St. Helen’s Old Girls News 2025
Officers of the Club
President Mrs Mary Morris
Vice Presidents Dr Yvonne Burne
Janet Kirchheimer
Dr Mary Short
Secretary Sally Fleming
The Wickets, 2 Moneyhill Road
Rickmansworth WD3 7EQ
Tel: 01923 772639
Email: sallyclarke25@hotmail.com
Treasurer Paula Ryan
15 Edward Road, Harrow HA2 6QB
Email: vpk18@hotmail.com
Charities Susan Northcott
Secretary Email: snoozenorthcott@gmail.com
Editors Kim Carr
Email: mrskimcarr@hotmail.com
Sally Fleming (See above)
Kate Bradley-Kidd
Email: katebkidd@gmail.com
Voluntary Teresa Betts
Archivist Tel: 01923 284371
Email: teresabetts@onetel.com
Letters from the Officers
The Secretary
Dear Old Girls,
It has been a good year with the arrival of the new head, Bridget Ward, who certainly hit the ground running with some new ideas and opportunities for the girls. Certainly sitting at Speech Day listening to all their achievements in the last year was awesome. The new format Old Girls’ Day was another triumph, a lovely sunny day which helped no end, and Old Girls attending aged from 23 up to late ‘80s. The noise in the Dining Room when everyone is chattering away is very loud! Again, Jean in the Development Office worked incredibly hard to make sure it was a success. I hope you enjoy reminiscing about the different sports you will have participated in in our feature on Sport Through The Ages, I certainly hadn’t realised the wide variety of activities that at some time or another had been available.
I was honoured to be able to attend Molly Bradley-Kidd’s funeral in Wales last December, and to be asked to read her reminiscences about her time at St. Helen’s. Molly was a pupil, a member of staff and a Branch Secretary until her death aged 100, so her connection with the school spanned 88 years.
My best wishes for a healthy and happy year ahead.
Sally Fleming (Pollott)
The Treasurer
We are delighted that Paula Ryan (Kanesnathan) has volunteered to become our new Treasurer. Our heartfelt thanks go to Giselle Billeter for being our Treasurer for the last 8 years. We still continue to raise money at Calendar Sale and on Old Girls’ Day to support current students and OGs, and we are grateful to all the OGs that support us in our charitable endeavours.
The Editorial Team
Thank you to everyone who contributed their news, photos and stories for this year’s Magazine.
A reminder that you can sign up for a digital version of the Magazine at http://eepurl.com/gj7Vu5
We hope you enjoy reading this year’s the Magazine and please do remember to keep us updated with any new contact details.
Mrs Mary Morris
Dear Old Girls,
The school website states that “A St Helen’s girl has courage, integrity, kindness and resilience”. Proofreading the news section of this magazine, it is evident that our old girls have an abundance of all four characteristics, even though your lives have taken many different paths.
I am truly impressed by how many of you either work in the charity sector or contribute your time and energy as volunteers to charities. St Helen’s can be very proud of how much you contribute to your communities, local, national and international. The saying “to give is to receive” highlights the best of us, and such reciprocity creates a positive ripple that extends far. Having time for others and shared experiences enriches our lives.
I regret losing contact with my old school friends and applaud the branch secretaries who maintain these long-established links. Sally Fleming has amazing energy which enables all Old Girls to keep these links between and within year groups and, with the help of the school, facilitates a unique opportunity to physically meet up in the school in May each year. It is clear to see how much enjoyment is had by the “5 year on” groups when revisiting the school and its old haunts as well as seeing how the school has evolved. Teresa Betts does a wonderful job of maintaining our archives and ensuring the history of our school is accurately documented. St Helen’s is an excellent school, continuing to thrive and promote a well-rounded education, with a clear vision for a strong future. It is clearly in safe hands with Mrs Ward, and I wish her as much happiness in her role as I enjoyed.
It is disappointing that not many of the younger alumni year groups contribute news to this magazine, so I hope these groups keep in touch on social media. Sadly, it means that those of us who are interested in them have no knowledge of their subsequent lives after school. We all know how strong and enduring the connections we make with childhood friends are, and for the old girls of St Helen’s, that meaningful connection stems from school.
My personal news is brief but happy. Paul and I still enjoy good health and travel for several months every year. Our three grandchildren keep us busy and active. We are lucky to have them in our lives and to spend time with them.
I hope you all continue to chase your dreams, to be generous with your time and talents, and enjoy the year ahead.
With best wishes,
Dr Mary Short
Dear Old Girls, It has been delightful to return to the School on a number of occasions this year.
OG Day was a joyful celebration for all of those fortunate enough to be there and it was very good to see so many of the Class of 2020 as well as those marking different anniversaries of their time at St Helen’s. As ever (how can this be?), the weather was superb and we all enjoyed the peaceful beauty of the Quad before sitting down to an excellent lunch so kindly served by the dedicated catering team. It says a great deal about the happy culture of the school that I see so many familiar faces in so many different roles when I return to Northwood. Thank you, as always, to Sally and her colleagues as well as the School’s teams for all that they do to make OG Day such a success.
There are, of course, also some new faces and I would like to thank the new Headmistress, Bridget Ward, for her generous welcome to us all, and also Lucy Marshall in her role as the new Development Director.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Prep School’s annual Prizegiving and felt enormous pride in hearing Maya Raichoora, Class of 2016, speaking with such energy and enthusiasm about the subject of her recently published book, ‘Visualise’. The young pupils and their parents were delighted by her visit.
In a year which so much of the news globally has been troubling and upsetting, and in which insecurity seems to be rife and the future much less certain, I find that long-established friendships provide comfort and reassurance and this year I have enjoyed seeing friends made in my first year at senior school as well as those from university and my first teaching positions. There is reassurance and comfort in sharing memories. I am rather envious of the strength of the St Helen’s network which makes it so easy for you all to link up with each other through Connect on the School’s website!
I continue to be involved in schools as Chair of governors and of a Bursary Trust, but have also enjoyed trips in Britain and to Berlin and Athens, continuing to learn the clarinet and teach myself Modern Greek, as well as all of the opportunities retirement brings to potter and pursue my passions and interests. There is life after Headship!
I look forward to seeing many of you over the next twelve months.
With my best wishes,
Mary Morris
Sally (BSec 1973), Kate (BSec 1996), Kim (BSec 2000) Dates for your Diary
(please contact Sue/Sally if you can help on the stall)
Mary Short
Mrs Bridget Ward
Dear Old Girls,
It is a pleasure to write to you all and to contribute to this year’s Old Girls magazine.
It is almost impossible to believe that my first year as Head of St Helen’s is drawing to a close, as it only feels like yesterday, that September 2024 was upon us. A highlight of the first term has to be the exceptional joint production of West Side Story with Merchant Taylors’ School – it was most certainly worthy of the West End!
It has been an incredible privilege to lead the school over the past 12 months. It has certainly been a busy year, with the launch of our 2025-2030 strategic vision, focussing on continuing the great work of the leaders who have come before us, so that St Helen’s continues to thrive in an ever-changing world.
One of the first initiatives that was developed, was St Helen’s being recognised as a Great Britain Pentathlon Hub, which offers us fantastic support from Pentathlon GB and the potential for growth and development in the sporting arena.
As always, the first year of a new school is spent learning about all the wonderful people that form the community and make St Helen’s what it is. Our staff have continued to work hard to offer new opportunities within the curriculum and through our extra-curricular programme. For September 2025, we have a new leadership team who will continue to drive the school forward as we navigate one of the most demanding times, if not one of the most challenging times for the independent school sector.
The pupils continue to impress me with their abundance of talent, hard work and joy for learning. They inspire all of us, and I am always grateful for the opportunity to watch them perform in a variety of activities.
FOSH (Families of St Helen’s) continues to create magical events for our parent, staff and pupil community, with the Summer Fair again being a phenomenal success. We are excited to announce that we have a new event for 2025, which will be a fireworks evening, and we are very much looking forward to seeing lots of you at this event, on Friday 7th November 2025.
Finally, I would like to thank all of you, for your continued support of our community. I often talk to the girls about how we stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us. You are our forebearers, who have shaped the community that we are all a part of and for that, we are all grateful, but also fully aware of how important our roles are as the current custodians of this school.
It has been a pleasure to meet many of you this academic year and I look forward to meeting more of you in the coming year.
Thank you, for your continued support.
Report from Charities Secretary
OG Day in May was another great success with an excellent turn out, glorious sunshine and a healthy return on the “bucket” and sale of the famous Sally jams and chutneys. We are still in need of unwanted gifts to top up the Calendar Sale crates for later in the year. If you have any suitable items please drop them off with Sally in Rickmansworth. Her email is in this magazine.
Our Committee Meeting was held in March again this year. This is an important date in our calendar for me as Charities Secretary when we review applications for grants. Here is my annual reminder that if you are fund raising or volunteering (or both!) for a charity in this country or internationally – we want to hear from you by the end of January 2026. A short email to snoozenorthcott@gmail.com telling me about the charity and your own involvement is all we need. If you want more information or are not sure if you meet the criteria do send me a message.
AMANDA CONQUY APALASTIC ANAEMIA
Dear Sue
Thank you so much to the Old Girls’ Club for their kind donation to AAT. In 2019, my daughter, Helena, at the age of 28, developed and was treated for Severe Aplastic Anaemia, hence I have a very personal connection to the charity. Thus far she has been one of the lucky ones, having benefitted from fabulous NHS care at Barts Hospital, and a stem cell transplant. She is currently very well.
Bridget Ward, Head
Dr Yvonne Burne OBE
Dear Old Girls, It is hard to believe that a year has passed since I last wrote to you. It has been a mixed year for us, as indeed in so many ways it has been for the world.
I have continued to be engaged with education as a Governor and also until very recently with the whole area of governance. Occasionally an opportunity arises to work with youngsters at school, and it was a particular pleasure to help prepare a small group of sixth formers at a school in the East End for a public speaking competition organised by the Worshipful Company of Educators. They qualified for the last round which took place at the Old Bailey, so that was a joy. We have also had the pleasure of celebrating a very significant birthday for my husband, whom the St Helen’s boarders used affectionately to call ‘Mr Doctor Burne’. However, this has been a sad year in that three of our closest friends have died. We also suffered the loss of my brother-inlaw, which was a great shock and sadness.
On a more positive note, it is good to see St Helen’s thriving, despite the various obstacles which have been put in the path of independent schools. The world is a very uncertain and unpredictable place, and it seems to me that one of our main hopes lies in the resilience, creativity and skills of the young. St Helen’s ethos remains constant, even amidst great change, and this is something to be greatly valued. I wish Bridget well as she takes the school forward, and know that you remain strong supporters of all that is achieved.
I wish you and your families good health and good fortune in the year ahead.
Best wishes,
Yvonne Burne
If you are working alongside a national charity, you must show that you are providing support at a local level. This is because we feel that any donation tends to get swallowed up without seeing its real grassroots impact.
Assuming you are successful and on receipt of your cheque all we ask is that you write a short note with some pictures attached that we insert in the mag. This encourages others and adds some extra flavour to our copy.
As always it is my pleasure to thank my dear friend and “chum whom I have known the longest” Sally for her commitment and hard work in charge of the Old Girls. Without her dedication and hard work behind the scenes we simply could not continue to build on the legacy of this great club.
The AAT’s Vision is that everyone affected by aplastic anaemia in the UK should feel empowered, and have access to the best possible treatment, care and support. And one day, everyone with rare bone marrow failure will be able to lead a full and healthy life. The charity is national but serves a very small and rare community as this condition affects only two in a million people, with approximately 150 new cases (typically half children and half adults) being diagnosed each year in this country.
At a personal level, the charity made an enormously beneficial impact on my own family following Helena’s diagnosis. At the time, it was holding half day seminars at key treatment hospitals for patients and their families. A consultant was able to speak to us all, as was a specialist nurse and all the treatment options were explained and support offered. It gave Helena the opportunity to have an informed conversation back at Barts, resulting in her being put forward for a transplant on a faster trajectory than would otherwise have been the case. Now the AAT holds regular seminars online which allows our funds to go much further.
At a local level, we have a partnership with Maggie’s to offer practical, in person support at larger hospitals, including in Oxford and in London, where patients local to Northwood are likely to travel to receive specialist care. In the Autumn, I joined a walk organised by the AAT in Windsor Great Park for patients and their families and I saw first-hand the positive and heart-warming impact it had on people for whom it was mostly their first opportunity to meet other people diagnosed with the condition.
Best wishes
CHARITABLE TRUST
Are you personally giving up your time to fundraise or volunteer for a small charity? If so, and you would like to apply for a grant from the OGs Charitable Trust, please email the Charities Secretary, giving details of both your involvement and the work done by the charity, before 31st Jan.
Charities Sec : Sue Northcott Email: snoozenorthcott@gmail.com
Dear Susan
Thank you so much for the
I volunteer time regularly for a small charity: RASA Schools foundation run by a friend of mine. This involves event fundraising as well as help with content/awards applications/marketing etc. which I provide free of charge. RASA foundation was set up to completely rebuild a school and teacher’s housing in Zimbabwe after it was completely destroyed by huge storms back in Feb 2019. It has now expanded to fundraise for things like proper sanitation, clean water and electricity in the local community. Fundraising to date has allowed work to complete the school building - and continued fundraising to fill it with resources. More ICT equipment, a new library and teaching equipment is all on still on the wish list for the Children of Ebeneazer School and the community.
Kind regards
Mary Morris, Bridget Ward, Sally Fleming and Sue Northcott
Amanda Conquy 1974
EMILY COOPER RASA SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
generous donation from the Old Girls’ Charitable Trust.
Emily Cooper 1997
EMILY RABLETT (Bickerstaff) PHAB
Dear Sue
In April this year I ran the London Marathon for Phab. Phab is a charity which I have volunteered with regularly since I was 16, helping mostly with their 7-day holiday in the Lake District, but also with the family weekends. I have seen the amazing work they do to inspire and support disabled and nondisabled children and adults to have opportunities they may not have otherwise. We have done activities such as rock climbing, zip lining, sailing and many more! They inspire children, young people and adults to make more of life together through their network of clubs and residential adventures.
I am so grateful to the Old Girls’ Club for their support. Best wishes
Emily (Bickerstaff) 2017
JOAN ROBERTS BRAIN TUMOUR RESEARCH
Dear Sue
I am so grateful to the Committee for the donation of £200 to Brain Tumour Research. This is a charity so close to my heart as my 13 year old grandson Jake was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. After eighteen months of radio and chemotherapy he is currently doing well and living his life to the full, so each day still together is precious. Last year, on my 78th birthday, I performed a tandem parachute jump. So far I have raised £14,000 for Brain Tumour Research, but this will only fund four days of research. Only 1% of cancer research money goes to brain tumour research. This devastating disease affects young people under 40, and many young children.
Best wishes and thanks
Joan Roberts (Goodwin) 1964A
Senior School Prize Giving
My stepson, Ed, suffered a life changing injury when he was 28 (7 years ago) when he dived into the shallow end of a swimming pool thinking it was the deep end. He was diagnosed Quadraplegic at that point as he had no movement from the shoulders down. He was at the time a professional rugby player. Ed has since defied the odds, and has not only learnt to walk again, but climbed Mount Snowdon a year after his accident which I did too! Millimetres 2 Mountains creates positive change for individuals who have experienced lifechanging trauma through the healing powers of the great outdoors. Founded by Ed and his wife Lois, the charity supports its community with opportunities for global trips and challenges, life coaching, physio, career grants, UK walks, wellness retreats and more. I have participated in at least 2 events a year, fund raising each time, which will culminate in me climbing Mount Kenya in January 2025. This will mean I have completed the 3 highest mountains in Africa by my 60th year.
I am very grateful for the support of the Old Girls’ Club. With thanks
Sue Jackson (East) 1983
PAULA RYAN (Kanesanathan) CATS PROTECTION
Dear Susan
Thank you so much for sending the cheque from the OG Club. As part of my volunteering with Cats Protection, I assist with their Community Kitty project. Community Kitty was set up to partner with local food banks to offer cat food and supplies to those in need. As part of my role, I work with the volunteer co-ordinator to sort out the donations received at the local Cats Protection Centre and log these items on the system. Once logged, these items can then be bagged and sent to a local food bank for distribution. The local community generously donates cat food to us on which we rely in order to feed the cats in our care. Where we have surplus cat food this is given to local food banks for cat owners in need. This cat food helps owners to retain their cats when they are in financial difficulty, where otherwise they may have to consider relinquishing their much loved pet. Thank you again
Paula Ryan (Kanesanathan) 2001
Governors, Visitors, guest speaker, staff, parents and pupils welcome to our 2025 Prize Day. It has been a busy year, with so many outstanding feats being achieved. When I think back to the beginning of the year, when I first spoke with staff and with you as pupils. Apart from talking about whippets and swimming, I mentioned kindness and how this must be at the route of all we do. As we reflect on the year we have had together, let us remember the times when kindness shone through and let us think about how we can weave even more kindness into our daily lives.
What better way to start a new academic year, than a visit from the independent school inspectorate. It was a pleasure to be able to show the ISI team all that we do and all that we are. As we know it was a very positive report, a true testament to the dedication of our staff and the hard work of our pupils.
We also embarked on an exciting journey with the launch of our new five-year strategy. At its heart, our strategy is about ensuring that St Helen’s is a place where our girls can always thrive and succeed.
One key focus of the whole school plan is ‘One School. One Staff. One Purpose.’
We are united in our drive to continually improve and adapt to an ever- changing world.
With this in mind we have established four key pillars: A Focus on Educational Excellence Creating Opportunities for All Building Professional Capital Raising Our External Profile
These pillars shape our vision to provide an innovative, challenging and enriching education, reinforcing our commitment to a throughschool approach for all subjects and co-curricular activities. We firmly believe that the education of the whole person is linked to the development of their IQ, DQ and EQ.
Therefore, our focus is to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to forge a pathway that excites them, challenges them and enriches them. Allowing and encouraging all pupils to step out of their comfort zone, to make mistakes and to avoid perfection – Why? Because we know that success lies outside of our comfort zone and although challenge can be uncomfortable at times, it helps us develop all aspects of an individual. No level of success is relevant if our pupils are not ready to embrace the challenges of the world outside of St Helen’s.
With this in mind, I will now highlight some of these experiences that continue to shape our pupils.
We launched our Centre for Advanced Maths, in September, which has already yielded outstanding achievements. Our pupils have excelled in the Maths Masterclasses and the UKMT International competitions, demonstrating their talent and commitment.
Sporting success
Our pupils have continued to shine in their extracurricular activities: with 90 unique clubs across the Senior School.
The Gym and Dance Show: Was again a spectacular success, highlighting the unity and dedication of our pupils and the teachers that lead them.
Ana won the Hertfordshire Senior County restricted singles this year and has gone on to represent the Herts Senior second team.
Leah: Represented England U13 in Squash at the national level.
Rebecca (Year 10): Made history with Great Britain’s U18 Women’s Ice Hockey Team, helping secure an unbeaten run to gold and promotion to Division 1 at the Women’s World Championships in Riga.
Alice: Represented England in Beach Volleyball, winning gold at NEVZA and placing third at the UKBT Senior Finals. And has achieved a Scholarship to Pepperdine University, Malibu.
Sumaya: Has been elected to represent Pakistan at the Asia Youth Netball Championships this year.
Our U12 and U13 Athletics teams excelled at the borough competition, with multiple medal winners now representing Hillingdon at the county level.
Away from the sporting arena
The Art Department entered the pupils into the Fourth Plinth Schools Awards, Tyler and Piya (Year 8) were named runners-up across all London boroughs—selected from over 1,300 entries.
Year 12 pupils Maryam and Rose impressed in the national ICE Cityzen Challenge, showcasing their engineering and sustainability skills.
Our Year 8 team triumphed in the Faraday STEM Challenge, designing a multifunctional “Camping Cube” and winning against strong competition from other schools.
The TeenTech awards - St Helen’s gained the Silver Award status for inspiring young people to develop skills for the future and Bianca achieved the individual GOLD award.
In the Andrew Motion Poetry Prize, Sofia (Year 11) won the overall prize, with Vania (Year 11) and Tanvi (Year 7) winning their respective key stage categories.
VEX Robotics competed at their first National Competition: Firsttime participants, winning the Innovate Award for creativity and teamwork.
Rena and Aanya (Year 13) achieved Gold awards in the Chemistry Olympiads.
Elena (Year 12) achieved a diamond award in the Physics Senior Challenge.
Three teams from St Helen’s made it through to the regional finals of the CANSAT competition.
Shanti, Karina and Sakithya completed Gold Crest Awards.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continues to thrive:
46 pupils completed Bronze
27 working towards Silver
23 working towards Gold
SUE JACKSON (East) MILLIMETRES 2 MOUNTAINS
Senior School Prize Giving
7 Year 13 pupils completed Gold this year, including one who achieved it without prior Bronze or Silver—a rare and remarkable feat.
Our pupils contributed 2,275 volunteering hours, valued at £14,559 in social impact.
And we also have a special congratulations to an alumna Anjlie (Class of 2023), who was invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate her Gold Award.
Debating
It has been another busy year in debating and public speaking, with students participating in a wide range of prestigious competitions.
We have competed in:
The International Competition for Young Debaters Oxford and Cambridge Schools’ Debating Competitions Cicero Cup: Year 6 students Ariana, Anya, and Nilani represented St Helen’s in this national competition involving over 100 schools.
English-Speaking Union Churchill Public Speaking Competition: Six Year 10 students took part. Anushka, Isha, and Saesha reached the London regional final after winning two rounds.
English-Speaking Union Mace Competition: Year 13 students Aishani, Ana, Esha, and Shanti reached the second round. Erisiana and Jenani travelled to Portugal to attend the European Youth Parliament conference.
US Ambassador’s Debate at the US Embassy: Aishani and Esha were runners-up, with Aishani also named runner-up in the Best Speaker category.
Nehru Cup at Harrow School: Year 12 students Janae and Rose won the competition, becoming Nehru Cup champions for 2025.
We have had residential trips, day trips that enrich our curriculum for our pupils. These experiences are a vital part of our commitment to holistic education—offering pupils the chance to grow in independence and confidence. This is a perfect opportunity to thank our staff who continue to dedicate their time to creating opportunities inside and outside the classroom. Round of applause.
A special thank you to Mrs Wardley who is retiring this year after 26 years of service as a teacher of science, what a remarkable achievement and also, a goodbye to Mrs Sheerin and Mrs Page, who are leaving our support staff after 21 and 28 years of service.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our support staff who ensure that the school continues to run smoothly but also that it continues to look beautiful each day. Thank you.
Our collaboration with Merchant Taylors’ School has once again produced some fantastic joint events, including the production of Blood Wedding at St Helen’s, the remarkable musical West Side Story at Merchant Taylors’, the joint concert, and we are very much looking forward to the Joint Jazz Concert this evening.
Additionally, our Combined Cadet Force continues to go from strength to strength, with cadets from all sections attending the ANZAC Day service at the cenotaph and In May, they also participated and competed in their Field Day.
As part of our association with the Merchant Taylors’ Company, Head Girls Ana from year 13 and Jennah from Year 6 attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, enjoying an incredible experience.
Meanwhile, our commitment to community engagement remains steadfast. PHAB continues to thrive as we look forward to hearing about the annual residential trip.
