Cloisters Spring 2019 issue 24

Loyality, ambition and commitment Read the interview with Downe House alumna Mary Beeton (DH 1993) on page 14

Spring

Celebrating continued choral success Downe House wins Barnardo’s Choral Competition for the second year running

OF THE MONTH Not just one winning choir but two! To the whole School’s delight, Polyphonix has won the national Barnardo’s Choral Competition held at London’s Royal Festival Hall making it the second year in a row that a Downe House choir has won the prestigious competition.

February’s Downe House Artist of the Month is Lower Fifth girl, Harriet.

A very talented and enthusiastic student who has shown initiative in her first GCSE unit based on graffiti portraiture. Congratulations Harriet!

Following in the footsteps of Senior Choral who won the competition in 2018, this year it was the turn of the Polyphonix choir to take part and they were delighted to reach the finals of the competition. They took their place on stage as one of only eight choirs selected in the senior age category to sing their two chosen competition pieces. Following their performance, Polyphonix took part in a concert with the other 25 choirs taking part in the competition culminating in a massed choir item.

It was a fiercely-contested competition but Polyphonix gave a sublime performance of ‘The Lord is My Shepherd’ by the composer, Will Todd and ‘On My Own’ from Les Misérables and were crowned ‘Barnardo’s Senior Choir of the Year 2019’. This makes it a double celebration as Polyphonix, a non-auditioned choir open to all girls in the Lower Fifth, Upper Fifth and Sixth Form, is also celebrating its 100th year in 2019 having been established at Downe House School in 1919.

Director of Music, Dr Charlotte Exon said, “We couldn’t be more thrilled and delighted that for two years in a row, our choirs have won the Barnardo’s Choral Competition and been crowned ‘Senior Choir of the Year 2019’. Polyphonix really did deliver a breathtakingly exceptional and professional performance on the day and we are all very proud of them.”

As the competition winner, Polyphonix will be invited to sing a song, specially composed by conductor and composer, Douglas Coombes MBE at the Barnardo’s Young Supporters’ Concert at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall later in the year. As the winning choir in 2018, Senior Choral performed at the Royal Albert Hall, a truly unique and unforgettable experience for all the girls in the choir.

Music transforming young lives

Magazine team Editor-in-chief Content Designer

Michelle Scott Alexandra Barlow Satvinder Orton

Update your details online Have you recently moved, changed your email address or phone number?

Visit the new Downe House Foundation community online network: https://foundation.downehouse.net or email us at: foundation@downehouse.net

Day of Discovery

5 Year Reunion

Focus on art

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Focus on Business

Life Beyond Downe

From the Archives

Happy Day

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Focus on International

15 Year Reunion It was wonderful to see a number of the Class of 2003 at their 15 Year Reunion at The Hollywood Arms in London on 31 January

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day of discovery

Irina Fedotova (DH 2013 ) gave girls an insight into running a skincare business.

Annie Ross (DH 2005) and Lulu O’Connor (DH 2004) with Mrs Paula Machin (DH Staff).

ENRIC

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Leo Gilmour (DH 2011 ) led a number of coding workshops with several year groups.

UIV - UVI GIRLS

T U E S DAY 2 6 M A R C H

HMENT

Isabel Murray (Milne Home DH 1963) spoke about her career in writing and self-publishing.

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day of discovery

Spectacular Day of Discovery Breadth of experience is the key to preparing girls to play a full and positive part in the world beyond Downe House and the biennial Day of Discovery brought together the whole community to share their knowledge, opinions, thoughts and skills in an astonishing range of disciplines. The event was organised by the Foundation Office in conjunction with the DH LINKS team which offers networking links and a focal point for any current pupils or alumnae who want to share or receive careers-based knowledge, guidance and information.

Headmistress, Mrs Emma McKendrick said, “The penultimate day of the Lent term every other year is always given over to a day of learning and experiences which focuses on areas outside the curriculum. For the Lower School this year it meant a trip to visit the Mary Rose organised by the History and CCA departments, which I know that they greatly enjoyed. For the Upper Fourth upwards they had a choice of over seventy different talks, workshops and seminars from which to select. These included everything from rat dissection to learning about setting up a business, to discovering

more about the power of AI, as well as an introduction to Arabic and so much more.

The day concluded with a distinguished panel of guests taking a range of questions from the audience. It is impossible to do the variety of options justice in this piece of writing but, suffice to say, the day certainly fulfilled it’s brief of offering the girls a broad range of opportunities, providing stimulation and broadening their horizons. They responded magnificently, were highly engaged, extremely courteous and appreciative and it was a joy to witness. My thanks go to Mrs Michelle Scott, Assistant Headmistress (Foundation), and the Foundation team for their outstanding organisation of the day and to all those parents, as well as our alumnae and staff, who kindly contributed their expertise and gave their time so generously by offering a range of sessions.”

“I really enjoyed the fact that you could do anything, even if it is not related to your subject. I loved being able to have fun, whilst also learning a lot and being to choose our own lessons for the day.” Anna Neville (Lower Sixth).

“Day of Discovery provided an opportunity for us to discover new things and challenge ourselves with things we have never done before.” Sui Ying (Ashley) Tsoi (Lower Fifth).

The Day of Discovery concluded with an ‘Any Questions’ session attended by all the girls and staff with a panel of experts including Pernilla Holland, Eric Bidinger, Francisca Sconce, Jo Walker, Amy Davies, Elena Sinel, Rosie Tapner and Trinny Woodall.

