OU Magazine Issue 50 2022-2023

Welcome to the OU magazine

From the Editor

Issue 50 of the OU magazine is a significant milestone in the OU Association’s history. The first issue was dated Winter 1992/3 and produced as a feature within ‘The Uppingham Newsletter’. This early edition mainly provided updates from the School, its lead story was ‘A Day in the Life of S C Winkley’, the Headmaster at that time. With just four pages of OU news included, it’s clear to see the magazine has developed significantly since then, as well as the variety of events and wider activities available to OUs nowadays. Look back at Issue No. 1 on the OU website via the QR code below or by searching ‘A Longer Read’.

The latest issue is also the tenth OU magazine I have edited since joining Uppingham in 2012, a personal milestone for me. I really don’t know where all those years have gone, but over this time I have got to know many, many OUs, whether through attending events or sharing emails. It is always a pleasure to hear from those who wish to contribute news for the magazine and the variety and volume of content received never ceases to amaze me.

So, what’s in this edition? We share a special report from an OU living in Kyiv during these extraordinary and uncertain times for Ukraine. We also focus on science, with OUs undertaking work in the fields of particle physics and climate research and, after the success of ‘Chalkies’ Corner’ last year, we catch up with some more longserving former teachers who were pleased to share their memories of Uppingham.

With a full schedule of events up and running again, it has been fabulous to see so many of you in person over the past year. Our event photos provide a wonderful picture of OUs getting together and to see more from these occasions, please follow us via our regular social feeds on Facebook and Instagram.

We trust this year’s magazine has something for everyone to enjoy. As always, my thanks go to all who have contributed to the issue, we love hearing from the whole community and encourage everyone to keep in touch.

Best wishes from all at Uppingham, Jo Franklin (OU Manager and Editor), on behalf of the OU team

For a longer read, scan the QR codes with your smartphone camera to view extra content on the OU website.

OU is the annual magazine for former pupils of Uppingham School.

We also send out an annual e-Newsletter in the Spring – please ensure your email address is up-to-date by emailing ou@uppingham.co.uk.

Uppingham School, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9QE

Tel: +44 (0)1572 820 616 Email: ou@uppingham.co.uk www.olduppinghamian.co.uk

If you are receiving multiple copies of the OU magazine to your household and would prefer only one copy, please let us know.

Our cover photo for this 50th edition of the OU magazine is in tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, an exceptional leader, who dedicated her life to the service of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. The photograph depicts The Queen inspecting The Honour Guard during her visit to the School in 1984 for the Quatercentenary Anniversary, accompanied by Giles Crabtree (Fgh 80), who was Captain of the CCF. The eagle-eyed may spot our own Richard Boston (B 56), who was CCF Commanding Officer at the time. If you are one of the proud CCF recruits being presented, do please let us know.

In a year of landmarks and upheavals, publishing the fiftieth edition of the OU magazine feels like an important statement of solidity during turbulent times.

The recent passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was marked with solemnity and seriousness by the School. We remained together throughout the period of national mourning, and reminded ourselves of the importance of community, mutual support, and our responsibility to put others first. It was heartening to see today’s pupils engaging with the passing of history with dignity and thoughtfulness.

So far, Uppingham has stood for four hundred and thirtyeight years, during which the two Elizabethan eras have spanned eighty-nine of those years (twenty per cent of the School’s existence). Naturally, when significant eras come to an end, there is a degree of unease. Things once taken for granted appear to be less permanent, and alongside the political and economic instability seeping across Europe, once again, we see the dreadful spectre of war on the Continent. People are understandably anxious.

Good governance brings reassurance, clarity, purpose. It identifies common interests and, despite – indeed, possibly because of – challenges, binds people and communities together. There is little question the late Queen embodied those qualities. I sense our present duty is to remind ourselves of the values that hold our OU community together and use our vast network of friends and supporters to the best benefit of all who are connected to the School.

We can be proud of the OU Association and how far our network reaches. The School for Life Programme that actively supports OUs across the world. The Foundation which

generously provides ongoing support so that talented young people can experience an Uppingham education. We thank the many OUs who give their time and energy to support the current generation of Uppinghamians who will leave school and university during uncertain times.

As this year goes on, we want to reach as many OUs as we can. We plan to reinforce our School for Life Programme to encourage many more OUs to make the most of their Uppingham connections. We will launch an ambitious regular giving programme through which we want the many thousands of people connected with the School to give small amounts towards bursaries each month. We will continue to provide a wide variety of social and networking events to enable OUs to come together in person. Uppingham is an exceptional school, and we want it to continue to thrive, and to thrive for everyone who is part of our community.

As we publish our fiftieth edition of the OU magazine, it reminds us of the relationships which bind Old Uppinghamians together. There is a strength and warmth about our past pupil association which is unique. Long may it continue.

Dr Richard Maloney

Who What Where

1940s

At 90, Clive Birch (Hf 45) has authored his 35th book. Commissioned by a City guild, Wheels and Wheelwrights traces the cart and carriage wheel, from prehistoric origins to modern craft, in the story of the City’s wheelmakers and their guild.

Clive’s other books feature Buckinghamshire town and village and transport histories, vehicle design records and a World War II novel A Decent Man

He attributes his love of language, writing and the world of books to renowned OU teacher Bryan Matthews (SH 30) and wellremembered Shakespearean teacher Toby Belk. After leaving Uppingham, Clive went on to be the UK’s youngest editor of the Bucks Examiner and later ran the Illustrated London News, and finally his own publishing house for 25 years. On partial retirement, for 16 years he served as Carman visiting tutor in vehicle design at the post-graduate Royal College of Art.

Clive is a trustee of the Carmen Heritage Trust, developing Carmen’s Hall in Fleet Street and spearheading a transport education programme there. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1981, appointed MBE for services to Buckingham heritage in 2000, awarded the Princess Royal Gold Medal for services to Carmen in 2008 and their lifetime achievement award in 2019. Wheels and Wheelwrights can be bought online, and Clive is now working on another transport history.

1950s

Peter Johnson (Hf 50), lifelong fine art dealer, former point-topoint rider and founder of the British Sporting Art Trust, instigated a sculpture of Dick Francis, which was unveiled at Aintree Racecourse by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal on 7th April, the first day of the Grand National meeting. The life-size bronze statue, sculpted by renowned sculptor, William Newton, was commissioned in honour of the former wartime RAF pilot, champion jump jockey, bestselling author, and Trustee of Aintree Racecourse for 20 years.

Anthony ‘Tony’

(Fgh 48), founder of the Min-Y-Don Christian Adventure Centre in Wales, recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of the family-run enterprise, which to this day offers fun, friendship and faith. As part of the celebrations, he appeared on the BBC’s Songs of Praise

In the summer of 1954, whilst on a gap year after leaving Uppingham, Nicholas ‘Nich’ Rutherford (C 49) designed and skilfully crafted an intricate marquetry tray, with views of the School, which he gave to his former teacher Stuart Taylor (H 34) and his wife Lornie as a wedding present in 1955.

Their daughter Susie Mathieson (née Taylor, Fd 75), now owns and treasures the tray, and was absolutely delighted to be introduced to Nich at the ‘OU Celebration of Singing’ event in March this year. Both were overjoyed at the chance meeting and Nich was very pleased to hear the tray had survived all these years.

Tray with views of the School

In December 2021, Mike Archer (WD 53) received the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Jubilee Medal for his contribution to British ornithology and his outstanding and committed devotion to the Trust.

Over many decades, Mike has played a fundamental role in helping young people to engage with the BTO’s activities and citizen science surveys. He is a strong advocate for the collection and digitization of robust scientific data on birds, ensuring it is available to the BTO and beyond, both now and in the future.

Mike mentioned that he is not the only OU to have received such an accolade, as in 1990, the BTO awarded its ‘senior’ medal for outstanding service, the Bernard Tucker, to the late John McMeeking MBE (WB 42)

Boot

Simon Berry (Fgh 59) hadn’t visited Uppingham for more than 55 years until he attended the ‘Celebration of Singing’ weekend in March – he was keen to hear whether the School’s musical reputation was still as high as ‘in his day’!

So, he travelled from north of Inverness in the Highlands and was delighted he did. Inspired by a brilliant weekend, he wrote a poem which we are pleased to share…

In his time at Uppingham, Simon was involved in the writing, typing, printing and distribution of the unofficial school newsletter ‘U’. It was a popular read amongst pupils from the late 1950s and through the 1960s and Simon subsequently went on to make a career in publishing and journalism, which he attributes to his experience on both the School Magazine and ‘U’.

The School’s archive collection is missing all issues post-1960 and Jerry Rudman would be delighted to receive any copies from this era (as well as issues 1-42 in good condition) that you may have stashed away in a drawer. Please email ou@uppingham.co.uk if you are able to help.

Godfree Browne (WB 53) discovered an old photo of his West Bank contemporaries on a trip to the Norfolk Broads in 1958. The group of eight, aged just 17 or 18 – then officially minors – chartered two sailing boats without engines and set off from Wroxham.

He recalled: “RW ‘Bill’ Pattinson opted to stay with the quant pole in a fairly large river. It got stuck in the mud and, as the boat moved on, he had to make a choice between boat and pole. He stayed up for quite a long time but in the end there was a certain inevitability about his ducking! Another day, we were sailing down the River Ant with a gentle following wind. The crew on the other boat were very relaxed, with helmsman, one crew member on the foredeck, and another in a dinghy being towed. A bend in the river caused the mainsail to gybe and precipitate one crewman into the water to starboard.

AT THE SINGING FACULTY CONCERT

Returning to the School many years after and to such voices with so much to live for there’s this unexpected tear prickling the corner of my eye

I hear you hit a true note bright as a handbell so young and yet so confident it can be done –How have you earned this ability to curl the heart ask the not so blessed

Later in conversation with the head of faculty it seems this concert is not solely for the gifted but to reveal the performance gene that we all wished we had

In this off-key time my life reaches its final pages –The gift (in early form) is clearly present here so why the fear for those with years uncountable? Listen to this evidence of promise –It is what our world needs and requires us always to value or see it die again in infancy.

Simon’s full account of his visit is available to read on the OU website.

The splash caused the man on the foredeck to move to the rear to see what had happened, when another bend caused another gybe and swept him off too! The remaining crew were helpless with laughter until they could pull themselves together and return to pick up their crew. Happily, there were no injuries. But the rigging was full of wet clothing!”

Thank you to Denis Pannett (F 53) for his generous donation of two large paintings to the School, which feature Spitfires and Hurricanes in tribute to all those who flew in the Battle of Britain and the great service they gave to their country.

It was great to welcome three generations of Brays to the School, when Nick (1955), Simon (1986) and Hugo Bray (2016), all Farleighans, visited in December. They had a fantastic day reminiscing about their respective school days. On visiting Farleigh, they were able to see how much it hasn’t changed in 67 years(!) and established that all three of them slept in the same ‘tish’ when they were in the Fourth Form.

L to R: David Jones (WB 54), Godfree Browne (WB 53), Alan Thompson (WB 54), Peter Allen (WB 54), Bill Pattinson (WB 53), and Keith Edwards (WB 54). Two friends are missing from the photo, Jeremy Davies (WB 55) and Clive Burton (WB 54). With Ranworth Church in the background, often called the Cathedral of the Broads.

All enjoyed a visit to the impressive Thring Exhibition (ably assisted by Jerry Rudman) and a tour round many of the old and new buildings with Richard Boston (B 56) who was at Uppingham at the same time as Nick. It was a great day out for three very proud Old Uppinghamians.

In January, Hugo left the UK to study a Liberal Arts course majoring in Computer Science at NYU in New York. He’s just finished his first year and is thoroughly enjoying the experience!

Who What Where

1960s

Peter Flower (L 60) has published the final volume of his trilogy on his grandfather Reginald Grove (Redgate House 1883). It covers his student days at Cambridge, medical school at Guy’s Hospital and his life as a GP in a rural practice in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Besides being a family doctor, he was also a Medical Officer of Health for the town and the Medical Officer for the local Workhouse. For OUs who remember visits back to the School on Founder’s Day in the first two or three years after leaving, there is an amusing account of his visit one weekend and his wry comments about the new Headmaster, Selwyn, Thring’s successor.

All those who know our OU Secretary Richard Boston (B 56), fondly known as ‘Tricky’ or ‘DickyB’ to many, will appreciate his love of classic cars. There are many OUs who will remember the fire engine, just one of a variety of vehicles that has graced his collection over the years. Following an enquiry by fellow enthusiast Nick Longford (LH 65), we are keen to gauge support for a possible classic car meet in the future. If you would be interested, please email Richard on RASB@uppingham.co.uk

Bryan Harrison (H 56) has written his first novel called The Polymath, under his pen name Breo Gorst. Prior to this he has written three plays, published privately, and is in the process of writing a second novel 2084 – The Novel, about global warming, population explosion and how we will all manage to live in 2084. Discover more via his website www.BreoGorst.com

Nicholas Watts MBE (H 57), farmer and award-winning conservationist, realised a long-held dream in June 2021 by opening a new farm shop and café on the family farm at Vine House, Deeping St Nicholas in South Lincolnshire. He is passionate about British farming and

sustainable, locally sourced produce which the new store allows them to showcase. The 70-seater cafe also offers fresh, local and home-grown produce on its menu, and boasts an outside decking area overlooking a wildlife pond, plus ample parking with electric car charging points. www.vinehousefarmshopcafe.co.uk

To celebrate 25 years since the formation of the OU Shoot, co-founder Neil Kennedy (Hf 59) has written and produced a hardback book detailing each year’s shoot from its inception in 1996 by former Chairman of the Trustees, the late Colin Williams (L 55). Limited copies are available via the OU office, priced at £25.00 with all proceeds going to the Uppingham Foundation. Please email ou@uppingham.co.uk if you would like to purchase a copy.

For details of future OU shoots, please contact Julian Tolhurst (C 86), Shoot Captain, via the OU website olduppinghamian.co.uk/clubs/ou-shoot

In May this year David Sneath (Fgh 61) took on The Dambusters Ride, cycling 60 miles to raise funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund. His ride marks 79 years since the Royal Air Force’s 617 Squadron carried out an audacious bombing raid in the Ruhr valley.

The Life and Times of a Victorian Country Doctor, a portrait of Reginald Grove, Volume 3 is available from The Brown Dog Bookshop at browndogbooks.uk All proceeds go to charity.

Chris Burwell’s (F 64) memoir was published in June this year and recounts his remarkable life –from joining the RAF in 1969 aged 18, to flying in the Cold War as a Harrier pilot and on to training pilots for the world’s major airlines. His compelling story is available to purchase online.

In January, John Roberts (SH 64) was appointed by President Biden as the Vermont State Executive Director of the US Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), the financial services arm that administers farm loans, disaster funding and risk management advice, amongst other things.

John emigrated from the UK in 1974 and in the spring of 1977, bought a 260acre farm in Cornwall, Vermont with his wife Lisa. Starting with 36 cows, they farmed until 2012 and grew the farm to 400 acres and 195 registered Brown Swiss cows and raised four children. Over the years, John has been active in his community, as well as in several state and national committee positions focused on agricultural, conservation and environmental policy.

It was great to see Nick Burgess (B 68) at the Uppingham v Oundle 1st XV match, at home on a bitterly cold Saturday in November 2021, 50 years after being awarded his 1st XV colours, received after the Oundle match in 1971.

Professor Stephen Neidle, published by Elsevier. The book provides a complete and concise summary of underlying principles and approaches to studying nucleic acid structure, important for biomedical research and pharmacological applications. It is available to purchase online.

1970s

Andy (LH 70) and Jerry (LH 74) Cockeram have produced a book, Glimpses of the Falklands War, full of stories and memories to mark the 40th anniversary of this 74-day conflict. It is their third book published by the British Modern Military History Society (BMMHS) in the Glimpses of War series.

On 1st October, Stephen Fry (F 70) became president of the illustrious Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord’s and is the effective guardian of the game’s laws. Famed for his work on stage, screen and in print, he is only the second non-cricketer to have delivered the prestigious Cowdrey Lecture last year and has been a member since 2011. He commented: “It is a club that is known throughout the world for what it represents in the game and to be gifted the opportunity to perform this role is truly humbling.”

Stephen is not the first OU to be appointed to the role and follows Stanley Christopherson (Hf 1875), who was President of the MCC from 1939 to 1946.

All book sales raise funds for the charity Blind Veterans UK (formerly St Dunstan’s) and to date over £5,000 has been raised by BMMHS for military charities.

Mark Sanderson (SH 69) is Visiting Professor at the Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London. He recently coauthored Principles of Nucleic Acid Structure, with his PhD supervisor

British servicemen and women, Falkland Islanders, merchant navy personnel, civilians and others have contributed a wide range of experiences in the South Atlantic; some of heroism, tragedy, fear and resilience of what it was like to be involved. The book is available in hardback, paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon.

Future books in the Glimpses of War series will include Glimpses of the Gulf War and Glimpses of the Air War in World War Two, so if you, your family or friends have stories you wish to share, please contact info@bmmhs.org

BMMHS is a not-for-profit society based in South Oxfordshire and holds monthly live talks and Zoom talks on military history. Everyone is welcome to attend. Full details of BMMHS can be found on www.bmmhs.org

David Williams (C 70) retired from the Baltic Exchange at the end of June 2021. He spent almost 40 years in the shipping business, predominantly involved in the chartering of oil tankers, with the last seven years spent working at the Baltic Exchange where he was involved in the production and publishing of the Baltic tanker index.

Simon Whitaker (WB 71) has had a lifelong love of the theatre, leaving Uppingham in 1976 for The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

After working as a stage manager at York Theatre Royal and the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in the spring of 1981, he returned to Uppingham’s Theatre to assist Christopher Richardson as its first technical stage manager (unpaid!) and to help with his work on independent productions with Rowan Atkinson and Children’s Music Theatre now the National Youth Music Theatre. Ralph Allwood (Uppingham’s Head of Music at the time) was the Musical Director and Christopher designed the sets.

In 1982, whilst at Uppingham, Simon devised an idea to take a trailer (which had been bought by Rowan Atkinson for transporting sets in) kitted out as a mobile theatrical supplies shop to the Edinburgh Fringe. Dan Stinson (M 72) was also involved, and they were located in what was referred to as ‘The Hole in the Ground’ behind the Usher Hall. Rowan

Atkinson officially opened the shop. Shortly after, 40 years ago this June, Simon founded Stage One Creative Services, and subsequently worked on the production and construction of sets for large scale live events and conferences around the world.

Since retiring from Stage One in 2006, Simon has remained involved in the industry, both at agency and supplier level. He is also a trustee and volunteer at local charity Settle Stories, which records and live streams storytelling events to schools from a small TV studio. He has also been involved with the launch of www.storyversity.org, an online learning platform for teachers, parents and those wanting to refine their art of storytelling, also useful for those going for interviews or wanting to improve their CVs.

Simon also enjoys working as a volunteer ranger with The North Yorkshire Dales National Parks, doing practical tasks such as footpath, fence and bridge repairs, as well as dry stone walling. He commented: “All in all, retired but still busy and loving life!”

In February, Dominic Blyth (H 74) relocated to Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean; an active volcanic island, considered the most remote inhabited island on earth. Dominic’s wife Donna is a specialist for schools in remote communities and was employed as a Head Teacher there. As a retired Environmental Health Officer, Dominic advised the Government on various public health issues. They returned to the UK in October 2022.

Carl Islam (M 75), LLM (Exon)(International Business Law), Barrister, TEP, and SCMA accredited mediation advocate, qualified in October as a Certified and accredited Commercial Mediator, and became a Panel Member of the Society of Mediators in London. For more information visit www.ihtbar.com

As the nation marked the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War this year, Simon Mercer (SH 79) raised funds for surviving veterans of the conflict through the sale of 255 special bottles of 13-year-old Glen Moray whisky finished in a Chateau Latour cask, commemorating the 255 UK personnel who did not return from the Falklands in 1982. Simon’s initiative raised more than £40,000 split equally between the Falklands Veterans’ Foundation and South Atlantic Medal Association.

Following on from this fantastic achievement, Simon is now marking the centenary of the Old Uppinghamian Masonic Lodge by donating 56 bottles of Glen Moray whisky finished in a Portuguese Brandy Barrel at 53.5% from his private reserve. Bottles of this Uppingham Exclusive can be purchased for £150 and all proceeds will support bursaries at Uppingham. For more details on how to acquire a bottle before they are all sold, please contact Helen Bradford in the OU Office on HPB@uppingham.co.uk

L to R: Tom Herring – President SAMA82, Simon Mercer (SH 79), Derek ‘Smokey’ Cole – President FVF and Government Representative of Falkland Islands and Richard Hyslop at Falklands House in London.

Simon Whitaker is left of Rowan Atkinson, who officially opened the ‘Stage 1 Supplies’ mobile shop at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1982.

1980s

For Philip Turner (B 81) lockdowns necessitated taking exercise and, as he built up the miles, he wanted to do something more. He set himself a target to walk around the Isle of Wight in September 2021, a total of 66 miles in two days, to raise money for his late cousin’s charity (UKSA) which helps children learn to sail. The initiative raised over £13k. Given its success first time round, he volunteered to do it again in April this year, but this time in one go. He walked the route in just over 20 hours and commented: “It felt like being back in the army except no-one was shouting at you!”

In July, Philip also organised two classical concerts on the island with a great friend from Italy, who brought over two singers and a pianist, and successfully raised a further £13k for the charity.

If anyone is interested in joining Philip on the walk next year, with the aim of completing it in under 18 hours, please get in touch on stickler729@hotmail.com

Congratulations to James Timpson OBE (LH 85), who was officially installed as the new Chancellor of Keele University on 13th June. The Chief Executive of Timpson, one of the UK’s most socially responsible retailers, received the Chancellor’s ceremonial robes and mortarboard and took the oath of office at a ceremony in the Keele University Chapel.

In May, James was also awarded an honorary Doctorate, by The Open University, in recognition of his work to promote educational opportunities and social justice.

1990s

Phil Hunter (Fgh 93) and George Reed (Fgh 93) both ran the Reading Half Marathon in April, with George completing the race in 93 minutes and Phil taking a creditable two hours.

