Old Girls' Newsletter - Autumn 2017 by Bolton School Development Office

Bolton School OLD GIRLSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Issue Number 28 Autumn 2017

Shared memories and continued support

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

CONTENTS STAY IN TOUCH

BOLTON SCHOOL MERCHANDISE

WELCOME FROM THE HEADMISTRESS

WELCOME FROM THE OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION

CONTINUING SUPPORT

ALUMNI EVENTS CALENDAR

BOLTON SCHOOL WINE COLLECTION

SCHOOL NEWS

STAY IN TOUCH Connect with Old Girls and Old boys on the Bolton School Alumni Network: www.boltonalumninetwork.com. Download the app at the Apple and Google Play stores.

‘Like’ our Facebook page for event invitations, School news and memories: search Bolton School – Old Boys and Old Girls (Official)

School wins QAVS Award

Leavers celebrate with 90s theme

Recent Leavers’ Reunion

Mass for Peace

Jennie recreates an old treasure

Joint Production: Miss Saigon

Watch short films posted on our You Tube site: www.youtube.com/user/boltonschoolmedia

Read regular blogs from pupils and staff from across the campus: boltonschool.me/

EVENTS Alumni Regional Events

Connect with fellow Old Girls on LinkedIn: connect with Bolton School Alumni and join the Bolton School Group Follow Alumni and School news via Twitter: @BoltonSchAlumni / @BoltonSchool

The Bolton Alumni Network

Forthcoming Events

Follow bolton_school_foundation and use #BSAlumni to share your memories and photos

Old Girls Go Global

Inspiring the Next Generation

View photos of Alumni events at www.flickr.com/photos/bsalumni/albums

Old Girls in Faith

OLD GIRL FEATURES

Old Girl becomes UK’s Youngest Senior Coroner 16 Story of a Gown

Staff in the Spotlight

NEWS OF OLD GIRLS Old Girls’ News

Matches and Hatches

Mini Reunions

FROM THE ARCHIVES Ask the Archivist

Looking Back

LIVES REMEMBERED

IN MEMORIAM

Visit the Old Girls and Old Boys section of the School website at www.boltonschool.org for event photos, Alumni career profiles, news of Old Girls, an up-to-date events calendar, to update your contact details and more. CONTACT US Development Office Bolton School Chorley New Road Bolton BL1 4PA T: 01204 434718 E: development@boltonschool.org THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM Laura Firth Head of Development Carol Haslam Old Girls’ Liaison Officer Frances Johnson Development Assistant Kathryn O’Brien Alumni and Development Assistant Jenny Salerno Development Officer

Bolton School Merchandise

Bolton School photo frame

School has an Online Merchandise Store, selling all of the items previously sold through the Development Office, and many more. A variety of items are available for purchase, from Old Girl pin badges to Bolton School pens, iPad cases and photo frames.

Bolton School bag Bolton School Snugg iPad case

All profits made from the sale of merchandise go directly to the School Bursary Fund, which helps make a Bolton School education open to all academically gifted pupils, irrespective of their family’s financial situation.

Bolton School pens

Orders are usually delivered within five working days, and overseas delivery is available. To order your items, please visit www.boltonschoolmerchandise.org or call 08450 504015

WELCOME FROM THE HEADMISTRESS This year’s Presentation Evening was held slightly earlier than usual to enable more girls about to head off to university to attend. Our guest speaker, Old Girl (19771984) and digital entrepreneur Ingrid Murray, gave the girls, parents and staff plenty of food for thought. I was particularly pleased that she told the girls that they need to make their own money – an important reminder when celebrity magazines suggest that marrying well is all a young woman needs to do in order to get on in the world. Ingrid then had the girls hugging one another in the aisles as she paid tribute to the life-long friends she made while at Bolton School. Thank you, Ingrid, for your wise words and wonderful company over the course of the evening! I was honoured to attend, along with Mr Michael Griffiths, Chairman of Governors, and Mrs Sophie Entwistle, Head of Community Action across the Foundation, the presentation at Gorton Monastery of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. We were presented with a beautiful (and heavy) glass trophy which I hope will be displayed in the Riley Centre. We believe we are the first school in the country to receive this award, which is a tribute to all the Old Girls who were so active in their volunteering whilst at

School. Thank you for all that you have contributed to community action over the years, recognising the need to ‘extend to others that which we so richly enjoy’. I also attended the launch of the ISC’s second brochure on State and Independent School partnerships. The Rt Hon Justine Greening MP paid tribute to the many such collaborations and Bolton School was celebrated for our work with primary schools. We have also been engaged in setting up the first state/independent school national SCITT (school-centred initial teacher training) in Modern Foreign Languages and will shortly be doing the same in Maths and Physics. If any Old Girl is interested in training to become a teacher in these subjects, do get in touch: you could find yourself back in the classroom at Bolton School! Finally, you may be aware that there will be new rules regarding data in force from May 2018 – accordingly, the Development Office will shortly be contacting all Old Girls to ask you to ‘actively consent’ for School to be in touch with you. I do hope that you will say ‘yes’ as I would hate anyone to lose touch in the future.

Sue Hincks Headmistress

WELCOME FROM THE OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION How things change, yet remain the same. This saying was never so true as my experience at the ‘7’ Class Reunion in May. This was my leaving year’s reunion and I was absolutely delighted to meet up with many of my contemporaries, some of them “girls” I have known since our first days at primary school. We hadn’t changed too much! Sadly, I didn’t manage to catch up with everyone whose names I had seen on the attendance list and I’m sorry that we missed each other. Perhaps we will meet this year at one of the Alumni regional dinners, which are always convivial and friendly gatherings. If you haven’t been to an event yet, why not take a look at the calendar, contact members of your year/form and arrange to meet to rekindle those friendships and join us to celebrate everything that is special about Bolton School? Please do get in touch with us or arrange for a group of friends to meet and join us, you are welcome at any or all of the venues where a lovely evening awaits you, emphasising the strength of the enduring friendships formed at Bolton School.

The Old Girls’ Association’s committee continues to try to support charities and the School’s own Bursary Fund. If you have a particular cause or charity that you would like to nominate for our support please contact me and we will consider how we could help. Similarly, if you could be involved with the committee in any way do let us know. We appreciate that you may be unable to commit to regular attendance at meetings, but any help and assistance with events is appreciated, whilst new ideas for fundraising or social activities are always welcome. I look forward to speaking again with those who regularly attend Association events, and also to those who have not been in contact with School recently. On behalf of the OGA, I extend you a very warm welcome and encourage you to get in touch: we would love to meet you.

Laura Henthorn (née Carless, 1970-1977) Chairman – Bolton School Old Girls’ Association

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

CONTINUING SUPPORT ‘Giving Back’ remains one of the core tenets of the School’s ethos, and one which is taken seriously by both current and former pupils alike. Old Girls regularly support the next generation of Girls’ Division pupils by returning to School to speak and offer advice, whilst the School’s recent receipt of the hugely prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises the sustained commitment to volunteering and community service made by members of the current School community. Many Old Girls also choose to ‘Give Back’ by offering their financial support to the Bursary Fund, in recognition of the opportunities their time at the School provided for them. The Bursary Fund was established over 20 years ago by the School’s Governing Body to ensure that the open access experienced during the Direct Grant and Assisted Places eras, from which thousands of Alumni benefited, was able to be enjoyed by subsequent generations of Bolton School pupils. This foresight has allowed the School to build a Bursary Fund of £25 million, making the School’s bursary scheme one of the most generous in the country, with one in five pupils across both Senior Schools receiving financial support for their education. Yet despite this success, the School is unable to meet the demand for bursarial support from bright and talented children who would otherwise thrive here. The 100 Campaign for Bursaries was launched in 2015, during the School’s centenary year, to try to bridge this gap. Its ambitious, long-term aim is to double the size of the Bursary Fund, in order to replicate the open access last enjoyed at Chorley New Road during the Direct Grant era. With the support of Old Girls of all ages, so far the 100 Campaign has raised £3.69m towards this stretching target. Old Girl Fiona Ashworth (1974-1984) received a Direct Grant during her time at the School. After reading Law at the University of Leeds, she was subsequently called to the Bar and specialised in chronic pain cases. She is now the Head of the Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence department of Kings Chambers. She sits as a Recorder in crime, in civil and on serious sex offences. Fiona was an external examiner for City Law School and MMU for six years and sat on the Legal Aid Appeals Committee for 15 years. She is the Patron of Burning Nights, a charity that supports and campaigns on behalf of sufferers of CRPS.

She has attended the Pain Summit at Westminster and addressed the British Pain Society’s 50th Annual conference. Fiona chose to support the 100 Campaign for Bursaries in order that future generations of Bolton School pupils might be offered the same opportunities she herself enjoyed. Fiona writes: “I am eternally grateful for the support that I received from Bolton School. Not only did they pay for my fees, but also my uniform, bus fares and lunches. It was done with such grace that I was not even aware of the extent of the generosity until years later when I was looking through my mother’s papers. I have no doubt that anything that I may have achieved has been in large part to the foundations that were laid whilst at School. I am very happy to reciprocate to encourage girls who would not otherwise have access to this wonderful education.” If you would like to pledge your support to the 100 Campaign, whether that be by making a regular donation to the Bursary Fund, or by remembering the School in your will, then please contact Laura Firth in the Development Office, either by calling 01204 434718, or by emailing development@boltonschool.org.

The extensive bursarial support that the School is able to provide for current pupils is due in large part to the sustained generosity of our Old Girls and Old Boys, who take seriously the School’s enduring ethos of ‘Giving Back’. Thank You, sincerely, to all those donors who have supported the Bursary Fund this year, and in the past: your gifts will ensure that the School continues to offer an outstanding education to the brightest and the best children in the North West.