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The Trinny London team had such a fun day, the girls were incredibly engaged

Our thanks go to the following alumnae who all delivered workshops and talks throughout the Day of Discovery Rosie Tapner (DH 2014) Lulu O’Connor (DH 2004) Charlotte Agnew (DH 2009) Leo Gilmour (DH 2011) Irina Fedotova (DH 2013) Sophie Campbell-Wynter (DH 1993) Isabel Murray (DH 1963) Emily Pullen (DH 2009) Diana Wykes (DH 1973) Francisca Sconce (DH 2003) Annie Ross (DH 2005)

Charlotte Agnew (DH 2009 ) is one of the country’s most promising Event riders; she ran a popular workshop on her career as a professional sportswoman.

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LASS OF 2014

focus on reunions

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5 Year Reunion:

2014

CLASS OF

The Atlas, London Thursday 28 February

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focus on art

Amy Sandys-Lumsdaine (DH 1988) Amy Sandys-Lumsdaine (DH 1988) was born in Calcutta in 1969. After leaving Downe House, Amy completed a Foundation at Middlesex University and then went on to gain a BSc Hons and MSc in Textile Design at UMIST in Manchester. She then worked in the fashion trade in London before heading out to Kenya in 1997 to pursue a career as an artist.

What career did you envisage for yourself when you were in the Sixth Form at Downe House? I was pretty certain I wanted to go to Art School and be creative. I left Downe House in 1988 and did an Art Foundation at Middlesex University (formerly Middlesex College of HE). I then thought it would be best to do a trade, rather then Fine Art, so went off to UMIST in Manchester to do a BSc, followed by an MSc in Textile Design, Design Management & Technology.

As it turned out, all I ever wanted to do was paint, so perhaps I should have pursued art college more rigorously. If you love to do something and can make a career out of it, it’s a very precious thing.

How did Kenya become your home and what made you fall in love with Kenya in particular? Having finished the MSc in Manchester, I then thought a career in Trend Forecasting sounded good and something I was very interested in. I was (ill-) advised to spend time in retail so worked in a fashion house on Bond Street for a short while. I was so bored that all I did every day was dream of painting. Then, my cousin in Kenya asked if I would help run her small textile business whilst she had her first child. I jumped at the chance and arrived in Kenya in February 1997. Immediately I loved the feeling of freedom and adventure. This is a country of big skies, incredibly beautiful landscapes, as well as amazing wildlife and birds and full of welcoming and lovely people. There’s a real entrepreneurial spirit here—people invent, create, upcycle and recycle to make ends meet.

Can you provide a brief overview of your career to date? Since moving to Kenya 22 years ago, I have held one big show every year in Nairobi. This is a month long solo show around November each year. A few years back, I also did a number of ‘The Animal Art Fairs’ in London and a solo show near Newbury, but there’s a growing art buying market in Nairobi so my focus is here at the moment.

Describe your average workday? 7.00am - Wake up with coffee and computer in bed! 8.00am - Run 3km with one of my dogs. 9.00am - Pop up to the rooftop studio, put music on and knuckle down. I will go with the flow depending on how I feel: small, big, still life, landscapes, animals. I will paint whatever I feel like at that moment. I might also do my hand printing either on frames, canvas or paper. I stay up in the studio till 5.00pm every week day. I feel it’s imperative to be disciplined about work and really put in the hours. I have made a great art studio (apart from the monkeys misbehaving) and staying up in the tree tops all day painting and listening to music is no hardship. After 5.00pm and during weekends at home, I can focus on updating websites and social media.

What advice would you give to your younger self? Learn your craft, work hard, enjoy it and keep expanding. Time flies so make every day count! Also, learn how to run a small business of any type by the age of 16. This way it becomes second nature and you have the tools to turn a hobby, talent or creative idea into a business. I would love to see that as an integral part of the school curriculum. And finally, living here in Kenya and seeing the struggles people go through day to day, jump at every opportunity that’s presented don’t take anything for granted.

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Where do you find the biggest sources of influence in your art? I am influenced by my life and travels in East Africa, India and beyond.

Everything I see is inspiration, from the animals and landscapes seen on safari to patterns found in North African, Indian and Arabic jewellery, architecture and textiles.

How has owning your own plane supported your work? My husband has his PPL (Private Pilot’s Licence) and bought our 4-seater Piper Cherokee 235 ten years ago. I have taken a course on how to fly and land from the co-pilot’s right-hand seat (just in case anything goes pear-shaped!). We feel it’s a time machine that allows us to get away most weekends, weather permitting, and we can reach most places within a one hour flight. Thus, we can do a one-night safari and get back home to relax on a Sunday before work begins on Monday. It’s actually safer up in the sky than hurtling about on Kenyan roads! I then have plenty of photos and sketches and inspiration to work with in the following days and weeks. Seeing Kenya from the air, it is all too apparent the negative effect man is having on the environment and the changes that are occurring year on year.

This certainly drives our philosophy

of giving back to the environment and trying to do our bit to help to reverse the damage. With Seedballs Kenya we are not only involved in large-scale tree and grass reseeding of badly affected areas, but we are also working with schools and community-based organizations to assist in seedball distribution and environmental education.

Can you tell us about “Seedballs”, your involvement, and how others can join the movement should they want to help?

