oganews SPRING 2022
CONTENTS 3
WELCOME BY OGA CHAIR, JENNY THOMAS
4
FROM THE HEADMISTRESS
5-16
DEVELOPMENT REPORT
17-34
MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE
35-48
ST JAMES’S AND ST JAMES’S & THE ABBEY
49-58 THE ABBEY
58-66 LAWNSIDE
67-78
MALVERN ST JAMES
79-83 YOUR OGA
OGA Officer roles PATRONS Rosalind Hayes Philippa Leggate Elizabeth Mullenger Val Payne Peter Pollard Duseline Stewart Trish Woodhouse HONORARY PRESIDENT Olivera Raraty HONORARY VICE PRESIDENTS Patricia Birchley Anne Borrowdale Clare John Sarah Musgrave Pauline Newton June Roundhill
Patricia Wilkinson Elisabeth Rambridge Hannah Gill Joan Newby Fiona Fowles
CHAIRMAN Jenny Thomas (MGC 2002) VICE-CHAIRMAN Penny Smith (Reay, St J&A 1980) HONORARY SOCIAL SECRETARY Patricia Wilkinson (Marsden, MGC 1956) HONORARY TREASURER Catherine Jones (MGC 1980) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Decade Representatives 1950s Ginny Wigglesworth (Lawry, MGC 1959) 1970s Jane Mason (Coles, MGC 1970) Judith Drewer (Horrell, Abbey 1973) 2000s Daniella Grieveson (MGC 2001) 2010s Laurel Buchanan (MSJ 2010) Helen Buchanan (MSJ 2012) EX HEAD GIRLS AND OGA PREFECT Grace Clifford (HG 2020), Vivi Manning (Deputy 2020) Beatrice Clifford (Deputy 2020) Alice Delhanty (OGA Prefect 2020) Faye Lynch William (HG 2021), Emily Cox (Deputy 2021), Tolu Onadele (Deputy 2021) Rachael Lam (OGA Prefect) CURRENT HEAD GIRL TEAM Saskia Drake (Head Girl) Christy Lee (Deputy) Lexie Preston (Deputy) TRUSTEES Anne Borrowdale (Lea, MGC 1970) Cecily Hewlett (MGC 2002) Charlotte Morrison (Page, MGC 1973) Ottoline Scriven (MGC 2004) Fiona Shires (Beckett, Lawnside 1983) Rowena Westacott (Evans, St J&A 1980) OGA OFFICE CONTACT POINTS Development Director Fiona Meredith meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk External Relations Manager Phillippa Weatherhead oga@malvernstjames.co.uk Development Assistant Chrissy Bligh oga-assistant@malvernstjames.co.uk
WELCOME BY JENNY THOMAS (MGC 2002) OGA Chairman
Hello everyone, I know it feels odd to say it now, but Happy New Year to you all and welcome to the latest OGA magazine and first in paper form for a while! A special mention to our St James’s community as we belatedly celebrate your 125th Anniversary in 2022, I hope you have lots of celebrations planned! I don’t think any of us expected things to still be affected by Covid but it certainly feels like we are getting back to some sense of normality. I have loved being able to get back to going to the theatre and see friends as the restrictions start to ease. I hope that you and yours are all well and you are able to start making plans. I am so looking forward to our first in person reunion in nearly 3 years on June 11 and really hope to meet lots of you then. It is also very exciting to read the latest updates on how the School’s plans are coming along, it will be great to see them in person in June. And last but not least, I am delighted to be able to share the news that we have a new Treasurer for the OGA, Catherine Jones (MGC 1980). At the time of writing this, events in the Ukraine are hard to watch, I wanted to take this opportunity to say to anyone from our community affected, you are in are thoughts, and I hope you and your families are safe. With best wishes for Spring and Summer,
Jenny
WELCOME FROM THE
HEADMISTRESS Mrs Olivera Raraty, Headmistress of Malvern St James
Malvern is a special place to be a Head: the sense of continuing history, the inspiring environment (those hills!), and that certain magic that attracted so many schools to a small town in Worcestershire. The past two years have been like nothing before. We have faced extraordinary challenges in teaching and learning but also come up with extraordinary innovation. Teachers and pupils now have a very different experience in the classroom, aided by the giant leaps in technology. We have available to us an almost limitless bank of digital teaching material to access, whether this is the latest academic reports and papers, emerging authors and opinionmakers, and access to extension resources and specialists provided by organisations around the globe. And all at the click of a mouse. This is an exciting time to be in education. We continue to work on our plans to renovate the Library – built in 1934 and unchanged since - so that it can be enjoyed by pupils now and for the next 100 years. This is one of the most special places in the building, loved by all, but it needs new facilities to support modern ways of working, including individual study areas, collaborative areas, maker areas and a Sixth Form area. Smart classrooms will incorporate the best of digital technology to create the most interesting, immersive, insightful and
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OGA NEWS
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dynamic lessons where pupils can learn and present in the ways that work best for them. Technology in education is a positive force, but with it come reasonable concerns, largely about the insularity that it can create – we all know those people who are glued to their devices, oblivious to what is present around them. We have launched our MSJ Character Programme, a long-term project designed to build sound values, a sense of duty and commitment to community. In the words of one of our founding schools’ motto, ‘Union is Strength’. Malvern girls are already demonstrating that they are present and working for the greater good – more about that on the following pages. As a school we are making a commitment to creating transformational opportunities, aided by alumnae, parents, families and past parents. Our Year 11 Mentoring Students for Jobs programme will start next academic year, with the aim of eventually offering interview and CV writing coaching to every Year
11 pupil in Malvern. And we have a target of raising £2million to support pupils with 100% fullyfunded places. It may be at odds with its appearance, but Malvern is one of the poorest performing regions in the country for social mobility according to the Social Mobility Commission and Institute for Fiscal Studies report in 2020. We want to play our part in changing this. We hope that more of you will join us on this journey. Thank you to everyone who plays a part in School life: we are very grateful to those who support us in all manner of ways. I look forward to welcoming our wider community back into school, now that the pandemic risks are receding. I very much enjoy saying hello to Old Girls who have come back to visit, and in particular I look forward to seeing many of you at a Reunion, Information Event or Headmistress’ Drinks in the next few months.
DEVELOPMENT
REPORT
FOUNDING OF
Malvern St James Girls’ School FOUNDING OF
St James’s School FOUNDING OF
The Abbey School
FOUNDING OF
Malvern Girls’ College
2006 FOUNDING OF
Lawnside School
1896 1880 1863 c1850
DEVELOPMENT
REPORT
5
OUTREACH GLASGOW TO GHANA:
MSJ UNIFORM GETS A SECOND LIFE
If you see the famous blue tartan MSJ uniform anywhere around the world, do not be surprised. Led by two innovative Year 11 pupils, children from Glasgow to Ghana, Scarborough to Zimbabwe are benefiting from upcycled uniform donated by MSJ. Suits, trackies, coats and more have been gathered and redistributed to places where they can be readily reused. Closest to home, 20 sets of PE clothing were donated to Malvern Wells Primary School. Thanks to the donation, their school sports teams now have an official uniform. Their first fixture in the new garb saw them score a convincing win - something that the Head puts down to pride in their revamped appearance.
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A further 385 sports items from fleeces to sports coats, hoodies to studs, were rebadged by MSJ’s seamstress and donated to the Gallows Close Community Centre in Scarborough, which runs activities and a café for its local community in an area of economic deprivation. The clothing donated to GCCC will help children form identifiable teams to take part in gymnastics, football and street dance competitions. Sixty-five items were sent to the School of Hard Knocks in Glasgow, a charity supporting teenagers disengaged and at risk of exclusion from mainstream education. The school uses sport to help build character, behavioural change and positive attitudes. Summer dresses, water bottles, and sports kit were sent to the
Ratidzo Trust in Zimbabwe and the Village by Village charity in rural Ghana. One hundred suit blazers, gathered from our Sixth Formers, were donated to Suited for Success, a charity in Birmingham which provides interview support to people experiencing significant personal barriers which affect their chances of gaining decent jobs. They help those dealing with complex issues including homelessness, care leavers, and the long-term unemployed. Romilly and Isobel, our Year 11s who led these projects, have deservedly won a Citizenship Award from UK Education Guide. Thanks also go to MSJ’s seamstress, Kate, who rebadged all the sports items for their new homes.
COMMUNITY IN MALVERN... Prep girls have been keeping in touch with residents of Mowbray Care Home in Malvern, being their pen pals through Covid. They made Valentine’s hearts and sent Valentine’s cards, walked up to the home and held up banners and mimed songs in sign language (whilst singing was banned) and later when restrictions lifted a degree, they sang outdoors for the residents. In Sixth Form, Year 12s Community Service programme has at its heart a commitment to serve locally. The girls are working with Windsor Court, a local care home, and have participated in their Dementia Friends course, as well as bringing a small outdoor Carol service - complete with instruments, singers, readings and blessings from our School
Sixth Form pupils at Windosr Court care home
chaplain - to the residents at Christmas. They joined a pumpkin carving workshop at Hallowe’en, and (Covid allowing) they drop in to play scrabble, jigsaws and just have a chat. They have also established a link with St Michael’s Hospice (for patients with life-limiting illnesses, based in Hereford) and the girls will help with grounds and gardening projects,
fundraising and administration work from September this year. In an annual tradition, they will host a tea party for local charity Malvern Special Families in the Summer. This Malvern-based charity provides safe, stimulating and fun social opportunities for children and young people with disabilities. It will be an opportunity for children to be entertained with an afternoon of games, activities, presents, tea and laughter, The Gambia is a longstanding project which started at MGC, and now whilst parents continues as a key Sixth Form project for MSJ. We are teamed with a local get some village, Ilyassa, where we assist in all sorts of community projects. Usually, well-earned Year 12s go out to work on these projects, and see the community in action downtime. Girls every other year, though Covid has skewered this for the last two years. will also help in Despite this, work continues apace. In the last 18 months, a garden has been charity shops established with 500 sapling trees and a bore hole to provide a watering in Malvern, system. The tree project will allow the community to make soaps, creams including Age and honey to generate an income stream. All the products that come from Concern, Sue the trees are sustainable, creating a long-term, environmentally friendly Ryder, the project. Our next fundraising effort will be a processing room with tools to Blue Cross and create these items to be sold at market. During Covid, we have also provided Amnesty. clean water stations and supported some salaries in Ilyassa’s school.
... & FURTHER AFIELD
DEVELOPMENT
REPORT
7
MENTORING STUDENTS FOR JOBS Social mobility for youngsters in the Malvern Hills area has been found to be one of the lowest in the country in a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Social Mobility Commission (2020). Malvern St James aims to address this issue - with the support of its community of parents, alumnae and past parents – with an initiative called Mentoring Students for Jobs which will eventually reach all Year 11s in all schools in our surrounding area. We will start next academic year working with a large local state school in the town. We want to offer every Year 11 child (aged 16 and in their GCSE exams year), face-to-face support with developing their interview technique and CV/application writing skills. We are seeking volunteers from our school community (Old Girls, past parents, current parents, past and present staff) who could give up a few hours to offer advice on creating an engaging CV and/or a mock interview with personal feedback. If you feel that you could help with this project, we would love to hear from you. Even giving just one day of your time – when combined with lots of other people doing exactly the same - will mean we can reach significant numbers of youngsters, for whom the benefit will be huge.
GET INVOLVED If you are interested, please get in touch via the Development Office on tel: 01684 892288 or oga@malvernstjames.co.uk or register your details at this link www.msj.gs/2UHfQ5C
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Bursaries transform lives. Every year, MSJ invests around
£500,000
in means-tested bursaries, and supports more than 1 in 4 current pupils in this way.
This year, we are able to fund our first
100% bursary thanks to a combination of School investment and donor generosity.
Donors can support specific bursaries (eg Music, Science, Sport) or contribute to our Founders’ Award scheme which supports talented, curious minds without being subject specific.
Join the MSJ donor society and be part of something amazing.
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BURSARIES FOR
EXCEPTIONAL MUSICAL TALENT Mrs Lynne Lindner, Head of Performance and Vocal Studies at MSJ, retired in the Summer of 2020 after 27 years’ service to MSJ and St James’s School. In that time, she has taught thousands of girls, and shared with them and the wider community her gift of music. She has taken pupils around the UK and Europe to some of the great musical venues, given them the opportunity to perform in a host of prestigious spaces, and inspired them to think big when it comes to their musical ability. Lynne has demonstrated her ability to nurture young talent and generations of girls have flourished under her guidance. The confidence they have gained from music has sustained them and given them resilience in the classroom and beyond. They have gone on to have demanding professional lives, from opera singers to medics, engineers to bankers, and music has remained a constant. Not all pupils at all schools have the kinds of opportunities for music performance and inspiration that we have at MSJ. It is for this reason that we are very pleased to be supporting Lynne’s initiative to raise £100,000 for the Lynne Lindner Music Award. This is a means-tested bursary scheme to enable musical girls to come to MSJ, or stay here, who couldn’t do so without significant financial assistance. £50,000 has already been raised from the generous support of donors; we are now looking to raise the remaining £50,000. Can you help us to create transformational opportunities for musical talent? Combined with Gift Aid, giving over an extended pledge period – for example 5 years – all adds up:
Just over £13 per month given by a UK 20% tax payer over a 5 year period will make a £1,000 gift
Less than £46 per month given by a 45% tax payer over a 5 year period will make a £5,000 gift
Less than £92 per month given by a 45% tax payer over a 5 year period will make a £10,000 gift
To find out more, please contact Fiona Meredith, Development Director on tel: 01684 892288 or meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk, or visit our website www.malvernstjames.co.uk/support-us
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DEVELOPMENT
REPORT
11
Lexie, Marnie and Scarlett
FOUNDERS’ AWARDS
BURSARIES
The Founders’ Award is the bursary scholarship that supports girls who demonstrate excellent academic potential, leadership and a desire to engage with and strengthen the community – whether that’s our internal MSJ community, or our reach into the local Malvern area and further afield. These girls share their enthusiasm by mentoring younger pupils and injecting a ‘can-do’ attitude into the pupil body, leading by example. The Founders’ Awards scholars this year are Marnie and Lexie in Year 13 and Scarlett in Year 12. Our two Year 13s are on countdown to their A Levels: Marnie is studying Economics, Geography and Spanish; and Lexie, Drama, Psychology and Classical Civilisation. Both have completed the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), Lexie’s on ‘How does the Criminal Justice System Treat Individuals with Mental Illness’ and Marnie’s on ‘The Process of Setting Up A Small Food Business’. Lexie is aiming to study Law at Cardiff next year, whilst Marnie will take a gap year before applying for Business Economics. We don’t like to pigeonhole MSJ girls, but if we had to, in this case Marnie would be “the sports expert”, being our Sports Prefect and in the first teams for Lacrosse, Netball and Hockey; whilst Lexie would be “the Arts expert”, being heavily involved with Drama, Choir, Vocal Ensemble and singing/musical theatre. Of course, they are both multidimensional, but sport and expressive arts respectively are where their passions lie.
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Both have been involved with community projects whilst at MSJ. Lexie, as Deputy Head Girl, led the Prefect team in their mission to contribute something meaningful to the problem of Period Poverty in our local area. Over 5,000 products were donated by MSJ girls to the Bishop Perowne School in Worcester. Lexie has also been part of a community project working with care homes in Malvern. Covid meant the girls were unable to visit in person, but she was part of a team making Christmas cards for residents, and creating Christmas gift boxes for Malvern Special Families.
Marnie has led on our fundraising for Sports Relief, as well as volunteering for the Colwall and Malvern Hockey Club as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Award – she is now working towards completing gold level.
Scarlett joins MSJ from The Chase School in Malvern, a maintained sector comprehensive school. She is studying History, English and Business and is doing an EPQ investigating whether social media algorithms and presentation lead to dependent or addictive behaviours. She is also a member of MSJ’s Young Enterprise team – the national competitive scheme which encourages pupils to think entrepreneurially and to hone business skills. Next year she will run the MSJ Business Club and she is looking forward to being able to participate in in-person Model United Nations events shortly. (Model United Nations is an inter-school debating forum run along the lines of the real United Nations). She wants to study Business at university and works in the evenings and at weekends at a local independent restaurant where she sees business in action.
