My Trinity 2022 by trinityschoolcroydon

ISSUE 4: Summer 2022

Magazine for former pupils, staff and friends

Space stations, space wars and AI / Page x Lorem Impum dolor-isit. cop26 - alumni delivering a net-zero event / Page x Lorem Impum dolor-isit.

DR SIMON JACKMAN: SPACE STATIONS, SPACE WARS AND AI COP 26: ALUMNI DELIVERING A NET-ZERO EVENT MY TRINITY: OUR ALUMNI NETWORKING PLATFORM THE RISE OF GOLF AT TRINITY

“Here at Trinity, we are aiming to become carbon neutral as quickly as we can and are lucky to have both our student Green Council leading the way on better day-to-day behaviours, and our governing body investing in the infra-structure that will lead to more sustainable and efficient energy use.”

Alasdair Kennedy Headmaster

Welcome It is lovely to be writing to you after our first (almost) uninterrupted academic year since 2019. Students and staff have thrown themselves back into a busy school life with sports fixtures, societies, concerts and the Drama department’s epic production of Shrek the Musical with over 125 students involved on and off stage. One of the most exciting moments must be the 1st XV Rugby team winning the National Cup at Twickenham. They put on a superb display in the final, winning against Kirkham Grammar School 15-10, which brought the whole school community together as we followed their journey to victory in the pouring rain. Social gatherings are also back on the school calendar with our Alumnae reunion held at the beginning of April to celebrate 10 years of girls being at the school. Our guests enjoyed sharing stories and insights from their time at Trinity, to their universities and current employment. It was fantastic to see our alumnae networking with current sixth form girls, offering advice and discussing their professions. Our lead articles in this edition cover both space travel and the environment - not always obvious bedfellows. While space launches leave a hefty carbon footprint, they are relatively infrequent, meaning that their overall impact on our climate remains much smaller than that of other aviation. But it is not just our immediate environment it can impact - ‘space

junk’ is a growing concern as disused satellites and other objects accumulate in our planet’s orbit. But what of the benefits of space on the environment? Space-based technologies, such as remotely sensed data, have enhanced our understanding of water cycles, air quality, forests and other aspects of the natural environment. These surveying and monitoring tools provide valuable information on the state of ecosystems, which offers objective support for positive environmental action, including conservation and sustainable resource management. Here at Trinity, we are aiming to become carbon neutral as quickly as we can and are lucky to have both our student Green Council leading the way on better day-to-day behaviours, and our governing body investing in the infra-structure that will lead to more sustainable and efficient energy use. To lose any member of our alumni is sad, but particular mention has to go to Geoff Wilsher who passed away on his 81st birthday in January this year. Geoff was the ‘voice’ of the TMWA for over five decades and held just about every post on the Council. He was integral to alumni relations and was a regular guest at school events. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Judith and their sons Stephen and Mark. In the coming months we will also say farewell to Melodie Johnson and David Young who will both retire from the Development and

Alumni Team. Melodie has been an integral part of the school for 19 years with both her sons attending the school. As Director of Development, David has driven the fundraising efforts for our Bursary Fund ever closer to reaching our target of being able to offer means-tested support to one in five students.

We wish them all the best in their retirement and thank them for their magnificent service to the school and alumni relations over the years. As I write we are ramping up to our next Giving Day on Friday 27th May and we are excited to draw the whole school into promoting the value of bursary support within our community. I look forward to seeing many of you at the alumni events planned over the coming year.

With my best wishes

Alasdair Kennedy, Headmaster

Contents 3

School News

Alumni in the News

6 Dr Simon Jackman: Space Stations, Space Wars and AI 8

COP 26: Alumni delivering a net-zero event

Going Green

Alumni in the Spotlight

y Trinity: M Our alumni networking platform

Alumni Talks

Our Events

The Rise of Golf at Trinity

The Trinity Bursary Fund

Giving Day

Memory Lane

In Memoriam

The Trinity Club

Destination of Leavers

Farewell Melodie

Farewell David

Alumni and Development Team

Dates for your Diary

School

First XV winners of the 2022 Schools’ National Cup We are so proud of everyone involved in Trinity Rugby as our U18 Boys 1st XV Rugby team returns from Twickenham, winners of the 2022 National Cup. They put on a superb display in the final, winning against Kirkham Grammar School 15-10.

Girls’ 1st XV rugby team in 7s debut with Dubai College Trinity Girls’ 1st XV Rugby team met Dubai College in their first 7s game, ahead of the Rosslyn Park tournament.The girls gained valuable experience in a fast-paced and very physical game against the international touring side. .

Sixth Form student receives Gold award for his independent medical research Sixth Form student, Yash Shetty, achieved a CREST Gold award last summer, for his research project entitled ‘The Optimal Diet to Reduce CHD Risk while Enhancing Muscle Hypertrophy’. This looked at the right foods to eat to avoid Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), while hypertrophy refers to an increase in muscular size achieved through exercise.

Shrek The Musical raises funds for youth mental health charity Trinity’s Performance of Shrek The Musical not only raised the roof – it also raised almost £600 for youth mental health charity, Beyond, founded by author and filmmaker, Jonny Benjamin MBE.

Alumni

Tom Foreman and Rachel Nicholson

2018 alumnus, Tom, has written and produced ‘Swell’ which he will take to Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe this August. It was inspired by the story of residents of the small coastal town of Fairbourne in Wales who are set to be Britain’s first climate refugees. Swell follows the story of two siblings caught in the purgatory of a fictional but analogous town, ready to be abandoned. Swell asks: how are we able to understand ourselves when the places we call home crumble around us? Also starring 2017 alumna, Rachel Nicholson, as the lead.

Wasia Project

Andrew Barnabas

Congratulations to Andrew Barnabas, who left in 1989, and his company Bob and Barn who had their first major award win for their score to Netflix documentary ‘Hating Peter Tatchell’ at The International Sound and Film Music Festival. Over 1000 films were submitted across all 10 categories, a mixture of Hollywood studio and Independent features with about a dozen Oscars between them.

Honor Teideman

Honor, who left Trinity in 2015, can now be heard gracing our airwaves on Reprezent Radio with her radio show from 11am to 1pm every other Thursday. She started as an A&R for global publishing company, Downtown Music working with the likes of Tion Wayne, Jimmy Napes, Ryan Tedder, Mae Muller and many more. She is now A&R manager for Locomotion Music Publishing and creative consultant for the record label.

The Wasia Project was formed in 2019 by siblings William Gao (2021) and Olivia Hardy. Their mixed British-East Asian heritage and classical training inspired them to write songs which incorporate a diverse mix of genres including Jazz, Bedroom Pop and Classical. Following four independent singles and the addition of a live band, including Trinity alums Luca Wade (2021) on drums and Tom Pacitti (2018) on bass, the siblings embark on their next stage of development, awaiting the release of their upcoming EP – ‘How Can I Pretend?’, out on the 10th of May.

William Gao

William, 2021 leaver, is all over our screens at the moment in the hit Netflix series Heartstopper based on the webcomic and graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman. It’s billed as a queer teenage love story, and follows Charlie Spring, a gay schoolboy who falls in love with someone he sits next to in his new form. William plays Tao Xu, Charlie’s best friend. We can’t wait to see him in the eagerly anticipated second series and follow where his acting career takes him next.

Amiri Harewood

Amiri Harewood, who left Trinity in 2020, made his professional debut at the Royal Festival Hall last November. Following a performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Chineke! Orchestra, he received a standing ovation and critical acclaim. Geoff Brown from the Times said, “...this was a Festival Hall debut of considerable panache, and the enthusiastic audience immediately treated him as a friend. His future should be worth watching.”

James Naylor

It’s probably every child’s dream to design and produce their own board game. This dream became a reality for alumni James Naylor, who left in 2004. He came up with the concept of ‘Magnate - The First City’ ten years ago. It then took three and a half years to get the game published. Imagine the thrill of finally seeing it on the shelf in, none other than, Ludoquist, the board game café in central Croydon. A must-have game for all you strategically minded, budding property developers out there.

Gabriel Ibitoye

Congratulations to our 2016 leaver, Gabriel Ibitoye who has been signed to play for the Bristol Bears. Gabriel said, “Bristol is one of the most exciting clubs in the Premiership so it’s a fantastic opportunity and one I’m looking forward to taking.”

Alumnus Dr Simon Jackman on Jeff Bezos’s new space station Orbital Reef, Space Wars and Artificial intelligence.

SPACE STATIONS SPACE WARS &

Simon, who left Trinity in 1984, is a Senior Innovation Fellow at Oxford University. He has spent the last fifteen years developing innovations and partnerships with businesses, researchers and government departments and is currently working with the space sector on a range of issues affecting the world today. When we interviewed him, Simon had just returned from a visit to Arizona State University where a team of people from across the world met to collaborate on using a new space station being built by Jeff Bezos’s company, Blue Origin, one of the three companies in the US leading consortia that are building space stations. Orbital Reef will be three times the size of the current International Space Station and will be launched by 2030. The team Simon is part of is looking at what research can be undertaken at the new space station and Simon is leading on the ethics of that research, for example, the use of Artificial Intelligence in an ethical way. The team is also exploring how to involve people from underprivileged backgrounds and from countries yet to get involved in space: “We want to ensure it is a dynamic international effort by recruiting researchers from different backgrounds, nationalities and diverse communities”. Asked whether we could manufacture things in space, Simon said: “Colleagues working in regenerative medicine are excited about growing tendons in space. You can grow them in a laboratory from cells and they are nearly as good as new. However, the gravity on Earth makes the cells in the tendons a little distorted, which makes them less flexible, but if you grow them in space, with zero gravity, the tendons are really supple and easy to attach. The same goes for fibre optic cables. When they are cast on Earth, gravity distorts the glass, but if you cast them in space, they are perfect and light can pass through them without distorting. So, we could be making long fibre optic cables on the space station, coiling them up and bringing them back down to Earth to use in our homes or in pipelines across the Atlantic.” Simon went on to talk about the dangers of conflict and has been in discussions with NASA and the US Space Force about what we should do to avoid conflict. This was about a month before the crisis in Ukraine began. “Only in the last few years, has it become possible to knock someone else’s satellite out by using a laser from your own satellite, by colliding with it, or by launching a rocket from one satellite to another. We rely on satellites for so many things these days. The GPS signal on your mobile could be lost, our satnavs may not work – not just in our cars, but suddenly, there could be no communications or GPS for ships on the sea and weather forecasting could be disabled.” “Countries can stop other countries looking at them - we have all seen the convoy of Russian tanks in the Ukraine via satellite – this can be very helpful to opposing sides during wartime.”

