DEVELOPMENT ARCHIVES

This beautiful piece of needlework was designed and stitched by Nora Lingard to mark her two granddaughters’ ti e at Ackworth in the late 0s and early 0s. ora, born in , was taught to sew by an e broiderer fro

We caught up with Liz Ibbotson Ackworth Old Scholar, young female entrepreneur, mother, and wife, to see how life has been for her professional career since leaving Ackworth i was a pupil here at Ackworth School from the age of six to 16. After leaving Ackworth, Liz attended Leeds College of Art for A-Levels, foundation and a Degree course in Graphic Design with a focus on illustration. From there, she went straight into freelance work.

Liz describes her time at Ackworth School as “wonderful” and recalls the support she had for exploring a creative route when it was clear that she would not become an academic. This support would go on to give i the confidence to trust her own voice into her adult life.

One day whilst she was painting some furniture outside her house, a passer-by commented on her talents and how she could “make some money out of that” … i , having the self assured confidence she had developed, thought “perhaps can and whisked herself off to do a traditional upholstery course in Sheffield. Libbi Interiors was set up when Liz was 26 and her business has been snowballing from there, focusing on painted furniture that she sells on Etsy, upholstery for domestic and commercial use and auto upholstery for aircrafts and classic cars.

Libbi Interiors is currently working on projects such as a ord pickup truck and a oral fireside ar chair. The workshop often sees a range of products co e in and out next week they are expecting a Parker Knoll Sofa f you would like to get in touch with i at ibbi Interiors, her contact info is below.

07714 689 321 | libbiinteriors@gmail.com www.libbiinteriors.com www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LibbiInteriors @libbiinteriors

On 19th January, Ackworth School’s Old Scholar representatives made the trip down to London to meet with Old Scholars in the South of England. It was fantastic to see you all and to watch connections re-establish among the group. The average cohort was Old Scholars fro the 0s and 0s, however one Old Scholar had been at Ackworth during the 0s too.

One attendee stated that it was a great night Another quoted: “Thanks very much for organising last evening. It was an interesting event and was good to hear of the developments and to meet some fellow Old Scholars.”

Thank you to all those who attended and supported this event. t was great to see you We will hopefully be booking another London event in December 2023, so keep an eye out on the website and in the Summer edition of Ackworth Today.

In early November 2022 a large group of Friends and friends embarked on their annual weekend trip to Glenthorne Guest House in Grasmere, Cumbria, (now without Covid restrictions), kindly organised by Mike McRobert.

It’s been a long time since I went there as a child with my Old Scholar parents, on autumnal West Riding gatherings, family summer holidays, and latterly following my A levels as a support member of staff in the 0s, when the uest House was run by the Spinks. Much has changed, with the addition of en suite bathroo s, Wi i, coffee making facilities, a menu choice in the evening and even a wine list However, the great ethic still exists, with Quaker values, and friendly staff a guest’s co ent described Glenthorne as a ‘very calm, peaceful and restful place to stay.’

We all arrived on a late wet Friday afternoon to be greeted by warming beverages and a choice of tasty homemade biscuits and cakes. Conversation was buzzing as everyone exchanged the previous years’ events, old friends caught up and new acquaintances began. A delicious supper culminated with a fun evening organised by Anne TelfordKenyon, where quiz questions stretched brains and fortunately didn’t cause any long-standing disagreements.

Saturday began with a substantial choice of breakfast options, then Meeting, quickly followed by the dilemma of ‘what shall we do today?’. Walkers kitted themselves with waterproofs, sturdy boots, and maps, with the brave and intrepid setting off on a ore challenging walk, others, equally enthusiastic choosing a lower-level route. Both were

Catherine Mary Eatough (née Jenkins) sadly passed away in August last year after a short illness and shortly after her husband for ore than years, e . ary, as she was known, attended Ackworth fro to . Her experiences at Ackworth were treasured memories for her, and we heard many stories of her adventures at the school, particularly walking around the Green with the boys The friendships she ade were strong and lasted a lifetime. After her children had grown-up, she organised an annual weekend get together of Old Scholars for all or any of walking, drinking and no doubt sharing of memories. This was a tradition for nearly 20 years until willing minds were thwarted by not-so-willing bodies. Mary was a fantastic mum and granny. She was much loved, and is much missed by her family, her three sons, Nicholas, Jeremy and Jonathan and her seven grandchildren.