Through our Outreach partnerships, we have worked with approximately 500 pupils from our local primary schools. Offering targeted support in key areas such as literacy and phonics, helping younger pupils build strong reading foundations and confidence in written expression.
In modern languages, we provide opportunities for early language acquisition, improving communication skills and cultural awareness. Our science sessions engage pupils in hands-on experiments, sparking curiosity and deepening their understanding of the world around them.
Drama workshops foster creativity and self-assurance, allowing pupils to develop public speaking skills and express themselves with confidence. Music lessons provide not only instrumental and vocal training but also enhance cognitive development, teamwork, and discipline.
Every other Thursday, we join members of the Methodist Homes (MHA) charity for a soup and sandwiches scheme aimed at combating loneliness in the local community and this is the first chance for girls in Y10 to get involved in our outreach programme.
St Helen’s hosted its second annual Post-Colonial Conference, a day for Year 12s to explore post-colonial theory and the effects colonialism has had on society today. The school also welcomed Year 12 pupils from Pinner High, as well as Forward Poetry Prize winner, Daljit Nagra. Over the course of the day, pupils participated in a series of workshops, discussing post-colonial theory in relation to art, debating the implications of foreign aid to poorer countries, and participating in a poetry workshop with Daljit Nagra himself.
This term we hosted our annual Oxbridge Symposium with 120 students from 6 different schools, applying for over 20 different course combinations: a forum for our Year 12 Oxbridge applicants to engage with specialists in their chosen subject area and other students also applying for that course at either Oxford or Cambridge.
Lots of the subject specialists were our own St Helen’s alumnae, now qualified Doctors, lawyers, civil servants, entrepreneurs, journalists and Masters students, all keen to come back to St Helen’s to support and inspire the next generation.
The whole school celebrated its 2nd Cultural Diversity Day in the Spring Term with some of the highlights being the Cultural fair where SS students ran stalls displaying / explaining aspects of their culture and held a fashion show for peers including KS2 who visited them; learning how to make beautiful henna designs, participated in west Africa drumming, and Indian block printing; learning and playing American football and Greek/Cypriot dancing; making Sri Lankan hoppers and devouring them straight afterwards whilst hot and crispy with tantalising chutneys; crafting Notre Dame Stained Glass Windows and Crafting in gold inspired by the Incas.
I would like to take a moment to highlight the charity event that took place on Monday. In memory of Evani we held a Charity Walk to raise money for the teenage cancer trust. We also opened up the Evani Library with a dedicated snug in her memory and unveiled her plaque on her favourite bench in school, where her friends still sit and chat daily. Her friends have also visited schools and donated books in her memory and with support from her family.
This year we are presenting her prize ‘The Evani Prize for Love of Reading’. This award is dedicated to a truly wonderful student, whose passion for reading touched everyone who knew her. She was often found in the library, quietly absorbed in a book, her love of stories both inspiring and heartfelt. To honour her memory and keep her love of reading alive within our school, we felt it only right to create this award. Today, we are deeply honoured to have her parents with us as we celebrate Evani’s lasting impact. Ritu and Raj thank you for joining us today, for supporting us in our celebration of Evani and for being so generous and open with your time and kindness to all of us. Thank you!
I would also like to say a big thank you to you, our parents for your support, time and energy that you give to the school, and I look forward to this continuing for years to come. We love to hear and celebrate all of the success for the pupils who are in the younger years, but also those who are at the end of their formal academic journey with us. I think you will all agree, this synopsis of some of our highlights show what a busy and successful year it has been. We are already excited for the September.
To the class of 2025 I leave you with the words of Chimamanda Ngozi who beautifully sums up my thoughts on kindness, niceness and perfection:
Be kind but do not be nice.
Be kind because kindness is a measure of our humanity, but do not be nice.
Nice means always wanting to be liked
Nice means silencing inconvenient truths
Nice means choosing to always be comfortable
Nice means letting go of courage
Nice means talking about peace but not about justice
Nice will not remake the world and there is so much about our world that needs remaking…and when you bravely remake the world please be sceptical of perfection.
Because perfection is among other things…utterly boring I am convinced of this because I have learned from literature that there is no such thing as a perfect human being
The longing for perfection will hold you back, it doesn’t help any cause to start with perfection as the measure.
We do not need to be perfect before we are able to do what is right.
To the class of 2025 - ……Keep in touch.
Be bold, be yourself, always do what is right. Live a kind and wonderful life.
Bridget Ward, Head
Named Prizes
Old Girls’ Day Reminiscences
What an amazing afternoon! Sixteen of our group met to celebrate 60 years of friendship - although it felt as if it was only yesterday that we left St Helens and launched ourselves into the outside World. It was indeed a lovely afternoon filled with much joy and happiness at being reunited with friends with whom we had shared our childhood years. The afternoon was tinged with sadness when we learned that Phillipa Fisher (Bach) and Christine Holifield were unable to join us at the last minute due to health problems. Several of our group were not able to join us for our 60th Anniversary celebration for a variety of reasons, however they were remembered and missed by their old school friends.
Anthea Hartley (Castell) 1960
It was so good to meet up with old friends, and there was a palpable warmth that only comes from shared experience. Both Jackie Goodman (Gough), who had made a day trip from Hull, and I agreed that we left feeling energized and positive.
Ann Doubal (Patterson) 1960
I’ve always said that the best thing about St Helens was the friends I made there, lifelong friends with whom you can pick up where you left off, however many years ago that was. As a boarder and only seeing my parents once a year meant, as you say, my school friends were my extended family too.
Margaret Ball (Main) 1960
It was lovely to attend my very first Old Girls Day in June, five years after finishing school. It was definitely slightly odd returning - for most of my year group, this was the first time being back at St Helen’s since our very abrupt end to Year 13 due to Covid. Finishing school on a random Friday in March and not taking our A-Levels was definitely an interesting send off to University, however speaking to my fellow classmates showed just how far everyone had come. From travelling the world, to completing placements and degrees; hearing about everyone’s ‘big girl’ jobs made me very proud indeed! It was inspiring to see the huge range of disciplines and industries that our year group was now influencing. Walking the familiar corridors (and not-so familiar - the STEM centre would have been great for my Maths, Physics and DT A Levels!), chatting with old teachers, and laughing over shared memories reminded me just how special our time at St Helen’s was (15 years for some of us!). I left feeling incredibly lucky to have been able to keep in contact with so many girls in my year and to have an event that reunites everyone together again. I am already excited to catch up again in 2030 at our next Old Girls Day, and can’t wait to see where life takes us all in the next five years.
Among those present at Old Girls’ Day were:
1950s
Carolyn Prendergast (Giddings)
Lucy Smith
Belinda Dey
A Step Back in Time
Stepping through the gates of St. Helens after 35 years was a whirlwind of exhilaration and nerves. I parked at Gables—where, aged 7, my parents first dropped me off with my sister, a trunk, and a well-loved teddy. Remarkably, despite now being in my 50s, the same familiar feelings of stepping into something new resurfaced. Would people be welcoming? How would the day unfold? Above all, would I recognise anyone? Deep down, I never truly doubted it. And, just like clockwork, within minutes of arriving, the first warm reunion began. As I strolled across the grounds, Patricia O’Connor’s (1990) sister Elizabeth Walker (1995) spotted me, swept me into conversation, and seamlessly pulled me into their group. Soon after, at the quad, Andrea (our BSec) greeted me like the ‘old friend’ I now am (in more ways than one!).
As I reflect on those early moments, I realize how profoundly St. Helens shaped me. The environment, the teachers, and, most of all, the friendships formed during those pivotal years laid the foundation on which I’ve built my life. While I may not have spent quite enough time buried in books (perhaps too often drawn to the sports field!), the values, camaraderie, and confidence instilled at St. Helens became my lifelong platform.
Lunch was, as always, a highlight. Stories flowed, some joyful, others recounting the challenges faced in the years between leaving and reuniting. “The Night in the RBH” was recalled with the same familiarity as “The Fishing Trip” in Gavin & Stacey, laughter filling the dining room. And, of course, a heartfelt shoutout to the catering staff, who once again put on a fantastic spread.
The school itself has transformed beautifully, embracing modern advancements while maintaining some of the beautiful historical features. While some of us reminisced and lamented the dwindling boarding community, we acknowledged that schools must evolve to navigate an increasingly challenging landscape. Impressive as the modernisation was, the heart of St. Helens, the shared history, the friendships, and the spirit remains unchanged. As Andrea led us on a tour, we chuckled about mischievous corners where we weren’t always on our best behaviour and took a quiet moment in the chapel to remember those who are no longer with us.
As the day ended and our official WhatsApp group was formed, a shared understanding settled in that we had just rekindled something special. This reunion was a reminder that, even if we don’t see or speak to one another often, the bond remains. My only regret? That it took me 35 years to return. But I am deeply grateful to have reconnected with you all and I know as I sit on the grass this summer and look at the daisies, fond memories will flood back stronger than ever. All good things come to an end and driving away from Gables, I carried the same warm, nostalgic glow that I felt back in 1990, as a sixth-former stepping into adulthood. Thank you all, it was an honour to be part of something so special.
Lizanne Johnson (Tucker) 1990
They say your school days are some of the happiest of your life, and I genuinely feel that towards my time at St Helens. I had almost forgotten that was how I felt about them until the morning of our 25 year reunion. (I still can’t get my head round how it can be 25 years!) With the sun shining in Northwood, the happy memories came flooding back, such as perfume trading for cut grass in Junior school and house arts later on. It was so lovely catching up and having lunch with 20 old friends. I truly felt connected to all of you by our shared past and the day just whizzed by. So many stories, jokes shared and memories rekindled. It was a brilliant day. I’m so happy we have now set up a class of 2000 WhatsApp group, so hope we can all meet up again before the 30 year reunion!
Kim Carr (Fishman) 2000
1960s
Pat Cheese (Holding)
Ailsa Constable (Lloyd-Davies)
Rosemary Ducat (Croker)
Janet Stephenson (Connell)
Liz Svoboda (MacRae)
Teresa Betts (Massey)
Moira Bishop (Macara)
Janet Kirchheimer (Ritchie)
1965 - 60 Years On
Anthea Hartley (Castell)
Charlotte Aldridge (Rolfe)
Gillian Argyle (Thompson)
Margaret Ball (Main)
Vivien Beckwith (McLean)
Lyn Donnithorne (Balderston)
Ann Doubal (Patterson)
Libby Finlay (Terrace)
Kay Fiske (Waddell)
Sheila Franklin
Mr Franklin
Olivia Freeman
Rae Gillott (Bentley-Jones)
Jackie Goodman (Gough)
Rosalie Gurr (Gale)
Anne Guy (Grey)
Kate Pendrous (Stone)
1970s
Sally Fleming (Pollott)
Susie Northcott (Poyser)
Julie Perkins (Macfarlane)
1975 - 50 Years On
Wendy Durrant (Hinds)
Ruth Griffith
Felicity Irving
Penny King
Ariane Kumar
Jenny Mann (Pickard)
Shelagh Richards (Cumming)
Caroline Streatfeild (Webster)
Jane Whitchurch
1980s
1980 - 45 Years On
Jessica Redman (Chilton)
Fiona Bates (Dolman)
Anne Fairey (Verdonck)
Melanie Finucane
Jill Kieffer (Meredith)
Vanessa Lawrence
Helen Pollard (Sills)
Jennifer Sakal
Karen Tuddenham (Forster)
Sarah Walton (Jones)
Ros Wheeler (Snow)
Margaret Wigmore (Alsop)
1985 - 40 years On
Louise Rich (Littlewood)
Magda Adeyemi (Makar)
Andie Bignall
Tanya Cohen (Simmonds)
Dawn Collins (Heaffey)
Julia Conboy (Loosely)
Sandra Crawford (Cole)
Donna Crockatt (Cohen)
Philippa Evans (Cole)
Lynda Fairclough
Clare Felton (Roberts)
Suzie Flowers
Catherine Harvie (North)
Susan Hewitt (Wilson)
Helen Hissey (Maher)
Catherine Honeysett
Lisa Horne (Brown)
Emma Hounsome (Montlake)
Arun Jegarajan (Pathmanathan)
Julie Josephs (Waugh)
Irene Leach
Karen Lewis (Hamperl)
Heather Lord (Bull)
Emma Kelly
Julie Probert (Bradfield)
Debbie Rogers (Ruwald)
Anne Schiettecatte
Sarah Stockford (Ingram)
Lucy Taffs
Kate Walton (Watkiss)
Wendy Winslet (Harle)
1990s
1990 - 35 Years On
Andrea Cawthorne (Croad)
Gita Auplish
Sarah Beattie (Beattie)
Samantha Bentley (Woodley)
Emma Jessop (Garton)
Lizanne Johnson (Tucker)
Sarah Kettlewell (Somlo)
Catherine Lavery (Morris)
Naomi Leveson-Gower (Hancock)
Joanna Long (Shannon)
Cordelia McKechnie (Cole)
Patricia O’Connor
Victoria Rodd (Stubbington)
Isobel Wood (Thorpe)
1995 - 30 Years On Jonquil Calvert
Alex Daines (Berry)
Joanna Frain (Vickers)
Elizabeth Walker (O’Connor)
2000s
2000 - 25 Years On
Kim Carr (Fishman)
Sonia Bagga (Khanna)
Lucy Barnett
Elleanor Edward (Edward)
Lakshmi Fone (Jayaseelen)
Juliet Gouldman
Anna Hoffman
Nikhita Hyett (Mahajan)
Emma Khanna (Shirran)
Michelle Lewis (Mablin)
Sapna Mehta
Gemma O’Brien
Nadia Ramjohn
Asha Shah
Hanisha Shah
Joanna Silver (Gruder)
Kashmira Sunni
Vanessa Walters (Lashmore-Lloyd)
2005 - 20 Years On
Hannah Chambers
Katie Gethins (Jackson)
Alice Hill (Prevezer)
Kate Holden (Cooney)
Jennifer Holloway (Morgan)
Sabrina Hudson (Francis)
Georgina Kelly (Jones)
Sarah-Jane Marsden
Sophie Sharp
Nicola Yudaken (Webber)
Joanna Ziff
2010s
2010 - 15 years On
Krishma Sheth
Hannah Stewart
Anuja Tank (Makwana)
2015 - 10 Years On
Sabrina Agyekum
Kirsten Bergfors
Ellie Cohen
Yu Yeen Fung
Ellie Hudson-Rawlings
Eloise Shears
Charlotte Wong
2020s
2020 - 5 Years On
Maya Kateli
Lucy Meade
Venusha Baskarathasan
Abbie Bointon
Zara Chowdhry
Pallavi Dadarkar
Marianna Ellis
Nikki Forth
Tilly Hedges
Catriona Ison
Alisha Janmohamed
Anika Kaul
Ria Lachhani
Shivani Malde
Katie Martin
Jasmine Murphy
Karina Natalia
Tasha Neelakandan
Danica Patel
Sophie Peters
Shreya Shah
Haranja Sivaneswaran
Prathna Sood
Riana Tankaria
Trisha Viswanath
Millie Ward
Tiffany Wong
Former Staff
Mary Short
Chris Le Bas
Andrea Adlam
Elizabeth Howard
Tilly Hedges (2020)
Andrea Cawthorne (1990), Katie Martin and Tilly Hedges (2020)
Feature: Sport at St. Helen’s
Sporting Memories: Miss Gib
Miss Gib (born in 1899) arrived at St Helen’s when we were about 11 or 12. At points boarders saw quite a lot of her because she did duties during weekends. For a sport’s teacher she was large, not able to move fast, and larger than life, too. She had a big voice shouting on the lax pitch “shoot yourself”, “run to goal”, “pass before you’re tackled”, or “tackle, tackle” or often a disappointed “oh no”. Each week it seemed she gave us a different order to be carried out in play. If the previous week it was “run to goal’ we used to run to goal, but Miss Gib had decided that it should be another order the next week which always puzzling!
We remember spending hours greasing our lax stick leather thongs with Vaseline. In the Summer Term the moment the temperature in the outside swimming pool reached 60°F (15.5°C) we had to swim. It was very cold some mornings at second lesson of the day. Those who were non-swimmers had a white tape on the shoulder of their costumes. However, whether we could swim or not Miss Gib used a huge stick to push us all out into the middle of the pool. Once on the diving boards, you had to go in one way or the other - head first or feet first, there was no climbing down the steps.
Having said that, our teams, tennis, lacrosse, rounders and netball achieved well over other schools. Some of the girls played tennis in the Aberdare Cup and lacrosse teams played in the Merton Abbey tournament. I remember ball-boying at Wimbledon on one of the outer courts one summer when our team played in the Aberdare Cup
Miss Gib was still PE teacher when we left in 1958/9 Jill McEvoy (Croucher) and Belinda Dey 1958
Sport from the 1970s to the 1990s
My long association with St Helen’s began quite casually in 1965. Caro Mackintosh, who taught in Junior School and assisted Miss Anne Bennett in teaching Lacrosse, was leaving to take up Head of PE at Sherborne School. Caro and I often met in matches, (she was a formidable territorial and Scotland player) and wondered if I might be interested in the part-time lacrosse work, it was only 7 lessons a week. I was interested, was duly introduced to Miss Mackenzie, Miss Adam and appointed!
Those early days were a wonderful introduction to this school which seemed more like a family. I was attached to the Junior School where Mrs Jenkins was the main teacher of PE. At 3.45 when lessons finished, the staff room was transformed into a social space for the resident staff, the table set for tea and after a short break they would depart to further duties with the boarders! When the lacrosse season finished my hours increased a little and I was teaching swimming,
tennis and rounders. After a break to welcome my daughter in 1968 I returned in1970, this time to replace Mrs Jenkins, teaching PE across the age range including dance and gymnastics.
Pupil intake was expanding but before the fantastic new facilities initiated by Miss Leader, PE lessons could be quite a challenge! The lower lacrosse pitch frequently resembled a lake in the winter, the Old Gym and the Junior Hall were bursting at the seams and we often had to resort to a classroom for physical exercise which could hardly be termed educational! We used the lovely grounds as much as
possible… the younger children would ask to ‘play in the gardens’ if a space couldn’t be found to share with another class in wet weather! However standards were maintained and soon we had a splendid new gym, a large light space with a sprung floor, fully adaptable for a wide range of activities, and a single squash court with balcony. The Lund Building gave Junior School a lovely Hall for gymnastics and dance.
A heated swimming pool replaced the smaller outdoor one which had started to show signs of wear and in any case rarely got warm enough to enjoy until halfterm in the summer. The greenhouse type cover was a bonus in that we could swim in the Autumn term but we sometimes found ourselves in a mist first thing in the morning if there had been a cold night! Girls had the opportunity to work for RLSS medals at extra sessions and the pool was much used recreationally. (The lacrosse pitch was later drained and a somewhat rounded 440m track set up for athletics)
As staff we always felt sad that there were more girls wishing to be considered for teams than we could accommodate but tried to give as many people as possible the opportunity to play. House matches were keenly contested in all sports. Clubs and activities, including dance, squash, badminton and table tennis, during lunch hours and after school, were attended with enthusiasm and we felt that most people had something which they could enjoy.
In lacrosse, swimming and tennis our teams reached national level in
competition, incredible achievements. The under 15 lacrosse team won the National Schools Tournament in 1985. The first tennis team played at Queens Club in the prestigious Aberdare Cup Final 5 times in the 80s taking 2nd place in 1987. For three years running our swimming team was at Sheffield for the National Relay finals. Fencing was very popular and again those in the team had success in the Schools Competitions. Our successes continued into the 90s and we were justifiably proud of girls who also reached national status in their individual sporting life.
I am unsure of the first entry into the Ten Tors Expedition but certainly by 1973 we had two teams negotiating 35 miles over Dartmoor, using map and compass (no GPS!) to visit a specified Ten Tors between 6.00am on Saturday and 6.00pm on Sunday, in early May. Up to 16 girls would come on the training week and two teams of six were selected. Training involved long walks locally, practice of camping skills then 5 days on the Moor in late Spring. The adventures over these weeks were many and various, often hilarious, sometimes a tough lesson……learn to avoid quaking bogs but should you meet one, make sure to ‘rope up’ before crossing. Fortunately our casualty emerged safely though she had been carrying the rope! Medals were achieved by our teams every year. From 1993 only one team could be entered walking the 45 mile route. We took part until 1996 but the Army organised event had become very popular and entry was by ballot for schools outside of the West Country.
Outward Bound
Aberdovey gave another opportunity for older girls to experience problem solving and physical challenge through the outdoors and outside of the PE department there were other staff organising Duke of Edinburgh Awards and working with the CCF corps.
Looking back, enjoyment was paramount. Of course there were occasional down moments but there was a great deal of fun alongside a lot of learning!
Margaret Adam and Pat Fenwick in 1974
The Gym in the 1960s, later Old Hall
Courses in
Fenwick
Gymnastics in Lund
The first swimming pool at St. Helen’s
The second swimming pool, 1978
Aberdare Finals at Queens Club
Drill 1902
Netball 1910s
Cricket team 1918-1919
Putting 1931
Lacrosse 1938
Life saving 1950s
Rounders 1950s
Horseriding 1950s
Swimming Pool 1950s
Gosling)
Sport at St. Helen’s
From School Fields to World Stages: Our Lacrosse Journey
It all started on the school pitches, where two of our own – Mrs Powell and Miss Cranwell – lit a fire in me that’s never quite gone out. Their stories of playing lacrosse for England made the sport feel exciting and possible, even for us in our muddy boots and oversized bibs. Little did I know that their inspiration would take me all over the world!
Lacrosse quickly became a big part of my life at school. I was lucky enough to be selected for Middlesex and then the England U18 team – both amazing experiences that pushed me as a player and gave me a taste of what was to come. But beyond the matches and medals, it was the friendships that really stuck. Some of my closest friends today are the ones I passed to (or tackled!) on those school fields.
University life took me to the University of London, where lacrosse once again proved to be more than just a game – it was my social passport! Training sessions, matches, and yes, the legendary nights out, made for a brilliant balance of sport and student life.
The real pinch-me moments came later when I had the incredible honour of representing England at three World Championships, even serving as vice captain. Wearing that jersey on the international stage, hearing the national anthem, and playing alongside some of the most talented athletes I’ve ever met – those are memories that never fade.
When life took me to Australia, I found myself starting over in many ways, but –as ever – lacrosse was there. It gave me an instant community, new friends, and the chance to stay connected to the sport I love. I was proud to captain the state of Victoria for many years, and even more thrilled to be selected to represent Australia at two World Championships. Switching accents and jerseys, perhaps – but the love of the game stayed exactly the same.
From school girl beginnings to world tournaments, lacrosse has given me a lifetime of memories, challenges, and laughter. And it all started on the fields of St. Helen’s.
Lacrosse is now entering an exciting new era. With the fast-paced Sixes format added to the Olympic programme for LA 2028, a whole new generation will get to see – and be inspired by – this incredible sport on the world stage. Just like I was all those years ago.
Rachel Kirchheimer
2001
I understand that lacrosse is no longer played at St. Helen’s, and so I wanted to reflect on how much the sport has given my family over the years. Lacrosse has taken us to a multitude of places in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as Germany, Czechia, Canada, USA, and Australia. Team mates from both regional and national teams remain firm friends to this day.
