Cloisters Summer 2019 issue 25

Summer SUMMER 2019

Downe House Nicola Skinner (DH 1996) Nicola’s first children’s book ‘BLOOM’ was published earlier this year and is a beautifully written, incredibly original and wickedly funny novel for readers age 10 and older – BLOOM is for everyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in, and for anyone who has ever wanted a little more colour and wildness in their lives.

Keith Cottell has been coming in to Downe House to examine the Life Support First Aid exam for just over twenty years. We were delighted to present Keith with a hamper of gifts recently to mark his fantastic service to the School.

Nicola tells us what inspired her to become a writer.

“I started my writing career aged nine when my mum gave me a WHSmith diary and from then on I was hooked. I decided that the only thing worth doing in my life was writing and that one day, very soon, (pause for hollow laugh) I’d write books.

I studied English Literature and Film and Television Studies at Glasgow University. I still think back with amazement that I got part of my degree by watching films. Seriously, what a gig. I once wrote an entire essay about the symbolism of staircases in Douglas Sirk films. Those were the days.

After graduating, I worked in loads of different jobs, from barwork to publishing to advertising to corporate recruitment, real-life journalism and copywriting. There have been highs and lows. I have written for The Guardian, the Pool, the National Trust, and went on Radio 4 with Michael Rosen once.

But I have also sat through far too many meetings I didn’t completely enjoy where I’d wonder - when was that book-writing going to happen? It had been three decades. I mean, come on. Oh, and also, when was someone going to ask me about the symbolism of staircases in Douglas Sirk films?

Then in the summer of 2015, when my four year old daughter blew a dandelion at my head , I had a sudden idea for a story that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I had this strong feeling of recognition, like - ‘You’re the one, aren’t you?’ I also got very panicky at the thought of anyone else having the same idea. So I thought I’d better get it down on paper before they beat me to it.

Writers that have influenced me are Enid Blyton (my first love), Roald Dahl, Stephen King, JK Rowling, Sue Townsend, Helen Fielding, Louise Fitzhugh (‘Harriet the Spy’ is one of my favourite books of all time), Caitlin Moran, and Frank Cottrell Boyce, with a special nod to Jim Davis (creator of ‘Garfield’).”

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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

DH LINKS

Leavers’ Day

Founder’s Weekend

Focus on Charity

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Focus on Design

From the Archives

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Focus on One Year On

Fondly Remembered

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Introducing our new Head and Head Deputy Seniors

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A huge welcome to Arah and Mathilde (Tilly) who will be leading the School community over the next 12 months.

The new appointments have been made following the School Officer Process in which girls submit their applications alongside the support of references from members of staff. Following this, each candidate has an interview with the Headmistress and outgoing Head and Deputy Seniors. The final part of the application process is an online vote for girls and staff. The successful candidates, Arah and Tilly, spent the first two weeks of the Summer Term shadowing the outgoing School Officers, Cecelia (Cece) and Elizabeth (Dara) to learn more about the roles under their guidance.

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INSPIRATIONAL ALUMNAE PR Event at Downe House On Tuesday 4 June, Sophie Toh (Dennys DH 1999) returned to Downe House to talk to our Lower Fifth and Lower Sixth girls about her career path since leaving School. Sophie lives and works in Dubai and set up her own business ten years ago. Toh PR is an award-winning communications agency trusted by the best brands in the world to deliver stand-out campaigns. Sophie spoke honestly about the highs and lows of running your own business and what is takes to be an entrepreneur. She gave a fantastic talk on what the term ‘PR’ means and what a diverse and interesting industry it is.

I took away the following advice from Sophie Toh: don’t worry about failing. If you want something, go and get it. Finally if you want something to work, be prepared to work hard.

Emily Manners (Lower Sixth)

“I found it very inspiring to hear how Sophie built up her own successful business and overcame setbacks. Prior to the talk I was very set on following one career path, but on hearing her advice I will research other careers including PR. It was interesting to learn about how a business is run and the different brands that her company works with.”

Madison James (Lower Sixth) DH LINKS offers careers-based networking opportunities for current pupils and alumnae – if you can offer support with providing work shadowing or internships, hosting a Cluster Group or giving a careers talk, please do get in touch.

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LEFT: CHARLOTTE NICHOLSON, SOPHIE TOH, EMILY MANNERS AND GEORGINA DAY RIGHT: DAISY WEST, MATHILDE HUGHES, ABBY DOLBEAR, PHOEBE JERVIS AND ALEXANDRA AGNEW

I gained so much from the advice that Phoebe and Alexandra gave including: that it does not matter if you study for a law degree or take a law conversion course. I found it really useful when they spoke about not necessarily needing to know exactly what area of the law you want to go into as it is possible to try out multiple areas during your training contract.

Law Event at Downe House Phoebe Jervis (DH 2010) and Alexandra Agnew (DH 2010) gave a brilliant talk to our Lower Fifth and Lower Sixth girls on Wednesday 19 June about their careers in the legal profession. Both Phoebe and Alexandra work for law firms in London and spent time talking to our current girls about university courses, law conversion courses, working life in London and how to make yourself stand out at interviews. The advice they gave was invaluable and we are extremely grateful to them for travelling to Downe House and giving up their evening.

“I really enjoyed the talk in Lovelock. I thought Phoebe and Alexandra were really inspiring and they gave realistic advice about being a lawyer.”

Annabel Le Grice (Lower Sixth)

Nina Paterson (Lower Sixth)

Please contact the Foundation Office if you wish to discuss ways to support DH LINKS. Mrs Alexandra Barlow DH LINKS Coordinator Email: dhlinks@downehouse.net Tel: 01635 204740 5

foundation dinner

FOUNDATION DINNER The Foundation Dinner took place on Friday 10 May to celebrate the Upper Sixth girls and their time at Downe House. This annual event is a fantastic opportunity to bring together girls, parents and staff to look back on their time at Downe House and to wish them every success in their examinations. We look forward to following their future achievements and welcome them to the Downe House alumnae community.

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leavers’ day

Leavers’ Day is cause for huge celebrations at Downe House from the final assembly and procession led by a piper to a farewell lunch and the Leavers’ Ball.

In the Leavers’ Assembly, one of our alumnae, Georgina Hilton (DH 2009) spoke to the girls about her journey since leaving School to become an Auctioneer for Christie’s Hong Kong and encouraged everyone to make the most of any opportunity that comes their way. The prize giving ceremony celebrated achievements and success in all fields and across the year groups and the Olive Willis Award for overall contribution to school life went to Kirsty Depledge (DH 2019). All the leavers and

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their parents joined the procession through the School to Chapel, led by a piper. After the Leavers’ Service and drinks on the terrace, everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch thanks to the Downe House Catering Department. The much-anticipated ‘Confetti Moment’ orchestrated by our amazing AV Department was a huge success with plenty of photo opportunities for all.

The celebrations continued into the evening as girls travelled to London for the Leavers’ Ball at the Westminster Boating Base where they enjoyed a threecourse dinner with dancing afterwards.

Assistant Headmistress (Foundation), Mrs Michelle Scott said, “We wish all of our leavers every success in their future – it has been a privilege to know them all and to have been part of their lives for so long. Now they join our global alumnae community and we hope that they will keep in touch with us and with one another – once a Downe House girl, always a Downe House girl! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the support staff who worked so hard behind the scenes to make Leavers’ Day such a success.”

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leavers’ day2018 LEAVERS’ LEAVERS DAY 2019

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leavers’ day2018 LEAVERS

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FOUNDER’S WEEKEND

A truly fantastic Founder’s Weekend!

Bringing our community together and showcasing all that is special about Downe House are the overarching aims of Founder’s Weekend.

Parents and extended family, alumnae, staff and girls alike turned out in force to enjoy a whole variety of drama, dance and music performances, departmental displays, tennis, archery, climbing, dog agility, House fundraisers and wellbeing activities to name but a few.