Robert Vincent (AS 1957 – 1962) sadly passed away 19th October 2022.

greeted with extremely wet conditions, not always pleasant, but sustained by the filling packed lunches provided by Glenthorne. Thank goodness for hot showers and a drying roo for soggy kit The rest of us chose a more leisurely alternative, with visits to Grasmere and Ambleside, shopping and garden centres, and the acclaimed ‘Lakeland’. The evening culminated with a highly entertaining ensemble with the hilarious Nici Fletcher-Causer and Trudy Seed keeping us amused with a selection of games.

Sunday morning followed the same format as Saturday. Although still wet, the autumnal beauty of the Lake District is breathtaking, and it’s impossible not to feel inspired by the dramatic scenery. The now traditional walk to the Wentworth’ for orning coffee was followed by yet another substantial meal at Glenthorne. Then time to pack up and say our goodbyes, until next year in November (or Easter at Ackworth). Such a great weekend, my deposit has already been paid for 2023

Karen Housden, Daughter of Keith Daniel (AOS 1950-55)

“Life began for me at this school”

Peter was born on 10th August, 1933, the son of Wolfgang and Lenke of Budapest. He arrived at Ackworth School as a refugee, aged 3, in Septe ber and left in July, . His address on arrival was given as the Penn Club in London. His daughter Peppa Eden-Shiomi wrote and told us that Peter had composed some of his eulogy. He said that his life began after escaping the war in Hungary with the aid of family members, and upon his arrival at Ackworth School. Twenty years ago, Peter visited the school with his wife when he acquired a school jumper with the school emblem on it. According to his daughter… “we discussed before his passing that he would be buried in his favourite jumper, and when that time came… I proudly had him dressed in it.”

Peter is pictured top, centre. 1949

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At the end of January 2023, Ackworth School’s PSA was finally able to launch the return of the annual Winter Ball. The evening was held at Wentbridge House Hotel and provided an elegant evening filled with dinner and dancing. Thank you to Hannah Phillip for being the driving force behind the event and thank you to all those who worked towards creating a wonderful evening, including the donations towards the raffle. We hope to see you next year!

FacultyHeads of Faculty Departments

Maths Emma Garland

Maths, Further Maths, whole school numeracy

English Rosie Whitham English Literature, English Language, whole school literacy

Science Christopher Bailey Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology

Humanities Heather Gordon Geography, History, RS, PSHE

Languages Annette Hull French, Spanish, EAL, native language exam entry

BEEP Laura Young Business, Economics, EPQ, Politics

Performance James Bower Drama, Music, PE

SEND Jon Phillips Learning Support and Autism Resource

FACT Sarah Rose Food, Art, Computing, Design Technology n an a a es owe ea he o o s at wo th hoo o ete n a tness event n an heste a e a es th s to a se one o the a an an e Trust Charity.

H O is a fitness race for everybody, no atter your fitness level. The race starts with a 1km run, followed by one functional movement. This whole circuit repeats eight times, taking place in a large indoor venue, creating a unique stadium like atmosphere.

Functional movements include:

» 1000m SkiErg

0 Sled push 0kg

0 Sled pull 00kg

0 urpee broad u ps

» 1000m Rowing

» 200m Farmers carry - 32kg

» 100m Sandbag lunges - 30kg

» 100 x Wall balls - 9kg n ove e ane en graduated from the n ve s t o e s e o ow n a two ea a t t e aste s o se

Ja es and his fa ily would like to thank all the staff and students who donated and raised over 00 for the ac illan ancer Trust.

Jane received a Master of Arts with distinction in Education (Special Educational Needs). Her dissertation investigated the sense of belonging and its impact on inclusion. Jane said that “the course was both challenging and rewarding and will support my role as a Specialist Teacher within the Autism Resource”.

Rachel Addison, Specialist ea n n ento w th n the Autism Resource, graduated in November from the University o e w th a aste o Science in Psychology.

Rachel said that “this degree has given me further insight into psychological theory links within educational practice, to better enable me to support the social, emotional and cognitive needs of the children that I work with.”

Natalie Coleclough School Nurse

Paul Donald Head of English

e a t e e t on st e an he a ee at Ackworth School in 2002 as the receptionist and would have celebrated 21 years of service in August!

Julie is heading into retirement with no plans except enjoying a bit of travelling with her husband, Kevin. Julie said: “I will miss everybody and I have really en oyed y ti e working here. ou will definitely be issed around Ackworth School Julie, by staff and pupils, and we all wish you a wonderful retire ent