MOLLY BRADLEY-KIDD (Robson): 1924 - 2024
In Memoriam
If my sister Rachel and I hadn’t played at school, we would not have had the subsequent opportunities to represent our country. I was inspired by my teachers at the time, Ali Powell and Vic Cranwell, who showed me representing England was a possibility, and encouraged me to follow this dream.
There have been ups and downs along the way, including my withdrawal from the England team due to injury just before the 2001 World Cup. Fortunately I was able to compete again in 2005, where I was part of the Bronze medal winning team. Training for this took up most weekends, as well as lots of early mornings and late nights, as during these years I was also studying for a degree in dentistry, followed by working full-time.
England vs Wales 2005
Even as local competition declines around Northwood, over the last few decades lacrosse has been one of the fastest growing team sports in the USA. It is also showing significant global expansion, with 90 countries worldwide now members of World Lacrosse, and is returning to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The Olympic format will be ‘Sixes’, resulting in an even faster-paced, high scoring spectator sport, and will help showcase this great game to even more people.
So hopefully the sport we love will reach a wider audience and continue to grow. If you still have a stick at home, hang on to it – you never know when you might be inspired to pick it up again!
Sarah
Kirchheimer 1997
Molly was born in Istanbul in 1924 where her grandfather had founded the English High School which she attended until July 1938. On the outbreak of WW2, the family moved to Egypt and she was sent to St Helen’s School, which had been recommended by her Maths teacher in Istanbul who was the niece of the school’s founders.
During the war years, Molly was evacuated to Tregoyd in Wales with her close friend Sybil. Molly spent three years there before going on to the Froebel Teacher Training Institute in Roehampton for two years. She returned to Egypt in 1944, teaching at the English School in Cairo until 1952.
She returned to the UK and continued her teaching career at various schools including St Helen’s. She taught in Junior School and then became Head of Little St. Helen’s. After her mother died, Molly left St. Helen’s to move back home with her father in Bexhill. It was there that she took up golf and became an active and keen member of Cooden Beach Golf Club. Molly maintained contact with St Helen’s until her death, as Branch Secretary for the 1941-1943 year group.
In 1975 she married Milton and moved to Manorbier where she was to spend the rest of her days, becoming an active member of the village community. She was an enthusiastic fund raiser for many years for both the NSPCC, and St James Church in Manorbier. Her late husband was a church warden and Molly was a regular worshipper there until her later years after which she was grateful to be able to receive Holy Communion at home. She and her late husband started the Open Gardens event in the village which is still held each year with all proceeds going towards the upkeep of the church.
Molly was determined to reach 100 and to receive her card from the King and Queen which she put in pride of place in her sitting room. On her 100th birthday all her family and partners were able to join her in celebration at her home for which she was so grateful. She especially enjoyed holding an “Open House” 100th birthday celebration for her local friends which raised over £300 for St James Church.
In her later years, she was looked after by a small team of carers and the family and passed away peacefully at home last November.
MARGARET ADAM: STAFF (1936-2025)
Margaret began her teaching career in Bristol after her three year training at Dartford College of Physical Education. I met her in 1965 joining the Department when she had just begun her 3rd year as the Head.
Margaret was a keen swimmer and wanted every child to be able to swim safely and without fear. With an outdoor pool (albeit unheated!) on site in lovely grounds she made this an achievable aim. With the advent of a new heated pool offering a longer period of use, the children in Little Saints were also taught and the older girls were given the opportunity to qualify for the R.L.S.S. awards. Every year
many girls were awarded the Bronze Medallion and several more the higher awards, including working in open water. Margaret always gave her time readily for the benefit of her charges, she would often staff the pool herself of an evening when the boarders would use the pool recreationally. The addition of qualified lifesavers opened up more options at the pool and indeed opportunities for the young lifesavers.
The normal realms of the PE curriculum included selecting teams for matches and competitions but Margaret always endeavoured to involve everyone in a physical activity which they would enjoy and this led to a variety of clubs and activities during lunch hours, after school and during weekends or holidays………….fencing, horse riding, squash, badminton, Scottish dancing, table tennis, ski trips, the Ten Tors Expedition and even for a brief time ballroom dancing with the boys from Merchant Taylors’ School! Due to her enthusiasm, her calm efficiency and firm conviction of the value of exercise this was all achieved alongside Margaret by her team. The department was a joy in which to work and I think there will be many of you reading this, perhaps especially one time Boarders, who will remember the fun of these relaxing times and the reassurance which Miss Adam offered in difficult moments.
Outside of school Margaret was a member of her local church and a Guide Leader. She loved the company of her 5 nieces and nephews, children of her brother and sister, and later on in retirement the next generation of their own children. During the summer holidays she would visit her native Scotland and the West Country taking pleasure in the beauty of the natural world.
When she retired from her busy life of teaching, Margaret moved to live in Somerset near her friend Ethel Paul. She quickly became immersed in village life and made many new friends in the church, the Gardening Club and the W.I. She explored the lovely area of the Quantock Hills, introducing her visiting family and friends to favourite walks there and at seaside spots such as Kilve, Bossington and Blue Anchor Bay, usually with a nice tea room nearby! She joined Ethel as they took on the running of a weekly club for housebound residents in the village. This involved organising transport, lunch, entertainment and some ‘sitting exercise’. I was occasionally a visitor there and was not surprised to hear the laughter and witness the excellent movement happening as the ‘class’ of 20 very elderly folk enjoyed Margaret’s story based Keep Fit lesson! Margaret continued to help at the club or just be part of it as she handed over the reins when her health began to deteriorate in the last few years. The club continues.
She was a very special person and a wonderful friend. She will be so much missed by her twin sister Kate, her family and all who knew her.
Pat Fenwick (Staff 1965-1999)
England vs Wales 2005
Australia vs Japan 2025
Rachel and Sarah at the 2005 World Cup
JENNY ASQUITH (Gordon-Burge): 1942 – 2025 (at school 1955 –1960)
Jenny was a funny, brave pragmatic friend for 70 years. Her confidence combined with a wicked laugh was apparent all those years ago and remained with her until the end. Those of us who remember her recalled her academic brilliance too and I imagine it was all these qualities that led to her being appointed head girl of our year. After leaving Bristol she came North and taught languages in a comprehensive here where in the early years some of the younger pupils came larded in goose grease against winter cold. Aged 45 she gave birth to Tom and happily lived long enough to meet Benjamin, her grandson. She was buried in the ancient churchyard in her village surrounded by her stepdaughters, husband Jonathan, son Tom and her many friends. It was a beautiful day, early blossom and butterflies. I will miss those wide and high and deep conversations. RIP dear Jenny.
Ellizabeth Crossley (Collins) 1961
DIANA PHILLIPS (Hakim): 1930-2024 at school 1938-1948)
Diana’s parents were planning ahead when they sent Diana to board at Northwood at the age of 8 in 1938. They could see that war was likely and they wanted her to be settled in a boarding school in advance. They were proved right when war broke out and St Helen’s moved immediately to Wales in September 1939. Diana spent the rest of the war years there, then moved back to Northwood in 1945 and stayed until she left to go to Newnham College, Cambridge in 1948 to read History - her favourite subject. While at St Helen’s, she was House Captain of Shackleton House.
After Cambridge, Diana passed the highly competitive Civil Service exams, which was a great achievement and particularly unusual for women back then. She joined the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works, where (among other jobs) she became Secretary to the Historic Buildings Council, continuing to pursue her love of History. It was at work that she met Alan Phillips. They married in 1959 and were together for 55 years until his death in 2014. They had two daughters, Pat and Rachel, and Diana took a 13 year career-break to be a full time Mum. After returning to work, she was involved in setting up and joining the staff of English Heritage when it was created in 1983.
Diana took early retirement in 1986 and proceeded to enjoy an extremely active retirement in Stanmore for 38 years until she died at the age of 94.
Pat Phillips (daughter)
DIANA HOLLIS (Harper): 1943 – 2025 (at school 1948 – 1960)
Diana was always known as Tiny, having been named that by her three older brothers. She joined St Helen’s in Miss Betts’ class in September 1949. One of Tiny’s strengths in senior school was her lacrosse playing - she made a great contribution to first team matches, playing Point, and scoring many goals. On leaving school she went to finishing school in Switzerland. Returning to London she worked at various auction houses Sotheby’s, Phillips, Bonhams and various West End jewellers. With her husband Paul they set up their own business. On the breakup of her marriage, she moved to Tiverton where she spent 20 happy years honing her golf and flower arranging skills as well as working for the local auctioneers (Chilcotts) up until the year before she died. She sadly died of cancer on 6 November last year.
Liz Williams (Lewis)
JANE SNOWDEN: 1951 – 2024 (at school 1959-1969)
Jane grew up in Ruislip and attended St Helen’s from 2B onwards before going up to Newnham College in 1969 to read history. To quote from her husband Steve Palmer’s obituary for Newnham College Roll magazine:
“Upon graduation she completed a diploma in librarianship at the then North London Polytechnic, a course which involved a stint at the old British Library Reading Room. She initially worked at Nathanial Lichfield, an architectural consultancy in North London, before moving to the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) as Assistant Librarian, where she carried out a full re-cataloguing of the library - one of the largest management libraries in Europe - and helped oversee the Institute’s move from central London to new premises in Wimbledon; not something the theatre and art-loving Jane found wholly to her satisfaction”. It was at the IPM that she met Steve. They married in 1984 and celebrated their ruby anniversary in June 2024.
After the IPM, Jane was information manager at Lehman Brothers in the City. She then moved to a similar role to Charterhouse, an investment bank, and finished her working life at an outplacement consultancy. She retired in 2010.
The eulogist at her funeral highlighted Jane’s generosity: of spirit, time and money. She was a firm friend to many. She volunteered for many bodies: the Friends of City Churches, where she ‘church-sat’ with her friend Denise every month, the Royal Hospital for NeuroDisability, and Morden Hall Park, a National Trust property in South West London. She was very active in her local church, Holy Trinity, Wandsworth, acting as PCC Secretary and Deanery representative for many years, and where she helped establish the highly successful Mums and Tots group. Jane also helped with a Southfields Brownie pack for over 25 years.
Jane and Steve didn’t have any children but Jane acted as a loving godparent to those of several of her friends, and was a favourite aunt to Steve’s extensive list of nephews, nieces, great-nephews and greatnieces. She died of complications caused by motor neurone disease. She was still emailing and texting friends to the last. The church was packed for her funeral; testimony to the love, honour and respect with which she was held. She is greatly missed.
Elizabeth Davies (Onians) 1969
ROSALIE
WILKINS, LADY WILKINS: 1946 - 2024 (at school 19621965)
Rosalie Wilkins, Lady Wilkins, who has died aged 78, was the co-creator and presenter of the first regular television programme on disabled people’s lives in the UK. She was also a disability activist, documentary maker and Labour peer.
Born in Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire, Rosalie went to Dr Challoner’s High School, Amersham and St Helen’s School, Northwood, before going to Manchester University to study sociology and government.
However, in her second term, with the collapse of a wooden structure on a float at the university’s rag day, 19-year-old Rosalie experienced a fall that shaped the rest of her life. Becoming paralysed from the shoulders down, she said, “gave me choices in life that I would not have had otherwise”.
She was transferred to the spinal injuries centre at Stoke Mandeville hospital, Buckinghamshire, which pioneered radical changes to the treatment of spinal cord injury and expectations of the lives disabled people should aspire to. Rosalie would go on to make her own contribution to the struggle against disabling attitudes and lack of opportunities.
Six months after her accident, she returned to university, graduating in 1969. She moved to London to take up a series of administrative jobs, including as PA to the director of the Central Council for the Disabled (1971-74), while living in a hotel whose lift she barely fitted into in her wheelchair and where she cooked her meals using a small stove at knee height in her room.
Following settlement of a compensation claim for her accident, she rented a one-bedroom flat in the Barbican, a rare provider of wheelchair-accessible homes. It took another four years before she found the house in Fulham, south-west London, where she would live for the rest of her life.
The lack of accessible housing became and remained an issue that Rosalie campaigned on, and was the subject of her last speech in the Lords before retirement in 2015. She spoke of the “catastrophic” impact that lack of suitable housing has on disabled people’s lives, and the shortsightedness of the then Conservative government’s weakening of accessible housing standards.
In 1974, she began work as publications officer for the newly established National Volunteer Centre, but after six months resigned from this with other colleagues in protest at the organisation’s dismissal of the colleague who became her life partner, Maria Brenton. Later that year, she joined Mind, the mental health charity, as information officer.
Rosalie worked as a regular presenter of Link until 1988, before going freelance as a documentary maker and presenter. Prior to taking up her seat in the Lords, she was information officer for the National Centre for Independent Living (1997-99). As well as being involved in many disability campaigns over the years, she served in a range of public appointments, including on the BBC general advisory council in the 70s, and on the Prince of Wales advisory group on
disability in the 80s. Latterly, she was president of the College of Occupational Therapists (2003-08), and vice-chair of both the allparty parliamentary group on disability (2004-15), and the all-party parliamentary group on deafness (2005-15).
As well as her achievements in the public sphere, Rosalie had a gift for enduring friendships. She said that what she was most proud of in life was her 50-year relationship with Maria, with whom she formed a civil partnership in 2006 and who survives her.
ANDREW NEWTON (FORMER STAFF): 1954-2024
It was a deeply sad day on 7 January 2025, when I attended the funeral of Andrew Newton at St John’s Church in Stanmore. Alongside Katie Pottle (Smith), Claire McKay (Lewis), and many of Andrew’s family and friends, I joined a congregation united in grief, respect, and gratitude. Andrew — former Head of English at St Helen’s — died suddenly of a heart attack in December 2024, aged just 70.
Andrew was more than a gifted English teacher; he was a mentor, a creative catalyst, and a constant source of encouragement. During his years at St Helen’s, he led several sixth form editorial teams through the creation of the school magazine, each edition a labour of love and a testament to his ebullient belief in our potential. For those of us who worked on the 1993 issue of Eureka, the experience was unforgettable - a formative time filled with learning, camaraderie, silliness, and a great sense of fun. We emerged with not only confidence and skills, but also a deep sense of community and purpose.
Warm, gregarious, and endlessly generous, Andrew was beloved by students and colleagues alike. He had a remarkable ability to nurture both intellectual and spiritual curiosity. Through literature, he taught us to ask bigger questions of ourselves and the world - and, crucially, to believe we had the capacity to answer them. Because he had studied art history alongside English literature, he also took a keen interest in my art practice, and in the lives and careers of many OGs. His impact lingers far beyond the classroom.
In later years, many of us stayed in touch with Andrew on Facebook. When I moved to Margate, our connection deepened, as he would often drop by when visiting his sister Catherine in neighbouring Ramsgate. It was interesting and rewarding to get to know Andrew from a different perspective - to laugh, to reflect, and to share conversations not as teacher and former student, but simply as friends.
In those conversations - over tea, coffee, or wine (!) - I often found myself thinking of lines from Eliot’s Prufrock that we discovered through him: There will be time for you and time for me, And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of a toast and tea.
He taught us not just how to read poetry, but how to live with it - to let its rhythms and questions settle into our thinking, our humour, our hearts. That gift - the gift of loving language - is one I carry with me still. He is profoundly missed.
Chiara Williams (1994)
Announcements
Deaths
ADAM Margaret (ex-staff) in May ‘25.
ASQUITH Jenny Gordon-Burge in March ’25 (at school 1955 – 1960)
BRADLEY-KIDD Molly (Robson) in November ’24 (at school 1938 –1942)
CRUDDAS Patricia (McPhail) in December ’24 (at school 1942 – 1954)
DE GARCIA Frances (Pawley) in May ’25 (at school from 1956 – 1961)
FISHER Jane in ‘24 (at school 1958 – 1962)
FISHER Philippa (Bach) in Julu ’25 (1956 - 1965)
GOSSE Jennifer in Nov ’24 (left school in 1962)
HANRAHAN Victoria (Levene) (at school 1980 – 1988)
HOLLIS Diana (Harper) in November ’24 (at school 1948 – 1960)
WHITCOMBE Gillian (Hord), in June ‘25, (at school 1949 – 1953)
HOSIE Jean (Robinson) in May ’25 (at school 1948 – 1953)
LANGRISHE Isabel (Helm) in June’25 (at school 1943 – 1953)
LOWE Susan Simons in October ’24 (at school 1942 – 1950)
MOORE Andrea (Bradley) in July ’25 (at school 1972 – 1980)
MYNORS Helen (Taylor) in June ‘25 (at school 1957 – 1966)
NEWTON Andrew (former staff) in December ‘24
PHILLIPS Diana (Hakim) in ‘24 (at school 1938 - 1948)
SNOWDEN Jane in 2024 (at school 1959 – 1969)
STRANGE Mary Anne (Campbell) in ’25 (at school 1969 – 1973)
TINGAY Deborah in ’24 (at school 1956 – 1963)
WHIPP Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) in April ’25 (left school in 1966)
WILKINS The Rt. Hon the Baroness Rosalie in Dec ‘24 (at school 1962 – 1965)
Newsround
Caretaker Branch Secretary 1948-50
SALLY FLEMING (Pollott)
2 Moneyhill Road, Rickmansworth WD3 7EQ
Email: sallyclarke25@hotmail.com
ANN BURNETT (Steed) I am now 95!! I have moved in to live with my daughter Wendy. We live in Jersey near St. Brelade’s Bay. So if any Old Girls visit Jersey do pop in and we will have a good chat.
Branch Secretary 1951
JENNIFER DEE (Couch)
Wesley Cottage, Bourton, Dorset SP8 5AT
Thank you again to those who have kindly written for the magazine. So appreciated. Life is still busy and I am fortunate to have good health.
DEIDRE COLES (Gillies) 4 Deane Cottages, Deane, Basingstoke RG25 3AT Nothing has really changed in my life since I wrote for the magazine last year, save that I am a year older (93). I now have 15 great grandchildren. My large family are very kind to me and visit regularly although I find the catering for their visits tiring. I still find life enjoyable and full of interest.
GINA ALEXANDER (Pirani) 64 the Cloisters, Pegasus Grange, White Horse Road, Oxford OX1 4AQ Life in Pegasus Grange continues to be calm and helpful. There are several people here who I count as real friends and not one resident whom I dislike. I have been chair of our Residents’ Association for 15 months; some of the tasks are truly boring but I have enjoyed getting to know how the community works.
MARY DAVIES (Powell) Charlwood, 11 Terry Road, High Wycombe HP13 6QJ Apart from the joys of becoming a great granny, life goes on with few changes. I am very grateful for reasonable health as is my sister Ann (Oxholm) who I visited recently in her beautiful part of Wales. I plan to holiday again in August in St. Mawes, Cornwall, with an ever-increasing number of family, a now 40 year old tradition. I also plan to visit my daughter in Sicily later in the year. Many thanks to “Crouchy” for her hard work in keeping the few of us in touch. Crouchy and I shared a room (3 Jennifers and me) aged 8 yrs old in Llanthomas, the lovely Junior boarding house in Wales during the evacuation of St. Helen’s 83 years ago! I still have valuable chats with her on the phone.
SUSAN EDDY (Slade-Jones) 209 Buxton Road, Disley, Stockport SK12 2LH A year older and very unsteady I have to use a Zimmer to get around and to cook my meals and deal with clothes washing etc. I fell at the beginning of October and broke my pelvis while walking home then developed shingles badly despite being vaccinated at 79. I was able to recover at home and now have a stair lift. I am very lucky that my sons and their children all visit quite often and I am very
happy reading. I am going to stay with my Winchester son in July and see Diedre (Gillies) and Gina (Pirani), both 90, whom I met at St. Helen’s.
Branch Secretary 1953 – 1954
JENNY PARSONS (Waygood)
4 Gower Court, Chalfont Dene, Chalfont St Peter, SL9 0FD Email: jennyp111@btinternet.com
JEAN HAMLETT (Mackie) jean.hamlette@btopenworld.com Still doing local history most of the time. Other than that I try to do a (short!) local walk each day, when I make a list of the wild flowers and butterflies we see (sadly very few of the latter as yet this year) - and we often meet neighbours and other friends and enjoy a chat. A French woman has just moved into the village, and we have met a couple of times at the W.I. Book Club and had a bit of a chat in French - it’s now 60 years since I last worked in Geneva and she says I haven’t lost my Swiss accent! Our daughter Jenny is now Foodbank Coordinator for Wetherby Foodbank, which means a lot of outreach work across the district as well as ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the Foodbank. Our son John, a professional film maker, has just finished his third film of old Kirkby Lonsdale (our local country town), this time about people’s memories of wartime in and around the town. It has just been shown for the first time as part of our local VE Day celebrations, and was enthusiastically received.
Branch Secretary 1955
ROSEMARY WASHBOURNE (Hall) Firswood, High Park Avenue, East Horsley, Surrey KT24 5DF
Email: rosewashbourne@outlook.com
Branch Secretary 1956-57
ANN ROBERTS (Partridge) Covers, Green East Road, Jordans , Bucks, HP9 2SU
Email: dmaroberts@gmail.com
It was a pleasure meeting Mrs Bridget Ward, the School’s new Head, at the OG Committee meeting earlier this year. Her enthusiasm and empathy will allow St Helen’s pupils and staff to have a rewarding time. My news is very mundane. Old age means I am less mobile but happily I am able to drive and feel well. My husband and I have just had a delightful holiday in Cornwall with my daughter and family, (who also live in Jordans) doing all the driving. Please will all my branch members send me their email addresses so we can keep in touch and I can remind everyone next year to send in some news. None again this year! Perhaps put May 1st in next year’s diary as a reminder.
Branch Secretary 1958
BELINDA DEY
61 Birkbeck Road, Sidcup, Kent DA14 4DB
Email: b.j.g.dey@gmail.com
My news this year is much the same as last – plenty of activities in church, including knitting group, helping serve weekly meals to marginalised people, prayer and Bible study group and services. My brother and sister-in-law are celebrating their golden wedding this year. We are thankful for them. It has been good to hear from these friends during the year – Brenda Jane (Blair), Jill (Croucher), Patricia (Roberts), Helen (Shelton), Judy (Greenfield), Jean (Bibby), Beth (Henderson), Beryl (Dickinson) – as well as those who have sent their news. Carol (Giddings) and I were the only ones from our group to attend OGs’ Day this year. I know most of us now find travelling any distance difficult, have caring duties or are not sufficiently mobile to meet up.
ALISON BAKER (Bonny) john.and.alison@icloud.com We are hoping to move house, but are in limbo at the moment - we have accepted an offer on our house, but have been let down by the people who accepted our offer. We want to move into a town, as we are very much in the country. I don’t walk very easily. Please note we have a new email address.
NATHALIE BUCKLAND(Cooper) nathalieb41@hotmail.com I am still in Australia but my circumstances have changed and I am now in a nursing home in Lismore. I was eventually diagnosed with cerebrobasal degeneration, similar to Parkinson’s. So, my activities are curtailed. The home is quite good and luckily I have two daughters living in Lismore and one in Perth who comes when she can, as does my son from Orange. I stay in touch with my brother in England, and my sister, Brigid (Cooper) who also went to St Helen’s.
