Notting Hill and Ealing High School Old Girls’ Association Newsletter 1893- 2016
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Contents p3
Letter from Lucinda Hunt, Head and President of the OGA
p6
Letter from Jane Sigaloff, OGA Chair
p8
Upcoming Events; dates for your diary
p10
At Work with Rupa Huq MP
p13
At School with London Grammar’s Hannah Reid
p16
At Home with Bishop Alison White
p19
2015 Events Catchup
p22
News from the Archives
p24
A Tribute to Lucy Cozens, former OGA Chair
p26
News from our Old Girls Articles and editorial by Lucia Hull, Alumnae Relations Officer and Jane Sigaloff, Old Girls’ Association Chair
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Front Cover: Girls on school trip to Gomshall, 1959
A Letter from Lucinda Hunt
Head and President of the OGA
As many of you will know, I have decided to step down from my role as Head of NHEHS at the end of this academic year, and this will be my last newsletter for the OGA magazine. I am, therefore, writing this with very mixed feelings and not a little nostalgia. It has not been an easy decision to make: I love my job and have felt so privileged to be Head of such a wonderful school, but my partner and I would like now to be able to spend a little more time together, particularly sailing in the Solent (or further afield if he gets his way!), skiing and walking and enjoying all the cultural opportunities that London has to offer.
I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead this outstanding school and to work with such delightful girls and dedicated staff. I am also very grateful for the support and loyalty of the parents and of the Old Girls’ Association and very much appreciate the strength and warmth of our whole school community. After eight years at the school I am extremely proud of the progress that the whole school community has made. Academic standards have gone from strength to strength but, more importantly, we have built on the tradition and legacy of those inspirational women who have gone before us, maintaining the unique
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Lucinda with girls and staff on the school trip to China
NHEHS atmosphere of friendliness, curiosity, respect and resilience, and giving every girl the opportunity to be her best and to have fun along the way. As you all know, I am also very proud of the fantastic facilities we have been able to develop with the backing of the GDST, but even more proud of how girls and staff have responded to the changes with such enthusiasm and embraced all their new opportunities with energy and creativity. It has been very exciting, this year, to see the new spaces being used to host such a variety of events. Highlights included the Chrystall Prize public speaking final, with our guest judges, Mel Giedroyc, Sarah Montague and Rageh Omaar, and the school production of Oh! What a Lovely War. For this the hall was festooned with
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a ‘Wall of Poppies’, each handmade by an NHEHS pupil and carrying dedications and quotations from moving war poetry. The revolving stage and Pierrot costumes gave us an authentic insight into Joan Littlewood’s vision and the girls made us laugh, and made us cry. We have also seen many entrepreneurial competitions, charity fundraising fairs and concerts, from the delightful Key Stage 1 Nativity to the stunning Senior School Chamber Groups. Assemblies by girls and staff have ranged from “Feminism” to “Mozart’s Women” and from “The Economics of Inequality” to “The Psychology of Schizophrenia”, filling the spaces with energy and creativity. Next week the first exchange visit of students from School 80 in Beijing
will begin here, and the Chinese Trip assembly on Monday reminded us all of the extraordinary experiences these new links can now give the girls. The Parents’ Guild Christmas Fair is a perfect example of the ways we can now open the school up to our wider community: the World Food Hall in the dining room and magical Santa’s Grotto in the new theatre were particularly impressive! And, of course, our annual Old Girls’ Tea in September, hosted by the super-efficient and hardworking Old Girls’ Committee, was a delight, with over 250 women returning for their reunions, from 1955 leavers to 2010 leavers. All had a lovely time reminiscing and catching up with old friends.
‘I am extremely proud of the progress that the whole school community has made.’ As I write this, the school is about to transform itself once again as 300 ten and eleven year olds arrive, nervously, for the 11+ entrance exam. As with everything at Notting Hill, our aim is to make them feel welcome, settled
and relaxed, even on such a nervewracking day. I am always hugely proud of our super Sixth Formers who scoop up the timid, and mop up the teary, so that by the time they leave at lunchtime every girl has a smile on her face and feels she has been able to do her best. And what a perfect theme on which to finish my annual message to all of you: I hope I have done my best for the school, and I have certainly had fun along the way! It has been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to meet so many of the NHEHS Old Girls. You are amazing women and I have learnt so much from you. I have very much enjoyed working with Jane Sigaloff and her doughty team of dedicated, invincible and endlessly entertaining NHEHS Old Girls, and I shall miss our meetings enormously. I am so delighted to learn that I will, however, be bestowed with an honorary Old Girl membership, and hope very much that I may be able to keep up with some of you through the annual Tea Party. May I finish by thanking you for your welcome and your support, and by wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy 2016.
Lucinda Hunt
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A Word from Jane Sigaloff
OGA Chair
Happy new year to you all. We had another fabulous tea party in September. Over 250 former pupils and staff joined us for a joyful afternoon. The reunions were plentiful – huge thanks to all their coordinators for their efforts in bringing their year groups together and back to school. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces. And our old girls enjoyed reconnecting with a large number of former staff too. Thanks for coming back to see us.
The tours were enjoyed by all and the new facilities admired (and envied) by those of us who remember a slightly different layout. One thing was agreed; the heart and soul of the school continues to remain the same - and the portrait of Harriet Morant-Jones and her knitted fingers still watches over the girls.
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The date for this year’s OGA tea party is Saturday 17th September 2016
from 2.15-5pm and everyone is most welcome. Details of the year groups that will have organised reunions can be found on p9, but if you are thinking about getting a group of old girls together from your year and would like some help, do get in touch and we will assist as much as we can. For photos from last year’s party, please visit the events page of the alumnae section of the NHEHS
website - http://www.nhehs.gdst.net/ alumnae/news/ I am delighted to report lots of exciting improvements to the OGA this year. We now have just over 2,800 registered members and are adding more all the time. Membership is now free to all alumnae so please do spread the word to all those you are in touch with. All we need in order to include you is your name, contact details and
year of leaving. You can sign up via the NHEHS website www.nhehs.gdst. net. Simply click on the alumnae link on the top right of your screen and complete the form on the Keep in Touch page.
died at the end of May at the age of 89, having only really handed over the running of the OGA at the age of 80. Please join us in remembering a wonderful NHEHS girl by reading her obituary on p24.