Seedballs Kenya was started by Teddy Kinanjui and my husband, Elsen Karstad in 2016 with the aim to reforest and regenerate areas that have been badly damaged by human and sometimes even elephant activities. The indigenous tree and grass species suitable for East Africa are sourced from Kenya Forestry Seed Center and coated in a protective and nutritious coating, including salvaged charcoal dust from urban charcoal vending sites in Nairobi. The coating also protects the seed inside from predation from animals, birds and from the sun. The coating looks after the seed until the first rains when it helps to hydrate and nourish the seed until it can take root. Compared with planting individual seedlings the seedball method allows for much easier, cheaper and wider distribution throughout areas which are often very hard to get to. My role is the design and management

of the website. My aim is to have a one stop source of information, photos and news about Seedballs Kenya that can be accessed world wide by not only potential buyers, but by social media and news organisations too. I am thrilled there has been several social media videos made that have gone viral—the biggest with over 45 million views!

We have set up a Donate page on the website www.seedballskenya. com that allows anyone to donate a bag of Seedballs to a select few organizations that are active in conservation programmes here in Kenya. They will get the right seed type to the right area for distribution.

It’s such an exciting concept and has attracted interviews by the BBC, German State TV and The Independent amongst others. We all have a duty to reduce our carbon footprint, but sometimes it’s difficult to know what to do. By donating a bag you will be helping to regenerate forests directly in Kenya. You really can make a difference! Please take a look at the website to see what we have been doing. Over 4.8 million Seedballs have been distributed into wilderness areas across Kenya since 2016!

To read further about Seedballs Kenya and to see Amy’s artwork please visit these websites http://www.amysl.com and http://www.seedballskenya.com 11

focus on international

I think having an artisanal and ethical element that separates you from the heavily polluted fast fashion industry is also beneficial

Sarah Goodwin (DH 2008) Co-Founder of Tea & Tequila shares with us the highs and lows of running an international business and what life is like living in Mexico City.

What career did you envisage for yourself when you were in the Sixth Form at Downe House? I am not sure I really knew what I wanted to do! I always loved fashion and languages so probably something in the fashion industry, perhaps journalism, but it wasn’t until later after leaving university that I decided to move to Mexico. After a brief period at a private equity company, I knew I wanted to do my own thing, set up my own business and be my own boss.

Describe a typical day for you. First thing in the morning I have a catch-up with my business partner Millie. She is based in London while I am six hours behind in Mexico. We like to go over the day’s key tasks and touch base on projects. I will usually work from home or have

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meetings out and about in the city (Mexico City) with our production teams.

What has been the biggest challenge you have had to overcome in your career?

The biggest challenge would probably also be our biggest success. We taught ourselves everything on the journey. I would never have imagined that running your own business at this stage would require you to be : an accountant, designer, manager, lawyer, partner and much more...

Where do you hope to be in ten years’ time? In ten years’ time, I hope to have grown a very successful international business, have offices in London and Mexico and a strong team working with us.

I hope to be supporting more artisanal communities across Mexico as well.

How important is having a presence on social media been in building your business? It has been vital.

We set up the business initially four years ago and set up an Instagram account alongside it which has been a really useful and necessary tool for us to showcase our brand, gain following etc.

Facebook and Instagram are also tools that direct customers to your online store which is where we aim to send the traffic.

In a competitive industry, such as fashion, what are the key characteristics needed to make your product stand out? I think it’s hugely important to have a unique product and good brand values. Having a story behind you is crucial in the current saturated market.

I think having an artisanal and ethical element that separates you from the heavily polluted fast fashion industry is also beneficial.

What has been the greatest accomplishment in your career? My greatest

accomplishment would be creating a business with my best friend and that we learn new things every day. We have had some very successful moments including appearing in the Times Business Section a couple of summers ago. On the flip side, we have had some very unglamorous moments including both myself and my business partner catching a body virus the day before a big photoshoot in Mexico and being forced into quarantine instead at a pretty shady ‘motel’!

What advice would you give to your younger self? I would tell myself not to worry about the future as things tend to work out later on - it’s unlikely that you will know what career you want to do while still at school especially if none of the typical routes seem to call out to you. I remember my first headmistress when I was aged five saying “Oh Sarah, you are such a worrier!” This is now something I have had to overcome due to the Mexicans ‘mañana’ approach to deadlines and the informality that we have to put up with day to day.

As you are running an international business, being based in both Mexico and London, has this presented additional barriers such as language and time differences? Luckily, there is no issue with the language barrier since I speak fluent Spanish now having lived in Mexico for the last seven years. This is something I started at Downe House and A Level made way for Spanish at Bristol and my lifechanging year abroad choice of Mexico where I have been ever since! The time difference can be a bit of a burden on both ends as we find it difficult to switch off. However we try to turn it into a positive by being online and contactable round the clock - one of us will clock off at around 6.00/7.00pm GMT and the other 12.00pm/1.00am GMT so it makes us readily available to our customers and those we work with.

Please visit the website of Tea & Tequila https://www.teaandtequilatrading.com/

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focus on business

Mary Beeton (DH 1993) Mary Beeton (Robinson DH 1993) is Head of London Sales at Hamptons International having worked for the heritage brand for the last 16 years. She talks to us about working in the property sector and what drives her in such a competitive world of work. As a wife and mother of three young boys, Mary shares the highs and lows of finding a work life balance.

What career did you envisage for yourself when you were in the Sixth Form at Downe House? I wanted to be a journalist, specifically a foreign correspondent reporting from far-flung war-torn countries. Kate Adie was my heroine!

We live in Kent and I commute into London Monday to Thursday and work from home on a Friday – the balance of four days in London and three days in the countryside works well for me. I couldn’t live without the bustle of one and the space of the other.

Describe a typical day for you? I usually leave the house at 7.30am but I’m always up and ready by 7.00am so that I can spend half an hour with my three boys before I leave for work and they head off to school with the au pair. It’s a crazy, noisy house in the mornings with six of us all rushing around getting ready but we wouldn’t have it any other way (most of the time!).