ANGELA CLEGG (Clarke) angelaclegg14@icloud.com May is always a busy month for me as I’m very involved with the local Open Studios Art group which was founded nearly 25 years ago by established artists and gallery owners in the Totnes area at the dawn of a more technological age and nothing to do with the now countrywide Open Studios! I keep in regular contact with several of my cohort of OGs. Virginia (Wylie) lives only about 25 miles away, near Chagford, and on London area visits it’s good to catch up on occasion with Judy (Greenfield), Sally (Hauxwell) and Geraldine (Wedgwood).
RUTH COGGAN 15 Plough Way, Badger Farm, Winchester SO22 4PX Thank you so much for your email and for sending the interesting list of our generation. I was chuffed to be able to put (younger) faces on, I think, a majority of them though would probably not recognise them now! I expect most of us by now are feeling some of the effects of ageing - I certainly am, having been diagnosed with osteoporosis and with macular degeneration (fortunately one eye only and dry so far) and am now recovering very well from an operation on my spine to relieve spinal stenosis which has obviously been successful. I am so thankful for the NHS, crumbling though it appears to be, for the care and kindness consistently received by so many of its employees.
NICHOLA HALL (Malim) ranhall@telus.net I wish I could attend the OGs’ Day, but I’d have to fly in specially from Canada! Maybe one day I’ll manage to plan a visit to England at the right time for OGD. I still keep in touch with (and see whenever I’m home) Trisha (Roberts) and Judy (Boothroyd). I’m also in touch with Liz (Collins). Next month I will have been living in Vancouver, Canada, for 52 years, and of course it also feels like home - I am so lucky to have two homes, and visit England as often as my budget (and ageing body!) allows.
A Canadian flag flies from my balcony at the moment, giving the finger to Trump’s ridiculous remarks about Canada being the 51st state! I always love visitors from the UK: have a spare sofabed in my apartment and love showing off our beautiful beaches and mountains.
FRANCES JESSEMAN (Hinks) 5 The Ridings, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 4LU I keep in touch with Jean (Bibby), Nelly (Shelton ), Beth (Gibb) and Belinda. I have sold my golf clubs as I no longer play golf.
Our club is being built on! So, things are changing.
JULIE JONES (Vaillant) j.jones.69@btinternet.com A couple of years ago I moved to Tadworth and now live near my son and his family and so can see my two grandchildren more often. This is a very friendly community and I have found it surprisingly easy to settle in. U3A and playing bridge help. My other son and family live in Australia so I normally visit them once a year; fabulous life living by the sea! For several years I’ve enjoyed meeting Celia LeesLow a couple of times in London to see a show. It’s lovely to spend time with her. More recently I met up with Rosie (Hall) and spent a happy couple of hours recalling old memories.
ALISON KILBURN (Hyslop) abkkilburn@gmail.com Thank you for your email and thank you for keeping us all in touch with OGs after 60+ years! I am living in Falmouth which is great though a bit of a trek to the rest of the country. I would love to meet up with anyone from St Helen’s days who might be passing.
JENNY LEVEJAC (Wigan) jennylevejac@gmail.com I am still in touch with Judie (Pickup) and Virginia (Wylie). My family although only my daughter, Alexandra, lives near me, in the same village, all look after me very well and took me on various adventures last year in spite of cancer, thankfully done with, fingers crossed! I am a greatgrandmother to delightful little Ella (2½). My eldest son has a family get-together in the first week-end of July so that is on my calendar up in Normandy. I’m having a bit of trouble with the garden, but at the moment have load of primroses, forget-me-nots and dandelions, and am slowly introducing bluebells, collecting the seeds and spreading them around. Lots of places that must be avoided by the lawn mower, although the “lawn” is no golf course, more “field”! Thank you for keeping up the good work - so many happy memories.
LIZ VALENTINE (Cornish) e.valentine@rhul.ac.uk I occupy my time with various musical activities and wild-life monitoring. Life is circumscribed by my husband’s limited mobility. But I have two St Helen’s contacts’ news: Recently I enjoyed watching (online) Geraldine (King) presenting her fascinating and inspiring study at a psychology of music conference. She has taught a woman who had become deaf to sing again. (Geraldine and I used to sing together in the choir at Holy Trinity.) Next week I am looking forward to visiting Heather Abrams in her new apartment, with Marilyn (Rycroft) MARGARET WHITING (Haydon) maggiejayhay@aol.com It’s amazing how fast the year passes and OGs’ Day is here again! It’s a good idea to remind us of who’s who for our group. Our news is no doubt pretty similar to others of our age group; life is mainly fairly quiet with medical type appointments sprinkled through our diaries, with other outings or get-togethers now and then. We enjoy living close to the sea in Southbourne, part of Bournemouth and are often to be seen walking along part of the very long promenade; we rarely go to Bournemouth town centre but are fairly close to Christchurch which is a pleasant old town with interesting buildings and a riverside to enjoy. Good wishes to all who remember me and very many thanks to Belinda for the work you do to keep us in touch with one another. FRANCES ZAGNI (Valentine) franceszagni@btinternet.com I’m still living in a lovely little village just outside Bath and am busy as usual with music - I play in around 8 groups using different instruments - cello, Double Bass, Viola da gamba (I have 10 of different sizes for different periods of music). Otherwise I’m very busy in my garden. It is going to be opened for a day in June this year as part of the National Garden Scheme which I’m very proud about. As well as flowers I grow a lot of soft fruit and make a great deal (over 200 lbs) of jam each summer which I sell and also provide for our village cream teas on Sundays in August. My main news last year was that my book ‘Gepruft’ (my parents war time letters) was made into a play ‘Valentine Letters’ which had 24 performances in London, Bath, St Albans & Bedford. These were in small theatres but very well received and had some great notices.
Branch Secretary 1959
PATRICIA CHEESE (Holding)
53 Cedar Road Berkhamsted Herts HP4 2LB
Email: ianandpat53@btinternet.com
I went to lunch on OG Day. There were 5 of us from our year. We had great fun and a lovely lunch. The other 4 were from Rosemary’s group. Thanks to those who have sent news. I am still playing tennis (more slowly!) and bowls.
SUE HAMER (Roberts) Not much has happened in this quiet countryside, lambs and calves are playing in the fields. Lovely walking my dog along the riverbank along with likeminded friends. Hay Book Festival is in full swing and Hay on Wye full of meandering visitors. Glad to be fit and healthy thanks to yoga and Pilates. I spent a few days last Summer with Lis Rushton visiting various places and hope to do the same this year.
SALLY HUNT (Nicholls) 14 River Street, W Kempsey, NSW, 2440, Australia. A busy time of milestones and celebrations. Terry is 90 and by the end of the year we will have been married 50 years. Kenneth came from London to enjoy Terry’s 90th birthday party in Sydney and he is returning to help celebrate our 50th Anniversary in late May. As usual I am amazed at how rapidly time is passing. Our eldest granddaughter is starting High School next year. I still miss my hockey – cheering from the sideline is not the same as playing. Unfortunately our overseas travel is not possible at the moment, but hopefully, one day, it will happen again.
LIS RUSHTON (Brandon) lis.rushton@talktalk.net I have recently started going to an exercise group in Weaverham as I need to keep active, but my knees think otherwise and I often use a walking pole to keep me walking in a straight line! I still keep up monthly with PROBUS friends in Frodsham for a meal. Last July we had a family holiday (11 of us) on the S Glamorgan coast. We enjoyed it and have arranged another one in Llangollen. In September my daughter Jenny, and Mike, took me to Lynton/Lynmouth for a few days where Maurice and I met in 1965. We have just returned from a week’s river cruise to Amsterdam and the bulb fields, Arnhem, Ghent and Bruges. We enjoyed it although I had to do a lot of walking. Su Roberts-Hamer and dachshund “Buttons” stayed for a few days in August and should be coming again this year. I stayed with my cousin in Leicester and have a few days booked there in June.
GAY WILLIAMSON (Heughan) gwilliamson@zebrafish.co.nz My news could be better. I had a stroke at my Bridge Club in Wellington NZ two years ago just before my 80th birthday (I still have the dress!). I was in hospital for 3 months. I now walk with a frame (actually 2 frames: with one for round the house and one for going out which has brakes and a seat and is called Johnnie as in Johnnie Walker). I can talk fluently (a bit slurred when tired!). Friends
have been wonderful coming round and taking me out. My main frustration is that everything takes so long but I am very lucky. Quite an experience for a retired Speech Therapist! My family are very busy and keeping in regular contact. Anna was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease last year and now gets tired quite easily. Liz had concussion last year and is making a slow recovery. My 5 grandchildren are doing well and seem very busy. Meeting times are very special – mobile phones are great!
1960 - 1969
Membership Secretary
Dorothy Salathiel address at 1967
65 years on
Branch Secretary 1960
ROSEMARY DUCAT (Coker)
24 Mayfair Gardens, Woodford Green IG8 9AB
Email: rosemaryducat@gmail.com
It was lovely to be with Janet Stephenson, Pat Cheese, Liz Svoboda and Ailsa Constable at OG Day recently though it was somewhat disconcerting to be the oldest there (apart from three others)! Also lovely to see one or two “younger” ones that I remembered. We have just returned from ten days in Cancale, our first visit there since we sold the house last August. A lovely holiday and we didn’t feel too emotional about the house!
ELIZABETH CROSSLEY (Collins) lizzieexey@aol.com My first great grandchild being due in July reminds me that I am now one of the many grey-haired ladies around. I feel fortunate still to be in touch with most of the good friends I made at school including Nickie Malim in Vancouver and Diane Dorius in USA. I still paint, glass engrave, cold swim most mornings and lucky enough still to be married to Joe (91). Lovely to have the young in our lives ranging from 27 to the twins who are 7. I shall miss Jenny (Gordon-Burge) but was able to be at her funeral. It was indeed a thanksgiving service.
JANET STEPHENSON (Connell) janet@muv.girl.plus.com It was very pleasant meeting with four others on OG Day. Things have changed a lot in the last 65 years but it was lovely hearing the Junior School choir, bringing back memories of singing with Miss Bach (Mrs Hoffman)! I am slowing down a bit but still enjoy my garden, singing and help at church as well as regularly walking my lovely dog. We had a wonderful weekend in March when all the family got together to celebrate with my eldest son Paul, who came over from Australia, for his 60th birthday. Let’s keep in touch and meet again next year.
Joint Branch Secretaries 1961
CAROLE BACH (Douglas - Morris)
7 Cottesmore Court, Stanford Road, London W8 5QL
Email: caroleannbach@gmail.com
LYNN PAIBA (Conway)
34 Fairacres, Roehampton Lane, London SW15 5LX
Email: lynnpaiba@gmail.com
CAROLE I celebrated my 80th birthday last July. Pat (Brackley) and I were the eldest in our class. So many happy memories of St Helens and the happy times with friends I still see. They turn 80 this year. We still go away regularly with Jenny and Steve and often see Lynn Michael and I are very happy we downsized 5 years ago as it makes
for easier living. Anna and Christoph live quite near but Nic still is in Roatan. The grandchildren are a joy and always interesting. We are still busy and go to the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith often.
LYNN Another year - seeing Carole (Douglas-Morris), J (Alix), Sheila (Warnock) whenever we can arrange a suitable date, fairly regularly. Still shooting and singing in a ladies’ choir next door at Club. Am thrilled that daughter Rob is back in London from Cardiff - it’s been quite a number of years. All family members keeping well and thriving.
TERESA BETTS (Massey) teresabetts@onetel.com My daughter Anna’s eldest is now at Brighton University and I drove down to meet them off the plane at Gatwick and on to Brighton where we spent a very happy few days setting Bonnie up in her self-catering room, as well as visiting The Royal Pavilion and friends who live nearby. Anna & I then took the car ferry back to Brittany where they now live so that I could see their new home in Vannes. I am about to do the same journey again by car - this time on my own. In December, Bonnie met me in London and we went to the Royal Academy, then Fortnum’s. A grown-up occasion without her younger brothers. My spare bedroom is now full of her possessions for the summer! Travelling to Scotland at Christmas was more complicated and I finished up in a wheelchair at Glasgow when my plane was delayed by 36 hours. The assistance service in Scotland is much more friendly than either Heathrow or London City. I now have arthritis in my left knee which hopefully a cortisone injection will help with the pain. It has made gardening more challenging. I am still involved with the school’s Archive and liaise with Jean McPherson in the Development Department. I am also still involved with Chenies Village affairs. However upholstery classes have stopped as my beloved and knowledgeable tutor died in December.
TRISH CHAPMAN (Scadding) trish@etchapman.co.uk I can hardly believe it’s time for another update – life seems to be flying by! We’ve both thoroughly enjoyed a further year living half a mile from Weymouth beach; we’re both keeping reasonably well though slowing down somewhat, & Ernie is having increasingly severe back pain. The recent arrival of a mobility scooter has enabled him to get out & about once more – that’s wonderful, except I now have great difficulty keeping up with him! Am very much looking forward to a mini-St Helen’s gathering in June with Liz Ralph, Viv Roberts, Dreda Todd and Shirley Wyllys. MARGARET HUNTER (Buckle) mehunter@hotmail.co.uk I always look forward to hearing news from others. I continue to go to various groups and still have my allotment but mainly grow fruit which is not such hard work. Have spent time at my house in France too with my children and still get great pleasure in being there. Looe has become even more popular with the TV programme ‘Beyond Paradise’.
GERALDINE LEIGHTON (King) g.s.leighton@gmail.com Well, another year has passed and unusually, I thought, at my age, my eyesight is now much improved! Removal of cataracts last year, followed by laser surgery for the better of my eyes has given me excellent vision in my left eye and pretty good in the right. It has been a busy year – I’ve enjoyed the orchestra and choir I belong to, but due to concert date clashes, I had to choose which to do. I’ve had a busy year at Keele, where I still have my Honorary Research Fellowship. Having applied to present a poster and oral presentation at a music psychology conference in Manchester in early April, I had plenty to prepare. Since the goal of the research with a person who had lost all her hearing suddenly, was to explore the possibilities of re-learning how to sing and learn a new song, I wanted to present the findings with plenty of audio clips to show the progress she made. I was quite pleased with the interest shown by those who were present. The next goal is to try to get some of this research
published. Our holiday last summer was a return to Switzerland. Travelling there by ferry to Hoek van Holland and then by train was quite tiring, especially when several of the German trains were late or cancelled and we had to find other routes. I think Fraulein would have been pleased to know I can communicate reasonably well in German! Family-wise – 3 grandchildren are working in their chosen careers. This and the fact that both our children are now over 50 makes us feel very old! However, so far, we are keeping healthy, for which we are very grateful.
JUDITH PALFREYMAN (Nicholls) rognjudy@gmail.com Really this year is just a repeat of last year with the same highlights of watching young family grow and achieve, travelling north twice a year to catch up with friends and always enjoying the companionship of neighbours with get-togethers at Probus or just the morning coffee and gossip: we certainly do a lot more of the latter the older we get ....Eastern New South Wales is just emerging from dreadful floods - sister Sally and Terry completely surrounded by water and unable to travel to Sydney to celebrate the wonderful achievement of their 50th wedding anniversary.
VIVIAN ROBERTS (Onians) Roberts.haseley@gmail.com All well here except Anthony is very deaf which is trying for both of us. We have been lucky with travel over the last 12 months - Albania interesting and very safe, contrary to one’s views of Albanians here as people smugglers, and more people will be going I am sure as tourists – good beaches and an interesting history. It has the appearance of being quite wealthy as much money flows in from the diaspora. Then a trip to Kenya to ring and watch birds and the wildlife of course is amazing, and most recently we had a trip to Togo and Benin (West Africa) to see the practice of Voodooism in tribes, where some had never seen a European and they were living as they have done for hundreds of years, except mobile phones were much in evidence, and also we learnt about the history of the slave trade – tourism is in its infancy but with lovely beaches, it will surely increase. Family are all well - Clare and Tasha are fine with their growing children aged 15 to 9.
WENDY SMITH (Elmore-Jones) wendy.e-j@ntlworld.com We are enjoying life to the full and are trying to do as much as we can while we are still able. We are still playing tennis and I participate in exercise classes and attend various interest groups where I have recently given 4 presentations on different subjects. It can be very time consuming and I am still learning but it is very enjoyable. I occasionally visit London to see art exhibitions and meet friends. We both enjoy walking either at home or abroad on holiday. We have recently had some amazing holidays to Thailand, Malaysia and various countries in Europe. Next a walking holiday in June in Austria.
Joint Branch Secretaries 1962
JILL ROSENHEIM
6 Albert House, Pittville Place, Cheltenham, GL52 3HZ
Email: jillrosenheim@btinternet.com
LIZ WILLIAMS (Lewis)
109 Anson Road, London NW2 4AE
Email: eandm.williams@talktalk.net
JILL We had our last long-haul holiday in January at a wonderful hotel in Sri Lanka and decided that we are so tired by the return journey, it would be better to stick to destinations nearer home. That decision was compounded by my husband, Tony having plastic surgery on his leg that has ruled out long flights for the foreseeable future. Good to catch up with Jenny (Tarrant), Scilla (Barker) and Liz at a lunch in May. Charlotte (Witts), Liz and I keep in touch with three-weekly zoom calls.
LIZ Thanks to Jill for her efforts in getting us all together and the resulting lunch this year at the Turkish restaurant Ev near Waterloo (see above). Sadly quite a crew weren’t able to a make it at the last minute: Ro (Clarke), Angela (Walker), Sarah (French), Jane (Alexander) and Wendy (Knowles). Also we were all very sad to learn of Tiny Harper’s death last November, especially after her upbeat news last year.
MARILYN BRACKLEY (Dodson) marilynbrackley133@gmail.com A year gone already, though I’ve retired I don’t seem to have extra time as I thought I would, I just take longer to do everything! A friend and I had a lovely holiday in the South Island visiting places that were new to me. Weather played ball and scenery was outstanding. We’ve had a lovely summer, definitely climate change is playing a part as temperatures were hotter than usual. Gardening, Pilates, dog walking and latterly water walking keep me fit. Swimming was never my favourite sport; I remember Miss Gibb insisting I leapt off the spring board after she counted to 3, a memory never forgotten! I’m coming to UK in August with daughter Hannah, we’ll be in London for a week, then visiting family.
CHARLOTTE BRIGHT (Witts) brightcn@optusnet.com.au The sun keeps shining, but we had reasonable rain one day which perked up the plants. I had a tree feller around at Willunga to tidy up some trees that looked as though they were going to drop branches onto the drive. It has left me with a good pile of firewood, which will be welcome in the winter. The man was very chatty while I was trying to get back to town, so I tried to stay polite. He had bruised some ribs when a branch fell awkwardly some weeks ago so was still being careful, but said lying in bed at night was painful, poor man.
JANE GREENING (Alexander) Having decided not to continue with any palliative care for his untreatable mesothelioma, my husband enjoyed some months of relative good health. Then last summer he had a fall and finished up in hospital with a fractured hip, followed by very low blood pressure for a further three weeks. Since coming home the cancer has spread very slowly (he’s had it since 1960!) and is living an invalid life. Our children, grandchildren and friends have been marvellous. I have been in touch with Jane (Kinsey), Wendy (Knowles), Suzanne (Freudental) and briefly seen Penny (Wright). I’m very appreciative of the lunches Jill and Lizzie arrange under the arches and meeting other OGs.
ANNE JONES (Sayers) annejones007@gmail.com 2024 was a difficult year as I struggled to climb above Covid, then RSV, then Pneumonia. I was vaccinated against all, but my cough tells me that I’m still climbing! Sadly, my husband collapsed in the summer and was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. He died in January after returning from his assignment in Asia, hoping to find remission here in Canada, which did not happen. Perhaps this is the conclusion of My Soul on Ice, which I published in 2024, still available on Amazon. We had a wonderful ‘Little Saints’ gathering in Chorleywood last
summer, attended by me, Jane (Alexander), Julia (Fickling), Helen (Dickinson), Sally (Gradwell-Walker), and Sarah (French). Sixty+ years on, nobody said “You haven’t changed a bit”, but I’d say we were all looking great.
SCILLA LOWN (Barker) Scilla.lown@btinternet.com This last year has been somewhat stressful. House went on the market so lots of viewings but not everyone’s choice as I have 13 acres, stables, barn and a manège. Eventually accepted an offer just before Christmas from the 2nd family who viewed it back last May but hadn’t been able to sell their house. Hopefully I will be downsizing to a bungalow with large garden only 1/2 mile from my present house. Still on tenterhooks as exchange not until end of May. Enjoyed catching up with Jill, Liz and Jenny Edwards, who I hadn’t seen since leaving school, in London a couple of weeks ago. Pity that not more of you could make it. It was a beautiful sunny day at a lovely venue, pedestrianised, outside seating with loads of flowers and shrubs. Hopefully I will have moved by the time you read this.
ALISON WILLIAMSON (Parkinson) caemadog@gmail.com We are still living in the dead centre of Mid Wales, a beautiful environment but with drawbacks as one gets older and facilities deteriorate. Too late to move now, but we are lucky to have daughter Sarah and family in the same Parish. Our other daughter is an IT expert in a Logistics firm in Manchester. Unfortunately the family business ‘Timberkits’ of nearly 30 years standing, which Sarah now runs, is having to close. Recession has put paid to many small independent shops she used to supply, and mobile phones have killed off the hobby of model making. Eric and I are trying unsuccessfully to wind down, having taken on the management of a small Woodland at the end of our garden which we are ‘rewilding’. This means digging up brambles and other thug species to promote more attractive forms of wild life, like blue bells and the 85 odd varieties of wild flowers we are encouraging. But who will take over this task once we are too old? I am still in touch with a Ugandan Charity and contributing to an ambitious project to build a Technical Institute to serve several local villages as there is no government educational provision after the age of 14. The respect of youngsters and their families for education is amazing, and we could all learn a lot from what they achieve, with a fraction of the resources we have here. Apart from meeting up with Liz, we occasionally see Jane (Kinsey) and Penny (Wright) and one day when things are less manic we may hop on a train down to London to revisit the school and meet up with others - before we become too old for such mad escapades!
Branch Secretary 1963
PATRICIA PORTER (Maxwell)
11 Graham Park Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 4BH
Email: richpadporter@btinternet.com
Branch Secretary 1964A
REBECCA HERSHMAN (Baxter)
1 North Lodge, Polesden Lacey, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6BB
Email: rebeccabhershman@yahoo.co.uk
Most importantly, this year, we remember Rosalie. Her death on December 1st was a shock and an enormous loss. In May, Jennifer, Pat, Belinda and Scott, Rosie, Clive and I, accepted an Invitation from Maria, Rosalie’s partner, to ‘Remember Rosalie’. A really lovely gathering at Roehampton University. Belinda spoke for all of us, recalling, with gentle humour, Rosalie’s days in the Sixth Form. It was humbling to hear of her courage and from others her extraordinary and amazing achievements. We were all so proud and honoured that we had known her. For us the year has been punctuated by Clive benefiting from a remarkable heart procedure, and after 29 years,
a recurrence of Breast Cancer for me. The inevitable surgery and treatment. A shock, but caught early and I am back teaching. We continue to love living at Polesden and look forward to squeezing in Benjamin, Oliver (19) and Richard and Toby (8) when they visit in July. For Toby this will be his first UK visit since he was 14 months old! As always, love to all of 64!
