for a spectacular, albeit belated, celebration of the Tableaux centenary at Christmas. We look forward to extending a warm welcome to all of our alumnae as soon as circumstances allow.

Madonna and Saints with Izzy Smith (Class of 2025) kneeling at the feet of Mary

Tableaux at 100 Curated by Olivia Smith.

M

y Tableaux journey began in 2018 when I received an email from Jo Pellereau (current tableaux lead) a few months after my daughter had started in Year 7 at LHS: I would like to invite Izzy to be one of our Cherubs in the LHS Carol Service (Tableaux). Tableaux is a unique LHS custom in its 97th year, where Year 13 dress up as static copies of famous Nativity paintings on the stage whilst readings and carols are performed. Every year we have three performances on Friday afternoon, Monday evening and Tuesday evening. We have a Year 7 in each performance in one of the scenes.

Not really having the first idea what all that actually meant, I accepted on Izzy’s behalf (she tells me that this is one of my annoying habits). I was a maths teacher at Amherst at the time so I asked colleagues and friends with roots in Loughborough as to what this ‘Tableaux’ actually was. Descriptions and opinions varied widely but I was left with a sense of something extraordinary, mysterious, as if frozen in time….and a bit bonkers! I definitely had the sense that it was an honour for Izzy to be involved and set about persuading Jo Pellereau to provide me with as many tickets as she could muster for grandparents and godparents.

Izzy will say that she didn’t really know what she was letting herself in for. It certainly didn’t click with her until the day of the first performance that she would have to stay literally as still as a statue for what felt like an eternity and fight the overwhelming urge to laugh. Amongst a cast and crew of sixth formers she had never laid eyes on before, she was well looked after by the girls and staff alike. And I believe that it was fairly last minute that it was noticed that the length of Izzy’s white robe was verging on the indecent (due to the fact that at 12 years old she was the height of an average sixth former). She was hastily provided with an improvised lower-half layer.

I watched the afternoon performance alongside Jesus’s parents, and it brought me to tears. Goodness knows what I had been expecting, but what I witnessed, sat in the beautiful, panelled LHS Hall, was an occasion stunning, unique and simply

fascinating. I knew how thrilled and amazed my other family members were going to be seeing it a few nights later.

So, why did I describe my involvement with Tableaux as a ‘journey’? I guess because this first-hand experience was only the beginning for me. When I joined the Development Office in January of this year, Tableaux at 100 was firmly on the agenda in anticipation of the centenary anniversary in December 2020 and memories and photographs from alumni (and their parents) were dropping into our inbox. By April, the world had been turned on its head and all plans thrown up in the air. By October, we finally came to terms with the fact that coronavirus was going to have achieved the unthinkable – stopping Tableaux in its tracks and the centenary celebrations with it.

But not quite. LHS realise that for Year 13s, taking part in Tableaux is a rite of passage. Enabling them to still have that experience in some shape or form is a priority for the school.

Plans for this year now focus on fulfilling those Tableaux ambitions internally, working within bubbles and fully compliant with Covid-19 regulations. Meanwhile, the school, along with other key collaborators, look towards regrouping in the New Year ready to honour this epic tradition with renewed vigour in 2021.

Despite a delay to proceedings, we were still keen that this centenary year be acknowledged and recognised here in Beyond the Barrier, even though the 100th Tableaux (in its full form) will not actually happen until next year. Tableaux has been a fundamental part of LHS throughout this past century and, although it has evolved over time and changes have been made, there is a thread of common language and experience that binds girls (and staff) through the ages together that is most extraordinary.

I have selected a number of recollections that I hope illustrate my point. The first, written in 1987, describes Joyce’s experience of the 1939 Carol Service – a wonderfully vivid and poignant account. I happened across the programme for this event in the LHS Archive and was struck by how never before has our ability to gather together been so acutely affected as in 2020.

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1960

The Virgin Adoring featuring Lucinda Murphy (Class of 1996

The Anunciation, 2015

Joyce Oakley Before the Autumn term ended in December 1939, an event took place at school which has remained in my mind for ever. It was the annual school Carol Service. I thought as a child, and still think in remembering, that it was wonderful. It wasn’t a concert or a production but a treasured living tradition. It took place in the oak panelled assembly hall which was always decorated with evergreens, the holly and ivy, and laurel and fir.

Each ‘Year’, from the Lower Third upwards, sang in turn three carols, most of them from the Oxford Book of Carols like the Coventry Carol or French or Latin ones such as Il Est Né le Devin Enfant or Quem Pastores Laudavere. There were also Bible readings of the Christmas story but as the carols were softly sung in the darkened hall, the curtains on the stage parted and various tableaux were revealed. These were all very detailed copies of some of the most famous pictures in the world telling of the Nativity. There was Fra Angelico’s ‘The angel appearing to Mary at the Annunciation’, ‘The Lute Players playing to the Virgin’

by Botticelli and a Flemish picture of the visit of the three kings, etc. The costumes were exquisite copies and were carefully handed down from year to year.

As the sweetly sung carols filled the hall, the stillness and beauty of the girl tableauists created for us a holy impression far transcending the glitter and tawdry wrapping of the common Christmas package.