Thanks as ever to the wondercommittee and to Lucia Hull,
As you will also read, the current Head Lucinda Hunt is leaving NHEHS at the
our Alumnae Relations Officer at school, who is working so positively, energetically and enthusiastically with us to bring you more. There’s lots to read about in this edition. In September we had an OG v current pupils netball match, in October there was a stand up (sit down) comedy night and there is more coming… Details of upcoming events are on p8.
end of this academic year. We will miss her enormously and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for such support of all things OGA. We look forward to having her as a special guest at our tea parties for years to come.
Liz Broekmann, the school librarian and archivist continues to provide us with fascinating glimpses into our history and some excellent photos too. Those of you at the tea party will have been lucky enough to see the exhibits she provided for us. I am delighted to report that the OGA is going to fund the digitization of the whole school photographs so soon you will be able to view these too. Sadly, Lucy Cozens, my predecessor and indeed the champion of this OGA,
Please do send us your news. If not via the website, then please email Lucia at l.hull@nhehs.gdst.net or if you’d rather write, c/o NHEHS, 2 Cleveland Road, Ealing, London W13 8AX. As ever all updates, however general, are hugely welcomed. With all best wishes,
Jane Sigaloff (NHEHS 1978-1991)
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Upcoming Events in 2016
Dates for your Diary It promises to be a wonderful afternoon and we very much look forward to welcoming everyone living within striking distance.
Edinburgh Reunion Tea Party 20 February 2016, 2 - 4pm Eteaket Tea Room, 41 Frederick Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1EP We look forward to welcoming Old Girls living in Scotland and the North of England to our first regional tea party. Tea tickets are ÂŁ15.95 (plus booking fee) and can be booked online at www. ticketsource.co.uk/date/221243 The tea ticket entitles you to the much loved Eteaket Afternoon Tea and of course the unique opportunity to meet up with NHEHS Old Girls, some whom may have lived in the area for decades, other perhaps just a few months.
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We’d love to make sure that every Old Girl living nearby knows about this opportunity to meet up so please do pass this invitation on to any Old Girls you know who may be interested in coming along.
Breakfast with Year 13 29 April 2016 8.30 - 10.30am NHEHS Old Girls are warmly invited back to school on the 29 April 2016 from 08.30-10.30am to come and meet the current Year 13s. The aim of the morning is to offer the girls the opportunity to hear from and
meet Old Girls who work in a wide variety of professions and to give them a chance to find out more about how the Old Girls got to where they are today. The morning will start with coffee and croissants. We’ll then hear 5 minute talks from 4 Old Girls about their careers with the theme of ‘using your networks’. Following the talks the Year 13s will chat to Old Girls in small groups in a speed dating type format. We would love as many Old Girls as possible to come along and participate. Last year the event was a huge success. The Year 13 girls found the morning invaluable and Old Girls who took part thoroughly enjoyed themselves. If you would like to come along please email l.hull@nhehs.gdst.net.
For tickets and information about all NHEHS Old Girls’ events please contact Lucia Hull, Alumnae Relations Officer: l.hull@nhehs.gdst.net 020 8233 8533
The Old Girls’ Association Tea Party 17 September 2016 2.15 -5pm NHEHS The Old Girls’ Association Annual Tea Party date has been set and it will take place on 17 September 2016. There will be organised reunions for leavers from 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, 1991, 1986, 1981, 1976, 1971, 1966, 1961 and 1956 although as always, all NHEHS Old Girls are most welcome to come along. The price of the tea ticket remains £8 and is payable on the door. If you plan to attend please RSVP to l.hull@nhehs. gdst.net. We very much look forward to welcoming you back to school in 2016.
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At work with
Rupa Huq MP
On 7 May 2015 Rupa Huq (NHEHS 1990) was elected as the Labour MP for the school’s constituency - Ealing and Acton Central. Despite the swing to the conservatives across England, Rupa bucked the national trend and took the parliamentary seat from her Conservative predecessor.
She follows in the parliamentary footsteps of NHEHS alumna Barbara Ayrton Gould, who won the Hendon North seat for Labour back in 1945 and Angela Rumbold who held the Mitcham and Morden seat for the Conservatives between 1983 and 1997.
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Curious to learn more about her journey from leaving school to where she is now, Lucia Hull, Alumnae
Relations Officer, went to meet Rupa at the Houses of Parliament. On a dull and typically British day in late July, overlooking the Thames on the balcony terrace of the iconic building, Rupa confided with a smile that the experience of being a new MP was a bit like freshers week at University. There are so many traditions and quirks to familiarise herself with but she is relishing every moment. ‘It is an amazing honour and privilege to represent the community you grew up in. It’s also incredible to work in a palace - as Parliament is: the Palace of Westminster. My 43 years in Ealing was part of my success, indeed through 18 months of door knocking I
met several of my old NHEHS teachers who were rooting for me.’ Rupa’s background is in Sociology. Until the election she worked at Kingston University where she lectured in Sociology and Criminology. Reflecting on her move into politics, Rupa thinks back to her days at school and University. ‘I think it was probably those politics classes with Mrs Rhys, Ms Mercer, Mrs Anderson and Mrs Smith which opened my eyes to politics and set me on the path of becoming a politician. I always watched the news avidly. Then there was the 1987 election that Labour lost.’ ‘I was 15 at the time, so too young to vote but I was gripped by the coverage. Neil Kinnock did one of his “heroicin-defeat” speeches – “If they win tomorrow I warn you not to be sick, not to be old, not to be poor” – which was very rousing. I was known as Red Rupa for being quite contrary in my politics lessons.’ ‘I won the school prize for politics and went on to do a social and political science degree at Cambridge. We had lots of MPs speak at the
university, including Tony Blair who I interviewed for a student magazine. He was a great communicator and had a real magnetism.’ ‘The 1992 election was the first I could vote in. It was held during a vacation so we had a campaign in Cambridge to identify who our student voters were and sign them up for a postal vote. If we knew a student was Labour and from a safe Conservative seat, we told them that their vote wouldn’t count at home, so they should use a postal vote to make a difference in Cambridge. When the results came in, Labour went from third place to first. Being involved in the overthrow of a safe Conservative seat at the age of 20 was a great feeling!’ Rupa clearly worked hard during the election campaign of 2015 too. Her ambition was to knock on all 70,000 doors of her constituency. ‘During the election campaign I was door-knocking in the day and also giving lectures, I did my marking and admin overnight. I don’t know what I was expecting really because I couldn’t see beyond May 7th. I hadn’t given my notice at work. I thought my life would
Rupa campaigning on the streets of Ealing with Labour leader Ed Miliband
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be over after the election, but in a way it had just begun.’ The day I spent at Westminster with Rupa was a challenging one. She had organised a debate on housing supply in London, she had a real opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives.