DAPHNE MASTERS (Benjamin) daphnefromdoonfoot@yahoo.co.uk
In March we moved down to near Bristol (Ham Green) and after 3 months are feeling settled in, and loving our townhouse and small garden and the view across the green, and especially being nearer to family and friends. The amazing weeks of sunshine have helped but we are now realising it does rain here too. Maggie will be visiting us soon, to make sure we have emptied all the packing boxes.
MARY MONKTON (Greig) mary@wintonfarm.co.uk All well in the Monckton household - Tim and I are still playing golf and walking too including in Tuscany - and doing a lot of charitable fundraising etc for our local Tenterden church, St Mildred’s, and the local communitywhich I love! Would love to meet up with anyone willing to come to central London sometime.
DEIDRE (Dee) O’CONNELL dee.oconnell@hotmail.com Dee reports that she is well and still living in Lewes. Also, she knows Baroness Kay Andrews, one of the memorable speakers who contributed to ‘Remembering Rosalie’.
JOAN ROBERTS (Goodwin) jmfroberts36@gmail.com Thank you to all OGs who so kindly donated to my ‘Jumping for Jake’ fund, which has now raised £14,000 for Brain Tumour Research. The OG Charitable Trust also donated. My grandson Jake (Rupert and Jo’s son) continues to do well so every day is precious. My other news is that I have moved from Honiton to Torquay into a granny flat above Rose and Jon’s home. It is lovely to be close to them, but we are able to be entirely independent, so best of both worlds. I keep in touch with Maggie Bell and Ann Watson, who have been very supportive.
ANGELA WILLIAMSON (Dobson) It was lovely to hear of your celebration of Rosalie and of the fun small group sessions we had with Miss Keddie for S level English, where Rosalie always shone! The days, weeks, months fly by, punctuated with the inevitable medical appointments and occasional crises (Mike) and for me the pleasure of having three of our young families in Wiltshire and being involved in their lives (ages 3 to 19!). Our flat in Downton is a springboard for walking in the New Forest, days on the coast and then trips to Devon where we still have a small cottage. It was great to see Philippa in London after we realised how easy it was to meet up there!
Branch Secretary 1964B
JAN RICHARDSON (Rees) Brockfield Barn, Lower Mawfield Farm, Allensmore, Hereford, HR2 9BQ
Email: dinedor@hotmail.com
Can’t believe we will be celebrating our 60 years on next year – makes me feel very old especially as grandchildren now 19,14,13 and 12. Not a great deal of news to report, life continues much as before, still walking but days of long treks over, now more manageable walks locally for charity. Having said this many times before, am so lucky to live here –long may it last! Good to have your news yet again. Old Girls Day 9th May 2026.
JANE MOXON (Rowe) janemoxon@gmx.co.uk Doug and I still living in Carbis Bay and staying in fairly good health apart from usual aches and pains of old age. Still working as a live in carer but think retirement is on the cards now as some of my old clients are as old as me! Various offspring doing well, Clare an ED Matron and Graham owner of his fitness gym in Cheltenham. Our new German Shepherd pup (23 months) keeps us active with wonderful daily walks. Stay well
everyone. Jacky Statham – we must meet up!
KIT NEWSOME (Higginbotham) kit@blackaton.co.uk Another challenging year but thank goodness our original wonderful Polish carer came back into our lives last June and made a huge difference to the last year of Anthony’s life (he died peacefully in March). The silver lining to this was that many friends I had lost touch with made contact so am getting back to my lost life pre Covid. Now am freer, would love to join a 60th year on next year, however old it makes me feel so please let Penny know.
JACKY STATHAM jackystat@btinternet.com Another year gone and Jan’s Old Girl e-mail came through at the same time as one from St. Helen’s “Alumnae Team” telling me how to grow my business – all sounds too modern for me! All well with me – am still antiquing and loving Norfolk Terriers.
ANTHEA STUTCHBURY antstutch@sky.com We celebrated our Golden Wedding with a weekend with all the family in Henley on Thames in September which was lovely. Went to Gordonstoun for a wedding of a friend of Clare’s which was very grand. Mia and Blythe were bridesmaids and Clare Matron of Honour. Spent last year trying to get atrial fibrillation under control ending up with an ablation in December which has been successful so heart rhythm back to normal. Our Norfolk terrier keeps us fit with walks over fields in Welwyn and down in Southwold. Still volunteering at our local library. Our 4 grandchildren are growing up fast and keep us entertained.
MARGARET THURSFIELD (Porn) thursfieldmargaret@gmail.com I have written something every year but really have nothing more to add for this year as life is much the same and as Cathie said, we and Claire keep in touch. I would be interested in next year’s 60th but it’s a long way off!
CLARE USHER claraescocia@hotmail.com My life is the same as last year, just a bit slower! Regarding the 60th I look forward to hearing what plans Penny, Judi and Hilary have in mind.
CATHIE HORNBY cathieOhornby@gmail.com My husband Tony is now in a care home. His combination of Parkinson’s and dementia had worn me out. I will not be in the UK this summer as I usually visit in the autumn but will see how 60 years on plans go for next year. I keep in touch with Margaret and Clare LYNDA JAY musicjay@shaw.ca Robert and I living 45 mins from Vancouver. Certainly farming heaven for blueberries, wine and beer and vegetables galore! Our daughter sings and our son works for Microsoft. Our granddaughter (8) is a budding gymnast and dancer! There is now the awkward and unwelcome situation which has developed 3 Km south of us so we will not be crossing the border for a while to shop and travel in the US. We keep walking and playing the piano! Robert will be 80 in July so thinking of ways to celebrate. Am in touch with cousins Niki and Jacky (Ingram) and Pat White (George). From a beautiful part of the world that we have lived in for 50 years, I wish you peace.
60 years on
Joint Branch Secretaries 1965
ANTHEA HARTLEY (Castell)
Lower Bassibones Farm, Lee Common, Gt. Missenden, HP26 9LA
Email: bassibones@yahoo.co.uk
VANESSA WILLIAMS (Balch) 177, Portland Road, London W12 4LR Email: vanessawilliams177@gmail.com
ANTHEA Well done everyone who responded to the invitation to the 60th Anniversary Lunch celebration of our leaving school in 1965. Almost all our group’s members replied, even if they couldn’t accept the invitation. My personal news: we have experienced a challenging
30 Years On (1995) Reunion
35 Years On (1990) Reunion
40 Years On (1985) Reunion
5 Years On (2020) Reunion
10 Years On (2015) Reunion
Years On (2010) Reunion
Years On (1980) Reunion
Years On (1965) Reunion
65 Years On (1960) Reunion with Bridget
two years during which Geoff received lifesaving surgery, many operations and long weeks in hospital. However, I am happy and relieved to say that he is now almost fully recovered, and our lives restored to normal. Such life changing events certainly focus the mind and re-set one’s priorities. My thanks to all our old friends from St Helens and Merchant Taylors who were SO caring and supportive during those challenging times. Our wings have been clipped for the past two years but we are now gradually easing ourselves back into travelling, if in a rather more sedate manner. We were the lucky ones.
I am so grateful to Rae for taking on the formatting of the news which I have been doing for more years than I care to remember. I am about to have a cataract operation but also have macular degeneration. Apart from this, I was so sorry to miss our special OG Day at school. I was on a holiday on the Seine visiting the Normandy Beaches and Monet’s Garden. I have a new grandson born 17th March
and hope to be up in Fife visiting him and the rest of his family as much as possible.
CHARLOTTE ALDRIDGE (Rolfe) Enjoyed OG Day - hadn’t been back for many years. Still living in Chiswick and busy with various voluntary jobs punctuated by trips to visit family in Bristol and Shropshire plus the odd holiday with friends.
GILLIAN ARGYLE (Thompson) Very glad to be here at OG Day. Everyone instantly recognised. I’m still happy in Oxford and should love to see anyone visiting.
MAGGIE BALL (Main) It’s lovely to see everyone here on OG Day for our 60-year lunch. Anthea has done so well to keep us all connected. My news is much the same - I still help at Hampton Court (nearly 16 years now), and also play quite a lot of bridge. The garden has finally come into its own this spring, and the wisteria was gorgeous and so fragrant. It’s also exciting to be harvesting asparagus and artichokes. Brolly and I WhatsApp regularly and I’m occasionally in touch with Maureen (Phillips), Angela (Willis), Gina (Morley) and Trixie (Kinsey) Livvie, Bridget (McNamara) and I met for lunch recently which was fun. I feel very fortunate to be able to see friends and do the things I enjoy.
JANET BARTLETT (Spencer) Apologies for not sharing news in quite a while. Life took a challenging turn when Peter had a stroke in March 2017. He recovered well, but since that time has had recurrent seizures, which have been medically managed, but not totally controlled, under a caring specialist at the Epilepsy Society, Chalfont St Peter. Happily, since the end of last year, combined new drugs have been effective in giving him a much longer period seizure free, for which we are immensely thankful. In 2022 after a largely socially distanced ‘Covid courtship’, our son got married and settled in Southampton and we since decided it was time to downsize and move closer, which, with a huge effort and much help we achieved in August 2024, 4 days after the birth of our delightful granddaughter. We are living in the same ‘ retirement village’ in Bishopstoke as Dorothy Salathiel (1967) who kindly gave us a warm and helpful welcome.
VIVIEN BECKWITH (McLean) vivienmclean1@gmail.com During 2024, Peter and I thought we might become residents of Malta and to this end, we visited this small island a few times during the Spring and Summer. We successfully achieved residency and moved to a temporary flat there with our three Corgis last October. We are now in the process of purchasing a house in the charming, historic village of Balzan. So, we are off on another adventure, which is exciting. We anticipate living in Malta for half the year, during the Winter months and to continue spending the Summers in our house in Umbria. Although Malta is quite charming and we have made a number of very interesting and engaging friends there already, Italy is paradise and where our hearts remain. We have not been spending much time in London in recent years and therefore have put my house in Chelsea on the market. Otherwise, we like supporting young musicians and through our Young Musicians’ Trust, we make some enchanting mini trips each year to attend operatic festivals around Europe such as to Wexford, Pesaro, Florence, Portofino and Garsington.
ANGELA CLUZEL (Willis) The year has passed and the news hasn’t changed... Pulled in my annual trip to Kirby Muxloe – I’m happy because the village hasn’t changed either. A bit of daily sport helps me to bottle up energy for the major annual trip to La Reunion Island for the grandsons’ long holiday (January). During the past holiday this last January, our second son Nicolas (who lives in Berlin) flew out to join us for a week. Uncle Nicky’s stay was a great success. Our grandsons (17 and 7 yrs) are flying over for July in Pompadour. I’m trying to make a plan of trips to do...!
LYN DONNITHORNE (Balderston) I live in Hedgerley Green near Beaconsfield, still married to Scott and have 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren (18 to 7).
ANN DOUBAL (Patterson) On a beautiful, sunny OG Day it is a huge pleasure to be meeting up with old girls. Very special! We’re still in Scotland, and would love to see anyone passing by Aberfoyle (30 miles North of Glasgow), and possibly on their way to the Highlands.
LINDY FERRIS lindy@lindyferris.com Heard the 60th Anniversary was a complete success and I had my 50th Anniversary of moving to Sydney!! Am keeping warm as we go into Winter. Still coping with chronic backache and seeing a Pain Management Specialist with my fingers crossed that I can finally have a pain-free year. Unfortunately, in March somehow came down with severe gastroenteritis – and just had a procedure to diagnose if serious. Got all clear yesterday – so will just take time. Also last week just finished copyediting a semifictional novel called ‘Cossack Pearl’ by author Jenny Kroonstuiver – great fun to edit and the author loved my work (and I got paid!!). It’s a very engaging read about early Australian history to be published in July this year and probably available via Amazon. Do get in touch if only on email or FaceTime, would be great to connect with some old friends! Will keep staying on the right side of the grass.
LIBBY FINLAY (Terris) Still living happily in Henley, now widowed and while missing my husband, I am keeping myself busy. Still hitting a tennis ball, walking my two faithful little dogs, playing bridge and getting on with life.
KAY FISK (Waddell) Moved to Windsor. My husband is 89 but all is well. I see quite a few OGs from St. Helens. Happy Times
OLIVIA FREEMAN OGs’ Day for our 60-year reunion and here is Anthea brandishing paper and pen for us to write our news. It was lovely to see everyone and catch up. What a super event! Last year I attended a very special wedding when Adrian, Rae Gillott’s son got married. It was a very special day. For the last 10 years, I have been very involved with the Arts Society and was one of the founder members of the Arts Society Chiswick. I was delighted to be Chair, when the Society celebrated its 10th anniversary.
RAE GILLOTT (Bentley Jones) Lovely to see old friends at OGs’ Day and see the school looking so good. Still living in Amersham and still very involved with the Basketmakers’ Association which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. We are very blessed that our children all live fairly near so we are able to meet up together often to celebrate family events with Livvie Freeman.
JACKI GOODMAN (Gough) Another busy year, but special because of making contact again at OGs’ Day. The art school continues to go well and spare time is filled up with grandchildren etc. I feel very lucky!
GILL GRAPER (Trevaskis) I really admire all of you who could make it to OGs’ Day, because I know that many of you will have travelled many miles further than I would have had to, but travel for me has become more difficult and I would have to go to Northwood and back in a day. Every couple of months Janet Spencer, Ruth Curbishley, Helena Durden meet on Zoom for a chat and catch up - one in Scotland, two in Hampshire and myself in Lincolnshire and it is really good to continue to share friendship with those I have known for a lifetime. Life very much revolves around my daughters and their families (three grandsons in total) and my husband who is 85 and does not drive any more. Life is filled with child minding (both daughters spend much of their working lives being involved with drama and musical teaching and activities); church admin roles and still singing in the choir; and being a Samaritan with the Branch in Peterborough. I do love reading through the magazine each year and pondering on how much life and the world around us has changed in over 70 years. I think our generation has been very fortunate, but do wonder what kind of world we are leaving to our offspring.
ROSALIE GURR (Gale) Good to be here at St Helens. Fifth move a few years ago. Guide at historic house, take dog into primary school.
ANNE GUY (Grey) We all spent a marvellous few hours catching up and celebrating 60 years of being at school. I’ve learnt to live on my own after Derek’s death two years ago. I still enjoy my sports, tennis
and golf, and have just taken up Nordic Walking. I also enjoy singing and love my garden and am still doing catering jobs. If anyone is near Bristol, please do call in.
CHRIS HOLIFIELD I am so sorry I wasn’t able to make it to 60 Years On in May. I saw Maggie Ball just recently and Livvie Freeman, Jackie Gough and Trixie when Livvie organised a theatre trip to see Long Day’s Journey into Night last year. Both my daughters have had babies this year. Jess had a delightful, smiley baby called Evie to join her son Theo, and Rachel produced Josie, her first baby. One of the rather lovely things about long gaps between the generations is that you have young grandchildren when you yourself are quite old. Both Jess and Rachel have lovely in-laws, which is a comfort, and they have enriched all our lives. I have come to the end of a five-year battle with bile duct cancer and have many good things to say about the last few years – the new friends I have made and the many old ones I have enjoyed seeing. I moved from a house I had happily lived in for 27 years and into my downsizing house, a much smaller place round the corner, which has raspberry walls and bright colours - and lovely neighbours.
GINA MORLEY I have had various boats over the past 40 years but I am currently boatless, which is a bit of a culture shock! I may get a smaller boat or be crew on friend’s boat but just at the moment I am limited by cataracts which have become far more complicated and time-consuming than I (or the Consultant) ever imagined. I would like to think that I am nearing the end of this saga, but I’m not holding my breath! Thus far it has occupied 17 months of my life! In the meantime, I am catching up with the house and garden, bridge friends, going for birding walks, plus keeping up with the activities of various societies hereabouts.
Branch Secretary 1966
HILARY RILEY (Allen)
9 Weavers End, Hanslope, Milton Keynes MK19 7PA
Email: hmriley@hotmail.com
I do hope a good number of us will meet up at OG Day 2026 which falls on Saturday 9th May for our 60 Years On Reunion. I am still enjoying lectures/outings with various local societies and we have just had a most enjoyable and sunny holiday in Dorset staying just outside Swanage. Looking forward to annual walking holiday with Sue (Lees) in Hampshire in September (Avon Valley Path). Our thoughts and prayers are with Helen (Taylor) (and husband Jim) who has been living with Motor Neurone Disease for the past year and is now very weak and drowsy but not in pain and distress.
JO TALBOT RICE (Manning) Life has remained stable. We have a first granddaughter getting married in August straight after she finishes her degree here at Oxford which is lovely, as three other grandchildren will be attendants and a son-in-law will play the organ and her father, as the vicar of the church, will give her away, so a family affair! I see Gillian Thompson each week in church, also Christine Taylor. I am in touch with Debbie Hardy and Ann Bridges. We still run a large family home and enjoy the visits of our five children and nine grandchildren, especially as we have lots of bedrooms! PAT WHITE (George) I continue to enjoy living in the Cotswolds where I can enjoy walking, playing tennis and volunteering as an usher in the local theatre. We have just had a live “Farm Boy” production (M.Morpurgo) and soon a very popular returning event featuring the Mitford sisters/actors reading out their letters to each other at Asthall Manor, very near to me, where the family once lived. I am a big supporter of the RSC at Stratford too. In May the nearby Chipping Campden Lit Fest offers us Greg Doran and Harriet Walter in conversation amongst much more. So, we are well blest for theatrical treats. Travel: last autumn I set off with a friend for a No-Fly holiday from London across to Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw and up through the
VANESSA
Baltics to Tallinn and back. We found a 25-euro bus to bring us back down to Vilnius in Lithuania before resuming our train journeys. It was a fascinating trip (not a single train was cancelled!) and filled us in on those countries’ history and current political fears. We also saw quite a lot of my son and grandson in a blisteringly hot Berlin. This year’s plans are less adventurous – I am taking the family to the East coast of Denmark where we shall be 40 minutes from Legoland. I’m looking forward to catching up with people in May 2026!
Branch Secretary 1967
DOROTHY SALATHIEL (Veale)
56 Twynam Way, Eastleigh, SO50 6HP
Email: dorothy.sm99@gmail.com
Living near my son and grandchildren is great and I have started having piano lessons. However, there are major problems with the apartment blocks and we will be moving to temporary accommodation in another block while they do the remedial work in ours. Trevor’s wife now has a live in carer so we have more freedom to travel – to Tenerife, Bruges, Edinburgh Fringe and Greece this year. I am also looking forward to going to Sydney in July to see Sarah (Salathiel), my grandchildren and Charlotte (Salathiel), who now lives in Christchurch, New Zealand. I hope to meet up with Sheena (Nicholson), who is still enjoying herself managing the farm near Canberra. Two OGs contacted me this year after seeing my address in the Magazine: Janet Bartlett (Spencer) who moved here recently and Mary Wright (Lambert) who lives a few miles away.
ALISON ROBINSON (Onians) Yet another quiet year, mostly spent at home as the state of Peter’s knees continues to reduce his mobility significantly. He will be 90 in July and still cooks for us, potters in the garden and does as much as he can in the house. I enjoy reading and practising the piano and am trying to improve my virtually nonexistent drawing skills. Both boys and their families are busy and well except that it looks as though 6-year-old Gracie may have ADHD which we find upsetting but not surprising as her butterfly behaviour keeps her active and exhausts us!
SALLY HAYTER (Hutton) Life in Wiltshire has a definite rural flavour! Husband still working for the church, now as Rural Dean. I really enjoy playing the church organ in neighbouring villages, especially since I can no longer sing. Grandchildren are now 8 and 11, amazing how grown up they seem. As a 92 year old friend says often “Getting old is not for wimps!”
ROSEMARY KLUTH (Lumsden) The last year has been dominated by illness. In July Udo had a heart attack and was in a rehab clinic at the Baltic for three weeks. Driving up at the weekends to visit him made an enjoyable change. In November I fell and broke my wrist, then developed a nasty nerve condition requiring constant physiotherapy and lymphatic drainage ever since. The annoying thing is that I have to cut down on my knitting and needlework and that almost makes me feel I need to go back to smoking instead, as I find it really hard to keep my hands still! I’m also currently hampered by an orthopaedic boot due to a tendon injury. Hoping for a better second half to the year.
MARGARET LE NEVE FOSTER (Shipley) Nigel and I have lived in Guildford area for the past 40 odd years. We have 3 kids and 8 grandkids. Two families live in London and the third lives just outside New York, so we visit them every year and they manage to come to the UK a surprising amount. We have a heritage motor boat which we enjoy using in the Solent and otherwise I am happy with keeping fit and have discovered how nice it is to look after our garden!
ANGELA PATTESON (Pollock) Last April I had my first knee replacement which was followed a few months later by my second so the past year has had its ups and downs! Both have been very successful and we are shortly off on a cruise along the coast of Norway to the Arctic Circle and then Iceland. Life is always busy
as we have ten grandchildren ranging in age from 16 to 2 which is quite a challenge to keep up with! It was nice to see Ann Thompson (Pollott) recently while visiting one of our sons who lives near Manchester.
FIONA WEST (Pedrick) First of all a big thank you to Dorothy for looking after us for all these years! I’m still playing lots of music, and Steve flies his Flexwing and Microlight. Airfields are wonderful places to listen to and observe nature. I often go with him and take the opportunity to just relax and read or try to do the Times crossword (usually with limited success). The rest of the my time is spent in the garden and then cooking the proceeds! Each day is so precious.
Branch Secretary 1968
SALLY TUCKER (Joynson Cork) 52, Northcote Road, Twickenham, TW11PA Email: tuck_sally@hotmail.com
The good things to remember about this year; Harry has completed his second year at UCL and Olive is now 10. Robert and I holidayed in France with Carrie and Olive in a chestnut forest, and we plan to take Olive there again this year. We enjoyed the sun in Crete and took a ‘pre-election’ trip to Washington (we did not predict the result!) We regularly go to our cottage in Norfolk. Holly and Carrie live close by with their families and we give as much support with school ‘pick ups’ and dog sitting as we can. I finally met up with Jane Reed for that much promised ‘coffee on the South Bank’. Susan (Romain) gave Olive and myself a wonderful visit to her synagogue at my request as I had had the opportunity to know a bit about The Jewish faith growing up next door to Sue but in Olive’s life it didn’t seem to be the same. I meet up with Vanessa (Blake) when she is not travelling the world visiting her 14 grandchildren! There has been sadness too, Deborah Tingay the younger sister of Susannah died following an operation. Some of us shared a school run with the Tingay girls who were at the school from ‘55-’63. I did get the chance to see Susannah who now lives in Australia at the funeral. My dear friend Jane (Fisher) died of cancer in September. She was at the school from ‘58’62, but I and Susan (Romain) had known her since she was 6. Thank you to those who have taken the time to contribute, our lives have taken many different paths, but it is good to remember how we all once had to wear that ghastly green uniform!
CHERRYL BERRY (Pitt) Since Christmas I have suffered a heart attack, triple bypass surgery and, as a result of the surgery, most devastatingly, a stroke. I spent over 7 weeks in a total of 3 different hospitals. It has turned our world upside down. Ian has had to become my carer and all our plans for the future are in disarray. I struggle to remain positive knowing that our lives will never return to “normal”. With physiotherapy, determination and good luck, I should be in a better frame of mind and body by this time next year.