ALUMNI EVENTS CALENDAR 2017 Sunday 5th November

Girls’ Division Parents’ Association Firework Display

Girls’ Division Netball Courts/Dining Room, 5pm

Friday 10th November

Armistice Memorial Service and Old Girls’ Lunch

Girls’ Division Great Hall, 10am Arts Centre, 12 noon

Friday 24th November

Alumni Oxford Dinner

St Anne’s College, 7pm

Monday 18th December

Ceremony of Carols

Girls’ Division Great Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 2nd February

Alumni Cambridge Dinner

Gonville and Caius College, 7pm

Wednesday 7th February

Old Girls’ Lunch

Arts Centre, 12 noon

Friday 2nd March

Alumni London Dinner

The Royal Society, 7pm

Saturday 21st April

‘8’ Class Reunion

Bolton School, 11am-4pm

Friday 4th May

Alumni Scottish Dinner

University of Edinburgh, 7pm

Wednesday 6th June

Old Girls’ Lunch and AGM

Arts Centre, 12 noon

Monday 11th June

Alumni Networking Event

Manchester Art Gallery

Saturday 16th June

Bolton School Ball

AJ Bell Stadium

Friday 29th June

Alumni Cumbria Dinner

Lindeth Howe Hotel, 7pm

2018

To reserve your ticket for any of our Alumni events, please call the Development Office on 01204 434718, email development@boltonschool.org or visit the ‘Former Pupils’ Section of the School website (www.boltonschool.org), where you can book online. For Ceremony of Carols tickets, please contact the Headmistress’ PA, Hannah Caulfield, by emailing hcaulfield@boltonschool.org or by telephoning 01204 840201.

Corrections On Page 7 of the Spring 2017 edition, we attributed a maiden name and years at School to guest speaker Dr Suzannah Lipscomb. Dr Lipscomb is not an Old Girl of the School and we apologise for this error. In the same edition, our list of the destinations of recent leavers stated that Jaimee Patel is now reading Actuarial Science at City University London. Jainee-Khushali Patel is actually studying this subject at Cass Business School and we apologise for publishing both her name and her destination incorrectly.

The Bolton School Wine Collection The Bolton School Wine Collection, launched by The Girls’ Division Parents’ Association to mark the 100/500 anniversaries, is an exclusive wine selection carefully selected in partnership with T Wright Wine of Horwich. There are six wines in the collection, all priced at £9.95 per bottle: a Pinot Grigio, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Shiraz, a Merlot and a White Zinfandel. Wines are available by the case (six bottles) at a discounted price of £56.75 in any bottle combination you would like. Delivery is free (minimum order one case) throughout the Bolton area, and all profits will be donated to the 100 Campaign for Bursaries. For more information please e-mail bsfwines2015@gmail.com or to place your order, please visit www.twrightwine.co.uk/13030

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

SCHOOL NEWS School Wins Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Bolton School has won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) 2017. This unique UK national honour was created by The Queen in 2002 to mark the occasion of her Golden Jubilee, recognising excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community. It is the highest accolade given to local volunteer groups and is the equivalent of an MBE for an individual. A letter from the QAVS Service Team to the

School said: “The work your group does for the community was very much admired by the independent Assessment Committee, chaired by Sir Martyn Lewis CBE and I am delighted to inform you that your group has been selected as a recipient for The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2017. The award represents a tremendous achievement for your organisation.” Headmistress Sue Hincks commented: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award, which reflects the wide range of community activities that our pupils are involved with – from our Infants singing for local older residents to our Sixth Formers committing thousands of hours of their time to voluntary service.”

‘90s theme for Leavers’ Day

Year 13 pupils returned to the decade in which they were born as they said a fond farewell to Bolton School with a fun-filled day of decorations, fancy-dress and shared memories. Members of the Addams Family rubbed shoulders with the Spice Girls, Ali G, Harry Potter and the Super Mario Brothers. The Sixth Formers had also decorated the

School’s corridors into a fantastic array of ‘90s-themed areas, taking inspiration from The Addams Family, Titanic, Friends and a host of other TV shows and films. The Year 13 pupils enjoyed reminiscing over ice cream on the netball courts and a mass game of rounders before heading into the Arts Centre for a special farewell lunch.

Recent Leavers’ Reunion Members of the Class of 2016 shared with current Year 12 pupils their experiences of the first year of student life. A large panel of ‘new’ Old Girls and Old Boys expanded on lessons they had learnt in the twelve months since leaving School, addressing a range of topics including accommodation, budgeting, the importance of diet, joining clubs and activities, choosing the right friends and the benefits of a gap year. Recent leavers returned to School to give current pupils the benefit of their experience

Afterwards there was chance to chat and reminisce with friends and to catch up with former teachers.

Mass for Peace at Bolton Parish Church In May, the Friends of Bolton School Choir, supported by the Park Road and Hesketh House Choirs, gave a special performance at Bolton Parish Church. The theme of the concert was peace and war with The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins at the heart of the programme. This piece of music was commissioned by The Royal Armouries of Great Britain to commemorate the millennium. It looks back at a century of destruction and war, but also forward with hope and a commitment of peace for the new millennium, and remains an appropriate and universal theme today. Parents and friends of the choirs gathered at the church to enjoy an evening of touching and thought-provoking music.

The Friends of Bolton School Choir performing at Bolton Parish Church

Jennie recreates an old treasure Cyril Shaw’s daughter attended the Girls’ Division in the 1970s and 1980s, and during that time she enjoyed making a hexagonal wooden box. He treasured this box for many years, but when it was misplaced recently he wrote to the School to ask if any of the current pupils could make a replacement. Miss Langley, the Head of Resistant Materials and Product Design in the Girls’ Division, said, “I was touched by Mr Shaw’s request and thought the task of recreating a lidless hexagonal wooden box would appeal to one of our students. Jennie Maher in Year 12 was delighted to help out.”

Stunning student production of Miss Saigon

The cast receives rapturous applause after a stunning performance

The Joint Senior Production of Miss Saigon was a sell-out success. Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the tragic story, based on Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, centres around the whirlwind romance between Chris, a disillusioned American soldier, and Kim, a desperate and naïve orphan, forced to work at a nightclub.

Jennie took Resistant Materials at GCSE, but did not continue with A Level. She really enjoyed the opportunity Jennie presents Mr Shaw with his to return to the replacement box subject this year by taking on the project for Mr Shaw. When she had completed the new hexagonal box, Jennie invited Mr Shaw to Tea at the Riley, the monthly community tea party run by Sixth Form girls, to present him with his replacement.

The standard of acting and singing was exceptional and highly convincing, with roles maturely and sensitively portrayed without being trite or over-sentimental. The lead role of Kim was shared by Caroline Blair and Molly McLaughlin, who gave alternate performances, while Matthew Kay played the part of Chris.

Caroline Blair in the lead role of Kim

An often sequin-clad supporting ensemble assumed a range of demanding roles, impressing with slick choreography, gymnastic ability and vocal cohesion. The cast and band, which comprised members of various School ensembles, dealt admirably with Boublil and Schönberg’s highly complex musical score. Months of collaboration and long hours of rehearsal resulted in a stunning and professional production. Congratulations to all involved!

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

EVENTS ALUMNI REGIONAL EVENTS London Dinner The Royal College of GPs – Friday 3rd March 2017

Connor Rogers, Kate Fowler and Emily Varley (all Class of 2012)

‘Great to revisit the past with a variety of ‘old’ students from Bolton!’ Carol Oxley

Mary Rickard (née Ratcliffe, 1956-1966), Headmistress Sue Hincks, Laura Henthorn (née Carless, 1970-1977) and Rebecca Worthington (Girls’ Division Staff)

‘My first time at the London Dinner and already met many old friends.’ Margaret Fairhurst

Rachel Hartley (née Lewis, 1986-1993), Stephen Lewis (1953-1960), Jane Hopley (née Lewis, 1983-1989) and Christopher Lewis (1979-1986)

Scotland Dinner Pollock Halls, The University of Edinburgh – Friday 5th May 2017

Felicity Robinson, Katherine Etchells and Ruth Brown (all Class of 2013)

Margaret Fairhurst (née Ratcliffe, 1951-1959), Carol Oxley (née Finnigan, 1954-1968), Mary Rickard (née Ratcliffe, 1956-1966) and Margaret Jones (née Clarke, Class of 1968)

‘I had a wonderfu l evening with many familiar an d new faces.’ Felicity Robinson

John Markland (1956-1966), Rebecca Whyte (1990-2004) and Robin Smith (1953-1959)

‘It is so lovely to stay connected with Bolton School! We had some great reminiscing, food and drink.’ Katherine Etchells

‘Lovely evening and a really great chance to meet people and see what everyone is up to.’ Rebecca Whyte

Networking Event On the 7th, Media City UK, Salford – Wednesday 17th May 2017

Keynote Speaker Peter Knowles (1972-1979), Headmaster Philip Britton and Headmistress Sue Hincks

Young Alumni at the event

Keynote Speaker Peter Knowles chatting with a guest

Cumbria Dinner

‘Super!’ Stella Eccles (née Wolsten croft,

The Lindeth Howe Hotel, Windermere – Friday 16th June 2017

Stephen Broughton (Class of 1969) and Janet Ward (née Mitchell, Class of 1964)

Pat Brown (née Duckworth, 1938-1949) and Mona Clarke (née Lord, 1940-1947)

David Allen (Boys’ Division Staff, 1957-1993) and Margaret Allen (née Brookes, 1947-1957)

Friends of Bolton School Dinner

1943-1948)

Pauline Oldershaw (Girls’ Division Staff, 1984-2003), Headmistress Sue Hincks and Tony Oldershaw

‘Most enjoyable evening as usual – glad I turned up at Bolton School in 1940!’ Mona Clarke

Arts Centre, Bolton School – Friday 30th June 2017

Headmistress Sue Hincks and Abbey Field (Girls’ Division staff and Class of 1995) with members of the Parents’ Associations

Carole Collins (née Stones, 1959-1966) and Brian Oldroyd

Alexander Ruaux-Keyho (1999-2006), Janet Harbour (née Howarth, 1973-1980), David Hazelwood, Gretta Rainford and Daragh Eason

‘7’ Class Reunion Bolton School – Saturday 13th May 2017

L-R: Catherine Hopkins (née Cockshaw), Naomi Davies, Rebecca Brayshaw (née Hayton), Sophia Turner (née Smith), Julia Cazin (née Banks) and Helen Crewe (née Byrne) (all Class of 1997)

Stella Eccles (née Wolstencroft), Mona Clarke (née Lord) and Helen Shipperbottom (née Walmsley) (all Class of 1947)