“We are also looking at how to facilitate space traffic management. Like air traffic control, we need to prevent collisions in space. We have the added risk of old dead satellites, bits of satellites and asteroids also orbiting the Earth. The current International Space Station is getting old and damaged having been hit and dented over the years by lots of pieces of space junk, travelling at high speed. There is a convention these days that when you send a satellite up, you must have calculated what happens when it ceases to be useful; how to deorbit it and bring it back down to Earth, preferably to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.” Can you tell us how you will be using artificial intelligence in your research? “You can teach a computer to use and learn from a massive amount of data about the Earth. For example, where the forests are and how they are growing, what the terrain is like and where and how all the rivers flow and behave. Armed with this information, flood forecasting is becoming more and more

accurate. Using AI, forecasters can model the weather on a computer, simulate rain falling on the land and then track where the water will go.” The implications of having so much data available are vast. “You can look at forests to see how they are being de-forested and then re-grown. You can train a computer to count trees really quickly. We are using this technology to help us recover nature. At Oxford, we have a new centre, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, where we will be looking at sites around the world including in Peru, Ghana, The Andes, Borneo and closer to home in Oxfordshire and the Cairngorms. We will be undertaking experiments with data to understand and predict what will happen to nature. For example, rather than wait 50 years for a forest to re-grow, we can use imaging from satellites above and data from the ground to undertake experiments on recovering nature and simulate what this will look like for the decades to come. Our planetary ecosystem is deteriorating rapidly, so there is an urgency to this work.

Finally, Simon, what else might be possible up in space? “We are also looking at the idea of building a massive power station in space - a huge set of solar panels where the sun will hit them all the time because they will be above the clouds in low earth orbit – you can harness a lot of power like that.”

COP2 8

ALUMNI delivering a NET-ZERO event

Alumni Mark Bannister (‘97), Head of Production and Operations, COP26 and Simon Dunnell (‘95), Head of Major Events at Identity were astonished to find they had both attended Trinity School when they met at the Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November.

Above: Before construction Right: After construction

"Our aim was also to leave a positive legacy to the local community through delivering lessons, lectures at local universities, charitable giving and by using paid interns from universities at the event."

My Trinity Magazine News

Mark Bannister

Identity delivered the largest event Her Majesty’s Government has ever hosted in the UK and unlike any event the team had ever worked on before. The company was in charge of designing and project managing the whole event over a vast area in Glasgow. They planned the space and fitted out existing venues, designed, built and fitted out temporary structures, provided facilities for media and broadcasting companies, created virtual platforms, facilitated meetings and were responsible for security management. COP26 had to be a carbon-neutral conference with sustainability at its core. Mark told us how they achieved this in a variety of ways. “We reused or hired items, reclaimed or recycled materials and ensured everything was repurposed or recycled afterwards. We consolidated transport across all our suppliers, with hundreds of trucks all running on HVO (hydronated vegetable oil), sourced materials locally where possible, and specified particular materials for packaging. For example, scenic panels arrived with paper and corrugated card between them as opposed to cling film, which we had banned. Left over exhibition carpet was used as packaging or was recycled post event. Where possible, components were made from natural materials and anything new was sourced responsibly by working with our supply chain to ensure that materials held the relevant certification.

Surplus and reusable goods were donated to local charities and groups that needed them. Our aim was also to leave a positive legacy to the local community through delivering lessons, lectures at local universities, charitable giving and by using paid interns from universities at the event. We were mindful of our carbon footprint throughout the event. We continually assessed our energy consumption, water and waste, by reducing emissions as much as possible. The heating system ran on HVO fuel and the crew travelled by train, bus or on foot as the vast majority were local.” The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) shared a video of Simon on LinkedIn as the conference started: “Hosting an event as huge and complex as COP26 – UN Climate Change Conference, is no mean feat, but Simon Dunnell from Identity has found the campus, the suite and the city to be more than up for the challenge.” In the video, Simon said: “It is absolutely brilliant for us to be coming to Glasgow for this event. There’s such a wealth and breadth of experience amongst the people and the companies within Glasgow. We came here knowing that we can deliver a world class, technically complex event. Like the saying goes ‘people make Glasgow’ and I think the attendees found the Glaswegians very friendly, very welcoming, very proud of their city, very proud of their history and always very forward-facing, very excited about the future and very committed to the COP26 project.”

The school’s green credentials – how do we stack up? The aim of the school is to become carbon neutral as soon as possible with considerable progress being made towards this in the next three years.

We talked to Gordon Ferguson, the school’s Estate Manager. “Four years ago, we installed the largest solar array of any school in Europe and this now provides one third of our annual electrical energy requirement. Since inception, it has saved 254,582Kg of CO2, the equivalent to planting 11,653 trees. We have looked at placing more solar panels on the roof spaces we have left, which could give the school a potential 295.5KWp of power. For roofing that is unsuitable for solar panels we are looking to install green roofs. This scheme will also have the benefit of insulating the roof. Our new music building and pavilion both have Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) to heat the buildings and we are currently looking into using ASHPs to heat the swimming pool, further reducing the use of gas. We have installed concrete pads ready to take electric charging points when we move over to a fleet of electric minibuses, however the electric minibus market has not developed as quickly as the car market and is a little behind in their development with batteries." As well as looking at ways of reducing the school's electricity and gas consumption, we have also been looking at the use of flights for overseas trips. These trips provide some of the most memorable and life-changing experiences for the students, but they account for one third of the school's total carbon footprint. We are looking to offset trips such as taking the Lower Sixth to Trinity’s partner school in Malawi and adapting other trips to use other forms of transport to get to Europe or find more destinations within the UK.

Teachers Georgina Webber and Andrew Magee lead the school’s Green Council, working towards the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award, an international accreditation that has recognised and rewarded young people’s environmental actions for over 25 years. Some of the Council’s initiatives have included the Trinity Water Bottle scheme. Another is the introduction of hi-tech water filling stations which indicate how many plastic bottles have been saved – 37,000 so far! Meat Free Mondays are in the planning process and will hopefully be in place by the start of next term. The Council meets on a half termly basis to discuss key issues and delivered a whole school assembly on COP26 to raise awareness of the climate issue. Simon Martin, our chef at Trinity, put on a display of food for our sixth formers in the Mitre Theatre café to demonstrate how our catering team is working towards keeping food waste to a minimum and explained how they order ‘seconds’ from markets when available. He reminded students that whilst 'seconds' of fruit and vegetables may not conform to an ideal shape or size, they still taste the same. Simon went on to talk about the most common leftovers from the kitchen, for example, leftover jacket potatoes, banana skins and tomatoes once cut, tomatoes deteriorate quickly. The Sixth Form students flocked to try out all the food on display and thoroughly enjoyed sampling Simon's potato bread and gnocchi made from leftover jacket potatoes, his potato skin soup and tomato gazpacho. The firm favourites by far were some delicious sweet potato brownies on display. The kitchen staff weigh all food waste with the aim of reducing it over time and are constantly looking for recipes to use up leftovers. So, what can banana skins be used for? Believe it or not, they can be transformed into vegan bacon, pulled banana skin (akin to pulled pork) and banana skin curry.

My Trinity Magazine News

Simon Virley, a parent at Trinity, visited the school to speak to our Green Council having spent two weeks in Glasgow at COP26. Simon is a Partner and UK Head of Energy and Natural Resources at KPMG and advises clients on strategy, regulation and deals in the UK energy market, including major companies such as BP and Shell. He impressed upon students the urgency of addressing global warming. With the world at 1.1 - 1.2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, global warming is causing volatile weather patterns such as mass flooding and drought. The polar ice caps are melting fast, with huge icebergs breaking off. The vast majority of the world's cities are coastal, putting them at risk from flooding. 165 countries, including 28 new members announced at COP26, have pledged to cooperate in accelerating the global transition from coal to clean energy by joining the 'Powering Past Coal Alliance'. The UK has been reducing its reliance on coal for years and less than 2% of our electricity is now derived from coal-fired power stations. Simon talked about ways in which global warming can be addressed, including:

• Offering financial support to developing countries to assist them to move away from fossil fuels. • Controlling deforestation. Over 100 countries agreed to reverse deforestation, including Brazil, Russia and China. • Decarbonising power - by focusing on wind and solar power, renewables and nuclear energy and the need to transition from gas. • Moving to electric powered vehicles. Car manufacturers are

The UK has been reducing its reliance on coal for years and less than 2% of our electricity is now derived from coal-fired power stations.

The UK has been one of the most successful countries at cutting emissions and is almost halfway to achieving the goal of net zero. Students quizzed Simon on what they, and the school, can do to reduce emissions:

• Don't waste energy! Turn off lights and your laptop when you are not using them • Methane is 25% more potent than CO2 and over 100 countries have signed up to cut methane emissions by 30% by

shifting production to electric and hybrid cars which not only

2030. Everyone can help by having

reduce emissions, but are also much cheaper to run although,

meat-free days

currently, these vehicles are more expensive to buy. • Heating our homes - the government wants to see 1 million heat pumps installed in homes across the UK every year. Heat pumps capture heat from the outdoors and moves it into your home. Whilst heat pumps are powered by electricity, they are economical to run. As the system does not burn fuel, like gas, there are no carbon emissions. • Carbon capture and storage (CCS) - this is a process where CO2 released during industrial processes such as cement production and burning coal for generating electricity is captured and stored rather than being released into the atmosphere.

• The School's minibuses to be replaced by electric vehicles • Carbon offsetting school trips especially those abroad • Ensuring the school buildings are well insulated • Installing heat pumps to replace oil and gas fired systems • Recycling waste • Installing solar panels on rooftops

Alumni in the

Joshua Bernard-Cooper who left Trinity in 2017 is heading off on an analog space mission this summer. We caught up with him in between his extreme environment training to hear all about it.

What is an analog space mission?

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

An analog mission is a simulation of a crewed space expedition, carried out in locations with similarities to extreme space environments. They provide a testbed for researchers to verify hardware, methodologies, and experiments for use in space before they are implemented on actual missions. An analog astronaut is a member of the analog mission’s crew; they spend the duration of the mission living in isolation in a simulation base conducting experiments with many of the same constraints that would apply to a real astronaut.