CHRIS COATES (Shellard) chriscoates129@hotmail.com We are still enjoying life in Somerset and are making the most of walking, cycling, going to folk concerts and dances as well as trips in our small camper van. Our daughter lives close by with her son, now 7 years old, so we have the great pleasure of seeing him blossom. Our son, now married, has become a keen cyclist, runner and loves all things water related. He’s just done his first competition cycle ride and was in the top 10. We are very proud parents and grandparents as I’ve no doubt you all are too.
SUSAN CRYTSER (Eyres) sue.crytser@gmail.com Still living in the Oklahoma countryside, enjoying the view of gently rolling hills and pastures. I wave to “my moos” every time I go out. So nice to enjoy the land and its occupants (cows, horses) without the cost of taking care of them! Husband Colyer and I took a trip to England and Switzerland last Autumn and I had a fun time introducing him to family in Oxford and Sandwich and the history that abounds. In Switzerland we were fortunate to stay in a lovely balconied chalet
overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Not our first time there but equally lovely each visit. Son Scott is still working in Las Vegas but he’s talking about relocating just south of the Oklahoma border to Texas in the not too distant future. It would be lovely to have him closer. I did get to spend Christmas with him, so we took off to Zion National Park in Utah for a few days. Now to 2025: We’re about to embark on a road trip to Iowa for a week to take Colyer’s dad and his brother (ages 98 and 94) back to where they grew up and help them sort out their future resting place in the family plot. Headstone arrangements and all that. Macabre maybe but it’s important to them. Colorado beckons for a quick road trip sometime in the summer and in September we’ll head back to Europe - this time Germany and Austria for a couple of weeks. We celebrate 4 years of marriage in May and we’re traveling while we are able and the bank account permits. There will come a time when the old bones will creak too much for all this gallivanting around.
PATRICIA GARRARD terraincognita@phonecoop.coop It’s hard not to sound too gloomy but it has been a time of grief and worry for old friends and some younger ones - my sympathies to everyone feeling the same. Despite George’s increasing mobility problems over the last two years, and despite the need to thin out our own huge library, we have helped two friends in their 90s shed most of their book collections, as they had to give up their homes. This wasn’t helped by my two eye operations last year to forestall impending glaucoma. It’s six years since we moved here. We’re surrounded by wonderful mature trees on the edge of Newton Abbot, but now need some help in the garden (and house). Still in close contact with my sister Helen in Wadebridge, although Cornwall seems further away these days and I miss it. Former permaculture students and their achievements still feature in our lives, as do George’s two sons and families - I am now a long-distance step-granny twice over.
JANE GORDON (Simmons) gordonjm210@gmail.com We are now proud grandparents to fourteen grandchildren, ten in North America and four in Israel. The older grandchildren are in Canada and the United States, and the little ones are in Israel. All five of our children have told us that “the shop is now closed!” Martin has had some major life changing health challenges this past year. He has had a bleed in the brain, a craniotomy, a stroke and several serious heart events. As a result, he has both speaking and walking deficits, but thankfully he is cognitively good. Sadly, Martin can no longer travel and therefore we cannot continue with our schizophrenic lifestyle, frequent commuting between Canada and Israel. We have decided to make Israel our home. We have sold our apartment in Ottawa and our personal possessions are presently on the high seas!
CAROLINE LEHMAN (Marx) camlehman@gmail.com These last 12 months have been full of many joys and much sadness and grief. On the joyful side we are all in good health! Life on the surface, so normal family gatherings, friends, weddings, children, lunches, dinners, concerts, theatre, exhibitions, going to the beach and the ocean. Zoe is now a fully-fledged GP working at a local clinic in Seattle, Hannah happily settled near us, working for a firm of architects and living with the delightful Brandon. Steve continues to work on grass roots organising both here in California and with a group in Houston Texas. I am much involved with an interfaith group working with immigrant families caught up with ICE. I organise a couple of programmes at the synagogue, and am also involved with a South African project to train teachers. In the summer of 2024, we went on an amazing trip to Japan and the Philippines with Zoe and Mary Beth, her wife, whose family come from the Philippines. Sending much love and hopefully I’ll make it to a gathering one of these days.
PIPPA LINDLEY (Selby) pippalindley@gmail.com Tennis twice a week when the weather is dry, even play in frost if the sun has melted the court. U3A Bridge twice a month with Margaret (Main) when the men manage to get an uninjured tennis four together
without me. Maintaining a large garden on our own is becoming more challenging as once down on hands and knees getting up is interesting and amusing for the onlookers. Bill surprised us all by having a heart attack at the beginning of December but thanks to the Triage GP that morning, Epsom Hospital and St Georges and two stents and balloon later he is back playing tennis, 6:30am swimming and cycling albeit not with the “going for it” attitude he used to have. Getting him back to the gardening is lacking his enthusiasm except when a machine is involved! However, it is good to still have him around even if it is 17 pills a day later and a necessity to have a mortgage to travel outside UK! We are about to celebrate (quietly) our 25th Anniversary and he keeps reminding me that nowadays you get less for murder. My retort is that he is still on probation. We see my lovely cousin Bridget (MacNamara) regularly for coffee or tea on our way to or from Sainsbury’s in Cobham. Lovely way to break the shopping monotony. Also occasionally see Elaine (Price) when we can get a group of us together. She is now down in Littlehampton. Do hope all those on this list have had a reasonable year and all the best for the next.
STELLA POMERANZ (Pohl) stella.pomeranz@gmail.com It’s been another roller coaster of emotions in our part of the world. There has been so much unnecessary misery and suffering on both sides. Hopefully it will soon end. I visited England in September last year and was happy to meet up with Jane Reed and Marilyn (Arnold). It was a wonderful reunion as always. I also visited the Van Gogh exhibition with Sue (Cooper) and was given the royal treat by a national gallery member. I am in constant touch with Gillian Boughton. Of course I meet up with Jane (Gordon) and her husband, Martin, on a regular basis in Israel. So glad to have all these people in my life thanks to St Helens!
JANE REED jane212@btinternet.com I continue to enjoy a mix of singing, walking, researching, volunteering and seeing dear friends and family. My elder brother and his wife have just moved back to the UK after living abroad since 1981, so it’s good to have them back and closer at hand. Nice to see Sally T for coffee in the Autumn and also Marilyn Treacy and Stella Pomeranz for lunch. I still see Lou Collens and Roni Notcutt fairly regularly. Enjoyed a walking pilgrimage in North Norfolk last week and I am also set to return to Iona this summer for a week after not being there for many years. As I think I mentioned before my Girl Guiding experience at St Helen’s was very formative for me, so greetings to all of you who camped and trekked and accomplished badges and sang together through our time being taken care of by Miss Dongworth.
MARILYN TREACY (Arnold) mtreacy@gmail.com It was lovely to meet up with Stella and Jane Reed in the last year; of course, tinged with difficulty and sadness due to conflict on and near Stella’s home territory but it was good to catch up following a long gap. We now have six adorable grandchildren. I never imagined that they could be so rewarding but I flit from Berkhamsted to South London to look after some and then have three living locally near Cambridge. I am still making silver and gold jewellery and attending classes and workshops but not to the same extent as in the last few years. We still travel to Switzerland a lot and are grateful for continuing good health.
SUE WATSON (Maguire) sue22watson@gmail.com Thank you to Sally for keeping us all in touch! I enjoy meeting Sue (Woolf) and Gillian (Boughton) for lunches and seeing art exhibitions in London. I attend weekly French classes, as I found that after Covid my French was getting rather rusty, due to lack of practice. The French classes are indeed working, which is a good thing as Jon and I will be spending time in France again at the end of April, to visit family and to inspect Notre Dame. What with keeping in touch with relatives and friends, celebrating a significant birthday, having two voluntary jobs, singing in a local choir and enjoying various activities with the local U3A, the days just fly past!
JANET KIRCHHEIMER (Ritchie)
Email: kirchy@olcs.net
David & I have been doing a lot of travelling in the last year visiting family - Rachel in Melbourne and James in Singapore. We also had a trip to Italy with 150 members of our choir plus several trips to see friends in the UK. The dogs continue to take up a lot of time but without them I would find it very hard to stay even “fit-ish”. We see Sarah and her family quite often as they live near Oxford. I don’t feel old enough to have a teenage grandson! Moira (Macara) and I went to OG Day this year which was another good event. I sat next to Teresa Betts at lunch which was a really lovely thing to do. I had supper with Sue (King) a few weeks ago; she is busy with grandchildren and her beautiful embroidery. More recently, David & I had lunch with Jill (Fordyce) and Nick. Jill still lives in Carcassonne and Reigate and I quote, is still doing lots of work.
MOIRA BISHOP (Macara) moiracaroline@googlemail.com Pete and I are happily living in our home in Berkhamsted, 35 years since we moved in. Walking along the High Street I go past the very moving War Memorial, one of the places where I stand in November selling Poppies for the Royal British Legion. There I often have the privilege of talking to people who have fought in more recent conflicts. I am still working as a counsellor and psychotherapist with walking therapy often being a client’s choice rather than being in a counselling room. I have continued to teach as a sessional lecturer at college and to support students completing their final work. In November I was called for a meeting at another Campus where I was told that I no longer worked for the college. I was shocked and very upset, a manager who was new and who I had supported with all that he had to do at college had ended my contract without telling me. Having taught for the College for 27 years and often spending 60 hours a week there, this felt very hurtful. There was no recognition of my receiving a Grade 1 from Ofsted.
PAMELA READE (Newman) pamelareade@yahoo.co.uk I was solicitor in Antrim and retired about 11 years ago. I live in a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland about 15 minutes from the north coast. My eldest son, Henry, is living and banking in Dubai. The middle son, Thomas, lives in London he is married to a lovely Moroccan girl. Youngest son, Freddy, has just moved back to Northern Ireland. They have moved into our house and we have downsized to the house we lived in when we were first married which is a stone’s throw from the big house. I now have a grandchild nearby which is a real treat. My husband, Richard, and I are busy with the new/ old house, modernising and creating a garden. Richard is still playing tennis and golf and I, like most others belong to a book group and enjoy gardening.
ELIZABETH DAVIES (Onians) elizabeth_e_d@yahoo.com I don’t have any news of interest in so far as it relates to my person, other than to record the loss of my very dear school friend Jane (Snowden) last August. Clare (Kenchington) and I attended her moving funeral service at Jane’s church in Wandsworth, where I was introduced to Olivia Freeman, also a St Helen’s alumna, who, I knew from Jane, had been a member of the same book group as Jane for many years.
CHRISTINE JANIS Christine_janis@Brown.edu Not much has changed in the past couple of years, except continuing decline into decrepitude despite still going to the gym regularly, etc. Still doing
research and teaching, primarily with University of Bristol Masters’ students, and publishing quite a lot (one day I’ll run out of ideas, but that hasn’t happened yet!) I’ve received a couple of quite major academic awards in the past 12 months, which has been nice, and will be off to the US this autumn to accept the second of them (not so nice in the current climate, but will see family and friends while there, and do some research in museum collections). Still doing quite a lot of travelling, which I hope will continue for a while.
JILL CRUSE (Haggis) jillcrusebrinkley@hotmail.com I am ok, but still broken having lost my gorgeous daughter 17 months ago. But life must go on, and with positive thinking, I’m back doing some catering, and volunteering at our Day Centre, etc. Toby is of course really sad, but is managing to keep really busy with all his exciting work. We meet up very regularly. I went on a fabulous holiday with great friends in November, on a Caribbean Cruise, and that really gave me a new lease of life. We are also off to Zanzibar in January, including a little Safari, so all very exciting. Am very lucky.
SUE LLOYD (King) Last year has flown by with a couple of trips abroad to Spain and Italy and many down to our Penzance home, where 3rd son Ollie now lives. He is working in Truro as consultant in acute medicine and infectious diseases. Ben, our second son, is still touring the world with his band. His wife and daughter, Aggie, live up the road so we see them a lot. Aggie starts at Christchurch Cathedral school in September. Daughter Emily went back at work since Easter, both her daughters Raffie and Ottie are at nursery. I look after them on Mondays and have a complex timetable with swimming lessons at either end of the day for them both. Luckily both Raffie and Aggie can now swim so am focussing my efforts on Ottie! Aside from that I have 4 aqua classes and one Pilates session, plus two sewing groups every week, and each Sunday the family all come for the day. So not a lot of spare time left! I met up with Sue (Watkins) and Liz (Harris) last year when Sue was over from Australia, and we had a lovely day together in Oxford. I see Janet and Jill quite often as well and they were both at our 50th wedding anniversary party last June. SUE LEIGH (Wilson-North) I have had a difficult year in the aftermath of my mother’s death. She was like the north star, a constant. I continue to write and walk, see my family and generally try to live a simple life. In June I went to the Uists in the Outer Hebrides to see the machair (an area of coastal grassland full of wild flowers and ground-nesting birds). This beautiful place reminded me of the fields of my childhood. I’d love to see anyone from the school passing through west Oxfordshire.
Branch Secretary 1972
JANE COVERDALE (Riddelsdell)
1 Court Cottages, Overstone Park, Northampton NN6 0AP
Email: janecoverdale27@gmail.com
Steve and I have lived in an old cottage in the Park for 40 years. I retired from full-time teaching 8 years ago and became a part-time librarian at the school until furloughed during Covid. I was surprised to discover how busy and enjoyable life could be without work, so decided to retire. Our two married sons live within 10 minutes’ drive, and we are involved with our 2 grandchildren and dog walking on a regular basis. Our daughter lives in London which provides a good excuse for a day out. We’re finally doing some travelling and have been to India and Italy during the last 18 months but enjoy being at home undertaking a variety of activities. I’ve left it a bit late in life but am learning to play golf!
JANE WEITZMANN (Parker) Quick update on health. Still here!!! Chemo finished early due to neuropathy in hands and feet/legs, so now regaining strength and energy and getting back to a normal life. My passion for cars remains unchecked, now have car clubs visit here for coffee and cakes – they get to see the collection and the £10 a head goes to charity. My two sons doing well. Older one now has two little girls and enjoying life as a vicar in Portsmouth. Younger one just bought a property which he and his fiancée are renovating in Lincolnshire. They are getting married in September. Spike and I entered a civil partnership last year – together 14 years! Hope all good with everyone. In view of my health, Jane Coverdale has agreed to take over the role as Branch Secretary. Thank you, Jane. So do let her have news in coming years.
SALLY DINWIDDIE (Croydon) Very sorry to hear Jane has had to give up being our B.Sec but thank you for your hard work over the years. With both daughters working full-time I am kept busy looking after three of my five grandchildren who live close by. We have a home in Naples, Florida and spend as much time there as possible. Still keep in touch with Susan Gray, Carole Pleming and Annabel Hartog.
SUE MACKENZIE (Emerson) Well it must be a decade (or two) since I last wrote anything for the OG Mag. So here’s a brief whizz through our life: Vere and I moved to Edinburgh in December 2014 and love being here, it’s a great city. We are very central in the city, overlooking Murrayfield Rugby Stadium. Our two daughters are in and around Edinburgh so we see them and our grandchildren every week. In fact, we mind our youngest grandson (18 months) one day a week but luckily get all the school holidays off (both of our daughters are teachers). We do as much travelling as we can and have a camper van so we spend many weekends away and take long adventures to Europe in the summers. I still visit NZ every couple of years to see my sister and her family there. So life is full and rewarding for us.
Branch Secretary 1973
Branch Secretary 1970 Vacancy for Branch Secretary
Branch Secretary 1971
JANE MAYHEW (Plumbly)
Ugford Farmhouse, Wilton, Salisbury, SP2 0EB
Email: tcmayhew@talktalk.net
Chugging along here happily. Retirement is to be recommended – it brings the freedom to do so much for which there was no time earlier. The big surprise of the year was to discover that a neighbour here, Andie Taylor – we had known each other for several years - is/was Andie Main from the year above at St Helen’s. Well, well!
JULIE PERKINS (Macfarlane) bonniemax@talktalk.net This has been another year for lovely travel. David feels that whilst we can, we should! So last July we took a wonderful Cruise to the Norwegian fjords, where we hiked up a Glacier and drove across snowy mountains to a fabulous wooden ‘Stave’ church. In October we were back in the Mediterranean and visited the Catacombs in Palermo, where bizarrely hundreds of preserved bodies are displayed hanging on the walls, in their best clothes, some still with hair or beards!! We also visited the Acropolis at Lindos and climbed the 360 steps to get there!! In Jan / Feb we returned to the Caribbean, but were unable to call at New Orleans because there was snow and the Mayor had declared a ‘State of Emergency’. We went on to Miami where it was 10 degrees and we froze visiting Long Beach! However the Kennedy Space Centre was fabulous. Abi graduated from Kings & is now doing a Masters in Fine Art. David celebrated his 80th Birthday last October & is fit & well. He continues to sing and I continue Pilates. Good to see Sal and Alfie (her dog) regularly.
PENELOPE SPARROW (King) pjsparrow2@gmail.com A very recent arrival of our (first) granddaughter has been the highlight of our year. Fortunately she lives within driving distance (330 miles) and we don’t have to board a plane to see her and her family, but it would be nice to have them all local! Most of the past year has been very low key. Lots of tennis and gardening! I’ve been heavily invested in a small committee at church working out what the future holds for our (too) large church complex, which has been interesting and quite exciting as we consider new possibilities for a tired old building. My husband Malcolm mostly works from home, which is quite companionable.
SALLY FLEMING (Pollott) 2 Moneyhill Road, Rickmansworth WD3 7EQ Email: sallyclarke25@hotmail.com
Another busy year of travelling, gardening, lots of tennis and school stuff! I am still working but the level has dropped, thanks to AI (which does it very badly!) but am going to retire at the end of July this year. I am finding that work is beginning to interfere with other activities. Highlights were a trip to Jordan last September, a beautiful place but with the night sky illuminated by lots of drones that thankfully were just passing overhead. Also Stew and I went to Thailand in January, I scaled back my usual exploration tendencies and he managed to cope, just about. We started in the very north, where it was cooler, but I don’t think he was prepared for the heat in Bangkok, which I relished. Great to see Susie and Julie regularly but sorry to miss Dot’s birthday celebrations as we were only on our way home from mine!
SUSAN NORTHCOTT (Poyser) snoozenorthcott@gmail.com What a year 2025 is set to be for all the Northcotts. We are to be grandparents twice over. Both our daughters-in-law are expecting babies in June & August. Simon and I have finally bought our own home in Wimbledon Park and Rowan, Chloe, her bump and their doggie are camping with us until the baby is born and they then buy again in our locality. Fabulous trip with my three chaps to The Masters in Augusta and finally see Rory McIlroy win, followed by time on the stunning Blue Ridge Parkway in the Appalachians, Washington and New York with a trip to Madison Square Gardens to see the New York Knicks.
JANET SHORTLAND (Kelsall) shortland123@btinternet.com I have finally retired! I have remarried, to Hugh, who is my step second cousin, obviously I had known him for many years. He was widowed six years ago and we have been together for a few years, marrying in 2023. Our combined family is now quite large so I am pretty busy. I have started a new voluntary job as a driver for PRAMA, mainly taking people to medical appointments. I still help at Toddler Club and sing in Bournemouth Symphony Chorus. I don’t do as much walking as I used to but I go to more concerts. I have travelled to France and Germany over the last year and had my first taste of river cruising, which was rather good! I go every year to USA to see my son and his family, this year we combined the trip to Boston with a few days in New York as Hugh had never been there. I have seen Naomi and Susan Parker over the last year and keep in touch with both.
DOT BROOKE-TAYLOR dabit17@outlook.com Not much has changed this year although I have now officially retired from not very much. I still get out and about helping with the groups I volunteer with or walks with friends and/or other people’s dogs. At home the trees always give me plenty to clear up and the rabbits challenge me to grow anything edible. I still do Granny sitting duties at least once a month for my 2 year old granddaughter. There is a hectic summer in prospect this year with my brother and family coming over from Australia, a 70th (who could that be !), a 75th, a Golden Wedding and my son getting married in September. On top of that I am looking forward to a geology trip to Nancy in France, a week in Wales and several other weekends away to achieve a version of the three peaks challenge (one a month) before the legs give way altogether….maybe I’m not such a home-bod after all.
SUSAN PARKER susanparker610@gmail.com A sad year unfortunately as Simon passed away in December due to cancer. So I am selling up in Devon and moving to Poole. Happily I will be seeing more of Janet Kelsall. Anyone in the area do pop in!
LIZ BELITHER (Vonberg) We are still very happily living in an ancient cottage in the wilds of south Devon, I have a studio in the paddock and continue painting on silk, we yo-yo between Hammersmith and Cornwall revelling in grandparent sojourns. A huge garden keeps me fit, Simon is still shooting competitively at Bisley.
JULIET HILL (Hobbs) juliethill@blueyonder.co.uk 70 rocks! Although I could do with some of my granddaughter’s energy. And flexibility. Apparently my stiffness is early onset rigor mortis! Joking aside, these big birthdays are a good time to look back on life and despite the ups and downs I feel truly blessed. As the proverb says “Everything is alright in the end, and if it’s not alright then it’s not the end yet”.
GILLIAN ARTHUR The year started with two memorable trips. The first to Lapland which, as those who have already been know, is magical with its forests and snow but made even more so with the northern lights. The second journey was to deliver an ambulance to Ukraine. A friend and I joined a convoy of 12 vehicles, driving from Oxfordshire to Lviv. We took medical supplies and drone jamming equipment. There was no doubt of the need for the vehicles and of the gratitude of those receiving them. I felt that this was a small contribution that I could make to help Ukrainians. If anyone would like to do the same, let me know.
STEPH PHILLIPS MORGAN (Phillips) phillips@pc-q.net This January a dream came true for me. I visited India for the first time! I had always wanted to go to India, since doing a project on the country, when I was in primary school. My father had been stationed there during World War 2, so there were beautiful and fascinating things at home, which he had brought from India. I started practising Yoga when I was at St Helen’s and after attending a number of classes, eventually trained as a Yoga teacher and ran classes locally for 14 years. During lock-down, I hooked up with an online chanting and philosophy class. This year some members of the class joined our teacher on a Study Tour in Southern India. We spent 5 days attending Yoga classes at KYM in Chennai and then travelled along the Coromandel coast, visiting ancient temples and enjoying the wonderful sunrises over the Bay of Bengal. I loved working with the Tamil Yoga teachers – all such inspiring women, savouring the local food and discovering trees, flowers and birds, which I had never seen before. I felt incredibly fortunate to be able to go on this journey at the beginning of my 70th year! I have also celebrated with Lizzie Barton (Reid) and Judith Parker, who visited me in March. We enjoyed having a good catch-up and went out for a meal on the coast at Aberaeron to mark our ‘round birthdays’! Graham and I still live in the hills near Llanidloes in Powys. We love it here but know that before long we will have to make a move. It’s not an easy decision.
Branch Secretary 1974
Vacancy for Branch Secretary
To contact the year group, please use either the email address above, or, if you would like to, join the WhatsApp group. Please contact Eilean Harper (the group’s Admin.) on 07760131664 or contact the school via the school Alumnae portal @www.sthelensconnect.london. This is run by the school development office.
50 years on
Branch Secretary 1975
WENDY DURRANT (Hinds)
10 Hedgeside Road, Northwood HA6 2NX
Email: wendydurrant@yahoo.com
Branch Secretary 1976
ROSEMARY LENO
Email: rosemary.leno@gmail.com
Enjoying meeting up with friends, visiting exhibitions and new places. Very much looking forward to a trip to Antarctica at the end of this year. Hoping to see some of you at next year’s OGs day on 9th May for our 50-year reunion.
