OGA News Spring 2020

oganews SPRING 2020

CONTENTS Welcome by Jenny Thomas ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 From the Headmistress .................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Development ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 OGA Events ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Diary Dates ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Malvern St James ............................................................................................................................................................................ 24 Malvern Girls' College .................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Interviews ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 50 Memories from MGC ...................................................................................................................................................................... 54 St James's and St James's & The Abbey...................................................................................................................................... 62 Lawnside ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 72 The Abbey ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 76 Memories from the Staffroom ..................................................................................................................................................... 78 Malvern Alumnae 100 In Memoriam .......................................................................................................................................... 80 Celebrating 100 Years of Women in Law................................................................................................................................... 88 Greenslade and Poulton Memorial ............................................................................................................................................. 91 Editor's Note .................................................................................................................................................................................... 93 Thank you to our Donors................................................................................................................................................................. 94

Tricia Wilkinson (Marsden 1956), Honorary Vice -President of the OGA recently informed us of the death of her husband John Wilkinson. John was a regular at many OGA reunions and died peacefully in hospital on 15th March 2020 following a very short illness. Daughters Sarah and Elisabeth were both at MGC. Our thoughts are with all of the family at this time.

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OGA OFFICER ROLES PATRONS Rosalind Hayes, Philippa Leggate, Elizabeth Mullenger, Val Payne, Peter Pollard, Duseline Stewart, Trish Woodhouse HONORARY PRESIDENT Olivera Raraty HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTS Patricia Birchley, Anne Borrowdale, Clare John, Sarah Musgrave, Pauline Newton, June Roundhill, Patricia Wilkinson, Elisabeth Rambridge, Hannah Gill, Joan Newby, Fiona Fowles CHAIRMAN Jenny Thomas (MGC 2002) VICE-CHAIRMAN Penny Smith (Reay, St J&A 1980) HONORARY SOCIAL SECRETARY Patricia Wilkinson (Marsden, MGC 1956) HONORARY TREASURER Vacant EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Decade Representatives 1950s Ginny Wigglesworth

(Lawry, MGC 1959) 1970s Jane Mason (Coles, MGC 1970),

Judith Drewer (Horrell, Abbey 1973) 1980s Sarah Guthrie (Turner, MGC 1984) 2000s Daniella Grieveson (MGC 2001) 2010s Laurel Buchanan (MSJ 2010)

Helen Buchanan (MSJ 2012)

Ex Head Girls and OGA Prefect:

Chloe Parker (2018),

Libby Wilkinson (2018),

Andrea Rugasira (2018),

Jenny Gallagher (2018)

Hajer Zubairu (HG) (2019)

Holly Harvey (Deputy) (2019)

Nicky Connell (Deputy) (2019)

Tito Otegbeye (OGA Prefect) (2019)

Current Head Girl team: Grace Clifford - Head Girl

Genevieve Manning and

Beatrice Clifford - Deputy Head Girls

TRUSTEES Anne Borrowdale (Lea, MGC 1970) Cecily Hewlett (MGC 2002) Charlotte Morrison (Page, MGC 1973) Ottoline Scriven (MGC 2004) Fiona Shires (Beckett, Lawnside 1983) Rowena Westacott (Evans, St J&A 1980) OGA OFFICE contact points: Development Director Fiona Meredith External Relations Manager Phillippa Weatherhead

WELCOME BY JENNY THOMAS (MGC 2002) OGA CHAIRMAN Hello and welcome to this year's OGA News. It feels quite odd to be writing this for the first time as our new Chairman instead of reading it! I am delighted to be taking up this role and would like to start by saying a huge thank you to Cecily for everything she has done these past six years. As one of my closest friends from MGC, we see each other regularly and are only a few tube stops apart in London so I'm sure I will be checking in with her on all things OGA! I joined MGC in Hatfield in 1997, leaving Poulton in 2002, following in the footsteps of my mother, another MGC Old Girl, Amanda Thomas (Barnes 1976).

I took a gap year after School, the majority of which Cecily and I spent working at a school in London and travelling. I then attended the University of Surrey reading Retail Management for four years, a year of which I was out working at Fortnum & Mason. I then spent four and a half years at Liberty helping to set up and run their VIP personal shopping suite and bridal concession.

After a stint as a Gamesmaker at the 2012 Olympics, I joined the John Lewis Partnership as PA to the Marketing Director (yes I was privy to the Christmas ads early, my favourite being a visit to the set of Bear and Hare!). Most recently I have looked after the Services Director on the Board and I have just started as EA to the Group Finance Director.

Having been a choir girl in my time at MGC, I thoroughly enjoyed our first London Carol Service at St George's, Bloomsbury on the 14th December. Directed by Mrs Lynne Lindner, and supported by 20 Old Girl singers and members of the MSJ School Choir, it was a superb production. We are grateful to all of the Old Girls that joined us to perform and support the event as part of the audience. We are now looking forward to our upcoming OGA events including the Summer Reunion on the 13th June where we invite alumnae celebrating 10, 30 or 50 years since leaving school to return and celebrate with friends (all Old Girls are of course welcome at all reunions). The day will also include an event to celebrate the retirement of Mrs Lynne Lindner, and a memorial to St James’s & The Abbey Old Girl Kate Fereday. More information on all these events will be featured within.

I look forward to meeting, hearing from and working with lots of you in 2020 and over the next few years, and wish you all the best for the coming months.

External Relations Assistant Camilla King

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Dear Old Girls and Honorary Members, As I write this, all of us find ourselves in a truly remarkable situation. Here in the UK, as with many other countries, we are in lockdown, and the School building remains closed to pupils until we receive further government advice.

Amid the uncertainty, we remain undeterred in our mission to create continuity for the girls and to ensure that this interruption has minimal impact on their education. We were well prepared with our IT systems ahead of the pandemic, and so were able to swiftly move to online teaching and learning for the final week of the Spring Term.

Pupils and teachers had been trained in using Microsoft Teams and so could continue a largely normal timetable from home. From PE to PHSE and Physics to French, it all continues in the virtual classroom. I am so fortunate to have such dedicated and resourceful teachers and pastoral staff, who will ensure that the online show goes on for as long as necessary.

Meanwhile, we will be looking after key workers’ children in the forthcoming weeks and we have offered our Benhams boarding house to the NHS who may need to house extra staff as the situation worsens.

On behalf of the School I would like to thank all of our Old Girl community for continuing to support us; and in particular I thank those of you working in the frontline, whether that is as doctors and nurses, or in sectors which bring us our essentials and care for our vulnerable.

This situation is particularly difficult for those girls who were meant to be sitting public examinations in the coming weeks. Our Year 13 Leavers will join the Old Girls’ Association most probably without all the usual fanfare and celebration of the end of exams and end of school life. We promise, however, to make up for this later in the year once restrictions are lifted.

Although none of us know how long this will go on for, I am confident that MSJ is already rising to the challenge and we will use this as an opportunity to learn new skills that will prove invaluable when normal practice resumes.

Our girls are flexible, forward-thinking and resilient; they will use this experience to grow.

From all of us here at MSJ, I sincerely wish you and your families the best during this time, and though we cannot meet in person at present, I look forward to seeing you at events in the future.

Keep safe and well,

Mrs Olivera Raraty Headmistress

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MSJ Bursary Fund for Financial Aid

THE MSJ BURSARY FUND AND FINANCIAL AID IN THE WAKE OF CORONAVIRUS PLEASE HELP US NOW...

Coronavirus has stopped the world as we know it and the economic impact is being felt across the globe. When longstanding, global companies are feeling the chill, it is not surprising that smaller enterprises, usually strong and robust, are caught up in the ripple effect.

Some of our parents find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own. Whether they are company owners or employees, they cannot control the bigger picture around them, and, for some, business has nosedived almost overnight. Even the most wellthought out business contingency plans could not have planned for the economic shockwave that coronavirus has created. Meanwhile, government has acknowledged that despite their emergency measures to help individuals and businesses, around 20% of the working population fall outside of this safety net.

Finding yourself in this situation is frightening, lonely and overwhelming.

Even more so when you know that your child’s education is at stake. We all recognise that for children, their world revolves around school – it is their cornerstone, their second home as much as a place of education, where their friends and support system is, the teachers and House staff they know and trust, and where they get a sense of validation, belonging and security. No parent wants to take this rug out from under their child’s feet.

Headmistress Mrs Olivera Raraty

But for some of our parents, this is what they are facing. As a school, we want to help them and so with immediate effect we have set up an Appeal to be able to provide support to these families in financial crisis. Now, perhaps more than ever, your generosity will have an immediate impact. Money donated to the bursary fund will make it possible for some girls to stay with us who otherwise will be facing an uncertain future.

If you can afford to donate to this, we would love to hear from you. Every donation counts. Already, we help over 25% of our parents with bursary provision of some kind, amounting to over £500k per annum on average. We will continue to support our MSJ families as best we can. We have no endowments to draw on for bursary support or other investment, so we must manage this within our means. We are appealing to all in our community – including our Old Girls, Honorary Members and Past Parents – to help us if you possibly can.

We realise that there are many charities appealing for donations at present, and not everyone will be able to give, but we thank you for considering us.

Please contact Fiona Meredith, Development Director, for further information: tel: 07905 762407/ 01684 584613/ meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk

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msj now

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Development – what’s next at MSJ…

FROM THE HEADMISTRESS My Strategic Vision In 2019, MSJ celebrated 100 years of excellent all‑girls’ education in our building, which was first the home of MGC. The women who started our founding schools were pioneers; way ahead of their time in recognising the contribution that women could make to society. A century on, MSJ continues to provide first class girls’ education with conviction, passion and ambition.

We are in a new technology-led era with a fast-changing career landscape and bigger, global perspectives. Our students need to be ready for this. MSJ will stay ahead of the curve, future-proofing girls’ learning, giving them the academic and soft skills to succeed, and opening up opportunities for them to excel.

Our pastoral care will focus on our holistic wellbeing programme, called MSJ Buzz, as we know that mental health is instrumental to personal and academic achievement.

The MSJ ethos:

1 FIRST CLASS TEACHING AND LEARNING

2 OUTSTANDING PASTORAL CARE

3 A MODERN BOARDING ENVIRONMENT Mrs Olivera Raraty, Headmistress, with last year’s Head Girl and Deputy

4 SPORTING EXCELLENCE

Our boarding houses – starting with Benhams and then Hatfield will be renovated – retaining their welcoming ‘home from home’ atmosphere within a modern estate.

Here, we give you a snapshot of our recent significant investments, and our plans for where we are heading next. Plans and delivery timelines will be finalised in the forthcoming months. I look forward to sharing these with you later this year, and I welcome your comments.

OLIVERA RARATY, HEADMISTRESS

5 ENRICHING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

6 PHILANTHROPY AND FUNDRAISING

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Development – THE HOUSES

BENHAMS RENOVATION The new year 11 boarding house [completion 2020/21]

Benhams rear view and lawn

Sixth Form Christmas Party at Benhams

Note found on the back of a 1939 photo when the House opened under Miss Williams and Miss Warry

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‘The Rectory’, currently the Headmistress’ residence, will be converted back into part of Benhams boarding house

Development – THE HOUSES

HATFIELD RENOVATION Hatfield will be renovated after Benhams is completed.

This selection of photos is from the Archives when the House first opened in 1964 under Headmistress Miss Burgess. It was named Hatfield after Hatley St George and Parkfield, the Houses that it replaced. The building is still an incredibly popular Senior House – the girls love the hexagonal pods and the light and space. The Hex common room is still well-used. The Housemistress is now Mrs Liz Cole. Pictured is the first Housemistress, Mrs Chaning-Pearce.

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Development – Sport and Mental Health

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PROVISION NEW £450K ASTROTURF PITCH LAUNCHED AUTUMN 2019 A shared facility with our local community Launched with a MSJ vs Staff match: the girls won

WELLBEING & MENTAL HEALTH

Sporting pathways

• Sporting excellence for elite athletes – facilities, teaching and coaching • Sporting Pathway bespoke to every girl • Tree planting across sports grounds for summer shade and biodiversity • Sports Pavilion Refurbishment

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MSJ Buzz is our mental health and wellbeing programme for personal, emotional and academic development. We are working towards the Carnegie Centre of Excellence Gold Award for Mental Health.

Development – Teaching, Community, Philanthropy

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Community Service embedded in the Curriculum Outreach and partnerships with local state primary and secondary schools Working with Old Girls and MSJ community to provide inspirational role models and mentoring

PHILANTHROPY AND FUNDRAISING TEACHING & LEARNING Fully tech-enabled classrooms for modern digital and remote learning Adapting the Library for a sympathetic blend of the traditional and modern

School to support 3 international, 3 national and 3 local charities every year Reaching out to our MSJ community to fundraise for MSJ bursaries and capital projects Diversity and inclusivity: Bursaries for extraordinary pupils from ordinary backgrounds

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Development – Support Us

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Development – Support Us

ADMISSIONS, BURSARIES AND WIDENING ACCESS MSJ is a happy and high-achieving school of around 410 girls, with approximately half boarders and half day girls.

We welcome around 100 new girls every year.

Seventy percent of our girls are British, and 30% are international, arriving with us from 23 countries around the globe. This creates a great sense of diversity and cross-cultural awareness, which students really enjoy, and mirrors life at university and in the workplace. Girls leaving MSJ have friends and peers across the world.

We always have girls in School who are second or third generations of their family at MSJ – and we love this sense of heritage.

It is important to us that we have a diverse and inclusive mix of pupils, so that girls are firmly rooted in the real world, and bursary provision is crucial to maintaining this profile, particularly as fees get away from the capacity of ordinary families. Boarding fees are roughly £38k per annum and day fees £20k.

With fees at this level, people often assume that there must be a large surplus from income. In fact, staff costs account for more than two thirds of revenue (68%) and running and maintaining our estate another 7.5%. The cost of running the school per day is around £26,000. All of our revenue and surpluses are ploughed back into the school for spending on the school site, supporting our pupils, bursary provision and increasing social impact. There is no endowment to fund bursaries.

The school currently dedicates over £500k to bursary and scholarship provision per year. However, with fee levels such as they are, this significant-sounding sum doesn’t go far enough. One hundred and eleven girls (more than 25% of pupils) are assisted with bursaries, but to make the fund stretch, these are capped at 40%. We would like to be able to increase this and so we are fundraising.

Our principle of all-girls education remains paramount.

Many girls’ schools have gone co-ed or closed, but MSJ

fully intends to stay girls-only with all the benefits that brings. Our girls see female role models at all levels student leadership roles filled by young women and the achievements of alumnae as they progress through their careers. All around them, they hear female voices loud and clear. The Good Schools Guide says that we are “full of girls who are going to change the world” and we couldn’t agree more.

We have a guiding aim of giving back and sharing with our local community. This can mean sharing our sports resources with local clubs, sharing Guest Speaker events with local high schools, hosting local schools sports tournaments and coaching, Science days, Language days, and competitions such as our Schools Art Exhibition.

We raise thousands of pounds per year to help charities locally, nationally and internationally, and continue to support our school and the local village in The Gambia with infrastructure requirements.

We offer scholarships which carry a 10% fee remission, plus means-tested bursaries, to take total remissions up to a maximum 40% of fees. Scholarships are awarded for Academic, Art, Music, Sport, Drama, Riding, Technology and Flexi-Boarding, and all-round excellence is marked in The Founders’ Award. The exception on the 40% cap is The Founders’ Award which has greater flexibility.

Daughters of Old Girls receive a 5% discount. Military discounts and sibling discounts also apply.

We have Open Days throughout the year, as well as taster days where girls can sample school life and boarding life.

To find out more about contributing to bursary assistance, please talk to our Development Director, Fiona Meredith meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk Tel:07905 762407 To find out more about entry to MSJ, please talk to our Admissions department admissions@malvernstjames.co.uk

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The Founders’ Award Bursary Fund

ASSISTING EXTRAORDINARY PUPILS FROM ORDINARY BACKGROUNDS

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hree girls – Emily, Freya and Ruby - have been awarded the prestigious Founders’ Award scholarship this academic year (2019-20) to mark all-round academic and extra-curricular achievement, as well as contribution to leadership and wider School life.

The Founders’ Award is a Sixth Form scholarship, supported by a means-tested bursary funded by contributions from Old Girls, current parents and past parents. Without your generosity, the Award would not exist.

“£40,000 sounds like a lot of money – it is a lot of money – but seeing the difference that it makes demonstrates its value”, says Mrs Olivera Raraty, MSJ’s Headmistress. “It sounds counterintuitive to many that when fees are high we should need to fundraise for bursary provision. But an independent education is expensive to provide. Excellent teachers are the bedrock of an excellent education, and three quarters of income is spent on staff costs. Small class sizes, greater spend on teaching resources and maintaining a large Victorian estate are

Key to attracting the most talented girls to apply, regardless of their family circumstances, is the ability of the School to offer bursary assistance beyond the usual top level (40% of fees). We fundraise for the Founders’ Awards so that we can continue to assist girls year on year, but as well as the basic aim of keeping the award going, we are particularly keen to offer a greater fee remission. To put this into context, day fees for Sixth Form are currently running at £20,000 per annum, so £40,000 is needed to put just one girl through the two year A Level course. Offering even a 50% remission still leaves a significant sum for families to find. If we could get to a point of being able to offer 100% or 110% bursaries, we would be able to create a truly transformational experience for an extraordinary pupil from an ordinary background.

Girls perform the Dido and Aeneas opera

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THE FOUNDERS' AWARD in an all-girls environment.” Freya also comments that in STEM subjects she has really enjoyed being pushed and challenged – “nobody here ever thinks of those subjects as ‘boys’ subjects’.”

Emily is studying Biology, Computer Science, Maths and Drama whilst Ruby’s choice is Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Music.

The girls comment on the extra-curricular opportunities that MSJ offers, and this has been critical to all three of them who have very strong interests and talents in Music and Drama, two areas in which independent education excels. Ruby is a Grade 8 singer, pianist and oboist and runs the Ukuladies – MSJ’s very own ukulele ensemble; and all three girls get involved in the MSJ productions and Model United Nations debating.

What do they all agree on about MSJ? “It’s given us confidence, it’s brought out our potential and nurtured our abilities and skills.

It’s brought out the best in us.”

2019 leaver, Holly

additional factors. The School itself already contributes more than £500k of annual revenue to bursaries. Last year, we were delighted to receive just over £16,000 from Year 13 Leavers’ parents who chose to donate their School deposits. But the reality is that to create the big 40%+ fee remission levels, we need to significantly increase what we have available to give.

This can only be done by fundraising.”

This year’s Founders’ Awards scholars all entered the Sixth Form in September 2019 having achieved excellent GCSE grades. The Award has allowed each of them to stay at MSJ, rather than having to move to local state sector schools.

For Freya, studying French, Spanish, English Literature and Computer Science for A Level would not have been possible at her local school. At MSJ, a more bespoke curriculum means that girls get a wider choice of subjects and can have a more unusual mix.

For Ruby and Emily, leaving MSJ would have meant going to a large local Sixth Form, many times the size of MSJ, where both feel that they would have not had the scope to aim for leadership positions or be known and nurtured as individuals. It would also have meant going into a co-ed environment. As Emily says, “A Levels really matter and the statistics show that girls focus and perform better

Ruby and Emily (Year 12)

Meanwhile, Genevieve, who received the Award last year, is currently holding an offer to study Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge University and Lara, an Award winner in 2017, is now in her first year at Cardiff reading Medicine. Coco and Chloe, who were the first recipients in 2016, are now in their second years reading Physics at Leeds and Engineering at Imperial respectively.

We thank everyone who has contributed to the Founders’ Awards, including those who have pledged legacies, given single gifts and regular gifts, as well as those parents of Year 13 Leavers who Lara, now at Cardiff reading Medicine have returned their School deposits. Your generosity helps makes this possible.