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HEADMISTRESS, MRS EMMA MCKENDRICK

Headmistress, Mrs Emma McKendrick said, “For me this weekend represents and embodies everything that is so special about Downe House. There was a whole sense of community and I am so grateful that so many came to support the girls whose energy, talent and support of one another were exceptional. We saw a production of Billy Elliot of a quality that would rival the West End show; we listened to music that could justify being performed in any Concert Hall; we saw exceptional dance; we watched a wonderful gymnastics display; we listened to well-informed and wellpresented talks; and we were able to see the girls’ creative talents on display in the Art, Textiles, DT and Photography displays. We’ve enjoyed departmental workshops, the dog agility competition, the tennis competition, and enjoyed the wonderful afternoon tea and Barbecue. It has simply been quite magical!”

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ANTONIA (LOWER FIFTH)

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MATILDA (LOWER FIFTH)

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LINLIN (UPPER FOURTH) We were delighted to welcome members of the Galbraith family to Founder’s Weekend this year. Heather Galbraith travelled from her home in Scotland to join members of her family to watch Julia (current pupil) participate in the Speech & Drama Showcase. They enjoyed a picnic together and Julia gave them a tour of the School including the new Murray Centre.

“Aunt Heather has not been back to Downe since the early seventies when I was there with another of my first cousins Dido Galbraith.”

Ghislaine Kennerley (Galbraith DH 1975)

Pictured above are; Heather Galbraith (DH 1947), Sara McCorkell (Galbraith DH 1966), Jane Royds (Williams DH 1966), Jane Rowe (Galbraith DH 1969), Ghislaine Kennerley (Galbraith DH 1975) and Julia Kennerley (Lower Sixth).

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focus on charity

Emma Sayle (DH 1996)

Emma and the Sisterhood team take on the Channel On Friday 21 June, four members of the Sisterhood, a group founded in 2006 of kick-ass females taking on global sporting challenges in aid of various charities, took on the English channel with nothing but wetsuits on our backs and a pilot boat to guide us. Sponsored by the newly launched Sistr app which empowers women professionally.

Through pure grit, perseverance and some Downe House drive, we have raised just over £14K to date

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Emma pictured to the far left

We had been eight then six and then on the day of the event we went down to four but rather than admit defeat, we decided to carry on regardless.

To us it was much bigger than just swimming the Channel we were doing it to try and raise £15K towards the Sick Children’s Trust. In December, my third child at oniy four months ended up on life support over Christmas and battling pneumonia in the New Year.

It was The Sick Children’s Trust that looked after us as a family and kept us sane.

After twelve and a half hours of battling some strong wind against tidal waves, we were a few kilometres off the French coast with the beach in sight, due to the conditions we had ended up doing over 28 miles, slightly more than the straight line of 21 miles across as predicted.

Emma pictured 2nd from right The boat could not get in any closer to the beach so in the end we were unable to touch French soil.

We didn’t need to touch the beach; every aspect had been a success for us, battling against the odds on all fronts, through pure grit, perseverance and some DH drive and to date we have just raised over £14K so we will smash our target.

For further information please visit their website:

www.sisterhood.org.uk

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focus on international

Alexandra Draycott (DH 2000) Alexandra lives in Dubai and is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) director for Future Agenda. Future Agenda is a global think tank and advisory firm. It helps organisations explore the key issues, challenges and opportunities they face in the next decade and, in line with these findings, then develop and launch innovative new businesses, products and services. Alexandra left Downe House in 2000.

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What career did you envisage for yourself when you were studying at Downe House? To be honest, when at Downe House my sole preoccupation was passing my exams and getting into Cambridge University. I had fleeting ideas of being a portrait artist, a journalist, or a politician. In other words, I had no idea!

How did you come to work in your current field? I have always been interested in understanding human needs and looking at what we do to get those needs met.

At university, I studied sociology, social psychology, anthropology and politics, which I loved. My first job was planning new advertising campaigns at J Walter Thomson.

Later, as a civil servant working for Tony Blair, I created new services for the UK Government, and then as a consultant, I worked on new business ideas for FTSE 100s including HSBC, M&S and the Guardian. More recently I’ve conducted extensive research for YouGov’s MENA clients and then as Head of Strategy for a private office of the ruler of Dubai, I was part of a team developing new propositions for the city across the fields of trade, education, sports and events.

Today, my work is focused on creating consensus on the key global issues we all face in the next decade. I then help organizations – corporates, governments, cities – make sense of these views and what it might mean for them, good or bad.

Can you briefly describe the services Future Agenda provides?

Future Agenda believes that the best way of making sense of what lies ahead is to consult with experts around the world and to debate the differing ideas put forward. We consolidate these views so as to make more sense of the future. We provide an impartial and credible synthesis of how and where change may play out. We then work with individual companies to look at the implications the landscape

of the future will have on them – both in terms of challenges and opportunities.

Describe a typical day for you?

In my current role there is no such thing as a typical day, and for me, that is wonderful. I am a shareholder in Future Agenda and have the freedom to structure my day as I like, as long as I’m generating revenue and driving the business forward. Although I live in Dubai (where I have been since 2012) I am often travelling – either because client work takes me abroad or because I have the freedom to work anytime, anywhere. In the last year alone I have travelled to Brazil, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Germany, the US and last but not least the UK. What have been the biggest challenges you have had to overcome in your career? In the world of business (especially at the beginning) it is very easy to feel that everyone else knows what they are doing and that you are the only person who is learning on the job with what feels like a half-baked plan up your sleeve. The biggest challenge for me has been to learn to stop worrying and to focus on just doing the best I can on any particular day. I have learnt that if you can overcome personal doubt and the inevitable “wheel spin” of office life, then everything from office politics to business development to decisions about how to resign become a whole lot easier.

What have been your greatest accomplishments in your career?

Sometimes getting through a particularly difficult meeting can feel like the greatest career accomplishment ever. I have had plenty of those! In terms of my career to date, I am proud of my contribution to Future Agenda and the reports and books we have written. We are now the world’s largest open foresight platform. Since 2010, over 80% of our insights on the next ten years have come to pass, and even

though we wrote it in 2015, our book ‘Six Challenges for the next Decade’ has an alarming number of references to Trump and Brexit.

As a foresight organization, where do you see the future of work going? What is clear is that the world of work is in the middle of a huge transformation. This is being driven by major shifts in key areas of demographics, technology, migration and globalization. At a societal level, the purpose of work is being re-evaluated, with an increasing emphasis on corporate and social responsibility. We’re asking questions around the ethics of Artifical Intelligence and the need for changes in regulations on the environment and taxation. At a personal level we will see a shift from jobs to projects, and from “one career” to multiple careers over much longer working lifetimes.

Where do you hope to be professionally in ten years time?

We are incredibly lucky that the world we live in today allows us not only the opportunity to imagine the future, but also the opportunity to also create it. In ten years’ time I would like to be more involved in the world of sport. Sport is in a strange place today, but its ability to create behaviour change and have a positive impact on society is, in my view, huge.

If you had to pick one piece of advice to pass along to someone just starting out in their career what would it be? Have faith. Be curious. Be helpful. Work hard.

Challenging the rules helps too!

For further information please visit their website:

www.futureagenda.org

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focus on business

Sophie Toh (Dennys DH 1999 ) Sophie Toh (Dennys DH 1999) is the Founder and Managing Director of TOH Public Relations which is an award-winning communications agency based in Dubai, with high-profile clients in the luxury, lifestyle, travel, automotive, F&B and corporate sectors. After graduating from the University of Bristol, Sophie began her career working for a number of communications agencies in London.

In 2009, she moved to the UAE and set up her own business. Sophie is a true entrepreneur and she talks us through what set her on the path to living and working abroad.

What career did you envisage for yourself when you were studying at Downe House? A defining life moment for me came in the Lower Sixth, when I broke my collarbone following a run in with a motorbike that I built as part of the General Studies course (I took it for a ‘quick spin’ by the Headmistress’s house and hit a speed bump...). This forced me to sit out the netball season, of which I was School Captain at the time. A surplus of energy led me to sign up to the Young Enterprise Scheme, where I used my good arm to make scented candles, which were highly fashionable at the time. We sold quite a few and I ended up winning a regional award, with a short story in the Newbury Weekly News. The combination of the immense satisfaction I had knowing that I made a success of a challenging situation and the fact that I liked the photo they ran of me pointed me down an entrepreneurial road.