Marilyn Foufouti (née Taylor), Sue Welton (née Higginbotham), Heather Jenkins (née Bentley) and Beverly McNeil (née Percival) (all Class of 1967)

Juliet Lawson (née Lowe), Rachel Thomas (née Hodson) and Nicola Porter (née Michon) (all Class of 1987)

Michele Rawlinson and Deborah Foulkes (both Class of 1977)

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

On 17th May 2017, at the Alumni Networking event held at MediaCity, the Headmistress and Headmaster officially launched the Bolton Alumni Network – the new online networking platform for Alumni and Former Staff of the School. The Bolton Alumni Network enables Alumni to re-connect with classmates and stay in touch with them more easily, to offer their support (via mentoring, job advertisements and internships) to younger Alumni, and to advertise their own, independently arranged Alumni events. Since its launch, over 1,100 users have joined the site and have been busy catching up with fellow class leavers, advertising positions in their companies and sharing photographs from their time at School. Almost all of those who have joined have also offered to help fellow Alumni in some way, with many already in close contact with others, proving

that the School’s ethos of ‘giving back’ to others remains with Alumni long after they have left. If you haven’t yet joined the Bolton Alumni Network, you can sign up in less than two minutes by importing your LinkedIn or Facebook profile, or with an email address. To join, simply visit www.boltonalumninetwork.com, and follow the instructions on screen, or download the Bolton Alumni Network App in the Apple and Google Play stores. Please do encourage any other Old Girls and Old Boys with whom you’re in touch to follow suit.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

University Drinks If you’re an ‘Old’ Girl currently studying at university, and would like to arrange a reunion for fellow Alumni studying near you, then the Development Office wants to hear from you! We’ll sponsor any Alumni-initiated reunion at £10 per head, providing you send us a photograph afterwards. If that sounds like fun, and you’d like to arrange something near you during the next academic year, then please get in touch.

Dates for your Diary The next Old Girls’ Lunch will be on Friday 10th November at 12 noon in the Arts Centre. Old Girls are also welcome to attend the Armistice Memorial Service beforehand. The Ceremony of Carols will take place on Monday 18th December in the Girls’ Division Great Hall, commencing 7.30pm. The Bolton School Ball, organised by the Joint Parents’ Associations, will be held at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday 16th June 2018. Tickets booked and paid for by 1st December 2017 are available at the ‘early bird’ rate of £65 per person. Thereafter tickets will be £75 per person or £700 for a table of ten. All tickets paid for by 1st December will be entered into a prize draw for £100 bar credit or wine pre-order credit. For further details and to purchase tickets please email BoltonSchoolBall@gmail.com.

‘8’ CLASS REUNION On Saturday 21st April 2018 we will be holding a Reunion at Bolton School for 1948, 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2008 leavers, plus Former Staff. Details of how to book will be circulated in due course – in the meantime, please get in touch with your classmates and make sure you all have this date in your diaries!

OLD GIRLS’ FEATURES Old Girls Go Global The Old Girls’ Association has over 4,500 members living and working not just in the UK, but across the globe. Here we catch up with four Old Girls who have moved overseas to find out what motivated them to move abroad, what they enjoy about their lives there … and what they still miss about the UK!

Carol Hudson (née Woolley, Class of 1970) Marin County, California, USA I always had a love of travel, and found the differences of other places exciting, providing more opportunities than I had in England. After a year in New York, I moved to Marin County, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, and have spent 38 years working in sales and marketing. I have been a very successful Real Estate Agent for 22 years now, selling over 500 homes! I love the climate and the beauty of the area, from its beaches to the wine country and the outdoor lifestyle it provides. There is a wonderful art and music scene and a cosmopolitan lifestyle – I felt I fitted in the moment I arrived. I’m married with two sons, one living locally and the other in Santa Barbara. I miss most of all the food and the British sense of humor and would love to hear from anyone who remembers me. (Carol may be contacted via email on: dreamhomez@aol.com)

Mhairi McLaughlin (2002-2009) Hong Kong

Mhairi with Tom Worsley (2002-2009) who has recently emigrated to Sydney – Tom was passing through Hong Kong and the two enjoyed a drink at one of Hong Kong’s rooftop bars

I’ve lived in Hong Kong for almost three years – what a place! Having completed my degree in Law with French I was unsure of what career path to take, so I found a job with French utilities company SUEZ, where I have been lucky enough to use my legal and linguistic skills as well as trying out new skills such as project management.

It is truly an incredible place to live; a vast melting pot of weird and wonderful people, food, landscapes and weather. Travel is a must as well – flights to countries such as Vietnam and Thailand are cheap and you can go for the weekend! The downside to expat life is not being able to see loved ones regularly; earlier this year I was offered a training contract in a law firm here, however I have decided to move back to the UK to start my LPC in September because the thought of living so far away long term wasn’t something I wanted to do. This being said, I would absolutely recommend trying out Asia as a place to work in the short term – the opportunities and experiences available are endless.

Emma McGregor (1988-1995) Basel, Switzerland

Julie Arthur (née Potter, 1965-1972) Nassau, The Bahamas In 1982, under Bolton’s reorganisation of secondary schools, I was being sent from Little Lever to Smithills, but decided not to be a pawn on their chess board and headed to Nassau, Bahamas, where I got a teaching post at St Andrew’s School. The Berlitz book on the Bahamas had informed me that there were three speeds in the Bahamas: slow, stop and reverse. It is still true today, though the country is far more developed than it used to be. I taught in the same school until I retired a couple of years ago and can honestly say I have loved my life here: the beautiful beaches and turquoise water, the laid back attitude, weather that allows you to play tennis and go walking all year round. I have represented the Bahamas in darts, travelling the Caribbean in tournaments, and have been senior national champion in tennis. (Big fish, small pool syndrome, but who cares!) I married a Bahamian in 1984 and had two sons, Benjamin and Patrick, who have grown up to be fine young men. Through teaching abroad I have made so many friends, many who have moved on and I get to go and see when travelling. I still have my friends and family in the UK and visit them even more now retired. The best thing about the Bahamas is that age is nothing but a number and I can still go out dancing and have fun whilst ex-students come over and hail me.

If you would like to contribute to a future ‘Old Girls Go Global’ feature, please email: development@boltonschool.org

Since leaving Bolton School I have lived in several major cities in the EMEA region. After graduating with a BSocSc (Hons) from the University of Birmingham, I moved to London and into the recruitment industry and have progressed my career in that field since. After a stint in Dubai, I made the decision to move back to Europe and the perfect opportunity came up in Basel, Switzerland, where I am now Talent Acquisition Lead at the global headquarters of Novartis, the Life Sciences Company. Basel may not have been an obvious choice of location since it is a German-speaking canton, so my French and Italian would not serve me well! However, learning German presented an opportunity to add another string to my bow. After moving to Basel, it did take some adjustment getting used to everything being closed on Sunday. Yet, on the plus side, Switzerland has a very high standard of living and Basel recently featured joint tenth with Sydney in Mercer’s Best Cities in the World to Live. It is a river city with clean air and great outdoor activities in the surrounding area which is perfect for skiing and hiking (our School trips to Cautley provided good grounding for this!) whether it be in the Black Forest or the Swiss Alps. We also have France, Germany, Austria and Italy close by, so regular trips there are part and parcel of life. The education system is also good and my daughter will grow up being fluent in four languages; generally it is a great place for children to grow up. I miss the UK without a doubt, especially my family and friends and not to mention the shopping; you just don’t have the same choice in Switzerland. When I go home, I ensure I stock up on essential wardrobe items and those childhood favourite foods.

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION Since the Spring Newsletter, a number of Old Girls have kindly given up their time to offer their assistance to the current generation of Bolton School girls, sharing professional expertise and offering guidance. The Careers Department and Development Office are extremely grateful to all Alumni who come back to School to advance the welfare of its current pupils.

Girls learn about drugs and their perils Independent Toxicology Consultant Helen Vangikar (1969-1983) made a ‘virtual’ visit to School via Skype to speak to Year 9 girls about drugs and their perils. After leaving School Helen completed an MSc at Strathclyde University in Forensic Science and has since worked in the field of analytical chemistry and toxicology.

Helen spoke about the various types of drugs, and their effects and impacts upon users, as well as the various pieces of legislation which control their use and supply. Her scientific approach meant that her warnings about the dangers of drug use were clear and unemotional.

A lesson in stress and depression After a lifetime in the NHS and working for the Ministry of Justice as a Consultant Adolescent Forensic Psychiatrist, Old Girl Dr Lynne Daly (1965-1973) returned to School to talk to Year 11 girls about stress and depression and strategies for dealing with these conditions. Cambridge graduate Dr Daly currently sits on a parole board which reviews whether prisoners serving lifetime sentences should be allowed back into the community. Her lively and interactive session was both thoughtprovoking and reassuring. Dr Daly with the girls

Inspiration from WAGGGS Chair Old Girl Nicola Grinstead (1989-1996) returned to School to speak to Sixth Form students about her experiences and career so far. Nicola currently has two jobs: she is the Deputy Chief Executive for Great Ormond St Hospital (GOSH), and is also the Chair of the World Board for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). She spoke passionately about the important work that both of these organisations do: GOSH at the forefront of research into genetic conditions and their treatments and cures, and WAGGGS championing girls and young women and the issues that matter to them.

Nicola (centre) meets some of the Sixth Formers

Nicola closed her talk by advising the Sixth Form girls to stay true to their ideals and stand up for the things that they believe in, not to be afraid to make mistakes and see them as opportunities rather than problems, and to do something they are passionate about.

NHS Careers Day

Carishma talked about the role of an Operating Department Practitioner

Old Girls Carishma Hirani (20102015) and Helena Bird (née Read, 1988-1995) joined eleven other speakers to talk to pupils in Years 10 to 13 about the wide spectrum of career options available within the NHS, including several that they may not have considered or been aware of before. Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) Carishma, who works within the operating

department in anaesthetics, scrub and recovery areas, talked about the responsibilities of the role and how ODPs help anaesthetists and surgeons in many different ways. Pharmacists don’t just count pills

Helena is a pharmacist and stick labels on boxes! working in several hospitals in West Sussex. She enlightened pupils about the realities of this fascinating role, abolishing some of the myths about what pharmacy involves, describing a typical day, the team structure, and the kinds of technology used in hospital pharmacies today.