Genevieve competing

For more information on donating to The Founders’ Awards, please contact: Fiona Meredith, Development Director. Tel: 07905 762407. Email: meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk

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DEVELOPMENT

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Music Bursary Appeal LAUNCH OF

'EXCELLENCE IN MUSIC’

BURSARY APPEAL SUMMER 2020

In July 2020, Mrs Lynne Lindner will retire as Head of Performance and Vocal Studies. She has worked for the past 27 years for St James’s & The Abbey School, St James’s School and Malvern St James. For almost three decades, she has been an integral part of the creative life of those schools, and taught and inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of girls. She also leads the Jenny Lind singers, largely comprised of Old Girls and more recently, she has been inspiring adults – many of whom are current and past parents, and former colleagues - with her MSJ Community Choir.

As we get ready to send this magazine to press, and much of the globe is in lockdown, we see the importance of music in bringing people together, whether that is the Italians singing in unison from their balconies or the president of an African nation putting into song his instructions to keep his nation healthy and well.

To mark her extraordinary commitment to the School, we will be launching The Lynne Lindner Music Award, which will be given to exceptionally talented musicians, and which will carry a means-tested bursary for its recipients. We will be fundraising to reach a target of £100,000 for the bursary element of this Award, and we are asking all our community to be involved. Can you help us do this? Any gifts - large or small, individual or clubbed together within a family or group of friends - would mark a fantastic legacy to Lynne’s dedication and passion. Please see the Support Us area of the MSJ website for more information (www.malvernstjames.co.uk).

We will be holding a Retirement Dinner and Musical Celebration for Lynne on Saturday 13th June 2020, where we will also formally launch the bursary appeal. We want it to be a lively, informal event, so no seating plans etc, just a happy (and maybe sometimes a bit tearful) tribute to a very special and original music-maker. If it becomes necessary to postpone this due to COVID-19, we will reschedule for the Autumn.

If you are interested in finding out more about contributing to Music at MSJ, or the Dinner, please get in touch with Development Director, Fiona Meredith, on tel: 01684 584613 / meredf@malvernstjames.co.uk #thelegendarymrslynnelindner

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OGA EVENTS

OGA EVENTS

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OGA EVENTS

diary dates 2020

Please note that some dates may be subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control, and exact timings may not yet be available for all events. More information will be available on email and our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and MSJ Connect feeds.

If you would like to attend any events, please check with the OGA Office before planning your journey on oga@malvernstjames.co.uk or 01684 892288.

SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2020 12-4PM OGA Summer Reunion for all Old Girls from all Schools Particular emphasis on those who left 10, 30 or 50 years ago (classes of 2010, 1990 and 1970) from all schools. Join us for lunch and tours of the school.

SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2020 7-10.30PM Lynne Lindner Retirement Dinner Celebrate the retirement of Mrs Lynne Lindner who has been making music in Malvern for 27 years on both sides of the Hills. Join Lynne for Dinner and a Musical Celebration and the launch of the Lynne Lindner Music Award for Exceptional Musical Talent.

In memory of Kate Fereday (St James’s and The Abbey 1997) we will be hosting a small gathering in the Library at MSJ as part of Reunion Day. If you would like to join please contact Miss Elizabeth Mullenger on: emmullenger@gmail.com THURSDAY 2 JULY Commemoration at Great Malvern Priory Prizegiving with Guest Speaker Caitlin Hughes (MGC,1998) Old Girls are welcome to join us at The Priory, but seating is limited so please look out for more information on ticket application nearer the time. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

THURSDAY 9 JULY 2020 OGA London Drinks: The Listing, Cannon Green, Bush Lane, EC4 Join us from 5-8pm for our OGA London Drinks event. Catch up and network with Old Girls and enjoy a drink on us.

THURSDAY 3 DECEMBER Christmas Wreath Making Old Girls are welcome to join current parents, past parents, Honorary Members and staff at MSJ for this festive event hosted by local florist Jane Edmonds of Long Barn Flowers. This event was extremely popular last year and sold out very quickly. Please contact the OGA office oga@malvernstjames.co.uk to reserve your place.

FRIDAY 4 DECEMBER Honorary Members’ Coffee Morning at MSJ, 9.30-11am Featuring Prep Carol Singing FRIDAY 11 DECEMBER Carol Service, Malvern Priory Old Girls are welcome to join us at The Priory, but seating is limited so please look out for more information on ticket application nearer the time. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Followed by mince pies and mulled wine at MSJ

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oga events MALVERN ALUMNAE 100 We were delighted to have had 44 of the Malvern Alumnae 100 join us for the exhibition at MSJ on Thursday 14th March 2019. Many of these women had joined us from London, with others coming from as far afield as Europe, Africa and China. We were also joined by many former teaching staff, Housemistresses and Headmistresses. Our thanks to everyone for making it such an enjoyable evening. The feedback from our MSJ students was overwhelming.

Girls’ comments include the fact that they made some great connections, they saw how they could make a difference, and how careers develop.

SUMMER DRINKS IN LONDON July 2019 saw us host our first ‘OGA London Drinks’ event where we invited Old Girls working and living in the city to join us at a bar in Cannon Street. It was the hottest day of the year, but it was so wonderful to see so many Old Girls re-unite. We will be repeating the event in 2020 so save the date of 9th July 2020, more details to follow.

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oga events CAREERS FAIR

Mel Bles (MGC 1996)

Janet Axten-Rice (The Abbey 1977)

Old Girls and Past Parents joined us for the Careers Fair at MSJ in October. Our thanks go to all of those who attended and spoke to the girls about their field of expertise. Sarah Haywood (Reid Pitcher, St James’s 1982) and Mel Bles (MGC 1999) delivered lectures to the girls about their respective careers in Wedding and Event Production, and Fashion Photography. We are always looking for Old Girls and Past/Current Parents to offer advice and mentoring for our current students. If you would be interested in getting involved please email oga@malvernstjames.co.uk

Sarah Haywood (Pitcher, St James’s 1982)

SIXTH FORM EXPERIENCE

OGA LECTURE

We welcomed back Ellie Hatt (MSJ 2016) to speak to Year 11 girls and their parents in October about her experience of Sixth Form at MSJ and studying Dentistry at Liverpool University. The girls thoroughly enjoyed her talk at the event. She is pictured here with Mrs Hutton.

Old Girl and BAFTA award-winning video game producer, Fiona Sperry (MGC 1988), returned to School in November to host this year’s OGA Lecture. Fiona talked fondly of her time as a boarder at MGC, her gaming career and her own production company, Three Fields Entertainment.

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oga events DEAN CLOSES SIXES Congratulations to our alumnae hockey team who took part in the Dean Close Sixes tournament in October and came 5th. This was a great effort as the average age of the team was 37 and they played against much younger opposition! Huge well done to Old Girls Nicky Connell (MSJ 2019), Gemma Bruce (St J’s & A 1995), Jennifer Bailey (St J’s & A 1994), Saska Ingham (MSJ 2013) and past parent Sarah Connell. To register your interest in playing at the next tournament, please email: oga@malvernstjames,co,uk

Saska Ingham and Nicky Connell

MSJ alumnae hockey team, Dean Close Sixes

ASTROTURF In autumn 2019, the MSJ AstroTurf was resurfaced and the surrounding area refurbished. A total of £450k was invested and the girls are already making great use of the facilities which were officially opened by Hockey Olympic Gold medallist Kate-Richardson Walsh MBE and Old Girls Lucy Walton (2017) and Nicky Connell (2019). The 1st XI hockey team took on the staff with the girls taking the trophy after a tense penalty shoot-out. Local Primary Schools were invited to take part in coaching with MSJ Prep girls and our guests.

MSJ 1st XI hockey team

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Nicky Connell and Lucy Walton at the launch of MSJ’s new AstroTurf pitch

Kate Richardson-Walsh MBE

oga events THE OGA LONDON CAROL CONCERT December saw the OGA’s first London Carol Service at St George’s, Bloomsbury. Directed by Mrs Lynne Lindner, (MSJ’s Head of Performance and Vocal Studies and formerly Head of Music at St James’s), and supported by 20 Old Girl singers and members of the MSJ School Choir, it was a superb production. We are grateful to all of the Old Girls that joined us to perform and support the event as part of the audience.

Our thanks also to Honorary Members who attended including Miss Elizabeth Mullenger, Mrs Ros Hayes, Ms Greer Owen and Mrs Jenni Chuck.

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MALVERN ST JAMES

MALVERN ST JAMES

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MALVERN ST JAMES

HEAD GIRL

ONE YEAR ON HAJER ZUBAIRU (MSJ 2019)

For me, life at university is a lot of reading - and I know this might seem like an over exaggeration. Afterall, its university, you are meant to be reading! But I study Law and French, so it is pretty much consuming information 24/7. This sounds daunting, and at first it really was, I had to adapt and change the way I learnt. I am now in my second term and I have learnt so much. I have been to lectures about the legacy of slavery in the city of Bordeaux and had debates about the politics of translation in post-colonial Africa.

Outside of lectures and tutorials, I have been keeping up with drama and am a member of several different societies. I am currently starring in a play about heritage and identity. I have also directed 2 plays since being at Bristol: a comedy and an Avant Garde interpretation of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabbler. It is very rewarding to be somewhere where I can engage with all of my interests and challenge myself on all fronts.

E

veryone asks about life at university - what is it really like? The answer is different for everyone and I feel it is a question that only you can answer when you get there. This is because it is an entirely different experience than any of us are used to. You are given independence, time, freedom and a whole new place to explore those things in. Here at Bristol, there is always so much going on both within the university and in the city itself. For example, Bristol loves to protest! People are always marching for some cause or other which is great for political awareness but awful for traffic. The city has so many interesting artistic spots and so many good places to eat, it wasn’t hard to fall in love with it and I am still not done exploring.

That’s another thing about university, there are so many different worlds to be a part of, like sport or dance or drama.

Personally, being part of just one isn’t enough for me and I have made friends from so many different backgrounds with so many different interests. Social life at uni is really whatever you make it because if you love something, there’s a 100% chance someone else loves it too.

I didn’t find it hard to make friends here at Bristol, I found that the people I grouped with just stuck around and those are the people that I end up spending the most time with. But I still haven’t stopped making friends. There is always someone interesting that I want to talk to more.

I am looking forward to seeing all Bristol has to offer me and Paris too on my year abroad!

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MALVERN MALVERNSTSTJAMES JAMES

NEWS Emily McDonald (Pickles, 2006) 'Since leaving Malvern St James I went straight to Nottingham University for three years and gained a 2:1 BA Hons Degree in Art History. During this time in Nottingham I met my now husband Sam McDonald who by coincidence was from Malvern, so we instantly had a lot in common.

We then both moved from Nottingham to London where I ended up working for a ski company for a few years. I felt unfulfilled in this role and went to see a career advisor to see what options there were in the art world for me. I was very strongly directed down the path of being an artist as this was really where my heart was - I knew I had to be ‘creating’! The advisor told me about the wonderful art School ‘London Fine Arts’ based in Battersea. This School focuses on teaching painting and drawing in the Atelier style - everything is studied from life and they were very disciplined and strict! I went along thinking I wasn’t too bad at drawing, but they stripped back everything I knew to take me back to the fundamental techniques used by artists such as John Singer Sargent and Philip de László. After a year or so here I had learnt some fantastic techniques to start my career.

Since then we have bought our second house in North Gloucestershire and we have had a wonderful little baby boy called Hugo Xavier. Having a baby has been pretty full time for me and I am now doing my best to start painting again. I am hoping to focus primarily on portrait commissions as I adore painting some of the lovely people I meet and their families. I visit their home and spend some time with the subject to get to know them, I then take a series of photos and sketches to work from back in my studio.'

Alice Wright (2008): 'The group of friends from my year have done a secret weekend getaway for the last couple of years. The idea originated when we all decided we had done rather enough dinners in London - there are only so many 'catch ups' you can do in one year and so it was time to create some new memories again like old times. Two people are picked out of the hat every 6 months and they organise the secret weekend away for the others. The others have no idea of where they are going unless they manage to crack the clue which is posted out a couple of weeks before departure. Destinations have included Bruges, Porto, Edinburgh and this last year, Margate and Madrid.'

Alison Robb (2010), Sustainability Lead at Coutts,

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A self-portrait by Emily McDonald

Alice Wright and friends in Madrid

recently hosted an event with fellow Old Girl Sue Garrard (Anderson, MGC 1978), pictured on the left, below. Sue spoke on a panel of climate change and sustainability experts (including Sir David Attenborough, Mark Carney and John Snow) at an event organised and hosted by Alison, at Coutts in July 2019.

Alison Robb and Sue Garrad at Coutts sustainability conference

We were delighted to welcome Lizzie Lewis (2011) back to School to talk about being part of the Fast Stream leadership development programme within the Civil Service. Lizzie talked about the impact an allgirls education has had on her career and how it has

MALVERN ST JAMES inspired her to focus on developing female policies after completing the Fast Stream programme.

Lizzie was a day girl at MSJ and went on to study Politics at University College London, graduating in 2015. She joined the Civil Service directly after leaving university, before successfully applying to the Fast Stream programme in September 2019.

Lizzie talked about how important her time at School was in developing resilience and confidence and received a very warm welcome from the girls. The presentation was the first ‘Business Breakfast’ talk hosted by the OGA for girls in Years 11, 12 and 13. We hope to be able to run more events like these in the future.

5th October 2019. In attendance were Alice Luo and Emily Osterloff, also Old Girls of MSJ.

Catherine Okey (2012): 'I’ve just started my first job as a doctor in Brighton after graduating from Southampton University with Honours and Distinctions in Medicine. '

Catherine Okey

Eleanor Jones (2013): 'I have just graduated from Northamptonshire University, studying a Policing BA (Hons) degree.

Whilst undertaking my degree I had the great opportunity to work alongside fellow officers as a Special Constable for three years.

I am currently waiting Eleanor Jones for my intake date for the Police and in the meantime, I am working as a Democratic Services Officer within the Northamptonshire Borough Council.'

Clemmie Fowles and her fiancé Hugo

Congratulations to Clemmie Fowles (MSJ 2011) and her fiancé Hugo who got engaged in summer 2019.

Kirsty Haines and family

Emily Kett (Bright, 2011) married Philip Kett at Layer Marney Tower on the

Kirsty Haines (2015) passed out as a Royal Marine Musician in Portsmouth in August 2019. Mrs Lynne Lindner was in attendance to celebrate the occasion with Kirsty’s family and friends.

Emily and Philip Kett on their wedding day

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MALVERN ST JAMES Charlotte Davey, Martha Milton, Hayley Burke (2016) completed Tough Mudder South West in August 2019 in memory of friend and fellow Old Girl India Wilkinson.

The girls completed 10 very muddy miles. complete with obstacles, and raised £400.

India Wilkinson

Lizzie Jones (2016): 'I left Sixth Form in 2016 and went on to study at Warwick. I am 4 months into my job in venue sourcing at an events company called Top Banana which won Conference and Incentive Travel Agency of the year 2019’ '

Charlotte Davy, Martha Milton and Hayley Burke

Lizzie Jones

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MALVERN ST JAMES Margot Bondarchuck (2017): 'This summer I spent seven challenging weeks at Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute, studying two courses which acted as an introduction into Ukrainian history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and Ukrainian state-society relations.

During this period I was taught many lessons, both in the classroom and outside of it, and I am incredibly thankful for having the opportunity to participate in this course.

In addition, I spent some time on the side to start my preliminary reading for my thesis. Interestingly enough, it was because of this course, and being introduced to new material, that the focus of my undergraduate thesis shifted from analysing nationalist movements during the Ukrainian People’s Republic period to proto-nationalist movements in Ukraine at the turn of the nineteenth century.

At the end of the course, I was awarded the prestigious Theodosius and Irene Senkowsky Prize for Demonstrated Achievement in Ukrainian Studies by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. I am very grateful to receive this award and I am also excited to continue pursuing my interest in Ukrainian history and politics.

I received this prize on the 9th August, which would seem like any other day, except that it marks one year and one day since the passing of my paternal grandmother, Galyna Fedorivna because of ALS. It was incredibly painful not to be able to visit her in Ukraine, while she was in the hospital, and not even to be able to go to her funeral (and gain any form of closure) due to the political persecution of my family by the Poroshenko regime.

I am the person I am today because of my grandmother, because of her love and because her support. All of my achievements are possible only because of her influence on my life. Hence, naturally, I would like to dedicate this

Margot Bondarchuck

prize to her, Bondarchuk Galyna Fedorivna. We remember you, always.

The Theodosius and Irene Senkowsky Prize also carries a cash reward, which was a pleasant surprise, considering that academic interest is not always monetised in the capitalist world in which we live. Nevertheless, as my father joked, this is my first income earned by intellect.

Since this is my first income, I feel that I need to spend it wisely. As a result, I will be donating a part of it to the ALS Association.

This is a cause that is close to my heart, and close to the hearts of thousands of others whose families have been affected by the disease. Hence, I would like to raise attention to this cause and encourage everyone to donate to the ALS association or to the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Links are below.'

Margot Bondarchuck Theodosius and Irene Senkowsky prize for demonstrated achievement in Ukrainian studies

https://www.mndassociation.org/ http://www.alsa.org/

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MALVERN ST JAMES

HONORARY MEMBERS Joan Newby is enjoying retirement and keeping busy with her two grandchildren Elodie and Aya.

of her Young Enterprise company.

I was also very pleased to meet up with Jen’s sister Steph, at the OGA Carol Service.

Joan Newby with her granddaughters Elodie and Aya

Heather Cardy and Rachel Huntley met up with Coco Li (2019) at lunch in London. Coco is studying History of Art at UCL and has bumped into Josselyn Chau (2019) who started there in September.

Rachel Huntley is launching a (mainly) online Tutoring Company in March 2020 called St Peter’s Tutors. www. stpeterstutors.co.uk. Rachel is interested to hear from any old girls who would like to tutor. Email Rachel at huntlr@ icloud.com if you would like to know more.

Mrs Jenni Chuck recently met up with two Old Girls and writes about the reunions: 'It was delightful to meet up with Jenifer Hencher (2009) over breakfast, whilst I was in Amsterdam at the end of November 2019. Jen has been in Amsterdam for over four years and it was great to see how settled and happy she is in The Netherlands. She works as the Senior Operations Manager for a digital education company. She joined as the company started and it has grown quickly.

I have very fond memories of Jen’s determination and organisational skills when she was a passionate member

Jennifer Hencher and Jenni Chuck

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Zahidah Zulkifly and Jenni Chuck

I caught up with Zahidah Zulkifly (2013) for tea in London in late December. It was wonderful to see her and hear how her career was progressing. Zahidah studied Law at UCL and then trained as a Barrister in London. She now practises corporate law in Malaysia. It was good to hear about her sister Zayana (2011) who now works as a corporate accountant in Malaysia.

The Summer of 2019 saw us say a fond farewell to some muchloved members of staff who will now become Honorary Members of the OGA. Our thanks and best wishes go to them all for all their hard work and dedication to MSJ over the years – we wish you well in your future endeavours.

Mrs Olivera Raraty with Tom Baines

MALVERN ST JAMES

a-level & gcse results AUGUST 2019

A Level Results for 2019: 44% of grades were at A* and A, 70% of grades were at A*-B, and more than one in six students achieved a clean sweep of A* and A grades. Almost 70% of students achieved A* or A in their EPQ (Extended Projects Qualification).

Malvern St James is one of the leading schools in Hereford and Worcestershire for A-level results. 34 percent of our girls achieved three A-levels at grades AAB or higher in 2019. The girls went on to study a diverse array of courses at a number of prestigious universities including: Law at Durham, Medicine at Cardiff and Biomedical Engineering at Imperial.