42

It seemed like magic; music, art, youth and worship combined, and all of us there felt that life was indeed worth living. Of course, being at war a number of we girls were separated from our families and friends, other girls had fathers in the forces or on war work so the service was very poignant.

Our form, UpperIIIP, sang that year The Birds a carol from Bohmeia, The Packing Carol from Poland and an old English carol Now the Holly bears a berry. As the three wise men were revealed bringing their presents to the Holy Child, fragrant incense filled the hall.

Soon the service drew to a close as the sixth form sang the final carols and the last tableau was shown. It was that of Raphael’s ‘Madonna Della Sedia’, the beautiful Virgin, whose striped shawl was exactly reproduced, clasping a small child from the Kindergarten who acted the Christ Child and both were accompanied by a youthful St John.

The last notes died away, the curtains were drawn, the service was over, how sad I was that it was finished; but what a wonderful thing is memory!

Joyce Oakley (nee Rolinson), evacuee to LHS Sept 1939 to July 1941 Written as part of a letter reminiscing about her happy school days to Miss Harvatt in 1987

Jane Harker The Vice-Chair of the Loughburians Committee gives us an insight into the Carol Service around 30 years further on.

She mentions ‘Hotch’ who seems to appear in many alumnae recollections.

I joined LHS in 1965 in form Upper IIIC. Almost immediately in the autumn term we were given an exercise book which we were told to look after, as it was meant to last us throughout our time at school. We were instructed that this was our Carol Service book, and we were given the words to the carols our year was to sing in the Carol Service at Christmas. We were warned that we needed to learn the words by heart, or risk incurring the wrath of the head music teacher, Miss Griffiths (or ‘Hotch’ as she was known by all, but not necessarily with affection).

At that period in the long history of the annual Carol Service, the whole school took part and sang, not just the choirs as it is today. More performances were put on, in both afternoons and evenings. The local elderly were invited to the dress rehearsal on Friday afternoon, before the main events following on Monday and Tuesday. We attended on a rota, so there remained space for parents, although tickets were very restricted to one per family if I recall correctly.

Each year group had a tradition of singing the same carols, and a great favourite of the Upper Third was ‘The Stork Carol’.

This came from the prayer book of King Edward VI, but was arranged in the early 20th century.

The stork she rose on Christmas eve, And said unto her brood, I now must fare to Bethlehem To view the Son of God. She gave to each his dole of meat She stowed them fairly in, And far she flew and fast she flew And came to Bethlehem.

Sadly, all that rehearsal means that I can still remember every word!

At 11 years of age, nothing had prepared me for the LHS Carol Service (we didn’t call it Tableaux). It was so amazing to a young girl to sit in the dark and see the curtains draw back and see the scenes. As each year passed we looked forward to learning the carols that the older girls sang – such as ‘There is no rose of such vertu’. The Carol Service was an integral part of the school year for all the girls, and as we progressed through school we knew it would soon be our turn to be part of the tableaux.

Eventually it was our turn in December 1971. I landed the role of the Virgin Mary, and my best friend Jane Miles was St Anne.

That tableau isn’t used anymore – perhaps we finished it off!

There are others I recall that no longer appear, such as the Gifts tableau.

Although things change and develop (and rightly so) it is somehow rather wonderful to have been a part of the history of the High School and the tableaux. The common experiences of generations of girls (hilarity over beard wearing and the mandatory coughing when the intro to ‘We Three Kings’ strikes up, even before the incense has been lit) are things that bind us together. The school hymn talks of ‘one family unbroken’, and we, like all families, have this Christmas tradition.

Jane Harker (Class of 1972) 43

The Presentation in the Temple, 2013

Madonna of the Candelabra with Tim Jamieson as Jesus

Pat Ross Pat provides us with a ‘view from the crew’, the perspective of staff designing, organising and marshalling the occasion, through the 80s and 90s.

I ran the Carol Service from about 1980 to when I retired in 2001.

In a staff meeting not long after Miss Harvatt arrived, she asked if anyone would be interested in taking on the Carol Service. It had been run for many years by Bron Roberts, Head of Art, and she had recently retired. I had no experience of anything on a stage and had only seen the right-hand half of the tableaux as the staff ended up sitting in the corridor down the side of the hall. I was fascinated by the whole event and decided that I would rather have a go at running it than see it end. Quite independently, Judith Coe felt the same, so we jointly took it on.

We both saw it as an illustrated 9 Lessons and Carols so the tableau called ‘The Gifts’ did not fit in, so we dropped it. This was not a popular move, but we stuck to our guns. We got a similar reaction when we experimented with the readings, but we went full circle and ended up back where we started with the Authorised version of the Bible. There were more pressing matters - most of the costumes were unfinished. The cast had to move around semi-dressed. It was also a while since there had been a new tableau. This put a new dimension on holidays.

Judith and I spent much time in Italy and became very familiar with the Museums and Art Galleries.

Sourcing copies of chosen paintings was not always easy.