Aside from the vague idea that I would own my own company one day, and by feeling inspired by female entrepreneurs such as Jo Malone and Karen Millen, I don’t remember having a definitive career path mapped out. On reflection, Downe House was a fantastic environment in that it focused on the individual and fostered a sense of self-awareness and resilience. We weren’t really expected to have it all figured out or were told what to do. This was certainly something I found helpful, as I’ve never been much of a conformist.

Describe a typical day for you? It’s fast paced! This month alone I’ve moved between the UAE, Saudi, London, India and France and I’ve just come back from a packed week in MonteCarlo. Whilst I’m away, I also stay on call with my Dubai clients,

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which can mean long days. Happily, I’m not afraid of jet lag and know how to eat and sleep well to keep up my energy levels. When not travelling and Dubaibased, my day starts at 5.00am with a gym workout, before taking my short commute to the office at around 6,30am. I like to spend the first few hours of the day quietly working on strategy and businessrelated items, before the real day kicksoff at 9.30am or so. I then have a clear head and diary to spend the day fully immersed and present with my team, my clients and in new business meetings until around 7.00pm. After that, I like to get out and network at one of Dubai’s many social occasions, or attend any number of the events that we produce as an agency. No matter how busy, I also try and decompress at the end of the day with a tea and a chapter of one of the books I have on the go. I’m lucky that I sleep well and my health is good, so it’s a routine that seems to work for me.

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

There have been what has felt at times like an endless series of challenges and that’s what makes the job so satisfying, yet all-consuming. Perhaps the most relevant challenge to share here is the fact that we, as highly educated females, are conditioned to feel as if we have to do, and have it all. We are literally spoon fed this wonderful ideal from childhood – we are the generation that is supposed to conquer the world, in heels, whilst broadcasting on instagram TV – correct?

But that’s simply not possible. We all have a certain amount of mental and physical resources and channeling them in one direction means something has to give.

Here, that elusive notion of self-awareness is so important. I have learned to listen to my instinct and try to always surround

myself with people that don’t duplicate my skills efforts, but fill in the gaps I have. And as someone who is a little underconfident at times, I have to give myself pep talks now and again, reminding myself there’s a reason I’m the leader in the room– even if it’s that I had the energy or naïve curiosity to be the first to try.

What makes for a successful campaign? Campaigns are like stories and the reason favourite stories stick with you is that they connect on an emotional level and have meaning. Bound up in that is the fact that often we love the way in which they were told, or re-told to us, or by whom. So, successful PR activity mimics that, with a degree of insight and analysis. We look at the narrative of the brand, map and anlayze the target audiences we wish to educate or motivate in some way and we make the strongest and most direct possible connection between them. In doing this, we select the number of content platforms available to us – whether traditional media, social media, digital content or events… it’s endless fun and highly rewarding when it goes well. The dynamic between the PR agent and client is also important, as when there’s synergy and a like-minded understanding between the two, the best work gets done.

Where do you hope to see TOH PR in ten years? I would like to consolidate my UAE office and ensure that we remain a strong player in the region, working with the best clients we can and attracting the highest quality of motivated PR talent. I’m keen to explore opportunities in the Saudi market and also develop our client rosta back in the UK, as I think that Brexit presents a strong opportunity to work with UK-based brands needing to widen their marketing efforts outside of Europe. I have big plans, but day to day I’m keen to ensure I keep breaking my ideas down into actionable steps, so it’s a question of keeping focused on the small details, with the aim of reaching the larger target. That’s the idea anyway!

How important is having a presence on social media been in building your business? Our digital architecture is everything when it comes to reputation and new business development. Please look at @teamtoh and www.tohpr.com! We curate content on social media on a daily basis and I’m 100% focused on the visual look and

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focus on business

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feel and the type of posts we’re creating and sign off on absolutely everything. We boost regularly and also try and make sure that we join social and digital activity really well and are also known for our comedy ‘Hot Meat’ YouTube productions…

(NB. Hot Meat is Team Toh backwards). This is one of the key drivers of our new business strategy and also is important in terms of employee engagement. I would encourage all brands or companies to really look hard at the stories and messages they project in the online world.

What have been your greatest accomplishments in your career? I think a key achievement for me has been given the chance to grow the company to a midsized operation in eight fast-paced years, without external investment or the need to take on debt. We are now a team of 35, with just over sixty clients. We are not currently motivated by growth in terms of numbers, but I’m actively working on expanding our reach with a network of partnerships in Saudi Arabia and the UK; two markets I’d like to see us formally move into over the next 12 months.

We are also always driven by a curiosity towards improvement and love to keep challenging ourselves. We always like to say our best campaign will be our next campaign.

What advice would you give to your younger self? It would be really simple; just keep showing up. One of the most valuable realizations has been that getting ahead, doesn’t mean you have to be the best at what you do; you have to be the most resilient. Keep consistent, keep focused and you’ll never fail to achieve. Yes, some days are terrible, but that means tomorrow will be better. Go home, get some sleep and try again.

What are the key characteristics needed when starting a company? Boundless energy, an iron-clad sense of self and perhaps a dash of naïve optimism.

If you had to pick one piece of advice to pass along to someone just starting out in their career what would it be? Follow your instinct and be brave. You are the best judge of your capabilities and strengths and the type of environment and role you need to put yourself in. Once in a good place, remain hungry and humble and always remain open to feedback. A career is definitely a journey – there are moments you will feel like you’re achieving success, but remember that it’s OK to feel as if you have a long way to go. We all do, and whilst it’s not always easy, there’s joy to be found in consistently committing to something that you love.

Sophie recently returned to the UK and kindly travelled to Downe House to spend time with the Lower Fifth and Lower Sixth girls and delivered a talk as part of the DH LINKS programme. Please see page 4 for the full story.

For further information please visit the website: www.tohpr.com

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focus on design

Lara Torrance(DH 2013) I love living in New York.

I collaborate obsessively; I learn constantly; and I sleep seldom.

For further information please visit the website: www.laratorrance.com

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What career did you envisage for yourself when you were studying at Downe House?

I’m lucky because I always knew that I wanted to work in the creative industry.

Art was always my favorite subject in school, and after doing a couple of summer internships at a graphic design company, I pretty much knew I wanted to be a graphic designer.

How did you come to decide your next steps after graduation? After graduating, I went to do an art foundation at Central Saint Martins because I wanted to use the opportunity to explore other creative fields. However, after one year, I hadn’t changed my mind. I still wanted to study graphic design. I started looking into the best design schools and kept seeing Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The first time I visited RISD, I completely fell in love.

So, I decided to apply and the rest is history.

Describe the work you do? My personal work is focused on using new and emerging technology in playful, social and nontraditional ways. Whilst studying at RISD, curiosity took me to learn programming. I wanted to code and create Augmented & Virtual Reality experiences. This new found knowledge opened doors to a love of creative technology.

Professionally, I do mostly motion design.

My main client is Adidas, so it is always exciting to see my work published as the brand is so well known, plus I get a bunch of free shoes (not a bad perk). At work, I take on responsibilities such as providing social design strategy, prototyping and final execution.

How would you describe living and working in New York? I love living in New York. I collaborate obsessively; I learn constantly; and I sleep seldom.

How important is having a social media presence in your field of work? The most important. I’ve actually met, and subsequently collaborated, with a few people I found through Instagram. Social media is a great tool to promote your own work, and to find new work you love!

Personally, I have found it extremely useful to network — unlike that other website known as LinkedIn. Where do you find your sources of inspiration? All over the place! I try to go to as many exhibitions as possible, which I tend to leave feeling inspired by something. Also, I always carry a camera on me (a real one, not just my phone). A camera forces you to truly consider what you’re seeing and capturing in the crazy, beautiful world around you.

What makes for a successful campaign such as “Meat the Facts”? I like this campaign a lot as it is a fun play on words.