All three girls talk of the opportunity for independence, learning to think for themselves and gain life skills; as well as small class sizes allowing them really close working relationships with subject teachers. Scarlett in particular comments on how class size impacts her: “Before, in a class of 35, I wouldn’t say a word. Having much smaller classes has meant that everything is more interactive and I’ve gained confidence to the point where I actively participate in every class. There is always discussion and a feeling that everyone’s opinion matters.” Scarlett also loves the way that all the year groups mix at MSJ. “There is such a sense of community here. The Sixth Form go to help out in the Prep department and we compete in Ships across all year groups. I feel that I know so many people and whilst we are all individuals, we share common goals and values.” Founders’ Awards would not be available without the generosity of donors who support the scheme. A massive thank you to everyone who has given or continues to give, not just from Lexie, Marnie and Scarlett, but from all the girls who have benefited and will benefit from this immensely important and valuable Bursary programme.
If you are able to contribute to this scheme to ensure its future and to allow us to reach more girls like Lexie, Marnie and Scarlett, please get in touch with Fiona Meredith (Development Director): meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk or tel: +44 (1684) 892288 DEVELOPMENT
REPORT
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A YEAR
£554,384
IN GIVING...
spent on bursaries 2020-21
1
more than
1 in 4
girls helped
89
legacy gift
25
donors
Volunteers & Time Donors
3
£149,000
pledged legacy intentions
received in donations 2020-21
FOUNDERS AWARDS PUPILS – WHERE NEXT? Since 2017, Founders Awards Pupils have gone on to study... PHYSICS
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
University of Leeds
University of Oxford
Imperial College London
ENGLISH
MEDICINE
VETERINARY MEDICINE
University of Exeter
Cardiff University
University of Cambridge
STAGE MANAGEMENT
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
COMBINED HONOURS
Central School of
University of Leeds
Newcastle University
Speech and Drama
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WHAT A BURSARY MEANS ...TO OUR GIRLS
“
MARNIE
“
School taught me to always aim high and take every opportunity. Receiving the Founders’ Award gave me a taste of the independence I now have here in Cambridge, and it also meant I could keep going with all my sports and music all the way through school. Receiving the Founders’ Award definitely helped me, and it would be great if it could do the same for a lot more girls.
“
VIVI, STUDYING VETERINARY MEDICINE AT CAMBRIDGE
“
I would love to see the sort of education that MSJ provides be available to all, but that requires an enormous change in society. However, Theodore Roosevelt’s dictum – “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” seems to be very applicable. Providing just one bursary is worthwhile - if just one extra student can benefit then it should be done.
“
I much enjoyed my time at MGC and when it was time for our daughter to move to secondary school she sat the entrance exam for MGC and was awarded an exhibition and bursary, enabling us to send her to MGC. She also flourished there, and we have always been most grateful for this, and now is payback time! ANN PAYNE (NASH) MGC OLD GIRL & DONOR
I've always been grateful for the opportunities I had at MGC and the possibilities that were opened up to me. It's important to make those same opportunities available to the next generation, whatever their background, so I'm pleased to support the bursary fund.
“
“
“
MR TAYLOR, DONOR
...TO OUR DONORS
‘SF’, MGC 1983 LEAVER AND DONOR
“
“
I most appreciate the support and encouragement that MSJ offers to every individual girl. I have always felt that I can be myself, do the things that I love, and be supported when making choices. I have no doubt that I will continue to be encouraged throughout my last years at MSJ, especially when it comes to deciding what I want to do when I leave school.
DEVELOPMENT
REPORT
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THANK YOU
TO OUR DONORS To everyone who has given a financial gift, a gift in kind, their time, or possessions to the Archives. We are enormously grateful for your support which helps us to deliver the best in academic, pastoral and extra-curricular life at MSJ.
Miss Marie Hall Sally Fontes Rosemary Kefford Hannah Leathart Joan Buckenham Patricia and Fiona Wu Rhian Smith Katie Balson Elizabeth Reed Megan Bowdrey Reza Taei Katy Aspinwall Kirsty Ettrick Rupert Hughes Duseline Stewart Susan Utting Serena Crump Jeremy Baxter Anne Littlewood Keri Haw Katherine Nabbs Gemma Bruce Jennine Woods Laura Jones Li Liu Q Javed Sue Cartwright née Mills, MGC (1965-1972) Peter and Sarah Sefton Fiona Meredith Sarah Clifton Alina Jakubova Venla Freeman Claire Freeman Mrs H L Leatham Nicola Wilson
Matthew Cripps & Penny Gillman
Mrs McGrath
Caixia Chen
Mrs Whittall
GIFT IN KIND DONORS
Mr Zhang and Ms Si
Georgie Pearman
MSJ Old Girls’ Association Chambers Family Zinnia Wilkinson Mrs Jane England Mr & Mrs Price Mrs Rosalind Hayes Adam & Marta Dockar-Drysdale
Mr Tong and Ms Fan
Susan Ferguson
Mr and Ms Lee and Kong
Michelle Banton
Dr and Mrs Jauncey
+ 1 anonymous
Mr and Ms Huang and Chan Mr and Mrs Leung and Hung
ARCHIVES DONORS
+ 14 anonymous
Ann Backhouse Janet Nelson (daughter of Jean Cathcart Nelson, MGC 1934)
Pippa Leggate
TIME DONORS
Georgiana Kwok
Catherine Jones
Tim Chapman
Claire Bligh & David Barnbrook
Emily Cox
Kempsey Manufacturing (KM) Limited
Lynne Lindner
Mr Craufurd-Stuart (son of Joyce Parsons, MGC 1930)
Veronica Blackmore
Vivi Manning
Rachel Powell Middlecote Family Mrs Melanie Walker Elizabeth Bessant John and Sarah Connell Greer Owen Jenni Chuck Valerie Turner Lisa C Glover Dr John Harcup OBE Rachel Huntley Mrs E Pountney Caroline Hudson Ann Payne (Nash, MGC) Vivienne Tsao Elizabeth Mullenger Bryony Tomlinson Dr and Mrs Lambourne Mr and Mrs Jones Mr Greenland
Sophie Grant Faye Lynch-Williams Lara Maylor-Wrout Dr Rebecca Jones Elizabeth Mullenger Patricia Wu
Patricia Wilkinson (Marsden, MGC 1956) Judith Rose (nee Goldstone, St James’s 1955) Judy Wilson (daughter of Penelope Boswell-Brown) John Bush (husband of Pamela Bush, St James’s 1956)
Fiona Wong Jo Blackshaw Victoria Advani Liz Bond Karen Newton Lucy Miller Elizabeth MacDonald Alison Kingshott Rebecca Maxwell Lucy Walton Nicky Connell Elise Frostman Katie Guthrie Saska Ingham Sarah Ellis
THANK YOU TOO, TO ALL OUR OGA COMMIT TEE AND TRUSTEES: Jenny Thomas (OGA Chairman) Catherine Jones (OGA Treasurer) The OGA Trustees: Anne Borrowdale Charlotte Morrison Cecily Hewlett Fiona Shires Rowena Westacott Ottoline Scriven
EasyFundraising You can help MSJ every time you shop by using the Easy Fundraising app and selecting MSJ as your chosen charity. Retailers from John Lewis to M&S, Tui to Trainline.com will donate a percentage every time you shop with them to our bursary fund at no extra cost to you. How to sign up and start shopping: on a mobile device, download the easfundraising app, select Malvern St James Girls’ School as your chosen charity, browse the retailers and the link to their website to shop. It’s as easy as that and all money raised will go to the MSJ bursary fund. Thank you!
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MALVERN
GIRLS’ COLLEGE
FROM THE FORMER
HEADMISTRESS Mrs Pippa Leggate, Headmistress of Malvern Girls’ College 1997 - 2006
Looking Forward... After two of the strangest years with uncertainty, loss and the unexpected, accompanying the coronavirus pandemic, it has been uplifting to feel an air of normality returning to the world as we learn to live with Covid thanks to the success of the vaccine. Meanwhile, I have found myself on occasions thinking about the impact of the Spanish flu that affected the world from 1917 until 1921 and considering how much more devastating that must have been coming as it did in the aftermath of the horrors of World War One. Perhaps, it’s a good thing that we cannot foresee what the future holds for us, so we can make the most of whatever opportunities life offers us. Sometimes, adapting to change and learning from the unexpected may bring surprising benefits. Certainly, considering the impact of the pandemic over the past two years has a resonance which can be applied to the present, as well as looking forward to the future. As a Governor of our local Primary school, I spent some time recently with the Head reflecting on the pandemic and its impact both positive and negative on the school and its community. The next step was then to identify the priorities to be addressed as normality returns. Obviously there has been considerable disruption for schools and particular concerns for specific age groups. Yet, it was interesting to note that for almost all the age groups, technology has been utilised more effectively and the importance of relationships recognised more fully. Perhaps not surprising, but some positive aspects to move forward and build upon, as well as addressing the problems. Throughout the pandemic communication and contact with family and friends have remained key considerations, but with
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Pippa Leggate on her recent trip to South Africa
lockdowns and travel restrictions these have been difficult or even impossible at times. Yet, now that we are be able to travel again more freely both locally and internationally, it raises all our expectations. In January 2022 I was able to travel to South Africa to attend a special reunion and celebration near Cape Town. For some time, it seemed only a vain hope, but when it became a reality, it exceeded all expectations and was just so exciting! Never have I appreciated the chance to travel so much or recognised the joy of being able to see old friends from across the world. So, as we look forward, I think we all have the chance to appreciate the opportunities that come our way and to make the very most of them. Sometimes, it takes the absence of something to make one appreciate what may have been taken for granted for too long. Just as relationships with family and friends are important to us throughout our lives, so too those friendships from distant MGC or MSJ school days can be particularly special, but they also need to be recognised and appreciated, so do keep in contact! This comes with my very best wishes to you wherever you are in the world, as well as encouraging you to keep in touch with each other.
NEWS DIANA MORLEY (MCVEAGH, 1944)
1940s Leavers
As a very Old Girl (shortly to be 95) I send you the news that my fourth book, Gerald Finzi’s Letters, has been published by Boydell. The collection positions the composer in the British musical world between the 1920s and 1950s, revealing new aspects of his personality and compositional life.
BRENDA FOX (COOKE, 1945) Recently I have been going through some old letters which brought back some memories from wartime MGC. VE Day was thrilling. The following paragraphs are from a letter I wrote to my parents on 9th May 1945: ‘Isn’t it wizard about victory?’ ‘... On Tuesday we got up 1/4 hour later which was a bit of a swizz and also had to do lessons all morning!! But first we gave a lot of cheers and then danced a few victory dances! In the afternoon we heard Churchill and so forth - had tea and then a few of us went up to the town to see the decorations; they were very good and festive!! We saw a few drunks but not many. When we came back, we had supper and then heard the King’s speech etc. It was good, wasn’t it?’ ‘The bed bell went then, and we
had got undressed for bed when Brooks said all Pre’s and Sub-Pre’s could go up the town. Brooks let us hang out of the front windows to watch the rockets and bonfires. There were two great searchlights on the Beacon in the sign of a ‘V’ and all the others roundabouts were red, white and blue and kept on doing ‘dot, dot, dot, dash’!! There were bonfires right along the line of hills and the Priory was floodlit and looked lovely. We had a high time hanging out of the windows shouting at the sailors who shouted back. It was a scream,
as they were all drunk and had to prop each other up!! The Winter Gardens had a dance on and everywhere was lit up.’ ‘Today we have the whole day off - got up at 9.15 as the maids didn’t get in ‘till about 2! Then we had a tennis tournament and at the moment I am sitting on the hills writing this just after having had tea.’ ‘Tonight, we are having a whist drive and then a fancy-dress dance, as the title of a song. We are going as ‘Me and my gal’. Haines is the bridegroom, and I am the bride.’
To celebrate VE Day it was decided that each landing in Senior should create a victory song and dance (I was on John’s). An Upper Sixth former called Mary Stewart (?) wrote the song and we stood in a circle, holding hands, moving in and out, kicking our legs and singing.
ELIZABETH THOMAS (WALL, 1949) Elizabeth Thomas celebrated her 90th birthday in 2021 alongside family and friends including daughter and Old Girl Carol Grovesnor (Thomas, 1984) and Audrey Sutcliffe. Also in attendance were the three daughters and son of Winifred Drummond who sadly passed away. MEMORIES
FROM MGC
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1950s Leavers MARY TREACHER (DAUNTON FEAR, 1951) This photo of Mary Treacher (Daunton Fear, 1951) and Mary Valpy (Gibson, 1946) is of a reunion after 75 years. I was at MGC Hatley St George from 1942-1946 and met Mary there in 1944, she continued there until 1951. We met up last summer at her home in Beaminster in Dorset. What a wonderful occasion! Mary Treacher and Mary Valpy
GILLIAN REES JOHNSON (REES, 1955) Memories of Hatley St George I arrived at Hatley in the autumn term of 1948. The place seemed enormous. There were 14 of us in the 'dorm' and we slept in black iron beds with lumpy mattresses. The maids brought in hot water for our jugs and basins for us to strip wash. Baths were rare. The Housemistress, Miss Watson (known as Watty), came round the dorm every night to kiss us goodnight. Matron, who seemed ancient, wore full nurse's uniform with a white starched cap, was known as Boney and very strict. We never knew her real name - just Matron. We had to run round the grounds after breakfast in all weathers to 'keep us regular'! Food was terrible after the war. There was still rationing. Meals seemed to consist of chewy mince and stew which we swore was horsemeat. Every morsel had to be eaten. We made dens in the shrubbery and played house. Firm friendships were made. The year flew by. The highlights were the birth of Prince Charles in the Autumn Term and the riding picnic in the summer. Then it was off to Mount.
Hatley St George
Tea at Hat ley St George
Gym Dem onst rati on at Hat ley St George
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DEIRDRE KINLOCH ANDERSON (LORYMAN, 1956) Edinburgh has been our home since I married Douglas Kinloch Anderson in 1962 and is where we raised our three children. When they had left school I joined the family company, Kinloch Anderson, renowned for Scottish textiles, kiltmaking, tartan and Highland Dress. Edinburgh is a historic city with many famous statues, but the City of Edinburgh Council decided that there are more statues to animals than there are to women! You will probably have heard of the remarkable dog “Greyfriars Bobby” and perhaps also of the Polish bear “Wojtek”. Dr Elsie Inglis was born in India in the 19th Century before she came to live in Scotland. She was an outstanding woman surgeon, a doctor in the First World War, a suffragist, a campaigner for women’s and children’s health and founder of Scottish Women’s Hospitals. The
attached picture was taken to thank Kinloch Anderson for their donation of 50 metres of Gordon tartan ribbon, chosen as part of our support of the project to raise money for a statue in memory of Dr Elsie Inglis, who was always pictured wearing a hat trimmed
with Gordon tartan ribbon. Our donation is being used to make badges, given as a visible token of gratitude to the many dedicated fundraisers. I hope that next year I will be able to send you a picture of the “Elsie Inglis Statue” in Edinburgh.