The National Gallery helped by finding a slide of a particular Holy Family. We had A4 copies made to work from. A few years into the life of this tableau I came across a copy of the picture and realised that our slide had been reproduced the wrong way round! With careful unpicking and repainting of the scenery we had our tableau. We kept quiet about the mistake and no one has yet commented!

When we took over, practically the whole school took part in the Carol Service. The majority were singing from sitting 10 to a bench at the front of the hall. Year 12 were the scene shifters and Year 13 were on stage along with one Fairfield boy and a few small Year 7s. At this stage, Year 13 only had about 40 girls in it, so many members had more than one part. Initially there were 44

always four performances: Wednesday afternoon, Thursday evening, Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. But after a few years there were changes. As well as pupils taking part, the whole staff were involved - make up, scene shifting, stage lighting, incense burning, photographing, marshalling each year choir into the hall in height order ready.

Casting the Carol Service was always interesting. The Year 13 soon learnt that I would not take requests except for the grey tableau. One request came from the back of the mini-bus and she was first on the cast sheet!

Towards the end of an evening performance a character in costume came on stage whispering that someone hadn’t turned up. “I’ve got the costume and make up on, but I don’t know what to do,” she said. Thank goodness she had the sense to fill the gap. I’d always thought that the Carol Service was the most under-rehearsed event in the school calendar but this was taking things to a new limit.

As well as the cast there was the scenery to be moved from one tableau to the next, in silence, in only 6 minutes. Much rehearsal time went into that. They were also competing with the readers trying to rehearse in the hall. On a day with two performances, the bearding department expected the beard to last for both performances so bearded ladies were to be seen in Loughborough on a Friday in December.

Our youngest cast member was a Fairfield boy to be Baby Jesus in the final tableau. ‘Baby Jesus’ later became ‘Boy Jesus’ after one child indignantly said, “I’m not a baby.” Initially we had one child for all the performances, soon expanded to two children and eventually to four so they only did it once after we nearly had a mutiny when one child declared, “I’ve done this, I don’t need do it again.” We always had the large doll on stand-by.

My favourite memory of all the Carol Services was when I was teaching General Studies to a mixed sixth form. A head appeared round my door saying, “Hi, Miss Ross, remember me? I was your Baby Jesus.” (Sam Smitten Downes, Class of 1999) Pat Ross, Former LHS Staff

Tableaux Fact File •

Tableau vivant: figures posed, silent and immobile, for twenty or thirty seconds, in imitation of wellknown works of art or dramatic scenes from history and literature.

•

Tableau vivants appear to have originated as medieval liturgical drama as part of a special Mass.

Popular in Victorian times, Tableaux also became an integral part of many school nativity plays. It is thought that LHS is the only school in England which continues to practice this custom, using the recreation of a number of artistic masterpieces to tell the story of the birth of Christ.

•

The LHS Archive contains little about the origins of the LHS Tableaux. Previous custodians of Tableaux history have speculated on Miss Bristol arriving as Headmistress in 1920 wanting to recreate a cherished Victorian childhood memory in her new school.

•

Although much of Tableaux has remained constant throughout the years, it hasn’t stayed static. Various new scenes have been added over the decades, often reflecting the Heads’ tastes. But charity and community have always been at the heart and local senior citizens are still invited to participate in the service and to enjoy refreshments afterwards.

With thanks to Megan Reilly, Former LHS Staff, for her 90th anniversary Tableaux history

The Visitation, 2015

Clare Burnett In 2014, a new tableau - The Visitation (Lorenzo Monaco 1405) - was introduced to help provide a more liturgically correct following of the story of Jesus. It is the second tableau and shows Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth after she has herself been visited by the Angel Gabriel in tableau one. I believe that this particular painting was favoured due to its bright colours and the number of characters in the painting.

As always, the change was not without controversy as, for a new tableau to be introduced, an existing one (affectionately known as the “ginger scene”) had to go! The costumes were all expertly created by Megan Reilly and her team of helpers and all materials were paid for by the Old Girls’ Association.

Some of my favourite memories of this tableau are that during the first year, eagle-eyed members of the audience may have spotted that the scenery was the wrong way round! There is also a bit of an obsession with the one blue shoe that is worn by the person in the green outfit on the right-hand side of the stage more often than not it isn’t actually worn but instead just gets put on the floor sticking out from underneath the costume. The ‘halos’ also cause quite a lot of hilarity when getting them on and adjusted correctly!

Clare Burnett (Class of 1997 and Former LHS Staff)

Scene shifting, 2013

Beards, 2013

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Celebrating 525 with Heritage Gifts 525 Heritage Pin Badges £8

the school crest. Appearing first in the early 1950s, the motto bowed out of badge duty in the mid-2000s.

This version is from the school’s Quincentenary in 1995.

The current version of the Grammar School crest was introduced in 2017, a modern twist on the Lemyington arms. The heron still stands proud as a symbol of watchfulness, grace, prosperity and peace. In heraldry, the chevron has the meaning of protection.

Heritage Grammar School Scarf Ralph Lemyington was Executor of Thomas Burton’s will and in 1873 the school adopted his crest as its own. This badge features on the oldest copy of the Loughburian that we have in our archives, printed in 1879. The Loughburian noted that school numbers had seen a 50% increase that year with nearly 130 boys now attending.