‘I thought my life would be over after the election, but in a way it had just begun.’ In The Grand Committee Room, an annex to Westminster Hall, more than 20 London MPs, from both the Labour and Conservative parties assembled to debate the issue introduced by Rupa. She had one and a half hours to get her message across and have a tangible influence on government policy on an issue close to her heart and one which was high on her agenda during her campaign.
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As Rupa swept into the room she was greeted by cheery hello’s from her colleagues. She kicked off the debate in fine form, offering up a plethora of interesting facts, probing questions and a very clear agenda on what she wanted to achieve through the debate. The debate was very heated, and Rupa argued well. However she left feeling
frustrated that she wasn’t able to achieve more. She felt the opposition had failed to respond adequately to her questions. Apparently some days are like this and some days are victories. One of her early triumphs was on air pollution. As a direct result of her intervention the Environment Minister, Rory Stewart MP, offered cleaning equipment to be used in Horn Lane, Acton, a pollution hot spot. Rupa’s eyes light up talking about her successes. ‘I’m hopeful that there is more that I can do to make a real difference.’ Going forward Rupa says she seeks to represent her constituents with compassion and wisdom, but always while keeping her feet firmly on the ground. ‘Politics needs more normal people that hail from or at least reside in the communities they seek to serve,’ she says. It is Rupa’s belief that ‘the best politicians are those who are personally invested in the community, who live there seven days a week, using the hospitals and enrolling their children in the schools.’ Rupa is still very much committed to the NHEHS Old Girls’ Association, and along with the local candidates from other parties she enjoyed being invited in for the Sixth Forms’ mock election hustings last term. She is also hoping to be able to host a visit to the Houses of Parliament for a group of A-level pupils in the near future. We wish Rupa well as she represents Ealing and Acton Central at Westminster.
At school with
Hannah Reid is truly international, with concerts selling out in the USA, Europe and Australia.
No surprise then that there was a real buzz around the school when Hannah returned to be interviewed for the Old Girls’ Association magazine. Hannah was keen to express the gratitude she feels towards the school for setting her on the road to achieving such enormous success.
hw Hanna
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sh hitmar bbie W e D a f Dram Head o
Hannah Reid (NHEHS 2008) is a singer-songwriter, and along with two friends she met at university, part of the band ‘London Grammar’. The band are enjoying enormous success, with their debut album ‘Metal and Dust’ reaching no. 2 in the UK charts. In 2013, iTunes named ‘Metal and Dust’ their Album of the Year. In 2014 the band were awarded an ‘Ivor Novello’ for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for their single ‘Strong’. Previous winners of this award include; George Harrison’s Something (1969), Sting’s Every Breath You Take (1983), and Ed Sheeran’s The A Team (2012). London Grammar’s appeal
When Hannah left school she thought she might become a psychoanalyst or a psychotherapist. Writing songs, she says, was always a hobby rather than an ambition. When she met her bandmates Dan Rothman and Dot Major, they started making music together and then in her words ‘it just kind of happened.’ ‘Being in a band is really fun. Me, Dan and Dot are really good friends and being able to go into a studio and be creative every day is a real gift. That is my favourite thing.’ ‘Often I will write a song privately, then I will play it to them, and then
London Grammar at The Ivors 2014
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together we put the music together. Then sometimes there are songs that just come out live, when we are all in a room together, and who knows how it happens.’ Hannah has been playing and writing music since her time at school. She spent her free periods playing the piano in the practice rooms in the West Wing (for the slightly older Old Girls that’s the building that replaced Skipton). She would perform impromptu shows with friends during lunch breaks, and – in the words of Drama Teacher, Ms Whitmarsh ‘Hannah was an absolutely beautiful performer.’
‘Teachers matter so much. They shape you so much more than you realise’ ‘One of the first songs I ever wrote I remember playing in assembly when I was about 14. I remember first playing it to Mr Bushby who was Head of Music. He told me he thought the song was brilliant. He was the first person to ever say that I was good. Also, I auditioned for the choir and I just started to sing a song, and he told me that I was amazing.’
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Teachers matter so much. They shape you so much more than you realise and it is only when you are an adult… you realise if [Mr Bushby] hadn’t said something to me, or let me use the music equipment in break times, then
maybe I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.’ Despite Hannah’s natural talent, testified to by all her teachers, she has always shied away from the stage. Looking through the archives of school performances you find little trace of Hannah. She never once acted in school productions or performed in concerts. She found her stage fright was too intense to bear so she kept drama performances for exams alone. And yet, since leaving school Hannah has performed to vast audiences all over the world. Not without a battle. Her stage fright is still with her but she has mustered everything she has to fight it. In fact, rather than citing the festivals she has performed at or the Ivor Novello award that the band has received, Hannah says that her most significant achievement is getting over her stage fright. ‘Every time I perform is an achievement. The size of the audience really affects me. The first gig that we ever did, which was when we finished the album and one of the songs was doing quite well online, was a secret gig for 60 people, I was so nervous and I didn’t know how I would ever be able to do it. To me 60 people was horrendous. I was like ‘I’m really sorry I’ve been lying the whole time, I’ve signed this contract but I can’t do it. And then 60 people turned into 100, which turned into 500 and each time was just as hellish and then 500 turned into 10,000, and the biggest we’ve ever done is 40,000.’