Alumni join Junior Careers Carousel Two Old Girls were joined by two Old Boys at the annual Junior Careers Carousel which gave Hesketh House and Park Road pupils an opportunity to learn about a variety of different jobs. Jenny Fairwood (née Deane, 1986-1993), a GP, was accompanied by Fred the skeleton as she gave a realistic view of what the medical profession is like and the many different specialisms that exist within medicine. L-R: Malcolm Smith, Chris Jones, Nicola Grinstead, Jenny Fairwood and Chris Peacock

Nicola Rigby (1993-2000), a Director at GVA, talked about town planning, development and regeneration and led an interactive session in which pupils planned their own town to help them understand what goes into the planning and development of a site and the kinds of things that she herself has to consider in her work.

Alumni Inspire Pupils about the World of Work A number of Alumni gave their time to speak to Sixth Form pupils about the wealth of future career options available, as part of the annual World of Work event. Alison Spenceley (née Tyldsley, 1976-1983), Head of Marketing and Development at Freshfields Bruckhaus Derringer LLP and a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, talked to pupils about how she was drawn to the profession for its variety, Alison spoke as marketing roles can involve about the variety both the sciences, for example of working in conducting statistical research marketing and analysis, and the arts, in terms of communication and design. Kirsty Styles (1996-2004) has worked as a journalist, editor, podcaster and campaigner for the past five years and recently became Head of Talent and Skills at Tech North in Manchester. She spoke about how her career progressed, and the importance of creating luck and not getting exploited in the world of

Kirsty gave an insight into the world of journalism

journalism. After leaving School Saskia Mees (2003-2014) secured a place as an apprentice operations analyst with AO. She talked about how apprenticeships allow young people to earn while they learn and offer excellent opportunities.

Joyce stressed the importance of studying an interesting and engaging subject at university

Saskia advocated apprenticeships as a worthwhile alternative to university

Dr Joyce Tyldesley (1964-1978), an archaeologist, author and university lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Manchester, urged pupils to study a subject that interests them. She spoke frankly about transferrable skills and the importance of doing something enjoyable, and gave pupils an insight into creating options after completing a non-vocational course.

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

Old Girls in Faith The Girls’ Division has always welcomed pupils of all faiths, and of none. Here, we speak to four very different Old Girls about their time at School and the careers they have built around their faith.

Rev Dr Jill Duff (née Worsley, 1980-1990) – Director, St Mellitus College NW

Susan Evans (1966-1973) Mental Health Chaplain

I became a Christian mid-way into my time at Bolton School, just before I started the Senior School, and my faith was further inspired by the Girls’ Division Ceremony of Carols. With the angels overhead and the choir singing Three Kings from Persian Lands Afar, it was hard not to find one’s heart “strangely warmed”.

In 1976, my mother went to see the vicar to tell him that her only daughter had gone crazy and was talking about becoming a nun. The vicar wondered whether the cloisters around the quad at Bolton School had anything to do with it. It was, in fact, the School Magazine, Miss Winfield and Miss Hunt!

It was at that time a tradition for Sixth Form leavers to bring an autograph book into School on the last day to get Jill with fellow Old Girls Ritu friends and Wickremasinghe (née Sahni, 1981-1990) teachers to and Liz Wilding (1983-1990) write cheery messages for the future. One of my heroines of the staff team, Dr Catherine Brown, wrote: “A physicist is nearly as good as a theologian”. After School, I went off to Cambridge to study Physics as part of the Natural Sciences tripos, and then spent the next ten years in science with a DPhil from Oxford and a graduate management role in Esso Petroleum. In my early 20s my husband asked: “What do you really dream of doing?”; “I’d love to be a Vicar”, I replied, without missing a beat. By the age of 30 I was ordained in the Church of England, serving as a curate on a Liverpool housing estate, and in the last 14 years I’ve served in parishes, church planting and teaching. Today, I’m Director of St Mellitus NW, the first full-time ordination course in the North West for over 40 years, based at Liverpool Cathedral. Throughout my Bolton School career, one of my best friends, Ritu Sahni, was a Sikh. We found Bolton School a place where faith was valued and respected. The days when our world view is narrowly rationalistic are gone: as faith plays an increasingly prominent part in the world today, I hope future generations of Bolton School girls find that School is a place where their faith flourishes!

Susan working with a therapy dog

Until the Lower Sixth, I had been ‘undenominational’: I would have called myself Christian, and identified with the School’s ethos of social justice, caring and service, but was not committed to any church. At 17, I decided to be confirmed into the Church of England, because the lessons of poncho-clad Miss Hunt (who taught us about Hinduism) and Prefects: Susan is second from the right the history of on the back row the English Reformation (taught with such enthusiasm by Miss Winfield) had made me both question what I believed and feel that I should make a choice and become committed.

Kathryn Entwistle (1977-1984) – Professional Career Coach and Buddhist Practitioner I work with professionals from all sectors, facing a variety of challenges – from finding new career opportunities to developing management skills, starting a business to creating a sustainable work-life balance, in which I’m a big believer. As a parent, I’ve been able to create a lifestyle that works sustainably on my terms, and have the pleasure of helping my clients create a moving balance that works well for them, too. My long-standing Buddhist practice has been perfectly in tune with helping unlock my clients’

After confirmation, I went on a parish retreat to a convent in Chester, where I met my first Anglican nun. I knew they existed, because of the writings of an Old Girl, Joan Burns (Sister Joan Augustine CSMV) in the magazine. In 1979, however, I decided that convent life was not quite what God was calling me to, and took a different path. At that time, there were no women priests in Britain and few women ministers in any denomination. In 1981, having been a History teacher for four years at Bury Church High School, and having been recommended for training by the Church’s selection conference, I went to Lincoln Theological College to train to be a Deaconess, hoping that one day I might be ordained Deacon and Priest. At college, completing all the same training as the men, yet being expected to come out as something different at the end of it, I became increasingly convinced that this could not continue, and I joined the Movement for the Ordination of Women. I began as a deaconess in a parish in Salford, before working as a deacon in Susan at her ordination as priest in 1994 Longsight in Manchester. I then spent 16 years working as a prison chaplain in Suffolk, before moving to Lincolnshire, where I now work as a part-time mental health chaplain. It has been a great privilege to serve in the Church for the past 33 years.

potential, and age-old Buddhist teachings are woven into the fabric of my life and my work, for example, the importance of growing awareness through balancing our attention of mind and body, and finding contentment in generosity and simplicity. Finding work where I can make a tangible difference is very in line with Buddhist ethics too – and it creates a wonderful win-win dynamic, where giver and receiver are one and the same. Ultimately my work is about helping others find meaningful success and contentment in their life and work – and this has given me an abundance of satisfaction over the dozen years I’ve been in private practice. I count myself very fortunate indeed to have had the wonderful start in life that came from my family and from my wonderful Bolton School education.

Sybil Romain (née Sheridan, 1965-1973) - Rabbi Like many, I did not take RS lessons seriously – until the time came to think about A Levels. I was rather stuck for a third subject, being pretty hopeless at science and languages. There was an A Level evening at School and I was struck by the presentation that Meg Chignell gave about Religious Studies: it was nothing like scripture lessons. The subject was one of academic rigour and serious critical thought, plus, it included archaeology, which was my passion. Being Jewish, I expressed concerns, but Meg reassured me. The School had taken on a new RS Sybil at her ordination, 1981 teacher, Judith Hunt, who was agnostic. I quickly came to share both teachers’ passion for the Bible – the beauty of the words, excitement over its ideas and appreciation of its importance – without the need to buy into its creeds. Indeed, at the time, I was struggling with my own faith, but one of the most important things I learnt during those two A Level years was that faith is a very individual matter that comes from one’s own interpretation of events. Margaret Higginson suggested I applied to read Theology at Oxbridge. Cambridge had decided to introduce a new Religious Studies Tripos that year alongside Christian Theology, and I was the first of two non-Christians to study in the faculty. It was during my time in Cambridge that my faith grew and my desire to work within a religious context developed. It was pure chance that in my second year the first woman Rabbi was ordained in the UK. It was not something I had thought about, but now it seemed the obvious next stage on my journey. I have a lot to be grateful for to Bolton School: its enlightened attitude, the assumption that ‘girls can do anything’ and its academic demands all suited my personality. I happened to be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the new horizons that opened up in the 1970s, and I have never regretted the choices I made.

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

Old Girl becomes UK’s Youngest Senior Coroner Earlier this year, Rachael Griffin (née Walsh, 1992-1999) was appointed the youngest Senior Coroner in the UK. Here she describes how Bolton School helped to shape her career path. I will always remember my first day at Bolton School in September 1992. Walking under those arches for the first time was very daunting, yet exciting, and a very proud moment. It suddenly dawned on me how lucky I was to be able to study at such a prestigious School. I walked in very nervous, not least because my father had insisted on my school bag being a briefcase, which my friends still mock me about to this day! My class was IIIC and Mrs Carr was my form tutor. I sat next to a blondehaired girl who immediately smiled at me. Vicky Pukiello went on to become one of my closest friends, and still is today. I thoroughly enjoyed my years at Bolton School and feel very privileged to have studied there. I have very fond memories including the many School trips, the lacrosse and netball games, the Carol Services, Prefects’ Panto and the Prefects v Monitors rounders matches. There were challenging times at School too, mainly due to the volume of work and the dreaded exams, but the support of the teachers and my friends made things easier during those difficult times. Many of those friends from School are still my close friends today and it is always lovely to get together and reminisce about School days, which we always look back on fondly. Having made use of the careers service at Bolton School, I embarked on a career in Law after completing my A Levels. I left Bolton to study at Nottingham Trent University in 1999. I then completed the Legal Practice Course at the University of Central Lancashire in 2002, and started my legal training contract with Russell & Russell Solicitors in Bolton later that year. I spent 12 years with the firm, specialising in Criminal Defence and Prison Law before becoming an Assistant Coroner for the area of Manchester West, which covers Bolton, Salford and Wigan, in June 2014. A Coroner is an independent Judicial Office holder who investigates death under certain circumstances. If a person has died a violent or unnatural death, or their death has occurred in state detention, or the cause of their death cannot be ascertained, a Coroner is required to carry out an investigation which results in an Inquest hearing taking place. The purpose of the Inquest is for a Coroner to establish who the deceased was and when, where and how they died. It is a legal process which can be a daunting experience, especially for the family of the bereaved. As a Coroner, my main role is to establish the facts of what happened in relation to a person’s death, and also to submit reports to those who can take action, where I feel it is required, to prevent future deaths. It was in August 2016, having been an Assistant Coroner for just over two years, that whilst sitting on a beach in