After a five-year stint in the Balkans, managing underwear factories and commuting back and forth from the US, working with the likes of Ralph Lauren and running his own line, Igor Pacemski (LH 94) has joined PVH, where he is running the European e-commerce for Calvin Klein Swimwear and the athleisure line, Calvin Klein Sport. His eponymous line, Noblesse Oblige, continues to thrive and is sold globally, with stockists in Japan, Europe and the US. Igor is enjoying living in Amsterdam, but is missing Lapsang Souchong and good bacon, so will be making regular trips to London to stock up. Still, he says, living in a postcard pretty city, makes it all bearable.

Elizabeth French (Fd 95) decided earlier this year to run the London Marathon in memory of her sister Penelope, who died 20 years ago after having an epileptic fit in the bath, she was just 25. Anyone who remembers Elizabeth from school will probably also recall she hated running, so a marathon is completely outside her comfort zone. Following semi-major surgery in April, she followed a strict training plan and, on 2nd October, completed the challenge, raising valuable funds for the Epilepsy Society.

Brothers Angus (LH 86) and James (LH 92) Kennedy walked the Ullswater Way in November 2021, in support of the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, a tribute to their uncle, David Kennedy (Hf 59) who had been valiantly fighting the disease for the past three years. They completed

It was great to welcome a small crowd of West Bank OUs for a tour of the School in June.

With advance notice, we are always pleased to arrange a tour for any individuals or groups wishing to visit, do get in touch on ou@uppingham.co.uk

Charlie Peach (B 96) has lived in Australia for 14 years, currently in Orange, NSW, with his wife Edwina. He works for the NSW Government as a Project Manager and occasionally moonlights as a private chef.

On a visit back to the UK in June, the first since 2017, he enjoyed a long overdue reunion with OU friends, organised by Bex Kelly (née Plumbly, J 99), who has just moved to London for the first time after living overseas for the last 17 years in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

the 21-mile circumference of the lake, in remarkably good weather for the time of year, raising over £1,500. Sadly, David passed away on 9th September and his obituary can be found in the In Memoriam section of the magazine.

Left to right in the photo is James Mantle (96), Guy Macklam (99), Ben Bullard (96), Edward Reynolds (96) and Andrew Prideaux (96)

L to R: Byron Fitzpatrick (LH 96), Charlie Peach (B 96), Hatty Douthwaite (J 99), Bex Kelly (née Plumbly, J 99) and Will Lawson (Fgh 96)

Alexandra Stewart (née Stephens, J 96) has written her third children’s book, Darwin and Hooker: A story of friendship, curiosity and discovery that changed the world. Published by Bloomsbury, in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, it tells the tale of the extraordinary and life-changing friendship between Charles Darwin and the Victorian botanist and explorer Joseph Hooker. Written for an audience aged from nine years upwards, this book will show children (and adults!) how teamwork, curiosity, openness and trust can be the greatest tools a scientist will ever need. It’s available to buy at bookstores online and in-store, including Waterstones, Amazon, Bloomsbury, Kew and independent bookshops.

“The power of empathy is extraordinary; when you are in a bad place mentally, you feel like you’re the only one, but when you speak with someone who’s also been through it, suddenly you don’t feel alone, you feel understood, so there is huge relief for people who have been in an incredibly lonely place. It also eliminates any fear of judgement, because all our volunteers, in fact everyone who is a part of My Black Dog, has a lived experience; we really do get it.”

During the pandemic, My Black Dog saw a 2030% increase in people using their services, and they are continuing to grow and support thousands of people across the UK. If you are interested in supporting them, please contact info@myblackdog.co

philosophy, Dan and his team use the unique stories and insight from their own extraordinary experiences as elite sportspeople, former military leaders, polar explorers, and leadership and team experts, to deliver tailored Leadership, Team and Workplace Resilience development. Drawing upon the latest training approaches, techniques and performance insights, Dan would be delighted to deliver training to staff in OU companies and help teams develop focus, empathy, determination, and the belief in a shared vision. All at tremendous value! For more information, or to offer your support for the Matt Hampson Foundation, please contact Dan at Dan@hambo.co.uk

Eight OUs had the honour of paying their personal final tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by being part of the faultless military spectacle on 19th September, viewed by so many in the UK and around the world.

Niki Clarke (Fd 98) founded My Black Dog after struggling with her own mental health. She saw a huge gap in the support needed, from diagnosis to receiving professional help, and as a result set up a free, online peer-to-peer support service. Through a network of volunteers, My Black Dog provides an empathetic, non-judgemental space to talk to others who understand what it feels like to experience mental health struggles.

Former England and Leicester Tigers star, Dan Hipkiss (Fgh 98), has joined the Matt Hampson Foundation as Head of its

Learning and Development team. Matt Hampson, a talented rugby player in his youth, experienced a catastrophic injury whilst practising with the England U21 squad in 2005 and the Foundation was established to help sportsmen and women like him rebuild their lives following life-changing injuries. Using the Foundation’s ‘Get Busy Living’

The following members of the Grenadier Guards mounted guard at the Vigil; Major James Brown (SH 99); Captain Richard Phillips (B 04); Captain Alex Wilson (LH 05) and Captain Ted Bennett (M 07), in addition to Major George Cazalet (M 02) and Captain Hugo Cazalet (M 07) of the Coldstream Guards and Major Will HogarthJones (WB05), Scots Guards; Major Robbie Thompson (LH 03), also of the Grenadier Guards, mounted guard at the Vigil and commanded the Guard of Honour during the funeral procession.

We always love to receive photos from OUs getting together, and were delighted to hear of a group travelling all the way to Buenos Aires in February for Sam Hatt’s (F 99) wedding. Sam has settled there and is Head of Secondary at St Hilda’s College.

Left to right – Sam Hatt (F), Freddie Glasswell (C), Ollie Nias (F), Sam Featherstone (B), William Beckinsale (C), Nick Thorley (F) and Hugo Peers (Hf) who all started at Uppingham in 1999.

2000s

The first Samworths’ girls (all Sa 01) were delighted to get together for a 20-year reunion last November. Sadly, not everyone could attend, but those who did had a great time, recounting school memories as the first girls to make Uppingham fully co-educational and they have remained great friends ever since.

Uppingham is incredibly proud of Laura Highton (Sa 04) who in March was working in southern Poland with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) humanitarian team to get urgent medical supplies to people in Ukraine.

Thank

(B 04)

Back row, left to right: (All Sa 01) Charlotte Waters, Alice Beer, Florence Crowhurst, Charlotte Trace, Megan Barber and Ella Reynolds (née Rogers). Front row: Emma Mager, Clare Minton and Harriet James

Will Lake (M 03), Chief Operating Officer of Knife & Fork Media, was recently involved in the company’s acquisition of The Good Food Guide, Britain’s longest-standing and bestselling guide to dining out, founded in 1951.

The Guide has been re-launched in a new digital format with an updated scoring system. Its 70-year heritage and ethos remains (anonymous inspections from 30 inspectors, who pay for all meals), and is also now available as an app. Membership is priced at £49.99/year or £4.99/month which provides full access to features, local guides and Club perks.

Will is delighted to share a membership offer of £29.99 for OUs signing up for the first year. Visit www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk via the QR for more details and quote the promocode: GFGOU. Offer valid until 31st January 2023.

Lucy Burton (Fd 04) is a food stylist, wedding cake maker and recipe writer based in London. With a season of wedding orders postponed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, Lucy started a hugely successful postal cake business on Instagram. She has now shared over 60 of her delicious recipes in her book

Postal Bakes, published by Welbeck Publishing in May. From Peanut Butter Jelly Brownies to Matcha Blondies, indulgent sharing cookie slabs to a simple seasonal sponge cake, there is something to please even the most discerning sweet tooth. Postal Bakes is available to buy online and in bookshops.

Back L to R: Major Robbie Thompson (LH 03), Major George Cazalet (M 02), Captain Richard Phillips (B 04), Ben Pountain (Fgh 00), Captain Edward ‘Ted’ Bennett (M 07) and Captain Hugo Cazalet (M 07)

Front L to R: Philip Turner (B 81), Guy Muir (L 78), Richard Boston (B 56), Tim Dennis (M 71) and Robert ‘James’ McLeod (C 75)

Lucy Brice (Sa 06) has been designing and making hats since the summer she left Uppingham. Having undertaken internships and courses with some renowned British milliners, Lucy set up her label in 2020 as she left London to move back to Rutland. Combining classic techniques with a modern twist, her hats and headbands are the ultimate accessory for fashion conscious OUs, all handmade in her rural Rutland studio. www.lucybrice.co.uk @lucybricemillinery

you to Captain Richard Phillips

who organised the annual OU Guards Dinner at the Cavalry and Guards Club in May, a thoroughly good evening enjoyed by all.

Lucy Brice Millinery

Who What Where

Congratulations to Christian Cargill (LH 06) who won the Best Documentary Short Award at Tribeca Film Festival 2022, for his short film Heart Valley, which he directed, filmed, produced and edited. It follows a day in the life of Wilf Davies, a shepherd from the small village of Cellan in Wales, and looks at the world through his eyes, asking questions about what it is we should truly value. Heart Valley is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Congratulations to Bella Collins (C 06), listed in the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 category for Sports and Games in recognition of her world record-breaking ocean rows, across both the Atlantic and Pacific, as covered in previous issues of the magazine. When not rowing, Bella works as head of business strategy for a packaging company that uses 85% recycled materials, hoping to limit plastic waste into the ocean. Every year, Forbes identifies 30 of the brightest and most promising game-changers under the age of 30, in 20 different industries.

In June, Nicholas ‘Nick’ Morris (F 06) was appointed Director of Music at Queens’ College, Cambridge, responsible for the appointment of choral and organ scholars and running the chapel choir, alongside undergraduate teaching. He would be delighted to assist prospective members of the College, or its choir, prepare for auditions or applications; the OU team will be pleased to put you in touch.

Having seen the impact of poor access to mental health support and friends struggling to find timely and relevant help, Kit Norman (Fgh 06) set up a mental health platform called Augmentive, with his mother Sarah, brother Archie (Fgh 03) and fellow OU, Phoebe Mackenzie Smith (NH 06)

Augmentive utilises a network of over 500 qualified mental health professionals via their state-of-the-art platform, using both artificial and human intelligence to guide clients to both online and in-person specialist support sessions around 200 times faster than NHS targets, with over 97% of clients giving their specialist a positive recommendation. See augmentive.io for further details.

03) and good friend Liam Bendell, conquered the length of Britain in a non-stop running relay from Land’s End to John O’Groats, raising awareness and over £35k for the mental health charity, Sport in Mind. The four-man team covered the 930-mile (1,500km) challenge in under seven days, by running consecutive 90-minute solo shifts, all day and all night. Supported by two campervans throughout, the team were constantly moving until they reached the most northerly point of Great Britain, having climbed over 44,000 feet – the equivalent of one and a half times the height of Everest.

Jack Mayhew (Fgh 02), Pete Crocombe (B 03), Gus Barton (Fgh

Photo credit: John Mark Ainsley

2010s

Jemima Erith (NH 10) is working for Steven Bartlett, the latest Dragon on Dragon’s Den and host of Europe’s biggest podcast, The Diary Of A CEO. As Guest Bookings Manager, Jemima is responsible for sourcing guests to talk about their stories and successes. The Diary Of A CEO is the fastest growing podcast in Europe with over 60 million views –there is no better platform for Britain’s most exciting companies to showcase what makes them unique.

In November 2021, Frances Lewthwaite (C 11) ran a 68km solo ultramarathon through London, supported by OU friends who joined her along the route despite the wind and rain. Frances was running in memory of David Houldsworth, the father of her housemate Romilly (C 11), to raise funds for Marie Curie who offer care and support through terminal illness.

Having undergone many adventures together, Sinead Coley and Rosie Eley (both Sa 12) decided to take on the challenge of crossing the UK, coast to coast from West to East on foot along Hadrian’s Wall, around 90 miles, in under 72 hours. At 30 miles a day, they were only too aware this endurance feat would exceed three consecutive marathons.

Raising valuable funds, just shy of £2,000 for Young Minds, they smashed both their fundraising target and challenge time, completing 99 miles in just 57hrs 30mins (23hrs total moving time).

Vicky Bedford (Sa 13) has spent the past year living in the Bay Area of California while studying at Berkeley as part of her Politics degree. Not only was she able to study in the Bay, she also gained work experience as a research apprentice in the Berkeley department of Political Science.

Vicky was able to connect with a few Brits (including a couple of OUs) also studying at Berkeley, which made a nice change from explaining that she wasn’t, in fact, Australian. When not studying she took the opportunity to travel round the States taking the AMTRAK from DC to New York in January and driving from San Francisco to Seattle and back along the Pacific Coast Highway in May. She commented: “I really loved my time in the Bay and if any OUs out there want to get in touch, I’d love to hear from you! I’m now back in the UK and about to start my MPhil in Criminology at Cambridge – that being said, if there are any OUs currently working in or toward criminal justice reform in either the UK or the US, I’d love to have a chat!”

In June, Harry Evans (Fgh 12) took part in the Ironman 70.3 (a half Ironman) in Westfriesland, Netherlands, to raise funds for the Charlie Watkins Foundation which supports young people who struggle with their mental health and wellbeing.

After returning from his year abroad at Hokkaido University in Japan, Felix Deere (LH 13), pictured on the left, completed his fourth year at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a 1st Class Degree and Distinction in Japanese (MA Hons). Looking back on his experience, he said: “I am very grateful for the confidence instilled in me during my time at Uppingham, without which living as one of a few dozen Brits in a city of five million might have proven too difficult… I highly encourage Uppingham to consider the introduction of APAC languages into the core curriculum.” Despite his interest in Japan’s real estate market, on which his dissertation was written, Felix wishes to pursue a career in the financial sector.

Who What Where

Fred Dell (Fgh 14) moved to Australia in July to commence a university exchange programme, from Manchester to the University of Melbourne. He has already graduated, due to swapping his penultimate and final years around thanks to Australia’s closed borders, but it has allowed him more time to explore the continent and find work. He commented: “If anyone has the opportunity to go on an exchange with their university, I highly recommend it and the OU School for Life Programme has given me amazing contacts to help me settle in much faster.”

Harry Fish (WD 14), is a writer, director and filmmaker studying at the University of Southampton. He’s been making films for nine years, progressing from just a friend and a camera to directing large teams of highly talented creatives on set. In 2021, he started the production company S&H Films with fellow filmmaker Sebastiano O’Grady (LH 14). Since then, the team have made three short films selected for numerous

film festivals: ‘Soup’, ‘Winged and Imprint Dark’ (winner of three awards) and ‘Limelight’. Their next film ‘A Serious House’ is currently in pre-production after successful crowdfunding in July. Louis Peppiatt (M 15) and Henry Alexander (WB 15) will also be joining them on the project. We look forward to sharing further news in the future.

Daisy Vivian (NH 14) is a freelance private chef, selftaught and trained under the guidance of Olivia Burt at Stanley’s Chelsea. She currently runs her own private cheffing business called Daisy’s Delicacies where she caters for dinner parties, drop offs, weekends away and holiday cooking for up to 20 guests. Daisy uses fresh, seasonal produce and the dishes she creates are often inspired by her extensive travels around Australia and India. They delicately combine both Mediterranean and East-Asian ingredients, techniques and seasonings.

To view her website, use the QR code. For further information email Daisy at info@ daisysdelicacies.com

Alex Farquharson (WD 15), William Vail (Hf 12) and George Sowerby (SH 12) completed the Three Peaks Challenge in September 2021, raising crucial funds for Dementia UK. The team scaled Ben Nevis (1,345m), Scafell Pike (978m) and Snowdon (1,085m), in challenging conditions, in a remarkable 23 hours and 22 minutes.

For those tempted by the challenge, read Alex’s full account on the OU website.

In May, Tom (M 14) and Emma (Fd 16) Holmes completed an Arctic Expedition across Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, with their parents Alice and Tim. The group also included Mark Black (H 86) and the expedition involved traversing 85 miles of the Akshayuk Pass from Qik to Pang whilst pulling a 20kg sledge each.

Throughout the eight-day expedition they endured -30 degree temperatures and winds of over 70mph, which threatened to blow their tents away! Tom and Emma’s great-grandfather, Sir James Wordie, was famous for his participation as geologist in Shackleton’s 1915 TransAntarctic Expedition and mapped remote parts of Baffin Island in 1937.

After the expedition, the family were able to visit the local Innuit communities, which the Wordie Expedition also went to 85 years ago, to discover more about the changes in the geography and climate of the area, and learn about the challenges facing the communities that live in this very remote part of the world (less than 600 miles from the North Pole).

Congratulations to Natalie Ting (C 17) who became the 2000th member of the OU Networking Group on LinkedIn this September. If you are looking to connect with other OUs and you’re not already a member, we encourage you to join and connect with others in the group. Search: OU Network for Uppingham School.

The Uppingham School LinkedIn page also provides the facility to search for particular people or OUs in specific industries or sectors.

Contact the School for life team if you’d like any further information: schoolforlife@uppingham.co.uk

The OU Charity Fund provides small donations to OUs who are raising money for good causes.

If you are raising money for charity, the OU team would love to hear from you on ou@uppingham.co.uk with details of your activities. Please provide a Just Giving or Virgin Money Giving link (or similar charitable donation page) so that a donation can be made online.

Here are some of the endeavours the fund has supported in the past 12 months…

Angus (LH 86) and James (LH 92) Kennedy Walked the Ullswater Way in support of the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund

David Sneath (Fgh 61) 60-mile cycle ride for the RAF Benevolent Fund

Wyn Fanshaw (WB 65) Ran the London Marathon for the British Heart Foundation

Giles Leather (B 84) Raced along the Pennine Way for the Stephen Hawking School Trust

Tom Watson (M 90) 1,000km cycle ride for two children’s charities

Katie Riddle (J 15)

Ran the Great North Run for the British Heart Foundation

Izzy Richings (J 15)

Ran the equivalent distance from Bristol to Kyiv for the British Red Cross emergency fund for Ukraine

OU COMMITTEE 2022-23

Chairman

The Headmaster

Secretary Richard Boston (B 56)

Members

Nicholas Burgess (B 68) , Mike Higgs (Fgh 69) , Andrew Bowles (M 73) , David Gavins (LH 73) , Richard Levell (H 74) , Peter Doleman (C 76) , Jim Reddy (Hf 89), Claire Neaves (J 91) , Emma Way (J 91) , Emma Cannings (L 93) , Tom Higgs (C 00) and Becky Wilson (Fd 05)

OU TRUSTEES

Chair of Trustees

Calling adventurous OU travellers and cyclists...

Dr Stephan Muller, member of staff from 2006-2014, organised a number of adventurous cycle expeditions with Uppingham students all over the UK, to Europe, through Jordan and across Bhutan whilst at the School.

He is keen to explore if there would be any interest among OUs for a truly extraordinary ride from Lhasa (Tibet) to Kathmandu (Nepal), including riding to Everest Base Camp possibly in 2023, but more likely in 2024.

If this sort of trip rekindles fond memories for you, or interests you as a new adventure, please contact Dr Muller directly on sjmuller50@hotmail.com for some preliminary conversations.

Elizabeth French (Fd 95) Ran the London Marathon for the Epilepsy Society

Jack Mayhew (Fgh 02), Pete Crocombe (B 03) and Gus Barton (Fgh 03) Non-stop run from Land’s End to John O’Groats for Sport in Mind

Christen Savage (Sa 05) Ran the London Marathon for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Lucy Yarrow (J 08) Ran the London Marathon for Cure Parkinson’s

Sinead Coley and Rosie Eley (both Sa 12) Coast-to-Coast run for Young Minds

Lily Johnson (L 12) Ran the London Marathon for Alzheimer’s Society

Daisy Vivian (NH 14) Ran the London Marathon for Mind

Barbara Matthews (SH 73)

Vice Chair of Trustees Richard Tice (H 78)

Donald Fothergill (B 74) , Russell Price (WB 79) , Edward Timpson (LH 87) , Dominic Wallis (F 82) , Lucy Womack (née Hilton, Fd 82)

A full list of Uppingham’s Trustees is available on the School’s website. Should you wish to contact any of the above, please email ou@uppingham.co.uk

OU AMBASSADORS

We are hugely grateful to all of the overseas ambassadors for their assistance as points of contact for OUs visiting a country or requiring advice. A full list is available on the OU website.

Announcements

Congratulations to Abboudi Hoss (Hf 62) on the birth of his first grandchild, Benedikt, wearing Abboudi’s House name with pride.

Congratulations

Sam

James Thomas (SH 00) and his wife Zein Al-Sharaf Kurdi are delighted to announce the arrival of Alia born on 14th October 2021.

James McRae (LH 06) married Jess Dickson in Perthshire, Scotland, in October 2021. Amongst the OUs in attendance were James Hartley (B 00), Tom Kennedy (B 06), Annie-May Johnson (L 10), Robert Barrow (Hf 06), Findlay Reid (SH 04) and Jemima Reid (Fd 07)

Matthew and Emily Gamble (née Newell, C 08) are delighted to announce the birth of their son, Charles Frederick, born on 3rd June 2021.

Richard Groome (Hf 91) married Charlotte Chambers at the Kings Head Hotel in Cirencester on 11th September 2021. The wedding was delayed by 12 months due to the pandemic. They were accompanied by their beloved Labradoodle, Woody, and 70 guests.

L to R: Ollie Nias (F 99), Sam’s father Martin (H 64), Hugo Peers (Hf 99), Sam (F 99), Freddie Glasswell (C 99), William Beckingsale (C 99), Nick Thorley (F 99), Emily Barlass (J 98) and Sam Featherstone (B 99)

Hatt (F 99) married Michelle Ulivi on 19th February 2022, at the Hurlingham Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina, with lots of OU friends in attendance. Photographed with their son Magnus.

Grace Burchell (J 10) and Patrick Ford were married on 17th July 2021 at Hampton-in-Arden Parish Church. OUs in attendance included Kate East (J 10) as Maid of Honour, Eloise Burchell (C 16), Tash Feaver, Imo Bovill, Rose Cutts (all J 10), Annie-May Johnson (L 10), Tom Kennedy (B 06), Benji Landman (Fgh 07) and Phil McCullough (F 64)

to Anthony Couse (SH 79) and his wife Jamie Wu on the birth of their daughter Eden Diana Couse on 15th November 2021.