When it comes down to it, graphic design is mostly about communication, and so language plays a hugely important role in design. This campaign was all about bringing awareness to some of the environmental reasons behind eating less meat, which tends to be a dense subject and causes people to tune out. I wanted a quick and catchy way to communicate the issue, which is why I came up with the idea of relating the amount of water used to produce one burger to a daily task such as “the water needed to produce one burger is the same as flushing the toilet around 412 times.” It is easier for people to understand the issue when you can mentally picture it, and relate it to your actions.

Which future technologies are you most excited about? I am excited about augmented reality, as I think it has huge potential for how it can be integrated into our everyday lives. I want to work towards strong concepts backed by robust technological solutions, and stay away from acts of spectacle and tech for tech’s sake.

What has been your greatest accomplishment in your career? I won a design contest, which meant my work was shown in the Design Pavilion in Times Square, as a part of NYCxDesign last spring.

It was amazing to see my work displayed in one of New York’s most iconic locations, alongside other exciting and innovating work. I was overwhelmed by the number of people and attention.

Where do you hope to be professionally in ten years time? I want to do what I love — a collision of creative technology and design.

I want to learn and gather experiences that will fuel my passion for the ever evolving future, as I hope to one day start my own VR/AR company.

In a field as competitive as yours, what piece of advice would you like to pass along to someone just starting out in their career? I would say to create as much and as often as possible. Also, don’t be afraid to learn totally new things. I taught myself how to code solely from YouTube tutorials. One day, I was curious to see if I could make a website, and just started Googling. A mere Google search ended up being one of the most impactful moments of my education and career.

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LUMNAE SUCCESS

focus on life beyond Downe

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Romilly Dennys (DH 2002) Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland This is a political role and a personal appointment of the Secretary of State.

I cover both policy and media and help the Secretary of State achieve her political priorities, working closely with the civil service in the Northern Ireland Office.

Previously I was Special Adviser to the Secretary of State, Iain Duncan Smith at the Department for Work and Pensions.

What career did you envisage for yourself when you were studying at Downe House? I studied English, Geography, History of Art and Theatre Studies A Levels. I enjoyed every subject at School but I planned to study History of Art at university and then enter the art world.

Then life threw a curve ball as I didn’t do as well as I hoped in my History of Art A Level, so I took the decision to drop History of Art and change my degree and university at the last minute.

This wasn’t a conventional approach but in hindsight it was the best decision I could have made. It was also a blessing in disguise as I would never have moved into politics if I had stayed on course as expected.

I studied at Newcastle University and they allow you to take a combined course so I chose Human Geography as my main degree with a combination of political studies and Spanish.

Combined studies is a great option to keep learning and developing new skills and meant I was able to spend a year abroad in Argentina and Spain.

I lived in Buenos Aires for six months and this experience opened so many new doors and experiences, especially as I threw myself into their way of life - living with an Argentine family and volunteering with Greenpeace.

At Greenpeace I was involved in a number of their campaigns which was a complete eye opener to me in terms of their level of political activism.

It was in Argentina that I developed my interest in international politics and campaigning and decided to pursue a career in international development.

In the first few years of my career I gained valuable experience working with governments in Africa. I then moved roles to focus on UK politics before becoming a political adviser to the UK government.

Describe a typical day for you? A typical day is to arrive at work at 8.30am but I don’t have set working hours. In truth I am always ‘on call’ 24/7 and at the end of my phone. I am constantly plugged in to the news and need to react quickly if we need to give a journalist a quote or speak to a journalist about their story, so my hours can feel very unpredictable.

focus on success

Northern Ireland. I also have a number of policy papers to clear throughout the day so I will need to set aside time to work through correspondence that goes into the Secretary of State’s red box at the end of the day.It is always very busy and often challenging and unpredictable but hugely rewarding at the same time. There is definitely no time watching or willing the day to end! In the evening I may go to an event with the Secretary of State or attend a political event in Parliament

The first thing I do at work is to read all the papers and press cuttings to make sure I am across all the stories and coverage of my Secretary of State. I then catch up with our Head of Communications to discuss the day ahead. One of my responsibilities is to oversee the Northern Ireland Office press office so I work very closely with the team to prepare statements, media interviews and advise on the right strategy for the Secretary of State.

My first meeting of the day is with the Secretary of State. We will discuss our priorities and any political and media issues that need addressing. I will then have a number of meetings throughout the day with the Secretary of State. Aside from handling the communications and political press for my Secretary of State, I support in a number of meetings on a range of policy issues.

The issues in Northern Ireland are often extremely sensitive and contentious so it is always challenging to try and find the best solution to each policy issue.

Especially at the moment when there is no government in Northern Ireland. I need to make sure that the Secretary of State is properly briefed on each issue and is receiving appropriate advice to fulfil her objectives.

I am constantly on the move during the day. Our office is based in the Treasury building in Westminster which is a great place to work but we also hold many meetings over in Parliament. I also travel to Northern Ireland on average once a week to support the Secretary of State with meetings and public engagement which I oversee. It is currently a very busy time in Northern Ireland as there is a new talks process to restore devolved government so all our attention is focused on making this a success. This is an incredibly interesting experience as I can attend the meetings where the politicians in Northern Ireland debate their differences and it provides such a unique insight into the unique political situation in

What have been some of the biggest challenge you have had to overcome in your career? The biggest challenge I have faced in my career is sometimes struggling with self-confidence. I had a fantastic education at Downe House and was so fortunate but when you are in the working world, confidence and self-belief are so important.

In politics everyone has a strong opinion and there is no shortage of people with an abundance of self-belief so I really had to work hard at believing that I deserved to be sitting at the table and I deserved to have my voice and opinion heard. It was a steep learning curve for me when I worked for my first Secretary of State at 27. I really struggled to believe that my opinion mattered against very experienced people. On the times I failed to push my view forward I would then kick myself for not speaking up when I realised my opinion was right or would have been hugely valuable to the discussion. It is something I can still struggle with today but you have to push yourself and keep overcoming your fears and realising that it is always an internal battle and everyone faces their own challenge - even if they don’t show it.

I do think as a woman in politics you have to speak that little bit louder and be that bit more insistent to get your voice heard and not be deterred when you face challenges. The culture is improving but there is still a way to go for it to feel completely equal.

What have been your greatest accomplishments in your career? The biggest accomplishment for me has been on a personal level. I never thought I would be working for a Secretary of State for the HM Government at school.

I was not a straight A student. I didn’t go to a top university. I didn’t know anyone who worked for government or have any help entering politics but I stuck with it, worked hard and never chose the safe route. On a professional level I am very proud of the policy achievements I have been fortunate enough to work on. Most recently, helping deliver two City Deals

in Northern Ireland worth millions of pounds which will make a huge difference to people’s lives. I also helped create a campaign which encourages businesses to provide better support for disabled people in the workplace when I worked at the Department for Work and Pensions.

This has been a great success.

What advice would you give to a current pupil who is hoping to work in politics?

Experience, experience, experience! My advice is to gain as much experience as you can at school. Experience on your CV is so important and something I regret not doing more of when I was younger.

There are so many valuable campaigns and ways to get involved these days, aside from just working for an MP. So try out as much as possible and just go for it.

If you take a year out before university I would also advise using this time well and make sure what you are doing is relevant to your future career. As well as reading as much as possible. It’s so important to read a cross-section of newspapers and magazines and work out what your individual thoughts are on issues, rather than what people tell you to think.

Are there any particular topics, areas or movements that you are particularly keen to draw attention to?

I voted Remain as I felt the Government would be too distracted by Brexit to deliver on the domestic agenda and that is sadly what is happening. I feel the media is so dominated by Brexit that important topics don’t even make it into the papers, when they should be frontpage stories. The issues I care most about are social justice, mental health support and how we are helping young people get on in life. I think the rise in knife crime and mental health issues is an absolute travesty and urgently needs to be dealt with. But not only young people. I feel there are so many people who need a helping hand in life and are being left behind.

How can we inspire and support women who wish to get involved in politics?

There is a great movement called 50/50 Parliament which encourages more women into Parliament. It is so important that women help each other and have good female role models to help them with their careers.