TRICIA WILKINSON (MARSDEN, 1956) I am very lucky to have both daughters nearby who are both ex MGC, Sarah Stanley (Wilkinson, 1986) and Elisabeth Allison (Wilkinson, 1993) – and I see them a lot along with Elisabeth’s two children, Stanley and Nancy. I see quite a lot of Stephanie Ingham who keeps in touch with many of her year – she was from the 1960s leavers so a lot younger than me! I am in touch by phone with Elizabeth Virgo (Dalling) and Susan Shaw (Pretty) and Caroline White (Lee Michell) who were all at prep school with me. I saw Dianne Donaldson (Philp) last summer – she and her daughter were on a train trip to York and so Sarah and I met up with her which was lovely. She has moved
from Auchterarder to a flat in Edinburgh which she is pleased with. I am in close touch with Christine Booth (Sutcliffe) and her sisters Ann Petty and Barbara Walker – all live locally near me and Chris, Ann and I play bridge. I am also in touch on the phone with Angela Feather (Tilney), Rosemary Weeks (Pitt), Jane Sweeting (Perry), Claire Wyatt (Townsend), Meg Coole (Gibbons) and Daphne Hales (Miller) who lives in Canada. I also keep in touch with Helen Campbell (Jolly) in Cheshire and Pip Hutchinson in Cheshire – think she was Mavis Robinson at school – she changed to Pip as she did not like Mavis. I also speak on phone now and again with Julie Wilcher (Westmacott).
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PRISCILLA RATCLIFFE (HALSTEAD, 1958)
GILLIAN HAMILTON (SHUTTLEWORTH, 1958) My memories from MGC We changed into afternoon dresses after games and in Senior School we had to have a “semi-evening dress” which we wore for concerts. The concerts were amazing, though I hated them at the time. The whole of Middle and Senior School attended so there must have been more than three hundred in the York Hall. We had to sit motionless for what seemed to me like an eternity. We got into terrible trouble if we fidgeted and were taught useful things like not to clap between movements. There were some unbelievable stars who came. I remember Julian Bream and also a small Opera group. An Old Girl (a few years older than me who I didn’t know) rang me up one day to ask if she could come to one of our reunions. She wanted to talk about the music and said that she remembered Kathleen Ferrier accompanied by Benjamin Britten coming one Saturday – unbelievable!! Another weird thing we did was darning our stockings on Sunday evenings for something called “Currents” (Current Affairs). We had to have a sewing box complete with a “mushroom” for darning. In
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Benhams, there was a quiet room with a daily newspaper and Punch magazine. All Miss Warry required us to do each week was to look at the Punch cartoon and she would discuss it each Sunday and attempt to explain current affairs to us. On the whole, it was all quite beyond us as we took little interest in life outside - in the real world. It wasn’t really encouraged anyway as we weren’t allowed to listen to the radio except for the Sunday night serial at half past eight on the Home Service and we weren’t allowed vocal records. All this in case it should corrupt us! Miss Warry was an outstanding person. We realise now that she was a very important mentor. She was strict but kind and we all remember her saying that we should think about what we say, “Is it kind, is it true and is it necessary?”. She also emphasised the school motto “Perseverando vinces”. We were totally unprepared for life outside when we left and many of us went wild. There was a bewildering change in the 60s from the way we had been brought up!
I have such special memories of Miss Brooks, the Headmistress. I sat the entrance exam on a Tuesday in September 1952, I did not do well but still had an interview with Miss Brooks. I had to read to her about Polecats. She then asked me why I wanted to attend this school. My answer could have sounded precocious or what my parents would have said, but it was from my thoughts. I said I didn’t approve of the teaching in my School but was able to qualify my statement. I did this by explaining that when pupils have been away ill, they are told to go to the back of the class and get on as best as they can. Her response was to ask me to attend the next Thursday. What a lady and how perceptive it made a great deal of difference to my life. I am still most grateful to her. I am recently widowed just having reached 40 very happy years of marriage. I am retired and enjoying art, reading, music, and now limited gardening. I had a successful working life in the hospitality industry - lecturing and assessing for hospitality, customer service, and administration of City and Guilds courses. I also became a registered centre for all levels of the National Food Hygiene qualification.
1960s Leavers
JUDY VARLEY (HEWSON, 1961) A few years back, I was able to visit dear schoolmates and we had a great lunch in Malvern. It was pouring with rain but that didn't dampen our good spirits. Much laughter and very fond memories! The picture shows Sue Stote (Carding) and me in stripes. Left to right is Jean Price, Maralyn and Carolyn Morgan Jones (Hawkins, 1963). More recently I lost my home in one of the devastating fires here in California. It was terrible and overwhelming, but you move on because you have to. My new home, in the exact same spot, is wonderful and I'm so glad to have had the love and support from my OGA friends!
ELIZABETH MCKELLAR (1967) I left MGC after Sixth Form in 1967. I am retired from work, which I greatly enjoyed, lecturing in Art History at various London Art Schools and the University of Cambridge. I live in Cambridge with my husband, the children’s poet and picture-book writer Tony Mitton. We have two grown up children: a daughter who lives in the gate house on an estate near Falmouth, Cornwall with our 2-yearold grandson and her husband who is head gardener and estate manager there. Our son lives in London and is an Arts librarian. I am the (volunteer) gardener at the David Parr House and I write a light-hearted garden diary blog for their website https:// davidparrhouse.org/2020/03/gardener/ I’d be delighted to hear from anyone who remembers me (Kella, Lindfield and School House) from MGC.
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1970s Leavers ANNE BORROWDALE (1970)
L-R: Tamanda Walker, Catherine Golsong (Reed), Jess Vining (Wood), Amy Swash, Lucy Howard (Scott), Emily Green (Borrowdale), Anne Borrowdale (Lea), Theodora Lees, and Sarah Passmore
Our daughter Emily Green (Borrrowdale, 2005), married Joshua Green on 25th September 2021. The wedding was attended by many MGC Old Girls included in the photo. Phyllida Dingle (Price) was also at the wedding and Kate Turner was unable to be there but is part of the gang. We were all at MGC; Tamanda left in 2004, I left in 1970 and Emily and all her other friends left in 2005! Tamanda and Sarah were two of Emily’s four bridesmaids. It was a gloriously happy day, and we were so pleased Emily and Josh were able to celebrate their marriage with all their many friends, Covid restrictions having been lifted.
LIZ DENNO (COLLARD, 1971) In the midst of Covid in 2020, one of my old schoolfriends saw the potential of having contact through Zoom. She, Jane Bachner King (Bachner) and I contacted other fellow Summersiders and managed to get a group of 8 who were willing and keen to meet regularly and chat on Zoom. Back then, when we had nothing going on in our lives, we agreed to meet fortnightly for a 40-minute chat. It's been wonderful! Now we're meeting once every 3 weeks as our lives have got busier. It's been an amazing mix of sharing memories from our days at Malvern and catching up on each other’s lives today. Two of the participants are in Canada, one in the US, one in Nigeria, one in Wales and three in England. We were all in the same year together in Summerside apart from Margaret MacFarlane who only came to MGC in the Sixth Form. It's definitely one of the good things to have come out of Covid for me!
A screenshot from a recent Zoom meet
1980s Leavers ANN HINCE (BLEVINS, 1984) On 11th November 2020, Ann Hince (Blevins '79-'84) published her book called A Pathway to Insight. She has since been on over 60 podcast interviews talking about how she moved from inner turmoil to inner peace, and in the process aligned her skull bones and grew 1/2 an inch. Thankfully, her time at MGC was not a part of her story of early trauma, although being the first girl boarder at her former school, a boy's school, was. Ann's website is https://annhince.com/
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LUCY NOVEMBER (PULLIN, 1981) ‘We’re going to live in Sierra Leone. You can come with us or go to boarding school here’. In my twelveyear-old head, MGC was the lesser of two evils, and I became a boarder in my hometown whilst my parents moved to Sierra Leone as teachers. We visited for the Christmas and Easter holidays for three years and I loved it from my first visit! As tangibly as the mark I can still see on my skin from a jellyfish sting that first Christmas, Sierra Leone must have left its imprint on my heart, because there I was again in 2001 at thirtyfive, with my husband and three children, volunteering with Lifeline Nehemiah Projects in their work with war-affected children after the 10-years civil war. By this time, I had qualified as a midwife, and working with community health workers and traditional birth attendants, became acutely aware of the plight of women in a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
Life brought us back to the UK, but the relationships remained, and as the Lifeline children grew up and started having their own children, the grim reality for pregnant women was once again personal, as stories of stillbirths, dying in labour, and neonatal deaths were commonplace. What could one midwife in England do about such a pervasive issue? I talked to my friends at Lifeline, and we decided to conduct our own household survey to better understand the local context. In that survey of 1500 women, the maternal death rate overall was 1 in 50, but for teenagers under-18 it was 1 in 10. In the UK it is 1 in 10,000. I applied to a fund called the Wellbeing of Women International Midwifery Fellowship and Professor Jane Sandall at Kings College London agreed to support my application. I was successful and Jane became my supervisor. With my friend Mangenda Kamara, a Sierra Leonean gender studies lecturer, we carried out a qualitative study to try to understand why young girls are so prone to maternal death and what could be done about it. The reasons we discovered were that pregnant girls are invariably thrown out of home, and with no adult support, struggle to care for and feed themselves. They drop out of school and only access antenatal care very late, if at all, meaning they often go into labour anaemic, malnourished, and without a caring adult in their lives. This plight of stigma and abandonment is even more unjust as it sits against a backdrop of extreme poverty and sexual exploitation
for the basics of life such as water, school fees and grades. We did respond, and in 2017 we started 2YoungLives, a mentoring scheme for pregnant girls. We recruit ‘loving aunties’ with a reputation for care and kindness as mentors, and they support girls to run a small business so that they can eat well
and prepare for their babies. They ensure that they register for and access maternity care, often acting as a birth partner; they help them navigate difficult family relationships; and encourage them to go back to school or learn a trade, and access contraception. Since 2017 we have grown from 3 to 18 mentors and have mentored over 200 girls. Not one of these girls has died from a maternal death. The scheme is relatively cheap, simple, and scalable and we would love to expand. We are currently running a trial where we will compare outcomes for villages that have mentoring with villages that do not, as a step to providing an evidence base. When I visited in October 2021 and again in March 2022, I met a group of resilient young women on a new positive trajectory; girl after girl told me their story of hope restored, dreams ignited and of thriving not just surviving.
Please see our website www.2YoungLives.org for more information. If you would like to donate, you can do so using the link on the website or at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-november2
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1990s Leavers ELIZABETH GOWING (1990) Elizabeth Gowing was given Kosovan citizenship by Presidential decree in 2018, and at the end of 2021, the Prime Minister of Kosovo invited her to join his cabinet where she now works as Advisor for Community Affairs.
CHASE DAY (WALSH, 1993) I recently had my first book published! I am heavily involved in the Australian donkey community after purchasing two wild caught donkeys four years ago. Being concerned ZOE JAMES-WILLIAMS (1991) about the lack of wider Zoe, an artist, is incredibly proud to have been made a Derwent Artist knowledge about Australia's Ambassador in 2021. Zoe has used Derwent products since school free roaming donkey herds, and continues using them today. She is excited to be working more I decided to write a book on closely with Derwent, trying out new products and demonstrating how their history. to use existing ones. Derwent has been creating pencils since 1832. My book can be found Zoe continues to exhibit her artwork and teach online and in Mumbles, on Book Depository: www. Swansea. She is looking forward to a very busy 2022! bookdepository.com/TheAustralian-Teamster-DonkeyChase-Day/9781922703408
VICTORIA SCOTT (MILNE, 1996) Victoria’s debut novel ‘Patience’ was published in August 2021. To find out more visit: www.toryscott.com
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OLD GIRLS INSPIRE MEDICS & GEOGRAPHERS Patricia, Fiona and Jo in the Dome
Jo Blackshaw (MGC 1989), Fiona Wong (Wu, MGC 1989) and Patricia Wu (MGC, 1979) visited MSJ in September 2021 where they toured the school and gave a presentation to girls in Years 11, 12 and 13 interested in Geography (Jo is an International Mountain Leader) and Medicine (Fiona is a GP and Patricia an endocrinologist). One of our current Year 12 cohort, Phoebe, interviewed the Old Girls after their presentation.
and Fiona Wu. The three women gave an interesting talk on their lives since leaving school. Jo, who initially studied biology and went on to become a biology teacher, ended up as an adventurer and explorer. She was so inspired as a DofE leader that she trained as a mountain leader and began guiding expeditions abroad. The students asked for her thoughts on global warming, and she told of her surprise to find her chocolate melting on a trip to Greenland and observing first-hand the worrying evidence of glaciers melting. She is now writing a book based on her experiences. After graduating with a degree in medicine, Patricia Wu worked for the NHS for eight years before pursuing a career in medical research in the US. It was surprising to learn from her that the opportunities for research were far greater in America than in the UK. She emphasised the importance as a doctor of finding time for yourself, such as exercise or a hobby and making time for
Doctors are not God and chocolate melts even in Greenland Doctors are not God and chocolate melts even in Greenland. Two facts seemingly worlds apart, but for a small group of Sixth Formers, these were some of the fascinating insights they were given into the lives of three MSJ alumnae. Geographers and aspiring medics were invited to a lunch with Old Girls: Jo Blackshaw, Patricia Wu,
reflection. This was important to prevent burnout in what is a very high-pressured job. She loved working with patients but said you need to look after yourself in order to look after them. Fiona Wu became a GP in a large practice in the UK. She told us how tough a career in medicine could be, and how it is not for the fainthearted. She felt acceptance and balance were the two most important qualities to make a good doctor but emphasised how important it was for a medic to know their limitations; ‘you are not God’ she said, and ‘you can’t always heal everyone’. It was sobering to hear Jo’s descriptions of climate change, and interesting to hear the sisters talk of careers in medicine. Although each of us took something different away from this discussion, it was a valuable experience for everyone. Something that will stick with me, as an aspiring medic, is the importance of keeping up with my hobbies and allowing time for reflection. We are all so grateful for the opportunity to hear these inspiring MSJ women talk so passionately about their time since leaving school.
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NORFOLK REUNION 2021
Fiona Meredith then clockwise: Lottie Ridler; Sarah Jewson (Spencer); John Ridler; Charmian Gilbert; Tishy(Patricia!) Bayne.
Christopher's and my life continues happily here in the little village of Bawburgh, five miles south-west of Norwich, where we have been living for the past thirty-one years. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that my life has been almost entirely devoted to my wonderful family of three daughters, eight grandchildren and one greatgrandson, rather than to University or to a career and, having married at 20, I have really made very little academic use of my excellent education at MGC! However, Christopher and I have thoroughly enjoyed attending the annual Norfolk MGC OGA Reunion Lunches over many years, run admirably for 25 years (without email!) by dear Jen Murray (Carter, 1947), which we took-over running in 2015, along with Anne Laubscher (Scott, 1954), who also lives in Bawburgh. Sadly, we had to cancel it because of Covid restrictions in 2020, but we were delighted to be able to restore it on the 22nd
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of September 2021, at our usual enjoyable venue of The Anchor Inn, Morston, on the North Norfolk coast. Naturally, the numbers have slightly decreased over the years and sadly this time Anne Laubscher, her husband Louw and Vicki Billings (Gaut, 1964) from Buckinghamshire were unable to come due to last-minute illness, but nevertheless we had an extremely happy (and noisy!) gathering of eight Old Girls (four from Norfolk and four from elsewhere!), three husbands and Fiona Meredith, who once again kindly drove over from the school on the morning to keep us up-to-date with the now MSJ! We still all thoroughly enjoy the delightful, regular company of dear Marianne Fry (Newman, 1951) and this year her good friend Beth Stone (Carmes, 1951) was driven down from Lincoln by Lottie Ridler (Crossley, 1964) and her husband John and it was lovely to see our two now most senior Old Girls chatting busily away before and during
lunch! Dear Tricia Wilkinson (Marsden, 1956) was driven down from Halifax by her daughter and son-in-law for a couple of days in Norfolk and Charmian Gilbert (Cheatle, 1962) and her husband John came up from Kent for a short break in Norfolk, as they have done for several years. This year we particularly missed the company of two of our regular Old Girls and their husbands; Heather Hornbrook (Christy, 1956) has stoutly driven up from
Burnham-on-Crouch every year with her husband Peter and stayed overnight, but sadly Peter is no longer fit enough to come and this year Sue Key-Burr (Fyte, 1954) felt that she could not leave her husband Denis, who has Parkinson's, for a whole day to drive up to Morston from Woodbridge and back again. In addition, Audrey Peters (Bennett, 1964) regularly drives all the way up from Devon to join us, combining it with her 'East of England Tour' of friends and relatives, but sadly this year they all happened to be away at the time, so she understandably felt that she could not justify either the cost of petrol or the pollution to drive all the way and back just to join us! It has to be said that we are now hardly a totally Norfolk OGA and happily word seems to be spreading that we welcome with open arms Old Girls from anywhere, who fancy getting together for an hour beforehand and then during
a pleasant, leisurely lunch at The Anchor in a room by ourselves, to catch up and chat about The Good Old Days at Malvern! So if anyone feels they would enjoy a trip to Norfolk to join us, do please get in touch with me at pbayne46@gmail. com and I can fill you in on the details; by the way, at school I was Patricia Mackenzie and I left in '64! Finally, I'd like to mention
the very sad news that Gretel Jones (van Houten, 1964) died unexpectedly in October '21 and that her death and funeral on 22nd November happily brought me back into contact with Rosy Crump (1962), Sarah Clarke (Judd, 1964) and Lyn Hobbs (Colley, 1963). So we hope that they, too, may be able to join us all at our next Reunion in September this year!