A front-row seat to history

By Igor Novikov (LH 97), former advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky

29th of August 1997 was my first day at Uppingham.

As I write, exactly 25 years later, it’s day 187 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and there’s good news: our government has updated its official airraid notification app. Now, in addition to warning us about incoming Kalibr missiles and heavy artillery, the app includes distinct alerts for chemical attacks, street fights and nuclear bombs. It makes a different sound for each of them, but there’s no way to hear the sounds in advance, as you would in a fire drill. You won’t know what they’re like until they’re real.

Maybe that’s grim, but we Ukrainians have to laugh about it. We thrive in chaos. Tumult is our norm. We treat our country like a small village. Sure, there are 40 million of us, but there’s always somebody who knows somebody. Forget the rule of six handshakes. It’s one handshake here. That means we don’t do things the way they’re supposed to be done. We do them in whatever way makes us comfortable and gets the job done. We’re self-conscious about this – we think of ourselves as a third-world country – but we’re way ahead of the rest of the world in terms of our adaptability. The future of the planet is being born now, here, in a country fighting a devastating war of attrition.

“In November 2018, I hosted a comedian named Volodymyr Zelensky for a one-day educational program. That day upended my life...”

Igor Novikov is seated on the far left, in conference with President Zelensky and other dignitaries.

I’ve always been fascinated with change, so I say this as someone who’s been called a futurist, a label I readily reject. When people ask me if I think that the future is bright or bad, I tell them: it’s anything but boring. For proof, I only need to look at the last four years of my life. In November 2018, I hosted a comedian named Volodymyr Zelensky for a oneday educational program. That day upended my life; I wound up joining his administration managing his relationship with the US. I’ve sat in a sumptuous, stuffy room of the presidential office, tape recorder in hand, listening to Rudy Giuliani on speakerphone as he pressured my colleagues to investigate Hunter Biden.

At a cheap restaurant next to a KFC on the outskirts of Kyiv, I’ve chewed on the worst steak of my life as Erik Prince, of Blackwater

fame, tried to convince me to let him finance a ten-billion-dollar aviation consortium in Ukraine. I’ve been on the Tonight Show with my doppelgänger, Jimmy Fallon. And I’ve visited a hotel conference room near the UN headquarters in New York, where I subjected myself to Donald Trump’s famous tug-of-war handshake and, to his genuine surprise, emerged victorious.

At that point, I didn’t think my life could get any weirder. But it has: I’ve now lived in a major European capital under rocket fire. Earth-shaking explosions have put cracks in my ceilings and loosened every window in my house. I’ve seen pure happiness and pure tragedy in the same spot; a fancy new coffee shop opening mere blocks from the site of a cruise missile explosion. I’ve talked my way into getting

a Kalashnikov and watched a YouTube tutorial on how to use it. A Russian soldier, separated from his unit and pretending to be Ukrainian, has come wandering into my neighbourhood as if he lived here.

Our uncertainty is extraordinary. The world is changing faster than we can prepare for the new reality. People talk about the next five years as if the reality we know might not completely collapse before then. We appreciate the fact that although something seems improbable, even impossible, it might still happen.

And in some situations, you don’t get a second try. Imagine if January 6th, when Trump’s supporters stormed the United States Capitol in Washington DC, had gone the wrong way.

Everyone’s reality would be shattered. A few years ago, I gave

“...I subjected myself to Donald Trump’s famous tug-of-war handshake and, to his genuine surprise, emerged victorious.”

a presentation to some airline executives and asked them, “What if the planes don’t fly tomorrow?

Do you have a plan?” They laughed. Three months later, the pandemic grounded their fleet.

As I write this, Kyiv hasn’t been bombed in more than two months, but surely the missiles will come again. Today I’ve cut myself some slack and spent some time pointlessly wandering the streets. Alone. Just me and my Google playlist.

I don’t know why, but I’ve never seen my city as beautiful as it is now, and I’ve never experienced an energy like this anywhere. My best guess is that it’s what New York felt like after 9/11.

There’s mutual respect between people, total equality, no prejudice, no hypocrisy. The people who made the city worse seem to have fled, and those who remain are enjoying every sip of coffee, every breath of air.

And that’s the most beautiful atmosphere to be in – it’s nearly addictive, nearly utopian. I sat at a restaurant in central Kyiv and just let the world go by in all its gorgeous anarchy.

These public displays of resilience have convinced me that Ukraine will stand, that Kyiv will stand, and the energy of this city, even under countless air-raid alerts a day, is the energy that needs to be shared with the world.

Igor with President Volodymyr Zelensky

“As I write this at the end of August 2022, Kyiv hasn’t been bombed in more than two months, but surely the missiles will come again...”

Antarctic Adventure

In March this year, Poppy Cross (NH 16) undertook a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula with the ‘2041 ClimateForce: Antarctica’ expedition, organised by Robert Swan OBE, polar explorer and UN Goodwill Ambassador for environment and youth.

172 extraordinary people, from over 35 nations, and some of the world’s top educational institutions and environmental organisations, came together to learn more about climate change and sustainability leadership. Poppy was selected from over 1,000 applicants worldwide and was one of the youngest to join the team.

The aim of the expedition was to train and inspire the next generation of industry leaders to stop climate change in its tracks and protect the last great wilderness. We were keen to find out how she got on…

Did life at Uppingham prepare you in any way for your Antarctic expedition?

It did. Uppingham taught me how to get on with people and present myself. There were so many interesting discussions and ideas on the trip, it was important to be able to listen and to contribute.

When did you become interested in the environment?

My family have always been ecoconscious and I am committed to making a difference, even if it’s just through raising awareness of environmental issues. Climate change isn’t just about the weather, it’s about health, food scarcity, water purity, population and migration. It is an issue for everyone.

How did you get involved with the Antarctic expedition?

I underwent a three-stage selection process. First, we had to prepare two

personal statements, on ‘Leadership’ and ‘Personal Aptitudes’, followed by a formal interview. Once accepted, I had to secure funding of $16,000 which I raised through Crowdfunding and a donation from Uppingham’s Cadbury Travel Grant, which I am incredibly grateful for.

What was your most memorable experience from the trip?

Sitting in silence, surrounded by huge walls of ice, appreciating what a magical place the Antarctic is. I saw humpback whales, penguins, albatrosses, elephant seals and fur seals. It was a privilege to be surrounded by nature in such a wild habitat. Protected by The Antarctic Treaty, it is Earth’s only continent without a native human population. Visitors must leave no trace and are only permitted for peaceful endeavours and scientific research. It is unique.

Someone once asked me to describe Antarctica in three words and I struggled to find anything to accurately

capture the awe-inspiring landscape or convey what it was like to actually be there. ‘Otherworldly’, ‘beautiful’, ‘vast’ immediately came to mind, although you could add a whole plethora of other words to describe the continent, none of which could ever capture its essence and atmosphere entirely.

The environment you were in must have been very challenging – how did you cope with the extreme temperatures?

I wore lots of thermal layers! It was cold but temperatures weren’t as low as they should have been, which was worrying in itself. Whilst I was there, the base logged a temperature of -11, when it should have been around -50. It was raining when it should have been snowing – a stark reminder that climate change is happening at an alarming rate.

Poppy with Robert Swan

Did your experience change you?

Yes, absolutely, it was life-changing. It gave me an understanding of life from a totally different perspective. A realisation that Antarctica’s ice sheet covers an area of almost 14 million km and holds 70% of the world’s fresh water. If climate change is not addressed, the global impact of sea level rise will be catastrophic for millions of people, wildlife and habitats. It is so important that we motivate ourselves to protect this last great wilderness right now.

What do you plan to do next?

I have a place at Liverpool University to study medicine. I am interested in examining the impact of climate change on global health and particularly the prevalence of zoonotic diseases (those which jump from animals to humans). There will be an increased need for climate doctors in the future, I really hope I can make a difference in this field.

“Someone once asked me to describe Antarctica in three words... ‘Otherworldly’, ‘beautiful’, ‘vast’ immediately came to mind...”

In Memoriam

We are sorry to announce news of OUs who have passed away. Our condolences to their family and friends.

Edward ‘Anthony’ Foreman* (WB 39)

August 2021

Adrian Madge (LH 40) August 2022

John Dagger (WD 41) September 2022

John Aitken* (C 42) July 2021

Alec Duthie (L 42) October 2021

John Peake (WD 42) July 2021

Robert Broad (SH 43) July 2022

Alan Henn* (WB 44) March 2022

Jeffrey Johnson (L 44) November 2021

Cedric Philcox* (LH 44) Febuary 2021

Richard ‘Dick’ Pitt (F 44) Febuary 2022

Michael Seward (L 44) October 2021

Edward ‘Richard’ Dingley* (B 45) March 2022

Sir Lyonel Tollemache* (SH 45) October 2020

Terence Mockett (M 45) August 2021

William ‘Bill’ Moss (WD 46) September 2021

Joseph Musson (WD 46) March 2022

John Nicholson (LH 46) Febuary 2021

Timothy Jaques (WB 47) December 2021

Anthony Kerr (SH 47) November 2021

Charles Maxwell (Fgh 47) August 2020

David Sheldon* (Hf 47) June 2022

Timothy ‘Tim’ Tawney (WB 47) January 2022

James ‘Jimmy’ Thomas* (H 47) July 2022

Marcus ‘Jeremy’ Cotton (F 48) March 2021

Peter Lee (Fgh 48) October 2021

John Richardson (H 48) November 2021

Tony Terras (M 48) August 2021

Charles Thomas (Fgh 48) January 2022

Charles Cope* (M 49) June 2021

Neville Greenwood (H 49) October 2021

Michael Leather (B 49) July 2020

Sir David Samworth* (F 49) August 2022

Philip Smith (F 49) October 2022

Roland ‘John’ Whitaker* (L 49) October 2021

Robert Barclay (SH 50) April 2022

Mark Thomas (L 50) July 2022

Rodney Yates* (WB 50) July 2022

Simon Cator (M 51) March 2022

Jeremy Goddin (Hf 51) July 2022

David Hield (SH 51) November 2021

Christopher ‘Richard’ Terras (M 51) Febuary 2022

Christian Forgaard (Hf 53) October 2021

David Hamilton (H 54) July 2022

Robert Johnson (Fgh 54) October 2022

Edmund Marriage (LH 55) October 2021

Timothy Kendrew (H 56) Febuary 2022

David Renison (F 57) October 2022

Oliver Hart (WB 59) September 2022

David Kennedy* (Hf 59) September 2022

Michael Day (L 60) January 2022

James Crawford (C 63) March 2022

Christopher ‘Bruce’ Naylor* (L 65) December 2021

Charles Measures (LH 68) August 2022

David Ditcham* (M 71) April 2022

Nigel Perks* (WD 72) August 2022

Russell Smith (M 73) September 2022

Andrew Nowell* (WD 75) April 2022

William Emmitt (Hf 76) Febuary 2022

Ben Vaughan* (H 76) October 2021

Anthony White (F 77) November 2021

Tom Sanderson (H 78) April 2022

Simon Leather (B 80) June 2022

Caroline Law (née Wrinch, J & Fd 85) May 2022

Rod Hills* (L 88) June 2022

Daniel Parvin (LH 88) November 2021

Andrew Wilkinson (C 90) September 2022

Oliver ‘Ollie’ Mercer* (LH 03) Febuary 2022

Celia Furness* (C 17) June 2022

* We are pleased to include obituaries supplied by family members or friends of the deceased. If you would like to submit a piece for a future OU magazine, please see the OU website/get-in-touch for details or contact a member of the OU team who will be pleased to help, ou@uppingham.co.uk

Obituaries

Lt Gen Sir Brian Horrocks (SH 1909)

War hero Lt Gen Sir Brian Horrocks (SH 1909) was finally laid to rest on 16th May 2022 following the discovery of his unscattered ashes 37 years after his death in 1985. In a military service, held at St Paul’s Church in Mill Hill, the Last Post and Reveille were sounded by a bugler as the General was laid to rest among members of his former regiment, the Middlesex Regiment. It was a fitting send off and commemoration of a great man. Richard Boston (B 56) attended the occasion as a representative of the School.

During the service, congregants were reminded of the remarkable life of Lt Gen Sir Brian. He was wounded and captured fighting in France in 1914, spending four years as a prisoner. He then volunteered to go far east to Russia to participate in the Russian Civil War, before serving in the Anglo-Irish War.

During the Second World War, he served in the Battle of France and personally aided dozens of men onto boats during the evacuation from Dunkirk. In North Africa, he successfully faced off against Erwin Rommel, before again being wounded so severely that he required five surgeries and 14 months of recovery before returning to duty.

He missed D-Day but served in the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of Belgium, although his most well-known action was probably commanding XXX Corps in its ultimately doomed race to Arnhem during Operation Market Garden, a moment immortalised by Edward Fox in A Bridge Too Far

To his grandchildren, however, he was simply a devoted grandfather. Ilona Lazar, his granddaughter, told the service that while his men knew him as “the general who led from the front”, at home they knew him as “Poppy Gram”.

He now rests close to Colonel Maurice Browne, who would have been regimental colonel when Lt Gen Sir Brian first joined up in 1914 and at whose feet the regimental colours were buried.

Lt Gen Sir Brian’s death in 1985 was originally marked at the time by a service at Westminster Abbey attended by representatives of the late Queen and the Government, including Michael Heseltine, the Defence Secretary at the time.

Edward ‘Anthony’ Foreman (WB 39) By his son Nick

After a run at Berkhamsted School, my father contracted pneumonia and was fortunately saved by the perspicacious intervention from a local GP with a new, relatively untried, medication from Germany. This was the late 1930s and the medication was a sulfonamide, one of the first antibiotics.

My grandfather was furious and as soon as the illness was over, my father was promptly moved to Uppingham.

He arrived in time to witness the bombing of Coventry out of his dormitory window. I gather some expanse of water near the School acted as a turning point for the bombers. His description of the red glow subsequently found its way into several of his grandchildren’s essays.

His father was moved to the Middle East, not to return for almost four years, and with his mother unwell, he was in effect parentless with nowhere to go in the holidays. But my grandfather had been a good judge of men and Sam Kendall, the Housemaster of West Bank, stepped into the breach. The ‘in loco parentis’ relationship between Sam and my father was profound and of inestimable value. My father was deeply grateful to Sam and to Uppingham for the rest of his life.

I can’t relate tales of derring-do on the playing fields, but my father did join the Home Guard which allowed him to have

a bicycle and to peruse maps. Pike in Dad’s Army could have been modelled on him.

Sam arranged for my father to work on a farm next to RAF Poddington. The USAAF daylight raids returned low overhead. “One wheel up, one wheel down, engines on fire – it was terrible.”

As I child I asked: “So what else was it like working on a farm during the war, Daddy?” “We got a lot to eat”, he replied with a smile.

My father went to UCH and was reunited with his father in Gower Street in 1945. He qualified as a doctor in 1949 and eventually settled as a GP in Sudbury in Derbyshire. Known as the Doctor’s Doctor, he finally stopped working aged 72.

He is survived by my sister and me and five grandchildren.

John Aitken (C 42) By his son-in-law Simon O’Malley

John was born in 1928, in Helensburgh, on the banks of the Clyde, the youngest of four, and grew up in the constant presence of that great river and its shipyards. So began his love of the water, boats and sailing.

He spent his youth free to roam, riding ponies, making friends and always with the backdrop of the war. He would say his upbringing and education were defined by that conflict.

At Uppingham, he proved to be an exceptional athlete and rugby player. He won the Victor Ludorum and was a member of the 1st XV. In the early 1940s, John and his older brother, Robert ‘Seymour’ (C 39) ended up walking home to Glasgow as it wasn’t possible to get there any other way during the war. He had fond memories of his Uppingham days and was especially thrilled when his grandchildren Laragh (NH 08) and Robert O’Malley (Fgh 10) joined the School.

Obituaries

John started army life as a private, with three months in barracks in Edinburgh. He then went to Sandhurst on a twoyear commission, designed by Field Marshal Montgomery who was building an army of elite officers. From there, he was sent to Aldershot, where his strength in logistics was instrumental in the organisation of the Berlin Airlift, dropping food and fuel from planes to those starving after the war.

As Captain, he then moved to Suez and was tasked with sorting out Army supplies and food for 24,000 people. He would travel out of Suez, to the markets in Cairo, to select supplies which were then sent back. His physical and mental strength were tested at this time, particularly when he broke his back whilst playing rugger in Egypt. Put in a full body cast, dangled from a block and tackle, he forced himself up and back into shape, with enormous will and determination.

On his return to Britain, he became good friends with Brigadier George Bond, who he had previously known in Egypt, both of whom shared a love of boats. In 1956, John was invited by Bond to join him for a cruise on his yacht. Two girls were on board, one of whom was Elizabeth, and just days later, John proposed, and they were married six months afterwards in March 1957.

The couple spent their early married life in Libya, John working for British Oxygen, having gained a fellowship to the Institute of Petroleum. After that, John worked for BP designing transportation tanks for liquid oxygen and nitrogen for the railways. When their three girls were still very young, the family moved to Harrow on the Hill. It was at that time (in the early 70s) that John built the ski school, the first of its kind in the UK, which he jokingly called The Watford Alps!

John’s strengths in logistics, his physicality and his sheer determination and doggedness served him well in this

venture. The ski school was hard work; Watford Council wouldn’t let him pipe any water up the hill so he had to carry it up the slopes himself! But, as he said, “it got the girls through school!” He was also a good teacher and there are many who learned to ski under his tutelage.

John was a special man. He would tip his cap; his shoes always shone; he took care of himself; and he took care of others. He was charming, kind and compassionate. He inspired us all with his energy, enthusiasm, determination and generosity. He was an example to us all.

Alan Henn (WB 44) By his son John (WB 75)

My father was involved in the retail jewellery trade from his early years. He was the fifth generation to join the family business of T A Henn and Son Limited in Wolverhampton. During his working life he represented retail jewellers and their position within the UK trade on multiple levels. He was chairman of the National Association of Jewellers from 1967 to 1969, doing an extra year, and later became their president. He was one of the original Registered Valuers, a livery man of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and a member of their Antique Plate Committee. He was master of the Clockmakers’ Company, and president of the Horological Society.

He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1959, aged 29 years of age, Chairman of the Midshires Building Society, and original founder Chairman of Beacon Radio. He was a director of Severn Trent Water plc.

He died peacefully in March aged 89, after suffering kidney failure, following my mother Annabelle, who passed away last year. They leave behind my two sisters and me, and lots of happy memories.

Cedric Philcox (LH 44)

By his son Chris Cedric Redman

Philcox, 90, passed away peacefully on 12th February 2021 at Brookdale Assisted Living Facility in St Augustine, Florida. Born 16th October 1930 in Kent, England, he was the son of the late Cecil and Phyllis Philcox of Beckenham.

Cedric and his family moved to New York from England in June 1968. He pursued a successful career in mathematical engineering and travelled the world in his early working years selling steam turbines for power generation stations from America and Europe to the Middle East and Russia. Working with English Electric in the early days, he was invited to race the English Channel annually and realised his love for sailing. He owned many different boats throughout his life and after retiring from Asea/Brown Boveri in 1991, he sold the house and purchased a 50’ ketch. For six years he made the boat his home and, along with his late wife Patricia, they cruised the Bahamas and east coast with family and friends joining them to make up the crew.

Cedric devoted his life to his family and worked tirelessly to provide wonderful homes in many different states. He put all his children through college and always provided fun, memorable and adventurous holidays.

As a specialised engineer, he was highly respected by both his co-workers and clients. As a proud captain on board ship, he was an energetic and tireless helmsman. With his sharp wit and love of adventure, he brought entertainment and joy to many and all.

Cedric lost his wife of 62 years, Patricia, to cancer in 2017. He is survived by his two sons, daughter and five grandchildren.

Dr Edward ‘Richard’ Dingley OBE, K St J, KMN, ASDK (B 45)

By his son John (C 79)

Richard Dingley, fondly known as Dr Dingley, is best known for his work as the Consultant Ophthalmologist in North Borneo and Sabah from 1961 to 1986 where, amongst many operations to save sight on humans, he carried out the first cataract surgery on an orangutan at the Sepilok Reserve in Sabah.

He was educated at The Downs School Colwall, Uppingham and King’s College London, where he studied Medicine. At Uppingham he captained both the Orchestra and the Combined Cadet Corps. Following his graduation as a doctor, he joined the RAF in 1957 on a Short Service Commission and served in Germany briefly before two and a half years with the RAF Parachute Rescue Team based in Changi, Singapore. It was here that he heard about the post of Ophthalmologist for British North Borneo and married his wife Sylvia, who predeceased him in 2016. A year in Jerusalem’s St John Eye Hospital followed in 1960 prior to being posted as a Colonial Officer to Jesselton, North Borneo.

Flight Lieutenant Dingley also saw active service in Malaya, making multiple parachute jumps into both jungle and sea, as well as carrying out multiple air evacuations and supply drops. He completed his SAS jungle survival course, a prerequisite for entry into the Para Rescue Team, and always proudly wore his Para wings on his St John Ambulance uniform.

On arrival in what was then British North Borneo, he was summoned to Governor Goode’s office at The Istana and informed that he was, together with his duties in the medical department, to ‘get a grip’ of the St John Ambulance Brigade, on the strength of his association with St John in Jerusalem. So began the first of many commitments to civil society.

Never able to turn down a request, Dr Dingley acted as Director of Medical Services twice and as Senior Consultant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu. He was created OBE for his services to Sabah, and a Knight of St John for his services in creating a vibrant and active St John Ambulance Service. Dr Dingley was created ASDK (Order of Kinabalu) by the Sabah State Government and KMN (Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm) by the Malaysian Federal Government. In fact, Dr Dingley was involved in so many voluntary organisations that during HM The Queen’s State Visit in 1972, on his fourth meeting with the monarch, HRH Princess Anne asked him, “So what hat are you wearing now?”