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Sixth Formers raise £6,000 for The Cure Parkinson’s Trust The girls in Willis House chose to support the charity, The Cure Parkinson’s Trust at this year’s Lower Sixth Charity Gala Dinner. The Great Gatsby themed evening raised over £6,000 with a highly entertaining variety of acts including tap dancing, singing and comedy turns.

Lower Sixth Form girl and one of the organisers of the event, Eliza reports, “The Cure Parkinson’s Trust was nominated by Emma, Jess and Lucy and they introduced the charity’s aims and then explained to everyone how the evening would work. The idea was to pledge money to the act or acts that the audience enjoyed the most and the act with the most money pledged was the winner. We had an incredible variety of performances, with Tilly, Zoe, Georgia and Tara singing; Emma and Jess dancing and singing; Tori and Alice tap dancing and Nina, Helena, Jocasta and Tara doing a comedy dance performance. It was great to see so much talent and the act that raised the most money was the splendid tap dance routine given by Tori and Alice. It was such an amazing evening with delicious food, thanks to the Catering Department, and it was wonderful to see that everyone made such an effort to dress up in the Great Gatsby theme. We raised the amazing amount of £6,421 and we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for attending, donating, performing and helping to organise the event.”

AND

NEWS ACH Berkshire Young Musician of the Year A huge congratulations to our Remove student Renee who recently received her Berkshire Young Musician of the Year award for the Junior Strings Category from HRH The Earl of Wessex at Windsor Castle.

Renee is involved in many musical ensembles at Downe House including; Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, (for Founder’s Weekend) Founder’s Ensemble, Founder’s Chamber Orchestra, Twice Removed and Once Removed. Renee enjoys two violin lessons every week at School and before she came to Downe House, she was in the Hong Kong Children’s Symphony Orchestra.

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Duke of Edinburgh Gold success Achieving the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Gold Award is high up on anyone’s list of lifetime achievements and four Downe House alumnae and one Upper Sixth form girl were thrilled to be awarded their DofE Gold Awards at Buckingham Palace on 13 May 2019. The girls were presented to HRH The Duke of Gloucester and received their Gold Award certificates in the presence of HRH The Earl of Wessex and HRH The Countess of Wessex.

Downe House alumnae, Clara Silcock (DH 2018), Ilaria Bevan (DH 2018), Jennifer Darko (DH 2018), Alexandra O’Kane (DH 2018) and Emily Biggs (DH 2019) have successfully completed all five sections which include Volunteering, Physical, Skills, Expedition and Residential. Each of the girls followed an individual and unique journey in terms of how they met the requirements of each section – for instance, Jennifer completed a five day residential yoga course for the residential section whilst Emily did a cookery course at the Yorkshire Wolds Cookery School with the aim of being able to cook her own meals at university. Expeditions have included treks across the Berkshire and Wiltshire countryside as well as further afield on Dartmoor and in the Brecon Beacons.

IEVEMENTS Holly’s short cut to raising money for charity Lower Sixth girl, Holly took the brave decision to cut all her hair off to raise money for the young people’s mental health charity, YoungMinds and managed to raise over £5000 in the process. Holly and her whole family went along to meet celebrity hairdresser, Lino Carbosiero who had kindly offered his expert services, and within a few hours, Holly was sporting a chic new hairstyle.

Holly tells us her story, “The experience of cutting all my hair off was something I have been planning for two years but the actual event brought a whole new meaning for me. My wish was to help to support the charity, YoungMinds in their ‘fight for a future where all young minds are supported and empowered’ and to help to change our society to reduce the stigma of mental health issues.

Every member of my family came along to the hair salon with me on Thursday 30 May. I have never felt so simultaneously excited by, and yet so afraid of an experience. During the haircut, I began to feel both liberated and incredibly proud of the money that I was raising for YoungMinds. My worries about my appearance, although still daunting, began to drift away as I realised what an amazing difference the funds raised will make towards helping young people with mental health issues. We livestreamed the event on social media and it was wonderful to have the support of my family, friends and my school. The whole experience was unbelievably uplifting, and I could not have done it without everyone’s help, especially Lino Carbosiero to whom I am very grateful.”

If you would like to support Holly’s fundraising for YoungMinds, there is still time to donate on her JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hollyshairloss YoungMinds aims to make sure children and young people get the best possible mental health support and have the resilience to overcome life’s difficulties.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

Pictured above is the new Nickel Room which is now the Staff Common Room.

To the left is the School Library pictured in 2016.

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From the Archives... the mysterious Miss Nickel Throughout its 110-year history, there have been many long-serving members of staff who have dedicated their lives to Downe House, and their stories are inextricable with the history of the School. Miss Nickel was one such character from the early years and although her previous life was something of a mystery about which she had taken a vow of silence, she was utterly devoted to Miss Willis and to the School.

Miss Maria Nickel joined the Downe House staff as a Geography teacher in the early days when the School was still based in Kent. It quickly became apparent that her talents were considerable, and she soon left the classroom to become architect, builder, chauffeur, engineer and caretaker. One of the girls wrote that Miss Nickel could run up a building just as another might run up a dress; she was an excellent cook; her puff pastry was light as a feather and her cream-filled meringues were superb.

She had left her home in Eastern Europe at a time of social and political unrest and made her way to Paris where she worked in medical research. It is believed that she was from Poland or Russia; she was welleducated, creative, energetic, musical and spoke twenty three languages. Miss Nickel was usually to be seen wearing her distinctive felt hats, made for her in London, by Scotts of Old Bond Street, and an ankle length serge overall, belted at the waist with a packet of cigarettes tucked into the breast pocket.

Named in her honour, Miss Nickel designed and built the School Library with the help of the team of maintenance men and it was officially opened in 1929. The impressive linenfold paneling was designed and carved by her. Pevsner’s Buildings of England (Berkshire) 2007, describes the Library as having ‘a tie-beam roof with curious woodwork, perhaps inspired by Japan, above the beams.’

Miss Willis wrote of Miss Nickel, “In everything she did, there was a touch of genius”. The girls and their parents would always enjoy talking with her as she was entering or leaving the pump room with a huge spanner in her hand, as she was heading up a ladder or as she was collecting girls from the station in the School car, a natty little De Dion-Bouton with a basket weave design. “She had never become used to driving on the left-hand side of the road” Miss Willis wrote, though she had found it necessary to write to parents to assure them that the girls’ stories of Miss Nickel rounding corners on two wheels were exaggerated.

The Nickel Room served as the School’s Library for ninety years until the Library moved to the newlybuilt Murray Centre, and it has now been converted into the Staff Common Room.

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focus on celebrations

Reception for new parents at the House of Lords On Wednesday 12 June, in the beautiful Cholmondeley Room at the House of Lords, former Downe House parent, The Rt Hon. the Lord Strathclyde hosted a drinks reception for the parents of new girls who joined Remove and Lower Fourth in September 2018. Over 160 parents were joined by a number of alumnae, current pupils, staff and parents of some of the newly appointed Lower Sixth School Officers.

As well as his own three daughters attending Downe House, the Lord Strathclyde and his wider family have a long association with the School, starting with The Honourable Heather Galbraith (DH 1947). Miss Galbraith and her cousins started a family tradition which was to last for generations and continues to the present day with her nieces and great nieces following in her footsteps.

Over drinks and a delicious selection of canapĂŠs, parents, staff and girls had the opportunity to meet one another as well as enjoying the prestigious setting of the riverside terrace at the House of Lords.

Downe House alumna and successful entrepreneur, Mary Bonsor (DH 2005) gave an interesting talk about how her education at Downe House has supported her work, with particular regard to public speaking. Mary told the audience that at School, she hated public speaking and as Head Senior struggled to speak in her first assembly but with the gentle but firm support of Mrs McKendrick, she managed to overcome her fears. As co-founder of F-LEX, a lawtech startup based in London which provides on-demand paralegals, delivering presentations and making speeches is now second nature to her!

Headmistress, Mrs Emma McKendrick thanked host, the Lord Strathclyde and all the parents for supporting the event, and went on to speak about the importance of nurturing kindness and compassion to ensure that girls leave Downe House with the ability and skills they need to follow their chosen course in life.

