With Heartfelt Thanks We are so very grateful to everyone who pledges their support to the School and would like to express our thanks to those who made a donation last year to the BMS Bursary Fund after receiving their summer issue of Eagle News. Every gift we receive really does make a difference to students, both collectively and individually, both now and in the future. If you would like to speak to someone about how you might wish to support BMS please contact Julie Ridge, Director of External Relations, at jridge@bedmod.co.uk or (01234) 332524.
Remembering BMS in Their Wills Legacies from two OBMs will be put to good use in very different ways in the coming months in line with the individual wishes of the benefactors.
Richard Wildman (1956-65) was the OBM Club Secretary and School Archivist from 1997 until 2016. Richard died in 2018. He left a sum of money to fund a prize in his father’s name, Sidney Victor Wildman, to be awarded to a sixth form student who intends to read chemistry or mechanical engineering at university. OBM Sidney Wildman (1932-39) MBE was himself a distinguished mechanical engineer. Secondly, and thanks to the efforts of Richard’s brother and OBM Stephen Wildman (1960-69), a fund also has been created to be used to benefit the School Archive. This is a most fitting tribute to Richard who was the dedicated guardian of BMS history for many years. The first project, which will begin this year, is to digitise all back copies of The Eagle. This will enable people to search for items and photographs easily and will increase efficiency as the Archivist will be able to respond to enquiries quickly and accurately. It shows the school’s commitment to preserving its history while at the same time making it more accessible than ever before. Students will, for the first time, be able to search archive material with ease and, it is hoped, the archive collection will become a valuable resource for all. There is then enough money left to support more work in the future which we will identify as the need arises.
18
Old Bedford Modernians’ Club