Dr Dingley touched thousands of lives with his work as an Ophthalmic Surgeon – holding the record in Tromso Hospital, Norway, for the number of cataract operations completed in a day during an eight-month sabbatical from Borneo. This was well below his average in Sabah where he would have multiple anaesthetists lining the patients up. Renowned for his ambidextrous sewing skills, which he practised doing embroidery, resulting in multiple kneelers in churches he served, he was often called upon to operate on faces of people as he rarely left any scarring. Dr Dingley was regularly found in his mobile eye clinic Land Rover administering to the many tribal peoples in the remotest parts of North Borneo, making referrals and carrying out minor surgeries in these remote clinics supported by his team of medical assistants. Often he would be accompanied by his family, providing one of the most wonderful upbringings they could have wished for.

He was a fluent Malay speaker and with a smattering of indigenous languages, as well as Chinese, he was always a great communicator with a fantastic bedside manner. He regularly took his family on adventures to find undiscovered places, pursuing his passion for ornithology while helping with the production of ‘The Birds of Borneo’ and hosting David Attenborough during his first ‘Life on Earth’ series filming in Sabah.

On his retirement from government service, he chose to return to Somerset, much to the surprise of his children. He continued an active role in the church as a Lay Preacher at St Peter’s Draycott, served as the Secretary of the PCC for many years, the Parish Council and on the board of The CofE School in Draycott, while continuing to practise medicine and surgery with Optimax. He conducted laser eye surgeries until his 80th birthday, when he finally handed in his licence to practise medicine, the last of his year group from King’s College to do so.

Dr Edward ‘Richard’ Dingley died peacefully at his home in Somerset on 31st March 2022, nine months after celebrating his 90th birthday with a parachute drop into Draycott in his honour to deliver his birthday card from the Royal Air Force by the Wings Display Team. He is predeceased by his eldest daughter, Lois (2016) but leaves behind his second daughter Hannah and his son John, both of whom followed in their father’s footsteps by adopting international lives and travelling far and wide.

Sir Lyonel Tollemache Bt. (SH 45) By his brother Robert (SH 50)

Sir Lyonel Tollemache was born on 10th July 1931, he died on 7th October 2020, aged 89. After attending Amesbury Prep School in Surrey, Lyonel went to Uppingham in 1945, where he concluded his school career as House Captain of School House. For National Service he chose to be the 12th generation of Tollemaches to join the Coldstream Guards. He went to Sandhurst in 1951 and was commissioned in 1952.

In 1959 he took up the post of Adjutant at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot. Having met on a skiing holiday, Lyonel married Mary Whitbread in 1960 after which he was posted to HQ British Forces in Cameroon, where Mary

Obituaries

soon joined him with a six-month-old baby, Katheryne. Lyonel retired from the Army in 1962 to take up running the Buckminster Estate in Leicestershire. At Cirencester Agricultural College he won a gold medal for excellence.

He and Mary, together with their children at the time Katheryne and Thomas, then moved to Buckminster Park in 1965. Two further children followed, Richard and Henrietta. Tragically Thomas was killed in 1996 in an accident while walking in the hills in Ireland.

Lyonel soon became an active member of Leicestershire County Council and Melton Mowbray Borough Council, including being Mayor of Melton in 1981. He was a JP for 23 years, High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1978 and a Deputy Lieutenant. He was also President of many local organisations, including Rainbows Hospice for children as well as the local branch of the CLA, The Rutland and Melton Conservative Association and the Leicestershire Wildfowlers Association. He was also President of Buckminster Cricket Club, Buckminster Gliding Club and Buckminster Playing Fields Association, and a Trustee of the Star and Garter in Richmond. He became a baronet on the death of his father, Sir Humphry Tollemache in 1990.

Lyonel was a larger-than-life figure, a true gentleman, always modest about his many achievements, and someone who always had time for people of all ages and from all walks of life. Lyonel was truly delighted that the estate which he had done so much for, to make a happy family home for everyone, is and will be in the very best of hands for generations to come.

England from 1978 onwards. He always reminisced about the rude shock that it was for an American to be in Uppingham during the exceptionally hard winter of 1947 to 1948, with pupils provided with warm water for washing, or some heating, but not both!

David was a resident of Bainbridge Island since 2008, he died in his sleep on 2nd June 2022.

Born in 1929, David made full use of his 93 years with personal engagements that endeared him to many and professional accomplishments that earned him respect and admiration from his peers. He was born in New York City and raised in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas, and for most of his youth in Shaker Heights, Ohio. If there was a theme to these early years, it was of a boy on the move – mostly on his bicycle zipping up and down the Midwest’s rolling hills. His thirst for new experiences led him to complete his high school education at Uppingham.

After college at Amherst and business school at Harvard, he worked on Madison Avenue for three years before moving with the love of his life, Judy Sheldon, to Concord, Massachusetts where he accepted a position as a history teacher at Middlesex School. Following an additional stint as Director of Admissions, David became Middlesex’s third Headmaster, a position he held for 26 years.

and boys during his time at Middlesex, but also to family and friends who appreciated his listening skills and wise counsel. His passion for books, poetry, small boats, dogs, fishing, and bicycles continued to the very end of his life. On sunny afternoons he could almost always be found cycling Bainbridge’s south end byways and moving way too fast for a guy in his 90s. He is survived by his three sons.

David was an American ESU scholar, and a generous friend and host of the drama tours which visited Middlesex School, Concord, Massachusetts (where he was headmaster) and other schools in New

Upon retirement, he and Judy moved to Vermont where he directed the Shelburne Museum, a preeminent collection of American folk art, for six years. Over the course of his career, David served on many boards including Carroll School, Charles River School, InterAlp, Athens College (Greece), the Headmasters’ Association, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Vermont Public Radio, and Shelburne Farms. Upon Judy’s passing, he moved to Bainbridge to be closer to his grandchildren.

David will be remembered for his humour, generosity, and keen intellect. He was a mentor to hundreds of girls

James ‘Jimmy’ Thomas (H 47) By his son Simon (WD

78)

Born in Loughborough in 1934, Jimmy was part of a family that, for seven generations, has been immersed in the UK leisure and gaming industries.

In 1956 he opened his first casino in the Hurst Hotel, Quorn, Leicestershire, followed by others in Nottingham and Derby. In 1965 he launched the La Ronde Casino & Cabaret Club in Loughborough.

In the early 60s, Jimmy founded Thomas Automatics Co Ltd, which established itself as one of the world’s largest manufacturers, designers, suppliers and exporters (to 37 countries) of amusement and leisure equipment. Throughout his career, he founded various companies, which grew to be the leading amusement centres in the country, as well as the market leaders in the operation, innovation and luxury design of bingo and social clubs. Under the banner of Thomas Estates Limited, with Jimmy as Chief Executive, and later with his son Simon (WD 78) as Managing Director, the group continued to operate until 2006, when it was sold to Mayfair Acquisitions Co Limited.

This sale led to the father and son team tackling the most ambitious project the UK casino sector has ever seen. Opened in July 2012, the multi-award-winning Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square, London, is recognised as a new breed of UK

David Sheldon (Hf 47)

Provided by former member of staff Nigel Richardson

casino and entertainment venue that has revolutionised the industry.

In 2013, Jimmy was honoured by the Casino Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and was the first living person to be honoured on the BACTA Wall of Fame. In 2019 he was presented with another Lifetime Achievement award at the British Casino Awards.

My father achieved enough for several lifetimes and was respected the world over for his business leadership and pioneering vision. I had the privilege of his advice and guidance not only as a business partner but as a son. He was one of a kind, and will be greatly missed by his family, many friends and staff members.

Jimmy died in his sleep on 30th July after a short illness, with members of his family present. He was 88. He leaves behind two sons, two daughters, seven grandchildren and three stepgrandchildren.

Charles Cope (M 49)

By Charles Upham, owner of Langaller Stud Farm

Charles grew up with a love for all things sport-related. He played cricket and hockey for Meadhurst whilst at Uppingham. Racing was always his first passion and he would often slip out of school at lunchtime to go to the phone box and put what he called a ‘starting investment’ on a horse running later in the day.

On leaving school, Charles started with Frank Cundall as assistant trainer, and from there went to Phil Bull in Halifax. It was whilst working there that Charles and Phil formulated the Timeform system for National Hunt horses, something that Charles was rightfully proud of. From there, Charles moved on to buying the stationery company, Margaret Johnson, which remained his main business right up to his death. The business has been majorly expanded and is now run by Charles’ son Stuart.

Upon retirement Charles took on the role of delivery boy and he loved his daily rounds and regular visits to so many customers who have, over the years, become friends.

Charles married Janet in 1965 and moved to Stones Farm. Their love of horses was the cornerstone of their 56year marriage and covered practically every aspect of equestrianism. As a couple Charles and Janet had a profound ‘sixth sense’ and bought and sweetened many horses and guided them into another career. Breeding was integral to their equine passion and they owned thoroughbred stallions such as My Lamb, Mourne Mountain, Train Bleu and the well-known successful stallion, Kuwait Beach.

Their greatest accolade was breeding the Olympic medallist Sleep Late by Kuwait Beach – a member of the Gold medal winning team for Germany and a Bronze medal winner as an individual ridden by Ingrid Klimke.

Charles was a very private man who accomplished more than he would ever admit. As well as the stationery business, he also owned the Witney Blanket company, world famous for their horse rugs, and the Witney Travel company, to name but two.

He was a modest man, immensely proud of his wife and family; fiercely protective of things close to his heart, exceptionally loyal, often outspoken, hilariously funny, often at his own expense, particularly accident-prone and yet always dusted himself off and walked away leaving mayhem in his wake, yet he was loved and respected by all whose lives he touched.

Sir David Samworth CBE DL (F 49) By his son Mark (F 84)

A lifelong supporter of the School, David was proud to be an OU as well as a brother, father, uncle, great-uncle and grandfather to Uppinghamians. He

came to Fircroft from Hallfield School and joined his late brothers Frank (F 46, d. 2005) and John (F 46, d. 2015) under the inspiring supervision of Corry and Mary Cavell.

During a distinguished career at the School, he was awarded colours in cricket and hockey and captained the Special Choir. David held in particular regard Douglas Guest, the Director of Music at the time, and music remained a passion and comfort throughout his life. He was able to continue his association with the School by serving two terms as a Trustee (1976-1988 and 1995-1999), including as Vice-Chairman and Chairman, and with the rest of the family embraced Uppingham’s charitable appeals. His nephew, Russell Price (WB 79), is a current Trustee.

David, Frank and John all went through National Service – David acting as ADC to the Governor General of Sudan whilst serving with the Royal Leicestershire Regiment – and were then reunited as they transformed and grew the family’s food business, Pork Farms. They took it public in 1971 before finally selling out to Northern Foods in 1978. Frank retired, David stayed with Pork Farms for a time and John bought a small Cornish business called Ginsters before being joined by David in 1985. The business was renamed Samworth Brothers and grew from an initial turnover of £1m to £200m when John retired in 1999 and to £450m when David retired as Chairman six years later. The business they created now has sales of £1.5bn and remains in family ownership.

Education remained a key focus of David’s life and he enthusiastically supported the City Academies programme championed by Andrew (now Lord) Adonis in 2001. He sponsored schools in Leicester, Mansfield and Nottingham and maintained a keen interest in the progress of their pupils until his death. These and his other charitable activities were recognised when he was knighted in 2009. Appointed CBE in 1985, he was a Deputy Lieutenant and former High Sheriff of Leicestershire, a member of

Obituaries

the Trent Regional Health Authority Board and president of the honorary canons of Leicester Cathedral.

David is survived by Rosemary, whom he married in 1969, their four children and seven grandchildren. He was always pleased to attend OU occasions and was most recently at the School for this year’s Speech Day. He was due to attend lunch at Samworths’ but was redirected to Brooklands by his two grandchildren, Thomas (B 19) and Ben (B 21), who were proud to show him off to their peers. He was delighted to know that another grandchild, Hugh, will be joining Fircroft next September.

Sir David Samworth CBE DL June 25, 1935 – August 16, 2022.

Patrick Mulvihill, International Development Director, added:

“On behalf of the OU team I wanted to add a personal note to say how saddened we were when we received news of Sir David’s passing. In my 20 years at Uppingham I have always marvelled at David’s talent for making everyone feel special – no matter who you were or what your role was, he would always thank you for your service to the School and take an interest in who you were.

David’s generosity was remarkable, both with financial support for Uppingham but also with his time and good counsel. A charming gentleman, passionate about education in addition to his many business interests, he became one of the most influential figures in Uppingham’s history. Sir David will be greatly missed.”

He was a modest man with a dry sense of humour, a loving and generous father and grandfather.

He had many passions in life, especially as an accomplished pianist and lover of classical music, public speaker and contributor to charity. He also loved vintage cars and was an active member of the Bentley Drivers Club for more than 60 years.

After a short illness, John passed away at home on 20th October 2021, aged 85. He is survived by his wife Anne, three children and five grandchildren.

Rodney Yates (WB 1950)

By his sons Duncan (WB 80) and Benjamin (WB 99)

Rodney Yates was born on 7th June 1937, and died peacefully at home with his family on 1st July 2022 in his 86th year. He leaves behind his wife Hazel, four children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Roland ‘John’ Whitaker (L 49) By his son James (L

76)

John was born at Skipton General Hospital in January, 1936, a few years before the outbreak of the Second World War. He was the eldest son of Reg and Claire Whitaker, and brother to Fred, Peter and Susan. At Uppingham he was a gifted sportsman, he played rugby as a boy for England and later became captain of Skipton Rugby Club and played for Yorkshire. He was also a keen cricketer, playing for various local clubs, eventually becoming president of Skipton Cricket Club in the 1980s.

After completing his national service in 1956, he returned home to Skipton to help his mother run the family confectionery and baking business.

John was fundamental in developing and expanding the chocolate production side of the business, forming Whitakers Chocolatiers (Skipton) Ltd in 1961, and quickly becoming a highly respected and successful businessman.

The development of the chocolate company went from strength to strength, initially through the opening of local retail outlets. It soon made its mark within the hotel and restaurant industry throughout the country and overseas, with sales of the after-dinner mint.

Throughout the next 50 years, the chocolate factory was developed within the grounds of the family home in Skipton. Today, it regularly produces 10 million chocolates per week and is a key local employer.

John was the company’s managing director for 30 years and its chairman for 35 years.

Rodney grew up in Barnt Green, the son of HB Yates (WB 1917), and after continuing the long Yates’ association with West Bank, did his articles with Impey Cudworth in Birmingham and qualified as a Chartered Accountant. In 1968 he moved to London and joined the stockbrokers Grieveson Grant as Assistant Finance Director, and then in 1975 joined stockjobbers Akroyd & Smithers as Finance Director. In these roles he did extensive work between London and New York, and had a major hand in laying the groundwork and subsequent regulations for the ‘Big Bang’.

Further to his financial career, Rodney also became deeply involved with the Woodard Corporation of independent schools, becoming Chairman of the Governors of Peterborough High School and eventually a Fellow of the Corporation.

Following his move to Cambridgeshire in the 1980s, he also served on the North-West Anglia Health Authority. This led to his appointment to the

General Medical Council in the early 1990s, where he became the first lay member to be invited to chair a panel; one of his early cases was to strike off Dr Harold Shipman. The most exacting (and traumatic) case in which he was involved was the Bristol heart scandal. This lasted for 74 days and led to many far-reaching changes in terms of how surgeons are regulated and the treatment of whistleblowers within the NHS.

He served as a longstanding churchwarden at St Mary the Virgin, Marholm, where he lived until 2010 and where he was buried, and latterly at St Michael and All Angels, Uffington (near Stamford). At both churches he turned his considerable energies to fundraising and improving the church fabric to great effect.

Rodney’s long association with the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers began in 1972, when he was introduced by his cousin John Yates (WB 42). Serving as Master in 2005/6 was one of the high points of his life, and he threw himself into this role with his usual enthusiasm. When terrorists struck on 7th July 2005, the night of his first Summer Supper, he was particularly proud that the Tallow Chandlers was the only Livery Company to continue with their events that evening. He greatly enjoyed keeping in touch with his cohort of Masters through the ‘Figaro’ Past Masters Association, which includes a healthy crop of OUs.

Rodney will be deeply missed by his family and many friends.

Dr David Kennedy LDS BDS RCS (Eng) (Hf 59)

By his twin brother Neil (Hf 59)

David was born on 6th March 1946, five minutes after me, although we were certainly not identical twins.

We grew up in Southend-on-Sea, where our father ran the family business, the Medway Knitting Company, founded

by our Scottish grandfather, after being invalided in World War I.

We both went to Alleyn Court School, where our cricket coach was England cricketer, Trevor Bailey, before we were sent, aged nine, to board at Nevill Holt in Leicestershire, previously the home of Lady Emerald Cunard, and then at 13 on to Uppingham.

David favoured science and sport. After taking our A levels, I left school to work in advertising. Only 6% of all A level students went on to university in those days, compared to nearly 50% today. David had decided to become a dentist but had not even studied Biology ‘O’ level, so he stayed on at Uppingham, as House Captain, a School Polly, and member of the School Fives team, to do Biology A level from scratch, which, amazingly, he passed, largely thanks to the guidance of his teacher ‘Buggy’ Messenger.

He then became a medical student at Guy’s Hospital, winning the coveted American Dental Scholarship (his thesis was on fluoridation in the water supply) as a post-graduate student at Indiana University, before returning to teach at Guy’s, becoming their youngest ever Registrar. He was convinced that the NHS model of only paying dentists to fill and extract teeth was deeply flawed, in comparison with the more proactive US focus on preventive dentistry.

He wrote a book on Paediatric Orthodontics, which was translated into several languages, and adopted globally as the seminal teaching manual on what was to become his globally acclaimed speciality.

He returned to North America, settling in Vancouver, where he soon formed his own practice, only treating children under 10, where four patients were treated simultaneously, whilst laying back and watching cartoons on ceilingmounted TVs; with the reception set up as as a children’s play area, and the entrance door to his surgery only four feet high, to keep the doting ‘tiger mums’ out. He built up one of the largest dental practices in North

America, with multiple locations, many in shopping malls, and was elected President of the Canadian Royal College of Dental Surgeons.

He sailed 505s in two World Championships, played golf, and ran marathons, and enjoyed returning to his family roots in Scotland, to attend the Hawick Common Riding, which our family has sponsored for 100 years.

On retirement, he sold his practice to his associates, and became a Professor at UBC, where he taught Dentistry, winning several teaching awards, right up to his hospitalisation after contracting pancreatic cancer. After major surgery, he valiantly endured four years of chemotherapy treatment. I visited him in hospital in Vancouver just four weeks before he died on 9th September, aged 76. Despite being very weak, he remained upbeat, positive and smiling.

His uncomplaining positivity and determination, during his painful and debilitating illness, set the bar inspirationally high for sheer courage and fortitude. “It is only in battles that medals are won.”

Christopher ‘Bruce’ Naylor (L 65)

By his brother Jonathan (L 67)

Bruce died on Christmas Day 2021 after a short illness. He enjoyed successful academic achievements at Uppingham, played as a forward in the 1st XV for two seasons and was a member of the School shooting team, winning many trophies at Bisley.

Bruce worked as a chartered accountant until joining his brother Jonathan (L 67) in the family wholesaling company. He retired in 2008 and lived in Oulton near Leeds. He leaves behind Caron, his wife of 32 years, his brother Jonathan and his wife Elizabeth, as well as many nieces, nephews and step-children.

Obituaries

David Ditcham (M 71)

By his brother Robert (M 74)

My brother sadly passed away after a long battle with cancer on 28th April 2022. He was a loving husband to Su Lin and proud father to James and Alexander. The family had recently finally returned to the UK after many years in Singapore.

David enjoyed a career first in insurance, moving to the Far East in 1985, and, in the last two decades, had established a furniture business in Singapore using many of his woodworking skills learnt at Uppingham. When we frequently met up, we fondly talked about that far away school in Rutland and the good friends David had when he was there all those years ago. He fondly recalled Jerry Rudman in particular, as did Jerry with regards to David when we chatted at the London dinners. We will all miss him very much indeed.

Nigel Perks (WD 72)

By Anthony Trace KC (WB 72)

I first met Nigel in 1972 when we both went up to Uppingham to take the scholarship exams (a residential exercise in those days). It was a daunting experience, but I remember well his happy disposition which calmed us all. Nigel was extremely clever, as appeared immediately obvious, and it was no surprise that he was awarded a scholarship.

His school career was exemplary, and he ended up being House Captain of West Deyne and a School Polly. He achieved excellent A Levels, and one of the highlights of his non-academic school career was when he acted as a most memorable Osborne in Journey’s End, directed by me. We were a very happy cast and crew, much of that down to Nigel.

As a medic, he was very highly regarded, as I know from the testimony of many people. His career was stellar and he was a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in London Hospitals until his retirement in 2018.

He lived in Greenwich for over 30 years and loved socialising. He particularly enjoyed being a member of The Campaign for Real Gin (The CRG), which recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary. I was one of the Founders of the CRG and Nigel became a member in the very early days. Nigel was particularly involved in the fundraising side of The CRG, and was very proud of the fact that, to mark its 25th Anniversary, the CRG raised enough money to buy a lifeboat for the RNLI.

Nigel has died far too early, and will be sorely missed by his many friends, particularly his many OU friends, both in The CRG and at large, by his many work colleagues, and by his family, with whom he was very close.

Andrew Nowell (WD 75)

By his brother Peter (WD 72)

Andrew was wickedly funny; an exceptional estate agent and always a diplomat with a laugh louder than a foghorn. He was a nurturer of talent; great all round sportsman; a gentleman and devoted family man. He was loved in his village, by locals and clients alike, and recognised for his great consideration of others. Andrew was a man with a huge appetite for life. These are just some of the recurring themes amongst over 200 cards of condolence, and comments from 450 people who attended his funeral.

In September 2021, Andrew clocked his fastest ever time around a water ski slalom course. A few weeks later, in October, he was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which quickly spread to other parts of the body. Vigorous chemotherapy followed, yet Andrew wasn’t giving in. In early December, he had a cardiac arrest whilst playing tennis

(he was one hell of a player). Fellow players rushed to his aid, and assisted by air ambulance, Andrew recovered weeks later with all his faculties intact.

But the cancer was taking a hold, the chemotherapy possibly contributing to the cardiac arrest. Active, tenacious and positive until the end, he died on Easter Monday. The only clue (to him) that he might be ill was a significant weight loss. He’d implore all of us to get a checkup immediately, if we experience any symptoms.