ISOBEL BURTON (Hanton) iburton036@gmail.com The last 12 months have been a busy and lovely time for us. We welcomed our second grandson, Otto, and also celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. Nick and I continue to walk as much of the coastal paths in mid Wales as we can and continue to enjoy discovering new cycle paths to tackle. Am meeting up with both Helen Nicholas and Jane (Buckeldee) in the next few weeks. I’ve kept in touch with them both since leaving school but not met up for years so am really looking forward to a well overdue catch up with them both.
DEBBIE FRASER deborahfrazer9@gmail.com I still live on the Northumberland coast and enjoy walking my little terrier on the beach every morning. I keep busy with grandchildren, book clubs, volunteering at a local charity and the local church.
YVONNE SANDERSON (Kingsley Brown) yksanderson@yahoo.co.uk Writing this from the beautiful Isle of Skye, where we’ve retreated for some R&R. Now semi-retired, I’m still teaching German online to adults, and often think of Fräulein with her inspirational teaching. We love seeing the family, who are spread out in Pembrokeshire, Welsh borders and Kansas USA. We are looking forward to a third grandchild in June. Mum (98) is doing well and lives close to us. As a retirement project, we are learning Scots Gaelic, which is a whole other ballgame in the language-learning department and is ensuring the grey matter gets a good work-out.
JO GILLETT (Crump) jogillett@talktalk.net Another year, another grandchild! My daughter Francesca and husband Suat were delighted to have a little girl, Bella, in September to join Roman (3½) and Zander (2) who adore her. So, a busy day for me when I am helping out and meanwhile still working part-time and enjoying the fruit,
veg and plant growing in my garden and various trips away. I am still trying to learn Turkish to help chat to Francesca’s mother-in-law and have recently taken up the Ukelele. I wish I had been this interested in learning when I was at St H! Love and blessings to you all and I hope to see some of you at OG Day next year.
ELIZABETH ELHAMRI (Bishop) elizabethelhamri@virginmedia.com
Adopted two adorable kittens Jinks and Miss Silver, now 22 months old. Jinks is a big paw mackerel tabby, his sister Silver grey/silver with white tummy and paws, with very Egyptian looks. Presume even though from same litter, different fathers. I’ve taken on an allotment and am getting there. After tackling weeds and sowing seeds I have a radish harvest already and healthy courgette seedlings and finally tomato seedlings at the second attempt! Strawberries already weeded and watered. Have a nice shed there to store tools, grow seedlings and a camping stove for making hot drinks. Still getting out for regular walks in the countryside and taking photos...my passion for the wildlife. Been painting a lot when weather too wet to go out. Mostly semi abstract, some more real with acrylic paints and watercolour crayons. Meet up with friends as and when. ‘Usual Suspects’ set up after the Covid lockdown ended with fortnightly lunchtime meet ups at a pub in town or by the river.
WENDY ELLERKER wendyellerker58@gmail.com I am semi-retired now and wondering where the time goes because I keep pretty busy doing things I enjoy but didn’t have time to do whilst working – still learning the piano, languages, gardening, bit of cooking (sadly this reflects on what can only loosely be called my waistline). We are without a dog currently – our lovely girl dog, Pipsie, went to doggy heaven in April – we were very lucky to have her for many years. We are going to have a holiday soon for the first time in ages but haven’t quite decided on the location yet.
LESLEY GOLDBERG (Reynolds) lesley.g@outlook.com It’s 10 years since I retired from the fashion business. Apart from travelling, I enjoy spending time with my friends, family, and particularly my incredible Mother (91). In addition I’m a magistrate. It’s so different to what I did in my career, and it feels good to be doing something voluntary and worthwhile. Our daughter (27) lives in Brighton, she went to Sussex University and sadly for us never came back to London. She understandably absolutely loves living by the sea. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion next year.
Branch Secretary 1977
LYNETTE BOARDMAN (Peet)
28 The Glade, Fetcham, Leatherhead , Surrey KT22 9TH
Email: lynette.boardman@talktalk.net
We moved from Kingston just before Xmas because my husband’s work is now based in Guildford. Obviously it has been a hectic few months , especially as I am still working back in Kingston. However we have lovely open areas on our doorstep and an extensive garden (jungle?) to tackle. Meantime we celebrated as our son was awarded his PhD back in March. Please could everyone update me with their current address and email and ask anyone else who you are in contact with to do the same. We hope to meet on OG Day in 2027 (50 years on from leaving). Take care and enjoy the pension that most of you will be getting by now!
Branch Secretary 1978
NICKY WILKINSON (Sleight)
Westmoreland, 29 Linersh Wood, Bramley, Surrey GU5 0EE
Email: nickywilkinson1307@gmail.com
Thank you to all of those who have sent in news. Not much change here except I now have all 3 daughters married and feel a bit like Mrs Bennet!! I have also acquired my first grandchild, Phoebe who is now 6 months old – a very welcome addition to the family. Recently met up with Linda (Gammage), Baz (Bunford), Fiona (Robertson), Vicki
(Brown), Liz (Pride) and Sue (Baker) for a 65th Birthday tea at Cliveden House which was great fun. Have also seen Louise (Moore) this year.
NICOLA BAILEY (Sandom) chief215@gmail.com
Having retired as a GP in 2018, I retrained as a Primary School teacher with Teach First. When COVID hit, I returned to a medical role as a vaccinator/assessor for a couple of years and since then have been tutoring for 11+ and common entrance exams in Oxford and 1:1 tutoring for children who need alternate provision outside school for a variety of medical reasons. We now have all 5 children married and 11 grandchildren, 5 of whom are in Oxford, which is lovely as we get to see them regularly.
SUSAN BRUCE susanbruce409@gmail.com I’m in a period of change. Universities have been struggling over the past few years and there is a real crisis in UK HE at the moment. I took voluntary redundancy from my job as Professor of English at Keele last month and am now in the throes of moving, temporarily to Cambridge and then - I don’t know where, perhaps Bristol, perhaps Whitstable. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has experience of living in those places - all advice gratefully received!
TINA CHMIEL (Berry) tinachmiel@hotmail.com I’ve had an eventful year with good and bad times. I retired at the end of March ‘24 after a 40 year career as an accountant. Since then I have been doing a variety of volunteer work in the local community including acting as treasurer for the local sea cadets unit. My father is currently in hospital and he is almost at the end of his life, he and my mother are 90 years old. Mum is very frail but can still manage most things except driving. I have been very busy helping to take care of them both. I had a month’s holiday in March 2025, went to Australia to see my brother and sister-in-law, then to New Zealand to see friends in the North Island. We did a lot of travelling around and it was really great to see New Zealand. Unfortunately my husband has recently been diagnosed with follicular lymphoma and has just started treatment of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. We hope that this will cause the cancer to go into remission.
Joint Branch Secretaries 1979
KATIE MACAUSLAN (Lachlan) 41 Kings Drive, Surbiton, KT5 8NQ Email: kemacauslan@gmail.com
SALLY WELLS (Collings) 5 Collins Lane, Ringwood, Hants, BL24 1LD Email: wells4@talktalk.net
KATIE It’s wedding season again! Our elder daughter, Isobel, married Henry in August 2024 and looking forward to the wedding of my nephew, son of sister Sarah (Lachlan) this June. Sally is spending time in New Zealand visiting her daughter. Due home in time for a gathering of the usual suspects.
FIONA MOOK-DEWEY (Dewey) I stopped work but seem to be as busy as ever. Spending quite a bit of time in the UK helping my mother (86) and emptying 40 years of clutter from the family home. I am enjoying more time to travel and spending quality time with the family. My daughter Emily and I went to La Palma, one of the Canary Islands for a week, and spent an amazing evening stargazing. In March, I visited Athens with my son Christopher, where we explored all the ancient sites and I finally got to see the Parthenon.
KAREN SEWELL (Hart) Enjoying retirement, keeping busy on the farm with dog, cats, lambs, cattle, chickens (thankfully now back outside - we’re in avian influenza area). My daughter, Katie, returned to the UK last year after 14 years in NZ. She’s recently bought a house about 40 minutes away which is lovely. Son Tom is still living and working in Manchester. Richard’s boys live locally, so we see them and the 5 grandchildren for Sunday lunches every couple of weeks. Still doing lots of music and arty stuff. Always good to see old friends - if you’re travelling through Suffolk and Norfolk, we’re right in the middle!
1980 - 1989
Membership Secretary
Jessica Redman address below
45 years on
Branch Secretary 1980
JESSICA REDMAN (Chilton)
3 Middle Road, Higher Denham UB9 5EG
Email: jessicaredman7@gmail.com
A small group of us met up for our 45th reunion in May – a lovely day and, as usual, the years slipped away and standing in the quad it felt like we had only just left. Memories and laughter abounded and there’s a mere five years until our big 50th reunion so keep May 2030 free. Not sure where the years have gone but chatting with each other and listening to what everyone is up to, I believe more than ever that age is just a number. Tim and I are still enjoying retirement although our volunteering roles and hobbies seem to get in the way of being able to travel as much as we would like! We’re looking forward to welcoming our first grandchild by the time this magazine comes out and the new journey that it will take us on.
CATHERINE HOPPER (Treasure) catherine.hopper@gmail.com
Being semi-retired, I’m continuing to freelance in the area in which I used to work - as a consultant in Buddhism in Religious Education - writing free classroom materials for Buddhism for RE teachers, for a site called Windows into Buddhism, and some more work for BBC
Bitesize online GCSE revision materials for Buddhism. I also serve on the council of the European Buddhist Union, as vice president. I live with my Swedish psychologist Buddhist wife, in Stockholm and on our old farm in Lake Mälaren to the west of the city, which is a great delight. We spend lots of time there when we’re not busy with teaching at Stockholm Buddhist Centre. This means that our lovely flat near the city is often empty from about May to September so if you want to borrow it please get in touch!
ANDREA MOORE (Bradley) Busy putting together the parish magazine, chasing up promises of articles from around the villagesometimes I feel I know more people than the vicar! Leintwardine Wildlife Group, set up last year, goes from strength to strength - so many incomers and natives alike are so glad and feel so privileged to live in such a beautiful, quiet corner of the country (Hereford/ Shropshire/Powys borders) and relish learning more about our natural surroundings and sharing our findings; on walks, through photos on FB, and the monthly talks in winter. The founder is the County Recorder of birds and it’s just amazing to be able to recognise all the prolific bird song with his and the Merlin App’s help! I have been laid a little low all year with H Pylori stomach infection which has left my gut feeling extremely battered and sore - so annoyed I couldn’t make more of the sunny spring we have had. Elder daughter (33) has just announced her engagement (she’s not one to hurry these things). Her boyfriend chose his moment carefully, proposing in front of Mount Fuji - hopefully auspicious! She was last seen by OGs when she was about 8 weeks old and came to OG Day. Husband, David still plays lots of Bridge and between us we are trying to keep the bell ringing tradition alive. Our daughters do all the exotic travelling for us and we continue to potter around the West Wales coast, East Anglia, Yorkshire, the Lakes and Scotland.
I am very sad to report that Andrea was diagnosed with cancer in the middle of June and died on 15th July. This lovely piece of news sent shortly before her diagnosis reflects her gentle but fun nature.
HELEN POLLARD (Sills) After living near Wigan since 1987, we moved to Stafford in December and are enjoying exploring a new area and being closer to family. Both our children are married and we have three grandchildren, one family in Stafford and one in Bristol. It’s wonderful to be able to spend time with them more easily. We’re getting involved in a new church where we’ve been made very welcome. It was lovely to see everyone at our 45th reunion and to visit St Helen’s again after so many years.
ROS WHEELER (Snow) It was great to be at OG Day and catch up with others in our year. School has certainly changed and grown a lot since we were there. I’m living in Reading and still teaching the piano. I’m reducing my pupil numbers in September as I need more flexibility to be available for Mum. She’s still in the family home in Northwood with visiting care. Both my children are settled in Edinburgh; Chris is on the Senior Management Team for The Fringe and Becky works in the medical research department of the Royal Infirmary. I enjoy fairly regular visits to Scotland and we have found a beautiful place to holiday together in the Highlands. I now have Becky’s old wetsuit jacket, as swimming in a Loch is much colder than in the sea in Wales!
Branch Secretary 1981
FIONA BLISS (Jackson)
Daisy Cottage, Mid Holmwood Lane, Mid Holmwood, Dorking, Surrey RH5 4HB
Email: Fiona@roybliss.com
Another year and I cannot believe we are all 62 now! I’m determined to keep as active as possible and along with Aquafit, Pilates and dog walking, I continue to do a lot of gardening, in my own garden and others – arthritis and a bad knee are very annoying but after three surgeries last year I am trying my best to keep going. I am also doing
a lot of flower arranging for weddings which I absolutely love so feel pretty fulfilled with all of that. Otherwise, Roy and I are planning to travel as much as possible – Malta and Seville so far this year, a family holiday yet to be organised in September hopefully, and then a big trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in February next year. More exciting than that we have just become grandparents to the most beautiful baby girl, Bobbie, and we are completely smitten, as everyone said we would be! Planning a big 45 Years On reunion at school next year, on OG Day on 9th May so really hope to see as many from our year who can make it. Please spread the word.
CORIN DOREGGER corinmary@hotmail.com I retired from teaching in July 2024 and have spent the last 2 years travelling the planethighlights were seeing penguins in South Georgia and Antarctica, sleeping in the Empty Quarter in Oman, watching the World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan and recently wading through waist high water to reach the ruins of Nan Madol on the island of Pohnpei in Micronesia. I am still involved with Open House Theatre Vienna and have recently been voted on to the church council of Christ Church Vienna. If anyone is planning on visiting Vienna, would love to see you for a drink.
LIBBIE MILLS (Harris) libbie.mills@utoronto.ca Over here, the 4 children and 2 stepchildren are all doing fine. My partner Marten and I are still working for the University of Toronto, me in religion, he in astronomy. But this year I am looking forward to a sabbatical to write a boring book. I very much hope to be able to join the 45th reunion, to see some of you after such a long time.
SUE MAUDSLEY (Townsend) charles.maudsley@btinternet. com It is wonderful to be in touch with so many OGs. I enjoy meeting up with you all. Latterly we met up with Anita Dinesen which was a joy. We are still living in East Horsley which is near Guildford, and we have another grandchild on the way which makes us happy. Recently we visited Australia to see my younger brother David who is well. Luckily, my sister Sarah lives nearby which is a blessing. I still enjoy all sports playing tennis, running and Padel regularly.
SUSAN REID spiransa@gmail.com I am still in Derbyshire and haven’t moved ... yet!! As I mentioned last year, my older son got married and this year he and his wife have bought a house in Sheffield and are growing vegetables. My younger lad and his girlfriend are now living together, which is lovely. Still no grandchildren on the horizon. I have been busy travelling with a friend. Last year we visited Iceland, which was glorious if a little damp at times and then later in the year the Caribbean. I thoroughly enjoyed both, but I doubt I would go back to either. This Spring, we decided to have a holiday of a lifetime. We took the Queen Elizabeth from Singapore to Japan visiting five other countries in-between. All the countries not only lived up to our expectations but exceeded them. Would I go back? Definitely. Apart from travelling, I also go to as many live music events as possible and am trying to Swedish Death Clean which I find incredibly difficult.
DAPHNE O’CONNELL (Vatikiotis) daphneoconnell7@hotmail.com
This year has been momentous in many ways... the arrival of my first grandchild - Albie (Albert) John Lyall O’Connell was born on 4 June 2024 and brings no end of joy and entertainment to the whole family. I took early retirement in July last year to spend more time pursuing my hobbies and with my family. However, as it turns out, I have been
persuaded to return to work in June on a part-time basis, 2 days a week. This should still allow me to pursue my hobbies and allow me to help with my grandson. As they say, “all the best laid plans”. It would be great to revisit St Helens for our 45 years on! Count me in.
MOIRA FIELDING (Campbell) moirajfielding@gmail.com Not a huge amount of news from me, but I’ve now got 2 grandchildren (William and Isla) with a third due in November. Being a grandparent is wonderful! My eldest son Archie lives in Kuala Lumpur so we try and have a Far East trip every year and visit old haunts in Singapore. Settling into semi-retirement in Marlborough, still play tennis and a lot of bridge! Would love to see everyone at the 45-year-old reunion next year - where is the time going?!
AMANDA CHAPMAN amanda_chapman@btinternet.com Since last year we sold the family home and business, and I have moved permanently back into my cottage in Chorleywood with my dogs for the time being. Will look to move at some stage but not sure when/ where. We actually exchanged while I was on safari in SA at Quabi Private Game Reserve which I highly recommend. Two weeks ago I took the decision that after 24 years at Skanska it was time for a break so with only 4 weeks’ notice, finished in June. I then intend to take some time out. I have had a very hard few years since Dad died in 2021 and now I want some me time. Walter the pony is now living in Chalfont St Giles at my brother’s farm and I am riding more than I have done for a while often with my niece (9) who is very enthusiastic. I am also planning more trips and will go to Bhutan and Thailand in October to catch up with cousins and then Ecuador and the Galapagos in March 26. I have cousins from Australia coming in September for 3 weeks so will now have time to spend with them too!
Branch Secretary 1982
VIVIEN COTTERILL-LEE (Curry) 17 Uplands Close, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 3BP Email: vivienjanelee@me.com
SANDY DAKAKNI (Hall)
The Girls from 82 have had so much to do. There’s been travel, there’s been work Or retirement as a perk of being 60 you know! WhatsApp is our friend. So we can depend On hearing news, sharing views, Still friends from school, that’s something cool! After 43 years.
Branch Secretary 1983
CLAIRE PUGH (Roberts) 4 Kyneton Way, Chippenham, Wilts, SN14 6RF Email: clairejpugh@gmail.com
Another year on and many of us are now 60! We held a summer garden party in June attended by 22 of us to celebrate. We were
fortunate with the weather and had a lovely day eating, drinking and catching up. I celebrated my birthday abroad and then managed to stretch all my other celebrations out for at least another month which was good. We will be going to Turkey with the children and their partners in September so maybe I have actually managed to stretch it even further than I thought. Otherwise not much has changed for us apart from now that Anthony is retired, I have got busier and busier so we may have to have a re-think later in the year given that the plan was obviously to do more together. Watch this space to see if I have achieved that next year.
TIFFANY BRENCKMEJER (Jolowicz) In September 2019, with the kids sporadically out of the door, I let an age-old dream resurface and applied to the two-year Creative Writing Diploma at Oxford University and was accepted. I was already scribbling away at a novel but the academic approach to writing enabled me to craft my characters and plot more deliberately. Realising that writing a manuscript is only half the story, I also did a year-long Jericho Writers course which emphasises the commercial side of trying to get a book published. My story is a dual timeline tale of Little Owl, an Ojibwe Native American 18 years old in 1855 Wisconsin and Léa, a modern day 20-year-old bored barista in Oxford, searching for her identity. It is based on the true story of an ancient Ojibwe burial ground being dredged in order to provide a marina for the (holiday) residents of Madeline Island, Wisconsin. Except in my story, in 1855, the local white, Indian Agent builds his manor house on the burial grounds. (As background, we lived in the USA for 13 years.) Six years on, I have a finished, polished, edited and reviewed manuscript which I am desperately peddling to... anyone actually! Am also working on a sequel to my long-distance triathlon book, ‘Ironwomen’, working title, “Silver Ironwomen” as I continue to swim, bike and run in lakes, up and down mountains and on forest trails. All this is driven by a new ‘greed for life’ as I spend time with our two little granddaughters. Am very much looking forward to our year’s joint 60th birthday celebration mid-June and feel very privileged to have this connection with St Helen’s friends, some of whom I have known for 55 years!
SUE JACKSON (East) This year has been my 60th year (I’m one of the first to turn 60 in October) so I decided to do a big trip and visit friends in Australia (in memory of my Mum) with a visit to Singapore where some of you may remember I used to live. It was great, I ended in the Philippines with Mark and did some amazing scuba dives. I was away for 5 weeks! Loved it and plan to do more! Retirement is fab!!! I still have my gym which really runs itself fortunately. I see my granddaughter (4) most weeks. It’s so lovely to have a girl in the mix of all our boys! I’ve seen Claire (Roberts), Liz (Parnell), Carrot and Suzy Holmes and Susie (Sleight) this year too. Looking forward to seeing more of you this year!
LIZ BURY (PARNELL) My printmaking is taking off and I am now member of the GPC (Gloucestershire Printmaking Cooperative) and do etching and linoprint. I had lovely catch up with Emma Skinner for her 60th, Vicki has been to stay and am looking forward to the big 60th party! Enjoying lots of family holidays and get-togethers. LUCY STANCER (Mundy) We are now nicely settled into life in Somerset. I left my employed job at Christmas and now work for consultant doctors as their PA on a self-employed basis from home, which is working out well. I’m still running at least three times a week. My last big run was the London Landmarks Half Marathon where I raised over £1000 for Brain Tumour Research, which I was very proud of. Josh got married last winter which was a very happy day and Vicky got engaged around the same time with a 2026 wedding planned. Very much looking forward to meeting up with lots of St Helens friends in a few weeks to celebrate the year we all turn 60!
KATE BEALES It was so good to see so many at the last OG day. Since
then I’ve had lovely times with Jo (Le Grice), Vicki (Newberry) and Rebecca (del Tufo), and have corresponded with Liz (Parnell). The year’s been mixed - some losses in the wider family, which have been very sad, particularly my brother, who died unexpectedly last year. In positive news, I love my storytelling and theatre work with wounded veterans. I’m still at the National Theatre, though not quite so often these days as I’m planning and teaching creative writing retreats in Italy. My first novel will be published in the autumn (Jo was a much valued beta-reader!) which is both exciting and terrifying. It’s nice to try new things at 60!!
SUSANNA SINGLEHURST Change of job from Area coordinator to the National Team with the British Red Cross International Family Tracing Service. Still full time, based in London but mainly work from home. Very interesting & varied & I love it! 2025 marks 10 years since I started at the BRC so I get the bonus of extra annual leave so have taken full advantage with a trip round India in January (amazing!!) a family holiday with the kids & their partners in Greece next week & a road trip with Sue (Baker) in the autumn to the Outer Hebrides - I mean why not?! My daughter is getting married in France next year so lots of exciting planning ahead! I’d like to take the opportunity to wish my fellow classmates a very Happy 60th!
SUE RAYNSFORD (Baker) We have moved from our ‘family’ home after 25 years and enjoying semi-retirement in Oxford. We have been here just less than a year but loving the community and all that is available to do. If anyone else is in the area, it would be good to connect. Hope everyone is well - 60 feels like quite a big number!
CORINNE KNOESEN (Symes)
Still enjoying living in rural Berkshire. I’m really looking forward to hosting our year’s 60th birthday party. During the summer Scherrit, Finn (8) and I we will be doing some camping, and we are also going to Spain by train. We are still running The Bike Whisperer (mainly bike fitting) and hope to do so for a while yet.
ADELE COOK (Robinson) I am off on a round the world trip with my husband on our motorbike. The first leg is Alaska to Panama. If we’re still speaking by Panama then we’ll regroup and carry on to Patagonia, Argentina. If you fancy a look, if only to laugh, we’re documenting it on YouTube, just search Passports and Potholes. If you feel like engaging / commenting that would be so lovely as I’m a tad nervous.