Front row: Sarah Spencer, Charmian Gilbert, Tishy Bayne, Anne Burton, Lottie Ridler, Marianne Fry, Beth Stone Back row: Fiona Meredith, Tricia Wilkinson, John Gilbert, John Ridler, Christopher Bayne
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REMEMBERING THE
DUKE OF EDINBURGH All of us at MSJ were saddened by the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in April 2021. The pictures opposite show HRH Prince Phillip with Headmistress Miss Owen, staff and pupils at the opening of the Edinburgh Dome in 1978 as part of the Malvern Girls' College estate. It is one of the few remaining ‘binishell’ structures and is still used daily by girls at the school and members of the public in conjunction with the MSJ Sports Centre. The school is honoured to have this connection with the Duke who is remembered by generations of girls who took part in his DofE Award scheme. Currently 81 girls are participating in this valuable programme.
OLD GIRL VISITORS
Elisabeth and Emily in the Library
ELISABETH KENNERLEY (CHIVERS, 1957)
In October 2021 Elisabeth returned to MSJ for a tour with granddaughter Emily Hyslop. She remembered that the Chapel was previously the 'Oak Room'. As an active member of the OGA she had recently joined the MGC 80th reunion arranged by Gillian Hamilton.
Susan and Ian in the Quad
SUSAN ALWYN-SMITH (1962)
Susan visited with her partner Ian in July 2021, which was the first time back in Malvern since her school days and she thoroughly enjoyed touring the School.
Marie, Anne and Caroline in York Hall
ANNE RAWLINGS (BARRETT, 1960)
Anne visited with her niece and friend who organised the trip to Malvern for her. Anne hadn’t been back to Malvern since leaving MGC in 1960 and thoroughly enjoyed looking around. Highlights included York Hall which ‘hasn’t changed one bit’.
DELLAL MCDONALD (HAFIDH, 1978) AND SUSIE ALLAN (1985)
Susie Allan & Dellal McDonald
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I visited MGC, as I knew it, with fellow OG Susie Allan on the sad occasion of our piano teacher Miss Elaine Hugh-Jones’ funeral which was held in town at The Quaker House in Gt Malvern. Susie and I took the opportunity to drop in at our old school and we were kindly shown around by Fiona Meredith and Chrissy Bligh. It has changed quite a bit but on the other hand not much at all! Music corridor is no more which is where I spent a lot of my time when I was at Malvern. I still have many friends from Malvern, and I was recently contacted by Stavia Blunt (Leggatt) who was Head Girl in my year so it was lovely to catch up with her, the upside of social media! I have fallen in love with playing the harpsichord after a lifetime of playing the piano and I commissioned my own instrument and I have given a couple of recitals on that.
HONORARY MEMBERS NEWS ELISABETH RAMBRIDGE, FORMER TEACHER AND HOUSEMISTRESS (1978-2014) Old Girls will all value the friendships made at school – and it is the same for the staff as colleagues become firm friends. I have seen Jane King once a week through all the time we could even if it meant sitting at a table outside her home, and yes, still and surely always we find lots to talk about! Jane Corfield (WigleySmith) and I speak once a week for a lovely catch up and reflection on the past week. Judith Cleever (Davis) and I are regularly in touch, and I was so pleased to be able to attend the funeral of her mother Mary who over the years I have come to know and love so much: Judith gave a wonderful eulogy and I was very pleased to be sitting by Teresa Hughes. Anne Crowther and I always find masses to talk about when we meet. I was delighted that Harsha Mason came to see me with her husband Rev Charles, and we
settled into a good old chat just like the days when we used to have desks next to each other in the Working Staffroom. Of course, I love the correspondence at Christmas, and it is great to hear from members of the happy team at The Benhams: Janet Severn, Emma Whight and Katherine Foot all write with news of their family and I hear from Mary Irish and Rita Taylor. When Rita and I speak, the years just roll away. I had a lovely chat with Jenny Metcalfe’s widower Peter the other day. I was at a function at Madresfield Court in the summer and very pleased to see Helen Vose there in her splendid position as House Manager & PA. Mary Valpy and I had a joyful reunion at a Deanery Social as we are both representatives in the newly created Malvern and Upton Deanery. I do miss having news via the pub of June Roundhill who is
We are always delighted to welcome back Old Girls and Honorary Members to tour the Malvern St James School building. If you are interested in visiting, please get in touch to arrange a date by e-mailing: oga@malvernstjames.co.uk
now in a nursing home. As for so many the last few years have had their challenges. I have continued to do my bit as a Churchwarden for two churches down the south end of the Malvern Hills.
Elisabeth looking cheerful at the Festive Fayre held in the church grounds
Sadly, we had a horrid invasion of privacy when our home was ransacked and many valuables taken; so I was especially grateful to Rosie Kefford (Tapp) who encouraged me out of isolation by taking me to the Buckingham Palace gardens in the first week of opening – what a fab time we had, chatting, I have to confess as much as admiring the lovely grounds. I am delighted that Charles and his long-term girlfriend Lucy (an Old Reptonian) are getting married this summer, and at our church. Charles is still the Saleroom Manager of Philip Serrell, and though I miss the buzz of the actual saleroom, now I can listen online to ‘my boy’ from the comfort of my home. I try to buy something at each auction – I am not a natural in the saleroom and was really proud of myself to hold my nerve and buy a portrait of Elgar, the original artwork for the street art in Malvern at the bus shelter along Belle Vue Terrace. I still remember as a young Form Mistress at MGC gathering in my reports and thinking how amazing it must be to have one for piano by Miss Elgar. Though I am sure Old Girls of The Benhams MEMORIES
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Portrait of Elgar purchased at auction
will smile ruefully when I confess that I put one post on Instagram at Christmas (because I do love decorations) in favour of maximalism! Andrew is well and well looked after for his eye condition. Tidying recently (ha!), I found this photo of me (on the previous page) by Miss Moore at a Sports Day. Old Girls from my time as Housemistress at Hatfield may remember an adorable Golden Retriever puppy called Ginny – she is now 15 and doesn’t sleep well so any hopes for travel are curtailed: she has been a very loyal companion all these years. My dearest friend from university is Chair of Marlborough Literature Festival and as I left a talk by Jonathan Porritt, I was delighted that Joanna Blackshaw did better than I at recognising someone with a mask on, and we had a good old chat. The overlapping of contacts mean I see Jennifer Knott’s parents Martin and Julia regularly at church and it was nice to hear Helena Goddard’s voice recently when Richard phoned to speak to Andrew about family contacts. You will perhaps not be surprised to hear that I write a fortnightly e-newsletter alternating with our Associate Priest keeping our church community up to date with all the news!
PAT DREW, FORMER HISTORY TEACHER AND HEAD OF SIXTH FORM (1974 - 2005) In May 2021 a small “socially distanced” MGC reunion took place at Stowmarket, spanning the years 1947-2005 and embracing both the student (Shireen Wrigley 1947-53) and staff (Anne Owen, Poulton House Tutor 1989-96, Pat Drew, History and Head of Sixth Form 1974-2005) experiences of college life. Shireen and Anne enjoy a 70+ year friendship, originating in their preMGC days when their two families were serving with the RAF in Germany. Shireen recalled her days in both Parkfield, “with the kind Miss Temperley” and Hatley St George; the move into Summerside and befriending tearful new girls; and finally, the transition to “Senior House in Main Building” into the care of several “Landing Mistresses”. A photograph from the archives entitled “Summerside 1950s”, with Shireen smiling broadly in the back row, prompted the recall of individual names of fellow students. Shireen remembered having to submit a written request to Miss Brooks, the “redoubtable” Headmistress (Pamela Hurle, Centenary History p.55) at the time, for permission to have an additional suitcase to the one regulation trunk to accommodate her particular belongings. Thankfully it was accepted! Tumbling noisily back into Senior House after snowball fights, tagging along with friends as they secretly met with their “brothers at Malvern College” and shopping “up town” when allowed were further memories. Interestingly three members on the MGC teaching staff when Shireen left in 1953 were still there when Pat Drew arrived 21 years later!
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LINDE MELHUISH, FORMER HEAD OF ENGLISH (1986-2006) In September 2021, I embarked on a year’s Ordination training for ‘more senior candidates’ via St Mellitus Theological College - a wonderfully uplifting intellectual & spiritual experience. This runs alongside the Church of England’s discernment process, so I’ve undergone psychological analysis (they seemed to think I was normal - past pupils & staff, please don’t tell them otherwise!), trial by interviews (public speaking/debating skills to the fore) and my former students will be delighted to know I can still write essays & practise what I taught them! Sometimes, I even manage to weave some poetry quotations into my theology essays: a vital ingredient! This all goes on until mid-June, with one more set of demanding interviews to navigate and no doubt, a few more essays. It’s been a fascinating, mentally invigorating experience!
Italy, France, Australia and India. Unfortunately, most of our overseas friends were not able to travel this year. However, we were very glad to see Annabel Mehta (Lancaster) who was visiting from India. Sandra Smith-Gordon (Farley) and Gillian Hamilton (Shuttleworth) organised the lunch this year. The RAF Club was a perfect venue. We met in From left to right: (Back) Mhairi Bone (Cunane), Angela McGeown (Jolly), the Cowdray Lounge for (Front) Gail Kenney (Petrie), Louise Pavey (Bird), Annabel Mehta (Lancaster) drinks and had a beautiful room for lunch. The table looked festive and was further enhanced by the MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE flowers that Sandra had brought. It was such a thoughtful finishing touch for a memorable occasion which was hugely enjoyed by all. We are keen to meet again next year and will send out an invitation to those on our list in due CELEBRATION LUNCH course. Old Girls who may be interested would be MGC pre-1960 Leavers. They could contact Gillian Hamilton, gillian.mgc@btinternet.com. It is not an official Malvern St James Reunion but an opportunity for old friends to meet. However, we welcome newcomers who would like to stay in touch.”
80 Birthday th
“ Twenty of us met for lunch in the RAF Club, London on 30 September 2021...
It was a friendly, noisy, social gathering with friends meeting after two years or longer partly due to Covid lockdown. It takes us no time at all to pick up where we left off, catch up on news and reminisce a little at what it was like at Malvern in the old days. It was very different at Malvern in the 50s and quite austere. These reunions would not happen if our friends didn’t make the quite considerable effort to travel and keep up these long friendships. It is quite remarkable that we are still close friends after 70 years! Our lunches started over twenty years ago when Jill Gladstone (Vernon) got in touch with those she had kept up with and arranged a lunch with Karen Blackburne (Geelmuyden) at Karen’s flat in central London. Then the word spread and our group became larger. There are now 76 names on the list and it is worldwide, covering the USA, Canada, Trinidad,
From left to right: Angela McGeown (Jolly), Liz Guinness (Cosgrove), Louise Pavey (Bird), Hazel Daughtry (Tregoning), Gail Kenny (Petrie), Mary Lea (Briant), Sue Reese (Bird), Hazel Wood (Leslie), Amanda Theunissen (Griffin), Steph Tiley (Perry), Ginny Wigglesworth (Lawry), Katy Michael (Nairn), Nicky Hanscombe (Martin), Lynda Craymer (Smith), Liz Kennerley (Chivers)
MEMORIES
FROM MGC
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IN MEMORIAM We sadly report the following deaths:
Audrey Bradley (Peters, 1951) From Anne Borrowdale (Lea, 1970) Audrey Leyland Bradley (Peters) – died 21st August 2021 aged 87 years. Audrey spent 5 happy years at Malvern Girls’ College from 1946 -1951. She was in Summerside during part of Miss Phillip’s (Pippy) long tenure as Housemistress. Audrey was Head of House and she spoke very fondly of ‘Pippy’ and kept in touch with her all her life. On leaving school, Audrey joined the BBC where she helped set up the first TV news office based at Alexandra Palace. So began a lifelong connection with the BBC. While her 3 children were growing up, she worked on the Apollo programmes as part of a ‘Special Projects Team’. In the 1970s she worked on various elections before going onto to her long association with ‘Question Time’, the topical debate programme where she ran the Green Room, dealing with prime ministers and politicians. Audrey served on the OGA Committee for a few years in the 1990s. Audrey was happily married to Don for 65 years and is much missed by Don, their three children and four grandchildren.
Mrs Margaret Gent From daughter, Ann Gent My mother, Mrs Margaret Gent sadly died at home on her 98th birthday, 18th September 2021. She taught mathematics at St James’s in the 1950s and at Malvern Girls’ College from 1966 until her retirement in the mid-eighties, starting as a parttimer, eventually becoming head of department. She was a memorable character: a strong minded and direct Scot who cared deeply about her pupils, colleagues, family, and friends. Margaret Gent was born and brought up in Edinburgh, apart from a spell in India with her parents as a young child, becoming the first person (let alone woman) in her family to go to university.
Susan Onslow (Leach 1958)
Miss Muriel Bowyer
Mrs Valerie Ruskell (Mead, 1951)
Pat Lloyd From Anne Owen (1988-1996)
Rosemary Spivey (Benison, 1956) Gretel Jones (van Houten, 1964) From Rosie Crump (MGC 1962)
Sadly Gretel Jones (Van Houten) died unexpectedly in October 2021. She will be remembered for many things - including her passion for art, music and history; her love of good conversation, enduring friendships as well as being a loving mother to Sam and grandmother to Isabelle and Isla and is greatly missed.
Jennifer Anne Macfie (1967)
Jennifer was a happy pupil at Malvern Girls’ College from 1961-1967. She died in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she was a professor in Psychology at the University of Tennessee.
She and my father met during the war, waiting to marry until Margaret had graduated from Edinburgh in 1948 before returning to live in West Malvern, as my father was working at TRE again. She found life as a housewife unbearably tedious so (as she told it) she marched up to St James’s to offer Miss Anstruther, head of the school at that time her services as a Maths teacher. My mother gave up teaching for a few years when she had children but by the time my brother David was three, she was craving the stimulation of teaching again. A few years of supply work followed, including a memorable occasion when she took my younger brother Ian into Ellerslie in his carrycot (she admitted the girls did not learn much Maths that day). A part-time job at the Girls’ College blossomed into a satisfying career: I am sure many will remember Mrs Gent although she retired over 35 years ago. Retirement enabled her to pursue interests including
Pat was a super friend and we remained in close contact up until her recent death. She was a delight to know. Always cheerful, a lively sense of humour, loyal and thoughtful. Poulton House benefited greatly by her friendliness and interest in all that was going on. A lovely lady, who will be so missed.
Anne Jones
Anne worked as a French teacher at Malvern Girls’ College before moving to Godolphin and Latymer school, London then a voluntary-aided grammar school. Anne had a clear sense of duty and a determination to achieve. Her commitment, energy and love of life meant that she touched many people’s lives.
completing an MA in art history, National Trust volunteering, recording public sculptures and much more, not least spending time with her four granddaughters. She moved to Pembrokeshire 15 years ago, a short walk from us. Despite increasing frailty, she enjoyed visits from family, especially great grandchildren (as covid allowed). We miss her.