GCSE Results for 2019: An impressive 55% of entries achieved 9-7/ A*-A grades, compared to a national average of 21.9%. Furthermore, one fifth of girls in the year group scored four or more grade 9s.

THE 2019/20 HEAD GIRL AND PREFECT TEAM

Head Girl, Grace Clifford (centre) alongside Deputy Head Girls’ Bea Clifford (left) and Vivi Manning (right)

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MALVERN ST JAMES

PRIZEGIVING AND COMMEMORATION 2019 PRIZEGIVING AND COMMEMORATION WAS ANOTHER WONDERFULLY JOYOUS OCCASION FOR ALL OUR GIRLS AND STAFF, AND WE WERE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME OLD GIRL CAROLINE COPELAND (MGC 2005) AS GUEST SPEAKER. After leaving MGC in 2005, Dr Caroline Copeland attended UCL to complete a degree in pharmacology, which is the study of how drugs exert their effects on the body. Caroline became particularly interested in how drugs act on the brain, going on to study for a Masters at Imperial College before returning to UCL to study for a PhD. When Caroline came to visit she was a Lecturer in Neuropharmacology at St George’s, University of London. In addition to teaching in the medical school, Caroline also conducted research into how the brain interprets the world around us. In addition to advancing our knowledge of sensory perception, Caroline is also interested in understanding what happens when these mechanisms of sensory perception go awry, and manifest as hallucinations in disorders such as schizophrenia.

Since visiting MSJ in 2019 Caroline has commenced a new position at King’s College London (KCL) where she lectures in Pharmaceutical Science.

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MALVERN ST JAMES

33

malvern ST JAMES MSJ: A YEAR IN PICTURES

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malvern ST JAMES

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MALVERN GIRLS' COLLEGE

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MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

MRS PIPPA LEGGATE

HEADMISTRESS 1997 – 2006 REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST YEAR

Encouraging girls to believe in themselves, their abilities, as well as the contributions that they can make to the wider society has long been a key objective at MGC and subsequently MSJ. It continues to be so important both in terms of personal self- esteem and in the global role of women.

Recognising the importance of a good education for girls and seeking to make the most of one’s abilities has gradually become the norm that we accept today. Yet it was not always so and there is little doubt that women, even in the late 19th century Pippa Leggate at a CIS School when MGC was visit in Bahrain founded, were second class citizens. Education for girls was regarded by many as unnecessary and possibly even an impediment to making a good marriage! Thankfully, with an increasing focus on girls’ education and through the efforts of those early pioneers and ground breakers, who sought equality across a range of careers and professions often against considerable discrimination, we have moved on.

Yet there is no room for complacency as times change and new challenges emerge.

The recent Malvern Alumnae 100 initiative however has been a wonderful example of today’s achievements, showcasing some of the amazing careers which former pupils have and are pursuing. The Alumnae Exhibition launched in March 2019 continues to be an inspiration to so many including current and former pupils, but tales continue to abound from around the world of the outstanding work and efforts of past pupils who remember fondly their days in Malvern and all they learned during their time there. Spending Christmas

this year in Zambia with two former MGC girls, I listened with interest to their tales and memories of Malvern, whilst reflecting on their present very different careers and future aspirations. Working respectively in hotel management as Manager of the Royal Zambezi Game Lodge and in education as an Assistant Head of an independent school, requires an array of skills and the ability to relate to people. Yet, whilst learning remains a lifelong pursuit, it was evident that MGC had provided them with a significant grounding for their present achievements.

As a former teacher and Head of three very different schools including MGC, it is both fascinating and humbling to find out where and what one’s pupils have gone on to do. The impact and contributions being made by so many of you are awesome and deserve recognition. Yet, as I continue to work for the Council of International Schools as an International Advisor assisting international schools in many different parts of the world to meet high standards in education, I am reminded of how central our education is in shaping our values and aspirations in life. Whilst some of the glass ceilings restricting women thankfully have moved over the years, the need remains for able, courageous and competent women to continue to play a vital part by contributing and facing the challenges in our everchanging world. To this end I wish MSJ every success as it seeks to educate the next generation and meet this ongoing commitment.

Natalie Black (Manager of the Royal Zambezi Game Lodge) and Emily Leggate (Assistant Head Westonbirt Prep School)

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MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

NORFOLK REUNION Tishy Bayne (Mackenzie 1964) writes: 'The Old Girls' Annual Norfolk Luncheon was held as usual at the Anchor Inn, Morston on Wednesday 18th September 2019 on another sunny day and much enjoyed by all, as we chattered and caught up with news of old friends! This year we were not joined by quite so many from afar, but received a lovely card of the front of MGC to 'bring back a few memories for all' and wishing us all a very happy time from 'old regulars' Tricia (Marsden) and John Wilkinson in Yorkshire, both of whom had not been well. Dear Heather Hornbrook (Christy) drove all the way up from Burnham-on-Crouch with her husband Peter, while Charmian (Cheatle) and husband John Gilbert drove up from Kent the day after returning from holiday in France and returned home the same day!

Sue Key-Burr (Fyte) and Anne Newman (Wilkinson) drove up and back together from Woodbridge and Aldeburgh and we were also delighted to welcome for the first time Vicki Billings (Gaut), who lives in Buckinghamshire, had been

Anne Charlton (Burton), Jill Hargreaves (Smart), Marianne Fry (Newman), Anne Laubscher (Scott) and Tishy Bayne (Mackenzie)!

Our disappointment on the day was that poor local Susie Riddington (Boston), who had been ill in South Africa earlier in the year, had decided that she was well enough to be given a lift to Morston for the lunch, but then came down with a bad cold and was advised by her doctor that she must stay in bed - how we missed her cheery smile and we all signed a card sending her our love and very best wishes.

However, at the other end of the scale, we were all delighted to see dear Marianne Fry, who had sadly lost her wonderful husband Alan in February and we were also very pleased to welcome to the lunch once more the Headmistress, Olivera Raraty and the Development Director, Fiona Meredith, who kindly drove across from Malvern in the morning. Olivera gave us a most interesting up-date on the School and Fiona

Louw Laubscher; Charmian Gilbert (Cheatle); Christopher Bayne; Vicki Billings (Gaut); Roger Hargreaves; Anne Newman (Wilkinson); Tishy Bayne (Mackenzie).

sent our details by Charmian and decided to come up and explore Kings Lynn and the Norfolk coast before joining us all. This left the only actual Norfolk Old Girls present -

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brought a number of memorable items from the Archives which we really enjoyed reading, although unfortunately they had to leave earlier than they and we would have liked,

MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

as Fiona had to drive Olivera to a train from Kings Lynn, in order to attend an engagement in London that evening!

We hope that our 2020 Reunion will be held once more at the Anchor Inn on Wednesday 23rd September at 12 noon for 1.15pm. However, we have just heard that the Anchor will sadly be changing hands on March 1st this year, so we shall have to wait until we can speak to the new Proprietors as to what they can offer us, but we hope anyway to stick to the same date, even if not the same venue, so do please put it in your diaries and arrange your holidays accordingly!

I shall, of course, let you all know the details as soon as we have confirmed them. We always hope to welcome as many Old Girls as possible, so even if you don't live in Norfolk but fancy a short break, do please get in touch with Anne Laubscher (Scott) on a.laubscher@btinternet. com or 01603 742475, or with Tishy Bayne (Mackenzie) on pbayne46@gmail.com or 01603 742601 and we shall happily send you all the details.

written off! However, he was in intensive care for two days and did have bad concussion from shattering the windscreen with his head and he is still to a certain extent suffering from the concussion. In 2019 I also became a great-granny to Felix Joshua James Ball, born at the Rosie in Cambridge on 25th November and I am still enjoying retired life in Norfolk with my husband Christopher and my growing family!'

In personal news, my 13-yr-old grandson, Ian was involved in a car accident in November. Although most fortunately he did not actually sustain any of the nasty pelvic and spinal fractures which the initial scan appeared to show and which seemed very likely, considering that the offending car was

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MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

MID WALES GROUP Ann Payne (Nash 1956): 'We remain the same group of 8 and we met up four times in 2019. On the first occasion in April six of us went for coffee at Penny Eckley’s house. This was followed by six of us visiting Stocktonbury gardens, where we also had lunch, in June. In August three of us had lunch in a pub near Raglan and then went to see an Art/Sculpture exhibition nearby. Our last get-together was in November when five of us had lunch at a pub near Abergavenny. The following are members of the group: Penny Eckley (Peirson Jones), Suzanna Johnson (Habershon), Eira Jones (Greet), Maureen Jones (Evans), Jessica King (Styles), Jennie Vint (Weston) and Sally Leathem.'

1940S GROUP Gillian Hamilton (Shuttleworth): 'Fourteen of us met at the home of Sandra Smith-Gordon (Farley) in Fulham. She welcomed us and entertained us royally and we enjoyed a very lively lunch. We are very grateful to Sandra and thank her for her wonderful hospitality.

We have been meeting in a large group for over 30 years.

When we were younger we were busy with our careers and

There are now over 70 friends from all over the world on our list.

It is very much due to Jill Gladstone (Vernon) that we have got together all these years. Jill was not able to be with us this year due to ill health and we missed her greatly. We hope she will join us next year at the special celebration when most of us will be 80.

Standing L-R: Hazel Daughtry (Tregoning), Nicky Hanscombe (Martin), Jennifer Radice (Blagden), Louise Pavey (Bird), Gillian Hamilton (Shuttleworth) Sitting L-R: Lesley Philpot (Trays), Lizzie Kennerley (Chivers), Stephanie Tiley (Perry), Judith Baylis (Shaw), Sue Reese (Bird), Gail Kenney (Petrie), Carolyn Genovesi (Waldron), Dian Bayley (Harrison Brown), Sandra Smith-Gordon (Farley)

families and kept in touch with only a few school friends but, when we had more time, we got together and enjoyed getting to know those we may not have known so well at school. We found that the bond of a Malvern education had made lasting friendships. Many friends have hosted the gatherings, many in London, but we have also been to Oxford, Cambridge and Warwick.

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This year we are going to meet on 1 October 2020 at the RAF Club in Piccadilly. Please save the date. We will send out more details shortly. If you would like more information, please contact Gillian Hamilton (Shuttleworth) at gillian.hamilton@btinternet.com or telephone 01392 491238. We would welcome any Old Girls who would like to join us.'

MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

1970S LEAVERS Fiona Mason (1972) sent in the following: 'A group of 1972 Leavers arranged an MGC 125 reunion lunch in September. By popular demand, the invitation was extended to 1971 – 1973 leavers. Tracking down fellow pupils from this bygone era – over 45 years past – was quite a mission. The process was assisted enormously by the fantastic help we received from the OGA Alumnae Office.

Around 40 turned up to the lunch, some travelling great distances to attend – including from Canada, Cyprus, USA, France, Wales, Scotland and all corners of England. Many reconnected with fellow pupils not seen in all the intervening A 1972 prefects group: from left, Iona (Ingram) Logan, Tessa (Kerwood) Neild, Fiona (Lumsden) years. From the start and Mason, Diana (Ridler) Landymore, Jill (Kovachich) Anscombe. throughout the long afternoon we enjoyed an almost tangible buzz of happiness at the ease of picking up on old friendships and shared experience. Mementos of the time – letters, old photographs and a fine portrait of the then Headmistress, Veronica Owen – were collected for a notice board display, to add to the bank of memories shared.'

Mary (Collard) Tackley and Ysobel (Roberts) Jones

Jayne (Cure) Jordan and Cathy Wood

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MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

NEWS Deirdre Kinloch-Anderson (Loryman 1956): 'As Senior Director of Kinloch Anderson Ltd, our family Company, renowned for Highland Dress Tartan and Scottish Clothing for over 151 years, I enjoy passing on my passion

Deirdre Kinloch-Anderson

for tartan and the Scottish National Dress to School pupils. On the 24th January, the day before Burn’s Night on the 25th January, an event that is celebrated by Scots worldwide wearing kilts, kilted skirts and in their own family tartans, I gave a PowerPoint illustrated Tartan Talk and Kilt Making demonstration to Primary 7 pupils at Loretto School, Musselburgh near Edinburgh..

Caroline Keene at the Prudential London 100 ride

Caroline Keene (Ki Johnstone 1957) did the Prudential London 100 Ride in

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August. The ride started at the Olympic Park and finished in the Mall. There were 39,000 people doing varying distances on bikes. The roads were closed on the route, going right into the Surrey hills. Ki achieved the 100 mile ride and loved it all. She thinks she was the oldest on the ride (at 79) and raised £1,500 for Multiple Sclerosis.

Patricia Birchley (Banbury 1958): 'After 15 years as a Bucks County Councillor with responsibility for Adult Social Care, on May 7th 2020 I am standing for election to the new Unitary Buckinghamshire Council.

Education is a high priority in the county and our Grammar schools will remain, whilst we reduce our overheads and increase spending on people with high needs.'

delighted to be a Granny, hoping to retire (do farmers ever retire?!) and keeping in touch with Caroline Chambers (Sayers), Ceinwen Lally (Rowlands), Cathy Wood (Smith), Carina Allsup (McMullen), Felicity Robinson (Rivett) and other Hatfield friends! Caroline does a brilliant job in rounding us all up! This year Caroline and I are looking forward to a trip to Corfu where our eldest daughter has a Walking and Wellness holiday business.'

Tanith Carey (1984): 'My news is that my next book What's My TEENAGER thinking? Practical Psychology for Modern Parents is out this coming May with DK. It's a follow-up to my

Sue Stubenvoll (Stiff 1964): 'Following the large earthquakes in 2010-2011 I lived in a farm shed to keep eyes and ears open for my sheep. In July this year (2019) I moved into my totally rebuilt house and now have a spare room if any septuagenarian Old Girls who remember Sue or Jane Stiff are visiting Christchurch in the South Island and would like a place to stay for a few days.'

Charmian Gilbert (Cheatle, 1964): 'My husband, John, was at Shrewsbury School and when one of the Old Salopians that we knew said he was starting up a drivers club, we rushed to join up. John and I are both keen on cars and driving and own a couple of classic cars. One of the first events for the newly formed Salopian Drivers Club was for us to meet up at Shrewsbury School in our classic cars for a weekend of fun. The photo I have sent is of John and me by our Mazda MX5 Mk 1 in front of the main school building. The statue is of Charles Darwin, also an Old Salopian. We have since been to other get-togethers and are really enjoying being members.'

Rachel Southampton (Millett 1971): 'No personal achievements (!) but

last book 'What's my child thinking?

Practical Child Psychology for Modern Parents’, for families with two to seven-year-olds. It's an essential handbook for any parents baffled and often frustrated by their teen and the ideal companion to my other book which came out last year, 'The Friendship Maze: How to help your child negotiate their way to positive and happier friendships' published

by Summersdale. Both are also designed to be useful to any teachers giving PSHE lessons, as are all of my books. The chapters - which look at situations from both an adult and teen perspective - are good starting points for discussion and are checked for best practice.'

Melanie Dawes DBC (1984): 'A group

MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE of 1984 MGC alumnae met in early September 2019 and had a lovely day!

We are all pictured below apart from Sarah Guthrie (Turner) who joined us later in the afternoon.'

We also congratulate Melanie on being appointed a Dame in the New Year’s Honours List 2020, and becoming Chief Executive of Ofcom.

Congratulations to Sophie GilliatRay (Gilliat 1987) who was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2020.

Helen Clarke (Rainthorpe 1989) has spent 13 years teaching in private and state sector primary schools. Following the death of her father in 2010, Helen came home to manage the family’s 3500 acre arable farm. She achieved a Guinness world record in 2012 for the most Quadtrac tractors cultivating in a field (50 tractors) and raised £30,000

reunion in June by a couple of weeks but I have been visiting my parents in July and have managed to see and speak to a number of OGs. I heard lots of news and stories from some that attended the reunion. I moved to New Zealand in October 2000 and I have two children: Charlotte 12 and Thomas 10. I get back to the UK quite regularly to visit my parents and love catching up with old friends; the friendships we formed at MGC were obviously very strong and with the powers of technology and social media it is very easy to keep in touch even from the other side of the world.'

Jo Gadney (Pain, 1993): 'In November 2019 a group of 1993 leavers got together for supper and a catch up in London. A fun evening was had by all reminiscing about the old times and the giggles we have had over the last 33 years since we met aged 11!'

Caroline Lawton (left) visiting the UK

Top row: Mary Williams, Susie Allan, Catherine Risman (Starkie), Elizabeth Morris, Jo Adams, Louise Cartledge, Sarah (Armstrong) Gray, Jane Russell (MacVicker).

Bottom row: Nicki Brockelsby, Jane Case (Hughes), Miranda Williams (Clasen), Melanie Dawes, Alessandra Cox

Caroline (middle) with friends

for Cancer Research. She now lives in Lincolnshire with her twin daughters, Ruby and Winnie and husband Nathan.

Following a decision to sell the family farm in 2017 and with the last sale completed in December 2019, Helen is looking forward to spending more time with her family.

Caroline Lawton (Leney 1989): 'I unfortunately missed the summer

Quadtrac tractors

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MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

Jo Gadney (Pain) Georgie Child (Bennion) Katie Fox (Thomas) Jo Pratt (Lovatt) Hannah Brown (Carey) and Sally Hall (Mindelsohn)

Jo Pope (Wharton 1995): 'I left MGC in 1995 and am Living in Mid Devon with my husband and our 3 boys aged 15, 13 and 10. I work as an Environmental Health Officer, specialising in food and health and safety. In 2018 (18 years after my first degree!), I graduated with my Masters in Environmental Health at Bristol.

The photo is from my graduation with my husband beside me. He was also beside me for my first graduation in year 2000 so it was a really lovely occasion!'

Jo Pope with her husband after graduating in 2018

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Tamsin Barber (1998): 'I live in London and I’m a radio producer.

I have produced a podcast series for the BBC World Service called Tamsin Barber World Wise Web, where teenagers interview technology pioneers.

(MSJ pupil Marielle takes part in one of the episodes interviewing engineer Dr Caroline Hargrove). The series is available to listen to – search World Wise Web on Google or Podcasts.'

MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE Mrs Sally Bennett (MGC/MSJ 2001-2016): 'If you are looking for a bit of adventure in your life, then I can recommend walking the Camino de Santiago! The Camino is a network of ancient pilgrims’ routes which lead to the shrine of St James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Last summer, over the course of six days, my husband and I walked the final 110km of the Camino, from Sarria to Santiago. The route traverses some beautiful countryside and takes the walker past ancient churches and through pretty villages. It is a very popular route with hikers and we encountered many fellow travellers from all over the world. There is a great camaraderie amongst walkers on the Camino. During the week the weather threw everything it had in our direction; on the second day of walking we had torrential rain, but by the sixth day the sun was shining and the temperature soared to 38 degrees! My friends, former students and colleagues at MSJ may remember that I was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. I am happy to say that I am currently in good health and I was pleased to be able to raise several hundred pounds for the Kidney Cancer Support Network through sponsorship of our walk along the Camino.'

in memoriam Elisabeth Mary Goulden (1939) died on 9 July 2019 aged 98. Following her time at MGC she went on to study Modern Languages at London University and went on to have a long and very successful career working with deaf children following her son's deaf diagnosis in 1947.

Michelle Jenkins (1946) passed away aged 90 on 28th Dec 2019.