The herons have taken on many guises over the years.

Perhaps the most unusual is this form, a reproduction of the badge that featured on the first ever Loughborough Grammar School rugby shirt (see above). The shirt made its debut in 1948 and was still in circulation a decade later.

The school motto, vires acquirit eundo, has made intermittent appearances on 46

£25

It’s been some years since the school had an official school scarf as some say that “boys don’t wear scarves”.

However, men (and women) do!

You can keep warm and look cool this winter in this stylish reproduction of the last Grammar School scarf.

100% pure New Zealand wool and 100% pure nostalgia.

1948 Rugby Shirt £45 The earliest rugby shirt we have in the LGS Archives was presented by Malcolm Baum (who was part of that pioneering team, aged just 15, that played Barrow G.S. in the Autumn of 1948. This first-ever LGS 1st XV went on to play a further 7 fixtures during that and the Spring Term winning 4, losing 3 with one game drawn.

Malcolm had entered the School as an 8-year-old in 1941 and although he featured in those first fixtures he was not a regular member of the 1st XV the following season, playing regularly in the 2nd XV. He also played 2nd XI cricket, for which he was awarded half-colours.

In addition to his sporting prowess he also had an artistic side, singing tenor solo and having his pictures displayed in Art Exhibitions: ‘M.G. Baum exhibited a group of fine repeat designs, displaying a careful choice of colour scheme and creditable accuracy of detail. Baum entered some oil paintings on which he had obviously spent much time. His paintings, however, whilst showing attention to detail, lack animation, and his figure composition is of a lower standard than either his flower paintings or his landscapes.’ He also exhibited a workbench equipped with vice and bench-hook in the Handicraft exhibition.

He left in 1950, aged 16, to go to the School of Art at Loughborough College but returned in 1983 to judge the House Art Competition whilst still at the College of Art and Design.

Malcolm’s shirt is the inspiration for this faithful reproduction that any Loughburian would look fantastic in.

525 Loughburians Tie £24

It should come as no surprise that to celebrate the 525 anniversary the Loughburians should produce a new tie. After all in recent years there have been ‘new ties’ produced in 1987, 1995, 2000 and 2015. So 2020 falls into a certain pattern. But what is the history of these and even earlier ties?

Although the Old Boys produced a cricket team to play the School in the 1870s, it was not until the autumn of 1884 that it occurred to Old Boys ‘how pleasant it would be if a Dinner could be arranged at which all the Old Boys resident in London could be arranged in London.’ A small committee was formed and the first such dinner took place on 17 January 1885 at the Hotel Prevail. The 2nd dinner was held on 15 January 1886 at the Grand Hotel, Charing Cross and at that dinner it was suggested that an Association be formed. So on 14 January 1887 at the First Avenue Hotel a resolution was proposed and carried for the formation of such an Association and the Old Loughburian (note not Loughburians) Association was born.

One of its first tasks was to produce and fund the Loughburian, which was a magazine combining both School and Old Boys’ news. It continued to do this—apart from a brief break between 1892 and 1897— until 1975 when the publication split into the two publications we have today. It also needed a ‘logo’ and they chose their own variation on the ‘Lemyington

Shield’ first seen in 1879.

The Great War led to the Association going into abeyance before being reformed in 1920. The first mention of ties comes in the February 1923 Loughburian: ‘The committee has made provision for a supply of ties, hat-bands, etc in Old Boys’ Colours, which may be obtained in about three weeks time from Mr Arthur Green, High Street. The combination of colours is Claret, Royal Blue and Old Gold.’ However, this tie did not last long and in Christmas 1928 the Loughburian noted: ‘A small committee has been considering the question of a new Old Boys’ Tie, it being felt that the old tie was too colourful for everyday use. The tie chosen is manufactured in stiff poplin, with double stripes of maroon on a navy-blue background. The School colours are thus strictly adhered to, and the tie is both gented and of good wearing quality. The price is 3/6, obtainable from Bailey and Simpkin, Ltd.’ This tie was to last until 1987.

1970 saw the 475th anniversary of the School and a radical change in the design of the tie occurred to celebrate this, using the ‘Lemyington Shield’ rather than the OLA logo for the first time. This was to become arguably the most popular of all the OLA’s ties.

1987 marked the centenary of the Association and thus a tie was produced to mark the occasion. It chose to replicate the logo adopted after the reforming of the Association in 1920, where the words Schol Gram

Lobor (an abbreviation for the Latin Schola Grammatica Loborensis – LGS!) were replaced with the Association’s name. The Quincentenary meant that that this tie only lasted 8 years and it was decided to return to the 1928 tie suitably adapted for 1995.

As the Millennium approached it was felt that a tie designed in 1928 perhaps did not convey the right message for the Association. A radically different chequered tie was produced where in addition to the School crest the word ‘Millennium’ is cleverly disguised on the other blue squares.

In 2015 the Old Loughburians’ Association was replaced by The Loughburians and so it was felt that a new tie would be appropriate. Here the committee went back to the more traditional design of the 1970 tie but added a gold stripe as well as the red.