He leaves his wife Amanda and children, Anna and Freddie. And a huge legacy of love.

RIP brother.

Ben Vaughan (H 76)

By this brother Tim (WB 77)

As a family, we moved to Uppingham when our father, Derek, was appointed as School Bursar. Ben started at The Hall soon afterwards, under the watchful eye of John Green. He was soon in the 1st XV but after a bout of glandular fever settled in the 2nd XV. Best mates included Ted, Tig, Basher and Charlie forming a “band of brothers” similar to The Bash Street Kids! They were more formally known as Jonathan Heath (Fgh 73), James Thorpe (Fgh 73), Alistair Atkinson (LH 74) and Charlie Makin (M 73)

After working with the school builder, Fred Evans, to earn some cash and a short trip to a kibbutz in Israel, Ben started work in London with Morgan Grenfell investment bank, staying for five years; moved to Citigate Dewe Rogerson for a further five years and then found his futuristic niche in life. Ben was an avid reader and his main genre was science fiction, so no-one was surprised when his chosen business area was the futuristic technology of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). What is considered ‘old hat’ in the gaming world today was barely known or believed possible 25 years ago.

He was a forward thinker, a futurist and a business-winning technologist. Ben worked closely with academia, bringing early innovation into industry. He had his own company called VisionMax for over 20 years and, amongst other things, was CEO at AR Toolworks for five years. AR Toolworks was the world’s first commercial Artificial Reality company. He is acknowledged on LinkedIn by numerous colleagues, one of whom says: “Ben was a pioneer and his contribution to technology earns him reverence.”

Ben married Joanna Tebbutt on 26th November 1988 and they enjoyed 32 years together. They had four children: Joshua, Jago, Francesca and Quintus. Cancer attacked Ben for the last three years of his life; he fought bravely and rode the waves of hope and despair with Jo, his children and family firmly by his side. Ben died on 16th October 2021, aged 61.

Rod Hills (L 88)

By Greg Hall (L 88)

With great sadness we announce the sudden passing of Roderick ‘Rod’ Hills at the age of 47, while walking with friends in Scotland.

Uppingham played a huge part in Rod’s life. As Captain of School and the 1st XV he was greatly loved and respected. Fondly remembered for his willingness to give everything – and then a little bit more – on the sports pitch and then the dancefloor, he inspired all those around him to be their very best.

Uppingham was also where he met his wife Rachel (née Debenham, J 91) who survives him along with their two children, Sam and Emily.

Following school, Rod studied at the University of Newcastle and, after a period travelling through Central and South America, moved to London with Rachel where he trained as an accountant. He subsequently established a career in market intelligence, most recently as Business Director at IDC.

With their young family, Rod and Rachel moved to west Wales where they bought and ran a holiday cottage business, before finally settling near Christchurch on the south coast.

Rod had an immense passion for life, which continued undimmed following Uppingham. He had a brilliant way with people, always making time to provide encouragement and advice, helping everyone around him to achieve more.

This gift for bringing people together, coupled with his determination and boundless energy, resulted in many lifelong friends – from Uppingham and beyond – by whom he will be dearly missed.

At the time of his tragic loss on 24th June he was trekking across the remote Knoydart Peninsula with OUs James Staveley (C 88), Toby Norris (M 88), Nick Robinson (Hf 91) and me.

A Service of Thanksgiving was held at St. Mark’s Church, Highcliffe on 21st July, attended by many OUs, including Adam Green (L 87) who led the Uppingham School song, Libera Me, Domine.

An online book of condolence is available to sign via the QR code

late grandmother in this respect). King’s School Ely awarded Oliver a choral scholarship, and he began as a chorister at Ely Cathedral.

Oliver fully embraced boarding school (even when he earned himself the nickname of ‘tubby elf’ for his choice of pyjamas). There were many highlights during this time, including a profitmaking tour of the US, Europe and two separate performances at the Royal Albert Hall alongside José Carreras, which were proudly attended by his extended family. Oliver also had the privilege to perform in the televised memorial service for the schoolgirls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

In 2003, Oliver started his journey with Uppingham, and arrived outside Lorne House at the same time as James Lake (LH 03) who would ultimately become one of his lifelong friends. We heard many stories from Oliver (and his friends) about his time at Uppingham, and many will recall his hilarious anecdotes and sharp-witted comments on ‘just a minute’, and lively debates. He particularly enjoyed entertaining his classmates with (questionable) David Blaine impressions.

Oliver ‘Ollie’ Mercer (LH 03)

Lovingly prepared by Oliver’s mother, Andrea Bradshaw, and sister, Lauren Cathro.

From the age of 3 until 11, Oliver attended Hillcroft Preparatory School where he excelled, particularly in music. With the support of his teachers, Oliver went on to win awards at the Suffolk Festival and joined St Edmundsbury Cathedral Choir as a probationer. Even from a young age, it was clear Oliver had a larger-than-life personality and infectious sense of humour.

Oliver was an extremely talented musician (and took after his beloved

After Uppingham, Oliver went on to read Politics and Economics at the University of Exeter, where he was later joined by his sister, Lauren. From there, Oliver started a successful career in talent acquisition at Jaguar Land Rover and, more recently, Lilium.

He was happiest when walking the dogs, and found his paradise whilst living in Italy – good wine and good food!

Devastatingly, on 1st February, at the age of just 31, Oliver lost his battle with mental ill-health and took his own life, which, alarmingly, is the main cause of death for young men. It was extremely heart-warming for Oliver’s family that so many OUs supported them through an exceptionally difficult time.

In a fitting tribute to his friend, James Lake will be arranging an OU golf day in memory of Oliver – a hobby he took with him through life and which was nurtured by his housemaster Keven Johnstone.

Obituaries

A party arranged by his family in celebration of his life will also follow.

Andrea can be contacted on 07936 741 966 should you wish to express your condolences. Please contact Lauren on 07972 315 219 if you would like an invite to the party!

Celia Furness (C 17) Obituary taken from a eulogy by Daisy Vivian (NH 14)

Celia tragically passed away in June and the news was absolutely heart-breaking.

She was always helping others rather than herself, the most giving person I have known. She had an unquenching and infectious enthusiasm for topics noone could ever quite understand, but she would amaze us all with her breadth of knowledge. She had an incredible way with words; she articulated her thoughts convincingly and could have made anyone believe anything.

It was a joy to see her whole face light up as she talked passionately about something new she had just discovered.

Legacy gifts are an important part of our Bursaries Programme, providing the opportunity for talented children from less affluent backgrounds to access a world-class Uppingham education.

Celia will never, ever, be forgotten, neither will her laugh, her gorgeous energy, her beautiful blue eyes, or her incredible determination. She will always be an amazing best friend, a little sister and a daughter. There are so many people that will be forever grateful for their wonderful memories of Celia, blessed that she touched their lives in such an incredible way.

She was fascinated by Ram Dass, an American psychologist and great spiritual teacher, so it seems appropriate to finish with one of his quotes:

“The ego is frightened by death, because ego is part of the incarnation and ends with it. That is why we learn to identify with our soul, as the soul continues after death. For the soul, death is just another moment. Death is not an error. It is not a failure. It is taking off a tight shoe.”

No-one could have anticipated Celia’s passing, but I take comfort in knowing that she will be in a happier place – as a truly free soul.

Tony Land

By Richard Boston (B 56)

In the last year, Uppingham is grateful to have received bequests from recently departed OUs Percy Kennedy (H 28), Edward Taylor (WB 42), Michael Seward (L 44), and Terence Mockett (M 45)

If you would like to learn more about how such legacies may be used, or would like to remember the School in your will, please visit the Legacy Giving page on the new Foundation website at www.uppinghamfoundation.co.uk, or contact our Legacy Manager, Sam Dewhurst on SGD@uppingham.co.uk for a confidential conversation.

Tony Land was a schoolmaster of the old school. He was an inspirational classroom teacher, but equally committed to developing self-reliance and confidence in young people outside the classroom. He introduced the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme to Uppingham and ran it for many years with his customary efficiency and eye for detail. He also served as a Lieutenant in the RN Section of the CCF.

Tony joined the Geography Department in 1966 with his wife Pat, who also taught the subject, but he went to join the Brathay Exploration Group, later the Brathay Trust, in the Lake District as its secretary and field tutor in 1968. Whilst there, he was closely involved in the writing of “The Expedition Handbook”, still the main reference book for expedition planners. He was involved in expeditions run by Brathay and later became Chairman of the Trust.

He returned to Uppingham in 1971, at the Headmaster’s request, as Head of Geography and he ran the department for many years, as well as succeeding Bryan Matthews (SH 30) as Head of Geology. The efficient organisation

Staff Remembered

and running of these departments, like the field trips and expeditions, ensured that they flourished under his leadership. He soon acquired the affectionate nickname ‘Granite’.

Always ready to take on a challenge, Tony became the Housemaster of the first Sixth Form girls’ House in Uppingham with the opening of Fairfield in 1975 and he and Pat ran it together very successfully until 1992. During this period, Tony also served as Senior Housemaster.

After leaving Fairfield in 1992, he became a very respected and experienced House tutor in Brooklands, as well as tutoring Oxbridge candidates until his retirement in 1998. He was also the long-serving Treasurer of the Friends of Uppingham, which included advising gap year volunteers who were applying for grants to take part in charity work overseas. His expedition experience proved invaluable in the advice he was able to pass on.

Outside Uppingham, Tony was an expedition assessor for the Yorkshire Moors Duke of Edinburgh Panel. He was one of the founding members of the Young Explorers Trust (YET) and an active YET Council member for many years; he also served on the Royal Geographical Society’s survey and training committee.

Much of his time outside Uppingham involved him working with young people from less privileged backgrounds and giving them, in many cases, a lifechanging experience, such was his dedicated commitment to young people everywhere. We were indeed fortunate that he was also committed to teaching, inspiring, and helping many generations of Uppinghamians in so many ways.

He died peacefully in his muchloved Yorkshire in December 2021.

John Anslow

A long-serving member of the Modern Languages Department, from 1964 until his retirement in 1993, he was also Housemaster of Farleigh from 1971 to 1984. After Uppingham, John retired to Folkestone. He passed away on 31st August.

He could be relaxed – games of tennis on the House court were always good natured and jovial, especially with parents, who invariably found him charming. His private dinner parties were clearly entertaining, and he was famed for his laugh which caused his shoulders to move up and down in unison. It was a welcome shock to see him play guitar and sing in House sketches.

JHA was also, of course, a French teacher. Needless to say he had the tidiest and most stylish classroom and famously taught from behind a brass lectern.

Recollections

by Adrian Shuker, Jonathan Drew and David Turnbull (all Fgh 72).

‘Smooth John’ was always immaculately turned out, his hair neatly trimmed (reputedly in Harrods), suits well pressed, shirts freshly ironed, and his ties tied with his signature Windsor knot. Casual was a dark blue jumper. Like him, the private side of Farleigh was tidy and spotless. He drove a white MGB GT with a Harrods bag in the boot, evidence of his liking for the finer things in life, as was the foie gras in his larder.

JHA took his job as Housemaster very seriously though rarely attended sports events. House reports were succinct, fair, insightful, occasionally witty, and written in a tiny, neat italic hand. He liked good manners and ‘civilised’ behaviour and he promoted both (with mixed success) in the House.

A disciplinarian, he never shouted, but instead relied on an icy stare and an ability to use silence to make you talk. His footsteps when ‘on patrol’ were remarkably quiet – he would silently appear behind us when least expected. However, in many ways he was lenient and flexible – we were allowed to go to London or Leicester for concerts, he introduced beer at lunchtime on Sundays, he allowed hair to grow and ties and flares to widen well beyond the rules.

Rick Spurway (Fgh 62)

A tribute by Rick Spurway (Fgh 62)

For the 60s, John Anslow was immaculately turned out, and bang on trend. To such an extent that his nickname among many of us was ‘Smoothie’. John had a vital role as Farleigh House tutor. I and many others were always welcome for a cup of afternoon tea in his Wenlock apartment, when he would listen attentively to the normal ups and downs of our everyday lives, and offer his support and encouragement.

John understood my creative desire to make films at a time when the majority of pupils went into the traditional professions. So, he appointed me as Secretary of the Uppingham School Film Club which screened avant-garde films of the 60s. Later, when I was commissioned to produce marketing videos to promote the benefits of an Uppingham education to preparatory school pupils, John kindly allowed me to use the private side of Farleigh as my production base. I can truly say that John played a key role in helping to shape my destiny as a media professional working for most of my life at the BBC and Channel Four Television I owe him great thanks.

“John played a key role in helping to shape my destiny as a media professional... I owe him great thanks .”

Making Waves in Business

Charlie Jardine (Fgh 04) founded EO Charging in 2015 –with the mission to become the global leader in charging electric van, truck, bus and car fleets – and last featured in our spotlight on Entrepreneurs in 2019. Since then, EO’s growth trajectory has been phenomenal, so we were keen to gain Charlie’s insight on being an entrepreneur in an extremely competitive field.

How has EO developed since 2019?

Where to begin! The past three years have undoubtedly been challenging, but also very exciting. It’s been incredible to watch the business grow and transform as much as it has.

We’ve just revealed our latest generation of commercial and home chargers – the EO Genius 2 and EO Mini Pro 3. We spent over two years developing these products, which have also been configured to unlock vehicle to grid (V2G) charging within the next 12 months, which means EV drivers will be able to reduce their total cost of ownership by selling any surplus energy in their vehicles back to the grid. Good news for EV owners, but also for balancing demand on the grid!

But perhaps the biggest development for EO is that we started thinking about the EV charging experience ‘beyond the plug’. By that I mean we now also offer a range of services for fleet managers, including cloud-based management software, installations and maintenance solutions. This transition from EV charging manufacturer into EV solutions provider has allowed us to differentiate ourselves within the market, and has driven significant business growth. I’m proud to say EO now powers over half of the UK’s 10 biggest online retailers, and some of the world’s biggest fleets, including Amazon, Tesco and DHL.

Of course, to maintain that level of growth, our team has also had to expand. When we last spoke in 2019 we employed less than 50 people – mostly from the UK. Today, the team is made up of over 200 experts from across the UK, Europe, North America, and APAC.

However, it’s not been entirely plain sailing. Like many other businesses, the economic and geopolitical uncertainty caused by the pandemic created challenges. You may have seen reports that we were planning on taking EO public earlier this year. The instability of the financial markets at that time meant that route was no longer in the best interest of the company, so we terminated the transaction. However, we are now exploring alternative funding paths, and I’m confident we’re on track to continue growing.

The electric charging industry is a highly competitive market, what advice can you give to our OU entrepreneurs on getting noticed and standing out?

You’ve got to stand out in order to succeed. My advice would be to ensure you have a clearly defined unique selling point. Take time to think about your customers’ challenges, and then the benefits of your business and how you are uniquely offering solutions. I can guarantee that if your biggest distinction from competitors is price, then you won’t stand the test of time.

My second piece of advice is that you must be prepared to evolve and pivot based on your customer feedback. No industry or market is static, and neither are the customers within them. Consumer demands and needs change constantly, and entrepreneurs need to stay alert to those changes or risk being irrelevant.

What excites you most about being an entrepreneur and running your own business?

Speaking to customers and partners is one of the most rewarding aspects. I love meeting customers, finding out their pain points and then being able to make changes to the business quickly, based on that feedback. It’s not only hugely gratifying seeing the fruits of your labour, but it also means that the pace of work is much faster than that of larger corporations.

There’s also something very special about the process of creating a product from scratch and then going on to sell it – it requires a unique blend of both creativity and business acumen. Add to the equation the fact that what we’re creating at EO is having a positive impact on the world and moving the needle on the electric revolution, and I count myself extremely lucky to be at the centre of it.

What lessons did you learn at an early age that you still use today?

Both my parents ran their own businesses and growing up in that entrepreneurial environment certainly rubbed off on me. I think it instilled in me from a very young age the importance of not only having a hard work ethic, but also resilience.

Being an entrepreneur is incredibly rewarding, but it also isn’t for everyone. You have to be thickskinned and resilient, otherwise every lost client or failed investment can feel like a catastrophe. The most successful entrepreneurs I know are the ones that are willing to fail, pick themselves back up, and importantly, adapt – even when their ego might be bruised.

EO has grown quickly in an emerging market. How do you manage the stress of working in such a fast-moving environment?

Being strict and regimented with my schedule helps me better manage my workload and, as a result, stress. I wake up early and do my most important tasks at the beginning of the day before other people are online to ensure I can give it my undivided attention.

I also carve out some time each day to fully detach myself from work. Running, for example, is a really helpful escape and provides me with the headspace I need to stay motivated.

I am also fortunate to have an excellent team of talented people that I trust and lean on for support. When you start a business, I think there is a tendency to want to be involved in all decisions, but that’s unsustainable in the long term. At a certain point you have to learn to let go and delegate some of those decisions, otherwise you’ll spread yourself too thin and burn out.

“Whilst we’ve spent time creating a beautiful product that people want to put on the front of their home, our brand identity goes deeper than just the design of our products – it lies in the quality of service that we offer our customers.”

How important is the EO brand identity?

Brand identity – and by that I don’t mean just our logo, but how people talk about us within the market – is really important. In fact, it is one of the ways we stand out from our competitors.

Whilst we’ve spent time creating a beautiful product that people want to put on the front of their home, our brand identity goes deeper than just the design of our products – it lies in the quality of service that we offer our customers.

It is also why our team of people are so critical. The hires we have made over the last few years all have two things in common: they are committed to our mission of becoming the global leader in charging, and practise our people-first values every day.

Do you have an exit strategy for you or the company, or are you in it for the long haul?

Myself and the team are relentlessly focused on making EO the industry leader in EV charging. Whilst we’re lucky to already be powering some of the biggest fleets in the world, I believe we’re only at the beginning of that journey.

Despite their increasing popularity, EVs still account for only a tenth of all new cars sold in the UK, which means there are still millions of untapped customers we can help in their transition to electric – especially as the UK starts to accelerate towards its ban on internal combustion vehicles by 2030.

It’s a really exciting time to be working in the EV industry, and I can’t wait to take EO into the next stage of its evolution.

What advice would you give to other OUs with a dream to start their own business?

I started EO eight years ago because I saw a huge opportunity to improve the EV charging industry by making it simpler and more reliable.

Ironically, starting and growing a business is anything but simple. You’ll most likely meet people who will question your ideas and discourage your actions, which is why, as cliché as it may sound, you have to have complete faith and passion in your vision.

That said, it is also one of the most rewarding jobs, so as long as you’re confident that there is an addressable market for your idea – and you have a team of people who share your vision – then I strongly encourage you to take that first step. You never know where it could take you!

www.eocharging.com

Wilton & Bain www.wilton-bain.com

Having spent 20 years in the Executive Search and Leadership Advisory sector, David Heron (C 91) has led two private equity management buy outs of his firm Wilton & Bain and now leads the business on behalf of the company’s partners and third-party investor, Beechbrook Capital.

Having grown the firm tenfold over a decade, David’s ambition is to double it again in the next five years. With headquarters in London and offices across North America, Wilton & Bain delivers for its clients across the Professional, Technology and Financial Services sectors and generates over half of its revenue outside the UK, despite two-thirds of its people being based in London.

The company won an award in 2021 for its approach to wellbeing during the Covid crisis and was listed as a ‘Best Company’ to work for. Throughout that period and beyond, the constant is always belief, humility, hard work, passion, collaboration, and a generous culture of fun and kindness, all of which enabled David and his teams to stay ahead of the competition: Lessons learnt from school that remain as true in the boardroom as they were in the classroom.

Suffolk Concierge

www.suffolkconcierge.co.uk

Alex Farquharson (WD 15) has always wanted to run his own business and Suffolk Concierge was born out of the pandemic. As a diabetic, and classed as vulnerable, he self-isolated in a cottage near the Suffolk coast. Whilst living by himself, inevitably, things at the cottage went wrong and he found that it was a nightmare to find anyone to help fix the problems. As he stared at the fuse box, it occurred to him that other second-homeowners might be having the same issues.

He explained: “I was forced to stop being useless and learn how to fix the bits and bobs myself and subsequently advertised my services, aiding other homeowners in the area. From this early stage of development, ‘Suffolk Concierge’ is now a fully-fledged business offering a range of services including gardening, cleaning, rental management and other ongoing maintenance tasks.”

Alex’s goal is to expand the service to other areas around the UK (and eventually to the South of France) creating a reliable network of helpers that provide peace of mind for his clients.

For more information, feel free to contact Alex directly on Alex@Suffolkconcierge.co.uk or look up Suffolk Concierge online.

For the love of mud www.muddymatches.co.uk

Spot a gap in the UK’s £160m online dating sector and go all out to claim it. That’s how the Reeves sisters – Lucy (L 95) and Emma (Fd 93) – have been instrumental in revolutionising networking in rural, and hard-to-reach, communities.

The siblings, now Rand and Royall respectively, launched Muddy Matches – the UK’s home of countryside dating – in 2007. Their own experiences of growing up in the countryside helped them unearth the unexplored niche of connecting people with a fondness for mud.

Operating out of a converted farm building, the Muddy Matches office is a world away from those of the global tech giants that dominate the dating industry. But the impact the sisters have made is huge, with many thousands of success stories under their belts.

Fifteen years on, and they remain the heartbeat of an award-winning business in full bloom; proudly independent with a small team of six, turning over £1m a year. It is a far cry from the seed of an idea, planted in a London pub over a cheeky drink, whilst bemoaning the lack of proper country men to date.

“We started with 2,200 members signed up in 18 months, which we thought was pretty good at the time”, Lucy tells us. “There was lots of walking in all weathers at country shows, and every spare minute was spent manually vetting profiles. Now we have attracted over three-quarters of a million singles from all walks of country life.”

The secret? Hard work, earning trust and understanding the rural lifestyle. “You can’t fob off a farmer”, Lucy adds. “We say that we are a dating site for country-minded people, run by country-minded people and, as we have grown, that’s exactly what we have remained. We have not deviated from that.”

This is one business where muddy boots are firmly planted on the ground.