Hannah with bandmates Dan Rothman and Dot Major
‘But now 500 is fine, so I could do a school play now!’ ‘I’ve tried lots of ways to overcome my stage fright. I’ve tried hypnotherapy, which didn’t work, and eventually I just felt the fear and did it anyway. It has never completely gone away. When I had stage fright at school, Ms Whitmarsh was really nice about it. I remember she encouraged me to do a GCSE exam performance and I said ‘I don’t think I can do it’ and she said, ‘its fine, if you can’t do it, just rearrange it and do it the next day’, which actually I don’t think was possible but because she told me that I could do that, I managed to do the performance. I have the same thing with London Grammar, the boys say ‘if you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to do it’ and not having that pressure has meant that I could go out and do it. My advice to anyone would be feel the fear and do it anyway.’
Despite the fame, Hannah has kept her feet well and truly on the ground. She is modest and unassuming. ‘We were a great year group at school’, she says ‘so friendly and down to earth. My school friends have kept me quite grounded. They are all these amazing women, which is so nice to come home to after being on tour. I think that you can pick a Notting Hill Girl out of the crowd, or a GDST girl in fact.’ Hannah’s genuine humility and warm nature only make her an even more remarkable artist. She is, in her own words, someone who ‘just can’t help but write music.’ ‘My time at Notting Hill is something I look back on now as really precious. I’ve always wanted to try and find a way to thank my teachers, so hopefully this is my opportunity!’
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At home with
Bishop Alison White
On the 3 July 2015, by the Queen’s assent, Rev Canon Alison White (NHEHS 1975) was consecrated as the Bishop of Hull. She is only the second female Bishop to be appointed in the history of the Church of England. Legislation to allow women to become bishops was passed in November 2014, just under half a millennia after the institutions’ conception. The revolution in equality over the past century has meant that it’s hard to imagine a field or career where your gender might mean that there is a prescribed ceiling on what you could achieve. What would it be like seeing person after person promoted ahead of you because of something about your identity you were powerless to change?
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The history of NHEHS is peppered with stories of women who took a stand to challenge the status quo on matters of significance such as this. You only have to read the article on page 22 to see how many of our Old Girls were involved with the suffragette movement to discover how true this is. What struck me as we spoke in Alison’s office in late July was that there wasn’t even the slightest hint of resentment over this issue of gender equality. Her desk in her new home is piled high with cards of congratulations and unpacked boxes. It all looks very normal. There is nothing here to indicate the seismic shift which her appointment represents. The Church of England was
established in 1534. Alison remarks ‘I was at University from 1975 – 78, and at that stage in the Church of England it was extremely rare to come across women in public ministry.’ It wasn’t until 1985 that legislation was passed permitting women to fill the relatively junior role of deacon. In 1987 Alison was one of the first women to be appointed to this position. Then in 1992 the Church of England opened up the priesthood to women and in 1994 Alison was one of the first women to be ordained. She says ‘It has been a long journey in one way, but in another way, in the context of Church History it has been very quick.’ ‘I think there is a very significant journey for people [in the Church] to make between theory and practice. My experience of leadership is that people can project a lot of anxiety about the theory, but when they
‘My
encouragement to women would be to go for it, just do it, be it.’ encounter the person, it is different, because they aren’t dealing with an ‘out there’, they are dealing with this person. So actually the fantasy they might have been carrying isn’t realised. So my encouragement to women would be to go for it, just do it, be it.’ Alison is emphatic about the effect that her education at NHEHS has had on her, particularly with regard to the question of equality;
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‘At school it was just assumed that we were intelligent, capable young women who were going to make our mark and a difference in whatever sphere we were in. There wasn’t even a question about a barrier, I remember no discussion of that, at all.’ At the age of 18 Alison had no idea that one day she would be kneeling before Archbishop Semantu and 2000 people, including 60 bishops from across the globe who gathered at York Minster to attend her consecration service. ‘[School taught me that] women can just do and be what they might want to do and be. That is a great gift to give to women as they go on to do whatever they choose to do.’ Alison has very fond memories of school, despite suffering the loss of her mother during her time here. ‘I remember school being hugely
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stimulating. I got involved with sport, drama, the library, editing the school magazine. I loved that huge range of things that went alongside my school work.’ ‘My mother died while I was at school. Mrs Hendry was the Head at the time and I stayed in touch with her for a long time. She was great and the staff were very compassionate about it all. I think from that point of view, where girls are handling big things outside of school, when school it is good, it is just the most wonderful, stable environment.’ The school is so glad to have played a part in Alison’s story and is immensely proud of her and her achievements. We wish her the very best in her role at this exciting time when for the first time in the Church’s long history men and women have the potential to lead equally.
Alison with her husband Bishop Frank White and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu
2015 Events Catchup
Old Girls v Current Girls Netball Match Report At 6pm on Tuesday 15th September 2015, seven Old (and not so old) Girls reinstated an old tradition of sporting competition between the Old Girls’ Association and current school teams. There had been some email banter in advance of the showdown, but absolutely no training whatsoever. For some of our team, it had been decades since they had played a competitive match of netball and yet, as we all
entered the indoor sports hall - a space far superior to the outdoor courts of our school days - our competitive spirits kicked in. We were here, not only to represent the Old Girls’ Association but to try and win our match too. We had all played for school in our time at NHEHS. Indeed for Katie Harvey (GA), Cleo Thomas (GD), Kasia Balon (WD) and Jane Sigaloff (WA), it was a reunion of the first VII from 1990/91. Louise Day – (GS) had last played for NHEHS in 1987 – and amazingly she was wearing most of her
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original PE kit from school. Thankfully we also had the more youthful legs of Jessica Booth (C) and Lucia Platings (GK) on our side. The game started well as goal for goal we managed to keep up with the Year 13 A Team and miraculously we remembered most of the rules. By half-time we had managed a lead of 10-7 but the redness of our faces told a different story. In the third quarter (for it is no longer a game of two halves in the twenty-first century) we fell behind as our match fitness let us down. After a quick pep talk we dug deep, very deep and channeling Miss Chapman, Miss McBurney, Mrs Tidbury, Mrs Bond, Mrs Wilson, Mrs Cooper and the other PE teachers of our school days we pulled back to 18-18 at the final whistle. Had we had another five minutes I’d like to think we might even have pulled ahead – probably just as well we didn’t have a chance to find out. After much hugging and high-fiving, we bounced out of the sports hall, full of adrenaline and excitement, vowing that this would be the first of many matches. If you would like to join us for the next match, please email Lucia; l.hull@ nhehs.gdst.net, stating your preferred position. We would love to have an OGs squad, and depending on interest, might even manage a mini tournament. The next date has yet to be confirmed. We will keep you posted.