My typical day at work varies hugely – I may spend the whole day at our Head Office in Oxford Street in back-to-back meetings with other leaders of the business or external businesses (who knew there were so many proptech firms!) or I may be whizzing around from office to office checking in on colleagues across the network, ensuring they have everything they need to give the best possible service to our

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clients and customers. Last week, I took 35 of our high achievers on a three-day skiing trip to the French Alps and tomorrow I’m up on stage presenting at a big black-tie awards ceremony – all very glamorous and great fun – but then yesterday I spent the whole day holed up in a

Positivity, energy, enthusiasm, loyality, ambition and commitment basement meeting room poring over spreadsheets, analysing productivity, budgets, KPIs and P&Ls!!!

The most important thing in my job – and the thing I do most of, and indeed love the most – is the people. I’m responsible for everyone that comes into contact with Hamptons, colleagues and customers alike. Ensuring that their experience is an exceptional one with the best possible result depending on what they want to achieve is what gets me up every morning and has kept me in the industry for the last 23 years. I also feel extremely responsible for Hamptons as a business – it’s our 150th year this year and it made me think; we are simply custodians of this amazing, heritage brand with the responsibility of handing it on to the next generation of leaders in the best possible shape it can be.

What has been the biggest challenge you have had to overcome in your career? I genuinely can’t think of any major challenge I’ve had to overcome, although challenging markets always throw a few bumps into the road and can mean having to make difficult short term decisions in terms of investment. The good thing about a challenging market though is there are always opportunities within them – and they always end eventually!

Where do you hope to be in ten years’ time? On a sun lounger in Mauritius with my family around me, a cocktail in my hand and a good book!

In all seriousness though – I hope to still be at Hamptons, having grown the business successfully

in the right directions and with us being industry leaders in all areas.

The property part goes without saying, but I would also hope that we have made a real difference in other areas too – for example we are currently the first estate agents to launch an initiative to be more environmentally conscious. No more laminated property brochures or plasticbased estate agency boards for us! It’s important to look outside the business into the wider world to see what positive impact we can add for others, whether through mentoring schemes, an environmental commitment or ensuring wellbeing and an understanding of the importance of good mental health.

In an increasingly competitive world of work, what are the key characteristics needed to make you stand out? Positivity, energy, enthusiasm, loyalty, ambition and commitment. If you have these, people will always want to employ you – and keep you!

What has been your greatest accomplishment in your career?

Seeing the success of others around me gives me greater pleasure than anything else. I’ve launched dozens of new initiatives, helped thousands of people move house or up their career ladders and stood up on many a stage speaking on behalf of the industry or as a voice for women in business but I don’t really think I’ve accomplished anything quite yet – it’s all still a work in progress!!

What advice would you give to your younger self? Don’t worry so much about what you’re going to do or achieve tomorrow; focus on

today, do your absolute best and the rest will follow.

How do you manage the balance between your professional and personal life and how important is it to “switch off”? It’s very difficult to switch off completely and I used to be terrible. I remember once reading an email on my mobile over my child’s shoulder when he was giving me a hug. I saw myself in the reflection in the patio door glass and had a massive wake-up call moment!!

Since then I always turn my phone off before I walk through the door and leave it off until after the children are in bed and James (the husband) and I have had supper together. I also mute work emails and social media when we are away on holiday together. It’s hard to do but it’s so important.

When I’m with my family now, I am 100% with them. But when I’m not with them, I am 100% about work – unless of course I’m enjoying a glass of wine with friends in which case I am 100% about that!

Hamptons International is delighted to offer Downe House parents and alumnae a discounted rate for the sale or let of their properties.

For a free up to date appraisal of your home or portfolio or to discuss a potential move or investment, please contact Mary Beeton in the first instance on 07540916196 or beetonm@hamptons-int.com quoting DHLINKS https://www.hamptons.co.uk/

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focus on life beyond Downe Natalia Mansbridge (Colombani DH 1998) talks to us about life beyond Downe House and her recent business venture, The Little Yoga Company.

What career did you envisage for yourself when you in the Sixth Form at Downe House? I went on a World Challenge expedition to Nepal between my Sixth Form years and had a very clear idea that I wanted to work for them after university. As it happened, I spent just over seven years there managing the support teams. It was a brilliant job - hard work, but a lot of fun - and I met my husband there so it all worked out quite well!

What has been your career path since leaving Downe House? After I left World Challenge, I joined a small social action charity called Fixers based in Winchester.

I managed a team of youth workers across the country who worked with young people motivated by a personal experience or circumstance to help others and ‘fix’ the future. We would use media to raise awareness on all sorts of issues like mental health, eating disorders, cyber-bullying, addiction or abuse, through to preventing food waste or drink-spiking. It was a fascinating place to work and so inspiring to see young people turning really tough experiences into something so positive.

My children, Leila now eight and Toby now six, were born while I was working at Fixers so I had my first experience of juggling work and parenthood. It was a challenge and I felt the inevitable shift in priorities.

Just after Toby was born, we found we were going to be moving to Denmark through my husband’s job with the Foreign Office. We spent three amazing years in Copenhagen, soaking up the Scandi lifestyle and perfecting the art of hygge.

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With two small children and no grasp of the language, having a regular office job was difficult so it was there that I decided to teach yoga to children. I already had an adult teaching qualification, and practised regularly with Leila and Toby, so it seemed like a natural thing to do.

