Friends of Elstree

Late Summer Social

A massive thank you to the fantastic Friends of Elstree Committee for organising such a brilliant Late Summer Social. The setting at Elstree looked absolutely stunning: a cool stretch tent on Yard with twinkly lights from Casper Sunley Events, delicious canapés, bowl food and brownies by Melissa at The Pop-Up Kitchen, free flowing wine and cocktails, a banging playlist and beautiful decorations, candles, firepits, cushions, rugs and flowers. It was the perfect recipe for a really great party and a lovely opportunity for the whole Elstree community, both parents and staff, to get together and have some fun after such a long time. OSI

The Elstree Gift Fair is back! With over 40 stalls spread between the Dining Room and McMullen Hall, there were plenty of tempting gifts to buy. Moreover, there were lots of happy shoppers, excited children, hampers galore, delicious coffee and cakes from Imogen’s Apron, all interspersed with some beautiful singing from the various Elstree choirs. It was wonderful to be able to welcome Helen from PALS, so she could speak with lots of the Gift Fair visitors about their fantastic work. We are delighted that 50% of the proceeds, £4066.19, was donated to PALS. Friends of Elstree were fundraising for the Low Ropes course and the remaining 50% of money raised from the Gift Fair went towards this.

A massive thank you to the wonderful Friends of Elstree team for organising the beautiful hampers which generated some very enthusiastic bidding! And, of course, a final thank you to the Gift Fair Committee, headed up by Melissa Price, who put together this fantastic event. We hope you all managed to make a start to your Christmas shopping! OSI

What a fantastic evening! The wonderful Friends of Elstree team had worked so hard to make it a night to remember. Above all, it was extra special to be able to celebrate together having had a “closed” event last year. The Pre-Prep children and parents had a preview of the stalls before the Festivities officially started – and what a choice there was. There was a Shaken Udder Milkshake Bar, a Vintage Sweet Stall, a Hot Chocolate Bar, Popcorn, Hot Dogs, Neon Headbands, Wristbands, Finger Torches and Slapbands, an Autumn Produce stall selling wholesome winter goodies and the ever-popular Bottle Tombola. The Grown Up Bar sold out of their delicious mulled wine and gourmet sausage and vegan rolls. The Spiced Apple Winter Warmer, Ramsbury Gold, fizz and wine were also a real hit with the parents. The Elstree branded sloe gin by Wiltshire Liqueurs was a brilliant addition to the Bar.

The rest of the pupils descended on Yard and the Terrace in a flurry of excitement. Pocket money was spent, headbands and wristbands modelled and tasty treats were bought and consumed.

We had so many offers to run the stalls including the Year 8s who help as part of their Elstree Award. They should be proud of themselves as many commented how friendly and efficient they were. One parent commented: “The Year 8 helpers were truly amazing: selling hard, personable, reliable and very friendly. I was truly impressed and cannot wait for my son to grow and follow the same path.” Leading up to the event, Head of Art Mrs Syckelmoore had enlisted some eager helpers to make the Guy. He looked very relaxed as he sat in the Main Hall for a few days which added to the intrigue and thrill of the big day itself. Following in Elstree tradition, the youngest child in the school has the privilege of helping Headmaster, Mr Inglis light the bonfire. This year, Lance Kneeshaw (3CMS) enjoyed this exciting role. The fireworks soon followed and were magnificent. As a result, there was much cheering as one firework followed another, and another. Illuminating Park as they soared into the sky, the atmosphere amongst the children (and parents and staff!) was buzzing. Back to the Terrace for excited chatter about the fireworks whilst listening to the tunes spilling out of the Long Room. Boarders went to bed reluctantly and day boys and girls headed home after a magical family evening of fresh air and fun. All proceeds from the evening will be split between PALS West Berkshire and the Low Ropes Course improvements. Thank you to our groundsmen, who did an incredible job building the bonfire and organising the fireworks. A special thank you to everyone else involved, especially Didi and her Friends of Elstree team and for all our generous supporters. OSI

“The Year 8 helpers were truly amazing: selling hard, personable, reliable and very friendly. I was truly impressed and cannot wait for my son to grow and follow the same path.”

Our fabulous Friends of Elstree Committee organised a cracking Summer Fête. After a very enjoyable Summer Concert in the marquee, everyone headed to Yard where there were plenty of Summer Fête activities on offer - welly wanging, bottle hoopla, a surf simulator, a huge climbing wall, a giant inflatable slide, crazy croquet and of course, the old favourite... throwing sponges at the teachers in the stocks! Meanwhile our younger visitors also enjoyed hook-a-duck, face painting, and guess the lego. The semi-finals and then the final of the inaugural Elstree table tennis tournament, (which was organised by a Year 8 boy) took place in front of a mesmerised audience in the McMullen Hall. Many congratulations to Charles Chen who was the winner of the Year 5 & 6 tournament and Lucas Lee who was crowned champion in the Year 7 & 8 category. Two very generous families donated trophies for this event, which will definitely become a regular fixture in the Elstree calendar! The standard of table tennis in the final was absolutely extraordinary. For those wanting refreshments there was plenty to choose from: a beautiful afternoon tea on offer on the Terrace (all served in vintage tea cups), a bar serving Pimms, bubbles and rosé, strawberries and cream, a vintage ice cream stall, cakes, pots of mini sausages, warm sausage rolls, mini bags of sweets, and the most delectable goodies on the produce stall. We have some seriously talented bakers and cooks in the Elstree Community at the moment and are so grateful for all your delicious donations! The bottle tombola was a huge hit and our very generous Chairman of Governors auctioned off a Jeroboam of Whispering Angel and a limited edition Platinum Jubilee Merrythought Paddington Bear. Thank you so much! All in all, it was a very happy day and the rain thankfully managed to stay away until 5pm - phew! The day raised a massive £4,910 and we look forward to understanding how Friends of Elstree will choose for these funds to support the school. As ever, we thank Friends of Elstree for their hard work, enthusiasm and boundless energy. OSI