Cornwall with two of my friends from School, Danielle Warren (née Taylor, 1992-1999) and Kimberley Fisher (Class of 1999), I received notification Rachael with Danielle Warren, of the job advert for Kimberley Beswick, Kimberley’s the Senior Coroner daughter Chloe (2009-2016) and position in Dorset. their families I was keen to apply for the role to seek career progression, but also to live in a beautiful part of the country, where my husband had spent a large part of his earlier life. Following several trips to the South Coast, and the gruelling interview process, my family and I moved to Dorset in February this year when I was appointed as the Senior Coroner for Dorset. The role has been, and continues to be, challenging, but it is also very rewarding. I do very much miss Bolton, especially my family and friends, however I have tried to bring a little bit of Bolton to the South coast. At a recent Parents Rachael with husband Jon and son Jacob and Teacher Association meeting at my son’s school I suggested that the food at the next social event should be pie and peas, but nobody had a clue what I was talking about! I will always look back on my time at Bolton School very fondly and although my parents have always been my main inspiration, especially my father who is also a Solicitor and a Coroner, I know that I would not be where I am today if it was not for Bolton School. I am very much looking forward to attending our next reunion in two years’ time, which will be 20 years since I left, to see how the School has developed and to catch up with fellow Old Girls. Rachael recently met up with old Bolton School friends, L-R: Victoria Pukiello (1989-1999), Rebecca Pukiello (1992-1998), Helen O’Donnell (née Gracie, 1985-1999), Sophie Liptrott (19851999), Katie Roberts (née Swaby, Class of 1999), Rashmi Chattopadhay (Class of 1999), Nina Ratcliffe (née Dewsbury, 1989-1999), Hannah Morgan (née Leedham, Class of 1999) Zoey Ward (née Pinkerton, Class of 1999)

Story of a Gown The Prefects’ Gowns are one of the enduring symbols of the Girls’ Division, whilst the Gowning of the Prefects, held in the Great Hall each May, is one of its most special traditions. Here, two Old Girls describe wearing their Prefects’ Gown with pride. Anna Herko (1988-1995) At the Grand Reunion in 2015 I picked up one of the gowns hanging up at the back of the Great Hall and, by an unbelievable coincidence, it had my name on it! I was transported back over twenty years … After handing in my Prefect’s gown I spent a year gaining media experience – at the BBC, at Manchester Town Hall and in hospital radio. It was an amazing time, but it made me realise that my interests lay in Human Resources instead! I went to Queens’ College, Cambridge, to read History, which had been my favourite subject at Bolton School. When I graduated I Anna wearing her joined BP on the graduate scheme, Prefect’s gown specialising in Human Resources, and living in London and Edinburgh. I studied for my CIPD HR qualification and have since become a Chartered Fellow.

Natalie Hodgkiss (née Settle, 1994-2004) After leaving School, I went to Edinburgh University to study Medicine. I was fortunate in knowing from early on that I wanted to study medicine. Although I had always wanted to study at Oxford, I didn’t receive a place. It felt like a big deal at the time, but I think was absolutely for the best – I can’t imagine Natalie (furthest left) with her having enjoyed university any more than I did. fellow Prefects After I graduated I moved down to London. I originally had no idea where I wanted to go and so when my then boyfriend (now husband) got a job there it made the decision easier. After my foundation training, I decided to specialise in General Practice and have been working in Hackney for the last six years. General practice is a wonderful, if challenging, career.

After six years I took a senior role leading the Organisation Development Agenda in the Kingfisher Group (includes B&Q and Screwfix). This entailed continuous travelling throughout Asia, Russia, Turkey and much of Europe. A challenge was remembering GCSE French as half the organisation was French-speaking! It made me realise how important studying the language had been at Bolton School.

When I started working at my practice four years ago I was amazed to find one of my colleagues Julia Rahman (Class of 1997) also attended Bolton School – what a small world! Although my path has taken me away from Bolton, I am still in touch with several friends from the Class of 2004: Kathryn Downes, Charlotte Finlay and Laura Alldred (who made the most wonderful chief bridesmaid at our wedding in 2015).

I then moved to Financial Services, joining Lloyds Banking Group at the point of the HBoS takeover in 2008.

I have lovely memories of being a Prefect and really felt privileged to have had the role. I think it really helped with my confidence which was lacking lower down the School. There were so many lovely memories: the panto was a lot of fun and I loved giving tours on Open Day – it was a real honour to show off our School. Having a front row seat for the Ceremony of Carols was a lovely bonus too!

My personal life was calling me back to the North West, and my love of variety led me to start my own HR consulting. Being independent has given me the opportunity to work with public and private sector clients of varying size, including City & Guilds, National Nuclear Laboratory, Carlsberg and the Co-op. After moving back to Bolton I married Si, whom I had met at Cambridge, and we continue to live in Atherton, regularly seeing good friends from my Bolton School days. It was lovely to become a Prefect, and attempt to role model the same positive behaviours I had looked up to when I was younger. I felt proud to wear the gown, especially on formal occasions, and be part of the School’s tradition. My advice to girls would be to ‘explore and test’. My year out gave me a broader perspective on life, a chance to gain practical experience, and helped inform my Anna and Si on their wedding day career choices. I’d also encourage girls to study the subject where they have a passion.

If I could give this year’s Year 13 pupils any advice it would be to be positive whatever happens: if you miss out getting into the university you wanted to go to, or the course you wanted to study, there is still so much time ahead and, although these things might feel big at the time, they will settle and work out for the best. There are wonderful people I know who are still deciding on the best career for them and a lot can change in the years ahead. Spend this year and those to come enjoying yourselves!

Natalie (furthest left) with her fellow prefects

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

Staff in the Spotlight Our latest staff members to come under the spotlight are Mrs Worsley, who teaches in Hesketh House, and Miss Langley, Head of Resistant Materials and Product Design in the Girls’ Division. Alumni Prefects Tilly Rodriguez and Millie Liptrot caught up with them to ask them about their teaching careers and their time at Bolton School.

Mrs Worsley Did you always want to be a teacher? I never wanted to be a primary school teacher! I came here quite by accident as I worked as a research associate in academic Tilly and Mrs Worsley research at the University of Manchester. I came to Bolton School because I needed two years’ experience to train as an educational psychologist. What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher? If I wasn’t here I would still be in academic research. I saw the advert for the research and experience at Bolton School and only intended to do the two years – but it’s now been 28 years!

What is your favourite memory or tradition of Bolton School? My favourite tradition is Open Morning. It’s the highlight of my year. I have such a sense of pride on the morning and the School is always at its very best. Everyone rises to the occasion and presents School in the best way. It’s really rewarding to see, for example, the Prefects who are such fantastic ambassadors for the School. What is your favourite year to teach? I love teaching and I couldn’t find a finer establishment in which to work. I love young minds as they are all so open to learning! I currently teach Year 4, but prior to that I taught Year 6 for 18 years. The most challenging year to teach is Reception, because they have very few skills when they come to us; however, when they leave to move to the next year they are such confident young people and it’s really quite rewarding to see that. My favourite is Year 6 – as I am an English Literature and Language teacher, I love to teach them Shakespeare!

Miss Langley Did you always want to be a Technology teacher? I’ve always enjoyed making things. When I went to Miss Langley with Tilly (left) and Millie school it only offered Art and Technical Drawing – the latter was only really available to the boys, and so I opted for Art. Later I did an Art Foundation course and the 3D and graphics modules really appealed to me. In the final year I did a dissertation in education – I found the new national curriculum was different and design tech was featuring more prominently than it had done in the past. I was inspired to make a difference as this subject wasn’t available when I was at school. Why did you want to teach at Bolton school? I was attracted to Bolton School because it was girls only, it had a fabulous reputation and everyone always spoke very highly about it. The girls at this school were obviously very academic and I wanted to add some more creative aspects to their minds. I’ve been here now for 24 years.

What is your favourite memory of Bolton School? My best memory of Bolton School would have to be the Christmas assembly. I also love the fact that I am instrumental in helping girls gain Arkwright Engineering Scholarships – that gives me an enormous feeling of satisfaction. What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher? If I wasn’t a teacher I would love to be a furniture designer, simply because I really like building and making things! I’m fascinated by home interiors and materials, furniture made out of natural timber, etc. What is your favourite tradition at Bolton School? I’ve always enjoyed taking part in the staff relay – although this is a relatively new tradition, as the staff when I first started were more conservative! We also now have many pictures of products made in the Technology Department around School – I’m really proud of this, as it only ever used to be Art Department work that was displayed! And I love the creative collection in May in which GCSE and A Level work is exhibited.