The Foreign Office offers grants to ‘trailing spouses’ for training that will lead to a portable career - effectively meaning that partners of FCO staff can accompany them on overseas postings without completely sacrificing or putting their careers on hold. I used my grant to do a couple of online courses and, in May 2015, The Little Yoga Company was born and I started teaching classes to the large expat community in Copenhagen. I would teach drop-in classes for toddlers as well as after-school clubs for children at a couple of the international schools.

I could timetable my teaching to fit in around family commitments and school holidays.

I never thought my career would take that direction but family circumstances were such that I was able to set up a little business and do something really rewarding.

What is your current job role? We moved back to the UK in 2017 and I got a job at the National Trust, working with the Visitor Experiences team and organising some internal conferences. It didn’t take long for me to realise that I missed teaching too much so last year I dropped down to working three days per week at the Trust, and started teaching again. So, my current job is split between being a small cog in a huge national conservation charity and being a one-woman band running my own yoga business.

country’s most treasured properties and places.

On a yoga day, I load up the car with mats and props and drive between classes. I teach a breakfast club session at a local school and then go on to a group of two to three year olds at a nursery setting.

After that I head to a prep school and teach eight to ten year olds within their school day - it’s part of their curriculum then an after-school club in a village hall.

I love being able to get creative, planning and theming my lessons, and weaving some traditional yoga theory into my classes, even with toddlers. It’s hugely rewarding too. So many children now have problems with anxiety and an inability to switch off. When I hear from a parent that their child has been sleeping better, or coping with their tantrums more effectively, I almost burst with pride.

What has been the biggest challenge you have experienced with your career?

I think I’d have to say the two main challenges have been having children and our adjustment to being a diplomatic family. Having said that, it was those challenges that led to me teaching yoga to children so I now see them as great opportunities to re-evaluate and adapt.

Where do you hope to be in five years’ time? I’m leaving the National Trust in a few months, which will be bittersweet.

I have loved being part of such a highly regarded organisation, but I’ve realised I would rather teach full-time. I know we will be in the UK for at least the next three years, but in five years…who knows?

I’d love to think we will be in another fascinating city and The Little Yoga Company will continue its global journey!

Describe a typical day for you? It depends which day of the week you ask!

At the moment at the National Trust I’m working on a couple of large conferences taking place in the summer so it’s all about venues, agendas, delegates, logistics, and bringing people together from properties across the South East in the most cost-effective (we are a charity!) way possible.

I’m part of a small team but I get to work with so many fascinating and passionate people, and, of course, visit some of the

To read further about The Little Yoga Company please visit: www.thelittleyogacompany.com

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from the archives

Downe in the19

Girls performing to parents and families in the Cloisters.

In 1932, the girls knitted garments for children of unemployed miners in Wales.

Girls in the sunshine at Downe House.

A copy of the letter sent to Downe House from M Merthyr Tydfil

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the lens 930s The girls weaving at Downe House.

Samples of the fabric they made are kept in the Archives

Charles Williams, the writer and poet, and his wife Florence were great friends of Miss Willis. One of his plays ‘A Myth of Shakespeare’ was performed at Downe House in 1931.

Margaret Gardner of

Charles Williams commended the girls’ interpretation of his work, and the next year they performed another of his works, A Myth of Francis Bacon.

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focus on news and achievements

EXCELLENT ADVICE FROM DOWNE HOUSE ALUMNA JEMIMA ATKINS Downe House Alumna, Jemima Atkins (DH 2012) kindly returned to School to share her experiences and give advice to the Lower Sixth girls on preparing their CVs and job applications as part of the ongoing Interview Preparation Programme organised by the Higher Education Department.

Lower Sixth pupil, Emma reports, “Advice from a Downe House Alumna, who has achieved so much and is so accomplished in her area of work, was really inspiring and I think it made us listen more intently in order to take as much away from it as we could. Drawing on her own experience, Jemima enlightened us on the do’s and don’ts of the job application process and was very good at answering our individual questions.

One of the most useful points that I took away from this lecture was the process of deciding on the relevance of each piece of information. With only a page to work with on your CV and covering letter, Jemima advised us that our choice of words and phrases is key in order to choose the right information to convey for the job you are applying for. Each application must be tailored to the job and must provide the relevant information to convince the company to give you a chance and invite you for an interview.”

LACROSSE SUCCESS FOR ANNA AND LUCY

Congratulations to Anna Neville (Lower Sixth) who has been selected to play in the U19A England team in the Junior Home Internationals in April and 1st team goal keeper, Lucy Phillips (Upper Sixth), who has been selected to represent Wales in the U19A team. This is a fantastic achievement!

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SENIOR MEDLEY LECTURE FROM FACTORY TO DREAM FACTORY Author of seven books including The Great British Dream Factory, journalist and TV presenter, Dr Dominic Sandbrook delivered this term’s Senior Medley Lecture.

Dr Sandbrook held his audience of Upper School and Sixth Form girls as well as staff and parents enthralled as he explored how Great Britain has reinvented itself as a cultural superpower after the fall of the British Empire, from the impact of the novels of Agatha Christie and J.R.R. Tolkien to the music of the Beatles and boarding school heroes such as James Bond and Harry Potter.

Dr Sandbrook hardly drew breath as he made the case for how Britain went from being seen as a ‘nation of shopkeepers’ renowned only for our industry and stiff upper lip to dominating

the world in terms of popular culture, whether it be in music, literature or film. He argued that Danny Boyle’s vibrant and quirky opening ceremony, which provided such a spectacular start to the London 2012 Olympic Games really summed up our post-empire national identity through its many references to pop music, storytelling, industrial history and popular culture.

