TRURO SCHOOL
Foundation Truro School Foundation, like most of the country, is looking forward to a sense of normality as we move into the festive period - meeting up with family and friends as opposed to virtual Teams and Zoom meetings.
Indeed, as a result of Covid restrictions, we have been unable to have our usual Foundation gatherings; uniting our alumni, refreshing memories with old friends and meeting new ones. However, an afternoon in the late summer found us making one very important exception – the celebration of the life of Headmaster, Guy Dodd (TS 1992-2001). We were blessed on the day with fair weather, despite a poor outlook, and had a great turnout of people wishing to commemorate Guy in the school garden. I believe that Guy’s wife Helen Dodd and their family, in many ways, typify the spirit of Truro School – inclusive, selfless and generous. The final total for our campaign in Guy’s honour (The Guy Dodd Appeal) was over £40,000 – a remarkable amount of money, coming as it did in the depths of Covid. We would like to say a very sincere and heartfelt thanks from all of us at the Foundation if you contributed – and be assured that 100% of your contribution is making a significant difference to a child’s life at the school.
GRAHAM HOOPER O L D T R U R O N I A N PA R E N T & C H A I R M A N O F T R U R O S C H O O L F O U N D AT I O N
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It’s also worth considering all the extra work that the school has had to put in in the last few months; the support structures that the school has put in place has helped the resilience of Truro School students over the course of the last academic year. We are just beginning to learn more about the wider implications of lockdowns and isolation for young people. We are fortunate for Tim Bunting, one of our trustees, who previously worked for BBC Children in Need, and his insights into the issues facing young people in the UK are invaluable. Referrals to organisations who look after children with mental health issues have recently doubled. If you’d like to find out more, it’s worth investing an hour of your time on the BBC documentary ‘Dr Alex: Our Young People’s Mental Health Crisis’, which is available on BBC iPlayer now. If you missed it on the BBC first time around,
please watch it – it’s a salutary lesson in this growing issue, and how some organisations are trying to help. In the context of what we’re trying to achieve at the Foundation, it is very important. The simple fact is that we need more money so that we can further support underprivileged children in Cornwall and allow them the opportunity to benefit from a Truro School education. Our alumni are testament to the value of a Truro School education and how it can change lives, sometimes in the widest possible sense, as in the cases of Sir Patrick Vallance CO78 and Professor Trevor Drew OBE CO72, who have both been doing their level best to carry the battle to defeat Covid on both sides of the world: Sir Patrick here in the UK, and Professor Drew in Australia. We very much look forward to being able to meet up with both the Old Truronian and current Truro School family around the country once restrictions ease, and we can be a little more confident about meeting indoors. Finally, the Truro School Foundation is run as a charity, and I would like to thank our trustees for giving up their time to help create the opportunity for children to come to our school. I should also like to thank the school itself for supporting us, especially in the light of Nicky Berridge (TS Development Manager 2016-2021) leaving – they are big shoes to fill – but Amanda and Ella (Development and Alumni Relations Officers) are doing sterling work.
We wish you and all your family and friends a peaceful, safe and enjoyable Christmas and a brighter New Year. Nadelik Lowen, as we say in Cornwall.