And so to the most recent tie, produced to mark the 525th anniversary. The tie once again uses the School colours but this time red returns to the fore. Much discussion took place whether to use the new ‘Lemyington Shield’ but in the end it was decided to simply use the distinctive heron. We hope you like it and don’t regard it as being ‘too colourful for everyday use’….and if anyone comes across the tie used in those early years please let us have it to make our archive collection of ties complete.

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Loughburian Student Reps New for 2020/21 is the role of Loughburian Student Rep, to create a link between the Development Office, the Alumni Association and pupils in the Senior Schools. Meet our first batch of student reps below:

Ellie Fernandes

Ben Jones

Evie Elliott

School: Loughborough High School Prefect Role: Development, Alumni Engagement and Events Prefect A level subjects: History, Politics, English Literature Career Ambition: I would like to be a lawyer What working with alumni means to me: I think it is so important that our school maintains a sense of unity even after we leave. The school community will always be part of us, whether it’s through reunions, meeting up with friends or offering networking to students within your profession.

School: Loughborough Grammar School Prefect Role: External Relations A level subjects: Economics, Geography, Maths Career Ambition: I am interested in environmental issues and want to pursue a career in sustainability.

What working with alumni means to me: To create a strong relationship between current pupils and old boys. For old boys to keep in contact with the school. Help organise social events that bring old boys back together.

School: Loughborough Amherst School Prefect Role: Deputy Head Prefect A level subjects: Music, English, Music Technology Career Ambition: I would like to go into the Music Industry What working with alumni means to me: To help facilitate opportunities for former students to meet current pupils. This might be to build up a network for shared experiences of time at the Loughborough Schools Foundation, or even for careers advice in the future.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW Re-scheduled 525 Gala Dinner Plaisterers’ Hall, London Saturday 20 November 2021, 18:30 Individual tickets: £90, table of 10: £800 Join us for a spectacular gala dinner and evening of entertainment as you share memories with fellow alumni.

See www.lsf.org/development/events-overview/ for details and booking.

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SPORT The inspiration behind

The Hamilton Cup

By John Weitzel

W

hilst sitting in the Hodson Hall and being bored by a prize-giving speech, an assembly, a lecture or not able to do an exam, I bet most Loughburians’ eyes have looked at the array of cups in the cabinets that surround the hall. There are about 100 cups of various ages but of all of these it is the three oldest which are special, with one in particular, The Hamilton Cup, being perhaps the most intriguing.

The tennis report in the very first Loughburian of 1879 ends with these words ‘The result of this year’s contest for the Captaincy is that Hamilton is victorious. Paget was absent and did not compete, or the result might have been different; but in Hamilton we have one who is likely to develop into a thoroughly good athlete – especially in Cricket.’

11 years later, aged just 25, Hamilton becomes the first (of three) Irishmen to win Wimbledon. (James) Willoughby Hamilton was born on 9 December 1864 in Monasterevin, County Kildare, the 7th of 9 children of Revd. Canon William Alfred Hamilton, a Church of Ireland rector, and Henrietta Cole. So the obvious question is why did they choose LGS as the boarding School for their very sporty son? Surely a more prestigious boarding school would have been their choice. Here the clue comes from the

knowledge that his big brother – 15 years older – is Revd. Henry Balfour Hamilton who we know became the first Rector of the recently restored St Helena’s Church in West Leake in 1882, the year after Willoughby leaves LGS. So it is likely that he was at another local church prior to that appointment and able to look after little brother at half-terms etc.

Willoughby entered LGS in 1876 and would have been a boarder in School House under Headmaster John Colgrove. The following extract from an 1886 edition of Pastime provides an insight into his time here. ‘His schooldays were spent at Loughborough Grammar School, Leicestershire, where he made his mark in outdoor games and exercise, winning several races each year in the athletic sports, besides gaining a place in the cricket and football teams. During his last year he was captain of both the elevens, and won the bat given as prize for the highest cricket averages. At lawn tennis, for three years, he held the position of champion of the school.’ We know from the report of the School v Old Boys Cricket match in the Loughburian of 1881, Willoughby’s last year in the School, that he takes 3 wickets and top scores with 46 (being run out!) in a crushing victory for the School. We also know from the Loughburian that the one thing he wasn’t was academic! Although 17 we find him in the Fourth Form (the third tier in a School that numbered 120 at the time) and there he is 19th out of 21 and scored just 2 in his Algebra!

Hamilton entered Wimbledon for the first time in 1896, reaching the quarter-finals. In 1887 the County Dublin Championships clashed with the tournament but when he returned in 1888 he reached the semi-finals, which he also reached in 1889. In 1890 he went two stages further. He won the All-Comers competition and qualified to meet William Renshaw, the six times previous winner, for the Championship.

The following description of the match is from the Daily News. ‘Some very even play was seen in the first set which was secured by Renshaw by 8 to 6. In the second set Hamilton obtained an easy victory by 6 to 2, whilst the third set went to the holder at 6-3. After this Renshaw

did not meet with much success, and Hamilton taking the fourth and fifth sets at 6-1 each, won the Championship by 3 sets to 2. Of the 45 games played.