Despite all the excitement and fun associated with being an analog astronaut, the mission will primarily involve high pressure work in a stressful and uncomfortable environment. Preparing for this is why we've undergone extreme environment training, and more recently a dress rehearsal of the mission. Although it's been difficult to adapt to working in these settings, probably even more challenging has been learning how to work effectively as a crew when subject to these stressors. A crew thrives on communication and organisation even when you're exhausted, irritable, and not thinking clearly, so to ensure we can carry out the mission objectives under such conditions, training has involved relearning and perfecting some very simple aspects of socialising and communicating

Tell us about your mission Asclepios II is a two-week analog space mission taking place in July 2022. Our base will be located at Sasso San Gottardo, a bunker at 2100m elevation in the Swiss Alps. Analog missions are simulations of space missions that provide researchers and companies with a testbed for technologies and procedures. Getting to space is expensive, so making sure things are working as effectively as possible before further testing or implementation in space is essential. Our mission will be simulating a short expedition to the lunar South Pole, with the primary objective of finding sustainable methods of water extraction. Water will be a key resource in future lunar settlements for sustaining life and synthesising fuel for spacecraft, so understanding how astronauts can gather it effectively is paramount to the success of these settlements. Alongside this objective, we will be carrying out several other experiments during the mission, with research topics such as growing plants in simulated lunar soil, cognitive performance in isolated environments, and spacesuit helmet design.

How did you become an Analog Astronaut? I was chosen through Asclepios’ selection process, a four-stage process based on the European Space Agency’s own astronaut recruitment program. Initially, applicants submit a CV and motivation letter and, if this passes the initial checks, are invited to record a video answering a selection of technical and personality-based questions. The videos are assessed by a team of psychologists to identify candidates with the correct personality profile for the position. Applicants that pass this phase then attend a virtual assessment day, with a variety of tests spanning numerical and verbal reasoning, memory, technical ability, group work, and further topics. The final stage is an in-person assessment weekend in Lausanne, where the project is based. Here, candidates are examined on teamwork and individual ability in practical and physically and mentally demanding situations as well as physical fitness, and undertake individual interviews with project leaders and mentors.

What role did Trinity play in your journey to space? Trinity was pivotal in my decision to pursue a career in the space industry. In the fifth form, I was lucky enough to be selected for Trinity’s UK Space Design Competition Team. We were tasked with designing a space settlement to a specific set of requirements in an industrysimulation setting and then presenting this to a panel of professionals. We won our regional heat and took part in the national finals at Imperial College London. The experience was so enjoyable and inspiring that I subsequently took A-levels in physics and maths and began my journey to the space sector. The fantastic support I received from the teaching staff at Trinity provided me with the academic basis to pursue a BSc in Physics and Philosophy at the University of St Andrews, and my MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering at Cranfield University.

Nina Pimblett With this edition of the magazine focusing on climate and the environment, we caught up with Nina Pimblett who left Trinity in 2014 to study Geography at the University of Nottingham. It was here that she developed a particular interest in climate change and was nominated for a Royal Geographic Society prize for her dissertation on the link between traffic-related air pollution, sociodemographic risk factors and chronic respiratory disease.

My team helps clients analyse and assess the range of mitigation and adaptation strategies available to address climate risks (including the adoption of net zero strategies, carbon market participation and transition planning), implement these strategies and ensure that this is clearly reported to their stakeholders.

After university, she joined KPMG on their Corporate Audit Graduate scheme where she completed her ACA qualification to become a Chartered Accountant. In her final year of the graduate scheme, Nina was seconded to the ESG Reporting & Assurance team where she specialised in assuring carbon emissions.

One of the biggest challenges we face is that companies vary massively in their climate strategy ambitions, with some companies wanting to be leaders in the field and others just want to do the regulatory minimum. This means that we must really understand our client’s ambitions to make sure that we develop appropriate strategy options, otherwise they won’t use them.

You’ve just joined the Climate Risk and Strategy team at KPMG, what do they do and how do they add value to the climate change discussion? The Climate Risk & Strategy team helps clients across corporate and financial services respond to the systematic challenges posed by climate change. To do this, the team focuses on two key areas – Climate Risk and Decarbonisation Strategy. Whilst on this team, I have had the opportunity to work across both areas and have enjoyed them equally. Climate Risk – Climate change presents businesses with both risks and opportunities. My team performs ‘climate risk analysis’ to quantify these so that our clients are better placed to make strategic decisions in line with their business needs and regulatory requirements. To do this, KPMG has an exciting tool called Climate IQ which runs scenarios to assess how risks (e.g. flooding or government policies) will impact selected performance indicators (e.g. profit) over time. Decarbonisation Strategy – Businesses are increasingly looking to reduce their contribution to climate change and identify how to demonstrate this to the wider public.

What are the biggest challenges you face in what you do?

What impact did Trinity School have in where you are today? I was lucky to have two amazing geography teachers at Trinity – Mr Brookman and Mr Snelling. I loved all their lessons and think that they did an excellent job of teaching us about the human element of physical geography – which is what I now think about every day. I am very grateful for the effort that they invested in our lessons to make them so enjoyable.

When we heard Ryan Georgiades (‘95), Nick Cole (‘95), Dan Dove (‘99) and Grant Georgiades (‘99) were all working together at family-owned insurance firm, The Plan Group, we caught up with them to find out how their time at Trinity led them to where they are now.

Ryan Georgiades

Nick Cole

What life skills did Trinity give you?

Were you all friends at school, I can see two of you are brothers?

Were there sports teams or societies that you were all involved in together?

Ryan: Nick and I were 4 years older than Grant and Dan, so our interaction at school with them was limited. But Nick and I shared the same group of friends.

Dan: Sport was key as you had diverse groups of friends through the different sports. Despite our diminutive size Grant and I played rugby together throughout our time at Trinity.

Dan: The expectation levels teachers placed on you meant exacting standards had to be kept. Also, sport plays a significant role in understanding that teamwork is needed to succeed.

Dan: Grant and I were close friends all the way from the 1st year when we met in Mr Judge’s class.

Grant: Seeing Dan swallowed up by future England prop Andrew Sheridan (who was 18 stone even then) in a 1st team game against Dulwich, is a favourite memory of mine. We also enjoyed playing in Trinity’s first-ever football team when it was introduced in around 1997.

Nick: Most importantly, the confidence to communicate with all levels in a workplace, the school really encouraged self-sufficiency and independent thinking. There was little handholding which is essential to get on (or it was) in a business environment.

How do you feel Trinity fostered your friendship?

Grant: Trinity enabled me to pursue a variety of interests and that helped make me a highly confident, sociable, and motivated individual. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in the future, but I felt ready to take whatever opportunity presented itself in my stride.

Grant: I had the honour of being Dan’s best man 7 years after leaving Trinity. What bonded you as a group? Ryan: We share the same outlook on life and sense of humour. Trinity filled us full of confidence, thanks to the fantastic education and access to tremendous facilities that we all benefitted from. It also achieved the difficult, but vitally important, balance of producing grounded individuals, despite the privileges we enjoyed.

Grant: There were so many activities be it drama or table tennis clubs, sports teams, or school trips that you always had an opportunity to interact and enjoy each other’s company. It also helped that Dan and I lived in the same area, so we often travelled to and from school together as well.

What challenges did you face once you left school and entered the big wide world?

spotlight

Alumni in the

Grant Georgiades

Dan Dove

Nick: I didn’t find the transition too different, the high expectations of my first employer were similar to that at Trinity. Ryan: After university I went to work in the City at a large financial institution. I learned a great deal and realised I wanted to go back into the family business where I could be more influential. Grant: University was quite a big culture shock. I quickly realised just how much encouragement the teachers provided. The sink or swim/laissezfaire approach of lecturers as to whether you passed or failed was eye-opening. I stuck with it and ended up with a 1st Class degree. What are the challenges you face working so closely with friends and family? Ryan: No matter the size of your business there are going to be times when you encounter significant challenges, and you feel the strain. We’ve been surprisingly good at keeping the

family and business aspects separate over the years. We try to avoid talking about work outside of the office, but I can’t lie; there is fiery, Mediterranean blood in the family!

What advice would you give your 18-year-old selves?

Grant: When you work with friends, and you know each other’s personalities, habits, and quirks so well, you often instinctively know the best way to approach tackling an issue together. On the rare occasion that there’s a difference of opinions we talk things over and find a way to move forward. The mutual respect and trust that comes from deep-rooted friendship really helps.

Dan: Other than buy shares in Tesla? If you’ve got an itch, scratch it. Give things a go.

Nick: The positives of working with colleagues and friends you have known for so long outweigh the challenges. The fact we have remained together so long shows that each of our strengths and weaknesses are complimented or covered by others in the team. Dan: We are extremely comfortable after all these years saying what we need to say to get things done.

Ryan: Sleep on those big decisions. It can take a lot longer to back out of a bad one.

Nick: Don’t worry about the future. If you are committed and apply yourself to everything that you do, you will come out on top. Grant: Concentrate a bit more during Mr Radford’s IT classes as that’s the way the world is going!

spotlight

Alumni in the

Wil Coma Wil left Trinity in 2007 and ten years later did his teacher training at the school before starting as an NQT in the Art Department in 2018. What drew you into teaching? It was my twin sister, a Maths Teacher and Director of Pedagogy, who initially encouraged me to get into teaching. My grandparents were also teachers, so the profession runs in the family! I studied Fashion Design at Leeds University and had a successful 8 years designing womenswear for High Street retailers, but I became unhappy with the ethics and unsustainability of the fast fashion industry so decided to explore a route into teaching. I called Ali Fulker (as I remembered her fondly as my Art teacher at school) and she recommended I do a PGCE in Art and Design at UCL/IOE. I thoroughly enjoyed the year studying and by chance was placed at Trinity for my first placement! Trinity decided to keep me on as a permanent member of staff after training, and I feel so lucky and privileged to be working at such a fantastic school. I love working with young people – their curiosity, creativity and intellect never ceases to amaze me! Moving into teaching was the best decision I ever made. Having now worked for three years at Trinity, I’ve developed a further interest in the pastoral side of education, and I am thrilled to be assisting David Lydon in our Mentoring Programme, and to start a new role as Head of Junior Year in September.

What is it like working at Trinity having been a student here? Trinity still has the same ethos, and caring, supportive culture that I remember from being a student here. Although I left in 2007, there are still many teachers (now colleagues) who taught me – which is lovely! We didn’t have girls in sixth form when I was a student at Trinity, and I think having girls join in Year 12 has benefitted the community and especially the attitudes of our male sixth formers. I am also pleased to see that Trinity is putting great focus on how to foster a more equal, diverse and inclusive community. I’m a member of the staff EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) Committee and there have been many brilliant

initiatives to educate students on different prejudices and create an even more respectful, understanding, and inclusive student body. It’s wonderful to see the sixth form students take on some of this responsibility too by running various societies and being excellent role models to the younger students.