Luca Health www.luca.health

Nick Greenhalgh (Fgh 03) and Vas Nikolaou are co-founders of Luca – a mental health monitoring and prevention startup for professional and elite university athletes. There’s a pandemic in elite sport, and the world is only just realising it. Some 35% of elite athletes suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression, compared to 25% in the general population, and yet less than 10% seek help. There’s a reason for this. The power dynamic that exists between athlete and team makes it next to impossible for athletes to be fully open and transparent with the very people that select them and who they negotiate their contracts with. This is where an independent and confidential solution like Luca fits in. Our customers are the teams themselves but they only see aggregated and anonymised screening data in order for athletes to trust us and to report honestly.

Luca was born out of Antler’s (venture capital firm) incubator programme and we raised a pre-seed investment round from them in May. We onboarded our first pilot partners (customers) in September and are excited to see the impact of regular monitoring. There are too many athletes needlessly suffering in silence, and our tool will help those that need help receive it quicker than they otherwise would. We’re going to be raising an angel round in Q1 of 2023 and would love to hear from anybody who might be interested in what we’re up to and our plans for the business.

This is a problem we’re hugely passionate to help solve. Nick’s seen the problem first hand from his time in professional and university rugby, and Vas has lived experience of mental ill health.

frog.ai

www.frog.ai

Chris Fawcett (B 88) and David Hipkin (B 89) have been best friends since they met as pupils in Brooklands. While they took different paths after Uppingham, they kept in regular contact due to a shared passion for sport, and where possible, profitable betting on it.

Chris became a professional gambler and expert in the field of artificial intelligence. David briefly worked in the city before switching to a career in sports trading. From helicopter trips to the races, to ringside seats in Las Vegas, between them they have seen everything that sports betting could offer.

At the start of 2019, they decided that their combined skills and experience would make a formidable team. They set up frog.ai after a short discussion about the technology they could create together. Three years and one pandemic later, they are on the cusp of some major breakthroughs. frog.ai is a sports content company. It uses machine learning and a proprietary Natural Language Generation platform to write content that would ordinarily require a team of hundreds of staff and weeks of expertise to produce; frog.ai does it in a matter of seconds. The content produced by frog.ai includes long-form written previews that can accurately forecast outcomes before they happen, and short-form instantaneous commentary across a range of live sports.

Scale, reliability and accuracy are at the foundation of the technology. During a busy day in the sporting calendar, frog.ai will write a thousand long-form preview articles (200-600 words each). Throughout the year, an average week will see content produced in excess of a five million word count. That’s about 100,000 hours of work for a human writer, each week.

David’s advice to fellow OU entrepreneurs when setting up and running a new business, is to work with the right people. He commented: “Highs and lows are inevitable and it is essential that these are experienced with someone you trust implicitly. Together you will celebrate the victories and battle through the challenges and for a new business to succeed, the person you are doing this with must be the very first name on your team sheet.”

To find out more on the scope and power of this exciting new technology (or if you’re just curious about the company name) visit www.frog.ai Get in touch on chris@frog.ai and david@frog.ai, or simply look up #frogknew on Twitter to see some of the surprising predictions that frog.ai has written about over the last few years.

Events

It has been an absolute joy to see friends and contemporaries getting together at OU events over the past 12 months. We hope to catch up with many more of you during the coming year.

30th Anniversary Celebration

Midlands’ Drinks

Organised by Victoria Greenly (Fd 88)

A special reunion marking 30 years since leaving Uppingham, held at The Falcon in November 2021.

Katharine Schofield (née Woddis, J 88) and Marcus Pugh (H 85).

Jeremy Payne (F 73), David Hopkins (WD 60), Peter Wall (Fgh 60), John Liggins (Hf 67) and Nick Gray (F 60).

Back: Fred Wilson (SH 77), Simon Wallis (F 76), Mark Sutcliffe (LH 76), Jeremy Payne (F 73), Susie Weston, Adam Simcox (WB 73), David Hopkins (WD 60), Peter Wall (Fgh 60), Nick Gray (F 60), Kirsty Roe (née Wood, Fd 93), Fiona Jutsum (née Crumplin, J 93), Peter Heath (F 59) and Marcus Ross-Bradbury (LH 89).

Front: Dawn Wilson (née Keene, Fd 80), Bill Simcox (WB 76), Richard Boston (B 56), Phil ‘Trev’ Baker (Fgh 77) and Max Darby (Fgh 78).

Kirsty Roe (née Wood, Fd 93), Marcus Ross-Bradbury (LH 89) and Fiona Jutsum (née Crumplin, J 93).

Phil ‘Trev’ Baker (Fgh 77) with his School Tutor, Richard Boston (B 56).

Ashley Friedlein (C 85) and Jonathan Pritchard-Barrett (L 85).

David Hunter (B 85), Andrew Fairs (F 85) Alice Moffat (née Wade, Fd 88).

Mary Tweed (née Fulton, J 88, Katie Breathwick (J 88) and Laura Mackie (née Ellis-Jones, Fd 88).

Held at Phil ‘Trev’ Baker’s (Fgh 77) superb venue Ronnie’s Bar, Warwick in February 2022.

London Dinner

Always a memorable occasion, this year’s sell-out event was held on 3rd March, with guests enjoying a five-star experience delivered by the Mandarin Oriental and partying into the early hours in Tramp.

If you’d like to get a crowd together for 2nd March 2023, simply email the OU team to reserve a table (seating 10-12 guests).

Celebration of Singing

A full weekend of music events took place at Uppingham in March, with a wonderful array of vocal concerts in honour of Jim Peschek.

Georgina Reeves (Fd 07), Henry Strawson (Hf 07), Marcus Pugh-Smith (Hf 07), Kat Dansie (L 10), George Judd (Hf 07), Tara Reeves (Fd 09) and Harry Glatman (M 07).

Paul Antlitz (Hf 18), Selina Liu (L 17) and Paul Eichmann (M 19).

Polly Bowman (Fd 09), Sophie Meager (Fd 09), Claudia Pert (Fd 09), Tara Patel (Sa 09), Tara Reeves (Fd 09), Louisa Parsons (Fd 09), Isla Kilpatrick (Fd 09), Alice Bletsoe-Brown (L 12 ) and Olivia Birks (Fd 09).

Andrew Jenkins (B 91), Jo Fleet (née De La Salle, J 94) and Richard Hodson (F 91).

Alex Cavadias (F 10), Fergus Wright (Hf 09), Will Langran (Fgh 09) and Patrick Bullard (Fgh 09).

David Gavins (LH 73), Clare Warman (née Hemsley, LH 75) and Casey O’Hanrahan.

Susie Mathieson (née Taylor, Fd 75) with Pat Land (wife of the late Tony Land, former Houseparents of Fairfield).

L to R: Ishbel Campbell (Fd 02), Claire Sutton Williams (Sa 02) and Stewart Drummond (Former Housemaster of Fairfield and Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion).

Michael Gavins (Former Housemaster of School House) with his son David (LH 73 and OU School for Life Ambassador).

Jonathan Clucas (LH 78) and Simon Wallis (F 76).

Norfolk Dinner

Always one of the most fun events in the OU calendar and this was no exception. Held at the Hoste, Burnham Market in May.

Durham University Drinks

Organised

If any OUs would like to organise a get together with their OU uni friends, the Association is pleased to provide a contribution towards the cost of the event – contact the OU team on ou@uppingham.co.uk.

Celebrating

Athletics Reunion

Held at Uppingham in June.

Cory Taylor (SH 75), Jamie Symington (L 76) and David Chaplin (M 77).

Bill Simcox (WB 76), James Couse (SH 76), Jonathan Humphreys (H 78) and Harry Van Gorkum (Fgh 76).

Sir Charles Dunstone (LH 78) and Bella Faulkner (née Bamford, Fd 81).

Frank Toone (SH 79), Johnny Vaughan (LH 79) and Richard Boston (B 56).

Nick Fryer (M 76) and Giles Brand (M 77).

Bertie Arkwright (B 93) and Alex Lyles (née Keeling, J 96).

by Tilly Hunt (NH 13) and held at the Library Bar in June.

a belated 50th Anniversary of the 1970 Senior Athletics Team being the first unbeaten team in Uppingham’s history and the 1971 Team’s achievement a year later.

Carl Ross (WD 16), Rosie Gordon (J 16) and Fenella Bruce (Sa 17).

L to R: Clive Elvin (F 65), Peter Greenwood (C 66), Malcolm Tozer (Former Staff 1966 to 1989, PE and Physics Departments and Housemaster of The Lodge from 1979 to 1989), Andrew Callender (Hf 65) and Wyn Fanshaw (WB 65).

Lotte O’Hern (L 16) and Benedict ‘Didi’ Bostock (Hf 09).

L to R: Malcolm Tozer, Charlie Sample (Fgh 66), Chris Noon (SH 65) and Gordon Wood (SH 66).

Tilly Hunt (NH 13), Minna Erith (NH 13) and Lila Walker (J 14).

Yorkshire Dinner

Finance Drinks

Tom Hayes (SH 74) and Alex Duckett (C 97).

James Kirby-Welch (WD 74), Nick Cotton (LH 74), George Anderson (C 02) and Warren Coates (SH 73).

Roderick Rhodes (Hf 68) and Oliver Duckett (C 95).

Richard Watson (B 74) and Richard Boston (B 56).

Held at the Hotel Du Vin, York in June.

A School for Life networking event held at The Clarence, Whitehall in June.

George Sowerby (SH 12), William Yarrow (SH 12) and Oli Parkes (F 12).

Madeleine Poutney (Sa 06), Will Doggett (Hf 09), Ben Kennedy (B 09) and Freddie Wilkinson (B 09).

Graham Lucas (C 81), Gway Kanokwuttipong (Fd 12) and Edward Shooter (Fgh 91).

Iain Jamie (C 90), Alex Skrine (C 89) and Tobi Menzies (C 90).

Over 60s Lunch

Speech Day

It was fantastic to welcome guests back to the School for Speech Day celebrations this year, held at the end of term in July. A special reunion of OUs from The Hall was also organised by Richard Redmile (H 66) and Robin Johnson (H 67).

Simon Birdseye (Fgh 69) and Richard Latham (H 68).

Harry Nicholls (H 66) and Myles Sewter (Former Staff).

Jim Bolland (L 52).

Jenny Ledger (Former Houseparent of The Hall), Tony Ticehurst (H 60) and Richard Venables (H 60) looking through old House photos.

Our thanks to Jerry Rudman for providing such a fantastic display of archive materials from The Hall for guests to enjoy.

John Rudd (C 43) with his wife Jane.

Barbara Matthews (SH 73), Donald Fothergill (B 74) and Rosa Roberts.

Held at the Cavalry and Guards Club, another sell-out event held in September.

Chris Noon (SH 65), Chris Clarke (SH 66), Richard Morgan (SH 65) and Stephen Adams (SH 67).

John Flower (L 56) and Matthew Sample (SH 64).

Richard Haigh (SH 66), Nigel Jagger (SH 67), Craig Paull (LH 66) and Gordon Wood (SH 66).

OUs from The Hall, photographed outside their old House.

London Drinks

Held at the Royal Over-Seas League in September.

Many more photos from the year’s events can be viewed via our Facebook and Flickr pages – search Old Uppinghamians online to view the

albums.

Sir Charles Bowman (WD 75), Simon Thomas (WD 78) and Tim Freeman (L 78).

Back: Tom Fletcher, Graham Livesey, James Watts, Tom Holmes (all Fgh 93) and John Fleet (Fgh 96). Front: Simon Smith and Philip Hunter (both Fgh 93) and James Thomson (C 93).

Matthew Richardson (Fgh 96), Richard Hartley (Fgh 96), Anna Miller (L 01), Byron Fitzpatrick (LH 96), Charlie Fleet (Fgh 91) and Henry Fleet (Fgh 96). Front: Katie Howson (L 01) and Bex Kelly (née Plumbly, J 99).

Robin Johnson (H 67), Peter Kendall (WD 74), Robin Hargreaves (F 72) and David Gavins (LH 73).

Caroline Turney (née Bertrand), Megan Blade and Charlotte Mantle (all J 10).

Phoebe Aldrich (Fd 13), Kamil Bujel (Hf 16), Amelia Hawley (J 12), Poppy Swallow (J 11).

Front: Natasha Stowe and Rebecca Lin (both L 16).

Nick Thorley (F 99), Tiffany Kertesz (née Redman, L 02), Anna-Laura Lock (née Morris, J 02) and James Brown (SH 99).

Events Calendar 2023

2nd March

London OU Dinner

The Mandarin Oriental, Knightsbridge

The most glamorous event in the OU calendar. Bookings now open via the OU website.

30th March

Young OUs Party

London

venue (TBC)

A London get together for OU leavers from 2020 and 2021 whose end of year finales were disrupted due to Covid.

13th May

School House Reunion

Uppingham

A long overdue reunion for Uppingham’s oldest house.

25th May

Cambridge Dinner

Jesus College

A fantastic opportunity for a get together in the heart of historic Cambridge, organised and hosted by James Hutt (WD 96)

16th June

Warwick Castle

A very special black tie dinner taking place in the Great Hall at Warwick Castle.

30th June

Speech Day & Founder’s Day Uppingham

A fantastic celebration of all things Uppingham which brings our whole community together.

14th September

London Drinks

Royal Over-Seas League

Always a sell-out occasion, it attracts guests of all ages and is a great opportunity to meet up with your OU friends.

28th September

Over 60s Lunch

The Cavalry and Guards Club

A warm, friendly occasion in the company of the Headmaster.

We expect other events to be added to the calendar over the next few months and look forward to meeting up with OUs in Hong Kong and Germany in the Spring. Visit the OU website for more information www.olduppinghamian.co.uk

We hold targeted, professional events for a range of industries, which offer perfect occasions to meet fellow OUs working in your sector or to access support from experienced contacts working in the same field. Please keep us updated with your professional and contact details so we can ensure you receive invitations to relevant events. Email schoolforlife@uppingham.co.uk or scan the QR code to submit your event preferences.

We hope you will be able to join us at the forthcoming events...

Exploring New Realms of Physics

2022 marks the tenth anniversary of the remarkable discovery of a new elementary particle at CERN (the European Council for Nuclear Research) in July 2012. The ‘Higgs boson’, is thought to be vital to the formation of the universe after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.

The discovery was a groundbreaking moment in scientific history and to celebrate its anniversary, we were delighted to interview Dr Lauren Yeomans (NH 04) who spent a year working at CERN, the home of the 27 kilometre-long (16.8 mile) Large Hadron Collider that found the Higgs boson particle.

From a very young age, the stars and universe fascinated Lauren and her inquisitive nature always left her wanting to know more. At Uppingham, she loved learning about the origins of the universe through two different perspectives – physics and philosophy. Mr Allen’s physics lessons were an inspiration: “One day we would be outside learning about the scale of the planets in our solar system, and the next we would be looking at motorbike engines. We never knew quite what to expect!”

Following Uppingham, Lauren went on to complete a BSc in Physics with Philosophy at the University of Manchester, followed by an MSc in Physics at UCL, a PGCE in Secondary Science at the University of Manchester and most recently a PhD in High Energy Physics at the University of Liverpool.

It was during her PhD that she was able to make a closer connection with the universe. She was honoured to be offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work at CERN in Switzerland, on the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This extraordinary opportunity allowed her to work alongside distinguished scientists, trying to build a picture of exactly what the universe is made of, and how those particles interact with one another.

The LHC is an astonishing experiment, it consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way. Inside the accelerator, two high-energy particle beams travel close to the speed of light before they are made to collide. They are guided around the accelerator ring by a strong magnetic field maintained by superconducting electromagnets.

Thousands of magnets of different varieties and sizes are used to direct the beams around the accelerator. Just prior to collision, another type of magnet is used to ‘squeeze’ the particles closer together to increase the chances of collisions.

Lauren specifically worked on an experiment named ‘Large Hadron Collider beauty’ (LHCb), which is investigating the slight differences between matter and antimatter by studying a type of particle called the ‘beauty quark’, or ‘b quark’.

She commented: “Working at CERN was amazing! There are so many world-leading experts in one place. My group published two papers about the world’s first prediction of

a certain particle event – a real academic highlight. My whole PhD was based on this one event and there were so many hours of work that went into the research, analysing, writing up and editing, that when the paper was finally published there was a huge sense of accomplishment.

As a collaboration we also made great progress in understanding a phenomenon called CP violation, which can help to explain the matter antimatter asymmetry in the universe. This is one of the ‘big mysteries’ that physicists are trying to solve, so it was amazing to be part of a group that helped close that gap in our understanding.”

“It is truly a unique place to work. The site itself is like a mini town, with its own restaurants and shops. Most of the time I was working on physics analysis, but I also volunteered as a tour guide which meant I got to spend quite a lot of time around the detectors themselves. Being on site also meant I could help to monitor the running of the experiment from the control room.”

After completing her PhD, Lauren has channelled her fascination with physics down a different route. “I decided that I wanted to try something where I could use my knowledge and skills to help people on a practical level.” Now a Postdoctoral Training Fellow at the Institute of Cancer Research, Lauren has moved into Medical Physics, another crucially important area of lifechanging research.

“This research will improve the delivery of radiotherapy, treating patients with micro-beams of X-rays. The cells in normal tissue react differently to this method than cells in cancerous tissue. This means that the same amount of radiation can be given to a tumour without damaging the surrounding ‘normal’ cells.

Luckily, I am surrounded by a team of excellent biologists, so I can just focus on the physics!”

Reflecting on her time at CERN, Lauren has many fond memories, including when an open day was held in 2019: “I loved engaging with visitors and explaining what we were doing. During the day I gave several underground tours and to see the look on people’s faces when they saw our detector was amazing.”

As a female physicist, Lauren encourages other young scientists to reach for the stars. “If there is something you are passionate about, you should pursue it. It doesn’t matter that you might be a female in a male-dominated field, or vice versa, you should focus on what YOU want to do and the impact you can have in your field. As a female physicist, I am in the minority, but I don’t let that put me off. More and more women are getting into STEM, giving younger generations great role models to look up to. Never let stereotypes get in the way of following your passion.”

“If there is something you are passionate about, you should pursue it. It doesn’t matter that you might be a female in a male-dominated field, or vice versa... Never let stereotypes get in the way...”

Chalkies’ Corner

Christopher Richardson

Member of Staff 1966 to 1986

I arrived in Uppingham in 1966 at the behest of the Headmaster, John Royds, and of the Head of Art, Warwick Metcalfe. I was to join Myles Sewter in starting up the Thring Centre in the old Manor House, the forerunner of the Leonardo Centre, now resplendent in its Piers Gough (WB 59) home.

The intention was to house all things mechanical, technical and electronic that was not covered by the Art School and the Woodwork shops. Myles, brilliantly ingenious and continually painstaking with all manner of grateful souls over the years, and soon to be Dr Sewter, was still immersed in his doctorate to do with measuring the earth’s magnetic field, which he still researches today, I believe!

I was obsessed with the metric revolution and with international paper sizes. The door openings in the Thring Centre all had their metric measurements painted on the wall and as part of the general somewhat untrusting system, every few moments a boy (no girls then) would ask you to sign a leave to say that he was allowed to be somewhere or was allowed to go somewhere. These leaves were printed on a quarter sheet of the unique Uppingham Quarto, not even foolscap! A sizes were unheard of! Indeed, when introduced to Mr Fisher of the Bookshop, he refused to stock enough blocks to furnish a term’s use of A4 on the grounds that he didn’t think they would catch on!

When, after a busy Saturday evening at the Thring Centre, it became time for all boys to be back in their houses, a young and perpetually smiling Peter Powell (B 64), later of BBC DJ fame, was in the queue for his leave to be signed; he was a little glum to see six fresh bottles of Ruddles Best laid out on my desk. I declared how kind it was of someone to leave them outside the back window and that I was much looking forward to sampling them when they had all gone home. I have, till now, rather failed to thank him for the gift.

As a House Tutor in Meadhurst, I was instrumental in the design and construction of the ‘quadropod’ in the Fourth Form dorm, which I believe lasted into the 21st century before being

We are pleased to catch up with some more long-serving former teachers (once known as Chalkies), who were happy to share their memories of Uppingham and update us on where they are now, a popular feature in last year’s issue.

If you’d like us to find out what became of one of your favourite teachers, do contact the office and we’ll do our best to track them down.

The Manor House, 1903 Uppingham Archive Collection

superseded; many Meadhurst boys will also remember other pieces of my furniture, such as the octagonal tables in the dining room and the ‘Slab’, which is still very much in use and a muchloved feature of Meadhurst.

I also ‘did’ plays, and was involved in building the theatre, which I then ran for 12 years, taking odd things to Edinburgh, until in 1984, after 20 years teaching, I decided it was time to move on and try something new. Edinburgh beckoned and The Pleasance Theatre was born.

I am still based in Uppingham and, of course, very much involved in all things theatre; indeed as I write this I am attempting to negotiate my way to the Edinburgh Festival, hampered by disturbed train movements, general forgetfulness and luggage that now includes a mobility scooter! 2022

Myles Sewter

Member of Staff 1966 to 2009

I arrived in September 1966 – an exciting time in which the Thring Centre (the forerunner to the Leonardo Centre) had just been purchased and was being modified to a design developed from a drawing by Warwick Metcalfe so that it could house free-time activities for our pupils. With Christopher Richardson in charge and myself as technical assistant, it was to offer pupils the chance to do approximate woodwork (for study shelves, etc. – the precise woodwork was done in the Scale Hill workshops under Bill Everington), to investigate Design, to do Photography, Electronics, find out how television programmes were put together and recorded and, in the Motor Workshop, to find out about the internal combustion engines with which they would inevitably have to wrestle later in life (sooner if they were farmers’ sons).

It was a time of expansion and new beginnings: I remember the almost ghoulish delight of a few of the heftier pupils, who, with suitable precautions, were allowed to take a sledgehammer to School property – two lath and plaster walls had to come down to convert two upstairs rooms and a corridor into one large room. Those who assisted in this and more constructive activities (we had to make our own tables and workbenches) developed a feeling of ownership for the Centre and a loyalty towards its aims. We hoped that pupils would bring in as big a range of ideas as possible and find space and a welcome for them.