Betty Tapp (Butcher 1946) passed away in July 2019. Her daughter Rosie Kefford (Tapp 1983) wrote: Mum was at Malvern c 1942- 1946, in Summerside then Senior. She was immensely proud to have been at MGC and often regaled us with stories of school life during the war years; for example, to help the war effort, girls were offered the choice between potato digging or turning the hop bines to face the sun. Mum always chose the latter as it was ‘less back-breaking.’ The school clothes list was extensive, especially during times of rationing, so it was practical to make handkerchiefs by boiling up old architectural plans (then drawn on linen or muslin) and cutting them into squares (my grandfather was an architect). She made lifelong friends and always loved to visit the school, her last visit being at one of Elisabeth Rambridge’s wonderful

Sally and her husband walking the Camino de Santiago

Heritage Days at which she was made so very welcome.

Mum died following a long illness, brave and independent to the last.

Patricia Anne Browning ("Anne", 1940s), passed away on 1st May. Born in 1928, she was at MGC in the 1940's during the end of WW2, and kept in touch with many of her school friends for the rest of her life.

Cynthia Cockburn (Ellis 1952) passed away aged 85 in September 2019. Cynthia was a well-known academic, feminist and peace activist and her obituary was published

by The Guardian.

Roberta Wilcox (Prosio 1958) died of heart failure & cancer on December 18th

Honorary Members (former staff) Former MGC teacher Mrs Pat Hill died on 6th July 2019 a week after suffering a stroke. Pat taught violin, flute and coached chamber groups at MGC until her retirement. Our condolences to all that knew her.

Mrs Sybil Billingham passed away peacefully on 7th September 2019 aged 96. She taught English at MGC from 1965 until she retired in 1980, and often spoke of her very happy times there.

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MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

CATHY LESTER-WALKER MBE (SWALLOW, 1971)

THE QUEEN VISITS HAIG HOUSING TRUST In 2009 I became a trustee of Haig Housing Trust and six years later I was appointed Chairman of its Board.

Haig’s raison d’être is the provision of homes for veterans in need and I was fortunate to be involved during a vibrant time for the Trust. A substantial grant from the Ministry of Defence had enabled planning to begin on a project in Morden, Surrey, to be completed in 2019 (Haig’s centenary year).

James Richardson, the Chief Executive, hoped to name a terrace in the new development after our Patron, The Queen.

He also hoped that Her Majesty might be persuaded to open the development when it was completed as it would be seventy years since she last visited the Trust, in 1949, when she was still Princess Elizabeth. We were thrilled when the Palace agreed.

was palpable. Children from the local primary schools lined the route and cheered their hearts out when the royal limousine approached. “You’re the best queen in the world!” they cheered.

For forty-five minutes the Chief Executive and I took it in turns to guide her along the route where she met and talked to various groups of people - residents, volunteers, trustees, staff, architects, builders, contractors, and other veteran organisations.

We all kept our fingers crossed that nothing would get in the way. A royal visit involves a huge amount of planning and it helped that the Chief Executive was a retired Brigadier and one of Haig’s senior staff had served in the Household Division and was familiar with the Brigadier James Richardson, Chief Executive, Cathy Lester-Walker, The Queen relevant protocols. I saw the effort involved in this preparation during the dress rehearsal for the visit, which took place the day before. One of the staff played the part There were more children thronging the route of the walkabout of The Queen and she took part with gusto, even wearing a tiara and they all seemed to be carrying posies. The Queen made it that another member of staff had produced! her business to collect every one of them, and these were carried in armfuls by the lady-in-waiting and other royal staff to the There were some hiccoughs along the way. With just over a limousine. We were told later how much she had appreciated the month to go the electricity had yet to be connected and until children being there in such numbers. that happened, residents couldn’t move in. We didn’t want Her Majesty to be opening a terrace of houses that was still It was an extraordinary day. The Queen was witty, engaged and unoccupied. “Pull out all the stops,” I advised. “Don’t ask to downright funny. Everyone there could be proud of Haig, what it postpone - we’ll never get this opportunity again.” In the end all had achieved and what it represents. was well.

Two weeks later my time as Chair of Trustees came to an end; I The day arrived - Friday 11 October 2019 - and the excitement joked that I had been given a “right royal send-off.”

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MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

Dr Charlotte Morrison (PAGE, 1973) MAKING FRIENDS THROUGH AN ASTON MARTIN

M

y husband Robin and I started taking part in rallies in 2005, driving from London to Sydney in a group of twelve classic cars. It was successful; everyone arrived safely after three months, and we have continued to drive our 1970 Aston Martin in many countries. The philosophy behind all the rallies is that we have time to stop to appreciate where we are. We try to find spectacular routes in less well-travelled areas and we support each other along the way.

All the rallies have been memorable in terms of scenery, roads and sights but the one in 2018, Vietnam to Myanmar and back, excelled in bringing us into contact with local people. It is always a privilege to meet different people wherever we go, and the car is an excellent communication tool. We have the map of where we are going together with our names and the Union Flag on the car and, with those, we can indicate who we are, where we come from and where we are going without any language in common.

We watched some footage of a British motorcyclist’s travels in Vietnam and that country came to the top of the list of potential destinations.

It is difficult, however, to plan a continuous journey that includes both North and South Vietnam. Its long, thin shape means that there are three different climate zones and it is difficult not to be too hot in the south and/ or drenched in the north. A previous visit to Myanmar had been a success so we embarked on a five-week journey from Vietnam to Myanmar and back.

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MALVERN GIRLS’ COLLEGE

My husband bought the Aston Martin DB6 MK 2 in 2001 when we were living abroad and he needed a car to use in the UK, saying that it was more interesting than a modern car. She has certainly proved that point and we have now driven more than 130,000 miles in her (apparently all cars are female – as in ‘la voiture’). Much of the car is original but she has been raised to clear stones on bumpy roads and we have a significant sump guard to protect when we do hit a pothole. The petrol tank is a large version for when there is a long distance between petrol stations, for instance 698km in Western Pakistan in 2005. The size was governed by the stipulation that the boot has to fit standard overhead locker suitcases. There is, indeed, room for two such cases, the spares box and a sizeable first aid kit.

When we got to Pakistan we found a ready supply of petrol sold at the side of the road. Apparently, it had been ‘imported’ from Iran via Afghanistan in jerry cans on camels.

We travelled through the Shan State in eastern Myanmar to reach Thailand. The Shan State is an autonomous region and is very quiet. There are a number of different groups living there, including the Silver Palaung who grow tea. We set off early and were very fortunate to meet the Palaung people at all. We arrived in the village before our guide/interpreter and the locals were very happy to talk to us.

Without any language in common we established the family relationships and who lived where. Then there was a touching moment: the girl pictured above pointed to the silver bands around her body and invited me to feel them.

The ladies wear the family wealth and are very proud of it. They were fascinated by our cars and by where we were going. After a short time, everyone loaded onto trailers to go to work. Later in the morning we encountered some of the villagers working on the road – still wearing their silver.

In North Vietnam we spotted a rice paddy full of water with people standing in it planting the rice. The women had started at one end and the men at the other. Robin stopped and got out of the car. Before I knew what he was doing, he had taken off his shoes and joined in!

The people he was ‘assisting’ seemed to think it was very funny. When I had taken a photo I took my shoes off and joined the ladies. I think that someone had used their phone to summon the rest of the village as we found that there was a crowd around the car and a child sitting in the driver’s seat.

After 5 weeks we arrived in Halong Bay on the South China Sea. There was a huge sense of achievement. All the cars arrived safely and under their own steam.

Last year we drove in Central Asia which was quite a change: spectacular scenery and stunning architecture, but some of the roads were appalling. Later this year we are going to Southern Africa.

Details of all our rallies can be found at www.robinandcharlotte.com

49

INTERVIEWS

MEL BLES Mel Bles (MGC 1996) left school to complete a degree in Graphic Design at Central St Martins and is now a hugely successful fashion photographer. Mel has worked on campaigns with the likes of Pucci, H&M and Vogue and has worked with celebrities including Adele. We were lucky enough to have Mel as a guest speaker at our Careers Fair in October and our OGA Prefect, Alice Delhanty was able to spend some time with Mel for this feature.

Alice: Would you say your interest in photography began at school, if so, what influences did you have from that environment?

Mel: It definitely started at school. I loved all sorts of magazines and I loved music. I just loved what fashion embodied which was basically attitude. I mean, that’s what it’s really all about: attitude. That doesn’t mean bad attitude, it just means projecting a personality.

Alice: When do you know you have a good picture?

Mel: You know what, it’s just an instinct, because each photographer has got their own take on what is a good picture. And if you’re a good photographer you know what you’re about, so my good picture is completely different to another photographer’s good picture. It’s just a feeling, you’re like ‘yep that’s it’ and then you have to persuade everyone else!

Alice: Obviously in fashion photography there are some really impressive female figures such as Annie Leibovitz and Harley Weir, however in general the majority of photographers do seem to be male. How has being a woman in a largely male industry affected your career?

difference in the way men approach fashion photography to women?

Mel: I definitely think so, and there are so many clients now that request a female photographer: ‘we want a female vision on this’, ‘we want a woman’s eye on this’. Because there is something, though it’s subtle. Sometimes you really can’t tell the difference, but overall if you were to compare a big portfolio of female photographers and a big portfolio of male photographers, you could tell instinctively which was which. We’re kind of drawn to portraying or objectifying things in a completely different way.

Alice: I’ve looked at some of your photos and I find, they’re almost collaged. Such as the Adele photos, there’s a sort of expired film quality to them. Do you think that’s your graphic design degree coming through?

Mel: I like it to be mysterious and I’ve always loved collage as an aesthetic. And actually, more and more clients are asking me for it – I’ve just been doing a big campaign with Calvin Klein which was very simple, but involved all this kind of reprocessing of images and collaged images. When I started people really were not interested in it at all, but right now they are. It’s a good time for it.

Mel: At the beginning it was very difficult, fashion can be slow and it can be archaic, but when it decides to change and do something, it does it super-quick and it does it really passionately and with full effect. And right now there are a lot of female voices, and it’s really good.

Alice: Some photographers such as Nick Knight use their photographs as a platform to share political opinions and personal views. Do you think there is a danger to mixing art and politics and when does a photo change from being art to being didactic?

Alice: Do you think being a female fashion photographer changes the way you portray the models? Is there a

Mel: I think it’s just part of the process. If you’re not exploring yourself as a creator away from the world of commerce, you’re not going to progress as a successful

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INTERVIEWS

Mel with Sixth Form students at the MSJ Careers Fair

photographer. You need to keep pushing and engaging with art and challenging yourself to move forward. If you’re not doing this, you’re not going to be relevant to what’s happening now, you know? I think it’s interesting watching Nick Knight who kicked off in the Nineties and 2000s. He was a big player but he hasn’t done really big projects for the last eight, ten years or so, and I think now he’ll come back. People do go up and down: sometimes you’re doing your best work but it’s not being commissioned by anyone. You kind of have to take it on the chin as a photographer – it can be pretty painful.

Alice: What advice would you give to aspiring female fashion photographers?

Mel: It’s about authenticity and trying to do something fresh. But also realising that this is an industry. Even the most creative photographers, if they’re successful in fashion, understand how to take that creativity and harness it to the power of a brand. That’s what can be really interesting. You have to have your business head strapped on as well. But at the beginning its just about finding yourself and your identity.

Alice: What are 3 skills you need to have in your job?

Mel: Really understanding the creative process; a strong, authentic voice; and pretty good people skills to get the best results for your clients.

51

INTERVIEWS

FIONA SPERRY (MGC 1988)

FIONA SPERRY IS A BAFTA AWARD WINNING VIDEOGAME PRODUCER, CEO AND FOUNDER OF THREE FIELDS ENTERTAINMENT. FIONA JOINED US IN NOVEMBER TO HOST OUR OGA LECTURE AND KINDLY AGREED TO BE INTERVIEWED BY STUDENTS, EMILY COX AND TODUN OTEGBEYE. How exactly did you get into this industry?

That’s a good question because even now, when I meet people and they ask what I do and I tell them I make video games, they always say “What? Actual video games?” I worked in book publishing for a while, and when I knew that I wanted to leave there, I went to a recruitment agency who kept putting me forward for advertising jobs. I knew that’s not what I wanted to do because I really like making something, whether that’s a book or, now, a video game (or at the book publishers I started making CD-ROMS). Then the recruitment team suggested video games and I was like “Yeah, but I don’t really know anything about them”. And in the interview for that job, they said to me that I had no experience with video games and I was just honest and said, “No I don’t, but I’m very good at organising people”. And that’s what they needed. They weren’t bothered that I didn’t have games experience because they could teach me that.

What is it like being a woman in a very male-dominated industry?

It doesn’t bother me at all. There’s lots of very valid issues to do with gender inequality, but I have never had a problem with it. I am quite feisty and I think being a woman can have advantages because people will always remember you because you are the only woman in the room. When you talk, they listen and you don’t blend into a sea of men.

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What is your favourite thing about your job and the video game industry in general right now?

I think it’s that a lot of what we do is completely unknown.

Every year we apply for a Research and Development grant from the government and it is awarded for work containing a degree of scientific uncertainty, which kind of sums up what I mean. Most days I’ll go to the office and we’ll have a technical challenge. I’m not technical at all but over the years I’ve picked up an understanding from the programmers, and I can ask them questions to help them think about their options to try and solve problems.

So I enjoy that, and I also immensely enjoy the fact that the work we do has the ability to touch so many people.

When I was in books, I worked for an academic publisher, and if we did really well we might sell 3000 copies.

Whereas if I do really well now, I can sell 10,000,000 copies. So many fathers and sons say to me that their relationship is built around playing my company’s games together, which makes me feel really good.

What made you decide to make your own business rather than continue working for other people?

There are a few things. One, I much prefer working in a small team: when you work in a big company, there’s a certain amount of corporate politics that come with it and as you get older you become less tolerant of

Fiona and her old Housemistress, Mrs Brenda Shipman

all that. Secondly, I have a daughter and working for yourself just gives you a lot more freedom to be around for them. When I was at MGC, I didn’t see my mother for long periods of time. Parents want to be much more involved in their children’s lives now.

So what is your company currently working on and could you tell us a bit about the process of developing a game?

Last April we released a game called ‘Dangerous Driving’ and we are currently working on a sequel to that. Or we might be - because we are also talking to quite a big company about potentially making something similar but for them.

The process of making a game is long. My business partner and I start by chatting about what we are going to make. For example, shall we make it about being chased by the cops or shall we make it about the battle between you and the other racers? Then we think, what’s the set of rules? We try to design as much of that as possible, and then it’s just the painful, painful process of trying to get that onto a screen because obviously, there’s a lot of graphical technological challenges.

You currently focus on racing and driving games. Do you

plan on branching into other genres and why do you stick to one now?

Our aim is to become the best in the world at what we do. We used to be the best in the world at making driving games and so we need to get back to that position. I think by specialising, it’ll heighten your chances of doing that. Also, we try to stay away from making games where people kill each other because there are lots of people doing that.

What is some advice that you would give the girls here if they were interested in going into your industry?

That's a good question. If they are good at maths, I would say do a maths degree, because you can do no wrong with a maths degree: it sets you up for so many things and there is such a shortage of people with great maths skills..

And if they’re interested in becoming a designer or an artist or producer or just generally, they love games?

Make one! Even the guys I used to employ years ago had made games and now it’s so much easier. There are so many tools out there and loads of tutorials. Even if you want to be involved more on the marketing or PR, my advice is to just get as much experience in any field as you can – it's generally invaluable.

My final piece of advice is, always make tea for everyone.

People appreciate that.

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MEMORIES FROM Mgc

DIANA SCHOLEFIELD A CAREER IN MUSIC

MGC (1940-1950)

Fiona Meredith, Development Director writes: I was delighted, in Summer 2019, to be introduced to Diana Scholefield, a former MGC pupil from the 1940s, who went on to an extraordinary career in Music. My thanks to Diana for inviting me into her home in Ledbury to talk about her time at MGC and beyond, and to Ann Stallard, an MGC friend and contemporary of Diana, who made the introduction.

Diana was an intrinsic part of the tiny team of women who were involved in the founding years of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) of Great Britain, started in 1948 by the brilliant and driven Ruth Railton, who was later awarded a damehood for her work.

Seventy years later, the NYO is still going strong, and more than 5,000 musicians have passed through its programme.

First, we talked about Diana’s time at MGC. “I had a very happy time at school. My sister Fay and I were both at MGC. I started in Hatley St George with ‘Watty’ (Miss Watts – Housemistress) and ‘Boney’ (Matron). Then I went into Summerside with ‘Pippy’ and Matron Locke. I loved it; it was like a home from home. I fondly remember going, once a week, to Pippy’s sitting room to talk about politics and sport.”

“I left in 1950 after 2 years in Senior house, studying ‘Secs and Music’ (or, more properly, Secretarial Studies and Music!). I was a pianist and was lucky enough to secure a scholarship to the Royal College of Music (RCM). MGC had a very strong reputation for music in this era, and in my year, two of us went on to the RCM on scholarships."

“The whole of the top floor of the main building was dedicated to Music and known as ‘music corridor’. We had great fun up there.”

There were weekly Sunday afternoon services in Malvern Priory, where Diana used to play before and after the service on viola and violin. Canon Lunt was the vicar at the Priory, and he visited school regularly. He also did the confirmation services for the girls.

Back at school, ‘Jackie’ (Miss Jackman) was “an astonishing music teacher”. This was the era of bone props (devices made out of bone to ensure that one’s mouth was fully open when singing), and a roster of eminent visiting musicians who made their way to MGC to perform. For budding musicians, these opportunities were exceptional and inspirational.

Artistic life in the School was fostered. As well as Music under Miss Jackman, ‘Pippy’ taught ballet and dancing, and every year the whole school was involved in a dance production. Diana remembers being cast as a ray of sunshine - on account of her red hair - in a performance set to Brahms’ 2nd Piano Concerto.

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MEMORIES FROM mgc

With a clear talent for music, Diana was gently guided down this route during her time at MGC and gained a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in 1949.

Diana’s love of music continued, but after two years she opted to leave, realising she was not good enough to be a concert pianist, and that she didn’t want to teach. Through a connection at the College, she learnt about a soon to be vacant post, as Secretary for the National Youth Orchestra. The NYO had been formed a few years previously, in 1948,

by Ruth Railton.

Railton’s reputation as a force of nature preceded her. She was a woman of fabulous drive and extraordinary ambition for the project she conceived – in Diana’s words, “she would approach anyone about anything.”

Diana, perhaps, did not get off to the most auspicious of starts. Within the year, she had a bust-up with Railton, who was a famously difficult boss. Diana went off to music publisher Boosey & Hawkes; but when she wrote to Railton a couple of years later, Railton persuaded her to return.

And so a strong and successful partnership was reborn. What was achieved over the following decade whilst Diana remained with NYO was seriously impressive. Leading instrumental professors were persuaded to run the workshops, giving expert tuition, with professional conductors, and then a concert at the end. The Queen Mother was patron and there was a famous performance at the Festival Hall and then at Westminster Abbey in 1961, with the Queen Mother in attendance and Malcom Sargent conducting.

The job was all-consuming, and after ten years, it was time for a change. In 1963, Diana joined the publishers Longman, Green & Co in London. During her 25 years there she had variety of jobs, including one year running their Edinburgh office and two years in New York. New Yorkers loved the English, and she loved the city. After two years, she was recalled to the UK office, and assisted in creating a new computer system in the distribution facility: another mammoth project. She retired five years later.

Diana has an infectious enthusiasm, though she describes herself as ‘always having been shy’. In a dedication to her in 1993, Ruth Railton wrote that Diana “selflessly gave a major part of her life to the cause of young talent; and whose own gifts and personality made so much of the orchestra’s achievement possible … with love and gratitude always for such a partnership and such a special friend.”