Prior to the lecture, Mr Sandbrook ran a workshop for a group of Sixth Form girls about the 1983 General Election which they are studying as part of the A Level Politics syllabus.

A VISIT FROM SPORTING LEGEND TONY ADAMS MBE Downe House welcomed a sporting legend to give a talk in the Performing Arts Centre in February.

Girls and staff listened avidly to former England and Arsenal FC Captain, Tony Adams MBE, who talked candidly about his challenges with addiction and recovery and what led him to become involved with the Sporting Chance charity.

It was thanks to Jemima Landale (Upper Fifth), that Tony Adams came to speak, and she gave him a welcoming introduction which included many of the highlights of his remarkable playing career.

Tony spent 22 years as a defender at Arsenal where he played consistently during three decades under both George Graham and Arsene Wenger. He won four top flight division titles, three FA Cups, two Football League Cups, a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and three FA Community Shields. In total, Tony appeared 66 times for England, and scored five times.

Tony spoke of his professional career which masked his personal demons and feelings of low self-esteem. He was so honest when talking about his illness and what he described as hell both on and off the field. He told the audience, “I knew how to play football and how to get drunk but I really didn’t know myself.” It is because of his own experiences that Tony became involved with the Sporting Chance Clinic – a place for professional athletes across all sports to find support and to help them address mental health, emotional welfare and addictive disorders.

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happy day

Happy Day 2019 embraced the theme of Best of British Happy Day is an annual event at Downe House, which is organised entirely by the Upper Sixth Senior team. All the girls throughout the School took part and it was wonderful to see the vast array of different costumes from both staff and pupils.

Happy Day is a signature event for the Senior team 22

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FONDLY REMEMBERED Jo Vellacott (DH 1939)

Jo was born on the 20 April 1922 in Plymouth, England and had a long and adventurous life, spanning three continents.

From a privileged childhood in Devonshire, she was the daughter of a successful surgeon, she left Downe House in 1939 and went onto study at Oxford University. Having been at Downe House during the time of Olive Willis, Jo was clearly influenced by Miss Willis “her inspiration and the whole climate of Downe really set the tone for the rest of my life”.

After graduating from Oxford in 1943, she found work as an air mechanic during the war. In South Africa, she married Peter Newberry and had two children, Douglas and Mary, a daughter Soo after returning to England. In 1955, the family immigrated to Canada. In the mid-70’s, Peter, Jo and Soo worked on the mercury poisoning at Grassy Narrows. In 1976, Jo and Peter separated and she went on to earn a PhD in History. Her publications include Bertrand Russell and the

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Pacifists and From Liberal to Labour with Women’s Suffrage: The Story of Catherine Marshall. Thanks to Jo’s scholarship, in 2018 Marshall’s name was placed on the plinth of the Millicent Fawcett statue in Parliament Square, London. Jo loved her work as a teacher and a scholar and held teaching positions at a number of Canadian universities including Queen’s and Concordia, where she taught women’s studies from 1982 to 1987. Quakerism and Quaker practice became increasingly important for Jo, as a source of joy and strength.. In 2018, she published a biography of her first 25 years, Living and Learning in Peace and War. Jo died on 22 February 2019 at the age of 96, leaving behind son Douglas and his wife Irene and grandchildren Vanessa and Daniel; daughter Mary and her partner Rory Gus, their son Sean, and grandson Slade; and daughter Soo, grandchildren, Acorn Dylan and Siara (and their father John) and Siara’s husband Jean-Philippe and great-children Huge and Eliane.

A memorial Meeting for Worship for Jo Vellacott will be held at Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto on 29 June 2019 at 1pm. For more information, call June Pollard, 647-995-5459.

Our thanks go to Jo’s daughter, Mary Newberry, for allowing us to print a copy of Jo’s obituary which was recently published in several Canadian newspapers.

The Foundation were delighted to welcome Jo and her son Douglas and his wife Irene to the Founder’s Weekend celebrations at Downe House in 2014.

Jo was awarded a DHSA grant in 2017 to assist with the publication of her memoir: Living and Learning in Peace and War. Copies of the book are available to purchase on Amazon and through http://www.spokesmanbooks.com

Three photographs of Jo Vellacott during her time at Downe House.

Jo (middle row, far left) with Olive Willis and the Seniors. Jo pictured performing in the Cloisters (far left). On a fence when at Downe House on what she called an “all day holiday”.

The photograph below was taken in November 2018. It represents the last book on Catherine Marshall that Jo didn’t have time to complete herself, but she found a scholar willing to take over for her. She, with the help of a former student Janet Wiegand, packed all the research up to be shipped to England. This is her standing in front of the boxes ready to be shipped.

Jo pictured top right at her 95th birthday party on 30 April 2017.

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FONDLY REMEMBERED Ann Lee (Machin DH 1939) Ann was at Downe for only a few years in order to take her School Certificate.

Coming from Governess and Dame School learning, she succeeded in passing her School Certificate with flying colours in a very short time under Downe’s tutelage.

Olive Willis was at the helm and she remembered the white dogs that Miss Nichol had. She had a fund of stories about Downe, including Mademoiselle Egobert (?) hanging unmentionables lost in the laundry over the gallery of the dining room declaiming … ‘oo is ee, ee must be sombodee’, encouraging the blushing owner to claim their property publicly.

prep schools, he eventually became a headmaster and owner of St Michaels, Tawstock, Devon and found it very rewarding. Ann threw herself wholeheartedly into the role of headmaster’s wife, managing the domestic staff and day-to-day running of the business.