Mr Robert Bowditch
From Linde Melhuish, Former Head of English (1986-2006): MGC pupils of the mid 1980s will be saddened to know of the death of Mr Robert Bowditch, a wonderful Head of English and inspiring teacher - a scholar and a gentleman in every sense of the word.
ST JAMES’S
AND ST JAMES’S & THE ABBEY
FROM THE FORMER
HEADMISTRESSES Miss Elizabeth Mullenger, Headmistress of St James’s School 1986-1997
Dear Old Girls, I have finally retired from retirement (no more school governorship) and am enjoying the extra time and choices which this has given me. I can (and do) wear purple like the woman in Jenny Joseph’s poem and increasingly have my say publicly and loudly. I think the staff in my Bank probably want to run a mile when they see me coming in! I don’t like this increasingly dystopian world where machines seemingly hold sway in so many quarters and where human contact is undervalued and reduced. I love a good discussion but raising objections is often rather like bashing a bag of feathers! There have been many benefits from a virtual world during the pandemic but it’s good to feel some spontaneity returning to our lives and to see events being planned with more certainty. I cannot think that I achieved much worth noting in 2021 but I did read “Ulysses’ in its entirety and mostly unaided the first time through. The bookshops of Hay-on-Wye provided some good background material as soon as they were open again. In all it took three months, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that I shall not be following up with “Finnegan’s Wake”! I am looking forward to our St James’s/ St James’s & The Abbey Reunion Day on June 11th when we celebrate St James’s 125th Anniversary held over from 2021. I was fortunate to be Headmistress in the 1996 Centenary Year and
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recall how enthusiastically its events were supported by Old Girls. I do hope that it will be the same this time for both the visit to West Malvern and the celebratory Dinner and Lynne Lindner Music Award performances in the evening. We were greatly blessed with outstanding musicians in all our founding schools, unsurprisingly so in Malvern, known for its glorious music. I was fortunate to work with both Penny Vere and Lynne Lindner as well as to have a musician Chaplain in Carl Attwood. What a team they were! Who could forget “Noye’s Fludde” and “Dido and Aeneas”? Many of you will have memories of similar productions from other eras too. It was no accident that these events were matched by some outstanding successes in sport and often with the same participants, an unbeaten First Hockey Team, Tennis triumphs, large numbers of girls taking the Duke of Edinburgh Award and many going right through to Gold. All this speaks of the involvement and enthusiasm of staff and girls which was always at the School’s heart. In thinking of the special celebrations this year, I have been re-reading parts of “I Was There” and Kate Chester-Lamb’s later “Eventful Days” (1996) as well as recalling some of the places and traditions and strange practices we either endured or enjoyed! Archway runs and Archway hockey sticks, Hair-Brushing Passage, our Tunnel, the Silent Corridor before lunch and the raucous celebrations of birthdays in the
Dining-Room, Carols Round the Tree (rather a misnomer for more noisy activity!), the silencing power of the silver Boar Bell, the Ships events and competitions, Chief’s Shelter, Rose Temple drama, escape routes through Maids’ Passage – and many more places and memories. Rachel Braithwaite who came from Cheltenham Ladies’ College to be Headmistress during the late 1960s observed drily “I had not merely come to a school; it is more as though I had inherited an ancestral home!” I was amused to read about the Upper Sixth House (Raglan) originally having been a lodging house on the Malverns “fitted for the reception of Gentlemen and families of position.” Many an Old Boy of Malvern College or Shrewsbury or Old Swinford might recall visits there! On more than one occasion we were reminded that the School minibus needed a wash by the addition to the “St James’s and The Abbey Day and Boarding School for Girls” emblazoned on its side of “Boys also Welcome” – or even, once, “VERY Welcome”! A School for Individuals, as it was once described, and intrepid ones too. Behind it all still, perhaps, the ‘benign spirit’ of Alice Baird. I
am still moved by the account of her speaking at the 1921 Silver Anniversary Commemoration in a crowded marquee on Top Terrace, looking out westward towards Wales: “Can you see with me… the generations of the school going on and on, and always, seen and unseen, the Old Girls backing up and strengthening all that is good and sound in the School?” Another verse was written for the School Song “High on the Hill’ that year: “Loudly the song our rejoicing proclaims is Faith in its future and pride in its past.” A three-line whip for attendance in June please if you possibly can and may we celebrate that final line in both time-honoured and new ways. I look forward to meeting you again and in the meantime send very best wishes to you all. Affectionately,
ST JAMES’S REUNION 2021 On Saturday 12th June 2021, over 50 Old Girls spanning several leaver years joined us for our first online St James’s and St James’s & The Abbey Reunion. Old Girls from across the globe joined us for this event from countries including Switzerland, Holland, Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa, France and Malaysia. Elizabeth Mullenger (Headmistress 1986-1997) and Ros Hayes (Headmistress of St James’s 2003-2006, and MSJ 2006-2010) both prerecorded presentations for the event which ran alongside a collection of archive materials that were shared online. Old Girls were then able to enter leaver year-specific breakout rooms to reminisce with old friends and share memories of their time at School. We look forward to celebrating the 125th anniversary of St James’s and St James’s & The Abbey in person, later this year.
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AND ST JAMES’S & THE ABBEY
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FROM THE FORMER
HEADMISTRESSES Mrs Ros Hayes, Headmistress of St James’s 2003-2006, and MSJ 2006-2010
Never too old to learn... 2021 has been another frustrating year. With Covid restrictions making it difficult to plan anything with certainty and with limited opportunities to travel, many of us have had to look closer to home for new challenges. In September last year, a group of friends gathered to celebrate Greer Owen’s birthday. Greer had arranged for us to spend a morning at Eastnor Pottery to learn how to use a potter’s wheel. After a demonstration from the master potter, we were let loose with a lump of clay, a wheel and various tools. What fun!! With a little bit of help, we were all successful in making a pot that actually looked like a pot. This taster provided the motivation to take things further and, in October, Greer and I took up pottery classes in Ledbury run by the very talented, young potter, Fleen Doran. I have never thought of myself as creative; I am much more a systems and spreadsheet sort of person, but I have enjoyed these classes immensely. Our teacher is excellent and constantly reinforces the skills we need to acquire. Using delicate, white porcelain clay, which is soft and smooth to work with, we have made a variety of pots, bowls and plates on the wheel, created pinch pots, slab pots and used moulds. Most exciting,
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however, is glazing. After dipping a pot into a pale pink-grey liquid glaze, I am amazed at the rich cobalt colour that emerges from the kiln. The work is totally absorbing; two hours pass so quickly and I end the evening feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Although I have now passed my three score years and ten, it has been inspiring to learn something completely new. Taking up a hobby, that uses a very different skill set, has been stimulating and invigorating. I look forward to many more happy hours, being creative, in the potter’s studio.
NEWS JANE MANASTER (GOLDSTONE, 1955) Here I am ready for St. James’s back in 1950 when I was Jane Goldstone. My friend Rosemary Harwood (Gather, 1955) died in Colorado USA last year. We always spoke every few months and were actually born on the same day. I was at St. J's 1950-1955, in the era of Tante and Archway, the freezing cold swimming pool, and so on. I remember the alphabetic list of my class and thought of posting it on Facebook to see who is still around or whose children and grandchildren have kept the names. This list is Surname’s only, but of course the first names are well-remembered. I'd be interested to learn if others have retained their own class names. Allday, Bagwell, Barnard, Benett, Bryant, Campbell, Dunn, Evans, Forlenza, Gather, Goldstone (me), Harter, Hellman, Henderson, Lemos, Malcolmson, McCrone, Osborne, Parker, Pascoe-Williams, Robertson, Robinson, Standeven, Stedeford, Suter, Walker.
JO HILDITCH (GREEN, 1976) Congratulations to Old Girl, Jo Hilditch who was declared the new High Sheriff of Herefordshire in March 2021. Traditionally, this celebration would have taken place in a crowded Court No 1 at Hereford’s Shire Hall, but due to the necessity of Covid the ceremony was included in a service of thanksgiving at Hereford Cathedral. The office of High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Historically, the High Sheriff was the monarch’s personal representative in judicial matters, while the Lord Lieutenant acted for the monarch in a personal or military capacity. The High Sheriff was responsible for the shire courts, for tax collection, and for the enforcement of law and order. The position is over 1,000 years old.
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SARAH HAYWOOD (REID PITCHER, 1981) World renowned event creator, Sarah Haywood, recently talked to our Prep department about working in the wedding industry. The girls had been exploring the topic in the lead-up to Mrs Bedford, Head of Prep’s wedding and had explored topics including different types of wedding ceremonies, flower arranging, and dress design. Sarah tasked the girls with designing the most unique wedding dress with the winners receiving a box of cupcakes to share with their class. The girls asked some insightful questions and really enjoyed the topic. Our thanks to Sarah for taking the time to speak with our Prep Department. PROFESSOR LESLEY LOKKO (1983) The Board of La Biennale di Venezia has appointed Lesley Lokko as Director of the Architecture department, with the specific task of curating the 18th International Architecture Exhibition to be held in 2023.
CHARLOTTE BROWN (1988) After completing my degree in Humanities, I went into media on the commercial side. For the past 10 years I have worked in the food and drink media, latterly events. Like many, I was made redundant in 2020 and have been working on freelance/ contract roles, most recently I have been working in the UK’s first ‘ Alcohol Free off licence’ on Great Portland Street, London. This is a pop up so due to end 27th March; as a non-drinker myself I really enjoy helping customers find drinks they enjoy! Alongside this I am doing some freelance consulting work around events. I live in London; currently my partner lives in the home counties and we hope in the future to be in the same location when his youngest has started university. I am looking forward to celebrating the big 50 next month at Aintree Races with family and friends! Naturally I haven’t seen anyone recently from my school days, but I keep in contact from time to time with Claudia Bombeck, Sam Baber and Roz Quentin.
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Charlotte is pictured on the left, wearing red
DR JOANNA JENKINSON (1995) Joanna received an MBE in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her work on the Covid-19 pandemic while at the Medical Research Council (MCR). Joanna has also recently been appointed to the Directorship of GW4. The GW4 Alliance (GW4) is a consortium of four of the most research-intensive and innovative universities in the UK: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. Prior to taking on the role of GW4 Director, Dr Jenkinson was Head of Infection and Immunity at the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, where she co-led the rapid response and rolling calls for COVID-19 research and had overall responsibility for managing the MRC’s Infections and Immunity Board, its research portfolio and large investments.
GILLIAN STAEHELIN (MCILWAINE, 1997)
EVE CRIMP (SIMPSON, 2008)
This year I will have been living in Switzerland with my husband and 12-year-old son - for the past 20 years!!!! Last year I was given the opportunity to occasionally do some translations for a tourist information office nearby. Suddenly in September, they gave me three months to translate the entire website (109 A4 pages!) from German into English! I finished it on the ‘deadline’ date, phew! (Although they were willing to allow me more time). The English version of the website will be up and running in April. I have done three different online studies, one of which was a Teach English as a Foreign Language course. Apart from that, I don’t think I have any more news. Still looking for more of a full-time job, preferably from home.
I wanted to share with you the birth of our daughter, Henrietta Mabel Louise Crimp, on 18th January 2022. I am 2008 leaver, originally at St. James’s. I married Gareth Crimp in 2018. My mum, Deborah Clayton, is also an Old Girl of MGC, and my 2 nieces are now at MSJ, Isabella and Florence.
Sunny, snowy, Swiss greetings.
Henrietta Mabel Louise Crimp with Eve and Gareth
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AND ST JAMES’S & THE ABBEY
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ST JAMES’S SCHOOL
TRADITION CONTINUES The introduction of Ships came from Miss Alice Baird, first headmistress of St James’s. Her family had connections with the Navy and the Ships system began in 1938. Until recently our MSJ fleet of Ships were Daring, Dragon, Trenchant and Triumph. Ships are decommissioned from time to time and the names of the Ships therefore change. Our new Ship voted by pupils is HMS Vanguard. One of the reasons pupils and staff voted for Vanguard was because of the meaning. Vanguard is defined as “a group of people leading the way in new developments and ideas”. We are proud to continue this great tradition.
Our inspiration is you 5% School Fees Discount for Old Girls Be anything, achieve everything
ARRANGE YOUR PERSONAL VISIT AT: WWW.MSJ.GS/BOOK-A-VISIT
C E L E B R AT I N G
YEARS
of
ST J A M E S ’S AND
ST J A M E S ’S & THE ABBEY
Celebrating
St James’s School and
St James’s & The Abbey School
1896 - 2022 St James’s School
Bursary Award
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REACH Would you like to pass on the sense of purpose, service, tradition, academic and personal fulfilment that were hallmarks of your own St James’s or St James’s & The Abbey education? Can you help Malvern St James make a real difference, not just to the life of one individual but to our whole school community? We launch a new bursary scholarship in the St James’s School name as part of our Founders’ Awards bursary programme. This will be called the St James’s School or the St James’s & The Abbey School Founders’ Award. The Award(s) will provide funded places at Malvern St James for talented girls who could not be with us without financial assistance. We may also create bursary awards in the name of an important individual in St James’s and St James’s & The Abbey’s history – Headmistress, Housemistress, teacher or pupil. A day place in Senior school costs £19,740 per year, a boarding place £40,410. The only thing that stops us being able to admit more pupils on bursary awards is lack of funding. Malvern St James already puts in excess of £500,000 of income per annum towards means-tested bursaries, but we need more, to provide more. If you are able to help us, please join our St James’s 1896 Donors Club. Single gifts, regular giving and legacy pledges are some of the ways that you can give. To
arrange a personal conversation with Fiona Meredith, Development Director, please contact: meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk or tel: 01684 892288
RAISE During this year, we will raise the Head Girls boards of St James’s School, putting them on permanent display at Malvern St James so that this part of our history can be appreciated by former, current and future generations of girls.
REUNITE Saturday 11 June 2022 is the date of the St James’s and St James’s & The Abbey reunion with lunch, tours of the St James’s building, and a black-tie dinner.
REMEMBER 2021 was the 125th anniversary of the founding of St James’s School in 1896 by Katrine and Alice Baird. We weren’t able to celebrate this milestone in the way we would have wanted due to Covid restrictions. 2022 is the year that we reflect on the influence that the Bairds and successive generations of St James’s Headmistresses bring to our current school, Malvern St James, and the traditions and ethos of St James’s School which are imprinted on it. We are proud to be celebrating the St James in Malvern St James.
More information about the St James’s Founders’ Award and the 1896 Donor Club are available at: www.malvernstjames.co.uk/support-us/st-james
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AND ST JAMES’S & THE ABBEY
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The aim of the St James’s School Founders’ Award is to create transformational educational opportunities in the St James’s name: bringing the gift of all-girls’ education to talented girls without financial means.
1896
THE ST JAMES’S FOUNDERS’ AWARD
It is also possible to create a Founders’ Award in the name of a Headmistress, Housemistress, teacher, or former pupil who made a real impact on the school, or to create a specific St James’s & The Abbey Founders’ Award. Donors will join the 1896 Donor Society, named after the year in which St James’s was founded by Alice and Katrine Baird. All donors will be recognised appropriately alongside the St James’s Head Girls boards displayed in Malvern St James.
WAYS OF GIVING
There are three suggested levels of giving to mark 125 years since 1896:
£189.60
provides impact when accumulated with other donors
£1,896
provides nearly 10% of a Sixth Form day girl place for a year
£18,960
provides over 95% of a Sixth Form day girl place for a year
Gifts can be given as single donations or on a regular giving basis, pledged over a period of time (for example, 1, 2, or 5 years). Of course, all gifts are gratefully received, whether above, below or in between these figures. Gifts can also be made as a legacy bequest or, for example, a gift of stocks and shares. More information on ways of giving is available on our website at www.malvernstjames.co.uk/support-us or from Fiona Meredith, Development Director: meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk tel: 01684 892288
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GIFT AID If you are an eligible UK tax payer, Gift Aid adds 25% to your gift, reducing the real cost of giving. If you are a higher rate tax payer, you can also claim tax relief on your self assessment form. Below is an example of the impact of Gift Aid and tax relief on your gift. The net cost of a donation is indicated in either column 2, 3 or 4, depending on your personal tax band.