Retirement for Diana meant getting back into her music, taking up playing the cello and the organ; and getting involved with village life in Hertfordshire, becoming president of her WI and editing the Parish magazine, before moving to Ledbury to be closer to family.

MGC for her was a very happy experience, and gave her a sense of independence and capability. Her advice: “Make the most of every opportunity and don’t be afraid to embrace challenges.”

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MEMORIES FROM MGC

MGC’s WWII evacuation to Somerset

Pauline Tootell (Bundey, MGC 1942) spoke to Fiona Meredith

W

hen I meet Pauline, she has just celebrated her 95th birthday with her family at home in southwest London. Pauline was at MGC from 1937-1942. Her two sisters, Diana and Jill, also attended school. Her great friends were two Jeans – Jean Middlemiss and Jean McKenzie. Eighty odd years on the three remained great friends and still kept in contact, though earlier this year Jean Middlemiss sadly passed away.

Pauline reflects, “I loved being at MGC. It was a very happy experience.” Her natural habitat was Music Corridor at the top of the MGC building, and she went on to the Royal Academy of Music where she studied viola and piano. She flourished at school under the tutelage of Miss Jackman, Head of Music, teachers Phyllis Champ and Constance Phillips and Summerside Housemistress, ‘Pippy’.

York Hall and the Library above had not long been built and opened by the Queen Mother when Pauline joined. She remembers MGC’s fabulous orchestra and all sorts of music enrichment. Miss Jackman created an excellent reputation for Music at MGC, and it helped persuade top musical talent to come to the school to perform for the girls.

‘Paul’ as she was known at school was Head of Dormitory in Summerside, where around eight or so girls shared sleeping quarters. Meals were had at the Houses, rather than in the main building as now, and Sports focused around Lacrosse for a term, Hockey for a term and tennis and swimming in the Summer.

Life revolved around school, and the girls didn’t stray far from it, although they were allowed to go out on to the hills at the weekend, as long as they went in threes: in case one was injured, there was one to stay with the patient while the other went to raise the alarm!

Pauline’s home was in London, so she would catch the train from Paddington to Malvern, which was packed out with MGC girls. Trunks had been sent ahead. Uniform – stripy blazer, tweed skirt, maroon felt hat, beige blouse, maroon and white stripy tie – was bought from the Cox and Painter store in Malvern.

I spoke to Pauline with particular reference to when the School was evacuated in its entirety from Malvern to Somerset. She gave me the following account:

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Pauline Tootell at home

“When the Second World War started in 1939, the Government realised that they should get out of London and proceeded to look for accommodation as far away as possible. The areas that seemed to be the most suitable was the main part of Malvern Girls’ College (and also Malvern College) but with 530 girls to be rehoused somewhere else, it was going to be quite a job for Miss Brooks and her secretary, Miss Grace Phillips. There was a very short time to cope with all of this.”

In fact, according to Pamela Hurle in her Malvern Girls’ College Centenary History, Miss Brooks was told on Boxing Day 1938 that if war should break out, she would be required to find alternative accommodation for the School, possibly with as little as 48 hours’ notice.

Shelter was eventually found in three stately homes in

MEMORIES FROM MGC

Somerset: Hinton House, the seat of Lord Paulett in the rural village of Hinton St George, Brymore near Bridgewater and Horsington House near Carrington, and these would be for the Seniors, Middle School and Juniors respectively.

Horsington was bought by the school, whilst the other two buildings were rented. Lord Paullet remained in his home whilst the girls and their belongings flooded in.

The contents of 14 buildings at MGC were packed into 91 railway vans and containers and sent south.

Pauline continues, “Those of us from the Lower Fifth and Senior found ourselves in Hinton House where the state apartments became our classrooms with the Earl’s ancestors’ portraits hanging around the walls. Desks and blackboards were taken down from Malvern, and it was very much lessons as usual. Some of the maids from MGC came down with us to Somerset. Stoves for cooking and baths were in the cellars beside the wine.”

Pamela Hurle references the very cold winter of 1940, and Pauline echoes this. “It was bitterly cold in the cellars where we bathed, as were our bedrooms on the top floors.

We all had to go to bed wearing our dressing gowns over our pyjamas. The staff had quite a time when a lot of us caught ‘flu.”

“Food was rationed, but it was still adequate, and we would visit the small shop in the village for tuck. It was an incredibly beautiful place. The Summer of 1940 was really lovely and we were allowed out and about, and could enjoy the beautiful countryside and the grounds of

The Village of Hinton St George

House photo

Hinton House. We were near many farms and the School sent us out to the fields to do what the farmers called ‘Beet Singling’, dividing rows of plants. It was our contribution to the war effort!”

“Although some parents had decided to keep their girls at home, worried about being separated during the war, it was a great bonding experience – we got to know girls from other houses with whom we wouldn’t have mixed as much otherwise. The Earl was around and we sometimes found him doing odd jobs in the buildings, to our amazement.”

“We grew very fond of a cat called George who liked to curl up in waste paper baskets. I managed to photograph him and sent it later to Miss Phillips who made it into a card.”

“After a year in Somerset, the government never used our building in Malvern, so we were able to return. Other schools were evacuated for much longer.”

I asked Pauline whether they ever felt scared by the war.

Pauline’s parents were based in London; she still went back there during the holidays, despite the dangers. In Somerset and in Malvern she says “we never really felt scared, but in 1939, I remember being terrified in London as planes went over the city and you could feel the throbbing. A year earlier, I remember seeing a silent film of the trenches in the first world war, which really scared me stiff, thinking my Father would be in these, but once the war started, one seemed to cope and get on with it OK.” Once back in Malvern, the usual rhythm of school life resumed. The year in Somerset to most had been an unexpected adventure, and perhaps a diversion from the events unfolding around them.

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MEMORIES FROM MGC

SHIRLEY TURNER (DAVIS), MGC 1950

FIRST FEMALE AWARDED A LAW PRIZE BY CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY Shirley Davis was the first woman to be awarded a leading Law prize at Cambridge University, having gained a state scholarship to Girton College in 1950. A Head Girl of MGC, Shirley would go on to become a key player in progressive social reform through her own work on the National Assistance Board, the Mental Health Act Commission, and the Rent Tribunal Panel, and through work with her husband Merfyn Turner. Merfyn was a social reformer who became the pioneering founder of Norman House, the first halfway house for prisoners which looked at rehabilitation through social inclusion.

When Shirley left MGC and went up to Cambridge, she was one of only two women out of seventy undergraduates on the Law course. Far from finding this intimidating, “it stimulated me to make more effort and not be beaten by these young men.” She remembered the words of MGC Headmistress Miss Brooks, whose basic and crusading attitude was that ‘women can do anything a man can do, and better’.

Shirley had to push all the way for the education that she wanted. Her father was not keen on educating her for a

Shirley Turner at home

career, and was not convinced about her early aspiration to go to Cambridge. He did relent, agreeing that if she gained a scholarship to MGC, she could come. “Miss Brooks set the tone that we would be trained as though we would be someone significant in life. She had a big thing about being able to stand up at any public event and speak.”

Miss Brookes recognised Shirley’s academic talent and nascent leadership skills, but despite her desire to produce independent and valuable members of society in her MGC girls, this Headmistress was a traditionalist. Perhaps she was partially influenced by her brother, a practising barrister, who had the firm view that women shouldn’t be at the bar. (Shirley would encounter this prejudice again amongst the academics at Cambridge). In any event, Miss Brooks made it plain that she would like to see Shirley become a teacher, not a lawyer.

In the face of plenty of advice to the contrary – but encouragement from MGC teacher Miss Dalby - Shirley went up to Cambridge, then on to Middle Temple at the

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MEMORIES FROM MGC

Inns of Court. As she was called to the bar, a complication loomed: through her training she had been supported financially by her grandmother but she could see that finding the money to support her pupillage was going to be difficult. So instead she took the Civil Service examinations and was posted to the National Assistance Board, first of all in Manchester and then in London. As well as her day job, she used her legal training in volunteering as a ‘Poor Man’s Lawyer’, an organisation which helped people who needed legal advice but couldn’t afford to pay for it.

Returning to London, she answered an advertisement in the New Statesman for volunteers to befriend discharged prisoners who wanted to improve their lives. This led her to Merfyn Turner’s Norman House, set up in Highbury in 1955.

Turner himself had been imprisoned in the 1940s for being a conscientious objector, and subsequently worked with the homeless and underprivileged. She says that Merfyn “was quite unlike anyone I had met before.” In the 1950s through to the 1980s, his theories about rehabilitation gained a following and he became a frequent broadcaster and writer.

Shirley and Merfyn married and when she became pregnant with the first of her five children, she was forced by the rules of the day to leave the Civil Service.

Having stayed at home whilst her children were young, Shirley then went to work for the new Mental Health Act Commission which had been set up in 1983 to ensure that individuals detained under the Mental Health Act weren’t forgotten and left languishing in unsuitable, institutionalised settings. Shirley says, “It was a time of great change and hope in the mental health service, with the realisation that people can be helped to manage in the real world. It was a very good period for changing the way people look at the world and mental health specifically.

We were doing something positive and modernising.”

She worked for the Commission for seven years, chairing the Southern Region, and working in institutions such as Broadmoor. From there, in her final role, she became a Vice President of the Rent Assessment Panel, an independent body which arbitrates on fair rents.

Looking back, Shirley regards MGC “as a joy.” She felt appreciated by teachers and friends alike. She wanted a proper education and a good job, and she gained both. “A great balance was achieved by Miss Brooks between the academic life of school, and the Arts, Music, learning how to make speeches and so on. She was good at encouraging women to work, never assuming that you would do nothing.

She was strict, too, and pointed out that as women, we

Headmistress, Miss Iris Brooks

would have to do much more and achieve much more to make an impact. We had great encouragement but we were not overpraised. There was a standard set and you were expected to meet it.”

“Miss Brooks was instrumental in my achieving what I wanted, and so was Miss Phillipps, my Housemistress at Summerside, who really appreciated the care you needed when you were away from home.” Shirley kept up with Miss Phillipps when she retired. “She was proud of all her girls. The staff, who were all women, were happy and this showed in the atmosphere of the school.”

“My time at MGC was four of the happiest years of my life.

I enjoyed the discipline: you knew what to do, when and how, and you were recognised if you did it well.”

“MGC was a school that was good at taking people of all abilities and seeing their value. It bestowed a feeling that you always had to grow up to do something meaningful, no matter what path you took. I acquired my determination to be useful at Malvern.”

Shirley now lives in Bristol near two of her children, and has many more grandchildren. She is an active part of her community and still keeps up with MGC friends.

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MEMORIES FROM MGC

Cally Barlow

(1956 Leaver of Hatley St George) jug and basin on top. Every morning, whichever girl was water monitor had to run with two large metal cans to the hot tap to bring back water for all our basins so we could have a wash. If they were slow, the water was tepid. In the winter our toothbrushes and face flannels would sometimes be frozen! Baths were taken once a week in strict rotation but you could ask to use someone else's water if it wasn't too cold or dirty.

Bells ruled our lives. Bells for waking up, bells to get the water, bells for prayers, bells for end of prayers, bells for breakfast, bells for start of lessons and bells for the end of lessons. Yet more bells for supper and finally bells for lights out.

When I was 11 years old I was packed off to boarding school to Hatley St George which was the preparatory school for Malvern Girls College. I had weekly boarded at Leaden Hall in the Close in Salisbury so it wasn't quite such a shock as it might have been.

Mrs Vivienne Caley was the headmistress, known to us girls but not to her face as Auntie Viv and, along with a very formidable Matron Guiness who looked a bit like Giles the cartoonist’s Granny, ran a very tight ship.

Hatley was a big house that had a distinctly Victorian interior. The central heating was non-existent but the pipes for the hot water wound their way around the dormitory walls and made reassuring gurgling noises at night.

In those days our trunks were sent ahead by rail labelled PLA (PASSENGER LUGGAGE IN ADVANCE) and came up to Hatley on large flatbed carts.

Although I was one of the last to arrive, the other girls having bagged the beds furthest away from the huge window at the end of the dorm, I was probably one of the luckiest as I could stick my feet out of my bed onto the hot pipes and keep toasty warm. The beds must have been leftovers from an army camp as they had iron frames with a thin cotton stuffed mattress that had to be turned every day. We could have a cuddly toy on our beds and each girl had a chest of drawers with a china

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Our list of clothing requirements was interesting: two pairs of outdoor lace up shoes (brown), two pairs of indoor shoes (brown), short brown socks, knee length brown socks, two pairs of plum coloured divided Shorts, three cotton short sleeved shirts, two plum coloured skirts, three long sleeved Viyella blouses, one Heather mixture skirt, one Heather mixture overcoat, one plum coloured felt hat and a school tie. The oddest was 4 pairs of bloomers, plum coloured and pairs of knicker linings which turned out to be white cotton pants which we wore under the bloomers and sent to the laundry twice a week!

MEMORIES FROM MGC

Our hair was washed by Matron and we queued up to have our heads duly scrubbed.

Meals were taken in the dining room on a series of tables which sat eight.

We all hated Mrs Bewley's table as she would never let us drink water with our meals but only before or after. The cups were horrid little blue plastic, some of which had been chewed. I don't remember much about the actual food so it can't have Hatley St George central hallway been that bad, but the highlight for me was fried bread with marmite for breakfast and the bread at tea which was spread with margarine and copious amounts of jam. Lunch was the worst.

Every Friday was fish and one week it was fried fish which was rather good but the following week was fish pie, and it appeared that the whole fish was mashed up with the potato including the skin and bones! It was disgusting.

We all had regulation tuck boxes and we had tuck twice a week and the sweets were measured in 2 or 3oz portions.

The Common Room was where we relaxed and read or played board games and wrote letters home. Mine usually contained a request for more stamps and money. We also played endless games of Jacks on the floor.

I don't remember going shopping unless it was an exeat but one stricture remains in my head to this day: "Malvern Girls’ College girls never go into Woolworths."

I visited recently to find that Woolworths had long gone!

Weekends were taken up with parental visits on exeat days when you were allowed to go out after church at the Priory.

Otherwise there were endless walks, mostly up the Beacon. I can't look at it now while driving past on the motorway without remembering the agony.

Now Hatley has gone, turned into a block of flats but when I look back they were fun days despite all the regimentation.

Hatley St George being renovated recently

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ST JAMES’S and St James’s & THE ABBEY

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Elizabeth Mullenger

oganews spring 2016

Headmistress 1986-1997 I wrote last year about the launch of Alumnae 100 which I found inspirational and exciting. The many photographs and biographies of Old Girls from all our former schools are displayed on the walls and staircases of MSJ and provide incentives for present girls. What a tremendous initiative this has been! I am delighted that it continues and note with pleasure the developing networking and related events in the OGA Calendar.

It was a privilege and delight to participate in the first OGA London Carol Service in December and to see and sing with so many of you again.

With the expressive and performing arts so much under threat and in decline in many Elizabeth Mullenger in Bologna, October 2019 schools it is a source of great pride that MSJ maintains its many activities in these areas, producing unusual creative drama, superb artwork and cultural trips, and firm foundations in classical music training. These are gifts for life, and it is also a joy to see them being passed on to new generations in your own families and in some cases to those whom you teach. They are energising, healthy activities so keep the fires burning!

I hope that many of you will come to OGA Day on June 13th this year to celebrate and pay tribute to Lynne Lindner on her retirement. She first came to St James’s & The Abbey from South Africa in 1993 and has done so much both there and at MSJ to bring music into all our lives and through it to reach out into local communities.

On June 13th as well, a group of Katie Fereday’s friends and family will meet to plant a rose and present an armchair for reading in the Library in affectionate memory of “our favourite bookworm”.

Finally, an invocation – not Reading, Relaxation and Radio 4 this time (although I hope you keep up with those) but to write to Phillippa Weatherhead in the OGA Office and keep in touch. She will pass on your news. It is disappointing that more of you do not do so and you cannot complain that there isn’t enough news from St James’s & St James’s and The Abbey if you don’t send it! Please do resolve to improve this and both to apply your fingers to your keypads and, even better, to attend some events.

With affectionate good wishes,

Elizabeth Mullenger

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ST JAMES’S and St James’s & THE ABBEY Penny Leek (1977): 'Cara Heath (Bagot) and Marie Madeline Ogden (Simon) and I met up in Paris in 2019. It was 1992 and 1977 since we last met, although Cara and Marie Madeline have seen each other a few more times than that. We were at St James’s between 1972-1977 together. What a fabulous time in Paris we had.'

My email address is culverwell@ntlworld.com.'

vivien.

Rozanne Delamore (Simcock 1998): 'We are all turning 40 this year so we are looking forward to a year of lots of birthday celebrations.'

Rozanne Delamore and friends

from my year and we are very very good friends. I attach a few photos of us all only last summer at a festival where we all shared a tent!

We have been sharing memories this week on our WhatsApp group - so many we can’t stop!

Here we go....

Learning that eating rubbish sausages with marmalade was actually quite nice and a treat Running to Archway in thick cloaks every morning before breakfast No showers after games and only 3 baths a week

Penny Leek, Cara Heath and Marie Madeline Ogden

Alison Doran (Parr 1978): 'We had a get together just before Christmas at the Brasserie Zedel in London. This is the School year that most of us turn 60 and so we a planning a larger reunion in the spring.'

Phillipa Whitney (Stoddart 1982): 'I left St James’s in 1980 and went on to do A levels elsewhere. Some of my friends stayed on. The Abbey joined us in our O level year and we had to change the school song to include them; yet we can all still recite the words to the song verbatim. We found out we had learned totally the

Raiding the kitchens at night whilst living in Maids Passage

Initiating newcomers with an excursion on the roof after lights out Dying the swimming pool red for speech day and filling it with balloons Vanessa Hammond (nee Hoff), Caroline Cobb (nee Rawson), Mariana Stark, Sarah Codrington (nee Style) and myself, Phillipa Whitney (nee Stoddart)

Classrooms being freezing cold The year being divided in the 5th form going to either St Christopher’s or Valley View – run by a real character!

Taking the locker doors off their hinges to go tobogganing

1978 leavers Fiona Graham, Juliet Freud, Vivien Herbert, Annabelle Langdale, Caroline de Mancha Stevens, Annabelle Cushnir, Susan Jane Atherton,Alison Parr, Fenella Salt, Sophia Hutchins

The Boot holes - where we would watch Top of the Pops during supper (fake telephone calls, allowed us to escape) wrong syllabus for history and the teacher had to start from scratch and get us through it in a year, which she did. I am in touch with quite a few

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Stunning views (that our parents appreciated, not us!)

Cooking sausages on a radiator for a midnight feast (then getting caught)

Vivien Culverwell (Herbert 1978): 'I am currently organising a reunion for St James's Class of '78 as most of us turn 60 during the year, which are those girls who left the school after O-levels in July 1976 and A-levels in July 1978.

It is taking place on 16th May at the Victory Services Club and although I've contacted most of the class there are a few who I've been unable to trace.

Loads and loads of sport - and having to run to the hockey pitches and back to make the next lesson

If there is one thing that we have gained from our experience there, it is that we have truly made lifelong friends.

ST JAMES’S and St James’s & THE ABBEY The tee shirts had words from the school song on it!'

Rowena Westacott (Evans 1979): 'On 20th January 2019 we all got together at Frogmore for lunch after many years of Christmas Cards. It was amazing how the years just disappeared, and we all sat reminiscing about life at St James’s and what we all got up to. We hope to catch up with each other once a year, if we can all find a date in our busy diaries and family commitments.