Meanwhile, I had to develop my teaching style in the Science School (then almost new), whilst simultaneously trying to write a thesis to complete my Exeter PhD. Bob Noakes (the writer of many widely used Physics textbooks) had just retired, and Richard Hull was in charge of the Physics Department with Garth Wheatley, Henry Faulkner, Malcolm Tozer and myself. I remember Garth’s method with his top A Level set: “Get a piece of paper in front of you and be intelligent!” he would say, and then challenge them with a piece of Physics related to the content of their last session, but different enough to make them think hard.

There were a number of very scholarly colleagues at that time (as no doubt there are now): Ted Kendall set his top Maths pupils a problem once, and they puzzled over it for some time, finding ways that solved a part of it, but nothing that defeated it. So, in their next period, they asked how it might be done. Ted looked at it for a few moments and then said: “I know a nice little way to do that” and solved it in three lines on the board. Then he went on and showed them two other ways to solve it, which were not quite as good because they took four lines each!

After five years in the School, I went off to Australia to broaden my horizons (teaching in a State comprehensive mixed day school so as much contrast as possible) and returned a year later to continue at Uppingham. I had intended to move on after a while, but there were always interesting challenges to address. There was the introduction of GCSE and A Level Electronics: on the computing front there was the School’s first [five ton] computer, which I had to look after; then the advent of personal computers, the network of computers and eventually the network’s use in writing reviews and reports; the move to the Leonardo Centre, with a bit more space and a proper TV studio...the list goes on!

Staff Play Ghost Train, 1979

I was very fortunate to have worked in the School for so many years, and to have done so at the particular time that I did; there was a flexibility and an aura of warmth which would be hard to match.

Since retiring in 2009, I have been making use of the hobbies room/ workshop which I built onto my home in 2002: it has facilities for metalwork and woodwork, and of course electronics. I am able to design and construct most things that take my fancy, from trivial items to the more challenging metastable helium magnetometers which log the changes in the Earth’s magnetic field and which I am still trying to improve. As a Chartered Physicist, I am qualified to act as a consultant for commercial firms in need of advice or suggestions, and I have done this informally for two companies, too. No doubt at some point in the future I will find myself at a loose end and bored – but not yet!

Member of Staff 1973 to 1988, Housemaster of Constables 1982 to 1988

Having been a boy in the School (WB 1956 – 1961) I returned on the staff from 1973 to 1988. The Colonnade was still at the hub of school life, alive with the buzz of daily chatter before Chapel and in break. Notices flapped on the boards, books suffered untidily on the floor, open to the rain and buffeted by careless feet. The broken iron grating alongside (now gone) still sang with a music all of its own. The major change which saw to the eventual demise of the Colonnade’s system of communication was the advent of computers.

To produce the academic timetable in earlier days, Ian Bridges (Fgh 35), (member of staff from 1949 to 1981 and notable mathematician) had used a method of brightly coloured cards, a different colour for each subject. It worked brilliantly. Later, Myles Sewter (wizard of the Physics department) showed me round the School’s first computer, and I mean “showed round” as it took up most of a room in the science block, and we walked all the way round it. Somehow this machine spewed out large sheets of paper covered in a myriad of green hieroglyphics, the magical modern timetable. Many staff attended short computer courses from which emerged cries of exasperation, while Peter Cannings (Housemaster of West Deyne 19861995) an early enthusiast, proudly produced all his house reports on computer, pressed the wrong button and lost the lot. Nothing for it but to go down to the pub!

Another radical change was the arrival of Sixth Form girls in 1975. The first few brave ones were allotted various houses and it was Jeff Abbott (Housemaster of West Bank 19681983) who announced to his house, “This term we have six new boys and one of them’s a girl.” Since the days of those early pioneers, girls have long been thoroughly integrated throughout the School, and a very good thing, too.

School transport was much more limited in those days. Having never driven a minibus before, I

undertook a twenty-minute lesson with Sebastian Greenlaw (master i/c school vehicles) by driving down to Lyddington and back. A few days later I had to take the fives team to The City of London School in the heart of the capital. Just north of London on the A1 a tyre blew! A merciful St Christopher must have been watching over us because a garage loomed up on the left, a mechanic changed the wheel for £1 and we drove on. Somehow, we got there and back safely, but I would never undertake such a journey now.

Something new in the 1980s was the introduction of “housemasters’ huddles”, informal meetings to clear matters of minor importance out of the way before the full meetings with the Headmaster. On one occasion we were gathered in the WB drawing room waiting for things to start when Henry Dawe, Ashley’s son and very young at the time, timidly put his head round the door and asked, “What are you playing? Pass the parcel?” Quick as a flash, Tony Land (Housemaster of Fairfield 1975-1992) replied, “No, we’re playing Pass the buck.” They were happy days!

On leaving Constables, my wife and I went to run Aysgarth prep school in North Yorkshire from where we sent a good number of boys to Uppingham. After 14 years in the post, I carried on teaching there for a few years and now we have retired to South Luffenham where we continue to relish the joys of living in Rutland.

John Hodgkinson (WB 56)

John and Hilary Hodgkinson Constables House Photo, 1986

Memories from the Common Room

Gordon Braddy was not so much asking a question as making a statement, and the event, the staff party on the eve of my first term at Uppingham. A complete rookie, but eager to please and fuelled by not just a little alcohol, “Yes, of course,” I replied. “I’d be delighted.”

There was no quicker way to fall into Uppingham life! Auditions; rehearsals; negotiating with housemasters (some of whom unbelievably did not view the school play as the most important activity of the term); rescuing Shylock from detention (thanks to a bemused Roy Ford); late nights with the visionary Christopher Richardson; building the set and with the electronic wizardry of Myles Sewter providing the lighting – all in the School Hall, which was yet to be horizontally sliced in two; persuading the headmistress of Stamford High to allow us some girls for the female roles; collecting said girls in my Morris Minor; choosing costumes with the help of Jeanie Pattinson And beyond all this, mastering with the pupils on New Boys’ E Game the rules of hockey under the tutelage of John Anslow, and house tutoring in the Hall where a key task was to help Jenny Ledger complete her pools coupon without her housemaster husband, Paul, knowing!

My actual teaching was doubtless a little haphazard. I spent most Greek lessons training one of my cast (who was later to become a successful professional actor) to say his one and only line in the manner prescribed by Sir Donald Wolfit! I managed also to put the Captain of the 1st XV into detention and then immediately found myself facing him at lunch with only the housemaster between us! All the while I was discreetly monitored by the down-

to-earth Yorkshireman, Mike Gavins, and the caring enthusiasm of Peter Attenborough, who with his wife, Sandy, kindly entertained me to lunch once a week in their home at 9 School Lane.

In the lake of talent that was the Common Room, I was a mere minnow. There were Oxbridge “Firsts”, Oxbridge “Blues”, Oxbridge “Firsts & Blues”, people who had played their sport for their county and sometimes their country, people with the most distinguished of war service, people who had worked at Bletchley Park, exKing’s choristers, and people who were to go on to build theatres, write poetry, design gardens and more.

Early on in my Uppingham career, I took my younger brother, who was on a visit and at the time working for Reuters, to the staff Friday night session at the White Hart. Here, crammed into the small bar, a large proportion of my colleagues drank copious beer and engaged in genial jokes, banter, stories and gossip. “You are so lucky,’

said my brother as later we departed. “Lucky?”. “Yes,” he replied. “In my office we would never enjoy such a high level of discussion and conversation of such quality.” Lucky, indeed!

Since retiring I have been working towards a maths degree with the Open University, taking piano lessons, and learning Spanish at a local evening class. When I can, I make trips to Spain or visit my relations in Crete. At home I like to go to galleries and theatres in London, to go walking with two former colleagues, Peter Bodily and Julia Watson, or to read the latest book on my book club’s agenda. I enjoy tranquillity cultivating an allotment (where I grow gladioli and runner beans) and the lack of it chasing after my two grandsons!

If you would like to contact any of the members of staff featured, please email ou@uppingham.co.uk or send a letter, addressed to them, c/o OU team, Uppingham School, Uppingham, LE15 9QE and we will be pleased to forward your message on.

Tim Montagnon

Member of Staff 1968 to 2012, Housemaster of Constables 1979 to 1982

“Of course, you will be happy to direct the school play .?”

Staff play 1977

2012

Clubs and Societies

OU Golfing Society

By Alan Thomas (H 62)

2022 has been a splendid year for OUGS golf, with notable successes for our scratch teams, competitive fun in fine weather in our area meetings and matches against other schools, and another satisfying influx of new, mainly younger members.

Tom Hayes (SH 74) held his Captain’s Meeting at Borth & Ynyslas Golf Club, the oldest golf course in Wales, which was conceived and laid out by Uppingham masters during the 1875-77 typhoid pandemic evacuation. The 21 OU golfers and eight partners who attended enjoyed sunshine, stiff breezes and good camaraderie.

Richard Bernhard (B 64) won the Acorn Trophy (best net score) and David Pattrick (F 65) won the Lee Tankard (best gross score). Other prize-winners were Simon Moffatt (H 74), Alan Thomas (H 62), Hugh Smith (WB 64), Andrew Renison (F 54), Richard Pattrick (F 66), Anthony Flather (M 75) and Roderick Rhodes (Hf 68)

At the AGM, Jeremy Cooke (WB 67) was confirmed as Captain for 2023, and Richard Bernhard (B 64) was elected Vice-Captain. David Downes (L 59) and Richard Murmann (H 55) were elected Vice-Presidents.

Jeremy’s Captain’s Meeting will return to Trevose Golf Club over the weekend of 6th to 8th October 2023.

Scratch Team News

Halford Hewitt: Disappointment was quickly followed by triumph at this year’s Hewitt. In near-hurricane winds at Royal Cinque Ports GC on 7th April, the OUGS team lost to Glenalmond, but then won the Prince’s Plate for the first time ever.

Tom Hayes (SH 74) presenting the Lee Tankard to David Pattrick (F 65).

OUGS AGM attendees.

The OU team with Prince’s Plate L to R: Ewen Wilson (M 85), Ollie Worrall (Hf 12), Henry Short (Hf 07), Stuart Lloyd (WD 74), Rowan Northcott (B 05), Sam Debenham (C 90) and Eddie Allingham (H 81), in Royal Cinque Ports clubhouse.

Bernard Darwin:

The OUGS team reached the final of the Bernard Darwin (for over 55s), but then lost to Malvern. Our Senior Darwin team (over 65s) triumphed for the first time ever.

Grafton Morrish:

The OU team came seventh in the qualifying rounds at Gog Magog and competed in the Finals on 7th to 9th October.

Area Meetings and Matches

The OU team triumphed at the Northern Public Schools meeting at Woodhall Spa, with Andrew Riley (M 67) also achieving best individual score. The Midlands Public Schools meeting at Little Aston was won by The Wrekin, with Uppingham fourth.

Winners at OUGS area meetings were Henry Ash (B 07) at Little Aston, Martin Walker (L 67) at Delamere Forest and Stuart Holmes (H 66) at Piltdown. At their many matches around the country, OUGS teams registered 6 wins, 1 draw and 8 losses.

OUGS membership

If you are an OU golfer, whatever your handicap, Hon Sec Martin Walker (L 67), would love to hear from you either by telephone on 01143 487 005 or 07765 441 375 or by email to martin.walker53@sky.com. Membership is only £10pa (£nil if you are still under 25) and the OUGS extensive fixture list will contain events at great venues to suit you.

For further information about joining the OUGS Eagles, please contact Stuart Lloyd (WD 74) on 07841 506 683 or stuartnlloyd@mac.com.

OUGS Eagles

Since its creation in 2019, the Eagles section of OUGS, for golfers under the age of 35, has recruited over 50 younger male and female golfers. Their Prince’s weekend had to be cancelled because of very high winds, but the 3-cornered meeting at New Zealand GC (a 3-way tie) and the Royal Wimbledon meeting, won by Hannah Watson (NH 11), were great successes. Eagles’ organiser Stuart Lloyd (WD 74) plans further fixtures next year.

For the full report on the OU Golfing Society’s news, please visit the OU website at olduppinghamian.co.uk/clubs/ou-golfing-society

The OU Bernard Darwin team L to R: Tom Hayes (SH 74), Stuart Lloyd (WD 74), Dennis Watson (M 76), Lloyd Wigglesworth (C 72), Chris Gotla (H 68) and David Stewart (Hf 68).

The Eagles at Royal Wimbledon Winner Hannah Watson (NH 11), 2nd from right.

The UVRC and School teams in the Simon Pattinson mini range, with the Kolapore trophies which were won by the GB team in 2021, on the 150th occasion of this international match.

OU Fives

By Adrian Lewthwaite (M 76)

The annual Jesters v Uppingham match took place on 8th October with the Jesters represented by OUs, Uppingham Staff and Friends of Uppingham Fives. The matches were played with great spirit and with a focus on fun, rather than serious competition. Despite some of the Jesters not being quite as youthful as their opponents (a couple were in their sixties), the team held their own against the pupils. Over the past year, I have also had the pleasure of bumping into a number of OU Fives players at various London Fives venues and Eton.

If anyone is interested in playing, either as a beginner or as a more experienced player (who has perhaps donned the gloves on the famous Constables or Brooklands Fives Courts!), do please contact me. Fives is a unique game that can be played in mixed teams, male and female or old and young, pitted against each other on the same court, with camaraderie at its heart.

Adrian.Lewthwaite@btinternet.com / 07961 014 890. All Fives event details are also shared via the OU website.

Uppingham Veterans Rifle Club

With the pandemic finally looking like it was beaten, the UVRC smallbore match against the School was held on 14th May, with an excellent lunch at the Old White Hart in Lyddington to get us in the mood. The match was a tight one with the OUs just pipping the School team by a couple of points. A dinner in the Kendall Room followed, during which Emma Cannings (L 95) gave an impromptu and very entertaining speech.

In the Schools Meeting at Bisley in July, the first since 2019, Uppingham came 2nd in the Schools Pairs (Alister Wong, West Bank Lower Fifth and Reeve Lim, School House Upper Sixth), and 4th in the Ashburton Fours, showing great promise for the future. The Veterans match on the 14th of July was held on a swelteringly hot evening after the ranges had been cleared for shooting following the heath wildfires on Stickledown. The UVRC A team had an unusually disappointing shoot in tricky wind conditions and came a disappointing 19th place, the B team placed 4th in their group and the C team 12th. Chris Watson (M 92) came 5th in the Schools Veterans Tankard with an excruciatingly close 49.9. The AGM was later held after a BBQ in the Old Sergeants’ mess.

During the Meeting, a team of five OUs won the Marlingham Trophy with other notable achievements including James Watson (L 88) coming 8th in the Daily Mail and 10th in the Daily Telegraph. Ant Ringer (B 79) was 7th in the Conan Doyle, and 5th in the Saturday Aggregate. John Webster (C 70) came 8th in the St George’s Final, with Simon Belither (L 71) 13th, Ant Ringer 36th, Chris Watson 49th, Simon Osmond (WB 85) 53rd and James Watson 59th. Seven OUs made the top 200 of the Grand Aggregate, Ant Ringer 15th, Chris Watson 44th, James Watson 55th, Simon Osmond 68th, Simon Belither 82nd, John Webster 119th, Reg Curtis (F 76) 177th. In the Queen’s Final, Chris Watson came 28th, Ant Ringer 41st, Simon Belither 42nd, and James Watson 75th.

In the international matches, Ant Ringer shot for England and Chris Watson for Wales in the National, Chris Watson coached the Welsh team in the MacKinnon, and shot for Great Britain in the victorious Kolapore Team.

Looking forward to next year, James Watson has been selected for the GB Rifle Team to South Africa, touring in March 2023, with Chris Watson selected as a reserve.

OU Masonic Lodge

By Adrian Lewthwaite (M 76)

Celebration events for the Old Uppinghamian Lodge Centenary 1921-2021 were finally able to take place, a year late due to Covid, the main event being a Centenary Dinner held at Uppingham in the Memorial Hall this September.

We were honoured with The Headmaster’s attendance, along with the Chair of Trustees, Barbara Matthews (SH 73). Guests were invited to a short talk on the history of the Lodge, given by Clive Burton (WB 54) and on the School, not an easy task for Michael Harrison (WB 57) who managed to cover 438 years in under 30 minutes.

The Headmaster unveiled a new stone plaque, mounted alongside The Masons’ Gates, to mark the anniversary and, following short speeches by Dr Maloney and Barbara Matthews, guests were invited to take their seats in the Memorial Hall for dinner. Over 70 guests were in attendance.

As part of the Centenary, we increased our annual donation made to the School’s Bursary Fund; and also launched a Centenary Whisky, a very special and unique cask strength 12-year-old whisky, which was donated by Simon Mercer (SH 79). This will be sold to both masons and OUs over the next few years, with the expectation of the proceeds generating a significant donation to the Bursary Fund.

The Lodge never passes up the opportunity to hold a party, so we decided to hold a second celebration at The Cavalry & Guards Club. This proved to be another popular event and we managed to fill the largest of the venue’s dining rooms, The Peninsular Room, with a good turnout of masons from 11 of our sister public schools’ lodges.

Information about the Lodge can be found on our website oulodge4227.org, along with photos of the Centenary and two rather intriguing videos, made at the School 55 years apart: ‘From Uppingham, with love’, a comedy sketch filmed by pupils and staff in School House during the early 1960s, is in stark contrast to ‘An aerial view of Uppingham’, which was filmed in 2020 and shows the School from the skies of Rutland.

Whilst there is a waiting list to join the Lodge, we will find a way to fit any newcomers in, and I would also like to extend an invitation to any OUs wishing to attend one of our regular dinners held in the London Clubs; do please contact me on Adrian.Lewthwaite@btinternet.com / 07961 014 890.

OU Sailing

By Christopher ‘Kit’ Balls (WB 07)

On a sunny Sunday at the beginning of May, four sea dogs met at the Queen Mary Reservoir to compete in the ATYRA J80 Regatta and race against other school alumni. The OU team, in the form of Jo Cave (Fd 89), Steven Parker (Fgh 98), Henry Arnold (F 01) and Christopher ‘Kit’ Balls (WB 07), spanned more than two decades of Uppingham experience.

After meeting at the clubhouse, we headed down to the boat to hoist the sails, unfurl the spinnaker and head out on to the reservoir. Variable winds were expected, and we knew that tactics would have to change throughout the day. Race One was a little chaotic as everyone got into the swing of understanding the design of the boat. After a conservative start in the first race where Uppingham came third, having set off last, we realised that we needed to be more aggressive.

In the subsequent races, our performance improved and, expertly helmed by Henry, we won the subsequent five races, and were crowned overall winners of the competition. Following the races, we celebrated with Champagne and pork pies supplied by David Gavins (LH 73). It was a fantastic day all round and enjoyed by all.

The 2022 Arrow Trophy Competition also took place on 1st and 2nd October. Due to content deadlines for the magazine, we are unable to publish the results here, however a full report is available to read on the OU website.

If there are any OU sailors – novice or expert – who would like to get involved in OUSA regattas, David Gavins (LH 73) would love to hear from you. Please contact david.gavins@btinternet.com to get involved.

L to R: Steven Parker (Fgh 98), ‘Kit’ Balls (WB 07), Henry Arnold (F 01) and Jo Cave (Fd 89).

The Uppingham Rovers Cricket Club

By Hedley Stroud (L 68)

The Rovers team beat Bedford in the first round of the Cricketer Cup held on 12th June, however they were narrowly defeated by a strong Cranleigh side in their second-round match held on 24th June – a disappointing result as the team ran them very close and nearly got over the line.

OU Shoot

The OU annual shoot is generally held in November each year with a celebratory get-together the night before. Any OUs interested in hearing about future events should contact Julian Tolhurst (C 86) at julian.tolhurst@apatchy.co.uk.

This summer’s tour was blessed with good weather and was enjoyable for all those involved, with a good contingent of the 2022 leavers coming down to enjoy the cricket played.

The full summary of the match results is available via the QR code on the OU website.

OU Merchandise

The School Shop has a new range of new OU merchandise, including; hoodies, caps, beanies and t-shirts as well as the traditional ties and gifts.

The full range is available to view via the School’s website (Search: school-shop-online-orders)

Wear the OU colours with pride

OU Cricketer Cup team, in their match versus Bedford.

L to R: Julian Tolhurst (C 86), David Tinney (WB 84), Will Streeter (Hf 86), Neil Kennedy (Hf 59), Simon Bray (Fgh 86), Rupert Brown (WD 86), Alex Hoctor-Duncan (H 85) and Julian Sykes (SH 86).

Plans for Uppingham’s Iconic Pavilion

Cricket is one of the emblematic sports of Uppingham, played by generations of pupils for more than 200 years. The earliest recorded match was in 1815 when the Stamford News reported that:

‘On Friday last a cricket match was played at Uppingham between 11 young gentlemen of that school and the same number of Oakham School which was won by the latter at one innings, the Oakham single innings being 89 and the Uppingham two innings being only 36.’

Not a great start to lose in such a fashion, though as the match was played on October 16th, there may have been extenuating circumstances! From 1851 cricket became a weekly sport at the School and by 1855, in the early years of Edward Thring’s tenure as headmaster, Uppingham took on and beat Oundle ‘handsomely’. The new headmaster had a view that sport inculcated the qualities of ‘manliness and a sense of fair play and toleration’ and so cricket, athletics and football flourished in the ensuing years.

Uppingham’s cricketers were highly successful in the Victorian era, seemingly beating the MCC on a regular basis, and it remained a thriving sport into the 20th century. Post-WWI years saw Uppingham’s brightest cricket star APF ‘Percy’ Chapman (H 1914) dominate school cricket before going on to lead England in an Ashes series in 1926. Meanwhile, shortly after Chapman left school, the Trustees decided that the 1864 pavilion on the Upper was no longer fit for purpose and a new facility, which all cricketing OUs will no doubt remember fondly, opened in 1923. The 20th century Upper provided a perfect backdrop to the sport at the School for many decades but as time has wearied its façade, so have the expectations of

both boys’ and girls’ cricket risen and in 2018 the decision was made to improve the facilities on the Upper.

Meeting the needs of the local planners, Historic England, cricket coaches, players and the ECB was a challenge, not to mention that the building is now Grade II listed.