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Friday Night Presents: Pippa Evans, Rachel Mars, Philippa Boyle et al. When word got out that three Old Girls, now professional performers, were returning to Notting Hill and Ealing’s drama studio to do what they do best, it wasn’t long before tickets were sold out.
‘the audience had not anticipated comedy that made them cry laughing and opera that moved them to tears!’ Guests arrived, excited as they spotted familiar faces of years gone by. Former teachers, parents and Old Girls packed into the studio not knowing quite what to expect. What the audience had not anticipated was comedy that made them cry laughing, and opera that moved them to tears! Pippa Evans, Head Girl of 2000, was the host for the evening. Pippa is now a stand-up comedian with regular slots on BBC 4’s Now Show, and is part of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, recently showing at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue to rave reviews. With great energy Pippa reminisced about her school days, from its peculiar traditions to its brilliant teachers. Her comic genius was evident to all as she introduced
From left to right: Philippa Boyle, Pippa Evans, Liz Mee and Rachel Mars
the audience to a number of her characters. Audience members were in awe at her superb word-smithing, particularly as she improvised a love song for one unsuspecting audience member to lip-sync to another! Pippa invited Liz Mee to the stage. Liz was our invited comedy guest who, although not an Old Girl, surprised and delighted the audience with her musings on life in leafy Ealing. Rachel Mars, (class of 1998) is a performance maker with a background in theatre, live art and comedy. Her contributions to BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought and The Guardian are always wonderfully humorous and thought provoking. Rachel started with a bit of stand up comedy, on the theme of how odd it was to be back at school, 17 years after
leaving, performing to former teachers and fellow Old Girls. The audience thoroughly enjoyed her performance which included a Pecha Kucha on heroism and courage. Philippa Boyle (class of 2003) was our grand finale. Philippa is a professional lyric soprano. Her performance blew the audience away. She sang Italian and Russian arias then treated us to a rendition of Cole Porter’s I hate men from Kiss Me Kate; offering a comic twist to end her fabulous showcase. The NHEHS OGA would like to say an enormous thanks to Pippa, Rachel and Philippa for everything they did to make the evening such a success. The sense of affection for the school was palpable in the room and as one parent commented ‘the whole evening was a feast for the senses.’
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News from the Archives Liz Broekmann What a year we have had in the archives! Enquiries have come in from around the world and we have had a visit from a researcher studying the women who signed the 1866 suffrage petition. On the administrative side, we have digitised some of the school magazines and purchased archive software which will help with the recording of the documents we have. The magazine digitisation has already proved tremendously helpful when dealing with enquiries. The goal now is to raise funds to enable us to continue the process until all magazines have been digitised and indexed. We plan also to get the (very large) wholeschool photographs scanned so they are both preserved and more accessible, and we are very grateful to the OGA for their offer of support for this. The plan is to make both the magazines and the photographs available online to the whole school community, including Old Girls.
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Displays have been an effective way of promoting the archives and encouraging curiosity about the school’s history. A recent display, timed to coincide with the release of the movie ‘Suffragette’, focused on some of the Notting Hillites who were involved in the struggle for women’s suffrage.
Aeta Adelaide Lamb (NHEHS 1899) was one of the longest serving organisers in the Women’s Social and Political Union, a militant organisation which campaigned for women’s suffrage. She spent time at the WSPU headquarters in London where she wrote some of Christabel Pankhurst’s speeches. Other old girls who we know were involved in the WSPU were Ernestine Evans Bell (NHEHS 1885), who befriended Sylvia Pankhurst while at the Royal College of Art, Hertha Ayrton – a Science teacher at Notting Hill in the early 1880s, her daughter Barbara Ayrton Gould (NHEHS 1898) who later became the Labour MP for Hendon North and Margaret Haig Thomas (NHEHS 1899), later 2nd Viscountess Rhondda. All took part in rallies and militant activities. In Lady Rhondda’s case, this included jumping onto the running board of Prime Minister Asquith’s car in Scotland and using a chemical bomb to destroy a post box in Newport. Several of these women were imprisoned and some took part in hunger strikes, including Lady Rhonda, Aeta Lamb and Gertrude Lowy whose hunger-strike medal came up for auction in 2014. Not all the Notting Hill girls adopted a militant approach. Helen Swanwick
From left to right: Barbara Ayrton Gould, Hertha Ayrton, Margaret Haig Thomas, Winifred Holtby
(NHEHS 1882), daughter of the artist Oswald Sickert, disagreed with the violence of the WSPU and joined the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies instead. For a while, its vicepresident was former NHEHS teacher Hertha Ayrton. Helen was editor of the Weekly Journal and remained on the Executive Committee until 1915 when she resigned over the refusal of the Union to send delegates to the International Women’s Congress at The Hague. Serving with her on the Executive Committee was Signora Gambardella (Alexandra Wright) (NHEHS 1897) who later joined the New Constitutional Society for Women’s Suffrage, together with her sister Francis. Clara Rackham (nee Tabor) (NHEHS 1891) was a non-militant member of the suffragette movement who gave speeches all over the country. On one occasion, she was rebuked for showing her ankles in an unladylike manner on the speaker’s platform! She summed up what the women of the time were striving for when she proclaimed: We are tired of always working for men and through men. We want to work as voters, side by side with men.
Some of the women put their special talents to good use in support of the cause. Ernestine Evans Bell, a trained artist, designed suffragette badges and Winifred Holtby, an NHEHS History teacher in the 1920s - who had previously worked as a journalist produced a booklet entitled A New Voter’s Guide to Party Programmes to help women voters engage with the political process after they got the vote in 1928. These women didn’t only campaign for votes, but for a better deal for women in general. Lady Rhondda, for instance, founded the Six Point Group in 1921. This was a feminist campaign group which pressed for changes to some of the laws affecting families including child abuse, unmarried mothers and guardianship arrangements in marriage. It has been such an amazing year, and I feel privileged to have enjoyed so much positive contact with old girls, family historians and researchers and to have had the opportunity to further explore the history of this amazing school.