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Mary Bonsor (DH 2005)

Pictured at the top from left to right; Elizabeth Galbraith (DH 2012), Julia Kennerley (Lower Sixth), Lady Strathclyde (former parent), Lord Strathclyde (former parent), Annabel Galbraith (DH 2014) and Sarah Kennerley (DH 2009).

HAPPY

101stBIRTHDAY This summer marks the 101st birthday of Laetitia Hardie (Wyatt 1936) and on behalf of Downe House and the DHSA we are sending our congratulations and birthday wishes. Alex Barlow and Louise Peto were fortunate enough to spend a lovely morning with Laetitia in the stunning North Somerset countryside, reminiscing about her time at Downe House and memories of the warmth, kindness and nurturing guidance that Miss Willis so freely gave to all girls and staff at Downe. Laetitia spoke fondly of her Godchildren and the wonderful celebration they enjoyed as part of her 100th birthday celebrations.

We were delighted to present Laetitia with a collection of publications, a beautiful fine china mug and one of our much sought after DH teddy bears!

Our sincere thanks to her daughter Olivia for joining us for morning coffee.

If you would like Alex and Louise to come and visit you or a relative with Downe House connections, please do contact foundation@downehouse. net or call 01635 204740.

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LUMNAE SUCCESS

focus on one year on

Lauren at Leavers’ Day 2018

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Lauren Griffith (DH 2018) When asked to share the experiences I’ve had over the last 12 months, I did not even know where to start.

So much has happened over the last year, and I haven’t even begun university.

For anyone sitting on the fence about taking a year out, hopefully the next few pages will make you question why you even doubted the decision.

It’s hard to put into words the things I’ve learnt, the experiences I’ve shared, and the memories I will forever treasure, but I know, from the bottom of my heart that taking a year out is the best decision I ever made.

In summary, my year consisted of working for four months in London before heading off across the world, to visit Australia, followed by a month Lauren pictured with girls from the class of 2018

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of volunteering in Fiji, a month on a hop on hop off bus around the North and South island of New Zealand, and finally finishing by spending two months in India; from Rajasthan, to the Himalayas, all the way down to Kerala in the South, up the coast to Goa, and then home from Mumbai.

My year began by undertaking a four month internship from September through to December at a property development consultancy, called Quod. I was placed in the planning department, who work to inform clients of the legal planning regulations developers have to comply with pre, post and during construction. My team was essentially responsible for consulting and overseeing the planning applications, required for a development to take place that are submitted to various councils across the country. They

would also look for alternative design solutions to overcome planning restrictions imposed by the council.

The team would recommend alterations to overcome legal restrictions, to give the application its best chance to be passed by council, whilst also keeping the development as close to the client’s original vision as possible. Working normal office hours, commuting to Piccadilly Circus every day, and meeting a vast range of people from the property industry, gave me a true flavour of working life, as well as giving me great insight into the world of property, which I am very keen to go into post-university.

My travel begun with a ten day stopover in Australia, before embarking on my month in Fiji. Whilst in Australia, I only had time to see Sydney for a few days, before heading up the East Coast to Byron Bay. This

is any surfers’ heaven, and despite only getting up on a surfboard once in the four days I was there, it certainly was a great way to start my travels. Being alone without anyone I knew was strange to begin with, but I quickly got used to it. Being on your own forces you out of your comfort zone to meet new people, all whilst having the freedom to do what you want, when you want. It was the first time in seven years, since arriving at Downe, that I had properly had to make friends from scratch again, and I loved it. When you meet new people, who have no preconceptions of you, it definitely brings out your best qualities, and acts as a reminder of who you are and what you have to offer. For anyone thinking of taking a year out, I would highly recommend doing at least a section of solo travel.

Lauren pictured with children at a school in Fiji

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focus on one One year Year on On

I flew to Fiji at the end of January, to begin my one month adventure of volunteering, with an organisation called Think Pacific. For the next month, I would be living with a Fijian family, in the 42 family village of Raviravi, in the Ra province in the northeast of mainland Fiji. The setting, in the mountains, was far from what you imagine when you think of Fiji, but closer to a snapshot taken from Jurassic World. Every weekday, me and the 20 other volunteers would go to the school in the neighbouring village, where we would teach from 8.30am - 4.00pm. I chose to teach Class 2, working with children aged six to seven. I focused on one-to-one teaching with four boys who particularly struggled with their numbers and letters. I had to think of lots of interactive activities to engage the four of them, because they could speak very little English.

I fell in love with all four of them, and they will hold a special place in my heart for a long time to come.

The energy and enthusiasm of all the school children was a pleasure to behold, and reminded me just how important school can be, and how integral it is to a child’s development.

In the afternoon, we would coach sports, teaching each year group on rotation, and providing a range of sports for the kids to get involved such as, lacrosse, rugby, athletica, zumba and many more. The children at the school were split into Houses, each taking on the challenge of House Singing, House Art and the main event House Sports. Sports Day was one of my last and most memorable days at the School. Despite the monsoon rain, I don’t think I have ever felt more competitive than I did whilst leading the ‘Mercury’ team relay. Our victory was celebrated with one big School mud fight, preceded by a whole School pile-on.

It’s safe to say it took a few days to finally get the mud out of my hair and my Think Pacific T-shirt, despite numerous washes, remains a beige colour. It will forever be a reminder of the special moments I shared with each and everyone of the School kids.

The weekends were spent with our families and the other members of the village, eating traditional Fijian food, singing our hearts out in the village church, or dancing Saturday evenings away in the village hall to Fijian music. One particular highlight was building a rope swing with the locals into the river that ran right through our village. We spent the whole afternoon eating guavas, and jumping off the enormous tree of which overhung the bank. The river was an integral part of our time there, whether that be playing with the village children after school, rafting on bamboo sticks, or taking river showers every morning and evening. Raviravi was a place I was proud and privileged to call home for four weeks.

Despite the difference in culture from the busy city life I live in London, the village reminded me of the really important elements of life, friends and family.

The villagers’ laughter and smiles were truly infectious, and there wasn’t a day that went by where my Fijian

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Lauren pictured volunteering in Fiji and in India with Louisa Ansell (DH 2018) and Saskia Wormsley (DH 2018)

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brothers and sisters failed to bring a smile to my face. It’s tricky to express my time there in words and nothing I say will do justice to the time I spent there, the people I met, and the memories I made. I came to Fiji to teach children, but left having being taught more from them than they will ever know.

I am very lucky to have travelled to lots of countries around the world, however, I have never found a more unique and intriguing place than India, the next stop my adventure. It is a place like no other; a thousand places squeezed into one, each entirely different in their own way but somehow united by this incredible spirit of generosity, unbelievable kindness and a genuine eagerness to learn, grow and progress. Myself and two friends spent two months hopping around the country, visiting over 30 places, tackling the infamous trains and buses, and seeing things you won’t find anywhere else on the planet, from extraordinary forts and palaces to tea plantations, from the Himalayas to the jungle-book backwaters of Kerala, and from the unending golden beaches, to the spice markets of Rajasthan, India has it all.

The country couldn’t be more different to England; the food; the busyness; the generosity of everyone around you, even when it’s clear they have so little in comparison; and the amazing culture rich with its frequent festivals and quirky traditions. Transport in India is certainly a whole new ball park. There is no such thing as an ’on time’ train, and when they do arrive, they are heaving with people of all ages, and classes.

Getting a seat is very much a free-for-all. It makes rush hour on the Tube seem a breeze in comparison. The bus drivers are the bravest or perhaps maddest men I’ve met, depending how you see it. We had many beautiful but rather nerve-wracking bus rides up the winding roads of North India.

Our first taxi driver summed up Indian driving quite accurately. He said “to drive in India, you need three things - good brakes, good horn and good luck” … I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

Another lesson I’ve taken from my travels is the power of sport.

Regardless of how physically fit you are or how involved you may be with sports, it’s the one thing I have found that unites people, wherever you go in the world. Anyone who has been to India will know their one unfettered love in life - the game of Cricket. I’d spend hours of train journeys sitting in the doorway, staring out at the Indian countryside rolling past.