There are limits as to what can be done to both the exterior and interior, not just in terms of gaining the relevant permissions but in respect of the steepling costs for renovation and construction projects these days. Our aim is to find the best solution which provides our cricketers with fantastic facilities and at the same time ensuring best value for our many supporters. Ideally, we will endeavour to bring back some of the much-loved aspects of the building in its glory days – such as the balcony, the scoreboard and fenced terrace and provide a modern solution which fully respects the heritage of cricket at Uppingham.

If you’d like to know more about plans for the Upper please contact Patrick Mulvihill or Helen White in the Foundation office on foundation@uppingham.co.uk

Cricket Pavilion, 1924

From Our OU Correspondent

The OU School for Life network spans all corners of the globe, with over 12% of our total community living and working overseas. In this issue, we are delighted to share advice and knowledge gained from OUs’ experiences of living in a variety of destinations around the world.

For anyone thinking of visiting or relocating overseas, the OU network can offer you support and contacts through your onward journey and can help you make the most of that special Uppingham connection.

1. Argentina

Sam Hatt (F 99)

Arriving with some Argentine or Rioplatense Spanish is recommended. With a few phrases and impassioned gesticulations you’ll blend in and will be mingling with the amiable locals in no time.

Obtaining a tourist visa for 90 days is easy and (usually) extended for another 90 days with a day-trip dash to Uruguay. Administration is an Argentine obsession and securing a work visa takes a bit more patience, often the expertise of an immigration consultant will speed up proceedings.

Inflation in Argentina is eye-watering and the devaluation of the peso is devastating for those earning in the currency. However, if you are coming with foreign currency you are quids in.

Socialising is a fundamental part of Argentine culture, friends get together on a weekly basis to eat or play sports, and it is commonplace on Sundays to enjoy an asado (BBQ) all afternoon with family and friends.

Buenos Aires is the country’s metropolis and capital; however Cordoba, Mendoza and Salta are small but handsome provincial cities surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Life in these cities is satisfying and slower than the capital, and life beyond these in the country’s vast and varied topography, can be isolated, but can offer unforgettable experiences,

whether that be in the high Andes, the windswept Patagonia of the south, the great waterfalls of Iguazu, or the prairies of the Pampas.

2. Australia

Simon Walker (WB 84)

Australia, still the land of opportunity! After completing my A-Levels in 1989, I went in search of surf, sun and sand, deferring my place at university and spending the majority of my gap year in Australia. I ultimately didn’t return to the UK, attended university in Australia before embarking on a 25-plusyear career in Cybersecurity working for US companies across the Asia Pacific region whilst living south of Sydney.

There are lots of opportunities to pursue careers based out of Australia that involve close working relationships across countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan and India, to name a few. Some of the top graduate employers in Australia span a variety of industries, including banking, retail, mining, technology, Government, accountancy and management consulting. Examples of these top graduate employers according to gradaustralia.com.au include: Westpac Banking Corporation, Unilever, BHP, Google Australia, Amazon, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, PWC and Deloitte.

If you are looking to live and work in Australia, I would suggest initially exploring a couple of avenues. Firstly,

apply for graduate roles, taking into account who the major employers are and the qualifications and industries where demand is high. In addition to Gradaustralia, The Australian Financial Review provides some useful insights: top-graduate-employers-2022.afr.com

Secondly, consider a working/holiday visa and apply for an internship. Internships are a great way to get a foot in the door and gain local experience. There are many visa options available with a variety of conditions; this website is a good starting point: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/ getting-a-visa/visa-finder

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or are seeking advice on studying, living or working in Australia. Email: siwalk7070@gmail.com or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ simon-walker-416454

3. Canada Christopher Stops (Hf 04)

I graduated with a Bachelors in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Hertfordshire in 2013. During my degree course, I completed a placement year that had me working in an underground coal mine in Australia as a Systems Engineer. From then on I was always really interested in industrial automation.

Since graduating I have lived in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, about

Our thanks to all of our contributors for their assistance in putting this feature together.

two-hours west of Toronto, with my wife, Gillian and 2-year-old twins, Alistair and Charlotte. This area is the largest tech cluster in North America. I have spent a large proportion of my career to date in the autonomous, mobile robots space, and most recently I joined ATS Automation as a Systems Engineering Group Lead where I’m focusing on system design of manufacturing assembly lines predominantly in the EV automotive sector.

One thing I love about Canada is all the opportunities for outdoor activities at all times of the year, with summers camping and winters snowboarding. Immigrating to Canada wasn’t without its challenges, it’s a tricky road through work visas and permanent residency but eventually (last year) I was finally issued my Canadian passport!

4. Czech Republic

Tomas Studenik (M 93)

Czechs are a very open-minded, classless and atheist blend of Slavic, Celtic and Germanic genes living in a ten-millionstrong country in the heart of Europe. We are very inclusive as well as reclusive. Our dream destination is a cosy wooden mountain lodge far away from everyone but not too far away from a supermarket.

The place to stay and live is Prague, often ranked among the top five nicest cities in the world. Cost of living lies between that of Lisbon and Madrid. It can get busy

with Brits stag-partying in Summer, but is full of charm and magic in the Spring and Autumn. Prague offers the best deals for opera lovers, baroque aficionados and Franz Kafka worshippers. A famous Czech film director, Miloš Forman, shot his 11 Oscar-winning Amadeus entirely on location in Prague.

An EU member state, the Czech Republic is quickly gathering speed in terms of ease of doing business. A company can be set up within days with no initial capital. There is a vibrant start-up scene with a couple of unicorns operating globally. Artificial Intelligence seems to be the buzzword right now at rooftop meetups for the growing international entrepreneurial community.

On a practical note, what might surprise you? Virtually everyone speaks some English. Tea is served with a slice of lemon instead of milk. As in Japan and other Asian countries, you are expected to take your shoes off when visiting friends at home. So put on a dazzling pair of fresh socks each time you go out :-)

Insider tip: Ask to go mushroom picking. You will be surprised what is edible.

5. Kenya Taro Croze (LH 12)

Hi everyone, I’m Taro and I am Kenyan-born and raised. I did my A levels at Uppingham from 2016-2018 and loved my time there. I am still in touch with many of my friends with

whom I became close whilst boarding, even though I live on another continent! I have been working in the safari industry for four years, all over Kenya managing high-end tented camps and lodges. Kenya is a beautifully diverse and incredible country, the people are some of the most hospitable you will ever meet.

Nairobi, the capital city, is a mixing pot of culture and unique experiences to be had, however, the real gems of Kenya are the true wilderness and protected areas where I have been lucky enough to live for the last four years. When you come to Kenya, be sure to visit Laikipia, the Maasai Mara, and definitely the coast!

6. New Zealand

Amanda Dickens (Fd 97)

‘Kia Ora’ from Auckland, I have been living and working in Aotearoa (New Zealand) for almost four years now. We moved here as a quality of life decision – out here I see my children more, get out to the wilderness, swim in the ocean and get to be more relaxed. People in NZ prioritise life over living, the work environment in medicine and business is more relaxed, there are far less processes and protocols, and there’s a more informal senior management vibe (less hierarchical). I could count on one hand how many people I have seen in a tie!

New Zealand is becoming increasingly bilingual in business and public places; for example, being able to introduce yourself in Maori is an expected formality in many companies.

There are two main centres of business and culture: Auckland and Wellington, with a significant rivalry between them. Both are expensive for housing. There are many beautiful places to live here, I can only work in Auckland for my career –paediatrician specialising in nephrology – but we would ideally live in a smaller town, for example, Queenstown or Nelson.

Are there negatives? The cost of living is high here and salaries are not. I was surprised by the lack of regional transport other than flying, which is the main transport around the country. The other main shock was the lack of central heating. We are a long way from the UK, especially in a pandemic, but if you can get over that, it really is an amazing place to bring up a family.

School for Life

7. Norway Charlie August (C 97)

I graduated from the University of Bath back in 2007 with a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering, and then joined a graduate programme for an engineering consultancy, getting a taste for various industrial sectors. A few years later I moved to GE, part of which became Baker Hughes, and spent several years in product management before moving through commercial and into project management.

I’m currently leading some of our first carbon capture and storage projects in Europe, delivering capture equipment to clusters of industrial emitters and developing new offshore injection sites. As part of the role, I’ve taken the opportunity to relocate to Stavanger in Norway. Stavanger is a hub for the oil and gas sector that made Norway what it is today, but it’s quickly becoming the centre of the ‘energy transition’ as large investment comes into offshore wind and carbon capture and storage.

Getting used to the social aspects of Norway takes a little while; they are certainly more direct, but also more community focused, and prioritise home life in balance to work. In terms of living here, it is true that it’s very expensive, but with easy access to some of the best natural landscapes in the world, it’s a winner in all seasons. If anyone has the opportunity to spend some time here then I’d highly recommend it.

8. USA – Los Angeles David Sawyer (Hf 77)

After a gap year I moved to Chicago in 1984 to study photography, moved to NYC in ’86, London for six months in ‘87, Milan for a year and back to NYC in ’88. I lived and raised children there until moving to Charleston in ’15,

back to NYC in ’17 and finally now in LA as of ’21. Next Lisbon in ‘23…

Literally NYC is “if you can make it there you can make it anywhere,” tough, but worth it! Charleston is a fun city, but it’s still the south! LA is exactly as advertised, sunny, laid back, but super fun, great food, probably better than NYC right now. The USA is not the same place as when I arrived, but it’s still worth checking out – if you can live and work here for a while, it’s definitely worth the life experience.

9. USA – New York Brooks Ticzon (LH 03)

I have lived and worked in the NYC/NJ area since 2005 as a project manager for a property management firm and entrepreneur. I also volunteer at a few churches – my favourite being the Basilica of Old St Patrick’s Cathedral, with its community of exceptional individuals.

NYC is dominated by the Finance, Theatre, Art, Tech, Real Estate and Fashion industries plus a booming start-up sector involving these fields and other areas such as Music, Photography and Architecture. Develop your network from the industry you work in, or your hobbies and local community by being honest, upfront and kind. Leverage your network to find the best spots in NYC –they are countless and there’s something for everyone.

The Metropolitan Museum on the Upper East Side is nice but check out Fraunces Tavern in FiDi. Battery Park City offers great views of the sunsets and the Statue of Liberty. Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall are classics for music but check out Brooklyn Monarch, Gramercy Theater, Irving Plaza and Terminal 5 for a great time. Should you need more information, reach out to me via the School for Life team.

Making the Most of that Uppingham Connection

The School for Life Programme offers support for all matters career-related. Visit the OU website for more information and please don’t hesitate to get in touch for an informal discussion. Email schoolforlife@uppingham.co.uk

10. Vietnam Anna Champion (L 95)

‘Xin chao’ from Vietnam! We moved to Ho Chi Minh City in February 2020 – possibly the worst timing to move to a new country despite this, my whole family believes hands down that Vietnam is the best place we have lived.

Every new arrival has stood on the pavement questioning how on earth they are ever going to get across to the other side of the road. Tentatively stepping out only to have scooters zooming past in every direction centimeters away, piled high with things that it doesn’t seem even comprehensible to carry. A few months on, you will be happily loading up your own scooter with the whole family and driving confidently.

Expats tend to settle in either Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, however, increasingly, people are attracted by some of the more seaside/countryside locations.

You need to be aware of strict immigration rules – currently you need a minimum of three years’ experience and a degree in a field related to your occupation additionally a work permit to HCMC doesn’t automatically guarantee the same in Hanoi and vice versa.

The future is bright in Vietnam; it is a fast-developing country and the business outlook, despite an intense Covid experience last year, is positive.

Manufacturing – anything from furniture to apparel – is a major source of the economy. Hospitality also plays a major part but just about any other industry is building in its presence.

Learning the language is pretty tough but being able to speak a few words is highly appreciated.

There is so much to explore and understand in this incredible country and it’s a lot easier to live here than many expect!

David Gavins (LH 73) Antonia Bowdler OU Ambassador School for Life Coordinator

Food, Glorious Food

Shamil Thakrar (LH 85)

www.dishoom.com

With restaurants in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, as well as London locations of Carnaby, Covent Garden, Kensington, King’s Cross, Shoreditch, and Canary Wharf opening soon, Shamil’s sophisticated venues, all with their own unique style, offer delicious food and drinks. Dishoom pays homage to the Irani cafés of Bombay, where people of any culture, class or religion could take cool refuge from the street with a cup of chai, a simple snack or a hearty meal.

Soak up the atmosphere in any of Dishoom’s restaurants and enjoy the food of all Bombay.

Robert Gough (LH 79)

Owner of three award-winning restaurants, The Eaterie @ The Angel Hotel in Bury St Edmunds, The Eaterie @ The Salthouse Harbour Hotel and The Boardwalk Restaurant on Southwold Pier, Robert offers his guests perfect culinary experiences, inspired by local ingredients, in spectacular settings. Whether you’re catching up with friends for tea, treating your family to lunch, enjoying a special evening à deux, or simply in the locality on the spur of the moment – you’re assured of a wonderful meal.

King’s Cross Shoreditch

Photo credit: John Carey

Perhaps it’s because OUs are known for their gregarious and hospitable nature that so many go in to the restaurant and hospitality trades. Whatever the reason, we are delighted to feature a range of eateries around the UK which are run by OUs. So, if you’re planning a day trip or staycation in the UK, why not visit one of these great venues for a drink, something to eat or even stay a night (or two).

The Boardwalk Restaurant, Southwold www.southwoldpier.co.uk

Simon Thomas (WD

78) www.hippodromecasino.com

Voted the Best Steak House in London and threetime winner of Best Casino Restaurant at the British Casino Awards, Heliot Steak House at the Hippodrome Casino has become a West End legend.

The Hippodrome has just celebrated its 10th anniversary and, while the core business is the three casino gaming floors, the restaurant serving Heliot’s prime USDA steaks has an equally important role to play in the experience offered to guests as the roulette wheels, the eight bars, the hit show Magic Mike Live and the new three-tier skyline terrace.

Charlie Anderson (LH 82) www.laraza.co.uk

If you’re out and about in Cambridge – day or night – then Charlie has just the venues for you.

La Raza, a tapas restaurant and bar in the heart of Cambridge, serves seasonally varying tapas from ingredients shipped in from Spain. With tables set along the historic Rose Crescent, dine al fresco and soak up the Cambridge atmosphere. After 10pm the venue transforms into a lively cocktail bar with DJs or live bands performing on most Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Sitting above La Raza, Pinch is a café and Spanish deli specialising in hot and cold pinchos with locally roasted coffee and a wide range of Spanish deli items including cheeses, cured meats and olives.

Also part of the La Raza umbrella, Ta Bouche opened its doors in 2005 and has gone on to become one of Cambridge’s most loved and well-known bars, specialising in cocktails. With a glass frontage that fully opens, Ta Bouche’s customers spill out onto Market Passage especially during summer nights.

Paul Milsom (Hf 77) www. milsomhotels.com

The five Milsom venues, located throughout Essex and Suffolk, are synonymous with luxurious, relaxed and friendly hotels which provide the perfect base to discover the local areas.

The venues offer a unique dining experience, as well as exquisite hotel accommodation, presenting stunning food created through a skilful mixture of the classic and the exciting, and outstanding service – well worth a visit.

Milsoms, Kesgrave Hall

Rick Stein (WD 60) www.rickstein.com

Probably the most well-known OU restaurateur, writer, television presenter and celebrity chef within OU hospitality circles, Rick Stein runs a number of renowned restaurants, shops and hotels in Padstow along with other restaurants in St Merryn, Newquay, Sandbanks, Marlborough, Winchester and Barnes. Served within a wide variety of beautiful venues, Rick’s menus celebrate the finest local ingredients and locally caught fish and seafood, offering dishes inspired by his worldwide travels.

www.ronniesbar.com

Ronnie’s Bar, in Warwick, takes the glamour of Southwest London, the bohemia of Soho and the effortless shabby chic of Shoreditch and transports it all to the quintessentially British town of Warwick.

‘Trev’ has created a modern, lively bar, with a mixture of indoor and outside spaces, where guests can kick back and enjoy a cocktail and live music. It was a perfect venue for the OU Midlands’ Drinks held in February this year!

David Lamyman (WD 79) www.thegintrapinn.co.uk

The Gin Trap, located only a stone’s throw from the scenic North Norfolk coast, is a 350-year-old coaching inn that excels as a fine dining destination within the informality of a pretty country pub, also providing an interesting mix of 16 ensuite bedrooms.

Whilst David owns the pub, the talented Gareth Rayner, pictured above, runs the kitchen. He comes from a 4 AA Rosettes background and presents recognisable dishes with flavours that combine perfectly. The pub aims to be one of the best in the country for dining, producing outstanding à la carte pub food, while the public bar also maintains its popularity with local farmers and fishermen in their wellington boots.

Scan the QR code to view a full directory of venues and their location.

If you are running your own hospitality venue and would like us to share details with the OU community in a future edition of the magazine, we’d love to hear from you, email ou@uppingham.co.uk

Rick Stein, Fistral, Newquay

Phil ‘Trev’ Baker (Fgh 77)

News from the Colonnade

Pupil numbers at Uppingham were at a record high, at 849, when term started this September, with 58% boys and 42% girls in the School.

The School announced it will be opening a new campus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2024. The project is being led by Patrick Mulvihill, International Development Director, who is also working on other overseas opportunities. The purpose of the international expansion is to raise funds in support of an endowment fund for bursaries at Uppingham. If you would like any further details, please feel free to contact Patrick on pdm@uppingham.co.uk

In November 2021, the School celebrated 200 years since the birth of The Reverend Edward Thring, with an exhibition of the influential Victorian headmaster’s life and a ceremonial tree planting in the arboretum.

In February, it was announced that Maidwell Hall Preparatory School, in Northamptonshire, and Uppingham would merge at the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year. The two schools are wholly aligned in their values and this merger builds on their longstanding relationship. Dr Richard Maloney commented: “Uppingham and Maidwell Hall have a shared educational ethos and vision. Fundamentally, at the heart of both of our schools is a belief in the importance of a holistic education for our pupils. There will be strength in our union.”

At the heart of Uppingham’s historic campus, bordered by the Chapel and Memorial Hall, the splendid Victorian architecture of the Colonnade has always been a central place for friends to gather, files and books to be abandoned and, in times gone by (before the advent of email), allowed staff and pupils to keep up-to-date with School notices. So, in ‘News from the Colonnade’ we bring you an update on School highlights from the past 12 months…

We are delighted to be able to offer prints of David Kirk’s latest painting ‘Uppingham Afternoon’ for sale to OUs. A bird’s-eye view of a part of Uppingham fondly remembered by everyone who has been to the School, the print is a companion piece to Uppingham at Dawn which we featured in 2017.

The print, at 63cm x 82cm, is available mounted for £220 (plus £10 UK p&p), with David making a donation of £80 per print sold in support of bursaries at Uppingham. A professional painter and current Head of History of Art at Uppingham, many OUs will recall David as Housmaster of Fircroft. His work has been exhibited at RONA Gallery, St

Uppingham would not be the school it is today without the incredible support and generosity from the OU community.

Created in 1999, the Foundation’s mission is to ensure pupils now, and in the future, have access to the best educational opportunities.

To find out more, please visit the brand new Foundation website at uppinghamfoundation.co.uk

For details of how to acquire your print, please email Helen Bradford at Uppingham on HPB@uppingham.co.uk

Music

Throughout the academic year from September 2021 to July 2022, 61 concerts, 35 evening events and 25 Lunchtime Concerts took place.

The ‘Celebration of Singing’ weekend, held in March, included talks and workshops with Dame Ann Murray and Iain Burnside, followed by the spectacular Concert Choir event.

A special concert was held in Chapel in honour of the late Jim Peschek, a true musical inspiration to generations of OUs for more than six decades.

James’s Gallery and the Langham Gallery and his immaculate, dynamic depictions of the strangely significant happenings set in the English Countryside are widely collected.

On Saturday 19th March ‘the old and the new’ music schools, located near the Buttery, were renamed in honour of two of Uppingham’s former Directors of Music – Robert Sterndale Bennett (1908-1945) and Dr Douglas Guest (1945-1950).

The Paul David Music School, named after Uppingham’s first ever Director of Music and the newest building to house music, opened in 2006.

L to R: Paul David, Robert Sterndale Bennett and Dr Douglas Guest.

Sport

Uppingham retained the Silver Boot trophy after the 1st XV achieved a superb win when they played Oundle at home on 27th November. 2021. The 1st XV hasn’t lost to Oundle since Dr Maloney joined as Headmaster in 2016.

thrilling Lower School performance of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’, the entertaining FairBank production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and the thought-provoking Lower Sixth performance of ‘Consent.’

After 23 years of teaching at Uppingham as Head of Keyboard, Alexis Ffrench has bid farewell to the School. Andrew Kennedy (F 90), Director of Music, commented: “We would like to thank Alexis for the incredible passion and energy that he has given to Uppingham music over the last two decades, and wish him every success for his international career as a classical soul artist and also in his exciting new role as the first ever Artistic Director of the ABRSM.

At a time when the music industry is under such immense pressure, and the number of young people studying musical instruments is falling, there has never been a more important time to engage with our young musicians in this country and around the world. Alexis has a wonderful opportunity to influence the way we teach and inspire future generations of musicians, and it is gratifying to know that one of Uppingham’s own has been awarded this platform. We look forward to following his onward career progression as chart-topping performer and musical influencer with immense pride.

The Routh record was broken by a member of the Upper Sixth, now an OU, William Lagesse (Hf 17) with an outstanding time of 28:57.

Do you remember your time treading the boards at Uppingham Theatre?

You can celebrate your love of the Uppingham Theatre by sponsoring a seat! Each seat can be sponsored for £250 which includes an inscribed plaque with your own chosen words. Please follow the link below for more information: olduppinghamian.co.uk/uppinghamfoundation/sponsor-a-seat

The cricket 1st XI were victorious over the Rovers, winning the June fixture by six wickets.

Enrichment

Renovations of The Lodge pond have progressed well, and it is now fully stocked with rainbow trout.

Drama

Theatre performances this year included a phenomenal production of ‘Working: A Musical’, the immersive physical theatre performance of ‘Beautiful Burnout’, the

Adeore Edwards (B 17) left Uppingham this summer and will be attending Mountview Drama School, gaining a rare place on their three-year BA Acting course.

If there is anything you would like to know about current Uppingham, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We would be delighted to hear from you.

Email ou@uppingham.co.uk