What is your favourite art movement or style? I did Art A Level at Trinity, and since leaving my main practice was textiles and design. Nowadays, I really enjoy life-drawing, and even during lockdown I continued life-drawing sessions via Zoom. I also still enjoy working with textiles and I am pleased that many of our students are excited and eager to explore new processes and techniques in textiles at the weekly Sewing Club! My training year also developed my awareness of more contemporary artists and how Art can act as a social commentary. I have an interest in Conceptual Art and artworks which push the boundaries of what art can be. Exploring ideas, themes and meanings in Art really interests me, and I enjoy debating and interpreting themes, issues and messages in Art with students!

Can you give us an example of the work the EDI committee does? I’m very pleased and privileged to be a member of the EDI committee. My colleague Alex Sukiennik and I delivered an assembly for LGBTQ+ History month and run an LGBTQ+ and Allies Society once a half-term. I’m glad to be involved with this, as during my time as a student at Trinity, there were no opportunities to speak about current and historic issues surrounding LGBTQ+ prejudice and representation. I hope that having these discussions will help to create a more understanding, tolerant and accepting student body, and help any students who may feel isolated, ‘othered’ or confused about their identity. The EDI committee also works to educate the community on issues including racism and sexism through whole school initiatives and celebration weeks, talks from staff or external speakers, and developing curriculums.

What does your community group currently do? Our Care4Calais Community group supports around 1,000 people in Croydon. People who have fled war and persecution from countries, such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Albania, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Eritrea, Somalia, El Salvador and Ukraine. Our aim is to help those most in need, providing some dignity and comfort in an otherwise new and overwhelming situation. This could include clothing, food parcels, phones and providing signposts to other support networks. We refer residents to local charities, food banks and let them know about free events on top of our support services. We also provide social support and interaction, including language lessons, sports, kids crafts and drop-in sessions providing a safe space to talk to us. We are not politicians; we are ordinary people who believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. What led you to work with refugees?

Katey Fisher

I had previously been to Calais working with Care4Calais giving out emergency aid and with their admin team. During the lockdown summer of 2020, I received a call from a volunteer I had previously worked with saying that there was a mother and her baby in Wimbledon needing support. I saw that her accommodation was full of people with no clothes or support and set up a community group with Care4Calais in Wimbledon supporting residents there. In November 2020, I set up a group in Croydon which I currently lead.

2015 alumna Katey Fisher is currently working for Natural Capital Research Limited, an environmental consultancy company. After work she is the Regional Care4Calais Lead for Croydon, distributing emergency aid to refugees and asylum seekers and coordinating 40 volunteers in her team.

Why do you currently volunteer with refugee and asylum seekers?

The world is full of amazing people each with their own skills, talents and cultures. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of chance which country you were born into. In the UK, everyone should have access to clean clothes, toiletries and access to help if they need it. Claiming asylum in a country is a human right and it is legal, which is portrayed negatively in the media. Here in Croydon, people who are claiming asylum due to persecution and torture, are not receiving enough help and support. I had a chance to change that and that’s what our group has started doing. What challenges have you faced, and have you seen a positive impact from what you do? I speak honestly about my experiences, but I also understand that there may be readers that may think differently. There are many misconceptions about refugees coming to the UK, which can be difficult when talking to friends about what I do. For example, “there is not enough space in the UK; the UK takes too many refugees; they are a burden on the economy; and they are illegal etc”. In fact, urban areas only cover roughly 10% of England and Wales and we only take in about 0.26% of the world’s refugees (Germany and France taking 4 times more refugees than the UK). In reality, refugees put more into the economy and are educated bringing a lot of skills. Also, people don’t need a visa to seek asylum, people can travel legally to the country by unconventional means. I have seen an incredible amount of suffering, pain and heard heart-breaking stories but I have met amazing people seeking asylum who are hopeful that things can get better. Waiting for their asylum claim to be heard can be a long, scary and exhausting process for them and their children, especially when all they want to do is work and provide a service to this country. Most people only have the clothes they arrive in. As volunteers, we want to provide better care to support asylum seekers and let them know they are not alone. Kindness goes a long way, especially creating hope for people, I think that’s why our group is so special. Do you have plans to do any more volunteering or have you had any involvement in the Ukrainian refugee crisis? I currently lead a group of amazing volunteers who are reaching more and more people each day. I hope to build this group even more with new and supportive sessions involving the community. We also support people from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Yemen where war is currently taking place. How did your time at Trinity prepare you for what you are doing now? Trinity made me confident in reaching for my aspirations and goals. I also realised that life isn’t a competition, it’s about working together to get the best out of each other. I do have a career in the environmental sector which I love, but I also found my purpose in volunteering and a love for working with other amazing humanitarian aid organisations. If you are interested in finding out more about the work we are doing around the UK, you can find more information here: www.care4calais.org/. We are always looking for more volunteers to help.

We have been using the My Trinity virtual networking platform since 2018. We have close to 2,000 registered users from across the world and across a range of professions and backgrounds.

The Alumni Platform Our vision is to grow this platform to enable all users to have access to alumni events, a directory of contacts, an up-to-date and relevant news feed as well as an alumni mentoring programme. Registering on My Trinity gives users VIP access to the reunion and networking events we run throughout the year. These are great opportunities to reconnect with old friends, such as our recent Alumnae event where we celebrated ten years of girls at the school; or to meet and make new contacts at events such as our drinks evening at the Savile Club back in March of this year. Our support continues once you leave the school, and throughout your life, and we want you to use My Trinity to showcase your businesses. There is a dedicated space on the platform for you to highlight what you do and

what your business has to offer the rest of the community; often with exclusive offers and rates for those of us in the network. One of the most important and successful aspects of the My Trinity platform is access to the suite of tools to automate matching and provide career opportunities for our alums for career advice, professional guidance, mentoring options and exclusive access to jobs and internships. We believe career success can be elevated through professional networking. A solid network can position you to take advantage of opportunities you would never have found on your own. While our aim is to support Trinity alumni around the UK and beyond, the My Trinity platform is not exclusively for former students. It is used by staff and parents alike to further broaden the wider Trinity community to increase the support we can offer each other. If you haven’t joined already, then head to www.mytrinity.org.uk to sign up or download the app. We’re looking forward to welcoming you to the community.

Alumni

talks

Ben Stafford We were privileged to welcome Ben Stafford, who left Trinity in 2009, when he visited us to speak to Sixth Form Religious Studies A-Level students. Ben read Philosophy and German at Brasenose College, Oxford and has since gone on to join the Royal Marines, where he is currently a Captain. Ben spoke brilliantly on the subject of language in Philosophy, focusing specifically on Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, which he first read at Trinity and later studied at university.

We are delighted when our alumni return to Trinity to speak to students in person or over Zoom at our various clubs and societies. Recent talks have included:

Scott Borland

Zafirah Sadiq

2021 alumnus, Scott Borland came to speak to the Literary Society in January this year about the epic poem Omeros by Derek Walcott. It weaves multiple narratives about the indigenous and colonized peoples of St. Lucia Island using characters loosely based on Homer's Iliad. He was also able to answer questions about undergraduate life at Cambridge University.

2021 leaver, Zafirah Sadiq, came to speak to Trinity Art students about her first term at Newcastle University studying Architecture. She was able to present her work to students so they could get a real taste of what the course involves.

Luca Wade, Maya Weekley, Adam Bull Sally Edser, Lucas Ferrar, Adam Bull, 2013 leaver, paid a visit to Politics Society to give a wide-ranging and & Christy Clancy The Classics Society recently welcomed five alumni who visited the school to share the inside scoop on life at university. They included Maya Weekley, Sally Edser and Lucas Ferrar from the University of Cambridge; Luca Wade from University College London; and Christy Clancy from Edinburgh University. They all shared their experiences of what studying Classical degrees at university is like – from the sorts of topics they cover (ranging from Linguistics, to Archaeology, to Greek and Latin, to Literature, to Philosophy) to what their average weeks look like.

fascinating talk, covering topics from the current crisis in Ukraine to his experiences of working in Parliament.

Adam is currently a Parliamentary Researcher in the House of Lords, and a PhD student at King’s College London. He holds a Master’s Degree in Music from the University of York.

Alumni

talks

Fancy speaking to our students?

The school runs a huge number of clubs and societies and they are always looking out for interesting speakers. Do let one of us know if you would like to share your expertise by emailing:

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

We were thrilled with the wonderful turnout for this event. Our girls in attendance ranged from current Sixth Form girls to those who left over 10 years ago and who are now embarking on their chosen careers. Our guests enjoyed sharing stories and insights from their time at Trinity, to their universities and current employment. It was fantastic to see our alumnae networking with current Sixth Form girls, offering careers advice and discussing their professions.

“It’s undoubtedly true that having girls at Trinity has made an enormous difference. It’s made us a much better school”

We were fortunate to have in our presence teachers who many girls remembered Sara Ward, Sue Highmore, Ceri Morgan, Rebecca Petty and Antonia Geldeard. We also introduced our guests to three parents who have been instrumental with the organisation of the event, and currently have successful careers in Digital Comms (Fiona Pearson), Executive Coach and champion for equality diversity and women’s rights (Marcie Buxton) and Accountancy (Angela Farquharson).

The evening kicked off with a welcome glass of Prosecco or soft drink as we commenced our networking reception. Thereafter a panel discussion chaired by Donna Lewis (Alumni Relations Manager) with former students Jess O’Sullivan, Katey Fisher, Eleanor Lewis, and Deesha Ganguli who answered questions on topics ranging from tackling the patriarchy, to their visions for gender equality in the workplace and the importance of a mentor.

Alumnae

My Trinity Magazine News

“Trinity gave me skills to tackle the world and made me understand that you can’t solve the world’s problems but that you can be there to listen.”

We said goodbye to our current students and settled down to enjoy a delicious threecourse meal in Trinity Concert Hall. We then had the pleasure of watching an entertaining video, introduced by former governor, Lord Gavin Barwell, by former Headmaster Mark Bishop and Joe & Ros McKee who are now all working at schools in China. Lord Barwell and Mark Bishop were both instrumental in encouraging the Trinity governors to admit girls to the Sixth Form. A great decision which everyone agrees with. The atmosphere was fantastic, and it was great to see our guests enjoying themselves whilst catching up with old friends or getting to know those they were meeting for the first time.