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focus on one year on

I wouldn’t have to go more than 500 metres before I spotted another makeshift game of cricket. Equally, you didn’t have to look far to find a man or a woman, crowded round a TV or a phone streaming the latest IPL game. As soon as any of them realised you shared the same passion, or at least appreciated theirs, you were at once welcomed, like a long lost friend.

Despite not speaking a word of Hindi, I managed to bond with locals, who spoke little to no English, through a combination of haphazard cricketing action shots and the recall of just one English cricketer, or better still the famous Sachin Tendulkar. After that initial interaction, nothing else seemed mattered. That simple exchange was enough to form a friendship. Despite being an avid sportswoman myself, as well as being brought up in a family of sportswatchers, I myself have never experienced the love and power of sport as I did India.

On our last day in India, we were told a saying that is followed by locals - “a guest is god”. The two months I spent there confirmed the sincerity of this statement. In India, hosting or helping a tourist or ‘guest’ hosting is not seen as a burden, but an honour. Many things are entirely makeshift, somewhat haphazard, and at times dysfunctional, but it’s difficult to find fault in their attitude towards life. How eye opening its been to be surrounded by people who don’t find things to complain about, but instead always find something to praise. Whilst it may be busy and loud, chaotic and crowded, even overwhelming at times, you don’t have to look far to find a break from the hustle: an old man reclined on the side of a street, a Sadu spectating from a doorway, or a group of ladies drinking chai under the market canopy, just watching the mayhem unfurl. Perhaps the juxtaposition of these images shed some light on the country’s unique dynamic of peace and chaos. It is from India, that I have taken the last lesson of my travels. Having been told this countless times in Downe’s Thursday morning Chapel services, I think, finally, I am beginning to truly appreciate the beauty found in the intricacies of the people and places that surround you. Whether that be in the head-wobbling greeting of a mango street vendor or watching the glee of a child’s smile as they hit a cricket ball for six, you don’t have to look far to find someone or something to put a smile on your face. Smiling goes a long way and it is something definitely underrated back home.

It takes nothing to put a big cheesy grin on your face and it still amazes me the response it generates. I realise that now, in a way I never truly did before travelling.

India, and the past five months, have taught me to smile, to laugh and to stop looking so far ahead, and instead just look right around me. If you search carefully enough you’ll realize that happiness and kindness are far closer than you first think. I will forever be indebted to India and Fiji, and all their people for teaching me this, and reminding me what really matters. I would urge anyone to go seek out the same smiles that I have found over the last five months. I promise you, you will not regret it.

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“

focus on success

“

India, and the past five months, have taught me to smile, to laugh and to stop looking so far ahead, and instead just look right around me.

Lauren pictured travelling in India with Lousia Ansell (DH 2018) and Saskia Wormsley (DH 2018)

“

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focus on global horizons

Girls Go Global Now in its fifth year, the Global Schools’ Exchange Programme gives Downe House girls in the Fifth Form a very special opportunity to study and live abroad with a choice of 16 partner schools in eleven countries spanning six continents as well as providing a highly rewarding experience for the Downe House community of hosting visiting students from our partner schools – such a challenge offers huge social, cultural and educational benefits for everyone involved.

The Exchange Programme aims to strengthen the global outlook of the Downe House community and to give girls a competitive advantage and opportunities for success in our increasingly globalised and changing world.

There are many more benefits for those participating in these exchanges. The girls learn so much about different countries and cultures but living in a community a long away from home also teaches them more about themselves and helps them to grow and develop in ways that they did not expect.

A further advantage is that universities and employers favour applicants who can show a broader and more independent experience of the world beyond home and school.

46 46

Diaries of two Global Exchange Pupils at Westover School in the USA. Going to school in the States attracted Alice and Maddi who chose to go to Westover School in Connecticut for their Global Schools’ Exchange Experience. They spent three weeks at Westover going to school and staying with their Exchange Buddy’s family at the weekends.

Here Alice and Maddi talk about their experience, “Westover was quite a different school environment to Downe House. We each only took five subjects which were Maths, English, Biology, World History and French.

Lessons ended at around 2.00pm and were followed by sport each afternoon. The learning style really encouraged independence, with lots of work going on outside school hours including two-hour study halls every night after lessons from 7pm -9pm including Sunday nights. We particularly enjoyed the chalkboard approach taken in Maths, and the debating style of the History lessons. We also got to play American sports. I (Alice) played lacrosse, which was quite a different experience to playing in the UK, and Maddi was fortunate enough to play softball, a new experience for her.

We took part in lots of activities whilst we were there, including an ‘American Sweet Sixteen’ and an A Capella Karaoke night. We also ate lots of American food and had our first ever Dunkin’ donuts!

During our stay, we were fortunate enough to visit Yale University in Newhaven, where we enjoyed seeing the amazing architecture and visiting the Yale Museum. After we had toured the campus, we went to a nearby mall to do some shopping.

The next weekend, we went to New York City where we visited the Rockefeller Centre, Times Square, M&M’s World and enjoyed some much-anticipated shopping. For lunch, we went to the famous Hard Rock Café, where we had delicious burgers and listened to classic rock music. We also went to Central Park and saw an amazing view of the skyline. The skyscrapers were breathtaking and it was a truly amazing day.

We would definitely encourage anyone who has the opportunity to go on a Global Schools’ Exchange. It is a challenge which stretches you in all directions, and we learnt so much through the experience. We met many new and interesting people who we will be keeping in contact with, hopefully for years to come.”

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New Murray Centre opened by Dame Rosemary Murray’s family

The whole Downe House community gathered for the official opening of the Murray Centre, a brand new state-of-the-art building at the heart of the School campus which has been built to provide a flexible space for recitals, workshops, lectures and performances in a 250-seat auditorium as well as a contemporary library, new teaching and collaborative learning spaces and a very popular Coffee Shop.

The Murray Centre has been named in honour of alumna, Dame Rosemary Murray who attended Downe House School from 1927 to 1931. Rosemary went on to read Chemistry at Oxford University and followed a distinguished academic career, becoming the first woman Vice-Chancellor in Cambridge University’s 765-year history.

Rosemary always stayed in touch with Downe House, attending Seniors’ Weekends and serving on the Board of Governors for 30 years.

The Murray Centre was officially opened by members of Rosemary Murray’s family joined by current and past parents, alumnae, donors, governors, staff and pupils. In a separate event, Prep School Heads were invited to come and tour the building and enjoy a celebratory lunch to mark the completion of the building.

Headmistress, Mrs Emma McKendrick said, “It has been super to see the way in which the girls have embraced this wonderful new building. The successful completion of this project reflects the culmination of months of hard work from a wide range of people as well as generous support by many. All are owed a debt of gratitude and I would like to thank all our donors, who have allowed us to turn this dream into a reality. Special thanks must also go to Alasdair Heath, Director of Estates, Michelle Scott, Assistant Headmistress (Foundation), and Philippa Toogood, Director of the Murray Centre, for their unwavering commitment to ensuring such an excellent outcome, as well as the girls whose ideas and input were invaluable.”

Pictured from left to right; Marion Crombie, David Murray, Janet Cochrane, Dee Murray, Richard Murray, Grace Murray, Katherine Cochrane, William Murray, Edward Cochrane and Michael Cochrane

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The Murray Centre is a strategic development which forms part of Downe House School’s Ten Year Vision plan to ensure that the School moves forward and remains at the forefront of boarding education.

Following a fundraising appeal which raised £6.5million from the Downe House community, the Murray Centre has been the most significant new building project that Downe House has undertaken in its history and its rationale is based on the aim that it will touch and transform every girl’s education.

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FONDLY REMEMBERED Helen Armstrong (Bevan DH 1948) Helen Katharine Frances Bevan was born on Armistice Day, 11 November 1930 in Rangoon, Burma, now Myanmar. Her mother, Elizabeth was from Fife, Scotland and her father, Gilbert from Bury St Edmunds.

Helen went on to train as a teacher, working at Henrietta Barnet School in North London before moving to Indiana, USA to teach and live with her eldest brother and his family.