August Bank holiday, one of the hottest days of the year, saw Jane Walker (Ashwell) and I celebrate 50 years of Rowena Westacott, Jane Walker, Penny Smith and Jane Shea plus their families

Jane Walker (Ashwell) Penny Smith (Reay) Rowena Westacott (Evans) Jane Shea (Plaisted)

It was the first time we were all together with all our children and partners for some time, it was such a happy and memorable day. friendship, having met on the first day at Prep school. We were in the same class and sat next to each other. We both then went on to St James, West Malvern. Jane’s mother, Mary, pointed out to my parents, that St James’s was in the Guinness Book of Records for being the most expensive girls’ school at that time!!!

We had a BBQ lunch at Frogmore and were joined by Penny Smith (Reay) and Jane Shea (Plaisted) (46 years of friendship) and all our families. The boys cooked the BBQ and I think t h e m s e l ve s as it was so hot.

Jane Plaisted made us a cake to cut and Stephen, Steph and Charlotte celebrate.

As well as celebrating 50 & 46 years of friendship, we celebrated Penny, the first of us becoming a ‘Grandmother’, not surprising as Penny has six children!

Charlotte was born in April to Stephen, Penny’s eldest, and Steph.

We have remained close friends over all these years and are Godparents to each other’s children. We have become a large extended family, who help and support each other.

Christopher & Rowena Westacott with Derek & Jane Walker

We are all looking forward to getting together again at the wedding of Penny’s second son William to Rhi in September 2020 where we will do what we do best……. party together!!!'

Christopher & Rowena Westacott joined Derek and Jane Walker who were celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary at a black tie dinner at The Burgh Island Hotel, Bigbury on Sea.

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St James and St James & The AbbeY

SARAH HAYWOOD Lily, Year 13, interviews Sarah Haywood (Reid-Pitcher, St James’s, 1981 Leaver) Sarah Haywood, former Head girl of St James’s, came to our Careers Fair in October 2019 and delighted us with a very interesting speech about her career journey and the world in which she works.

Sarah is an ambitious businesswoman who has turned her passion and strengths into a successful global business, Sarah Haywood Events. An Events Producer since the early 2000s, Sarah has created some of the highest budget weddings in Europe, working with celebrities and even royalty. In 2018 she was named the Best International Wedding Planner by Vogue USA. She has found a unique niche within the industry, focusing solely on luxury events for ultra high net worth clients.

Sarah planned her first wedding twenty years ago, alongside her work as a TV reporter. In 2006, she published The Wedding Bible and ever since she has consistently been rated as Britain’s top-selling bridal author.

Alongside running her successful business, Sarah produces wedding workshops for bridal professionals and regularly hosts residential wedding planning courses.

It was an inspiration to listen to Sarah discuss her road to success starting from being, in her own words, “an average schoolgirl” who struggled to find her passion at a young age to a world-renowned businesswoman.

Lily: How do you deal with clients seeing you as a simple wedding planner rather than a serious business person?

Sarah: This is one of our biggest challenges. It’s not that they disrespect us but there is a perception in the wider world that a wedding planner is a silly girl with a clip board who puts place cards out, whereas event production is so much more than that. I think it’s much better for women in business now, although I do occasionally come across male chauvinist pigs who seem surprised that I might know something about business. Perhaps it’s a generational thing.

Lily: Are you currently doing your ‘dream job’ or is there a higher goal?

Sarah: I don’t think of it so much a job but as a business.

The business is almost like my child and I want it to do well.

I had a lightbulb moment quite early on when I realised that I am actually supposed to make money as opposed to just doing something I love. The two are connected but I do focus my time on the bottom line. If you don’t feel you

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are being rewarded properly, then work becomes a chore.

I want to be able to pay my staff really well so that they feel rewarded and empowered and that is often a battle with clients who don’t always want to pay a fair price. For example, you wouldn’t go out to buy a car and look at a Rolls Royce if you could only afford a Ford Fiesta. You would inform yourself first. You wouldn’t say “Oh but I really want it” to the Rolls Royce salesmen. That is what people do to me. They will say “but I really want John Legend to sing at my wedding”. If you don’t want to spend a million dollars then he isn’t going to sing for you. People argue with me a lot about why things cost what they cost. But at this level they really do need to inform themselves better before trying to negotiate a deal.

Lily: What is your work life balance like?

Sarah: People talk about having it all. I don’t know what having it all looks like. Does anyone have it all? The things that are torturing me are also the amazing tools that have meant that the business can grow the way it has: social media, mobile phones, and incessant emails on the run.

You are no longer chained to your desk. These things are all

St James and St James & The AbbeY amazing tools but I think Generation Z is going to manage them better because it is second nature to them. If you don’t want to answer the phone you don’t; I bet you put your phone on silent at night to not let them disturb your life. Whereas with me I am frightened to switch it off; that is what I struggle with most. I don’t take enough time off, so I can get tired and miserable.

almost instantly make a decision about them. Are you engaging? Are you a person with something to say?

Are you presentable? If you want to get a job you need to presentable. Do you have something that makes the person talking to you want to know more? That is about being an engaging person. To summarise be inquisitive, be engaging and be open-minded.

Working for the high net worth individuals can be hard and some of the briefs can be overwhelming. Where do you start? It can often be difficult understanding what they want so that’s the first hurdle. Then trying to get what they want within what they want to spend. Sometimes not having direct access to clients is tricky. Someone else is doing the talking for them, then when I see them they say that’s not what they want but I have been through a dozen people who have told me that is what they want. It’s a journey.

Lily: How did you break into that end of the industry?

Sarah: I literally grew the business one event at a time. In the middle years I had a moment where I realised that one event was generating us the same income as 10 others.

So I chased this market intentionally, I did my research: where do the high net worth clients live, where do they work, what do they do, what do they like, etc? I mixed with other brands who work with them. I am quite ruthless about only accepting the right work. This meant that the business went through a really difficult time. I knew it would. Before that, we were bringing in just the right amount of work and now we have to turn it away! That is the only way we can grow the revenue of the business.

We only go for events that we want to do, and they have to be profitable.

Lily: How do you identify your passion at a young age?

Sarah: Try things. How can you possibly know what you want to do when you are 18? What happens if that is your only goal you are working towards and it doesn’t work out. So, perversely, the very thing I was worried about is the thing that allowed and enable me to be open minded.

Suppose you studied medicine then you don’t enjoy it and all those years you trained are gone. I am all for people going to study something they love and enjoying the experience of university. Or going out into the world of work. One of the people I employ left school at 16 and went into theatre and all his experience working in live theatre is invaluable to us.

Lily: What are your three most important life skills?

Sarah: I would say people want to know who this person right in front of me is. When we meet someone we

Sarah with students at our Careers Fair, October 2019

Lily: How do you deal with problems on the day of the event?

Sarah: I have the utmost confidence in everyone that we have employed. I believe that many jobs are about being a team player and about maybe even being the leader of that team. Honesty and integrity and if anything goes wrong, don’t cover it up because there is someone there that can help you. We have never had a huge disaster.

We have had funny things happen like cakes collapsing.

Weddings are happy days and people are in a good mood which does help a lot. You need to be a problem solver; solution-orientated.

Lily: What would you say is the favourite part of your job?

Sarah: I love chasing the job and closing the deal. We have worked out it takes us about 30 hours to convert from an inquiry to a signature on contract. We do a big pitch; we show our introduction videos and talk them through the process. That is really exciting. Then on the day itself, when everything is ready to go, especially at a reception when I know how many hundreds of thousands of hours have gone into it. Knowing that you created it out of nothing.

You have turned somebody’s dream into reality. It is very rewarding to be with a couple on a day that you know they will cherish for the rest of their lives and knowing that you were part of it.

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HONORARY MEMBERS Honorary Members Ros Hayes, Pat Fairfax, Karla Shindler, Pet Jones and Greer Owen enjoying a day out at Cheltenham Races.

IN MEMORIAM Celia Mary Root (Holland 1927-2018) Anna Lermon (1994 ) wrote: 'Celia arrived at St James’s in 1940, the daughter of Margery Holland, nee Rawstorne, former Head Girl and subject of Miss Baird’s poem in ‘I Was There’ (p213-214). Celia too went on to be Head Girl in 1944/45 and wrote about her school years in ‘I Was There’ (p584-588). Celia married Howard Root in 1952, a Church

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of England theologian and academic. They lived in Rome, Cambridge and Winchester. They had four children and seven grandchildren, plus one nephew (my partner) who was amazed to discover that I was a St James’s & The Abbey old girl too!'

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NEWS

St James’s in the 1940s As remembered by Dorothy Wheeler (Head, 1947) and Sue Moser (Waley, 1947)

D

orothy and Sue first met at St James’s School over 70 years ago. Sue was sent during the war when she was 11 to be in a safer place than her hometown of Reigate, and Dorothy joined later on in the Upper School.

When they left in 1947, they didn’t see each other for another 60 years until a chance encounter at a Surrey choirs festival. The former dorm mates recognised each other and now meet up once a month for lunch. Both also keep in touch with another friend and contemporary, Phyllida Cockell (Nicol).

Sue and Dorothy remember being interviewed for admission by Miss Alice Baird in her Drawing Room. Miss Alice was their first Head and then Miss Anstruther (or ‘Tante’ as she was known). At the time St James’s was a small school of 90-100 pupils and operated on the ‘Dalton system’ which involved pupils moving at their own academic pace. Many went on to finishing school in Switzerland, including Sue. The two remember teachers well, including Miss Falcy, the Divinity teacher; Miss Varley, the Art teacher; Miss Bell who taught History, Miss Laws who taught ballroom dancing; Miss Plumpton the Maths teacher and Miss Cocks who taught Music. The curriculum was wide, including Latin and Greek, but both Old Girls agree that it was not a particularly academic school in this period.

There was an emphasis on education for ‘ladies’ and there was an assumption that finishing school would come afterwards, whether that was in Switzerland or closer to home at Evendine.

The boarding houses were St Christophers, Garden Cottage

and Bungalow and the San was over the road and up the hill. Both remember the exceptionally cold winter of 1947 where a ‘snow tunnel’ had to be created to allow access from one side of the road to the other. The boarding houses were ‘exceedingly cold’.

They remember the routine of Saturday morning school, Church on a Sunday, learning Evening Vespers by heart to sing after supper, letter-writing home, walks on the hills, Saturday night Guest Speakers and never being able to meet (or even write) to boys! They were allowed to go to Malvern occasionally, although the rule was that they were not allowed into Woolworths. Instead they would get a drink at ‘donkey tap’, a Malvern water well near The Abbey hotel.

Uniform had to be worn at all times, with few exceptions.

It was purchased from Peter Jones in Sloane Square and consisted of a navy skirt and navy and white striped blouse. Sunday Best involved the addition of a fawn Fair Isle V-neck jumper and a boater.

Rituals included having your hair brushed by Matron, Miss Dare, being weighed and measured at the beginning of each term and a bathing rota. Loos were called ‘aunts’: girls would say ‘I’m going to the tin aunts’ which Miss Anstruther would correct to ‘the aluminium lavatories’.

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NEWS

At lunch, Miss Alice would be helped up on to the top table dais by prefects who would sit with her. Everyone else would sit at long tables with staff, and there would be one French table. Every week pupils would move round. Food was good and plentiful, particularly considering this was the war period. After lunch there was a rest, followed by games. They would go to the Library each week and Miss Anstruther would read to them.

Other memories include being part of Brownies and Guides, small bottles of milk which you couldn’t have till you had run round the courtyard, early morning runs down to the tunnel, Rose Temple, and the circular staff coffee room off the Dining Room (later the Chapel).

Dorothy’s specialism at school was sport, particularly hockey and tennis; Sue’s was Music and she went on to the Royal Academy. Dorothy later trained and practised as a physiotherapist and Sue as a music teacher at various Prep schools.

Dorothy, who had been Head Girl of St Christopher’s took on the organisation of a ‘Old Girls’ Circle’, keeping alumnae connected by doing an annual Reunion dinner in London on Miss Alice’s birthday.

Eventually, Dorothy was asked by Tante to run all the Circles – effectively all of the Old Girls Association – which she did for about a decade.

Both women look back on School as an important part of their life with a true sense of camaraderie. We wish them continued happiness and health as they both turn 90 this year.

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LAWNSIDE news

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lawnside Miss Duseline Stewart is keeping well and enjoyed attending the Honorary Members’ Coffee Morning in December where she met up with Mrs Carol Pike and Mrs Audrey Speechley. She sends in her news of other Old Girls and Honorary Members:

killed when a tree fell on their car.

Helen Braggington writes: 'Busy year but my Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ was eclipsed by the birth of my first grandchild, Penelope. All well and happy.

Sarah Harris (Tyler)’s daughter Charlotte is in her last year at Reading studying English and her son is at Guildford University.

Mimie Darwish was again obliged to go to Syria to sort out problems with her house there.

The kittens she breeds are being very successful and have even gone to the USA doing a good job for British exports.

She enjoys meeting old friends in the half-British halfSyrian group and at weekends has plenty of activities with Stanton village groups. Sadly, two of her friends were

Sarah Grâce (Alexander) and her husband have now both retired but are still busy volunteering for local organisations.

Mary Webb (Tyler): Having inherited her mother’s love of music, Beatrice is in her last year at Canford and spends a lot of her time in the music school and her youngest sister is also a musician. Her middle daughter has an art scholarship at Godolphin.

Alex James (Sandy Henn) is kept busy with the farm and entertaining shooting parties in their newly converted barn. She made us most welcome in September.

Honorary Members Miss Tromans was very sorry not to be able to drive to Malvern to attend the funerals of Miss Burrage and Mrs Thomas.

She has lost her lovely little Millie but still enjoys the company of Hattie who has passed her Kennel Club Good Citizens Award and is going for Gold. That, and hospital at Easter, plus a lovely Oxford Garden School, is about it.

Mrs Styles is pleased to announce the birth of their second grandchild, a son this time. She and her husband are kept busy ferrying their elderly parents to various appointments and looking after grandchildren.

IN MEMORIAM Elizabeth Burrage: 26th September 1926 - 4th August 2019

served for 34 years. She will remain in the memory of all the Lawnsidians who knew her.

There was always Liz, a permanent and valuable fixture at Lawnside. She arrived with the new Headmistress in1960 as Housemistress of the Gables, then the G.C.E. house, and kept the fifth form in cheerful good order. She soon took on the additional role of domestic bursar, a role well-suited to her W.R.N.S. background. There was not a corner in any of the five large Victorian houses that she did not understand.

She became expert in minor repairs and affronted a crisis with calm practicality,as on the occasion when the water tank in the Grove burst. I remember her standing under an umbrella, water gushing down, telling excited girls there was nothing to worry about.

Nina Thomas: 10th May 1937 - 10th August 2019

Liz had a subtle way of conveying disapproval. When I chose a dark green for the walls of the new library I was invited over to look at several patches of wall in different shades of green, all lighter. As I decided I still preferred the dark one, her ‘Very well, headmistress’ said it all. Loyal to the school, she

When Nina came to Lawnside for interview for the position of School Secretary it was immediately obvious that she was the candidate for the job. Her friendliness and air of efficiency and calm, plus her obvious enthusiasm were a great asset to the school, the staff and above all, to me as Headmistress. I never knew her to be put out by any of the myriad problems that occur in boarding school life. Her good nature and sense of humour smoothed the rough places and sometimes the people too! I was always amazed how she found time to commit herself to so many activities; not only was Nina bringing up two teenage boys, she enjoyed cooking and gardening, took part very actively in village affairs and enjoyed life. Her ready smile will remain with us.

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LAWNSIDE

ALICE REEVE

(1992)

I HAD A LOVELY SURPRISE BACK IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR. BREEZE THE LOCAL RADIO CALLED ME TO SAY THAT I HAD BEEN NOMINATED FOR THE 2019 LOCAL HEROES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND I HAD BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINAL STAGE. IT WAS NOW UP TO THE PUBLIC TO CHOOSE THEIR HERO. THE NOMINATION WAS MADE BY A GOOD FRIEND:

Alice is very unwell, diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, ME and also Lyme disease. She has significant Arthritis (caused by Lyme Disease) and is in a great deal of pain every day. Sadly she has been hospitalised a few times in the last few years, the last time being with Septic Arthritis.

Despite her very poor health Alice has been campaigning and fighting incredibly hard for patients for over a decade, with great sacrifice to her own wellbeing at times. She has been working very closely with local MP Alex Chalk and attended several Parliamentary meetings on behalf of patients, including participating in the Lyme Disease APPG.

Alice (right) with her patron, Sonia

Alice has run support groups for patients since 2009 until very recently when she became too unwell to attend them herself, although she still manages the group from her home. Alice fights daily for her own health and that of others and has made a considerable difference to many patients’ lives.

She is incredibly humble and would not ever consider that she should receive this award as she believes that what she does is vital and necessary.

Alice has for many years attended, and also held educational seminars to educate the public and also NHS doctors on the conditions. Fibromyalgia, ME and Lyme are not conditions that are widely known about and so Alice works hard to make sure that doctors are aware of the plight of patients, many of whom are completely house/bed bound. Without Alice, these patients would not have had support when suffering such isolating and frightening conditions.'

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LAWNSIDE

I found out a few weeks later that I had actually won the award! Three months before, this Gloucestershire Live had listed 19 inspirational people in Gloucestershire; I had been included in their list. I see these as opportunities to increase awareness for invisible illnesses.

Over the years, I have run a number of support groups for Fibromyalgia, ME and Lyme disease. These have been situated in Cheltenham, Minchinhampton, Moreton-inMarsh and Stroud. I have also run a telephone support line.

This work has resulted, in me undertaking a lot of local and national campaigning for all three illnesses.

To make my campaigning stronger I decided I needed a Patron. I was very lucky that Sonia Poulton agreed to take on the position. She was the perfect person to help as she had written about illnesses such as ME in the national press, fighting for patients' rights. She has a reputation for being challenging and regularly appears on programmes such as GMTV and This Morning.

Sonia has supported me with my work since 2012. She has even attended a meeting with me in Parliament.

One of the key principles in my campaigning is to educate people about these illnesses. I am a great believer that if a patient has a stronger understanding of their illness, they are able to manage it better. My group was extremely lucky to receive various grants over the years that allowed me to produce medical packs for the NHS and attend conferences, so I could pass knowledge onto the wider community.

More recently, my campaigning has taken a more specific route. The focus has been on Lyme disease as I feel this needs urgent attention. This was influenced by my own personal experience of having undiagnosed Lyme disease for twenty years. It was when attending a conference in London and while a speaker was discussing the symptoms of Lyme disease I had that magic light bulb moment. These were the kind of symptoms I was experiencing: the red hot swollen joints, the burning spine, the extreme fatigue, the slight droop on my face, the problems with reading and writing (highly frustrating after completing two degrees) and problems with memory. Two weeks later I sent my

bloods to Germany privately and they came back positive for Lyme disease and a host of infections.

This disease is named after Old Lyme, Connecticut, USA. This was where a number of children and adults had developed similar symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis; in 1975 it was classed as Lyme disease. The ironic thing is I have been recently researching my family history and have discovered that some of my ancestors came from Lyme!

My MP Alex Chalk has been extremely supportive in my campaigns. He is by profession a human rights barrister.

He has attended protests outside Westminster. He was also vice-chair for the Lyme APPG at Westminster.

Many people will see that Lyme disease regularly occurs in the press. A number of celebrities have Lyme such as: Shania Twain, Alec Baldwin, Yolanda Hadis, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Osbourne, Richard Gee, Amy Tan, George W. Bush, Ally Hilfiger and there are thoughts now that Charles Darwin suffered with it.

You will see that campaigners have a huge job to increase understanding and prevention of the disease.

Last year I had to give a speech in Parliament outlining the issues faced by patients. I also took part in the ‘Stakeholder experiences of the diagnosis of Lyme disease’ with UCL. It is estimated 75% of those with Lyme cannot work. Therefore, campaigners like me have to continue being vocal.