1
2
3
4
Gross Gift Amount
Net cost to a UK basic rate tax payer with Gift Aid
Net cost to a UK 40% tax payer
Net cost to a UK 45% tax payer
£189.60
£151.68
£113.76
£104.28
£1,896.00
£1,516.80
£1,137.60
£1,042.80
£18,960
£15,168
£11,376
£10,428
GIFTS PLEDGED OVER TIME The table below shows the cost of a high level gift if pledged over a 2 year or 5 year period with Gift Aid.
Basic Rate Tax Payer
40% Tax Payer
45% Tax Payer
Gross Gift Amount
Annual Net cost over a 2 year pledge period
5 year pledge period
Annnual Net cost over a 2 year pledge period
5 year pledge period
Annual Net cost over a 2 year pledge period
5 year pledge period
£189.60
£76
£30
£57
£23
£52
£21
£1,896.00
£758
£303
£569
£228
£521
£209
£18,960
£7,584
£3,034
£5,688
£2,275
£5,214
£2,086
THE ST JAMES’S 1896 DONOR SOCIET Y All donors who give to this campaign, or any other area of Malvern St James school life, will become a member of the St James’s 1896 Donor Society, which organises specific events for donors and invites you to key school events such as concerts, plays, lectures, Headmistress’ Drinks and other socials in Malvern and London, and elsewhere around the world as we are able to travel. For more information please visit our website www.malvernstjames.co.uk/support-us/st-james or get in touch directly with Fiona Meredith, Development Director: meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk tel: 01684 892288.
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AND ST JAMES’S & THE ABBEY
47
IN MEMORIAM We sadly report the following deaths:
Honorary Members Sybil Catherine Haworth (1957) Joanna Emily Goddard (1969) From her husband Francis Goddard Jo-Jo spoke often about St James and her many friends there even if, by the time she was in the 6th form , she was keen to get out there and meet the world. She would have loved the A4 card you have produced about the upcoming reunion with so many pictures of various elements of St James’s. For me, it was her stories of the dining hall, the Anstruther Hall, avoiding lacrosse by hiding in the bushes, having to climb the hill and ‘Kick the beacon’, ice cold swimming and at times a St Trinians’s style anarchism which I remember so well….and of course the seemingly lavish food, the consequence of which Jo-Jo said was that all the girls left ‘as fat as butter!’.
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Hilary Churchill Former Maths Teacher and Housemistress From Penny Smith (Reay, 1980) I had the privilege of knowing Hilary in several different capacities. Initially as my maths teacher at St James’s West Malvern when I was a pupil. She made the subject accessible to each of us and managed to control what was a notoriously difficult class with a lot of characters in. Hilary also taught games in the afternoon with Nina Shaw. They would travel the first mile down to the sports field in Hilary’s car before walking the final part well wrapped up against the elements. Us pupils had to walk all the way in our hockey skirts without even tracksuit bottoms. We didn’t think it was fair!… Funny the things you remember. She and Nina were great friends and their easy way with each other made it fun to be around them. I was probably a bit of a favourite of theirs because I enjoyed playing sport and as I progressed up the School, they gave me and a couple of friends regular lifts to the pitches too. I do remember once our goalkeeper, who was about 13 at the time, didn’t fancy the long walk to the playing fields one particular morning. So she gave me a sick note to hand to Mrs Churchill. It said “sorry I have to miss games as I have morning sickness” At the time I didn’t know why Hilary and Nina found this quite so hilarious... I do now. In the Sixth Form Hilary was signed up to be my Tutor. In our weekly meetings she listened and gave sound advice which I am eternally grateful for. With her guidance I went on to be a PE and then maths teacher too. I think she was quite chuffed about that! After retiring in a teaching capacity, Hilary with the support of Mike, went on to become well respected House parents at the
school. The girls remember her fondly. Ex-students posted “She was a lovely lady who was both fair and kind.” She stayed connected to the school by being Secretary of the Old Girl’s Association until 2006. Her efficiency, logic and problem-solving attributes made her an ideal person for the job.We struck up a friendship when Hilary was my tutor and stayed in regular contact. When I moved back to Malvern in my late 20s I would regularly bump into Hilary and Mike shopping. I remember on one particular occasion my boisterous children were whisked round the shop with Mike and Hilary allowing me to have a quiet shopping time. I was so grateful. Hilary was such a kind, fair and gentle lady. It is comforting to know that she will be with Mike again and at peace.
Nina Shaw Mary Anne Reay From her daughter Penny Smith In the early 1970s Mum took a job as a live-in-school matron at St James in West Malvern. I joined Mum as a pupil and soon realised that she was not going to give me any preferential treatment. On one occasion, to my embarrassment, she sent me from the dinning room for misbehaving. An old school friend recently posted “she was an unforgettable, formidable character not to be messed with but also a sensitive soul with high standards who commanded great respect”. At the age of 42 she returned to studying. This time to be at health visitor. She tackled her work with compassion, gave sound family advice and formed strong lasting friendships with colleagues that respected her warm hearted work ethic and practical approach.
THE ABBEY SCHOOL
MEMORIES OF
THE ABBEY SCHOOL PHILIPPA HILTON (NORTON, 1958)
Just seeing photos of the old swimming pool and tennis courts threw me back in time, unleashing so many memories of early school days. I had 2 miserable years in the Junior House aged 10, not knowing what was happening. I was hugely homesick and put in a dormitory with 2 Welsh girls who insisted on speaking their language. It was a grim time - memories of raw beetroot, and boiled milk with the skin on top still churns my stomach over to this day. It was sometimes tough, but we were a staunch group who have met up at odd intervals to recall our memories with a sense of humour. The freezing cold conditions, solid beds, baths twice a week and chilblains. Letters home were censored and visits from parents permitted only twice a term, 3 times in the summer. Once we were in the senior school, the opportunities for sport, art, music and performing on stage were wonderful. Sir Ivor Atkins visited to take choir sessions. An extraordinary man with a huge white beard who crashed down on the piano keys if things were not up to his standard. Memories of George VI’s passing,
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when we were all rushed into chapel and black armbands were worn for some time afterwards. We were a generation who had few aspirations for future careers. I think two members of our group achieved university education. Nursing, teaching, or secretarial college was the norm. This was a period of time when people were still struggling with the effects of war. As youngsters we had little idea what traumas these spinster staff had been through. There was one exception, Steph as she was called, ran the Girl Guides and organised camps on Castle Morton common and Guide games on the hills. The freedom was extraordinary and I still have a huge love of the area even though glimpses of Great Malvern station persist in bringing back that sinking feeling as the train drew in. I believe most of our group gained from the discipline and structure that was given to us at The Abbey. We have all survived to achieve useful, fulfilling lives serving our communities and some achieving great heights in today’s world. We should be proud of ourselves!
MARMITE DREAMS ET AL! JANCIE WOOD (FLEMING, 1967)
Having attended the Abbey in the 1960s I often ponder on the food we consumed in that cavernous dining room. To a small 11-year-old the whole ordeal seemed fraught with complications. First of all, having looked at the table plan you had to find your place on the right table, you may not have been too thrilled with your place on several counts: the year groups were mixed up, so you may not know the other girls too well; additionally, you may not be overly thrilled with the member of staff who headed up the table. Manners were important. You had to be aware of your neighbour’s requirements so that you had to pass all dishes around the table; I have a dim memory of not being able to ask for anything you may have been lacking! Grace was always said at lunch, either by the
teacher on the top table or the Head Prefect. Conversation was another minefield: sixth formers were responsible for the conversation with the teacher on the table, so we always had a conversation list – motorway building was a popular one! Mostly it was an easy task but there were some teachers who were not keen on communication – no names mentioned! The most popular table was that of a much-loved music teacher who was easy to chat to and who enjoyed her food – “Would you mind me having some more potatoes, dear?” Another difficulty was if you hadn’t been allocated a place in the dining room you became a “space”. This meant you stood by a water jug and waited for someone to come to ask you to fill a vacancy on their table. So it was with great relief that you went to join them if chosen. However, this didn’t always happen, and you found yourself going to the staff room.
Although this sounded rather overwhelming, I recall it as a rather jolly and kindly event. So on to the food: margarine on flabby white bread, boiled eggs for Sunday breakfasts, stodgy puddings. The most memorable item – and I have never managed to find a recipe – was marmite dreams, very yummy. Another pleasure was the Christmas lunch where we had sixpenny pieces in the Christmas pudding (health and safety?) and it was always intriguing how the Domestic Science teacher seemed to have one in her helping each year. This reminds me of another edible pleasure – Miss Dixon’s fudge. It was an important part of school life and did enable you to establish good table manners, albeit sometimes fearfully! It equipped me to deal with whatever difficult business lunches I have had to undertake, as well as always knowing I could always resort to talking about motorways.
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MEMORIES OF
THE ABBEY AND ST JAMES’S
Gill Kyle (Litterick,1961)
I was very lucky in that I had the right qualifications to be a pupil at The Abbey (1953-1961) and a member of the staff at St James’s (Assistant Bursar 19681976). From about 1985 I was also a member of the OGA committee serving in various capacities, among them: committee member, representative of a decade of Abbey Old Girl members (collecting news for the magazine), Treasurer and Secretary, fortunately not all at the same time! Turning to my time at The Abbey I started in the Junior House 13 days before my 10th birthday, and because I was supposed to be “bright” was in the form where most had turned 10 before the end of the previous summer term. Miss Russell was Head of Junior House and extremely strict with our behaviour. My first mistake occurred the first Sunday when I “peeled” the shell from my boiled egg having never been taught to “knock the top off”. I seemed to manage the rest of that year without too many hiccups. My French was good as my father had given me and my brother lessons from an early age. I enjoyed Maths and generally did all right. I resented being part of the “naughty” children who had
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to sit cross-legged on the floor in the corridor until Miss Russell decided the punishment had been served. This was relieved by us all counting the rings on the wallpaper in front of us and passing the total on to the person sitting next to you, a very pointless exercise in retrospect! Sunday evenings were lovely when Miss Russell read a story before bed, and I still remember Uncle Remus with Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox when she used different voices. Those were the days when we had our third of a pint of milk at breaktime with a biscuit or something spread on bread – I hated the peanut butter one and was one of the guilty children who lobbed it over into the next-door garden which apparently created quite a problem for the owner. Senior School was better, but I still seemed to find myself in trouble and sat on the bench outside the staffroom to appear before Miss Evershed with my misdemeanour on several occasions. My “brightness” eventually became a normality and in the 4th form I stayed down and repeated that year. Latin was my downfall and when I was allowed to give it up, the alternative was Art at which I was also hopeless. However, crafts were part of the Art syllabus and I managed to achieve several projects, including a woven cane fruit basket which my mother used right up to the time when she had to go into care (over 50 years’ use) and a pair of leather gloves which I wore.
I enjoyed gym, learned to play the piano, singing, games, guides, swimming, acting and, academically, Maths which I was able to pass at A level. I also enjoyed History & Geography but did neither for A or O level. When it rained and games were called off, the alternative was walking on the hills which we could do later in groups of six. I was grateful for this as when I returned to Malvern after leaving school, I explored the hills, frequently alone, and have always felt at home on and near them.
Gill between Daphne Van Loenen (Osborn) on the right and Camilla McCormick (Pooley) on the left
We were very lucky with the entertainments that the school provided which included films and concerts, often with a well-known celebrity and in Lent we had “sermons” in the School Chapel given by outsiders including a Monk who came several times. My last year in the Upper Sixth was as Fire Officer in charge of ensuring all the lights were switched off, the doors locked, windows shut, and the taps turned off in the whole of the main School building from the boot room to the Prefects’ study. This was another activity I usually did by myself after 10.00 pm and I enjoyed the responsibility it gave
me. Alarms going off in hotels still ensure that I am one of the first out! Secretarial college was the next achievement with a high speed in touch typing. Three years followed working at Lloyds Bank in Evesham and a transfer to Malvern where my boss was Wendy Gorle (nee Hall)’s father. I left there and worked in the office at Bray’s, the men’s, women’s and children’s outfitters and then to St James’s in May 1968. The Bursar’s Office was a small building on West Malvern Road, between the Sanatorium & the Science Block. One of my jobs was to type the Council Minutes. The rest of my day was spent answering the phone and preparing the accounts for the girls’ fees, typing some exam papers, running back & forwards to the main school building with messages and tracking down the gardening staff. During term
Gill in Guide uniform taken in the School grounds, 1957
time we weren’t very busy, and I managed to do a lot of secret knitting! The highlight of most days was when Stan, the local baker’s brother, delivered the bread and buns/cakes for the school. He always called in on us first to drop off any still hot bread we needed to take home and iced buns for us to have with our coffee. During my time there we had the 75th Commemoration of the Founding of the School at which the Duchess of Gloucester, HRH The Princess Alice (an Old Girl) came. It was the time of mini-skirts, and I was very careful with my curtsey to keep upright. It was a glorious day and a memorable one with many parents, Old Girls, staff (past & present) attending. I left in 1976 when I was expecting my daughter but with my contact in the OGA returned for meetings several times a year and was quite sad when the school closed with the amalgamation with Malvern Girls’ College. The whole site of St James’s was magnificent, with views over to Wales and extensive gardens that I could explore when office time allowed. Doing my family history, I discovered that a cousin of my father’s was a teacher at The Abbey which was why it was chosen for me to go there. Also, an aunt of my mother’s was teaching music at MGC in the 1911 Census. It is no surprise that my association with Malvern is still so strong.
JUDITH DREWER (HORRELL, 1973) What a year! We had planned to visit our daughter in Ibiza for Christmas 2020 but sadly never got there because of Covid. By the end of January last year, I started the surreal journey of six months of heavyduty chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant at the end of August for the return of non-Hodgkin lymphoma after twenty-one years in remission. The whole thing was pretty hideous but having survived seven years at The Abbey - it was a doddle!!! The resilience required to cope and the sense of humour to get through the horrors and hardship of a month of isolation I owe to The Abbey! The doctors were amused when I told them that if you can cope with a girls boarding school in the 1960s you can cope with anything! Suzy Frith (Josephs) was here to care for me when I finally got home followed by my cousin Caroline Maddick (Stamp). Thank goodness for Abbey girls!
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HELEN SEDGLEY (GILL, 1982) I arrived at Heathlands in 1975 not quite 12 years old and have happy memories of my time there and at The Abbey. I left in 1978 ahead of the merger with St James’s.In that first term I made friends with Rachael King (Deakin). A friendship that has lasted the years. We regularly meet up and sometimes laugh at our times spent at The Abbey. There were many formal and traditional practices. Letter writing at the weekend, Chapel on Sundays with Psalms sung. Wearing blue silk dresses for evening concerts despite the
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temperature! Writing to the headmaster for permission to go home for a weekend. Lining up for 'goodnight' handshakes, or even more nerve-wracking Mirrors. Changing from round neck to square neck tunics depending on the time of day. I can clearly remember our trip to the school outfitters in Cheltenham on a blazing hot day trying on the uniforms. There was a mountain of clothing and it took so long my parents ended the day with a parking ticket! The sports were of particular interest, and time spent on
the lacrosse pitch or tennis court were the best. I still have a games jumper and cap. The shorts used to scratch on cold days so probably got thrown out. I played lacrosse until the early 1990s and still meet with friends from the sport. I also enjoy tennis and play competitively for my local club. In summary, my days at The Abbey were memorable and have been the foundation for so much of life that has followed. The most precious being the friendship formed.