Although a firm believer in the merits of the boarding school system, she saw that it could be tough for boys as young as eight or nine years old. So she made herself available to them, reading them stories on Sunday evenings, and even holding a class once a week when they could talk to her about anything they liked. In these

was very highly intelligent, but throughout her life she never tried to capitalize on her brain power.

She never had any aspirations to pursue a career. She was very conservative in her outlook, having been brought up in a rather Edwardian household as the only child of a second marriage.

Given her abilities and brain, she constantly surprised the family by rejecting the role of women in the modern world as clerics, doctors, lawyers or indeed any other career she deemed a male preserve.

However, her intelligence did not go to waste. She had her children reading, writing and doing basic Ann is the one on the right in the first photo and the one on the left seated in the second.

These are pages from her scrapbook of memorabilia.

Although by her own acknowledgement not a sporting person, she found success with the School rifle shooting team, and went on to shoot at Bisley.

She was very proud of that achievement and enjoyed the trips and competitions hugely.

When Ann left school, World War Two was in progress, so she joined the Red Cross, in which she did her bit, first looking after evacuee children and then working at a soldiers’ convalescence home in Leicestershire. She was nearly thirty years old when she met Christopher and they were married within a year. They had two children, Jennie and Rupert.

When Ann and Christopher first met, he was still trying out various possible careers: it was Ann who suggested that he became a schoolmaster. Teaching at boys’

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ways she found an outlet for her natural warmth and sympathy, which were very much her defining qualities.

Ann’s rather self-effacing nature tended to hide that she really

arithmetic before they went to school aged four and a half. She enjoyed reading and the Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword, and kept herself well-informed about the world. In to her early ‘90s she was still happy to debate politics

and the state of the world with her family.

The letters from present Downe House pupils and the cards at Christmas and Birthdays that she was sent were a source of great pleasure and some wonderment to her – she could not understand why she was special to the school.

A typically humble response. She kept her school Cloak which we found in the cupboard after her

death, something that says so clearly how important Downe was to her.

Written by: Jennie Vaughan-Jackson (Lee DH 1972)

Philippa Hill (Pass DH 1937) Philippa was the fourth of five daughters brought up at Wootton House. Her early years there appear very privileged now - butlers, maids, grooms, chauffeurs, Daimlers, hunting and hunt balls at neighbouring estates such as Forde Abbey – the stuff of modern dramas. However her family were also very down to earth and were well-respected locally by all levels of society.

This is the story of her life at Wootton in her words.

upper one. I remember giving a ceremonious funeral to one of our home-cured hams which had gone bad. Katherine Diana Joan and I solemnly took it over to the island in the boat, and hung it up there.

Kersy was our dearly loved governess. We were taught by the system called “The Parents’ National Educational Union”, PNEU for short. Syllabus and books came each term, and exam papers sent to be marked by them at the end of term. Our parents sent us to boarding schools at 13 and their preferred school, Downe House, near Newbury, was a happy choice. Run by Miss

Willis, it did not aim to train girls in traditional fashion solely for marriage, encouraging instead further education, careers, music, fitness, even sport. We led a spartan existence, with the School being perched on a windy hilltop above Newbury, its windows open all the time. Sponges froze in the washbasins, and in winter the staff got the whole School outside to do warming-up exercises before breakfast.”

Our thanks go to Philippa’s daughter, Dr Julia Riley for allowing us to print an extract of the Eulogy which was read at the celebration of Philippa’s life.

“Although there was a big gap in age between Katharine and Diana, the pre-war children, Joan and myself, born in 1919 and 1920, and Honor, born six years later, we were a united family if rather too noisy. Wootton remains an idyllic memory of a happy home where the sun always shone. Most of our favourite places to play, apart from the three magical lime trees beyond the tennis court, were round the ponds. They were already silting up, but for many years there was still a boat on the

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FONDLY REMEMBERED Joan Atkinson (DH 1947) She was a gifted artist and excelled at painting and dress-making.

Although she did not pursue these gifts as a career and made a living as a secretary, the family prizes her paintings and drawings as they are not only beautiful but remind us of Joan’s creativity and imagination.

Joan was born on 29 May 1930 in Bangkok, Thailand when that country was still called Siam.

Her father, Reginald, was a solicitor and her mother, Carrie who had been born in Thailand, worked for him.

Joan never married but she was full of love. She adored her two nephews, Robert and Charles and was adored in return. She felt the same way about her great-nieces, Emily and Jenny, which was also mutual. She kept in contact with all her family and was, in many ways, a focal point for it. Large family get-togethers were always at her house. She was regarded with great affection by her work

colleagues. On her first day of work at one place, she immediately set about watering all the office plants, earning herself the nickname of ‘Auntie Joan’.

Joan was a great traveller. She visited USA, Canada, Greece, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Portugal, Iran, Egypt and Malaysia amongst others. These overseas trips tailed off in the 2000s as Joan got older, but she increased her travel within the UK, especially with the National Trust. She kept notes and brochures from all her visits, often cramming in two lines of script between the printed lines of her notebooks. Joan considered it a virtue not to waste paper. She did, however, collect it, and kept teetering piles in an

Joan spent a very happy childhood in Siam, with her little brother Douglas. Under the threat of Japanese invasion, the family moved to England in the late thirties, with Joan, Douglas and their mother arriving first while Reginald remained to tidy up affairs. The family lived in the village of Cold Ash, near Newbury in Berkshire. The family home sat in a large garden which, as money became tighter after Joan’s father’s death in 1954, had to be sold off.