Hamilton won 27.’ This and other tournament wins meant that Hamilton was ranked Number 1 in the world.

What happened next is one of the great mysteries in sport. He never ever competed in another competitive tennis match and no-one seems to know why.

According to more than one source a serious illness, blood poisoning, was said to be the cause but it is unlikely that he was seriously ill for too long as he married 5 years later and was working as a stockbroker in 1911. Indeed, there is evidence that he continued playing football and cricket. Was he just fed up playing tennis? He lived for 53 years after his Wimbledon triumph until he died on 27 September 1943 in Dundrum, Dublin, aged 78.

As you might expect his triumph at Wimbledon was at the centre of the Chairman of Governors speech at prize giving. Mr Hussey Packe mentioned the excitement of the boys over Hamilton’s success and their efforts to establish three silver challenge cups for cricket, football and tennis. Thus Hamilton’s success establishes the House System, which after many changes is still in place to this day. The Loughburian of January 1891 reports that there are to be four houses: School House, Burton House (the other boarding house) and the Day Boys, split into two, North & South by residence. It also records: ‘There have been several committee meetings about the Challenge Cups: after much deliberation, the inscriptions and the cups themselves have all been determined on. Ingenious members of the committee even made the designs after their own heart in which figured a pair of legs in deadly collision over a ball and various other devices.’ They were competed for that year and the next edition of the Loughburian in December 1891 records: 49

‘Since the last issue of this magazine the Challenge Cups have come into our possession, and they are well worthy of the ancient institution to which they belong. Their total cost amounted to £66, a sum which has practically been raised by present boys and the School’s alumni; a few subscriptions were also received from others who were interested in the movement.’

The Cups were funded by the boys (parents!) of the new ‘Houses’. The Football Cup by the Day Boys with 39 listed donors and the Cricket Cup

by Burton House with 26 donors. The Hamilton Cup was funded by School House with 19 donors, including the

Headmaster. He was so taken by Hamilton’s triumph that ‘during the Midsummer holidays our Head Master has very generously had the old ash court asphalted at his own expense, and we feel sure that the whole school will heartily join us in thanking him for his great munificence.’ (In those days the tennis court was on the quad.)

The cups for cricket and tennis have been presented ever since (the football cup went into abeyance when rugby was introduced) but unfortunately eight years ago the Hamilton Cup broke in two and I was forced to ‘fix it’ with BluTack and the cup never left the display case. For four years until I retired I tried

to find somewhere to repair it locally, without success. Being solid silver noone wanted to touch it, including our own design department! In April this year, after about a month in lockdown and getting bored, I started looking for somewhere further afield to do the job and after several failures finally found someone in Cumbria who was happy to do it. The result is not only is the Hamilton Cup repaired it has also been restored to its former glory. All the dents have been removed and it looks like new – the ‘Repair Shop’ could not have done a better job! A fitting tribute to arguably the School’s greatest sportsman.

The Foundation’s relationship with top-level tennis tennis did not end there. Amherst are now into their second year of hosting the elite tennis boarders as part of the Foundation’s partnership with Loughborough University National Tennis Academy (LUNTA). Whilst the girls remain resident at Hahn House, the boys have now moved from School House at LGS to their own boarding house Glengairn along with Housemistress Marie West and family. Here, three of the boarders give us an insight into their daily life, in times outside of national lockdown!

A week in the life of the Loughborough University National Tennis Academy players and boarders.

O

n Monday, it’s an early start. We wake up at 6:20am and have a healthy breakfast to start the day off well. We get our bags ready the night before so straight after breakfast we can hop in the taxi to get to Loughborough University for 7:30am. By 7.45am we’re on court warming up ready to start training at 8.00am until around 9:45am. After a quick change we’re back in the taxi heading for Amherst School and a geography lesson. Straight after geography we have maths for an hour and 50

a half, then we head into the common room to hang out with mates. After a quick lunch it’s back to the University for 2.30pm.

Another warm up and tennis lesson before a break and snack at 4:30pm after which it’s to the gym for 5.00pm where we have a session until 6.00pm. Then it’s back to the players’ lounge to sort our bags before the taxi arrives at 6.15pm. We enjoy a filling dinner before we walk back to Hahn House (our boarding house) for a nice warm shower ready to start our homework.

Tuesday is a tough day! We’re back on the Tennis court for 7:30am and a two and a half hour session. We leave the University for Amherst at 10:45am and as soon as we arrive we have maths for half an hour then Physics for an hour and a half.

After lunch we have extra science followed by English. School ends at 4.00pm but we’re back on court by 4.30pm. The second tennis session of the day lasts for an hour and a half and we finish at 6:30. We get a taxi to go back to school for dinner, before the short walk to Hahn House for homework and bed by 9.30pm.

On Wednesdays we don’t have training in the morning so we get to sleep in until 7:30am. We have a tasty breakfast at school before lessons start at 9:10am. Following a quick change, it’s off to the gym for session at 11.00am. After an hour of gym, we head back to school for English at 12:10pm. Wednesday is only a half day of school, so we head to Loughborough Uni at 2:15pm where we have a series of meetings either with a Psychologist or Performance Lifestyle Education Manager. After the meetings we have another tennis session and finish at about 6.30pm.