JILL CROWSON (1971) It’s been another very difficult year for a lot of people, but hopefully the worst is now over. I have two boys; Jamie who is married to Jule, and they have a 4-year-old daughter, Emmy - they live in Hamburg. My younger son (40!), Charlie, has recently become engaged to his partner Rina. She is Filipino and they live in Thailand. As they live abroad it has been impossible to all get together. Different rules, different vaccines etc etc. Luckily, I have managed to see the German contingent twice in 2021 but my goodness how a 3-year-old changes over 6 months! I’ve not seen Charlie and Rina since October 2019 - though as I write it’s just 7 days until they come over - can’t wait. Easter will hopefully mean that we can ALL be together - but I’m not holding my breath. I don’t really know WHAT I’ve done over the past 12 months, but it has gone very
quickly. I have managed 2 visits to France - the second visit in August was with Jamie and family. It’s been lovely having regular “coffee” afternoons on WhatsApp with Sally Chater (Kidson), Jenny Moore (Trow) and Sarah Weller (Coates). I’ve been in regular contact with Lindsey Umfreville (Wilkes) and I hear from Sally Millis (Skidmore) who lives in Brisbane - hopefully she will be over later on this year - like me, she and David haven’t seen one of their sons and his family since before Covid, so fingers crossed nothing puts a damper on their travel plans. I have also heard from Libby Harris (Priest), Caroline Draycott (Page) and Jane Reardon (Smith) who is living her dream on a farm in West Wales! She’s even doing the lambing herself! Hopefully we’ll all get together in person this year!
IN MEMORIAM We sadly report the following death:
Caroline Davis (Brocklebank) died on 1st March 2022 age 84
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PHOTOS FROM
THE ABBEY
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THE ABBEY
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Our inspiration is you 5% School Fees Discount for Old Girls Be anything, achieve OGAeverything NEWS
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ARRANGE YOUR PERSONAL VISIT AT: WWW.MSJ.GS/BOOK-A-VISIT
LAWNSIDE
FROM THE FORMER
HEADMISTRESS Miss Duseline Stewart, Headmistress of Lawnside 1971 - 1990
Dear Lawnsidians, I hope you and your families have survived the last two extraordinary years and that you are on the way back to normality. I feel sympathy with all the students who have suffered such a huge gap in their educational lives. It does seem that the world is in a chaotic state at the moment. Even the weather is out of kilter… storm Eunice rages as I write. In spite of everything, most of us manage to maintain some order in our lives. Fortunately for me, the Herefordshire countryside has many compensations. The garden provides endless occupation, and as I grow older it is gradually ‘wilding’. This however, as well as being fashionable, provides Mikey with endless opportunities to bark and chase. And it is in the garden that my great event of the year took place - a party of friends, relations and neighbours to celebrate my 90th birthday. Everything conspired to make it a success, a lovely June evening, the ability to have thirty people together after lockdown, even the visit from a harmonious nightingale. Many thanks to the OGA for the hamper of delicious goodies. Due to an idiotic mistake on my part, I was unable to attend the cremation of Audrey Speechley but was able to get to the reception afterwards. It was a consolation to meet up with Mrs Edwards, Mrs Woods (Jackson) and Rosanna Peers and share memories of her long service at Lawnside. I have inherited some of her large collection of the souvenirs she kept of her long career there. My hope for you all is that 2022 brings back a return to a more settled life. Yours affectionately, Duseline.
Thanks to all the Old Lawnsidians who sent birthday cards and well-wishes to Miss Duseline Stewart for her 90th birthday. The OGA sent them on, along with an Afternoon Tea with Prosecco hamper to help celebrate the occasion. Duseline said, “I am very touched by all kind thoughts. It contributed greatly to the memories I have of a very happy day”.
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JOANNA WOLTON (PAYNE, 1972) I was born Joanna Payne, in December 1956 and was at Lawnside from 1967-1972 when Miss Millichamp was Headmistress, then Miss Stewart. My parents chose the school as it was only seventeen miles from our home on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire/ Shropshire borders. As a treat we were invited to “Milli’s” sitting room to toast marshmallows on her fire in small groups. After exams, Mr Barbour-Simpson invited small groups of girls to pick strawberries at his house. First, I was in the Lodge, then the Main as we called it, followed by the Grove and then
the Gables. I loved English and was very well taught by Miss Dillon Weston. Many years later I found out she had taught my mother-in-law too at a previous school. Mrs Ryder was my art teacher. During my first year at Lawnside I met Roo Budgett (Delme-Murray), who is still a close friend. My sister Suzie Payne, two years younger, was also at Lawnside as were two of my cousins, Sally and Helen Foster. I went on to Tudor Hall to do A Levels. My mother Ann Payne was a governor of Lawnside when we were there. She always claimed she had the uniform decreased as there was
too much of it!! I went on to study at Camberwell Art School in London gaining a Diploma in Prints and Drawings Conservation in 1978. I have stayed in the same profession all my working life and still conserve works of art on paper. I also have my own studio and business in Chiswick, West London. My clients include museums, art galleries, university collections, art dealers, framers, private collectors, and auction houses. In 1992, I married Peter Wolton and we have three children, all in their 20s.
MARY FORESTER (1973) Below is a group of us who were in the same year from 1968 to 1973 and who still keep in touch and get together once in a while.
Carine Kidd (Coldwell), Diana Beaumont (Benson), Anna Hill (Butcher), Clayre Broadfield (Blundell-Williams), Belinda Lighton (Fergusson), Alex James (Sandy Henn), Charlotte Bamfylde (Christian), Mary Forester and Caroline Cotterell (Hamilton-Russell). Also part of this group but not pictured are Clare Hambro and Phyllida Lloyd.
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GOLI RADJABI (1975) I was at Lawnside School from 1970 – 1975. I have happy memories of my time there and made many friends, a few that I still have contact with. I remember going to church in Great Malvern and singing the hymns with great gusto. I enjoyed the sermons as my homeland of Persia was mentioned quite a lot; I think
I was the only pupil listening intently to the sermons. In the summertime we had great fun and a good laugh with classic Greek dancing on the lovely lawn, as the teacher was so serious and we were not. On our birthdays we were allowed to select the hymn that we all sang during the morning assembly. That was a good idea and I always asked for ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’, I still like this hymn. Also, once a year we were required to stand in front of the whole school and give a short recital of the daily news, this got
JAYNE COLLIER (SPITTLE, 1978) My husband Peter is retiring at the end of March but continuing as a part-time consultant solicitor and Notary Public after that. Our older daughter, Cordelia, is still living in London and working for Universal Studios as an in-house lawyer. Our younger daughter, Henriette is working on events and marketing for a rural agricultural college. She is a very keen eventer and showjumper.
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us interested in the news of the day but it was terrifying as well. I was a member of Pluto House and swam in the swimming team in the relay race usually doing breaststroke. Our team was good. I remember that Elgar the composer had some connection with Lawnside, but I am not sure exactly how. To me it seemed small and cosy but dare I say not too focused on academia, however I enjoyed my time there and met some good friends.
SARAH GRACE (ALEXANDER, 1978) Who would have thought two years ago our lives would have been so changed worldwide? We are all well, coughs, colds and chest infections, but no serious complaints. Our children Hannah and Josh are both working full-time and living at home, so we have a busy household that occasionally manages to get together in the same room. Adrian and I enjoy our daily walks together with Luna who sadly developed epilepsy at the end of September, so we are keeping an eye on her.
LAWNSIDE RECREATION PICTURE In 1923, girls from Lawnside were photographed sitting on steps at the rear of their school building. Almost a century later, In 2021, MSJ girls re-created the photo on the same steps to commemorate Lawnside’s important role in MSJ’s history. We hope in doing so we have created a new piece of history for MSJ girls to look back on. The building, formerly known as the Grove, is now home to one of our MSJ families.
1923
2021
The Flanders Poppies The fields in Flanders were covered with poppies, Poppies of bright red hue Poppies that waved and danced in the breeze And glistened with morning dew. Then came the war with its terrible sights Its fields which were running with blood, The poppies were trampled and scattered afar, Away of fields of mud. The poppies are growing again in the fields; Over grey crosses they wave, Marking the graves of the dear fallen ones Who gave all, their country to save. The flowers whose beautiful petals resemble The blood, by our heroes shed, Seem to say, as they whisper and flutter, “Remember the Glorious Dead”. The fields in Flanders are covered with poppies, Poppies of bright red hue, Poppies that wave and dance in the breeze, And glisten with morning dew.
REMEMBRANCE DAY 2021 On Remembrance Day 2021, MSJ’s Chaplain, Katie Fisher, led an event in The Quad with pupils placing poppies on a map of the world staked out on the grass. The school choir sang Amazing Grace and a poem was read by Headmistress, Mrs Raraty. The poem, ‘The Flanders Poppies’ was written in 1921 by Margaret Clingan, who at the time was a V Lower pupil of Lawnside. We had found it in an edition of the ‘Golden Rose’ magazine from Lawnside School, now held in our Archives. Poignantly written exactly a century ago, it was a beautiful tribute to the fallen men and women of war.
Margaret Clingan, 1921 A pupil of Lawnside School
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IN MEMORIAM We sadly report the following death:
Audrey Speechley, 1926–2021 From Duseline Stewart, Headmistress 1971-1990 For 33 years Audrey was piano teacher at Lawnside and generations of Lawsidians will mourn her passing. She inspired her pupils and they in turn held her in great affection. So much so that many kept in touch with her long after they left Lawnside and had had children of their own. The quantity of letters and photographs she received over the years bears witness to the part she played in their lives. Audrey had the ability to overcome the reluctance to perform in public, whether as singer or instrumentalist, that many teenagers feel. She gave them the confidence that comes from a sympathetic accompanist. As a member of staff, she was always ready for a challenge. She transposed and rewrote Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène and Orpheus in the Underworld for memorable performances in which every girl in the school took part as performer or backstage. In addition to her teaching, Audrey accompanied local choirs and worked for the blind. In her retirement she was adventurous, even going up in a hot-air balloon. Until Covid, she kept up with her many friends, driving her car round the county. She was indeed a most remarkable woman.
Carol Pike and Audrey Speechley at the OGA Honorary Members Coffee Morning, December 2021
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MALVERN ST JAMES
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FORMER HEAD GIRL
ONE YEAR ON Faye Lynch-Williams, Head Girl at MSJ 2020 - 2021 I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have at Cambridge, from being taught by world-leading professionals (imagine presenting an enzyme to a supervisor only to find out he discovered it), to having work experience and placements thrown at me without request. It certainly feels like a parallel universe when cycling in my gown down Trinity Lane to formal dinners and playing chess over port instead of going clubbing, but I am incredibly happy here.
The course is immensely challenging, and the workload is beyond anything I could have imagined but it is also very rewarding. Indeed, it has been difficult to adjust to the concept of 50% being fantastic, failing being normal, and no longer being ‘top of the class’ but I have made such great, supportive friends who have helped me to adjust.
I’ll never forget when I was first given my cadaver and handed a scalpel with the instruction to ‘peel back the skin of right anterior arm’; not only did I cut the wrong side of the arm, but I also cut the wrong arm and was duly told never to consider being a surgeon. Safe to say, my dissection skills are improving and I recognise how lucky I am to be able to learn anatomy with a real human specimen (although you never quite get used to the smell). Fortunately, restrictions have been gradually lifted and I now have most of my lectures and all my practical sessions in person, which has been a great opportunity not only to meet medical students from other colleges, but also to engage with the academics and ask questions. Outside of work, I play football for the University first team and have travelled across the country competing in the BUCS league but have unfortunately had to stop training after a knee injury; I have, however, taken up rowing for my college (no, I am not a cox) which I am thoroughly enjoying. I also haven’t forgotten my (admittedly unsuccessful) MSJ lacrosse days and am also captain of the college lacrosse team which, although a laughably low standard, is such good fun. I was hoping to run the Cambridge Half Marathon for Mind but was unfortunately also stopped by the knee injury after raising some £500 – I intend on running next year, though! I am also a member of the Union and have been to several debates and had the opportunity to meet fantastic speakers such as Jacob ReesMogg, Michael Portillo and Bear Grylls. After exams, I am looking forward to a term of sport and celebrations and to seeing the 2020, 2021 and 2022 leavers; it will be great to catch up with teachers and friends after so long apart.
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SCHOOL REPORT
GCSE RESULTS
A LEVEL RESULTS
2021
AND UNIVERSITY
DESTINATIONS 2021 Malvern St James Girls’ School was pleased to announce the A Level results for its 2021 cohort. Against the backdrop of Covid interruption affecting both years of Sixth Form study, pupils attained results to be incredibly proud of and most headed off to their first-choice university and course:
Malvern St James Girls’ School is delighted with its excellent GCSE results this year, with 74% of awards graded 9 to 7, and 31% of students achieving a clean sweep of grades 9 to 7. This year’s GCSE passes have been awarded grades of between 9 and 1 with 9 being the highest score:
43%
75%
32%
54%
74%
GRADES AT A*
GRADES AT A*-A
GRADED 9
GRADED 9 and 8
GRADED 9 to 7
90%
98%
STEAM subjects and languages were particularly strong this year with grades 9 to 7 for: ART
GRADES AT A*-B
GRADES AT A*-C
There is breadth in subjects and a strong showing for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths). One student took up her place at Oxford to read Music with a choral scholarship after achieving A*s in Biology, Maths and Music. Another took up a place at Cambridge to read Medicine having achieved A*s in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths. Across STEM subjects as a whole, at least two thirds of all grades awarded are A*-A.
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BIOLOGY
BUSINESS
89%
80%
80%
COMPUTING
84%
DRAMA
83%
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
FRENCH
GEOGRAPHY
89%
GERMAN
75%
HISTORY
LATIN
MUSIC
73%
88%
79%
100%
75%
PHYSICS
PRODUCT DESIGN
SPANISH
76%
100%
73%
EVENTS CELEBRATING THE QUEEN’S
PLATINUM JUBILEE
In 2022, Her Majesty The Queen will become the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service. To mark this momentous occasion pupils and staff from MSJ took part in a whole-school photo to commemorate the moment in the life of the school.
On Saturday 16th October, Lynne Lindner, former Head of Vocal Studies and Music Performance, conducted a celebratory programme of music performed by MSJ girls, past and present. The concert was a belated celebration, following Lynne’s retirement in the Summer of 2020 after 27 years’ service to the school (both MSJ and St James’s). It was a truly fabulous evening showcasing amazing musical talent and by the end of the night, energy was bouncing off the walls of York Hall. A huge thank you to all those who came and supported and performed.
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YEAR 13 FAREWELL
PIZZA & PROSECCO On Wednesday 16th June 2021 MSJ Year 13s enjoyed a summer evening in the Quad to say goodbye to MSJ and hello to the OGA. The girls enjoyed Pizza and Prosecco al fresco and were gifted goody bags as a welcome present from the OGA which contained an assortment of small gifts in a ‘university survival pack’. They join a group of over 4,000 women in the Old Girls’ Association, who have been pupils not only at MSJ, but also our founding schools. We wish them a fantastic future and hope they will stay in touch.
VALETE FLOWERS ON GREENSLADE AND POULTON MEMORIAL Following the annual Valete service and the official handing over of the gowns, the very first job for our new Head Girl Team for 2021-22 involved placing flowers (from the Valete ‘farewell’ service) by the new memorial headstone for the founders of Malvern Girls’ College. The final resting place of Miss Isabel Greenslade and Miss Lily Poulton is located near the Chapel in Great Malvern Cemetery, where a view of the Malvern Hills provides a beautiful backdrop. The headstone was commissioned in 2020 and was kindly funded by Old Girl donors.
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STUDENT WELLBEING RECOGNISED
IN AWARDS SCHEME
MSJ is honoured to have been shortlisted in the prestigious Independent School Parent Magazine’s Independent School of the Year 2021 awards in the Student Wellbeing Category. 2020-2021 presented many challenges for the Health and Wellbeing Team, from ensuring the continuation of our excellent pastoral provision in a remote environment to supporting a smooth return to onsite education. The school has well-established systems for supporting Pastoral Care, something which is verified by our Gold Standard accreditation in Mental Health and Wellbeing recognised by the Carnegie Institute. Zinnia Wilkinson, Director of Pastoral Care said: “Mental health and wellbeing is always important, underpinning all other aspects of a person’s life and ability to thrive. I am delighted MSJ has been shortlisted for the Student Wellbeing award, it is a great testament to the team here.”