She moved back to the UK in the early 1960s to become a social worker in fostering and adoption in Camden. She found this work tremendously challenging and frequently talked about cases well after retirement. It was at this time she met John and his daughter Pam, so it was timely too.

She returned to the UK from Myanmar with her mother when she was approaching a year old, to Suffolk. While living in Reydon, near Southwold, she started her first school at St. Felix.

When war broke, for fear of invasion on the flat landscape of East Anglia, the school relocated to Cornwall.

Aged 11, she started at St Paul’s School for Girls in London, catching two buses across the city to get there from her family home in Hampstead. This was always useful when one of her grandchildren was studying World War II in History as she would come in as a ‘live’ show and tell, so in true Helen-style, she did not hold back the visions, smells and noise she experienced as a young girl travelling across London in the war to get to school.

After four years, Helen’s mother decided that it probably wasn’t quite the right decision to stay in London and sent Helen to Scotland to be home-schooled by the Aunts.

This adventure lasted a year, as it transpired that the Aunts were really only successful at teaching History and atrocious at Maths – which stayed with Helen for the rest of life, a love of History, but a hatred of Maths!

So, the best plan was put forward for Helen to attend Downe House.

She spent four years’ boarding here in the mid 1940s and met her lifelong close friend, Margaret Massey-Stewart (better known as Gritty). The best story she ever

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told me about her time at Downe House was when the swimming pool had been drained. Back then, the pool was an outdoor one, unheated as well, and would be drained in the winter months, ready to be refilled for the summer.

She and Gritty went into the empty pool, one afternoon, possibly for something to do, feeling a little naughty with it. They started a squeaky noise game…with one making a mouse-like noise and the other repeating it back, giggling as the echoes from the empty deep end of the pool resonated around them. The charming rodent squeals, then escalated into barks, culminating in screams, broken by peals of hysterical laughter. After some time, throats hoarse and laughter drained they strolled back to school, only to be met by the Headmistress, Deputy and senior staff. It turns out the entire School was ushered into the main hall (like in ‘lock down’ mode) as terrifying screams could be heard from near the woods and two pupils were unaccounted for.

The consequences of their actions were never disclosed...

John and Helen married in 1966, with their first child, Kirsten being born in late 1969. They moved from London to Eyke in Suffolk, which was the beginning of a very happy chapter in their lives, with Alexander (Lix) coming along in 1973, she also moved into mental health social work as well.

Helen had time for everyone. She was genuinely interested in what other people did, their opinions and thoughts. Helen was a huge supporter of human rights charities and couldn’t contemplate wrong doings to another person. She was fiercely independent, enjoyed her own company but in equal measures, being with other people too. She was also a night owl, if you knew her well, you’d know never to phone or visit before 10.00am.

Helen could never lie, but very much enjoyed bending the rules, teaching her children to drive at 14 years old, as well as turning a ‘blind eye’ to other minor misdemeanours (my pink hair at 13!). Her innocent exterior fooled many and she had a special, cheeky sense of humour.

She loved music (her last concert was The War Requiem in November), read extensively and had an ongoing interest in the work of spies and their activities.

Her knowledge and memory for historical events was astonishing but those who ever tried to teach her to text or use technology will only know how frustrating that was on both sides!

Being a Christian was very important to Helen and she took enormous comfort and solace in her faith. Her bible reading group and church band where she played the flute, were all important activities and people to Helen in

the small town of Framlingham.

Helen was gracious, kind and stoic to the end, surrounded by family when she passed away from a short illness on New Year’s Eve 2018.

We will all miss her terribly.

Written by: Kirsten Dixon (daughter of Helen Armstrong)

Photograph shown below: Michaelmas Term 1945 UIV Top row L-R: Sue Farrer, Helen Bevan, Mary Mudock, Sheila Allen-Steven, Jill Davies.

Bottom row L-R: Felicity Stuart, Valerie Ttoldahl, Sue Moss, Felicity Teesden, Smedley, Penelope Marsden, Penelope Teado.

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DHSA news

GRANTS Two new grants were awarded in May. Recipients are: Alice Cahill (DH 2012) towards an Economics for Development Course from October 2019 – May 2020 and Octavia van Oss (DH 2012) towards training as a Counselling Psychologist.

DHSA

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 Next application deadlines are 31 August 2019 and 31 January 2020.

New Honorary Seniors We are delighted to welcome the following to the DHSA as Honorary Seniors: Dr Christian Alexander Mr Robert Barnes Mr Alastair Reynolds Mrs Caroline Walton-Waters

Recent death notifications Dr Jo Vellacott (DH 1939)

NIONS U RE REUNION 2019 DATE NOW CONFIRMED. THERE WILL BE A REUNION ON THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2019 FOR ALL THOSE WHO LEFT BETWEEN 1979 AND 1990.

IT WILL BE HELD AT THE SAVILE CLUB, LONDON, W1.

INVITATIONS WILL GO OUT IN SEPTEMBER.

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SAVE THE DATE 1994

2009

10 YEAR REUNION THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER 2019 The Hollywood Arms, Chelsea London

1999

20 AND 25 YEAR REUNION WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER 2019 The Lansdowne Club, Mayfair, London

IRELAND REUNION A regional reunion will take place on Tuesday 10 September at Grey Abbey House & Gardens in County Down kindly hosted

by Daphne Montgomery (Bridgeman DH 1957).

Situated on the Ards Peninsula in Co. Down, Northern Ireland, Grey Abbey House was built in 1762 and the estate has been in the possession of the Montgomery family since 1607 and is considered to be one of the finest Georgian country houses in Ireland.

The event will begin at 12noon with a light lunch followed by a tour of the garden.

If you are interested in attending this event please email foundation@downehouse.net. Places must be pre-booked.

All alumnae are welcome.

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FAREWELL TO

COLLEAGUES At the end of the academic year, we bid farewell to the following members of staff. Thank you for your hard work and commitment during your time at Downe House and good luck for your future ventures.

Yvonne Charlesworth

Director of Operations, Teacher of Physics

Todd Davidson

Graduate Sports Assistant

Sophia Dee

Visiting Music Teacher (Piano)

Claire De Carlo

Teacher of Italian

Nic Durand

Teacher of English

Leticia Garcia Niguez

Head of Spanish

Debbie Hicks

Staff Development Officer, Teacher of Biology

Georgia Leigh

Willis Assistant Housemistress, Teacher of Drama

Helen Maguire

Teacher of Music

Fiona Muir

York Assistant Housemistress, Teacher of Music

Jessica Persse

Graduate Sports Assistant

Caroline Smith

Visiting Music Teacher (Singing)

Sallie Taylor

Director of External Relations

Rachel Vallance Manager of CCA Dance, Teacher of Speech and Drama Sophie VallĂŠe

French Language Assistant

Tim Waller

Visiting Music Teacher (Piano)

Caroline Walton-Waters

York Housemistress, Teacher of Biology

James Woodhall

Assistant Director of Music

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DATES FOR THE DIARY 2019/2020 WEDNESDAY 2 OCTOBER 2019 DH LINKS EVENT, LONDON

Foundation

Downe House

Foundation

WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER 2019 20 & 25 YEAR REUNION, LANSDOWNE CLUB

FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER 2019 GIFT FAIR, DOWNE HOUSE THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER 2019 10 YEAR REUNION, HOLLYWOOD ARMS

NE HOU S OW

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DHSA

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WEDNESDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2019 DH LINKS EVENT, DOWNE HOUSE

’ A SS O C

THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2019 DHSA REUNION, THE SAVILE CLUB

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TUESDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2020 DH LINKS EVENT, DOWNE HOUSE

Foundation

THURSDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2020 5 YEAR REUNION, THE ATLAS

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP TO DOWNE HOUSE FOUNDATION? Over 400 of your fellow alumnae have already joined the online Downe House Foundation community Sign up today at https://foundation.downehouse.net ► ► ► ► ►

RE-CONNECT UPDATE EVENTS DH LINKS ALUMNAE NEWS

ANY QUESTIONS? Call the Downe House Foundation Office on 01635 204719 or email

foundation@downehouse.net

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Celebrating 110 years

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

Downe House School

@DowneHouse1

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