NEWS OF OLD GIRLS If you would like to get in touch with any of the Old Girls featured – or any other Alumni – please contact the Development Office. Class of 1960-1969 Margery Benson (née Hardman, 1950-1963) Congratulations to Margery and Peter (Boys’ Division, 1955-1962) who celebrated their Golden Wedding on 1st July. Guests included many friends from Bolton School. L-R: Kathleen Shayler (née Hardman, 1944-1957), Margery Benson, Katy Morley (née Holt, 1956-1963), Peter Benson, Mike Critchley (1952-1962), Sue Critchley (née Howard, 1956-1963), John Benson (1951-1960), Joan Benson (née Brookes, 1953-1960) and Edward Benson (1948-1956) Class of 1970-1979 Gwyn Morgan (Class of 1971) Congratulations to Gwyn, who has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours! This fantastic news was announced in The Times as follows: ‘Gwyneth Anne Rhoda Morgan, founder, Prisoners’ Penfriends, services to the rehabilitation of prisoners.’ Prisoners’ Penfriends makes it possible for volunteers, in the community outside prison, to write to prisoners, in England and Wales, and to receive letters in return – and to do so in complete safety. It was registered as a charity in 2003. Gwyn worked to found the charity from around 2000 and remains in place as its director. Susan Searle (née Ratcliffe, 1970-1977) Susan has now been in New Zealand for about 30 years and works as a GP in a rural town an hour west of Christchurch. She originally moved due to her husband’s job, spending 12 years in Auckland before moving to Christchurch.

her Mum who lives with them. It will be interesting being an older Mum, especially as some of her contemporaries are now Grandmas, but Julie is thoroughly enjoying her new family. Anna Stuttard (1975-1982) Anna was ordained at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on 1st July this year, after two years studying at Westcott House, Cambridge. She is now serving as a curate at Hornsey Parish Church in North London. Anna previously had a career in the charity sector and worked at Amnesty International for 15 years before becoming Chief Executive of Home-Start Worldwide. She then studied for an MA in Theology at Heythrop College, University of London, before going forward for ordination. Anna is married to Andrew and they have two daughters, Matilda and Faye. Matilda is currently studying PPE at Oxford; she and her mum both went away to university at the same time, so Anna had the unusual experience of being a Fresher at Cambridge while her daughter was a Fresher at Oxford! Jules Natlacen (née Simm, 1978-1985) After running the successful Churchmouse Cheeses in Kirkby Lonsdale for 12 years, Jules and her husband, John, bought Barbon Village Store in August 2013, as a failing business. Since then, they have opened The Churchmouse at Barbon café, built an outside south-facing terrace to increase capacity and launched a Friday Bistro Menu, while retaining the village store for daily groceries and newspapers. There is also a speciality cheese and deli counter. The Churchmouse at Barbon has subsequently become a true community hub and Jules and John were thrilled to be voted Hotel and Leisure Family Business of the Year at the national Family Business of the Year Awards in June, with the judges recognising the Churchmouse as a ‘beacon of light in the local area’.

With skiing 60 minutes away in the winter and beaches 40 minutes away in the summer, it is a fun place to live – notwithstanding earthquakes!

Jules is delighted that a number of Old Girls have visited the Churchmouse at Barbon after a mention in the Autumn 2016 edition of this Newsletter – and extends a warm welcome to all members of the Bolton School family.

Since she moved to New Zealand, children have arrived, then horses, cows, dogs, cats and the acres to accommodate them all. With three of her family riding, the horse numbers are going up and up too! Susan tells us that the big downside for all expats is missing family and so regular trips back to the UK are a must for her. This year, for the first time ever, her trip coincided with the ‘7’Class Reunion, giving her the opportunity to catch up with many fellow Old Girls. Class of 1980-1989 Julie Higginbottom (1966-1981) At the age of 50 Julie stopped thinking that she would like to adopt and started to do something about it. Last August, she went from career woman to Mummy of two overnight when Michael (aged 5) and his sister Maisie (aged 2) came to live with her. Life is now very different and doing it on her own is a challenge, but Julie has great support, especially from

John and Jules Class of 1990-1999 Caroline Plumb (1986-1996) Congratulations to Caroline who was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours list for her services to Business and Charity. Caroline is an entrepreneur, founding FreshMinds and, more recently, a new startup called Fluidly. Caroline is pictured at Buckingham Palace where she was presented with her award in February this year. She says: “We all had a great day out, including my seven year old daughter, who was fascinated by the whole ceremony!”

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017 Class of 1999-2009 Rebecca Muirhead (1990-2000) After spending two years in Hong Kong (thanks to some funding from the Scott Trust) and London, Rebecca went on to study English and Philosophy at the University of Liverpool, graduating with a 2:1. She continued her studies at BPP Manchester, undertaking the GDL and LPC. After practising in Bolton for a number of years, it was time for a change, and she recently joined Elizabeth Hassall in Manchester as a Family Law Solicitor. Rebecca lives in South Manchester – not far from so many of the amazing friends she met at School and with whom she is still in touch. Jenny Miller (née Elrington, 1990-2004) While on holiday in the US, Jenny visited Yale University and was struck by how much one of the buildings there, Vanderbilt Hall, looked like the archway to Bolton School! Our School Archivist can find no link, either architecturally or inspirationally, but other Old Girls will nevertheless be interested to see the uncanny resemblance!

Vanderbilt Hall, Yale University

Becky Smethurst (1998-2008) Becky was awarded a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Oxford in January 2017. Her thesis focused on how supermassive black holes affect the shape and star formation rate of galaxies by using data from observing trips she took to telescopes in Hawaii and Becky pops the La Palma. She celebrated on celebratory champagne! the day of her doctoral viva voce examination with friends and family, including Dad Ian Smethurst (Class of 1977), sister Megan Smethurst (20042015) and partner Sam Horry (Boys’ Division 2001-2008). The tradition at Oxford is to celebrate by popping a champagne cork into the cork ceiling and signing your name next to the dent you make! Becky is now a research fellow at the University of Nottingham following up on the findings of her thesis, whilst also contributing videos to the science interest YouTube channel Sixty Symbols. Class of 2010 onwards Jamilla Flaherty (Class of 2011) Congratulations to Jamilla who has graduated from the University of Sheffield with a distinction in her degree in Medicine. Elizabeth Maloney (2004-2011) Elizabeth graduated in 2014 with a 2:1 in Law from the University of Leeds. She is now embarking on a Masters in Law and will begin work as a trainee solicitor next summer. Rebecca Morris (2004-2011) Since leaving Bolton School Rebecca has worked in the leisure industry. She quickly progressed to a managerial role. During this time she received an award of recognition Rebecca with Kenyan school from North West children Ambulance Services for saving the life of a leisure participant, by restarting his heart using defibrillation.

Much of her spare time is spent as a Lance Corporal with the army medical reserves, through which she has received a Lord Lieutenant’s commendation for saving lives. She has also recently experienced two invaluable trips to Kenya. During the first she provided medical cover to villagers who lived in the remotest areas of the country and who walked for hours to reach the medical centre set up in tents by the army. On the second visit Rebecca’s role was to provide the Kenyan Army with combat medical training, prior to their assignment in Somalia. During this time, she and her colleagues also voluntarily built guttering on a school, for the collection of rain water, so the children could have drinks during their school day. The children lived in the poorest of circumstances without toys and some devoid of shoes. She has seen children fighting for food because they are so hungry. Rebecca also visited an orphanage which was full to capacity and which she found heart-rending. Rebecca says, ‘I had the best time of my life working in Kenya. I hope the knowledge we imparted to the KDF (Kenyan Defense Force) helps with operations in Somalia and I wish every single child in the orphanage a hopeful future.’ Children from the Kenyan orphanage (the young one in Rebecca’s arms had just been brought there) Katherine Monks (1998-2012) Congratulations to Katherine – after studying for an MA in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Manchester, she has gained a place at Homerton College, Cambridge, to complete a PGCE in Latin with Classics. Ruth Brown (2006-2013) Congratulations to Ruth, who graduated with a Spanish and History MA with First Class Honours from The University of Edinburgh. Ruth would like to thank her old teachers, especially Mrs Pritchard, Mrs Leach, Mrs Shafiq and Miss Munoz, for their hard work at A Level which set the ground-work for university – their enthusiasm also made it difficult to choose between subjects, so Ruth is thankful for joint degrees! After graduating Ruth remained in Edinburgh until the end of August producing a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival called Macbeth Kills the Duchess, which is a new piece of student writing. She also performed as ‘Lady’ in a Free Fringe show called Mack the Knife (which is again original writing!) and in a one-off live radio play (even more new writing!). She has been involved with the Fringe a lot over the past few years with the Fresh Fringe radio station as the morning show presenter, although this year she was too busy to fit this in! Chloe Wynne (2007-2013) Chloe has recently moved to Waterloo, Ontario, to study for an MA in Global Governance – where she will be the only Brit on the course! Natasha Lomas (Class of 2014) Natasha is currently in her final year of a four-year BMus degree course at the Royal Northern College of Music and has been put forward to join the College’s elite group of musicians who, having reached an exceptional level of performance, are invited to undertake professional engagements throughout the UK. She will be one of only two clarinetists currently on the list of musicians available for paid work via the RNCM Professional Engagements Team. Eleanor Pickard (2003-2014) Ellie has recently graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a first class BMus (Hons) degree. She

was also awarded the Lennox prize, which recognised her contribution to the University as President of the University Music Society. Ellie studied clarinet under Sarah Masters and, in addition to many solo recitals, has played in a wide variety of university ensembles on both clarinet and saxophone. Ellie has now commenced postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester Metropolitan University, undertaking a PGCE (secondary) in Music with Specialist Instrumental Tuition. Claire Ross (Class of 2014) Having completed her BSc degree in Pharmacology at the University of Manchester, Claire has now embarked on a Master’s degree. Under the supervision of a range of doctors and professors at the University, she is undertaking a project to develop the understanding of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, a major health concern in the 21st Century which is still poorly understood and treated. News of current staff Mrs J Drinkwater, Teacher of ICT Last year Mrs Drinkwater graduated from the University of Oxford with an MSc in Learning and Teaching. She combined her full-time role as a teacher alongside her part-time studies. She told us: ‘It was invigorating to research at a university with universal impact, attend lectures alongside peers whose experience and perspectives were international, and engage in debate about education with world-renowned professors, at the top of their field of expertise. Having some of my assignments published to a national and international

audience was exciting. The goal when I entered teaching was to encourage students to be reflective, reciprocal, resourceful and resilient. I am indebted to the students and teachers who volunteered to help with my research, as they demonstrated the dispositions necessary for people to flourish in the 21st Century on this, our multicultural stage’. Miss J Kent, Teacher of PE In July 2016 Miss Kent graduated from Edge Hill University with an MA in Education. She completed her studies alongside her full-time role as a Physical Education teacher. She told us: “The research that I completed was all practice-based, and allowed me to be a reflective practitioner, identifying ways to improve pupil learning through assessment, investigating how iPads can be used in PE, and supporting Gifted and Talented pupils in PE. My final dissertation, which was in relation to The Impact of Educational Practice, concluded that a Sports Conference aimed at Gifted and Talented pupils in sport left pupils more informed and interested in a wider range of careers, inspired them to consider career paths they did not previously realise existed, and encouraged them to research further into university courses available to them as a result of increased knowledge. “I am eternally grateful to the students in my own educational setting who contributed to my research projects through my course, and to Bolton School for supporting my research, as well as the large number of students from schools around the country who also participated.”