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GRAPEVINE BY LYNNE LINDNER, MSJ & ST JAMES’S It is wonderful to be in Spring with new life beginning and the days lengthening. It is just over a year since I lost my husband Stephen so for me it was a year of loss, and for us all the Covid restrictions affected so many aspects of life. But in the Summer of 2021, it began to be possible to put on concerts again and 2021 was also a wonderful year of weddings of past pupils - Becky Fisher (MSJ 2011), Catherine Okey (MSJ 2012), Samantha Morris (St J’s & A 2002), and Felicity Houlbrooke (St J’s & A 2005). This year I attended Grace Higgins (MSJ 2015) Orchestral Performance Masters recital – she is now an accomplished professional flautist. She performed with four fellow Masters students at Elmslie House here in Malvern and it was a tour de force. A hugely enjoyable occasion was the Mountbatten Festival of Music in the Royal Albert Hall,
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performed by the massed bands of the Royal Marines. Kirsty Haines (MSJ 2015) is now not only a multi-instrumentalist, but one of their singing soloists. Her charisma, confidence and stage presence blew us away in front of a packed Albert Hall. She has an exciting time ahead planning her wedding in July and is marrying her fellow marine musician Alasdair Chatterton. I was delighted to attend the ceremony in London at which Becky Fisher was accepted as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons – a high honour. Guest speakers spoke about the drive that you need to succeed as a surgeon, and Becky has demonstrated so much of that special quality. It is a delight to see her career going from strength to strength. Becky still finds time for music making which she loves. Two girls who have also excelled themselves recently are Sasha Lloyd (MSJ 2017) and Genevieve
Phillips (MSJ 2017). Sasha graduated in 2020 from the University of Birmingham with a 2:1 with honours in Law and studied her Legal Practice Course and Masters in Law at the University of Law graduating last year with a high distinction. Sasha will start a training contract with Higgs LLP in September but until then has been enjoying a break from academics by keeping busy with her new pup. After graduating from Liverpool University with a first in Music and Technology, Genevieve was offered a position with the Royal Corps of Army Music as a cellist in the Countess of Wessex Orchestra.
On Valentine’s Day 2022 Sarah Musgrave and I saw Handel’s opera Theodora at the Royal Opera House – an absolutely exquisite experience, hearing Joyce Didonata’s refined and accomplished singing. This was my farewell gift from the Music Department and what a memorable occasion. Thank you to Lucy Miller and all my lovely colleagues for your generosity. I have taken up tennis again and have tremendous fun with Ros Hayes and friends at Manor Park, with coaching sessions to improve as well. I continue a busy singing and piano teaching practice from home, and I direct the Elmslie Singers as well as the Jenny Lind Singers. We put on several concerts in the Autumn of 2021 and recently raised £410 for the DEC Ukraine Appeal. I have been inspired with
the help of my interior designer brother Brian Wade to redecorate my house, so I have had a long period of upheaval as rooms have been painted and decorated, with carpet about to arrive. So, in all I look ahead to a new chapter with gratitude at the forefront. I recently saw an inspiring performance of Benjamin Britten’s
opera Peter Grimes at ROH with Allan Clayton in the title role, for which he has received five-star reviews. Stephen used to take Allan and my son Alex to King’s School and the Cathedral choir each day and I have watched Allan’s career grow ever since. Allan gave one of the first MSJ concert recitals for us in 2006. What a talent!
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Written by Lexie, Year 13 On Wednesday 16 February, Emily Cox, a 2021 Leaver, gave a presentation to Years 11, 12 and 13 about her experience of university life so far. Emily is currently studying Stage Management at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Emily’s presentation allowed MSJ girls to hear first-hand from someone they remember well, what life at university is like and what studying Stage Management in London consists of. Emily’s A levels included: Biology, Computer Science, Drama and Further Maths (AS) and it was reassuring for many of us to see that choosing a variety of A levels, when uncertain about which direction you want to take, can be a positive experience and open a range of options for further education. Emily talked about how she chose Central as the university for her, and the process involved in making this decision. As a current Year 13 student choosing which university offer to accept, I was able to relate to these experiences and think it’s great for younger girls to hear about this process too. It was interesting to hear about a course that is structured with lectures and seminars like many others; but also filled with practical aspects and interesting parts of the course that many degrees do not have. For example, Emily is currently working on a project called ‘Tableau’ where she is recreating a still image from the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice. It was enjoyable and interesting to see the wide variety included in her course at Central.
Lastly, in her presentation, Emily talked about the transition from school to university and how she tackled these changes. One of the main differences being the level of responsibility you have, and how you are in control of your own success, as you do not receive as much structure and direction as you would at school. I found this information helpful as it is always important when looking ahead to university life, to remember the challenges you are going to face as well as the many opportunities. Overall, Emily’s presentation was both insightful and eye-opening: to hear about a course that is less talked of and to hear about university life from someone who was only here at MSJ last year was useful and appreciated.
OLD GIRL GUEST SPEAKER AT PRIZEGIVING AND COMMEMORATION A marvellous celebration was in order at our Prizegiving and Commemoration Ceremony in July 2021, as we bid a fond farewell to our excellent Year13 Leavers. Although the year saw a slightly different celebration, due to the restrictions of Covid, it did not dispel the wonderful atmosphere and the beautiful weather. Staff, parents and students gathered in a socially distanced way in the Quad, dressed in their formal attire, and were treated to canapes, drinks and of course, a strawberry tea. We were honoured to have Sophie Grant (Mills, MGC 1998) as our virtual Guest Speaker at the event who discussed her life and career in Africa. Following training in Law in the UK, then fundraising in Westminster, she moved out to Kenya and now owns her own safari and tour-guide business in one of the country’s most stunning wildlife regions. She works with her husband, and is bringing up their two daughters in this amazing wilderness. She employs and trains local people, does outreach with schoolchildren, and operates the business sustainably. Sophie is at the forefront of seeing the human impact on nature, something which was of keen interest to our pupils, along with hearing how she has experienced the pandemic in a different part of the globe. A huge thank you to Sophie for taking the time to record a really beautiful and impactful message for our Year 13s in particular, but also appreciated by all of us through the School.
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OGA LECTURES On Friday 12 November 2021 we welcomed Catherine Jones (MGC 1980) for our OGA Autumn Lecture to Sixth Form students, which was titled ‘There is no glass ceiling…’ Catherine Jones’ current role is Global Financial Advisory Talent and Learning Leader at Deloitte. As a woman in business, she had some great experiences and advice to share with our students about women in leadership, maximising career opportunities, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and what to expect as a member of the workforce of the future. Catherine began looking at the importance of diversity in the workplace and shared some fantastic facts about the benefits this brings. Catherine also covered what it means to be strong at work, and how to operate in a way which energises you, absorbs you and fulfils you. Catherine explained how finding and playing to your strengths will make you feel happier, healthier, less stressed and allow you to be more confident in your career and overall, more satisfied. The lecture was rounded up with some fantastic questions from the girls covering subjects such as interview techniques and how to be assertive in the workplace. It was fantastic to see the Sixth Form girls so engaged. A huge thank you to Catherine for taking the time to come and speak. It was also good to hear of Catherine’s memories of her time at MGC whilst touring around school.
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MSJ OLD GIRLS’ NEWS GEORGIE KWOK (2014) In January 2022 I was invited to a class of 2015 reunion. It was so lovely to see all these familiar faces again, altogether, at the same table. With the boisterous banter and easy conversation and company, it was almost like being back in the Dining Room again — or the Hatfield pantry or common room during an Exeat weekend. It felt like it was only yesterday that we were asking to pass the chocolate spread from the next table — not at all as though it has been seven whole years since we last met (for some of us)! Sending you best wishes from the subtropics - wishing you and everyone at MSJ good health and all things good in the new year.
EMILY KETT (BRIGHT, 2011) Emily and Philip Kett are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter Lydia Emily Charlotte. Born on Friday 11th March 2021 at 4.26pm, weighing 7 pounds 10 ounces.
BABOA TACHIE-MENSON (2013) Baboa, along with her cousin and Old Girl, Mary Marie Naa Chinery-Hesse (2014), visited MSJ in October 2021.
REBECCA FISHER (2011) I got married on 24th July 2022 in Upton upon Severn, to Ed Cooke, a boy I met at a Malvern College social organised by Mrs Huntley. We had MSJ Old Girls singing at the church and reception led by Mrs Lindner. LAUREL BUCHANAN (2010) Laurel married Daniel Ussher on 4 September 2021, surrounded by friends and family. Lots of friends from MSJ and MGC were in attendance to help celebrate their special day.
YOUR OGA PLEASE SEND US YOUR NEWS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR We hope you are enjoying reading the updates about fellow Old Girls and Honorary Members in this year’s OGA News magazine; we love hearing about your activities and achievements. For many of us, the past year has meant long overdue family reunions, parties with friends and meeting new additions to the family for the very first time. It has been a pleasure to receive your news and stories and we hope that you will continue to share your special occasions and fond memories with us. Please send news, and include pictures wherever possible, to Phillippa Weatherhead at oga@malvernstjames.co.uk
STAY UP TO DATE WITH OGA AND MSJ NEWS The OGA and the school has a strong presence across all social media channels, which are an excellent way to both stay up to date with the latest news from the school, and engage with fellow Old Girls and Honorary Members. If you don’t already, please use the links below to Follow us on:
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THE LANSDOWNE CLUB Members of the MSJ OGA are offered the opportunity to take up membership of The Lansdowne Club in the heart of Mayfair, London. 1824 membership of The Lansdowne Club is specifically for those aged 18-20 inclusive for a one-off payment of £1080. This will provide membership for up to 7 years or until the age of 24 inclusive. If you are interested in joining, please contact the OGA Office or email oga@malvernstjames. co.uk who can provide more information about membership fees and options.
A London Members’ Club, The Lansdowne is a hidden gem in the heartNEWS of Mayfair. From the outside, it gives little sign of its 80 SOGA P R I N G 2022 distinguished past. However, beneath the surface, this noble Club
OGA COMMITTEE: INTRODUCING OUR NEW TREASURER We are pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine Jones (MGC 1980) as our new OGA Treasurer. Catherine has worked as an accountant for Deloitte’s and is currently Diversity and Inclusivity lead for the company. Catherine went to MGC and was in Mount and Senior House. Below Catherine details some memories from her time at school. I arrived at Malvern Girls’ College in September 1973 – the youngest in the school – and was safely installed in The Mount. I have so many happy memories but looking through my old reports, it would seem I was not good at adhering to house discipline! House plays, dancing to Crocodile Rock, Top of the Pops, midnight feasts and the “blowing up” of the Edinburgh Dome are particularly strong memories. In the Sixth Form, we moved into the main school and were given much more freedom. We explored the hills, the shops “up town”, the Winter Gardens and enjoyed sunbathing on the library roof. I made lifelong friends at Malvern and many of us are still meeting up, especially as most of my year are hitting a significant birthday this year. The photo of the painting attached is a picture of me in my Sixth Form blazer and scarf – painted by Christina Tomlinson. The other photos are The Mount 1973-4 (I am third from the left in the front row) and a picture of me in the annex dorm 6 in my second term I think!
FUTURE EVENTS Please keep an eye on our website for future events and to register your attendance; it is the best place to check the latest updates on activities and plans for the coming year.
Headmistress’s Drinks at MSJ
Honorary Members’ Coffee Morning
Christmas Wreath Making at MSJ
WEDNESDAY 6 JULY 6.30-8PM
FRIDAY 2 DECEMBER 9:30-11AM
SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2022 & MONDAY 5 DECEMBER 2022
Old Girls, Honorary Members, parents, grandparents and guardians are all invited to join the Headmistress, Mrs Olivera Raraty, for informal drinks on Wednesday 6 July.
All our Honorary Members are invited to join us for coffee and carols from the MSJ Prep Choir, hosted by Headmistress Olivera Raraty.
In the lead up to Christmas, several events will be taking place for members of our MSJ Community.
The latest information about OGA events can be found on our website www.malvernstjames.co.uk. For any individual queries please email oga@malvernstjames.co.uk. We recommend that you check the website nearer the time of advertised events, as details may have changed since the publication of this magazine. YOUR
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DO WE HAVE YOUR CORRECT CONTACT DETAILS? Due to the recent Pandemic, it has been several years since our last physical mailing of the OGA News magazine. We appreciate that individual details will have changed and ask you to please complete and return the attached form to the address below so that we can update our details accordingly. OGA Office Malvern St James Girls’ School 15 Avenue Road Great Malvern Worcestershire WR14 3BA You can also update, or confirm your current details, or sign up with your email address by sending an email to oga@malvernstjames.co.uk or phone us on 01684 892288. We have lots of interesting updates and activities planned, and we don’t want anyone to miss out! Current Name: * Previous or maiden surname:
What best describes your association with the OGA? (tick all that apply) * Old Girl Honorary Member
Other - see question below If you selected 'Other' please describe below:
Current Parent Past Parent Which school/s reflect your association? * Malvern Girls' College
St James's & The Abbey
Malvern St James
The Abbey
St James's
Lawnside
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Mobile Telephone Number
EDITOR’S NOTE wed hope After another uncertain year, we enter Spring 2022 with rene look back for a more ‘normal’ way of living. As the world opens up, we all faced. on what an unprecedented and challenging time we have to work tirelessly on the front line We must acknowledge and thank our Old Girls who continued ty. Many Old Girls have been during the past 2 years and have shown great strength and humili for such adversity, and that them e in touch to say that their school experience helped to prepar strength throughout. School life has friendships formed during that time have remained a pillar of s and we must applaud our been able to continue without interruption over the past 12 month the very best education possible MSJ Community for working together to ensure that our girls get during these uncertain times. sing, travelling, and reuniting. We are As restrictions are lifted, we look ahead to a summer of sociali and look forward to welcoming excited to host our first ‘in person’ annual reunion for some time June to celebrate. 2021 was the Old Girls and Honorary Members back to MSJ on Saturday 11 will mark the occasion with tea and 125th anniversary of the founding of St James’s School and we reunion festivities. A celebration will tours of the old school building in West Malvern as part of our as a rescheduled farewell to Mrs also be held the same evening within York Hall at MSJ to serve Head of Vocal Studies and Music Lynne Lindner who was Head of Music at St James’s School and see many of you there. Performance at Malvern St James from 1993-2020. We hope to James’s & The Abbey Bursary This summer also sees the launch of our new St James’s and St unities for more girls to access appeal, and with your support this will enable us to provide opport you are interested in finding out the outstanding education and opportunities offered at MSJ. If co.uk. james. more, please contact Fiona Meredith on meredf@malvernst
ine Jones (MGC 1980) to the We would like to formally welcome our new OGA Treasurer, Cather e’s and has already been Deloitt at lead Committee. Catherine is currently Diversity and Inclusivity their continued support for ittee a wonderful support. We must also thank the Trustees and Comm of them again, in person at the over the past 12 months and we look forward to seeing many upcoming reunion celebrations. Please continue to send in your news and updates throughout the year, it makes the job of producing the magazine much simpler and we always love hearing from our community of Old Girls and Honorary Members. As always, the best way to get in touch is by emailing oga@malvernstjames. co.uk or by calling us on 01684 892288. With best wishes,
Phillippa Weatherhead External Relations Manager
P h il lipp a , Ch ri ssy a nd Fi on a , Develop m en t Te am YOUR
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Carnegie Centre of Excellence Awards Gold Standard for outstanding mental health and wellbeing provision.
Marketing Award for Effective Brand Communication Malvern St James Malvern Alumnae 100 campaign.
15 Avenue Road, Great Malvern Worcestershire WR14 3BA United Kingdom
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