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A Tribute to
Lucy Cozens
For decades, Lucy Cozens was synonymous with the NHEHS OGA. I first remember reading her name in the back of the school magazine in the late 1970s when I was pupil in the Junior School and she was already at the helm of the OGA, delivering news of these mysterious and accomplished Old Girls, the names of whom I’d savour as I read the magazine whilst crunching my way through a bowl of breakfast cereal. It was only when I became an Old Girl myself, indeed a girl who had left ten years ago, that in 2001 I contacted Lucy about organising my year group’s ten year reunion, and that is how I became involved in the OGA. Lucy assembled a Committee of wonderful women, many of whom are still on the Committee today. A Committee representing all eras of Notting Hill girls, at the heart of which lies friendship, warmth, can-do and dedication - all NHEHS traits. Indeed Lucy was the epitome of an NHEHS girl.
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It was only through her dedication, positivity, strength and determination that the Old Girls’ Association continued to thrive through the almost four decades that she was at the helm. It wasn’t always easy but in Lucy the OGA had a leader to inspire and admire. Lucy never took no for an answer, unless of course it was the
answer she was looking for.
1925 - 2015
Lucy Stedman was born in Ealing, the eldest of three daughters. Her father William was an architect and her mother Martha was a piano teacher who studied at the Guildhall School of Music. Lucy learned piano from her mother and also played the cello. Lucy started school at NHEHS in the spring term of 1937 at the age of 11. It was the beginning of nearly 80 years of involvement with the school, as a pupil, as a parent, as a grandparent and of course for many years as Secretary of the Old Girls’ Association. Our archivist has discovered that Lucy was the Form Captain of III Upper A by the summer term of 1937. I am not in the least bit surprised. The war intervened in her time at school and her dreams of being a cartographer were put to one side. During the war she attended a music camp where she played her cello in a performance of a Mendelssohn Octet at the age of 17, and she continued to be in demand playing her cello, as she put it, ‘semi professionally.’ Immediately after the war she and her sister Ursula travelled to Holland with
the Alexandra Choir to give concerts to boost morale in devastated post war Europe. She also sang with the Bach Choir until her marriage in 1955. Lucy joined the Bank of England in 1943 where she worked for 14 years reaching a senior position in the wages department and even using an early computer, the size of a room. Lucy met Dennis, her husband of 48 years, when she played her cello alongside his flute at the Haven Green Baptist Church. Later they ran a very successful music section of the Ealing Arts Club putting on regular concerts and talks. Sadly shortly after his retirement, Dennis was diagnosed with dementia. When he moved to St David’s home in 1996, she visited him every afternoon until he died in 2003. While Lucy initially joined the OGA in 1943, in the late 1970s she joined the OGA Committee and shortly afterwards took on the most senior position of Secretary. She remained at the helm for nearly forty years, working alongside Miss Percy, Mrs Fitz and Mrs Whitfield. Lucy had a fantastic memory and an encyclopedic knowledge of our members. For years Lucy kept the OGA card index, old prize giving
programmes and school magazines and guarded this archive as if they were the crown jewels. It was only when the school employed an archivist that she was happy to hand them over. It was Lucy who introduced, and for many years co-ordinated, the afternoon tea party for the OGA thus transforming the OGA into the vibrant organisation it is today. She welcomed Old Girls to return to the school for tea and tours and to reminisce. She was keen to maintain certain standards, always insisting on a cream tea with porcelain cups and saucers. We will miss her visits to our September tea parties and her typically direct feedback on proposed changes to the future of the OGA but rest assured that we will remember her. Her love of life was infectious and as you would expect, she remained active and interested right up to the end. She had an indomitable spirit, an enthusiasm for life, enormous positivity and a warm-hearted nature. Without Lucy the OGA would not be the force to be reckoned with that it is today. And we thank her for that, and also for her years of friendship.
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News from the Old Girls Ena Appleford (Bailey) 1945 I left Notting Hill in 1945 and am now 87 years of age. I do have good memories of my days at Notting Hill which were during the war years. Our School Certificate exams were taken in the school cloakrooms, as being ground floor, they were considered the safest places! Miss McCraig was an excellent headmistress and she and her dedicated staff have left me with many memories of a very good education followed by University. Marion Nocchi (Hands) 1948 We had a dreadful storm here in Italy last winter and 15 of our lovely trees were blown down. We now have plenty of firewood! Now we are having the hottest summer that I can ever remember, with temperatures over 30°. I still teach English as a second language and my theatre group (OAPs) gave their best performance ever last May and we have been asked to do another show for charity. Janet Reeves (Glanville) 1951 Magical memories – who remembers Mrs Finn and Miss Hayman, Miss Ralph, Miss Bentham, Miss Oswald, Miss Davies, Miss Wilson, Miss Irons, Miss Macpherson, Miss Bagalley now – as if it was yesterday? Who remembers orange jelly and the buns we had at milk time with Miss Honey and Miss Front i/c of catering. I do and at 81 – school is still remembered with affection and memories are everlasting. All good wishes to the class of 1944 – 51. I remember the names of most of them – where are you Gloria Elvin, Jennifer Foster, Christine Forster, Audrey Somper? Evelyn Fuggle (Robinson) 1951
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I am still living in Weymouth and continue to lead a very busy life, although I celebrated my
80th birthday last December. Rita Bretzke (De’ath) 1956 I have been saddened by the deaths recently of two friends from school – Judy Blunt (nee Scott) and Rhoda Smith (nee Robbins). I continue with active membership of the Mothers’ Union. Members work voluntarily throughout the world for the practical and spiritual welfare of others. Issues of domestic violence against women are high on the agenda as members in many countries cite these as major problems. Having been a social worker I am very much aware of the consequences of these issues. In my leisure time I enjoy being with my ‘nearly’ three year old granddaughter, also gardening, walking and informal ‘history lessons’ from visiting historic sites, from TV and radio and through discussion groups. Virginia Patterson (Thorp) 1956 We had a wonderful holiday in Spain last year with my daughter and her family and this year we have planned another in S-W France with them. Apart from this we are also celebrating my husband’s 80th birthday with at least 2 parties, maybe more! We are very grateful for reasonable health! Mrs Ann Treloar (Makepeace) 1956 When I left school in 1956, I went to do a teacher training and left Roehampton for York in 1959. I have lived in the North of England but now live in Edinburgh, where we have been for nine years. I lost touch with NHEHS over the years but my cousin, Felicity Isaac (Malpas) sent me the magazine this year, and I decided that it was high time that I joined! I have so many memories of school days in Redlands, Skipton and then the Senior School. I have always been grateful for the teaching especially
the music with Miss Towns and Mr Kennedy Schott who came on a Friday afternoon and taught us about Early Music. I have had a lot to do with music both while teaching in Primary Schools and in retirement lead the Edinburgh U3A Singing Group. Caroline Thorp (Mrs Baynes) (1957) We celebrated our Golden Wedding this summer, and to make it more fun for the grandchildren we had a bouncy slide, garden jenga, and snakes and ladders, plus a pianist tinkling away all the time! We all enjoyed fabulous weather, lunch for 24 relations, followed by tea for 50 friends. Our daughter presented us with an amazing album of our life; she had written to all sorts of people to get their input, and the grandchildren provided pictures and typed remarks to include! I'm still playing the organ here and there. We enjoyed a cruise round the British Isles, and a brief holiday in Switzerland, to mark a special year.