The evening ended with a slick performance from Trinity alumnus, Freddie Benedict, singing hits from Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake, and John Legend – guaranteed to get everyone on the dance floor. Thank you to the Headmaster, Alasdair Kennedy, and Lord Gavin Barwell for hosting this milestone event. This was a real female-driven event celebrating a decade of our co-educational Sixth Form, with an atmosphere of inclusivity and empowerment. We are already planning the next girls’ reunion!

Founder’s Day Supper It was great to be able to host the Founder’s Day Supper on the 25th of March having had to cancel the suppers in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. It was wonderful to see so many Trinity alumni from different generations back in Trinity Concert Hall (aka Big School) for a splendid dinner, preceded by the traditional grace, recited by Head Girl, Safiya Tiotto-Smith. Introduced by his lifelong friend and master of ceremonies Colin Warnock (1972), our guest of honour, composer and former head chorister Tony Britten (1973), gave an excellent and entertaining speech culminating in Tony singing an amusing ditty loosely based on a Tom Lehrer song. Head Boy Bilal Ismail spoke eloquently about his love for, and appreciation of, Trinity and the opportunities the school had given him, and tributes were paid to departed alumni at our War Memorial in a service presided over by the Rev Canon Dr Andrew Bishop.

Our thanks go to Warwick Jones (1969) and Melodie Johnson for their effort and skill in organising the event, to caterers Holroyd Howe and to the school’s Malawi student volunteers for providing such excellent table service. A bouquet of flowers was presented to Melodie Johnson, Head of Alumni Relations to mark her retirement and to thank her for her many years of service to the school and the Trinity Club.

Choral Evensong at Bath Abbey After the interruption caused by the pandemic, it was wonderful to have alumni join the Trinity Choristers on their post-Easter trip to Bath and Wells. Against a background of a Premiership Rugby match taking place a stone’s throw away at the Rec, a dozen alumni gathered on a sun-bathed St George’s Day to join the Choristers in singing Evensong in Bath Abbey. The music (Sanders’ Responses, Noble in B minor and Chris Dowie’s anthem Allelujah) was stirring and our alumni added real weight to the lighter voices of the current choristers. As ever, Chris Dowie played the organ beautifully (an impressive

Klais instrument) and it was wonderful to see him in harness again with that other stalwart of the Choristers’ Courses, Martin French. (Particular thanks go to Martin for his organisational skills and diplomacy in getting the Abbey to agree to host such a large choir when they had been proving reluctant to do so.) Pictured are some of our alumni choristers, together with David Swinson, Director of Music, enjoying a well-earned pint at The Huntsman after the service. The next Choristers’ Course will be at Ely Cathedral in Spring 2023 and we look forward to inviting alumni singers to repeat this lovely experience singing with their old choir.

My Trinity Networking Event at The Savile A great evening connecting and networking with alumni from across all age groups in this fantastic central London location. The room buzzed with energy and the conversation and wine flowed.

Christmas Drinks Party We welcomed back our Under 25 alumni for an evening of food, drinks, music and some serious moves on the dance floor! An opportunity for everyone to let their hair down after the first term back at university and in the run up to Christmas. Keep your eyes peeled on My Trinity for details of our next one being held on Tuesday 20th December.

Golf is a sport enjoyed by many of our alumni, as demonstrated by our annual golf day. But it is in the last couple of years it’s reached new heights in terms of competitive participation at the school itself. We caught up with Jamie O’Connor, Head of Golf, to hear all about it.

The of Golf at Trinity What does the new golfing academy offer Trinity Students? As a programme we now offer six separate sessions throughout the week. Three of these are catered towards the ever-expanding Academy, including a short-game session and an on-course session – both at Shirley Park Golf Club. We also provide three weekly sessions to our less experienced golfers, including the Friday night ‘madness’ at Sandilands where Mr Brindley and Mr Bell create Trinity’s very own version of TopGolf (well sort of). The plethora of sessions available to our students are certainly paying dividends, as the school now boasts of 80 student golfers grasping the chance to obtain such a valuable life skill. How have you managed to create such a successful academy in such a short space of time? The continuing evolution of golf at Trinity has been facilitated by the prospering relationship between the school and the neighbouring Shirley Park Golf Club, with 30 of the student golfers now being playing members. Besides offering a fantastic membership deal to our students, the club, and particularly Assistant Professional Jack Denman, act as a sensational sidecar to the golfing obsession which is quickly engulfing a considerable proportion of our students.

What next for the Golf Academy? The speed with which golf is developing at Trinity is truly astounding. The programme has not only provided a life-long skill for its golfers but is also cultivating an environment of complete enjoyment and one which is seeing friendships created across year groups, and sport played by athletes who are continuously smiling. This year has already seen ten golfers make the progression from development sessions to academy sessions. We have also had the opportunity to enter our Trinity golfers into county and national tournaments again. Sixth former Torin Leonard has been entered into the national scratch competition whilst we have 9 representatives in the Surrey Handicap Trophy, all under the age of 14, all with handicaps lower than 20! Aside from all the exciting competitive golf, we have a student vs staff match in the calendar, alongside the Trinity Golf Day which sees a plethora of our Golf Academy parents participating. Without question it is going to be a busy summer for the boys, nevertheless this amount of exposure can only enhance the development of our golfers, in turn propelling Trinity Golf to further success.

Please contact Jamie O’Connor for more information jco@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Trinity Golf Day We held our annual golf day on 24 May with the biggest turn out ever. We had 45 golfers with a cross section of younger and older alumni, parents, friends of the school, members of the Trinity Golf Society, Trinity Cricket and Hockey Club, a school governor and his guests and members of Trinity Staff including the Head, Al Kennedy. The day kicked off with a welcome coffee before the teams headed off to their first tee. The weather fluctuated between sudden downpours, grey clouds, blue skies, and lightning, none of which put off our enthusiastic teams of golfers. Everyone arrived back at the clubhouse in good spirits ready for a hot meal, a few pints and the eagerly anticipated prize giving. In first place with the highest individual score was Mark Collier on 38 points, with Adam Humphrey hot on his heels in second place with 37 points. The winning team included Nick Cook, Phil Mander, Stuart Fairchild and Aidan Barton, who successfully defended their title. Thanks go to our wonderful sponsors Tribe Advisory and Aqua Blue Bespoke Cleaning who helped make the day such a success. Next year’s Golf Day will be held on 24 May 2023.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all our supporters, but perhaps most particularly to donors from our alumni community: it’s hugely gratifying that so many of you, even though it might be many years since you left school, still hold Trinity in such regard. Many things may have changed since your school days, but with your continued support, we’ll make sure that Trinity remains accessible to bright Croydon children from every walk of life, irrespective of family means.

BURSARY DONATIONS Oldest Donor

100 Years old

BURSARY DONATIONS Youngest Donor

Years old

TheTrinity

This September will see 21 Trinity Bursary Fund students funded through your generosity and we anticipate this going up to 25 or 26 in September 2023. This takes us beyond halfway to our target of funding additional bursaries such that 20% of our students can attend Trinity having received means-tested support.

Bursary Fund

The 2021/22 academic year has seen the Trinity Bursary Fund gain even greater momentum as parents and former students become more familiar with its work and the benefits our bursary programme brings to the school community. By our financial year-end in August, we expect to have generated annual income in excess of £400,000 for bursaries at Trinity.

Giving Day We are delighted to announce that Trinity Gives 2022 raised over £58,000 in gifts from the global Trinity family of parents, alumni, staff and friends. All the money raised will be spent on life-changing bursaries for new students and we look forward to welcoming these children to our school. he parent body funded four terms T of a new Sixth Form bursary to be awarded to a female student joining us this September in celebration of 10 years of girls at the school.

CELEBRATING

10 Years

of girls at the school

Land’s End to John o’ Groats

1367 miles covered

ur students, staff and parents ran, cycled, swam and rowed the O entire length of the country - covering the distance from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and a significant part of the journey back again!

Art on a postcard exhibition

255 postcards donated

For our older alumni, Pembroke won the first house competition held in 25 years and we received marvellous support from the Trinity Club with a £4,000 donation towards bursaries in our Sixth Form.

The Art on a Postcard exhibition at the Cube Gallery, Fairfield Halls, which involved the wider Croydon community, including Whitgift Care Home residents as well as our Art alumni, staff, student and parent communities.

Despite the difficult economic times we were deeply grateful for the generous response we received and the demonstrable desire our Trinity Community has to help others. Means-tested bursaries are a way of disrupting the pattern of structural inequality in local educational provision and ensuring that Trinity remains a balanced, inclusive and grounded school for all its students. The Trinity Bursary Fund is core to our central ethos of remaining accessible to a broad range of families and your donations have helped us play our part in closing the gap between educational opportunity and achievement in Croydon. For more information please go to

www.trinitygives.org.uk

In 1996 a time capsule was buried at Trinity to coincide with the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the John Whitgift Foundation. 25 years later it was dug up and contents included modern music of the time, magazines, and other forms of media as well as a video cassette portraying an extremely candid view of the school. What we found most interesting were some predictions made by the boys as to what was to come over the next 25 years. There will be a permanent space station in earth’s orbit Yes, there is. The international Space Station launched in 1998. More pieces were added over the next two years before the Station was ready for people to live there. The first crew arrived on November 2, 2000. People have lived on the space station ever since. Lunar exploration will have resumed Whilst crewed missions to the moon still haven’t resumed, research into the moon and journeys to space still take place. NASA’s Artemis Program aims to return to the Moon by 2024 and set up a sustained human presence that would allow us to regularly visit our celestial neighbour. There will be a cure for HIV/AIDS Not yet. However, anti-retroviral therapy gives people with HIV a near-normal life expectancy. The internet will have been replaced by something better Far from it – the internet has become even bigger and something that we cannot live without. We shop, we surf, we communicate. We work, teach and study. We find friends and love online. We blog, vlog, stream, catch-up. Sometimes we go viral. And, we now have access to it from our phones at anytime and anywhere thanks to Wi-Fi. Coronation Street and Blue Peter will still be going strong Indeed, they are. In 2018, Blue Peter celebrated 60 years with various events across the UK for “The Big Birthday Year”. In September 2020, its’ 40th presenter joined the show.

On 7th February 2020, Coronation Street premiered its 10,000th episode and celebrated its 60th anniversary later that year, with Barbara Knox, still a cast member after 58 years. Buses will still be late Yes, but not as bad. Bus punctuality data showed that in 2020/21, in London, 89% of nonfrequent bus services ran on time. The highest level since the first data was published. We also have apps to show when buses will arrive, and most bus stops display this data. Everything will be better than it is now I think we’ll leave this question for you to answer ...