Matches and Hatches Meg Longworth (1993-2007)

Anna Harris (née Foster, 1991-1999) A huge contingent of Old Boys and Old Girls helped Meg to celebrate her marriage to Guy Hughes (1999-2006) on Sunday 28th May 2017 at Colshaw Hall, Knutsford. Sarah Bentham, Holly Underwood and Imogene Windsor (all Class of 2007) and Jodie Hughes (Class of 2016) were Bridesmaids.

Sam Longworth (Class of 2004), Sam Vincent (Class of 2006), Harry Hibbert (Class of 2006) and Richard Miller (Class of 2007) were Groomsmen. Guests included Jenny Hardwick (2007), Sophia Shaw (2006), Abigail Deer (2007), Natalie Molyneaux (2007), Grace Gordon (2007), Helen Moore (2010), Sam Carter (2004), Josh Carter (2007), Adam Shaw (2004), Ben Lenders (2007), Johnny Berry (2006), Chris Nutter (2006), Ric Greiss (2006), Jamie Harrison (2006), Danny Cox (2007), Nick Oliver (2007) and Jonny Bradbury (2006)

Anna and her husband welcomed twins Max and Wilfred on 15th December 2016. They join Fraser and Phoebe, growing the Harris family to six! Julia Campbell (née Singh, 1994-2001) Julia and Stephen received an unexpected Christmas present when their daughter, Kimaris Kushalya Singh Campbell, arrived five weeks early on Boxing Day 2016!

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

MINI REUNIONS 1959 Leavers’ Lunch 17th May 2017 marked the inaugural London lunch held in the restaurant of the Wellcome Institute in Euston Road, a venue most convenient for those travelling from the north. The management, in addition to proving good grub and quaffable wine, allowed animated chatter until after tea time. Future plans for 1959 Leavers include an Autumn lunch in Bolton and a further London lunch in Spring/ Summer 2018. For information contact Fiona on Fms.woodbine@googlemail.com.

was a highlight, especially the amphitheatre where a ‘thumbs-down’ was given by those in the imperial box! Another was the reconstructed fort at the Saalburg, near Bad Homburg – where we were subjected to horsefly bites! Other notable trips were to Hadrian’s Wall (based at the Once Brewed Youth Hostel) in Summer 1959, and including a hitch-hiked ride along the military road in a lime-lorry which deposited some of its contents onto the passengers!

Trier Amphitheatre c1961, L-R: Catherine Bankes, Colin Harding, Ernie Marsh, Rodney Pearson and George Bankes

L-R: Pauline Ogden (née Jackson, 1951-1958), Wendy Hall (née Smith, 1952-1959), Fiona Stevens, Daphne Scott (née Smith, 1952-1959) Jennifer Lisle (née Wade, 1946-1960), Janet Smith (née Holt, 1951-1959), Margaret Simpson (née Rawlinson, 1946-1959) and Susan Davies (née Haworth, 1952-1959)

Fiona Stevens (1949-1959) Joint Archaeological Society Reunion Several former members of the Bolton School Joint Archaeological Society joined Colin Harding (Boys’ Division Staff, 1957-1964) at a celebration of his 90th birthday in September last year. Amongst them was Catherine Bankes (née Chadwick, Class of 1960) who recalls: “I have in front of me a couple of booklets in that purple spirit-ink so familiar in the years before photo-copying: one itinerary following the Roman Limes (frontier) in Germany (August 1961), and the other the line of Offa’s Dyke from Shropshire to the Severn estuary near Chepstow (Easter 1962). These and other itineraries were a splendid tribute to Colin (Mr Harding as he was to us, nicknamed ‘Clem’ from his initials, CLM); he thought of everything, was meticulous in planning and was an indomitable and cheerful commander. On the Limes trip the Roman provincial city of Augusta Treverorum (Trier)

Some of us were delighted to meet up again recently after (dare I say it) more than 50 years. Grainy black-and-white images were viewed at the Grand Reunion in September 2015, and again at Colin’s 90th birthday party. It was Autumn 1958 when Miss Scholes led a group of Sixth Formers across ‘no man’s land’ to the Boys’ Division and the new Archaeological Society which we had been invited (with Miss Higginson’s permission) to join. There were talks with slides and lessons in surveying at Woodlands. Of the many day-trips, the hill-fort on the Wrekin stands out: how often did we look over fields covered with humps and lumps!

Catherine with David Morlidge (1953-1960) at Colin Harding’s 90th birthday celebration

Lunching in London A group of the Class of 1964 met again for lunch in London in early March. This is now a regular fixture in our diaries and we seem to acquire someone ‘new’ each year – this time it was Sue. We all enjoyed chatting with each other – despite the total lack of careers advice in our day we’ve all had such interesting lives and have done so much! We plan to meet again in early March 2018 and would be pleased to hear from any contemporaries who would like to join us.

Left to right are Janet Ward (née Mitchell), Sue Robinson (née Hampson), Joy Vans Agnew, Elizabeth Mullenger, Angie Davies (née Smith), Su Detre (née Beasley) and Sue Kaberry (née Cox)

Elizabeth Mullenger (1956-1964)

Festivities for Fiona A contingent from the Class of 1984 organised a hen party for classmate Fiona Ashworth prior to her wedding in August. Sarah Shaw, Sarah Worth, Catherine Taylor (née Mason), Kathryn Brophy (née Marsden), Gill Moss (née Rigby), Sharon Brownley A special cake for a (née Grant), Clare Arkwright, special occasion! Cath Bumbac (née Booth), Sally Tankard, Christine Monks (née Owen) and, of course, Fiona gathered in Manchester and kicked off the proceedings with champagne afternoon tea, including a wonderful celebratory cake in the shape of a hen created by the very talented Catherine Mason. Tea was followed by cocktails, dinner and then some disco dancing into the early hours. A big breakfast on Sunday morning topped off a fabulous weekend filled with endless chatter and laughter. We all remain very thankful for these wonderful, supportive friendships that have lasted over the years.

Teachers together Georgina Irvine (19821989 and Girls’ Division Staff) sent in this photo of Julie Arthur (née Potter, 1965-1972) and David Jenner (1953-1960) – the three met while teaching at St Andrew’s International School in Nassau. Julie still lives in the Bahamas, but now she is retired she is able to travel to visit family and friends and took the opportunity to catch up with Georgina and David in Kendal recently. 1975 Leavers still Laughing Five of us have been meeting regularly three or four times a year for the last ten years. Last November, we all celebrated our 60th birthdays with a weekend in Berlin. This year, we are having weekends in York, Stroud and Pevensey Bay and have met up several times for the day in Oxford. We are all really close and still laugh together as if we were still in lllB! Birthday celebrations in Berlin! L-R: Avis France (née Grierson), Lindsay Raison (née Hackett), Jane Sinclair (née Burgess), Mary Grashoff and Karen Pilpel (née Hackley) (all 19681975)

Mary Grashoff (née Lineen, 1968-1975)

Fiona (right) celebrates with old School friends

Sally Tankard (1975-1984) Hannah’s Happy Birthday Hannah Nuttall (1990-1996) celebrated her 39th birthday in June with the help of her old classmates.

L-R: Hannah Nuttall, Caroline Roach (née Bleackley), Emma Lowe (née Rowe) and Katherine Bromwell (née Winstanley) (all Class of 1996)

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

FROM THE ARCHIVES Ask the Archivist What was the Girls’ Division like in the 1940s? Earlier in the year Barbara Taylor (née Walmsley 1943-1950) contacted us to ask whether we had any photographs in the archive of her time at School. This prompted the suggestion that we should produce an article about the Girls’ Division in the 1940s. As the new decade began it was the first full year of the Second World War and Miss Varley was Headmistress. The Girls responded admirably to the appeal for National Savings and went on to support the war effort in various ways, such as donating to War Weapons Week, the Save our Airmen Campaign and the Penny a Week Fund for the Red Cross. The Lower Fourth contributed to the Aid for Russia Campaign led by Clementine Churchill and were delighted to receive a letter of thanks written on 10 Downing Street paper! As the School began the Autumn term 1940, there were 471 pupils in School, comprised of 402 in the main School and 69 in Beech House. The School was based on a three-form Prefects 1948-1949 entry system and the proportion of girls who completed their course for the School Certificate was a very high 72%, compared with the national average of 50%. Pupil numbers were steadily increasing, rising to 570 in Autumn 1942 and 601 in 1943. The decision was taken to cap numbers because of the lack of accommodation, but by Autumn 1944 they had further increased to 660, after which they stabilised. School fees were somewhat lower 70 years ago, with the fees payable from 1946 being £42 per annum. The 1940s were, too, a time of educational reform. In 1938 around 80% of children left school at age 14, most having only attended an all-age elementary school, and fewer than one in every 100 made it to university. The Education Act 1944 replaced all previous education legislation and set the framework for the post-war education system in England and Wales. Its most important change was the introduction of the new tripartite system, comprised of grammar schools, secondary technical schools and secondary modern, schools. It also created a system of direct grant schools, under which a number of independent schools received a direct grant from the Ministry of Education in exchange for accepting a number of pupils on ‘free places’. Back in Bolton, for some time it had become evident that,

with the steady increase in numbers, there had been a corresponding decline in House enthusiasm. Sheer size was killing the House spirit. With mixed feelings it was decided in 1945 that the old Houses should go and be replaced by eight entirely new ones, named Wrekin, Pendle, Snowdon, Chiltern, Skiddaw, Mendip, Malvern and Cotswold. Another change arose from the fact that it had become increasingly difficult to fit in the numerous society meetings and house activities within the time available. So, when School reconvened in Autumn 1946, the societies ceased to exist. Instead, the last period of Friday afternoon became devoted to talks and lectures of a very varied nature. There were also changes to the School uniform, with girls now having the option to wear a red beret instead of the black velour hat worn hitherto. Also introduced were navy blue cardigans and pullovers with narrow bands of red at the cuff and neck. The 2nd Viscount Leverhulme died on 27th May 1949 and a Service of Thanksgiving took place in the Boys’ Division Great Hall, with one lesson read by the Head Girl and one by the School Captain. In paying tribute, Mr Poskitt (Headmaster) remarked how the 2nd Viscount had never given up hope of fulfilling his father’s ambitious plans for the School buildings. ‘The completion of the scheme,’ said Mr Poskitt, ‘would be a fitting memorial to the good son of a great father.’ The buildings would eventually be completed in 1965. On a happier note, 1950 marked the 21st Anniversary of the School’s occupation of the new buildings and, as part of the celebrations, a concert was held in the Summer term, as well as a fête, with each form contributing one item to the general festivities. So the decade saw a number of changes at Bolton School – but, in truth, which decade doesn’t? Lacrosse Team 1949 Back row: Ailsa Howarth, Patsy Lord, Christine Howarth, Doreen Ridyard, Janet Watkiss Front row: Mavis Cocker, Dorothy Gray, Barbara Tate, Barbara Isherwood, Lorna Armstrong Kneeling: Hazel Fletcher, Janet Galloway

Meet the Archivist Eric Fairweather If you have a question about the School’s history or would like to donate to the Archive any photographs or artefacts from your time at School, Eric would love to hear from you. E: development@boltonschool.org.