Judith Stokes (Hayes) 1963 It has become an annual event for a group of 1963 school leavers to meet together for lunch, usually on a Saturday in April or May, at a restaurant above Victoria Station. We all look forward to this occasion since it gives us the opportunity to catch up with one another’s news and to reminisce about school days! Jill Beavin, (Gillian Mann) 1965 We had a Fantastic reunion at Geraldine's in August which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would like to thank Geraldine, Sue and Janet for all their hard work. It was fascinating catching up with everyone. Hilary Joyce (nee McKenzie) 1965
I’m always interested to hear the news of Old Girls and look forward to the Tea Party.
Following the death of my husband in 2013 I have taken over the running of our organic farm on a semi-retired basis – to date a flock of Dorset sheep, ewes and 2 donkeys plus selfcatering holiday accommodation. I continue as Chairman of the Trustees of the nearby Pilsdon Community (pilsdon.org.uk) church warden and parish councillor. When I have the time I make ceramics, paint, make patchwork quilts and knit (becklandsorganicfarm.co.uk).
Clair Laye (Grainger) 1957
Hilary Gordon (Champion) 1966
I now have two new knees so I'm able to get out and about again, walking in the Yorkshire Dales and continuing volunteer teaching in the Leeds General Infirmary Children's Hospital School.
I continue to tutor from home and in Ealing, Acton and Chiswick and was very pleased to find that my local students followed me, when we moved house in January, despite some of them having to travel another 5 or 6 miles.
Miss Chapman, Staff 1951 – 1984
Diana Balogh (James) 1959 No real personal news. Just lots of thoughts! And memories and hope for the future. Modern history and circumstances seem sadly forgotten by younger generations of politicians. So I hope for a better European and world future. Antonia Chalmers (Hayes) 1960 Now widowed; still working part-time; enjoying grandchildren, singing, Zumba and tap dancing, and social interaction with school and other contemporaries.
Susie Leigh (Susan Softness) 1966 I am now known as Susie Leigh. I live in Stanmore and I am still enjoying being a senior lecturer at Middlesex University. I teach Human Resource Management and I have worked there since 1996. My first career was in Market Research and my second in Personnel Management. I am married and have three grown up children and one baby granddaughter. Rosemary Pearce (nee Smartt) 1968 We moved to the country in October and did a 7 week tour in New Zealand in January! The
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house was found for us by the “Escape to the Country” team. It was a very interesting and fun experience making a TV programme. Diana Pemberton-Pigott (Sellman) 1969 I have had 2 very tough years as my beloved grandson was diagnosed with a brain tumour almost 2 years ago. He bravely endured one whole year of gruelling treatment which sadly led to his death last year aged 5. I now help my daughter and son-in-law run the charity set up in his memory; Blue Skye Thinking (in memory of Skye Hall). Sheila Sutton (Hartwell) 1973 Personal events this year have been, sadly, the passing away of my lovely 100 year old father on 22 March and the far happier news that there is a fifth ‘step’ grandchild on the way. Rachel Bourgoin (Frisby) 1974 I have finally embarked on a career and am working at a FE college in Exeter teaching A Level English Literature and Language. Jenny Briggs (Cooper) 1975 I retired from teaching in 2007 after parttime work at Northwood College and the last 14 years teaching full-time at North London Collegiate School. With my husband I enjoy our 6 grandchildren and travelling - most recently to South America during which we recalled Joan Hendry's sabbatical in the early Seventies when she travelled to Bolivia and Peru. It is still quite an adventure so how much more so, over 40 years ago! Elizabeth Darke (Braham) 1975 Now that my two children are getting to the end of full-time education, I am spending more time on my own greeting card business and as a trustee of the Samson Centre for MS, a multiple sclerosis therapy centre in Guildford, Surrey. Lesley Pollard (Wineman) 1975 Very briefly, a potted resume. I joined the BBC immediately after leaving school as a trainee secretary. I moved to Paris for two and a half years before returning to England.