RAF Uniform This year the Trinity School Archive has had the good fortune of acquiring the RAF uniform of alumni Air-Vice Marshall John Nicol Stacey, CBE, DSO, DFC, a student of Whitgift Middle School from 1932 to 1936. The uniform was bought at auction by Richard Black, another alum who left the school in 1992. Richard then kindly donated it to our archive.

"One such mission involved a search for 60 survivors in three lifeboats whose ship had been sunk by an enemy submarine. Stacey circled and protected them for 10 hours before being relieved by another aircraft."

John Stacey left Whitgift Middle to join the Merchant Navy as an apprentice and in 1938 joined the RAF initially specialising in Flying Boats. He flew anti-submarine and convoy patrols in the northern waters off Shetland. During 1942, he moved to Gibraltar and flew Catalinas and was involved in the patrols of the Mediterranean and East Atlantic, before transferring again to be based in Ceylon. He was involved in anti-shipping and antiinvasion patrols as well as air sea rescue. One such mission involved a search for 60 survivors in three lifeboats whose ship had been sunk by an enemy submarine. Stacey circled and protected them for 10 hours before being relieved by another aircraft. He was awarded the DFC after a successful bombing and reconnaissance mission against airfields and harbours in northern Sumatra. He was described as: “a fearless captain, whose determination to achieve success set a most inspiring example”. In 1945 he led eight Liberator bombers on a 3,640 mile mission to lay mines in Singapore harbour. After a 21 hour operation, all planes touched down safely in Ceylon after one of the longest bombing raids of the second world war. He was awarded the DSO for “a high degree of courage and resolution”. Stacey was also mentioned in dispatches three times. The uniform took pride of place in our Remembrance Week display alongside the service stories of our four Battle of Britain pilots.

In Memoriam Sadly, we lost dear friends from our Trinity community over the past year. They have been very much in our thoughts and we remember some of them here.

Geoff Wilsher, left 1959 Geoff was a keen and successful sportsman at School, playing Hockey for the 1st XI, captaining the 2nd teams for Rugby and Cricket and hurdling in the Athletics team. When he left School in 1959, Geoff read Aeronautical Engineering at Trinity College, Cambridge, having won a state scholarship for further education. Geoff was the ‘voice’ of the TMWA for over five decades and held just about every post on the council. He was integral to alumni relations and was a regular guest at school events. Geoff passed away on 19th January 2022, his 81st birthday. He leaves behind his wife Judith and his sons Stephen and Mark.

John Sinkins, left 1945 John joined Whitgift Middle School in 1938 at the Pump Pail site, from Addiscombe College. He was a member of Blue House and an active member of the Biological, Musical, Dramatic and Scientific Societies. He enrolled into the Cadet Force in 1941 and was promoted to Lance Corporal, Corporal and then Sergeant all in the space of 13 months. John left the school after the Lower Sixth form to become an Assistant Surveyor. His speeches at Founder’s Day were legendary (in a good way!) and he made a tremendous contribution to the TMWA. John passed away in August last year.

Bob Prizeman, left 1969

James ‘Quintin’ Ballardie, left 1944

Bob was a superb musician, specialising in piano and later the organ, becoming the school organist and playing for Trinity Choristers. He left the school to attend the Royal College of Music. In 1985 he composed Toccata for Organ - the main theme was adopted as the theme tune for Songs of Praise, which is still used today. He was also appointed as Musical Adviser to the BBC at that time. In 1995, Bob founded the famous Libera, a band of boy’s voices who are not defined as ‘choirboys’ as their range of music goes beyond the traditional view of a choir. Bob passed away in September last year.

Quin, as he was known to everyone, founded the English Chamber Orchestra and was a former principal violist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1963 to 1970. He was a recipient of prestigious awards, including an OBE for his services to music and a Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM). Quin passed away in February this year

Alan Whitney, left 1957 Alan reached the rank of Petty Officer in the Navy section of the CCF whilst at school and joined the Royal Navy for National Service when he left. Alan was a Prefect and an active member of the Drama, Debating, Modern Languages and Arts societies whilst at school. Alan passed away in September last year.

Graham Bond, left 1961 Graham left Trinity in 1961 and joined Barclays Bank, where he worked in branches based in the Southern District. He worked his way up through the ranks, eventually becoming assistant manager, branch manager and finally a respected area manager. His wife Sandy and his children Catherine and Ian were blessed to be with him when he passed away peacefully last year.

Trevor Komaromy, left 1961 Trevor joined BP in the 1960s to work on the development of early plastics and with plastics expertise in high demand and keen to develop his career, he moved to Shell and then shortly afterwards, joined LINPAC. He then spent the remainder of his working career developing customers and markets in the UK and around the world and growing LINPAC to become a global player in food packaging.

We send our condolences to the family and friends of the following alumni who we also lost over the past year:

Leslie King, left 1949 Eric Jones, left 1951 Paul Demuth, left 1963

Our former students’ social and sports club is delighted to have opened its doors again to its members.

The Trinity

Club

Trinity Golf Society The Society has had a great start to the year, with our early Spring fixture at Croham Hurst GC in March, won by new member and alumnus Mark Willis, and our Spring Day out at Worthing GC in May, won by another new member, David Dieterle. On both occasions, the friendly chitter chatter on the course, over dinner, and in the bar afterwards, shows just what a friendly bunch we all are. This is the key ingredient to our golf society - having fun and making friends, with a few golf competitions thrown in to keep us striving for glory. The photos below show our winners Mark receiving his trophy from Bob Bradley and David receiving the Ian Brialey Cup. It is also great that we are sharing out the Nearest the Pin prizes right across the group with different winners so far this year. STOP PRESS: Trinity beat Old Whits 3 1/2 to 1 1/2 to retain The Putter Trophy. Our next outing is to Cottesmore but this magazine will have been printed before the results are known. However, you can see an update in the golf enthusiasts’ section of My Trinity (www.mytrinity.org.uk). Our final two fixtures are Captain’s Day at Farleigh GC in August and then Bearsted GC in September. If anyone would like to come and join us for either of these golf days, please email me at lk07@me.com for details. If you love golf, why not come and join us and meet up with old colleagues. We now have over 55 playing members and there will probably be someone you will know amongst the group. We are now planning our 2023 fixture list which will include some fabulous courses, some of them new to all of us. Laurie King Captain 2022 Email: lk07@me.com

Trinity Hockey I am pleased to share that we succeeded in playing an entire season uninterrupted by COVID. The pessimists amongst us were predicting more interruptions and possibly even another lockdown – but thankfully that did not happen. However, COVID lingers and did have an impact with the odd player or two having to isolate after testing positive. Thus, instead of the four teams we hoped to field, we found it was better to stay with three and ensure that each side had a full squad. On the pitch our teams performed well. The 1st XI finished 6th in their league. A good performance as we had a new skipper and several new players. I am delighted by the results of our 2nd XI who were promoted. A great achievement under the leadership of former pupil Al Clark and the 3rd XI just missed out on promotion led by Stuart Fairchild. In summary, from a playing perspective - a good season for the club! Success on the field was matched with success off the field. Our links with the school continue to strengthen. Not only do we have many former students playing but also several current members of staff and students playing Tom Brindley, Finn Baker, James Skinner, Toby Edwards, Nathanial Leggett and Zach Downey. The Colts meet on Sunday mornings at Trinity, and we have many younger pupils from the school who enjoy these sessions which are organised by former students Stuart Fairchild and Kevin Pacey. Additionally, we have commenced our outreach programme to introduce and coach hockey in local schools where it has not been played before. We are pleased to have been selected as the ‘hockey partner’ for two schools, Harris Academy Purley and St Peters’ Primary School. It has been particularly rewarding to our coaching team to introduce hockey to both these schools and see the engagement of the pupils. Looking forward, we have a full programme of summer matches and would welcome any students or members of staff who fancy a ‘run out’ in the summer sunshine. We are running both a Men’s XI and a Mixed XI. These are friendly games, and our intention is to field mixed ability teams. We also hope to start a competitive ladies team for the regular season and would welcome hearing from any current or former students who would be interested in helping with this initiative. If you are interested in supporting or joining any of our activities, please email Sanjay Bowry: Email: Sanjay.bowry@btinternet.com tsssc.co.uk/hockey

The Trinity

Club Club Cricket After a disappointing 2021 season, necessary changes have been made in key areas. Steve Richards, Trinity’s new Head of Cricket, has been appointed Senior Club Coach. Four new 1st XI recruits should strengthen us throughout with other new players joining and juniors playing their first senior matches.

A key positive from last season was that many young players showed great character and fortitude in difficult circumstances and the fact that a 4th XI was raised every week, bar one, was a remarkable achievement. The Surrey Trust League Tier 1 XI performed consistently well and enjoyed three excellent victories over Premier League opposition, reaching the semi-final play-off in only their second season in the competition. The Tier 3 side were competitive and the Sunday Friendly XI had a mixed season affected by poor weather. Senior playing numbers bounced back to pre-coronavirus levels and included 28 teenagers. These formats provide an essential transition for juniors into adult cricket.

The Junior Section continues to thrive, and membership has rebounded to 2018 levels (200+). Eleven age groups (U5s to U15s) are provided with quality coaching, indoors and outside, utilising a team of 40 coaches and assistants. Fifteen squads (U8s to U19s) play a mixture of pairs and conventional cricket. Almost every evening of the week and especially on Sunday mornings, TMWCC is filled with youngsters enjoying their training and match cricket; it is great to see and long may it continue. The coaches, assistants, managers, volunteers, and parents all deserve special thanks for their invaluable support. Come and play! Email: cricket@tsssc.co.uk tmwcc.co.uk/

Mitre Players In May, despite the many restrictions still in place, rehearsals started for the muchanticipated production of “Our House – The Madness Musical”. We packed up 3 vans and over 40 cars to head for Porthcurno in Cornwall and the world renowned Minack Theatre. We played to sell out audiences in this idyllic and unique location and enjoyed several standing ovations from an appreciative public who were delighted to see the return of live theatre. Our next production was “The Wind in the Willows” in October 2021 and was staged at the school’s Mitre Theatre. Despite some COVID casualties, we produced yet another successful and highly enjoyable show. In February ‘22 we started rehearsing for our Clubhouse production of “A Bunch of Amateurs”. Again, we had four sell out performances which were greatly enjoyed by the appreciative audiences in April and showed our depth of talent producing a challenging comedy. Rehearsals are underway for our Summer Musical “A Little Shop of Horrors” which will be performed at the Clubhouse Theatre in July and then taken on tour to the Apollo Theatre on the Isle of Wight in August.