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THE ABBEY Jill Crowson (Carding 1971): 'I’ve had another busy year of retirement and still can’t quite believe how quickly time flies by. During the last year I’ve met up with Jenny Moore (Trow), Sarah Weller (Coates), Lindsey Umfreville (Wilkes), Libby Harris (Priest) and Sally Chater (Kidson). When we get together it’s non-stop talking and laughing - so good to still be in touch after nearly 50 years. Sally Millis (Skidmore) who lives in Brisbane, came over this year and we met up a couple of times whilst she and her husband were here. Luckily, they’ve not been affected by the fires and floods over there.

I’ve got one son who lives in Thailand and one in Hamburg. I met up with Charlie and his partner in Bali this year and I regularly go to Hamburg as my other son Jamie lives there with his wife and their daughter. In 1969 I took Needlework as one of my O Levels and we had to make a smocked dress. Having had two boys I never used it - however now I

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Jamie and Emmy

NEWS have a granddaughter, Emmy, I took the dress, along with the matching knickers, over to Hamburg and asked if they would like to have it for Emmy to wear - even if it was just once so that I could take a photo of her in it. They agreed, then asked to keep it so that she can wear it next summer! Attached is a photo of Emmy wearing the dress - and surprise, surprise the knicker elastic is in perfect condition!'

Anna Summers (1979): 'I relocated back from Southern Andalusia, Spain after 30 years - to the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. I attended The Abbey until it amalgamated with St. James’s.

In my year were Sara Porter (Welshman), Karen Thomas, Lorraine Mc Donald (St Ledger), Francesca Hawkins, now living in Jamaica.

On the right is a photo of fond memories of The Abbey trip to London in 1976 .

Colleen Henderson (The Abbey 1971 - 1979, St James’s & The Abbey 1979 – 1981): 'I underwent life changing brain surgery last year in my 20-year fight against Parkinson’s disease. My movement is now powered through electrons in my brain via a battery pack. It is truly miraculous. In celebration I was visited by Sally Shadrack (Jones) and Caroline Ashrafi (Harlow) and we had a super weekend in my hometown of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The previous year I also met up with Philippa Beasley who now lives and works in Hong Kong.

In 2016 I met up in London with Sian Rees, Elinor Day, Sally Avens, Claudia Majzub, Kate Ferguson, Emma Watkins, Indu Kundanmal and Teju. The champagne flowed and I have a vague recollection of the school song being sung out loud!! I know various members of the group have met up since then.'

Suzanne de Wilde (Summers, 1951) attended The The Abbey trip to London in 1976 Abbey from 1946-51 and met some lifelong friends throughout her time at School. Her family boasts 3 generations of Abbeyites including Suzanne’s mother Lydia Anna (Nancy) Thomas (Summers 1920s) and niece Anna Summers (1979). Suzanne is now based in Cardiff, where she is regularly visited by her family including 3 sons and 3 grandchildren. Suzanne has a passion for race horses and currently owns 2 with shares in others. Her horses race predominantly in the South West and are a great love of hers.

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MEMORIES FROM THE STAFF ROOM

GREER OWEN MEMORIES FROM THE STAFF ROOM ST JAMES'S When I came as a Housemistress to St James’s and The Abbey (later to be just St. James’s) in September 1989, I knew I would never want to leave. I worked alongside Mrs Joy Patten who, together with Mrs Kate Chester-Lamb (‘Chestie’) and Sister Jill Prime, provided gentle, kind and wise care for the girls.

There was a happy atmosphere in their presence and the girls were very fond of them. watched over the linen-fold panelled Dining Room with a benevolent smile. St. James’s was imbued with her kindly spirit. Some believed that her ghost walked around the building to protect her school and those within. Some also believed that her relative, whose portrait hung above the main staircase, was also inclined towards spiritual visitations. Were there really two ghosts in that one building?!

I recall thinking how stark the boarding houses were at that time. There were no duvets; instead the beds were covered with pink candlewick bedspreads. It looked more like a hospital than a place to live, though the iron bedsteads had by then been replaced by functional wooden frames; fine as long as you were not taller than five foot six! In spite of these austere looking conditions, these lovely ladies brought cheer and comfort. Some girls were more able to cope with boarding than others. For some, there was a yearning to belong, to be accepted; and for them, it seemed to me, they led a terribly lonely life. I wish I had known better how to help them. For others, the lack of privacy must have been intolerable. Nevertheless, most managed well and found plenty of ways to have fun together.

I remember St. James’s as a happy place. From the moment I first saw it, I was at home. As so many people have said, there was just something about it. You could feel it and it was good. The large portrait of Alice Baird

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Food, of course, played an important part in all our lives.

There were phases when it was particularly good and times when it was not. Clive was the chef when I began, and he produced marvellous meals. Sunday roasts were especially scrumptious. For a short while, we also had a superb French chef, Patrice. We enjoyed his restaurant standard cuisine: presentation mattered to him. On one occasion he was heard to complain, “Bolls. I must ‘ave bolls for ma soupe. I cannot serve ma soupe in zees!”, as he held aloft a Styrofoam cup. For me, breakfast was the most important meal of the day and I hated talking about school at this time. I refused to enter into such discussions. I started coming to breakfast armed with a series of jokes (some quite naughty), determined to make everyone laugh. I am sure the girls must have wondered what we were talking about when they saw Mrs Judith Lampitt (who also told hilarious stories), Mrs Ros Hayes, Mrs Pet Jones and me laughing so much that the tears rolled down our cheeks!

I have so many fond memories of St. James’s. Many of them stem from the joy of seeing young girls come in to the school and witnessing their progress into adulthood.

Others come from the pleasure of working with wonderful colleagues; there was a culture of mutual support among the staff and many of us still enjoy meeting up. It’s as though St. James’s is a part of our DNA and it binds us; as it does a family.

MEMORIES FROM THE STAFF ROOM

Happy Days at MGC & MSJ JOAN NEWBY An excerpt from Joan Newby’s leaving speech in July 2018

‘Having taught for almost 4 decades, as the sun sets on this academic year, and I come to the end of a long and wonderful teaching career.

I’d just like to remember my time at MSJ, the different experiences and people I’ve met; such an incredible array.

For ‘twas back in 2004 when I entered the school’s hallowed doors, and over the years here, my job has taken a varied course.

And so began my halcyon days at MGC and then MSJ, and to end my teaching career here; it has been the perfect way.

I’ve loved all the drama, the special services and musical events so fine, especially the choir performing in the Priory, causing tingles down the spine.

Masterchef, Sports Days, Auctions of Promises and other amazing events that we do, walking the Malvern Hills for Comic Relief and MSF, to mention just a few.

And who could forget all those Christmas Pantomimes, as we strutted around the stage and mixed up our lines.

Though one professional, who never messed up, my brilliant co-star Patrick, me as Ailsa in Frozen and as Wonder Woman, his, not so, busty side-kick.

A special memory was of my many trips to The Gambia, oh, so far, to take on the extraordinary challenges of working in Africa.

We had so many wonderful experiences in the dirt and intense heat, with so many tough challenges that on a daily basis we’d meet.

And to me The Gambian trip, perfectly sums up the job that we all do, present the girls with a myriad of new experiences and challenges to battle through.

While providing them with the individual direction and support that they need, and in most cases, smile and feel good, about the success that they achieve.

And we just have to think of our many Old Girls that return to school, with so much quiet confidence and presence, so measured and so cool, Like Phyllida Lloyd, Kiko Matthews, Jennifer Kirby, they sum up what we do at MSJ to an absolute tee.

So how do I sum up MSJ for me, it’s not just the grandeur and elegance on the surface that we see, But it’s the warmth and the passion that makes this such a wonderful place, the girls, the parents, but especially the friends that I now face.

I look forward to September, when I can just relax and read a book, learn a language, play some tennis and more importantly, teach Mike to cook!

Go for long walks along the coastal paths, go to concerts, see a show, spend lots of time with our gorgeous grandchildren as we watch them grow.

So it’s time to retire and to Cheltenham I shall make my way, with warm memories of this, such a very special day.

I will always look on MSJ with such fondness and a tear, and again, … my thanks… to all of you here.

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in memoriam

Our Malvern Alumnae 100 project has been a huge success over the past 12 months, celebrating the 100 women featured and all that they have achieved. These women include those who are at the pinnacle of their careers, those at the early stages, those who are now retired and those who are sadly no longer with us.

Unfortunately, we were unable to feature the profiles of our deceased Malvern Alumnae 100 in the last edition of the OGA News and so we have dedicated space in our 2020 edition to celebrate all these women’s achievements. From the country’s first High Court judge to a world record-breaking romance novelist, the endeavours of these women are truly remarkable and their contribution outstanding.

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In memoriam Dame Alix Meynell (1903-1999) CIVIL SERVANT (Alex Kilroy, MGC 1921 Leaver)

Profile

Dame Alix was one of the country’s most distinguished female civil servants.

After studying at Malvern Girls College (where she was supposedly very rebellious) and then Somerville College, Oxford, she decided on a whim to take the entry exam for the civil service in 1925. This was the very first year that the exam was opened to women, and after coming 12th out of 200 candidates, she was admitted alongside only two other women.

When she arrived at the office on her first day, someone reported that she looked so glamorous she could have been a film star. Undoubtedly her male colleagues did not expect much from her, but she proved them wrong. She rose quickly through the ranks and by 1932 was the first woman to become a principal on the Board of Trade.

During the war she was promoted to an even higher rank and became head of her own department. She broke the rule of female civil servants not being allowed to marry when she did so in 1946, and tirelessly campaigned for women’s rights such as equal pay. She wanted to show women of her generation that to stop working when you married and had children was an idea of the past. She was made a Dame in 1947 and retired in 1955, when she felt she had achieved everything that she wanted and had made a real difference in her field.

Dame Barbara Cartland (1901-2000)

AUTHOR & CAMPAIGNER St James’s School (1910s Leaver)

Profile

Barbara Cartland, described as the ‘Queen of Romance’ wrote 723 books during her lifetime and still holds the Guinness world record for the most books written in one year. Barbara began to write at a young age, just after the First World War. When she moved to London, she was quickly picked up by several newspapers.

She allegedly rejected 56 marriage proposals before accepting one from Alexander McCorquodale in 1927, having already published her first successful novel, Jigsaw (1925).

Whilst writing, she did several remarkable things alongside. During WWII, she became a County Cadet Officer, raising funds for St John’s Ambulance and then campaigning to secure better salaries for nurses and midwives after the war.

Although written off by some as merely an extrovert who wrote romance novels, her work behind the scenes had a huge impact on many people’s lives and careers, and eventually she was made a Dame in 1991. This excerpt comes from her online biography: “To read Barbara Cartland’s life story is to be impressed that someone could fit so much into only one life. As well as writing a staggering number of books, she was also involved with great advances in many diverse fields from aviation to alternative medicine and helped many groups who she perceived as being unfairly treated, from midwives in poor working conditions to Romany gypsy children who wanted to be allowed to attend school.”

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in memoriam Dr Una Kroll (1925-2017)

CAMPAIGNER FOR THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN (Una Hill, MGC 1940s Leaver) Profile In her obituary in The Guardian, Una Kroll is described as “a doctor, a nun, a feminist campaigner with a prominent role in the movement for the ordination of women, an activist for peace and justice, counsellor to many, and to many others a disturber of the peace. She defied labels. Perhaps the title of her 1995 book, Vocation to Resistance, came closest to defining her.”

After being educated at MGC in the early 1940s, Una Kroll studied Medicine at Cambridge. However, her passion for Christian activism took over: she wanted to become a priest. This was not possible for women at the time, so in 1954 she became a nun instead.

She was sent to Liberia as part of her mission to work in a hospital there but after contracting an illness she returned to England. She abandoned her life as a nun to marry her husband, Leo. They moved with their young family to Namibia in 1959 where they campaigned against apartheid, which saw them expelled from the country two years later.

Una returned to medicine full-time and served as a GP in London for many years, campaigning for the Movement for the Ordination of Women, which finally became a reality in the Church of England in 1992. By then Una was living in Wales, and when the Church of Wales accepted female ordination, she became a priest in 1997.

Her turbulent relationship with the church shows her unbending attitude to her beliefs and a refusal to simply ‘go along with it’. Una was a fierce advocate for women’s rights and a skilled doctor who helped many people.

Doreen Warriner OBE (1904-1972) WAR HERO (MGC 1920s Leaver)

Profile

Doreen Warriner was granted an OBE for her services to Czech refugees before the Second World War. After attending MGC, Oxford and UCL, Doreen developed a keen interest in the politics of Eastern Europe during Hitler’s rise to power.

In 1938, she travelled to Prague, Czechoslovakia, apparently with no particular objective in mind, but soon met – and was inspired by - the head of the German Social Democrats (SPD) who were vehemently opposed to the Nazi regime.

After this meeting, Warriner began to organise travel via train out of Czechoslovakia for groups of SPDs, now political refugees, even travelling with them herself to ensure their safe arrival. This gained her the role of head of the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia (BCRC) and in this capacity she embarked on the mission of removing as many child refugees as possible from the fated country; however she was forced to flee after the Gestapo (Nazi Germany’s secret police) were alerted to her activity.

Perhaps unwittingly, she had paved the way for the mission to get Jewish children out of Germany on the kindertransport.

Doreen’s services were officially recognised in 1941 when she was awarded an OBE for her courageous and forward-thinking actions. She continued to volunteer during the war in places such as Yugoslavia and Cairo, after which she became a full-time lecturer in Economics at UCL’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

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In memoriam Liz Tilberis (1947-1999)

EDITOR, VOGUE AND HARPER’S BAZAAR (Elizabeth Kelly, MGC 1966 Leaver)

Profile

Liz Tilberis was a huge name in fashion throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, holding the post of editor of British Vogue and then Harper’s Bazaar. She was educated at MGC and then went on to study Fashion Design at Leicester College of Art and Design.

She entered a contest held by British Vogue in 1967 in which she was the runner up, so was granted an internship at the magazine; here she started at the bottom, making coffee, ironing for shoots and picking up dress pins for £25 a week.

After impressing her seniors with her keen eye for fashion and warm personality, she gradually made her way up through the ranks and became the editor of Vogue in 1987 after Anna Wintour left to go to America. In 1992, she was offered the post of editor of American title, Harper’s Bazaar, so made the move across the Atlantic. She became one third of magazine publishing’s so called ‘ex-pat triumvirate’ alongside Anna Wintour (US Vogue) and Tina Brown (Vanity Fair): the three, all British, were arguably the most celebrated, and influential, women in New York at the time.

Liz died in 1999 from ovarian cancer, having sat as President of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for two years, helping to raise both the profile and funding of the illness.

Liz was a close friend and confidant of Princess Diana; letters between the two were recently auctioned for thousands of dollars.

Professor Patricia Lindop (1930-2018)

SCIENTIST, CAMPAIGNER FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT (MGC, 1940s Leaver)

Profile

Patricia Lindop was a pioneering scientist of radiation during the Cold War. She attended MGC in the 1940s, meeting her husband, who was a pupil at Malvern College, whilst she studied there. She gained a place at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College – one of the first women to be allowed to do so – and received a first class degree.

She set up the Medical Radiobiology department at St Bartholomew’s in 1960.

She was awarded a grant for research into the potential effects of radiation on the human body, with scientist Joseph Rotblat. Her findings led her to become the organiser of ‘Pugwash’ meetings which campaigned against nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Lindop was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1977; became the first female professor of Radiation Biology at the University of London in 1979; and was made a governor of St Barts in 1984. Her academic career was cut short after suffering a stroke in 1981 which greatly reduced her mobility and speech.

She continued to participate in Pugwash meetings until 1992. She suffered a second, more severe stroke in 1993 which ultimately removed her speech. In 1995, Rotblat and the Pugwash group won the Nobel Peace Prize.

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in memoriam Dr Hetty Bardsley (1925-2014)

HEAD OF CHEMISTRY AND SCIENCE, MGC

Profile

“Dr Hetty Bardsley was a quite remarkable woman who inspired generations of female scientists by her teaching and her interest in them.” (From her funeral eulogy by fellow teaching staff at MGC and her daughter.)

Known as ‘Dr B.’ to her pupils, Hetty taught at MGC for over 20 years from the early 1960s until 1986. She graduated in Chemistry (with a Diploma in Theology) from King’s College London in 1946. She went on to gain a PhD in Chemistry at Royal Holloway, the only woman in her year.

She took up the post of Head of Chemistry and Science at MGC with gusto, which was certainly an unusual department for women in the 1960s (particularly those with a young family). Hetty and her colleagues put Science firmly on the curriculum; some would say at the centre of the curriculum. Both staff and girls were gently persuaded that they could succeed in subjects which their parents may have thought were just for the boys.

Hetty put the needs of her students above all else, working long hours, giving every ounce of her energy to build up their individual strengths. Her approach to the girls was to do your best. She believed that the young women who always did well in exams needed less from her than those for whom this was a struggle. She managed to give all her pupils self-belief.

Hetty led by example and showed both her pupils and colleagues that women were just as welcome in the field of science as their male counterparts. Undoubtedly, she inspired many of her pupils not to fear the typically masculine subject, but rather to embrace and appreciate the importance of new technological and scientific discoveries and the role which women could play in these.

On retiring, Hetty took up voluntary teaching at the Royal National Institute for the Blind New College. She was their first Chemistry teacher and helped the first person from that school go on to read Chemistry at university. Lastly, she was instrumental in opening careers requiring Chemistry at an advanced level to more blind or partially sighted children.

Sarah Holman (1951-2017)

CAMPAIGNER, FUNDRAISER, ‘COUNTRYWOMAN’ (Lawnside 1967 Leaver)

Profile

Described as a ‘Highland Countrywoman’ and ‘compulsive fundraiser’ in her Daily Telegraph obituary, Sarah left Lawnside in the 1960s and went on to attend the Sorbonne and then the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester. She took an active part in life of the villages of Ilmington in Warwickshire and Acharacle in Argyle where she had homes and ‘delighted locals with her eccentricities.’ The family owns the Shielbridge estate in Argyll, whose 10,000 acres she ran from the age of 35. She is remembered fondly for her services to the community, such as donation of land to build a primary school. She believed that owners of the Highlands had a responsibility both to the community and to nature.

She was an accomplished deer stalker, and believed this was a vital method of controlling numbers of the animals and preserving her native Highlands. She sat as Chairman of the Ardnamurchan Deer Management Group and was also on the Executive Committee of the Association of Deer Management Groups. She vehemently opposed the commercial promotion of stalking, as she wanted to protect the dwindling numbers of deer from those simply looking to hunt for the fun of it.

Sarah also latterly set up the Cheltenham Countryside Race Day, for the Countryside Alliance, raising more than £2 million and hugely increasing attendance numbers.

She served as Deputy Lieutenant and High Sherriff of Warwickshire in 2001-2.

The Telegraph rounded up her obituary with a story of a smart charity lunch in Gloucestershire, not long before her death. “Holman had no airs and graces… she invited her carpenter, her plumber, her gardener, her rat-catcher and Barry, her local taxi driver, and had the most fun of all the tables there.”

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In memoriam Mary Hayley Bell (1911-2005)

AUTHOR, PLAYWRIGHT, ACTRESS (MGC 1920s Leaver)

Profile

Mary Hayley Bell (later known as Lady Mills) was an actress, playwright and author whose novel Whistle Down the Wind was turned into a hit film in 1961.

Bell was born in Shanghai and was sent to Malvern Girls’ College in the 1920s to obtain an English education. From there she went on to study at London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and starred in films and plays and on both sides of the Atlantic throughout the 1930s.