Thursday is one of the hardest days. We have to be at the tennis centre for 7:45am for a two hour vigorously hard tennis session followed by a cool down session at 10:15am. We have a warm shower and change into our school uniforms to head to school in a taxi. We arrive at Amherst for a full day of lessons consisting of chemistry, maths and English. After school, we travel back to the Uni to start our second session at 4:30pm. After another long session, our cool down ends at 6:30pm and we travel to the Grammar School to have an evening meal. Looks like we’ll be having a good sleep tonight after a long day!

On Fridays we have an early start as our taxi picks us up at 7:15am. When we arrive at the tennis centre all our bags for

school and tennis are pre-packed and the only thing we have left to do is fill our water bottles up do a warm up that is tailored for our own specific development. We have two sessions with a short break in between for a snack to build up energy levels. We always have food in the players’ lounge so we can eat whenever we’re hungry. After a gym session we grab a refreshing shower and quickly get changed and travel to school. We have physics and history on Fridays and private study to catch up on any work we’ve missed. We love Friday’s lunch as it’s fish and chips. At the end of the school day we go back to the University to play a bit more tennis and then head back by taxi to have some welldeserved dinner in the Burton Hall. We walk back to Hahn House to relax and get ready to go to bed.

On Saturdays we have a lie in! We get ready to have breakfast before the taxi picks us up at 9:05am. When we arrive at the tennis centre we get ready to go straight onto court so we can start our warm up. The tennis session is one and a half hours – it’s a bit hard as it’s the last session after a tiring week, but we all know that it makes us stronger. We stretch and shower and head back to Hahn House for lunch, which Mrs West and her family often make for us. The rest of the day is free time where we can go into town or meet our friends or even have sleepovers. We are also allowed to stay up just a little bit longer.

Sundays are usually quiet. We like to stay in bed later and then go to brunch at 11.00am. After brunch, we sometimes go to town or we watch a film. We like to chill and chat. At 5.00pm we go to tea at the Grammar School and after that, when we come back to Hahn House, we usually do some homework and get ready for the week to come.

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It’s all Go for the new LSF Sports facility

F

or many years the main school halls on campus were used as gymnasiums and in 1959, following successful fundraising efforts, a new purpose built gymnasium, to enhance the provision of physical education, was built at Loughborough High School (LHS). An article from November 1959 written upon the opening, notes: ‘on a tour of inspection guests admired the spacious kit-room, changing-room and showers (which have not been used since the Town Council drew attention to the shortage of water and the need for economy) before entering the gymnasium itself, a large, well-lighted building with the latest apparatus which girls of the school demonstrated under supervision of the games mistresses, Miss M Potts and Mrs E Toone.’

60 years on, and the vision for sport across Loughborough Schools Foundation (LSF) continually evolves to promote participation, engagement, variety, competitive success and overall fitness. The current Governors committed to the development of a brand new facility, refurbishing the former High School gymnasium into a dance studio and fitness suite, and adding a multi-use sports hall. In 2018 the #getsetgo Girls Sports Facility Appeal was launched to purchase equipment for this exciting new facility, and it is thanks to a number of donors that the fundraising goal was achieved. The Foundation even received a substantial legacy from Miss Sheila Parkin, a former pupil of Loughborough High School, which enabled us to cross the finish line, and reach the overall target of £168,500 for the equipment. It is for this reason that the new facility is called the ‘Parkin Sports Centre’.

Many alumnae upon reunion tours have recalled ‘the smell of the old gym’ and ‘using the freezing cold communal showers’. I wonder what those of you who remember shimmying up the ropes and vaulting over the ‘horse’ will make of the extensive sports hall, new weights areas, and the treadmills and spin bikes!

Jo Hackett, Director of Sport at LSF notes: ‘the Parkin Sports Centre is a superb indoor sports facility for the Foundation, offering a first-class playing area where our students are able to develop their skills. The sports hall has been used already for a range of activities, as well as competitions from indoor hockey, netball and badminton, through to aerobics, trampolining and Zumba. The fitness suite and studio provides a modern and extensive strength and conditioning suite as well as a purposebuilt studio for dance, fitness classes, such as spin and circuits and many other activities.’

The Parkin Sports Centre will be opened officially later this academic year when COVID-19 restrictions allow.

If you wish to find out more about future fundraising initiatives, how to support the Foundation or about leaving a gift to your School in your will please do contact us in the Development Office at development@lsf.org

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53

2020 Loughburians Golf Season Review

A

fter a delayed start, the season eventually got under way with the Spring Trophy event at Stanton on the Wolds Golf Club on 17 August. It was a dry and warm day with nine Loughburian golfers contesting the trophy. The scoring on the day was very good with Dave Barnett (Class of 1977) and Phil Scott (Class of 1980) finishing third with a creditable 35 stableford points. Paul Graveling (Class of 1977) was second with 37 points, 3 points behind eventual winner, Richard Underwood (Class of 1988), who amassed an amazing 11 points on the last three holes to finish with 40 points.

The Spring Trophy was closely followed

by The Quincentennial event at Rothley Park Golf Club on Saturday 22 August.