If you would like to get involved, we would be pleased to hear from you. We have an open membership policy but retain strong links with Trinity and the Alumni and are hoping to work on a joint production with the drama department in the coming years. Mitres continue to go from strength to strength against all the odds - in the words of our Chairman “We love it, we love it all!”

Fancy getting involved? Email: committee@mitreplayers.org.uk mitreplayers.org.uk

After 561 days without any competitive rugby due to the Covid enforced break, it was great to be back for the 2021/22 rugby season and what a season it was! We already knew we had a good squad and had high ambitions for the season even before we had resumed training. With the added boost of several new players including recent Trinity School leavers Krishna Lall, Archie McMillan, James Hammond, Conor McGrath and Stefan Leadbeater our aim from the outset was to achieve promotion. We started the season in great form and blew several teams away with our fast-flowing expansive rugby, and fully deserved our place at the top of the league as we reached the mid-point of the season for the festive break. A couple of key injuries in the second half of the season resulted in a few narrow defeats that unfortunately allowed Kingston to gain ground on us and pip us at the post for first place however, our second-place finish ensured we were promoted not just one but two levels for the following season!!!

The momentum will continue when the new season starts on Saturday 3rd September, when we will be playing in Level 7 of the rugby pyramid. Pre-season training starts at Lime Meadow Avenue on Monday 4th July at 19:15 and will run every Monday and Wednesday through to the start of the season, please feel free to come and join us. Our junior section, Trinity Titans, has also continue to expand with Sunday mornings at Lime Meadow Avenue being taken over by

boys and girls from under 5 to under 13-yearolds. The highlight of last season being the tour to Gloucester where the players provided the guard of honour before Gloucester took on Wasps. For those past the age of playing please keep your eyes peeled for one of our former players and supporters’ events. Contact us via our dedicated website www.TrinityRFC.com

Lime Meadow Acoustic Folk and Blues club It has been nearly nine years since starting this club and it has established itself within the Trinity Club, the local community and beyond. We have had musicians visit us from as far afield as the USA, Canada and Australia as well as ex pupils of Trinity School. The friendly atmosphere encourages musicians of all abilities to perform. All genres of music are welcomed as well as audience members who would just like to listen and socialise. After the hiatus of the lockdown, the club has gradually been returning to normal and it’s good to see numbers growing at our fortnightly meetings on a Wednesday at 8pm. We hope to return to putting on concerts, three or four times a year in the Trinity Club Hall, where in the past we have had some excellent artistes from Nashville, Statesboro, Georgia and London.

Brooks Williams in concert

All parents, pupils, teachers and staff of Trinity School are more than welcome to join us on these evenings and to enjoy the facilities of the Trinity Club bar, car park and grounds. Details can be found on our Facebook page and website. I look forward to maybe meeting some of you in the future. Neil Pepper (1971)

limemeadowacousticfolkandbluesclub.co.uk

Destination of 2021 leavers Name

Destination

Subject

Name

Destination

Subject

Abai Haddon, Ella

Nottingham

Law with French Law

Dickinson, Buster

Warwick

Mathematics

Adesina, Shola

Oxford

Chemistry

Dinsdale, Francesca

Biological Sciences

Afridi, Amaan

Imperial

Aeronautical Engineering

GAP year and then Loughborough

Agrawal, Shivali

Bristol

Economics and Management

D'Mello, Joelle

KCL

Business Management

Dower, Amol

Warwick

Economics

Ahuja, Arun

Nottingham

Chemistry

Dowsett, Oliver

History

Ah-Weng, Ross

Imperial

Mathematics with Mathematical Computation

GAP year and then Cambridge

D'Souza, Zahra

GAP year and reapply

Engineering (tbc)

Edser, Sally

Cambridge

Classics

Economics and Management

Edwards, Cai

Warwick

Discrete Mathematics

Edwards, Erin

Bristol

Law

Ajayi-Obe, Tiwa

KCL

Akuoko, Kobby

Loughborough

Geography with Economics

Effandi, Shaheer

KCL

Computer Science

Allen-Evans, Samora

Warwick

English Literature

English, Amelia

GAP year and then Exeter

English

Allen-Jubin, Anthea

Birmingham

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Exall, Sebastian

York

Maths

Femi-Osinubi, Ayomipo

Southampton

Economics

Ferrar, Lucas

Cambridge

Classics

Figueira, Zach

Exeter

Business and Management

Andrews, Amelia

Bath

Business

Askari, Ashcan

UCL

Engineering (Chemical)

Ayokun, Moyo

GAP year and then Nottingham

Biotechnology

Barry-Casademunt, Hugo

Art Foundation then apply

Art School Fisher, Eleanor

Durham

Physics

Bateman, Samuel

Exeter

Film & TV Studies

Flanagan, Theo

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Baxter-Brand, Alexander

GAP year and then City (London)

Business Management

Friday, Harrison

Exeter

Human Biosciences

Frost, Michael

GAP year and then York

Criminology

Beadle, Thomas

Loughborough

Product Design

Furtado, Benjamin

Southampton

English and History

Beck, Peter

Staffordshire

Computer Games Design and Programming

Girma, Kidus

Warwick

Biomedical Science

Griggs, Jake

Exeter

Mechanical Engineering

Hardy, William

Edinburgh

Chinese

Haunstetter, Thomas

GAP year and then Warwick

Economics, Politics and International Studies

Hopkins, Tom

Southampton

Marine Biology

Hughes, Jason

Loughborough

Economics

Ingamells, Robert

GAP year and then apply

Business Management

Jakubkis, Thomas

EY Degree Apprenticeship in ICT

Jamil, Sulaymaan

GAP year and then apply

Dentistry

Jayakar, Tanya

Imperial

Medicine

KCL

English

Bernard-Cooper, Harry

GAP year

Blackman, Aaron

Warwick

Economics

Borland, Scott

Cambridge

English

Burton, Greta

Bath

Psychology

Butt, Ghalib

GAP year and reapply

Economics (tbc)

Carver, Annabella

Durham

English

Chandradeva, Arun

GAP year and then UCL

Management Science

Chesters, Louis

GAP year and then Sussex

Acconting and Finance

Choudary, Sabrina

Birmingham

Medicine

Clarkson, Noah

Sussex

Economics and Finance

Cobb, Lukas

St Andrews

Philosophy

Jeyamugunthan, Ezra

Compton, Madeleine

Bristol

Psychology

Jonas, Euan

Kent

Accounting and Finance

Jones, Haydn

Nottingham

Biotechnology

Concagh, Nathan

New College of the Humanities

Politics & International Relations

Judge, Alex

Birmingham

Geography

Coskun, Jamie

GAP year and then Liverpool

Medicine

Kirwin, Luke

Leeds

Pharmacology

Kohn, Frederick

Liverpool

Computer Science

Cumberbatch, Kai

Warwick

Accounting and Finance

Leicester

Dattani, Karishma

Warwick

Economics and Industrial Organisation

Krishnathasan, Jethusan

Biological Sciences (Physiology with Pharmacology)

Davies, William

GAP year and reapply

Economics

Lane, Isobel

Exeter

English

Leigh, Tom

Leeds

Medicine

Leonard, Thomas

Exeter

Geography

Lewsey, Isaac

GAP year and then Exeter

English with Study Abroad

de Rijk, Jeremie

Southampton

Economics

Deliu, James

Leeds

Medicine

Demay, Eloise

Durham

Psychology

Name

Destination

Subject

Name

Destination

Subject

Lucas, Raffi

Leicester

Medicine

Social Sciences

Kingston

Pharmacology with Foundation Year

Rigard-Asquith, Emma

GAP year and then UCL

Madhavan, Adhvaith

Robinson, Lucy

Medicine

Malek, Amanda

GAP year and then Bristol

Law

GAP year and then Nottingham

Malhotra, Rosh

Leeds

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Rodway, Harry

Exeter

Philosophy

Rumbold-Koch, Louis

GAP year and then Nottingham

Industrial Economics

Sadiq, Zafirah

Newcastle

Architecture

Samanta, Anoushka

Imperial

Medicine

Sewell, Cameron

Lancaster

Computer Science

Sexton, Matthew

Leeds

Mechanical Engineering

Shah, Krishan

St Andrews

Chemistry and Mathematics

Sharma, Varun

Exeter

Psychology

Short, Luca

Nottingham

Modern Language Studies

Skeels, Anna

Manchester

Geography

Skinner, James

Durham

History

Manzaroli, Thomas

UEA

Politics and Economics

Marano, Tiare

Kingston

Photography and Art Foundation

McSpadden, Marcus

Leeds

Business Management with Marketing

Merritt, Thomas

Degree Apprenticeship with Savills

Real Estate

Micklethwait, Josh

York

Film and Television Production

Mogford, Thomas

Boulder University, USA

Aerospace Engineering

Moore Prempeh, Joshua

Cambridge

Architecture

Mortreuil, Nicolas

GAP year and then Bath

Chemistry (with Study Abroad)

Szczepaniak, Alexander

LSE

Economics

Myers, Fraser

Loughborough

Sport and Exercise Science

Szeto, Jeanette

RNCM

Music

Taylor, Cassia

GAP year and then Glasgow

Microbiology

Nokku, Ashwin

Bristol

Mathematics

Osahon, David

Nottingham

Law

Temple, Josh

Bath

Physics

Osmond, Ellie

Leeds

Human Physiology

KCL

Economics and Management

Thevathas, Yaadhavan

GAP year and then St George's

Medicine

Owen, Luca

Medicine

Oxford

Physics (4-year MPhys)

Thillainathan, Sivakami

UCL

Oza, Krish Packer, Saul

Cambridge

Modern and Medieval Languages

Tilley, Sam

Manchester

Chemistry

Unnithan, Raul

Durham

Mathematics and Statistics

Viva, Antony

Brunel

Biomedical Sciences with Placement

Wade, Luca

UCL

Classics

Warren, Daniel

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Weekley, Maya

Cambridge

Classics

Weiser, Henry

Leeds

International Relations

Westland, Jessica

GAP year and then apply

Antropology/ International Relations (tbc)

Westwood, Daniel

York

Economics and Finance

Wilding, Ben

LSE

Philosophy and Economics

Wong, Alex

Imperial

Physics

Wong, Daniel

GAP year and then apply

Dentistry (tbc)