After her marriage to actor Sir John Mills in 1941, Bell decided to abandon her career in acting and pursue playwriting full time. Her first play, Men in Shadow, was originally barred by MI5 for containing secret information about escape routes used by the French resistance in the Second World War; but once released was received to critical acclaim.

Her most famous work was undoubtedly the novel Whistle Down the Wind which she published in 1958. It was picked up by Bryan Forbes and Richard Attenborough who turned it into a BAFTA nominated film starring Bell’s own daughter, Hayley Mills. In 2005 the British Film Institute included it in their list of ‘50 films you should see by the age of 14’.

Shirley, Marchioness of Anglesey DBE (1924-2017)

FORMER HEAD OF THE WOMEN’S INSTITUTE (Elizabeth Morgan, St James’s School 1940s Leaver)

Profile

Shirley Paget was Head of the Women’s Institute, sat on the British Council and chaired the Broadcasting Complaints Commission, amongst others. Shirley started her career working in the Foreign Office during the Second World War, and perhaps also at MI6 during this time, although this is not confirmed. After she married the 7th Marquess of Anglesey, she began to take on a bigger role in public life, becoming Head of the Women’s Institute in 1966.

Described as charming and glamorous, and having a shrewd business acumen, she quickly rose in the ranks of public service and found herself on the board of the British Council, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the Welsh Arts Council. In 1987 she was appointed chair of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission, and in 1989 was vice-chair of the Museum and Galleries Commission.

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in memoriam Gillian Lowndes (1936-2010) ARTIST

Profile

Gillian Lowndes was an extremely original and experimental artist who mostly worked with sculptures and ceramics. Gillian attended MGC with her twin Jenny before studying at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London from 1955.

Lowndes opposed traditional ideas of the time and was inspired during a trip to Nigeria in 1970 by the rich materials available there, and began incorporating these into her work. She transcended the border between ceramics and sculpture by not conforming to the rules, such as the one that a ceramic object must be fired in one piece. She would happily create a piece of art just to smash it up and recreate it, so that it resembled the original in no shape or form. Her mixed-media sculptures have been called ‘bricolage’, referring to her use of various objects found in everyday life, to construct new meaning. Never afraid to break rules or crush convention, Gillian Lowndes found herself at the forefront of her field.

From 1975 until the early 1990s, she taught at Camberwell College of Arts and Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design.

Her work is featured in dozens of museums and exhibitions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Bristol Museum and Newark Museum.

Margaret Durrell (1920-2007) AUTHOR (MGC 1935 Leaver)

Profile

The sister of writers Lawrence and Gerald Durrell, Margaret (known as Margo) was the third child of Louisa and Lawrence Durell.

She attended MGC from 1929-1935 before her mother moved the children to Corfu, until the outbreak of the Second World War. Although perhaps overshadowed by her literary brother Lawrence and famous conservationist brother Gerry, Margo’s memoirs were published in the 1990s: Whatever Happened to Margo? which told the tale of her time as a landlady in Bournemouth, the weird and wonderful guests she received and also of the bizarre animals Gerald would bring back from his travels and keep in her garden.

Described as having an incredible ‘joie de vivre’, Margo’s impulsive personality shone through in both her own writing and that of her brothers’. Gerald Durrell wrote the foreword to her memoirs and said of his sister, “from the beginning, and every bit as keenly as the Durrell brothers, Margo displayed an appreciation for the comic side of life and an ability to observe the foibles of people and places.”

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In memoriam

Call for a Cuppa

We would like to pull together as an Old Girl network to help those amongst us who really need it at the moment. We are launching 'Call for a Cuppa' to connect those of you who are feeling lonely during this time with another Old Girl for a virtual cup of tea! If you think you would benefit from a friendly call, or you'd like to volunteer to give another OG a ring, then please get in touch with the office; oga@malvernstjames.co.uk and we will give you the details.

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CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF WOMEN IN LAW

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n 23rd December 2019 The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 received royal assent, dismantling the barrier to women practising as solicitors and barristers in the UK. The Act also allowed women to sit as magistrates, on juries and receive degrees from university on completion of study.

Since then, there have been some pivotal firsts, including Old Girl, Dame Elizabeth Lane’s appointment to the High Court in 1965. In celebration of this centenary we are featuring some of our Old Girls who are currently studying or practising law both here in the UK and overseas. Law is still a widely male dominated industry and we celebrate the women following in Dame Elizabeth Lane’s footsteps, breaking down barriers and making a real impact in this field.

Dame Elizabeth Lane DBE (1905-1988)

FIRST FEMALE HIGH COURT JUDGE (Elizabeth Coulborn, MGC 1920s Leaver)

Profile

Dame Elizabeth Lane, who attended MGC after the outbreak of the First World War, became the first female High Court judge in England. She decided not to attend university, and instead went out to Montreal to spend time with her brother. There she met her husband, Randall Lane, and they returned together to the UK. When Randall decided to become a barrister, she studied Law with him. In 1940 Elizabeth was called to the bar at the Inner Temple.

She was appointed King’s Counsel in 1950 (the third woman to hold this post) and in 1962 became the first woman to sit as judge in the County Court. Elizabeth’s most impressive accolade was being appointed the first ever female High Court Judge in 1965. She was granted a damehood (DBE) to honour this (as men were awarded a knighthood in the same capacity).

As of October 2018, there are 25 women sitting in the High Court which shows the precedent that Dame Elizabeth Lane set in becoming the first. She inspired a new generation of female judges and broke the mould for so many after her.

She came back to MGC to talk to students, and at least two that we know of were inspired to pursue a career in Law – very successfully – as a consequence of this.

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CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF WOMEN IN LAW A Day in the Life of a Trainee Solicitor Georgiana Kwok (Head Girl 2014) gives us an insight into her routine as a trainee solicitor in Hong Kong.

8:45 AM I arrive at the office. The coffee machine in the pantry is gently whirring.

9:00 AM Emails checked. I head downstairs to the firm’s café to order my daily cup of latte.

10:00 AM Everyone is back in the office. Emails start coming in.

“Morning Georgie, I would like your assistance on this research task…” The phone starts to ring. “Hello, is this Miss Kwok? I am calling to provide an update…” “Hey Georgie, have you had a look at the client’s questions? Could you please help prepare a draft reply for me? Also, could you take a stab at drafting the letter for…” “Good morning Georgie, are the papers ready for filing this morning? Andy will be ready to head out to court in a bit…”

11:00 AM It has been an hour and I can only find case law which is at most tangentially relevant to the research question.

There are moments in life when you need to tell yourself that you have expended a sufficient amount of time and energy on an issue, and you move on. On to the textbooks – I go downstairs to our main library. The copy of Treitel isn’t where it is supposed to be.

11:02 AM Sometimes in life you just need to know where to look – turns out the copy of Treitel is in a little shelf of library books which have not been properly checked out behind a fellow trainee’s desk. Now I get on with the research.

12:15 PM Almost lunch. We have flexible lunch hours, so technically I could legitimately nip out early to beat the lunchtime crowd. Wait – the phone rings. “Hi Georgie, thanks for the draft – I’ve just sent you my comments, but my computer is being a bit slow today so it might take a little bit longer to send through, but could you please…”

around the corner from the office.

2:00 PM After lunch, I make my way back up from the café to my floor. I check in with Andy on the court filing. I return to my desk and tidy up the analysis from the research, and send it out.

3:00 PM Where has the time gone? I have updated the draft statement of claim, reviewed the documents the client provided to us, tried to make sense of the bank statements, revised the PowerPoint presentation for a client seminar, looked for some case law, prepared a draft email advice.

4:00 PM I make myself a cup of tea.

5:00 PM I had forgotten my cup of tea. Was called into a meeting to take notes – I am back at my desk now, and I remember I still have to call up the bank. Let’s hope they haven’t left the office already.

6:00 PM

1:00 PM

I jot down a list of things to do on a Post-It note and stick it on my computer screen, then pack up and go home for a good night’s rest.

Sometimes you forget it is lunchtime. One of the best things about working in Hong Kong is the variety of culinary options on offer. Pret is reserved for days when you want to get out of the office but have minimal time to eat. I usually get Hainanese chicken rice from this Thai takeaway just

Disclaimer: As a junior lawyer, it is very rare that one gets to leave the office or finish work at 6:00 PM – although it is always 6:00 PM somewhere.

This outline does not purport to be an accurate representation of a day in the life of a trainee solicitor.

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CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF WOMEN IN LAW

JOy Hadji Alliy

FOUNDER, NOVITA LAW (MGC 1996 LEAVER)

I love languages and wanted to be a translator for the United Nations. Back then, however, the career opportunities for African children were rather limited and were pre-selected for them by their parents. Your options were lawyer, accountant, engineer or science-related career.

My legal career took off when I joined a well-known law firm in Dar es Salaam at the age of 25. The early years were a struggle, working long hours and fighting to be recognised as equal in a world where women are viewed as second class citizens. I remember returning to the office once in tears having been sexually harassed by an older government officer. My female colleagues were not very sympathetic and made it seem like this was normal behaviour that I should accept. An introvert by nature, I quickly learnt that the legal profession was no place for shy girls.

I spent almost nine years working at the firm advising clients on high-level finance, energy and oil and gas transactions. The hard work paid off and I slowly rose through the ranks until I became a junior partner. My ambition and dedication were a threat to some people. I remember the IT guy approaching me one day, suggesting that I should consider having a child if I am not interested in marriage. Friends from high school, university and colleagues settled down and started families, but I soldiered on.

By the seventh year, however, I started to notice a change in my performance and drive. I dreaded going into work every day and no longer felt motivated. Seeing some of my close colleagues move on to start their firms only made things worse. Leaving the firm was a difficult choice to make, but it had to be done. I was suffering from burnout and didn’t even know it.

After a two-year break, I was ready to return to the corporate world. This time was going to be different.

I joined a much smaller firm, hoping for better working hours and more balanced life. Old habits die hard though, and I was soon fell back to the same routine. I continued to prosper and shine at the new firm, but this success was short-lived. The turning point happened towards the end of 2014 when my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This happened in the middle of a high-level government transaction that I had been working on daily for over a year. I was overwhelmed by the news of her illness and when she died 4 months after her diagnosis, her passing hit me hard.

After a year of passive mourning and feeling very lost, I decided to quit my job and start my practice under the name Novita Law. Every day has been a challenge – hustling to bring in new business, chasing clients for unpaid bills, arguing with suppliers over-inflated invoices, battling with the tax authority's exaggerated tax assessments, dealing with passive-aggressive employees, the list goes on and on. Seeing however the firm grow from strength to strength each year fills me with great pride, especially when the driving force behind our success is the women I work with. I now focus on providing a more nurturing environment for the women around me, so they can focus on making their dreams valid.

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GREENSLADE AND POULTON MEMORIAL In 1919, Miss Isabel Greenslade and Miss Lily Poulton bought the Imperial Hotel to house their growing school, Malvern Girls' College, which had been founded in 1893 in a private house in Malvern.

It was recently brought to our attention by the Malvern Civic Society that Misses Greenslade and Poulton have no headstone or memorial, but lie anonymously under the grass in Great Malvern Cemetery.

In academic year 2019-20 we celebrate 100 years of all-girls education at our School site in Avenue Road. To mark this occasion we would like to recognise the huge influence these women have had on the lives of so many young women by providing them with a memorial here in the town where they made such an impact.

To that end, we would like to commission a beautiful Malvern Hills shaped headstone to jointly mark their graves and we need to raise ÂŁ1,100 to make this happen.

At the time of their respective deaths, it was wartime - in the case of Miss Greenslade the School had just returned from evacuation to Somerset – and domestic matters were overshadowed by bigger events. Thus the funerals of each were not, perhaps, all that one might expect for women of their standing.

A portrait of Miss Poulton which hangs in the library at MSJ

Please support us in our mission to provide a lasting legacy for these two influential women. msj.gs/greensladeandpoulton Thank you for your support.

A portrait of Miss Greenslade which hangs in the library at MSJ

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OGA Prefect

ALICE DELHANTY

OGA PREFECT 2019/2020

M

y name is Alice Delhanty and I have been the Old Girls’ Association Prefect for the past academic year. I have been at MSJ since Year 4 and am now in my final year of School, studying Art, English Literature and History, planning on studying Art at university.

Looking ahead to the summer, I know when I leave I will have many happy memories to take away with me from my time here, such as Christmas dinners, reeling balls at Eton, wine tastings, evenings in the boarding houses and residential lacrosse tournaments to name a few. However, it is my current pursuits that have really made me value my final years at Malvern. I am captain of the 1st lacrosse team, a sixth form Art scholar, and have competed in the English-Speaking Union’s debating competition and am an active member of the Caledonian Society.

I have really enjoyed being the OGA Prefect over the past three terms. I was always intrigued by the old school photographs, uniforms and lacrosse sticks dotted around the School. It is amazing to think of MSJ’s history, and its relevance today. I loved talking with Old Girls at the summer reunion in 2019, Malvern Alumnae 100 and MSJ’s career fair. Despite some girls not having returned to MSJ for years, it was wonderful to hear now they still felt a strong connection with the School.

Their stories and memories from MGC, St James’s, The Abbey, St James’s & The Abbey and Lawnside felt pertinent to the MSJ experience today. I look forward to returning to MSJ as an Old Girl myself, seeing what has changed and, of course, what hasn’t. It really is inspiring to have such a strong network of women in so many different areas of work, all linked by these five founding schools.

Next year I am going on to an Art Foundation diploma before a degree in art, hopefully at a London university.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here at MSJ, and I am really looking forward to leaving at the end of the summer term equipped with the skills and preparation it has given me. For me and many other girls in my year, it is comforting to know we have such a strong Old Girls’ network spanning innumerable fields of work, offering resources that may prove invaluable for our own careers. The visiting OGA lecturers have given current girls of the school important advice, experience and inspiration, demonstrating to us that, despite beginning in the small town of Malvern, our opportunities are endless.

Alice Delhanty

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EDITOR'S NOTE We hope that you have enjoyed reading the 2020 edition of the OGA News Magazine and a huge thank you to all those who have contributed news, stories and articles for inclusion.

2019/2020 sees us celebrate 100 years of all-girls’ education at the Avenue Road site. The building was purchased

by MGC founders Misses Greenslade and Poulton back in 1919 and, having been contacted by Malvern Civic Society, we are currently trying to raise funds to provide a memorial headstone for the two women who lie anonymously in Great Malvern cemetery. We have set up a JustGiving page to raise £1100 your help supporting this campaign would be hugely appreciated.

In 2019, the centenary of women being allowed to practise law in England was celebrated. Dame Elizabeth Lane DBE (MGC 1920s Leaver) was the first female High Court judge in the country and many Old Girls have since followed in her footsteps with a career in law.

We have dedicated part of this year’s magazine to celebrate Dame Elizabeth Lane, alongside other MSJ alumnae currently working or studying in this field and we hope you enjoyed reading their contributions.

Our 2020 edition of the magazine proudly details the profiles of those women featured in our Malvern Alumnae 100 who are sadly no longer with us. We hope that you were able to enjoy reading their stories and agree that their impact has been substantial.

We are delighted to welcome our new Chairman of the OGA, Jenny Thomas (MGC 2002) to post. Jenny took over the role of Chairman from Cecily Hewlett in Camilla King, Phillippa Weatherhead and Fiona Meredith January 2020 and we are very much looking forward to working with her to take the OGA from strength to strength. All of the Committee and those of us here in the office at MSJ would like to thank Cecily enormously for all of her support and dedication to the OGA over the past 6 years. We would also like to thank Margot Jacob (Coverdale, MGC 1962) and Alex Surman (Tams, St J's & A 1996). who both retire from Committee this academic year.

Finally, it leaves me to introduce myself, Phillippa Weatherhead. I commenced my role as External Relations Manager at MSJ in August 2019. It has been a pleasure to get to know members of the OGA Committee and meet many Old Girls in my short time here and I am really looking forward to meeting many more of you as we plan even more exciting events in the coming months.

The team now consists of myself, Camilla King, External Relations Assistant, and Fiona Meredith who has now taken on the role of Development Director, supporting our Headmistress and governors in fundraising for the School’s development plans, which you can read about at the front of the magazine. Fiona, who has spent the last 5 years looking after the OGA Office, will continue to remain closely involved with the Association.

The beginning of 2020 has been a challenging and unusual time for us all in light the COVID-19 outbreak and this has had an impact on the way in which we all live and work. The magazine was compiled before the lockdown and we understand that many of the events and initiatives mentioned within may have to be postponed. We ask that all those planning to attend an OGA event please check our website or call the office on tel: 01684 584613 before doing so and we very much hope to see many of you at an event soon.

Wishing you all the very best during these challenging times.

Phillippa Weatherhead

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT! We couldn’t do what we do without you…

2018/19 Donors Mr and Mrs Orson Cheng Mr and Mrs Lam Mr and Mrs Gary and Kaftine Pang Mr and Mrs John and Sarah Connell Mr Andres Obregon Three Anonymous These donations raised a total of £16,411 for the Founders’ Awards Bursary Fund. Thank you to all: your generosity is much appreciated.

The retiring collection from the OGA London Carol Concert raised £242.51 which was split equally between The Founders’ Awards Bursary Fund and St George’s Church Bloomsbury’s Winter Shelter for the Homeless.

MSJ ARCHIVES Our thanks go to the following who have provided items to the Archives: Mrs Jen Murray (Carter, MGC 1947) for a posthumous donation Hazel Roberts (MGC Honorary Member 1975-88) Melanie Smart, on behalf of Janet Patricia Hopper (MGC 1940s) Mrs Jose Thomas (MGC 1945) Various from the estate of Miss Margaret Wood (MGC 1960) Mrs Libby Griffin, on behalf of Mrs Gillian Mayall – Honorary Member, Lawnside 1971-77

Volunteering Thanks to Mrs Mary Laver (Boyle, St J’s 1974) for the regular time she volunteers with the Archives. We also thank Mrs Jenni Chuck for her time donated to the archives over the past 3 years. Jenni has now retired from the role: we wish her a fond farewell and look forward to seeing her at Honorary Member events.

Thank you to all of those who gave time to come back to school this year. Between you, you have given 375 hours of voluntary service to the school. Those who came back to talk to girls and the MSJ Community have a combined audience reach of around 1600.

Caroline Copeland (MGC 2005) – Guest Speaker at Prizegiving 2019 Fiona Sperry (MGC 1988) – OGA Lecture Guest Speaker Sarah Haywood (Reid-Pitcher, St James’s 1981) and Mel Bles (Garforth-Bles, MGC 1996) – Keynote Speakers at the Careers Fair 2019 Melissa Baker (Farbon, MGC 1993), Janet Axten-Rice (Price, The Abbey 1975), Felicity Robinson (Rivett, MGC 1973), Zoe James-Williams (MGC 1991), Gemma Bruce (Knowles, St J&A 1995), Tamsin Learoyd-Hill (Fordham, MGC 1995) – consultants at the Careers Fair 2019 Lucy Walton (MSJ 2017) and Nicky Connell (MSJ 2019) – Guest Coaches at the MSJ AstroTurf Launch Lizzie Lewis (MSJ 2011) – Sixth Form Business Breakfast Speaker Ellie Hatt (MSJ 2016) – Sixth Form Experience speaker Miss Duseline Stewart and Dr Val Payne – gardening volunteers for the Founders’ Garden All of the Jenny Lind singers plus all Old Girls who formed the Choir for the OGA London Carol Service, and Mrs Lynne Lindner, Head of Performance and Vocal Studies, who arranged and conducted them. Thanks also to Miss Elizabeth Mullenger who helped with the arrangements for the Service.

The OGA Trustees and Committee

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Call 01684 892288 oga@malvernstjames.co.uk www.malvernstjames.co.uk Malvern St James, 15 Avenue Road, Great Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 3BA