This event is open to all Rothley members as well as all Loughburian golfers with an official handicap playing for the main club trophy and a salver for the leading Loughburian. This year the main trophy was won by Rothley member John Fletcher with 39 stableford points and the salver for the leading Loughburian was again won by Tom Morgan (Class of 2002) (he also won it in 2017) with 37 points followed by James Quemby (Class of 2001) with 35 points.

The Loughburians then went to a completely new venue for us of Coxmoor Golf Club for the Autumn Trophy on 1 October. The event was an outstanding success with 17 golfers taking part, all of whom were stunned by the beauty and quality of the course and the recently built clubhouse (so much so that the venue has been rebooked for the Autumn Trophy on 1 October 2021). The weather was kind on the day and there were several scores of over 30 points on this difficult but very playable golf course.

Tied second on 37 stableford points were Paul Graveling and Jon Soars (Class of 1980) (defending Autumn Trophy champion) and the eventual winner was Richard Underwood, completing a very seldom double with a terrific score of 39 points. Well done Richard!

Unfortunately, the next events, The Grafton Morrish scratch foursomes 6-man team event finals at Hunstanton and Brancaster in Norfolk, were a victim of

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Covid 19 and the 2020 tournament was eventually cancelled.

The penultimate event of the 2020 season was the annual match versus Nottingham High School Old Boys at Rothley on 14 October. The match result was a win for The Loughburians by three and half matches to a half with the full details being as follows: •

Simon Cockbill (Class of 1977) and Achilleas Hatjiosif (Hatj) (Class of 1976) halved with Julian Gunn and Guy Guisborne (yes, that really is his name!)

•

Chris Drane (Class of 1976) and Pippa Stephens (Class of 1999) defeated Martin Hardwidge and Chris Spilsbury

•

Dave Barnett and Paul Graveling defeated Richard Hodgkins and Tony Palfreyman

•

Jonathan Carlisle (Class of 1989) and Stephen Hilton (Class of 1960) defeated Geoff Bryan and Clive Bentley

An interesting fact arising from the day is that Hatj knew Julian Gunn from about 40 years ago when he was the optician in Nottingham who prescribed Hatj, the school 1st XV rugby hooker at that time, contact lenses so he could see the scrum half signal for when the ball was being put into the scrum!

The final event of the season was the annual Old Pupils Golf Day event at Luffenham Heath Golf Club on 22 October. The format was pairs betterball where the net (of handicap) stableford scores from the best two pairs out of three for each school were added together to find the winners. The event was played on a very windy Luffenham course, which was playing every yard of its length from the medal tees, following almost 24 hours of rain the previous day. In the end the team came a disappointing fourth out of five teams, trailing the winners, Old Stamfordians, by 10 stableford points.

We now look forward to a more normal 2021 season and to welcoming Loughburian golfers to one or more of our events next year.

Loughburians Cricket 2020

C

ovid-19 inevitably led to the cancellation of most games during the season, but at its close it was possible to play the Sam Yaxley Memorial Game at Elvaston Castle C.C. in September. The match was overshadowed by the recent death of Sam’s greatest friend and best man Naveen Suri after a long illness. Since leaving in 2004 Naveen had played regularly for the old boys and even when ill would come and support. Before the game both teams lined up and gave a minute’s applause in his memory and players of both sides wore black armbands.

Trying to get the right balance of a side is tricky and this year to boost the batting the Loughburians renewed the opening partnership of 2014, Danny Murty and Eden Kurtz, to give them a solid start and they duly delivered with Danny finally being dismissed for 42. A late big hitting innings of 35 from George Scottorn enabled the Loughburians to reach a respectable 203-9

off their 40 overs. George opened the bowling with Harry Towne (Class of 2020), who had been an ‘Old Boy’ for 6 days, and early wickets fell. At one stage Elvaston were reduced to 113-8. A late flourish got them to over 160 but bringing George back into the attack soon finished them off being finally dismissed for 166 with George ending with figures of 4-28. Victory by 37 runs was the first occasion the Loughburians had won the Sam Yaxley Cup in the three years the game has been contested.

Loughburians Team. Captain: Craig Ashcroft (Class of 2004) Mark Ashcroft (Class of 2004) Eban Kurtz (Class of 2014) Martin Ladkin (Class of 200$) George Macleod (Class of 2011) Danny Murty (Class of 2014) Joe Purvis (Class of 2010) George Scottorn (Class of 2012) Harry Towne (Class of 2020) Lewis Wales (Class of 2020) Andrew Wray ( Class of 2004. Umpire: Tom Maguire (Class of 2006)

Contact the Development Office The LSF Development Team are always on hand should any alumni need to get in touch and would love to hear from you.

Their contact details are: ANDREW BALL, Director of Development, a.g.ball@lsf.org, 01509 638922 EMMA FRASER, Data and Development Officer, e.l.fraser@lsf.org, 01509 638920 NATALIE SAVAGE, Development Manager, n.savage@lsf.org, 01509 638921 OLIVIA SMITH, Alumni Engagement Officer, o.smith@lsf.org, 01509 638920

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