Zolinsky, Daniel

Oxford

Music

Pal, Woody

Warwick

Politics and International Studies

Paranjape, Nikhil

LSE

Economic History

Parekh, Nishika

UCL

Economics

Patel, Callum

Durham

Maths

Patel, Kiara

Southampton

Physiotherapy

Patel, Kishan

Manchester

Economics

Patel, Kishen

Exeter

Economics and Finance with Year Abroad

Patel, Samir J

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Patel-Ramcharran, Anjali

Bristol

Law

Peck, Ben

Manchester

Law

Phillpot, Oscar

Bristol

Economics and Mathematics

Pickup, Benjamin

Exeter

Computer Science with Industrial Placement

Pinto, Lucas

UOA London

Costume for Theatre and Screen

Press, Eleanor

Cambridge

English

Ramsey, Aly

Edinburgh

Theoretical Physics

Ratip, Cem

KCL

Computer Science

Fond Farewells

Melodie first arrived at Trinity School for the 1999 Open Day and has never looked back. She and her husband were greeted at the gates by then prefect Toby Gamm with the words “Welcome to the best school in the country”. Her son Ross joined in September 2000, followed by Alex, in 2002. Encouraged by the then Headmaster, Chris Tarrant, Melodie applied for the job of Examinations Officer. A far cry from her role as Marketing Manager at a law firm (but with far more sensible hours) Melodie started at Trinity in 2003. After ten years in the role, she went back to her roots and used her communication and marketing skills in alumni relations. Melodie says: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working at the school. I have met so many wonderful people along the way. It has been a very happy workplace for me, and I will miss my colleagues and alumni terribly.” David Young, who has worked hand in hand with Melodie over the past 5 years, to build up Trinity’s Development & Alumni Office, paid tribute: “Melodie always looks to improve upon what went before. Her way of moving things forward, her outstanding writing and communications skills and her sheer energy and sense of purpose makes her a perfect colleague and friend. Above all else, Melodie’s genuine interest in, and compassion for other people, meant that she was an outstanding alumni relations professional. She will be hugely missed by all in the Trinity school and alumni community when she finally steps down from active involvement with the school.” Melodie will still be working in the background on a project about the school in the 40s, 50s and 60s, capturing memories from alumni about their time at the school. If you attended Trinity during these three decades and fancy reminiscing, please email Melodie at maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working at the school. I have met so many wonderful people along the way. It has been a very happy workplace for me, and I will miss my colleagues and alumni terribly.”

David Young retires this summer as Director of Development to pursue other projects and life ambitions, having joined Trinity nearly five years ago to set up the Development & Alumni Office and kick-start fundraising efforts in support of the bursary programme at Trinity. A former lawyer and banker, David switched careers to working in schools’ development fundraising in 2008, working in several schools in London and Kent before joining Trinity at the end of 2017. As a boy who went from a working-class upbringing to an Oxford law degree, David’s passion for independent selective schools remaining engines of social mobility for talented children from low-income families, made Trinity a perfect berth. He quickly set about transforming attitudes to our ability to fundraise the large sums involved in bursary funding, to the point at which giving to the Trinity Bursary Fund has become an accepted part of the Trinity experience. This year the Trinity Bursary Fund will raise over £400,000 for additional bursaries. “Above all” David says “I want the next generations of talented children from low-income families to have the same educational opportunities I was given. The greatest waste of all is a waste of human talent. I was delighted to find in Trinity, a school determined to play its part in helping kids from my type of background.” David will miss (and will be missed) singing with the school’s choristers and choirs, cheering on the school’s rugby and cricket sides, and illicitly bringing in his beloved flatcoated retrievers into school outside of hours. He will also miss his many firm friends among Trinity’s staff, parents and alumni. Headmaster Al Kennedy said, “The school has benefitted enormously from the wealth of experience David brought to our fundraising efforts. During David’s tenure, he and his team have enabled the school to offer an amazing 14 additional bursaries to those funded by the John Whitgift Foundation. These children simply would not have been able to attend Trinity without this financial aid. We are truly grateful to David for his vision and tenacity in his role at the school.”

“It’s been an enormous privilege, and great fun, to have played a small part in the life of this wonderful school.”

Meet your Alumni and Development Team

L-R Donna Lewis, Francesca Catling, Jason Court, Nick Ramdas and Laurie King

We are your team at Trinity School, and we love hearing from you. Please do get in touch. We have an active Trinity Community, but we want to become even bigger through our events programme, networking opportunities and encouraging ad-hoc conversations on our My Trinity platform.

We are here to help you reconnect with the school and your former classmates. It is up to you how actively you want to get involved, but we are always looking for ideas, feedback, and comments about how we engage with you, what events we offer and how you can help us either financially or with our time and expertise. We love letting you know about your school as it is now, its achievements, challenges, and goals. We also have the privilege of making your school accessible to bright children in Croydon who simply cannot afford the fees. Your support of the Trinity Bursary Fund is never taken for granted and is more necessary than ever before.

Donna Lewis

Francesca Catling

Donna has been promoted to Alumni Relations and Services Manager.

Francesca, a current Trinity parent, joins as our Alumni Engagement Manager.

Shy, reserved, tongue-tied. This is what I am NOT!

I’ve had a connection to the Whitgift Foundation since being a student at Old Palace in the early 90s but am a recent joiner at Trinity, both as a parent and as a member of staff. However, the Trinity community instantly made me feel like I’ve been a part of it for years. It has been wonderful meeting and speaking with so many awe-inspiring former students, many of whom appear in this edition of the magazine. Dynamic, innovative, confident, warm, friendly, and passionate are just some of the words I’ve come to associate with the alumni I’ve met so far.

I’m incredibly fortunate to be in a role where I can use my superpower – chatting! Mixing with so many people from diverse backgrounds with different experiences – networking, connecting, and getting to know you is the best part of my job.

Jason Court Class of 1986, has taken over from David Young as Director of Development. I am really looking forward to reconnecting with many former students, staff, parents, and friends over the coming years. My role is to connect as many people back with the school and each other as well as ensuring that our school remains as open and socioeconomically diverse as it has always been. Many of us in the alumni and parent communities take Trinity’s commitment to social inclusivity for granted. When I was here, my friends came from all over the Borough of Croydon, lived in every conceivable home, from social housing to a lovely semi or detached house. Years later, reflecting on the biggest positive influence I had from my school days, I drew the conclusion it was my school friends who represented a cross section of economic backgrounds and differing worldviews. That early exposure to a broad spectrum of experience helped me develop a successful career in the City, where relationship building is everything.

Email: jtc@trinity.croydon.sch.uk Direct line: 020 8662 5147

I love following young people’s growth and seeing them succeed. I am always humbled when our younger alums return to school to talk and give advice to our current students. I’m excited about your future. The Trinity alumni community are the best, absolute fun, and most caring community. The energy you all give out is incredible and when we’re in a room together the atmosphere is electric. Get in touch if you want me to amplify your stories using the alumni social media platforms. I’m passionate about supporting them, so if you happen to meet me at the House of Lords, at Soho House, at a jazz evening at Ronnie Scott’s, at a night out at BoxPark Croydon, or sparring at the local boxing gym, or rollerblading at Crystal Palace Park - I’m more than likely to be with a Trinity alum. So, thank you for being you. My job wouldn’t be as much fun without you and every day you make us (the Alumni & Development Team) want to do better.

Email: alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk Direct line: 020 8662 5155

I’m incredibly excited about meeting even more of you over the coming year at the many events we’re hosting as well as sharing your news, views, and successes with our wider community.

Email: fnc@trinity.croydon.sch.uk Direct line: 020 8662 5159

Laurie King Class of 1977, continues as our Archivist and Alumni Ambassador and is on site every Tuesday. Music, Sport and classmates were my highlights at school in the 70s and now I am back at Shirley Park, it seems these are my strengths once more. In my role as Archivist and Alumni Relations Ambassador, I get to meet loads of our alumni and guess what, it is those good old days in the rugby team or the CCF or Trinity Choristers which spark great memories as well as all those old team photos!

Nick Ramdas

One of my other great loves is golf and as Captain of the Trinity Golf Society this year, it has been a privilege to meet, play and chatter with so many old and new chums.

Class of 2016, is our new Data Analyst.

Trinity friendships - they last forever.

My role as Data Analyst in the Development and Alumni team involves supporting the cultivation and maintenance of new and existing relationships with alumni, parents and friends of the school, through data and the insights we can draw from it.

Email: lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk Tel: 020 8656 9541 ext 747

I was lucky enough to receive a bursary when I came to the school, allowing me to benefit from all Trinity has to offer, and without which I wouldn’t be where I am today. Part of my role is to promote the bursary fund to help give others the same opportunities I’ve had. One of my favourite things about Trinity, that I took for granted whilst a student here, is the vast number of activities on offer. I’m not missing anything the second time round and run the staff football team every week and am making moves to be part of the golf society, watch this space . . !

Email: ndr@trinity.croydon.sch.uk Tel: 020 8656 9541 ext 676

Dates for your diary Autumn Saturday 10 September 2022 Festival of Rugby Monday 3 October 2022 Reception for Donors Thursday 10 November 2022 My Trinity Careers Networking Event Tuesday 20 December 2022 Under 25’s Christmas Drinks Spring Thursday 23 February 2023 London Networking Drinks Friday 24 March 2023 Founder’s Day Supper Saturday 15 April 2023 Evensong with the Trinity Choristers Summer Wednesday 26 April 2023 Mitre Society Lunch Wednesday 24 May 2023 Trinity Golf Day Saturday 17 June 2023 Summer Reunion 24 July – 7 August 2023 Telephone Campaign On the cover

Contact

Submission to Art on a Postcard Exhibition by U6 Art student Isaac Croucher

Shirley Park Croydon CR9 7AT 020 8656 9541 trinity-school.org alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

My Trinity 2022

Articles inside

Meet your Alumni and Development Team

COP26 - Alumni Delivering a Net-Zero Event

Lime Meadow Acoustic Folk and Blues Club

The Trinity Club - Rugby

The Trinity Club - Cricket

The Mitre Players

The Trinity Club - Hockey

The Trinity Club Golf Society

Memory Lane - RAF Uniform

Memory Lane - 1996 Time Capsule

Giving Day 2022

Trinity Golf Day

The Rise of Golf at Trinity

Alumnae Reunion

My Trinity: The Trinity Community Networking Platform

Alumni Talks

Alumni in the Spotlight - Katey Fisher

Alumni in the Spotlight - Wil Coma

Alumni in the News

Alumni in the Spotlight - Nina Pimblett

Alumni in the Spotlight

Alumni in the Spotlight

Dr Simon Jackman

The school’s green credentials – how do we stack up?