Joan and her mother built a new house on the last piece of land and lived there together from 1960.

The family played an active role in village life. They were, on the face of it, very English, but Joan grew up in a house filled with memories of far-away countries, and she had a widespread family extending from the US to Thailand. Joan attended Downe House School from Lent Term in 1942 to the end of the Summer Term in 1947.

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Joan pictured above left on her 80th birthday and above at a Spring Show in 2011.

upstairs room, alongside thousands of other items she thought might one day be useful and which were too valuable to throw away She was a photographer, and regularly entered the Cold Ash Horticultural Society show. She took literally thousands of photos which showed her main interests – flowers, family, friends and history.

Joan lived with her mother all her life. She retired in 1990 and, as her mother grew more infirm, became a full-time carer until the latter’s death in 1996. After that freed from work and caring duties, Joan really started to do what she wanted. She was an enthusiastic gardener and member of the Cold Ash Horticultural Society and local branch of the National Trust. She was a member of a local book club and was famous for never reading any of the books the club set itself to read. She did, however, dedicate

herself to the smooth running of the book club, regularly hosting it in her house, and dedicating a cupboard in her kitchen to it, stacked with special crockery and biscuits.

In this period after her mother’s death, Joan lived an independent and fulfilling life, filled with friends and activity. Much of the detail of it was little known to her immediate family, but the feedback we have had from these friends is always the same – she is described simply as ‘a lovely lady’.

Joan suffered a series of brain haemorrhages in 2013. She was rendered unable to speak or feed herself and was barely able to move. We cannot know for sure what Joan went through over the five and half years from the onset of her condition to her death on 29 January 2018, but we do know that she had genuine moments of happiness. Her face could light up

with a smile when she saw someone she recognised. The staff at her care home in Malvern in Worcestershire cared for her beautifully, and we would like to thank them deeply for their commitment, as well as all the friends who supported her over this time. It cannot have been easy for them. Joan’s condition was such that she appeared superficially a very different person to the one we knew from before the abrupt change in her circumstances. Her carers at the home knew only this new Joan, but it is relevant that they described her just as those did who knew her before – they all called her ‘a lovely lady’. That essence of Joan remained unchanged.

A memorial service for Joan was held at St Mark’s Church in Cold Ash, Berkshire, on 18 February 2019.

Written by: Rob Atkinson

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DHSA news

AGM Report – Lent Term 2019 DHSA Magazine 2019 We hope you have received your mailed copy of the ‘new look’ magazine. If not, either click here https://foundation.downehouse.net to read it online or update your details on the website and send an email to dhsa@downehouse.net so we can check we have the correct address.

Reunion 2019 Advance Notice There will be a reunion in early November 2019 for all those who left between 1980 and 1990.

It will be held at the Savile Club, Mayfair, London with the date to be confirmed.

Short Story Competition 2019 We are pleased to announce the winners of this annual competition sponsored by the DHSA. Congratulations go to Junior Prize Winner – Lilias Hoare Nairne Middle Prize Winner – Nga Man Cheng Senior Prize Winner – Poppy Scales The Clare Balding Prize for Excellent Writing is awarded to Poppy Scales.

AGM 2019 The AGM of the DHSA was held on Tuesday 26 February 2019. Those present were welcomed by the President, Lady Richards (Gillian Taylor DH 1968) who reviewed the activities of the past year. The financial accounts of the Association were presented and agreed unanimously. The current Officers of the Association are: Chairman: Bridget Wheeler (Campbell DH 1980)

Grants Two new grants were awarded in February.

Recipients are: Alice Fane (DH 2010) towards a Horticultural Training Course in Japan for four months starting at the end of March 2019

Secretary: Lucinda Tindley (Franks DH 1980) Treasurer: Clare Duffield (Davies DH 1982) If you are interested in finding out more about joining the committee which is made up of Old Seniors of all ages, please do contact the Chairman via dhsa@downehouse.net.

Poppy MacInnes (DH 2010) towards an Expedition and Wilderness Medicine experience in La Clusaz, French Alps, in June 2019.

Do remember that all members of the DHSA are entitled to a grant to assist them in a worthwhile project eg towards an individual’s professional/ educational development.

All submissions are considered at the next scheduled meeting of the Committee. Application forms, available from the website, should be sent to the DHSA administrator at dhsa@downehouse.net The remaining 2019 application deadline is 31 August 2019.

Application deadlines for 2020 are 31 January and 31 August 2020.

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IN MEMORIAM Miss Joan Atkinson (DH 1947) Miss Jenny Gason (DH 1960) Mrs Catherine Hare (Verney DH 1943) Mrs Philippa Hill (Pass DH 1937)

SAVE THE DATE 10 YEAR REUNION THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER 2019 The Hollywood Arms, Chelsea, London We hope to see you there!

2009 Calling the Class of 2009

DATES FOR THE DIARY 2019 SATURDAY 29 & SUNDAY 30 JUNE FOUNDER’S WEEKEND, DOWNE HOUSE WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER 20 & 25 YEAR REUNION, LONDON

Gif Fair

FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER GIFT FAIR, DOWNE HOUSE THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER 10 YEAR REUNION, LONDON

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SATURDAY 29 JUNE – SUNDAY 30 JUNE 2019

FOUNDER’S WEEKEND Foundation

Bringing the Downe House community together

Cold Ash, Thatcham, Berkshire RG18 9JJ T: 01635 204719 E: foundation@downehouse.net www.downehouse.net

Downe House School

@DowneHouse

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