LOOKING BACK A nostalgic trip down Chorley New Road – photographs from across the decades

Janice Drake (1970-1977) se nt in this photo of girls on the Pe nnine Way Walk

-1984

lacrosse, 1983 Outdoor learning and

Cabaret, 1997

Gymnastics, 1957

Prefects 1986-1987

House Toy competitio

n, 1946

The New Computer Ro

om, 1991

m in Barbados, 2004

The Senior Netball Tea

Don’t forget to take a look at the ‘Scenes from the Past’ page of the School website, which we regularly update with new Archive photos: www.boltonschool.org. You can also share your own archive photos on the Bolton Alumni Network: www.boltonalumninetwork.com.

Old Girls’ Association Newsletter Autumn 2017

LIVES REMEMBERED Rosanel Barben (née Rowley, 1947-1957) Died 30th January 2017

locations in London under general public health initiatives. In 1965 Ros married fellow doctor Jolyon Nicholson and they both worked in London before moving to Bolton. They had three children, Karen, Jon and Anne-Louise, all of whom attended Bolton School, with Karen and Jon also attending Beech House and the Junior Schools. In fact, they moved right next to the School – into Kinloch Drive, Heaton!

Ros and daughter Annie in July 2013

In 1939, Rosanel, better known as Ros, was born in the Royal Indian Army Service Corps, Lahore Cantonment, in what was then British India, where she lived with her parents, Lieutenant Colonel Jack and Vera Rowley, and her younger brother, John, until she was six years old. In 1945, with her father still actively serving in the army in Burma, her mother, Vera, brought the young family from India to England by a naval convoy on an incredible sea voyage, a journey which involved navigating perilous minefields and seas that were so rough that Ros remembered the ceiling meeting the floor and the floor meeting the ceiling. Ros had an inspiring and tough start to life in many ways, and one which arguably added to her strength and conviction during the rest of her life. Ros went to Beech House, followed by the Girls’ Division Junior and Senior Schools. On an extra-curricular level she enjoyed playing tennis at Markland Hill Tennis Club and even taught ballroom dancing in the School Hall to both boys and girls. Within School hours, though, Ros really excelled. She was a talented ‘straight A’ student at Bolton School and in the 1950s it was a hugely impressive achievement that she succeeded in getting a place to read medicine at King’s College London to pursue her dream of a medical career.

In June 1980, Ros re-married, to Ian Barben. Ros and Ian shared many interests and, as they journeyed into their 40s and 50s together, one of their passions was overseas travel. As the nest emptied, they went from annual trips to the Cote D’Azur to chartering the globe – from Europe to the Black Sea and Israel, to Australia and to Africa. Travel continued to be a key interest in Ros’s life, although close family became slightly nervous when on retirement in her late 60s she announced she was off on a two-week backpacker trip to India, ‘roughing it’ with her sister-in-law! Ros had many friends and loved a party and a social gathering; she was infinitely hospitable. Saturday nights were sociable nights, often involving dinner parties or a local restaurant. Ros also loved and took great pleasure in her passion for gardening. Her garden was her pride and joy and she continued to garden until June 2016. She enjoyed relaxing with friends and family on the terrace that she designed and created for warm summer evenings. Ros (or Mum) is hugely missed by all her family and friends. Annie Nicholson-Stanford (1988-1995) Judith Gauden (née Kidd, 1954-1964) Died 4th May 2017

She did pre-clinical training at King’s College, then went on to clinical training at Westminster Hospital. Ros then progressed through to Willesden Hospital as a House Physician and on to West Middlesex Hospital, where she was a Senior House Officer as well as an anaesthetist. She had a repertoire of impressive anecdotes and characterbuilding memories from those founding medical years, which were clearly challenging, but which she greatly enjoyed.

L-R: Susan Seely (née Band, 1954-1964), Joyce Vans Agnew (1950-1964), Rosemary Hough, Janet Ward (née Mitchell, Class of 1964), Elizabeth Carr (née Sawtell, 1956-1962) and Judy Gauden (née Kidd, 1954-1964)

Ros was also ‘ahead of the game’ with her progress during the 1960s when she became involved with the creation of family planning health clinics at various

Judy, was born on 26th August 1945. Together with her closest friend, Rosemary Hough, she attended St Paul’s Primary School, Astley Bridge, and they both joined

Form 1 at Bolton School in 1954. Judith and Rosemary were part of a group organised by Miss Groser to wash milk bottle tops which were then sent to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Both girls continued to support Guide Dogs for the Blind even after leaving School; later in life Judy and her husband, David, puppy walked for several years. After leaving School, Judy gained a First Class Honours Degree in Pharmacology from Manchester University. Sadly, Rosemary died of leukaemia, aged 20. Judy married David Gauden, who predeceased her, somewhat late in life and they lived in Wickersley, Rotherham. They enjoyed world cruises and walks with the various puppies, keeping one, Maureen, when she failed to become a Guide Dog because of digestive problems. Judy will probably be remembered for her unfailing courtesy, lovely smile and sense of humour which continued even after she entered Walshaw Hall Care Home in Tottington where I visited her over a number of years (much of her humour apparent when I told jokes against myself – hmmm!). Janet Ward (née Mitchell, Class of 1964) and I were part of a group which included Judy and Rosemary and had happy times at birthday parties and on youth hostelling trips with other members of our year group which were led by Sixth Formers. Gillian Driver (1954-1964) Christine Kohorn (née Lowe, 1946-1956) Died 27th January 2017 I’ve known Christine almost all my life. I first met her when she was Christine Lowe, and a pupil at Bolton School. I was present when she became Christine Bolton, and again when she became Christine Kohorn. As Christine Bolton, she and her husband, Jack, were close friends of me and my wife, Marion. When the children came along, and the four of us became an eight, the relationship was strengthened. Throughout this time, Chris was a wonderful friend, strong and determined, kind and generous, loving and loyal.

When Chris left School, she attended secretarial college and became private secretary to Bernard Crossley, at Crossley’s Carpets. From there, she moved on to become secretary to the Chief Education Officer in Bolton. It was during this period that she developed a love of the Lake District. She was a strong walker and usually led the way up the Lakeland peaks. Chris lived for a time in Waterville in New England in the United States. She had always enjoyed playing tennis and whilst in Waterville she played a lot and developed her game. When she and her husband returned to Lancashire, they settled in a cottage in Holcombe Brook. It was here that Chris was to know the best of times and the worst of times. Their cottage was on the fringe of Holcombe Moor, an area that Chris came to love. The army had a small training area on the moor, and it was when they decided to expand that our friend was to show her considerable qualities. She became the public face of the protest movement. In addition to helping to raise funds, she appeared on TV and on local radio and was interviewed by the local press. Happily, Chris and her friends were successful. Against the odds, the Army was refused permission to expand and Chris and her dog could still roam up Holcombe Hill and through the surrounding countryside. It was also while in Holcombe Brook that her marriage to Jack came to an end. It was a sad and difficult time, but Chris’ strength of character pulled her through and she got on with her life as best she could. After a few years, she found happiness again when she married John Kohorn. This involved moving from rural Holcombe Brook to Victoria Road in Bolton, but, always pragmatic, she settled into her new life and made a lovely home there. After a few years, Chris and John moved to Glenburn, nestling under Rivington Pike, on the outskirts of Horwich. Chris is survived by her husband, John, her two daughters, Vicky, born in 1968, and Sally, born in 1974, her son-in-law, Ian, and two grandsons, Jake and Henry. Brian Keighley (1951-1958)

IN MEMORIAM Nancy Baxendale (née Williams, 1940-1945) Died 19th May 2017 Catherine Bowater (née Howard, 1946-1953) Died 9th September 2017 Ida Broughton (née Smith, 1939-1945) Died 24th August 2017 Rosemary Delamore (née Thomas, 1944-1949) Died 10th December 2016 Susan Gillard (née Brewis-Levie, 1971-1985) Died 23rd June 2017 Elizabeth Gresham (née Brown, Class of 1945) Died peacefully on 3rd May 2017 Eunice Haysman (née Ireland, 1939-1948) Died 19th May 2016 Anthea Tessa Jones (née Price, 1952-1957) Died 15th October 2015 Joan Molyneux (née Greenhalgh, 1945-1952) Died 23rd March 2017 Elizabeth (Betty) Powell (née Shaw, 1940-1947) Died 11th April 2017 Carol Stock (née Whittall, 1967-1974) Died 17th September 2015

Alice Couriel, Sarah Finlay, Camille Stephenson and Charlotte Fallon (all Class of 2007) at the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;7â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Class Reunion in May 2017 Designed and printed by Haslam Printers Limited, Wingates Ind. Park, Westhoughton, Lancashire BL5 3XH