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I met my husband, Steve, in 1983 and we got married in 1984 after a 'whirlwind' romance. Some said it was 'a bit quick' and others said 'it'll never last' but we celebrated out 30th anniversary last year! I have worked as a book keeper for the last 19 years, which I infinitely prefer to secretarial work! I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2001 but I am lucky that I am still able to get about a bit, albeit with a stick. Katy Batory (Briers) 1981 I am just finishing my second year of teaching. I am also getting re-married in August in Las Vegas! Mrs Catherine McBride (Martyn-Johns) 1982 It is a long time since I was a pupil at Notting Hill and 19 years since I attended a reunion. My two daughters are both older than I was when I left in 1982 and my son is the age I was when I acted in Time and the Conways for the 1979 school play. I'm not sure why the last 33 years since I left have gone by so much faster than the 11 long years I spent at NHEHS - I've been in my current job for as long - but I have so many vivid memories of my time there, the best of which were acting in the school plays directed by Miss Peerless, and the brilliant two years in the Sixth Form. The inspirational language teaching from Mrs Cuthbert-Smith and Mrs Watkins during my upper school years influenced my choice of career and the way I teach my own pupils today. Helena Bogdanopoulos (1985) Very much enjoying the Mediterranean lifestyle here in Cyprus but after 8 years as Chief CT/ MRI Radiographer at the Ygia Polyclinic, Limassol, I left and am now studying for a BSc (Hons) in Psychology. I now have more time to enjoy my hobbies: pilates, swimming, Greek and Latin American dance. I have also started learning classical guitar and have developed a passion for portrait painting/drawing, animal as well as human !! Jane Fitz, Headmistress, 1983 - 1991 I was lucky enough to visit Australia early this
year to see family and friends. Since returning I have been busy with my bereavement support work with children and young people for Cruse Bereavement Care UK in addition to supporting Save the Children as a fundraiser and two other charities in Cardiff. Being a lay member of the Ethics Committee of the Cardiff University School of Social Sciences is most interesting as we look at all the research proposals from students and academics on a monthly basis. More recently I trained as a supervisor for Cruse so that I can support other bereavement volunteers and as a speaker for Save the Children. I am going to a primary school in Cheltenham this month to tell them of the work that Save the Children does in Brazil. Vee Smith (Vibeke Rodrigues) 1984 I’m celebrating 10 years in business since I first set up after being made redundant in my PA/ Office Manager role. I’m now known as the Biz Tech Wiz and I simplify web tech tools so entrepreneurs can earn money from selling their services and expertise online (veesmith. com). 2015 has been quite eventful and full of changes. Earlier this year I received a Star Award at the Extraordinary Lady Speaks Conference (read more about it here: http:// www.veesmith.com/2015/05/youre-doinggreat/). I sold my house and moved in with the fella of my life and we’re in the process of buying a house together. I also celebrated my 50th and was taken to Barbados for a special surprise holiday where I learnt to water ski. I am in touch with a few ‘old’ girls on Facebook and it would be lovely to connect again with others who remember me (vee@veesmith.com) Sian Davy (Tyte) 1985 I have lived in Australia for the past 10 years and am married with three children. I finally went back to do the degree I should have done years ago (rebel that I was!), studying Psychology with a Criminal Justice major while my children were at primary school. I am enjoying academic life finally and family life even more. Was sorry to miss our year's 30th reunion this September but plan to be at the next one for sure.
Debra Rapp (Sellman) 1985 I am a freelance portrait photographer, specialising in large-scale panoramic portraits. I’m currently working on a book to be published by Historic England in 2016 featuring photographs taken of the businesses in and around Stratford before the building of the London Olympic stadium. Clare Fleerackers 1987 I’ve been back working full time at Diageo for a year now and am (mostly) enjoying the challenge of being a working Mum! Our children are still small (5 and 3) – so there’s lots of juggling and lists going on in this household. My daughter started in Reception this year and one of the other mums is an old NHEHS pupil too (albeit much younger than me!). My role, in the luxury spirits part of the business, is a lot of fun and I spend my working days talking about how to get people inspired to make simple, great tasting cocktails at home instead of always serving wine and beer to their friends and family! Mrs. Anne Majcherczyk-Olczak (Majcherczyk) 1988 I studied Classics and History at St Mary's College Surrey University and went on to do a Secondary PGCE in History and Classics, also at St Mary's College Surrey University. I obtained a Masters degree at the Institute of Education London:MA in History in Education. I have been following a teaching career for 21 years and am currently teaching at St Benedicts School Ealing. I am a mother of twin boys! Lucy Cooper (Hammond) 1996 Venturing back into the world of work, very gradually, after being at home with my sons for 9 years. Madeline Graham (Squire) 2000 Our son, Edward, was born on 21 June 2015. A brother for big sister Philippa and all is well!
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Anna Gerova (McHugh) 2001
Isobel Jones 2009
I run my own venue sourcing business, negotiating contracts for corporate conferences and events globally. This typically entails lots of travel to check out 5* properties – tough life but someone has to do it! I recently indulged myself with a new hobby – motorcycling.
After being delayed three years due to severe illness, I have finally graduated high school after an intense and magical two years at the United World College Costa Rica and have been accepted by the University of Florida, where I will be starting in August.
Tally Watson (Nathalie Watson) 2004
Karolina Laskowska 2010
I qualified as a Chartered Civil Engineer in November 2014 and I am now working for the RNLI, looking after construction of lifeboat stations across the UK and Ireland.
I graduated in 2014 from De Montfort University with 1st class honours in Contour Fashion (BA). I showed at Graduate Fashion Week 2014, collections were featured in the Evening Standard, Daily Mail online, Vogue online. I then won New Designer of the year at the 2014 UK Lingerie Awards and Press’ Best Brand at the January 2015 Lingerie Edit.
Kate Fisher 2005 After leaving NHEHS, I read Psychology at St Andrews, followed by an MSc in Social Work at Bristol. I then worked for two and a half years in the management team of a therapeutic care home for adults with learning disabilities and mental health problems. I am currently working as a missionary in the social work team at a specialist children's home in Guatemala, for girls who have been sexually abused and have experienced high levels of trauma. I am very thankful for A-level Spanish, all those years ago, and am loving this adventure-filled life!
Send in your news We are always keen to hear from our Old Girls and would love to include your news in the next edition of the Old Girls’ newsletter. Please send your updates by email to l.hull@nhehs.gdst.net, online through the Keep in Touch pages of the wesbite: http://www.nhehs. gdst.net/alumnae/keep-in-touch/ or by post to Notting Hill and Ealing High School, 2 Cleveland Road, Ealing, London, W13 8AX We look forward to hearing from you! 30
In Memoriam Meriel Gillman (Pearson) Year of leaving NHEHS unknown Died on 20 November 2014 Ann Dyde (Hardy) NHEHS 1949 Died January 2015 Valerie Wagnall (Tristram) NHEHS 1955 Died December 2014 Ann Sullivan (Crofts) NHEHS 1969 Died on 15 June 2015 Alison Binns NHEHS 1975 Died on 11 August 2012 Pam Hallett (former Junior School staff, 1956-1982) Died on 9 August 2015
Back Cover: Year 7 girls on the front steps, 2016
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Notting Hill and Ealing High School Old Girls’ Association 2 Cleveland Road, Ealing, London, W13 8AX