Joint Branch Secretaries 1984
SUZY No new news for me: still working full time for the Army Benevolent Fund, the Army’s National Charity, in London and living in Salisbury!
SUZY HOLMES
Email: suzy_holmes@hotmail.com
FI LAWRENCE (Jelley)
Email: fionalawrence1966@googlemail.com
FI After the OGs’ celebrations at school in May 24, we arranged another get together of our own when Alison (Taylor) was visiting UK from New Zealand (any excuse!). Twelve of us met up on a sunny Sat last Sep at a lovely restaurant by Covent Garden. There was much laughter, chatting and cries of ‘you haven’t changed a bit!’. We moved around the table in-between courses so we could catch up with each other. The restaurant staff were excellent, leaving us well alone until it was time to set up for the evening reservations!! Am arranging another get together this year - can’t wait!
ALISON BARRASS (Taylor) quantumleap@xtra.co.nz What a whirlwind year. I now have 2 teenagers, 15 and 17, and am dealing with all the usual fun and games around driving lessons, girlfriends and late-night parties - don’t know where they get the party gene from! It’s amazing seeing your kids grow up into young adults even if it does remind me that ‘60’ is looming on the horizon! It was awesome to catch up with so many of our year last Sep. I’m lucky to be able to travel with work and get to UK so frequently from NZ. I have 6 company boards which I love working on and it gives me lots of time between meetings to wrangle the family. We’re planning a family trip to Europe in ‘26 for my mother’s 90th. Hopefully we can have another reunion then!
KAREN KELLOCK (Davidsen) karen@klockwork.co.uk I’m enjoying dividing my life between the flat in London and cottage in Somerset. Sophie has finished her year in Paris and will be going back for her last year at Uni of Edinburgh and Gina is happily living in London, working as a Production Accountant at Studio Lambert. I visit my parents frequently in Montreux where they still live independently at 90 and 91 – they are amazing, but not surprisingly slowing down a lot. Sally-Ann and Prudence and I are in regular contact which makes me very happy.
SYLVIA SAGE (Beck) sylvia.sage@cantab.net Loved our get-togethers last year and so looking forward to our next one. We’ve settled into our pretty Dorset thatched cottage (Tristan’s family home). Intense renovation work continues but we now have proper hot water, heating, and hopefully no more water leaks through the roof and windows. Our work in the humanitarian sector has been affected by the funding crisis but I’m busy completing my Meditation Teacher Certification with Chopra; painting (I had an exhibition at Purbeck Art Week) and am working on a children’s book with a friend. I’m looking more seriously at illustrating children’s books now, which is very exciting. Our daughter is in her penultimate year of her integrated Masters in MechEng at Bath and our son is loving working in vibrant Brighton, where he studied Computer Science and AI.
SARAH HARDY (Blenkinsopp) sarahhardyaccountancy@yahoo.co.uk
Lots of news from me, for a change! We became grandparents as our daughter Alice and her partner Jim welcomed baby Evie on 18 Nov ‘24. They all live in Oz, so we had a wonderful visit to Melbourne in early ‘25 to meet Evie. We’ve also bought a new home this side of Exeter which we’re busy doing up and will go on to be our retirement home (when we retire). Always enjoy lunching with excellent hosts Debbie
and John Bertuzzi Glover
JANE PUDGE (Jackson) jane.pudge@btinternet.com
It’s been lovely reconnecting with a few more OGs this year after a lovely lunch and large gathering we had in London last summer. It’s been a busy yearcompleted a year-long house renovation and now enjoying being back in our home and attempting to learn to be a gardener! Squeezing in a bit of travel too when David’s work permits but having to save the big trips for retirement. Sorry to miss this year’s lunch but look forward to seeing the photos!
SALLY RADNOR sallyradnor@gmail.com We’re visiting Portugal soon and looking forward to seeing Kate (Gurnett) as it’s been too long. It’s been so lovely to see Louise (Seydlitz) on an EFP tapping therapy course we both did recently and to share enthusiasm for things energy and energy psychology. Also fun to share the laughter of music and singing with Lisa (Feldman) and looking forward very much to staying with Sylvia (Sage) in Dorset and to befriending her ducks and rabbit once more. Still just outside Cambridge, running my own little business, looking eastwards at Norwich and the Norfolk coast though.
SALLY-ANN D’ATH (Skinner) sallyanndath@aol.com Writing this the night before I meet Pru, Karen and Alison Swede for lunch (not to forget Karen’s dog Scruffy too!). I still live in Scotland, just north of Edinburgh, tutoring Maths (and sometimes physics) at the equivalent of O and A level, as well as consulting on, and now trying to find financing, for a green energy project which is really exciting. All 3 children are working and in jobs they enjoy. The girls live in Edinburgh and often WFH so I get to see them loads. Also means I have pet sitters on hand so can escape more. I’m about to head to Greece for a week to crew on a boat (very out of my comfort zone). Otherwise, I’m walking the hills lots and have taken up Pickleball to complement my tennis when getting outside is a challenge. LESLEY FRANCIS (Scott) lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com Trying to improve my work/life balance this year with mixed results! The highlight of ‘25 is our silver wedding anniversary celebrated with a family trip to England to show my granddaughters Ellie (14) and Abby (10) the country of my birth. Have also visited Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby (Americans pronounce it Derrbee and I still can’t get used to this after 16 years of living in the USA!). In Sep, I’m going on my first African safari which is exciting! I lost my mother to dementia earlier this year and can’t believe our year is approaching our 60th birthdays. Where do the years go? We sadly lost our 14-year-old West Highland Terrier earlier this year but now have a new Coton de Tulear. KATE GURNETT (Goddard) katemgurnett@gmail.com Am still in Portugal and life is much the same. We’ve had a really wet few months but finally summer has arrived. I know the magazine should be full of interesting titbits but I can’t really think of any! Duck (Sally Radnor) is coming to stay and I’ve been seeing a bit of Alison Green as her husband inherited a house here, so that’s been nice. Kids are all well and my two grandsons are 9 and 11 which makes me feel ancient. ALISON KING (Lines) aking15b@icloud.com Nothing much to report other than I am still channelling Frau von Berlepsch and teaching German at my local comprehensive. I absolutely love teaching A Level and GCSE, Year 9 not so much! Thanks to Duck for sending me the occasional useful article about Germany. The other fantastic thing about teaching is the holidays. I have been making the most of these and have enjoyed trips to Japan, Tanzania, Germany and Crete this year with various members of my family. I spent an enjoyable afternoon with Julie Chatterjee at a blustery West Wittering. I really enjoyed the get together in London last year. Thanks to Fi for organising and Suzy for her segueing skills.
EMMA GROSE emmavgrose@gmail.com After some turbulent (pardon the pun!) post Qantas years, I finally hung up my wings after 25 happy years travelling the world. After 2 yrs working in the Covid Response at NSW Health, I decided to try a career on the other side of travel and trained as a travel consultant! I now run my own business from
home and love it! Backed by Mobile Travel Agents, a large Australian company that manage independent consultants, it gives me great freedom but also fantastic support. Such a great change to be in my own bed every night but still plenty of opportunities to travel. Michael and I finished major renovations to our home in Fairlight (near Manly) this year, so are enjoying a pretty much ‘new’ home. Still ocean swimming every week, keeping fit, singing in a local choir and performing in the Qantas annual charity revue (can’t keep this old gal down!). Love checking out St Helen’s LinkedIn posts to catch up on school news - look me up on LinkedIn and let me know if you’re heading ‘down under’ and need help with travel plans here!. Sorry I missed the reunions - I don’t come back to the UK now both my parents have gone. Love to everyone and stay well!
SUSI WATERS (Pelling) susi.waters@btinternet.com Nothing much has changed with me. Still work 3 part time jobs at a local schoolLearning Support Administrator, receptionist and invigilator (still get palpitations every time I walk into the hall where 150 desks are laid out in straight rows!). Really enjoying the garden - who thought I’d actually want to watch Gardeners World! Our son has graduated from drama school. He is working in hospitality and going for auditions but not much luck so far. If anyone has changed career to be a casting director, then please get in touch! Have had lovely catch-ups, lunches and dog walks with Emma D, Pinky, Suzy H and Sue (East). Can’t believe the BIG 60 is just round the corner for us all!
DIANA WILSON (Birch) malcandpip@hotmail.com It was lovely to see everybody who made it to Covent Garden for the catch-up last Sep. Everyone looked great and we managed to create quite a lot of noise in the restaurant! Thanks, Fi for organizing it. Ellie’s wedding kept us very busy over the Summer of ‘24. It was lovely to be joined by Suzy Holmes and Lesley Francis, who made the trip over from the USA, to see Ellie and Alfie get married in the same church that she was christened in, and Malcolm and I were married in many years ago! I continue to teach 3 mornings a week (perfect work/life balance) and spend my spare time visiting my dad and tending my lovely little cottage garden. Had an evening out with Suzy in London recently and seeing Lesley at the beginning of June for a special wedding anniversary celebration.
ANDIE BIGNALL andiebignall@gmail.com Still living and working in Berkshire, hopefully moving to the New Forest this year. My craft business has been taking a bit of a back seat while the house is on the market. Dancing, singing and playing guitar in my spare time when I’m not in the workshop!
SARAH BEADSMOORE (Rouse) sarahbeadsmoore@me.com Still in Reading running my own film production business. Retirement still seems a long way off, sadly. Bit of a tumultuous start to the year, with the discovery of a rare skin cancer on my face, which has been excised and I’ve had a skin graft, which is healing well. I am under regular supervision to check it isn’t coming back, as the options of radiotherapy or 2 more operations, were not appealing. My daughter is just finishing her first year at Kingston Uni doing animation and illustration and is loving it. I’m a step-grandmother so we’re very involved with grandparent duties. Off to Sicily on holiday shortly looking forward to seeing Mount Etna and doing a cookery course. See Linz (Sandom) regularly - she is doing well and makes amazing jewellery as a side line to the day job.
EMMA ADEBAYO (Dirken) emzeevogel@btinternet.com Enjoy semiretirement between London and the Suffolk coast. Loving a more relaxed pace of life and long dog walks daily. Happily still in touch with lots of old girls and enjoy seeing Alison (Fleming) regularly. Looking forward to the next get together.
JULIE CHATTERJEE jchatpc@gmail.com I’m spending a lot of time in East Grinstead, Sussex supporting my Mum, but try to get back to my home in Godalming regularly. I do love it here - supportive community and beautiful place! Workwise, I will be moving soon from Macmillan Cancer Support to the British Heart Foundation to a similar marketing
role but with more brand content - very exciting! Last year, I went with friends on a fabulous holiday to Montenegro. If you haven’t been already, I can’t recommend it enough; we saw breathtaking scenery everywhere we went. I’d love to return for a walking break. It was good to catch up with the ‘Longworth lot’, Emma, Sally, Prudence, Ali and Mandy at Ali’s house last Aug - thank you Ali for hosting. Also spent a lovely day with Pinks at West Wittering beach. I’m looking forward to the London meet-up for more nattering!
CAROLINE COLBOURNE (Verdonck) ccolbournefamily@aol.com A long awaited update from me. Moved to Warwickshire in 2000 and have 4 children (well adults now!!). Our eldest daughter and son are working in London with my next son soon to join them. Our youngest daughter is at university in Edinburgh giving us a great coffee stop for our frequent trips to the Highlands.
SALLY ALLISON (Douglas-Jones) cococat1989@btinternet.com
Another year closer to the big 60 - just can’t believe we left school so long ago! We are still living the dream in West Sussex. Best thing to happen this year is that middle son Charlie got married in May to his long-time girlfriend. They tied the knot in Wales and we were so lucky with sunny, blue skies. It was just a lovely joyous occasion. Definitely makes me feel middle aged to be mother of the groom! Younger son Oliver is in the lower sixth doing A’ levels and riding for his school in the equestrian team. Older son Will has moved back in to save for a deposit on a house and it’s great to have him back home, although with everyone working from home the food consumption is ridiculous. Taking life a bit easier now but I continue to be obsessed with horses - my husband keeps asking when I’m going to grow out of it! I still love competing despite having had a hip replacement last December. It’s given me a new lease of life and I’m hoping to get back to my running soon as well!
SAMANTHA JAFFONI (Fohsz) Samantha.jaffoni@gmail.com Busy year with business trips to Cape Town/ Mexico City and Los Angeles for production shoots. Family is well. Isabel living in Philly with boyfriend and just got a work promotion. Angel is working part time and doing college classes. David is well and busy with his job. We celebrated our 30-year wedding anniversary in Jun ‘24. We went to Costa Rica for a week. This July we are coming to London to see Oasis at Wembley stadium with family! Going to Nice, France late Sep as my cousin is getting married there.
40 years on
Branch secretary 1985
LOUISE RICH (Littlewood) Foxley House, Green Road, Rickling Green, Essex CB11 3YD Email: louise.rich0@icloud.com
40 years on? Well, where did that go? Our big anniversary brought around 30 of us together on OG day. It has also spawned a wonderful WhatsApp group with over 50 members (and rising), where we’ve been sharing memories and photos of St Briavels, stink bombs, Tarzanograms and other events that are perhaps best not committed
to print in a public forum. Goodness we were fabulous at 18 (and of course we still are), and didn’t we have big hair?! Thank you to all that came on the day, and to those who kindly gave comments which I reproduce below. Apologies to anyone where I don’t have the correct married name. I’ve rather conveniently forgotten that I currently have a daughter in the middle of A Levels; in my mind it is still 1985 and we are all just about to leave school and head out into the world.
HELEN HISSEY (Maher) I’m now painting again – will paint anything! Lovely to see everyone.
KATE WALTON (Watkiss) Amazing! 40 years! So great to be with you. You all look the same.
KATE HERVIE (Catherine North) So fabulous to see everyone again – we’re all so gorgeous. Happy, happy memories of fun and shenanigans!
DAWN COLLINS (Heaffey) Lovely to see everyone on 10 May. 40 years – wow! I’m loving life – long may it continue.
JULIE BRADFIELD So good to see everyone. It was the best day ever and we all look so young.
PHILIPPA DIX It was fantastic to see everyone. I can’t believe I haven’t been to OG day before.
ANNE SCHIETTECATTE It was so lovely to see everyone again. I had so many flashbacks with everyone and the buildings, mostly good!
IRENE LEACH (Christofides) What a wonderful reunion! So many memories and catching up with ‘old’ friends – everyone looked fabulous!
SUZIE FLOWERS What a lovely day, and so many surprises too! I’m still living in South London, semi-retired and having fun,
SANDRA CRAWFORD (Cole) It was great to see everyone – what a trip down memory lane.
SARAH STOCKFORD (Ingram) So many giggles and memories. It was really wonderful to see everyone – what a brilliant turn out with laughter all day! We had such a happy time together at school.
LUCY TAFFS (Cranmer-Brown) So lovely to reconnect with everyone – what a great reunion. We were a FAB year!
DONNA CROCKATT (Cohen) OG was so much fun. How did 40 years happen? Everyone is as I remember, if not even lovelier. Let’s try to stay in touch – what a great year we were!
JULIA CONBOY (Loosley) 40 years? No! So lovely to see everyone and catch up. See you all for 50 years!
TANYA COHEN (Simmons) What a fabulous day! 40 years on and so many lovely faces. We all laughed so much at the funny stories. Clare even remembered the whole netball team!
DEBBIE ROGERS (Ruwald) So lovely to see everyone and so much laughing – fabulous memories!
KAREN LEWIS (Hamperl) Everyone looked so young and gorgeous at OG Day, just as they were 40 years ago. So glad I came – what a great reunion!
HEATHER LORD (Bull) Lovely to see you all – we all look fabulous!
LYNDA FAIRCLOUGH What a turnout! So fabulous to see so many old friends. Looking forward to doing again but hopefully not after so long.
PHILIPPA EVANS (Cole) What a fantastic turnout! It was so lovely to reconnect with so many people. Here’s to the 50th reunion!
SUSAN HEWITT (Wilson) What a fabulous day and so many of us. How little we have changed, even if school has. Until the next time!
EMMA O’KELLY It was so lovely to see so many old friends, all looking remarkably unchanged. Here’s to 50 years on – although I don’t feel old enough to be 40 years on. Thank you to school for allowing us to have a look around and for hosting us, and to all involved in the organisation of the day.
LISA HORNE (Brown) 40 years! It was fabulous to see so many people, reliving so many memories – thank you for organising. It was awesome to catch up with old friends.
CATHERINE HONEYSETT I am amazed at how little we have changed
in 40 years and be able to pick up conversations after such a gap in time. It was a wonderful afternoon.
EMMA HOUNSOME (Montlake) It was lovely to catch up with everyone and see people I haven’t spoken to since 1983. A fabulous day.
ANDIE BIGNALL It was lovely to see everyone after so long and amazing how little everyone’s changed.
ARUN JEGARAJAN (Pathmanathan) Inside I feel 25. How have the years whizzed by so quickly! It has been fab catching up with so many at the 40 year-on reunion.
MAGDA ADAYEMI (Makar) It was wonderful to see everyone again. I can’t believe it’s been 40 years and how little everyone has changed. Thank you for a fantastic day.
Branch Secretary 1986
AMANDA ARMOUR (McKelvie)
Email: armour400@icloud.com
SUSAN CULLEN (Flood) Hi everyone - the last year has been quiet but in a good way. Our company continues to thrive and seems to take up all my time but we have managed to fit in some lovely holidays too - an amazing trip to Jordan including two days in Petra and we are off to Borneo shortly. In other news, Emily graduated from UCL and is currently completing a masters and her professional legal qualification prior to entering the real world of work with Freshfields in September. Thomas is working with Morgan Sindalls on the Old Street station upgrade and Rob is busy with the upgrade of some of the Welsh valley railway lines with Transport for Wales. Our home renovation project continues although I think I can say - we are over half way now. The repair and replacement of the tiled Victorian hallway will be completed in July and then we may finally do our bedroom and bathroom! It was lovely to catch up with Juliet (Milner) in Stratford upon Avon a few weeks ago - the sun shone and we are together again for her Silver Wedding celebrations in July.
DIARY DATE: 40 Years On Saturday 9th May 2026
ANTONIA LEAK Since 2023 life finally felt like normal again and we made up for some lost time with trips to Kefalonia and Normandy. Sas (13) and I also had a girls’ trip to Blakeney in Norfolk, where Mum and I used to go together, it was really special. We were delighted to have a visit from Rachie (S’s godmother) in November and hope to keep up our contact now that visits to Northwood are infrequent. I also went on my first conference in over a decade, and continue to surf the highs and increasing lows of working in higher education. Meanwhile Luke is plotting his retirement!
NATASHA PRESVYTIS (Rodikis) rodikisnatasha@gmail.com The last couple of years were very difficult watching my mum deteriorate with motor neurone disease, and then sadly passing away. At least she is now resting in peace. That meant that I had quite a few back-and-forth trips to Australia after many years. By the time this is printed, my older son Remos would have finished his second year at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands doing a degree in International Business and my younger son Odysseas would have started his first year studying political science at the University of Amsterdam. Not looking forward to being an empty nester!!!! Looking forward though to hopefully being able to come to the next OGs reunion in 2026.
ALYSON RAINEY (Evans) aly@alyraineyfiddle.co.uk Gideon has now left The BRIT School and is currently working for the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe before potentially going on a placement with one of the bigger lighting companies next year. Ellie is still living in Woolwich with her partner and working in hospitality, making furry costumes on the side. Phil still makes cables in the shed next door to my cabin, as well as playing bass with me for Muddy Summers. It’s really lovely being on stage playing music with him properly again, as that’s how we both met. Hope to meet up with some of you along the
way and will endeavour to make it to 40 years on next year. Not entirely sure how I feel about celebrating 40 years on, but it would be good to see you all and catch up. Technically I left St Helen’s in 1984 as I didn’t stay on for 6th form, so I’m there already!
MIRVETTE RUSSO (Makar) Lara and Luca are both still really enjoying middle distance athletics so I am very much in the taxi mum phase of parenting. Luckily the families are very friendly and have even cajoled me into the odd Parkrun when Luca and Lara get the chance to lap me! I’m now in my 4th year of teaching at Watford Grammar and still love it - especially A’ level which was new for me this year. The OFSTED inspection was nerve-wracking as it included a deep dive into the English department. We were all delighted to be judged outstanding. Having been a yoga fan for decades, I recently tried Pilates and realised what all the fuss is about. The end of the lesson still feels a bit abrupt as I miss the yoga relaxation, but I am adjusting and feel it’s doing me good. Riccardo, my sisters and my mum are all fine, thank goodness. We do love our big family holidays in Spain when the cousins can also have fun together.
ROSHINI SARAVANAMUTHU (Perinpanayagam) Highlights of 2024 so far for me was a cruise to Norway in March to see the Northern Lights with my mum in March from Newcastle and the opportunity to have a lovely lunch with Myra Herbert It was so terrific to see her again and it was just like we were in school again. Interestingly, we recently could see the Aurora Borealis above the church where Miss Leader’s remembrance service was held in Northwood. In May my husband Bavan turned 60 so we flew to Miami and did an amazing cruise to the Caribbean islands which I can highly recommend. Both our children are busy studying for law and medical exams so the tables have turned and they have been left house sitting whilst we finally have some freedom to explore.
Branch Secretary 1987
GILLIAN SIMSON
31 Maxwell Road, Northwood, HA6 2YG Email: gillysimson@hotmail.co.uk
Retirement end of August and I revert to full time RAF Policing which means deployments to strategic tiny islands in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Just completed 8 months in Cyprus in the Serious Crime Unit on an Army base which was a valuable experience. So many very naughty soldiers. After almost 20 years in the Met and 8 years policing the military, I have gone right off people. That said, my social life still consists of my fab school friends so this speaks volumes about St H. Was asked to give the keynote speech at Careers Day recently and was astounded at how the school buildings have changed. So more fit for modern teaching purpose. (Mrs Bennett’s little music hut in Junior School is but a very distant memory). But more importantly I got to drink out of the teachers’ posh china! Triplets have grown and sort of flown - one even managed to get married whilst I was deployed. Other son is a heroic paramedic and daughter is a BBC news journalist so I get to see her on the TV more than at the dinner table. Off to Japan in October on my motorbike so will be fuelled by my favourite food and relishing the culture. House goes on the rental market soon and relocating to Wiltshire so will see more of Vicky J who still teaches at Dauntsey’s. Always in touch with Nikki K, Helen A, Christina, Giz, Catherine, Amanda C, Julia L, Sharon R, Claire W, Lucie K (TV award winning I have to say) and other lovelies. I’m so proud to know you all – we are family. Date for your diary: 40th Anniversary 8th May 2027!
AMANDA LOVE (Connell) mrsloverly@gmail.com We are still living by the sea in Pembrokeshire, if anyone is passing please get in touch. Our sons turn 26 this summer and have both returned home after Uni to live close by which is unexpected but lovely. Incredibly I’ll have been working for the local authority 20 years this September and I’m busy devising an exit strategy so I don’t make it to 21 years! (Ed - she
is still an amazingly humble swimming star).
LAOISE DAVIDSON laoisele@gmail.com As announced previously, in July last year I married a fantastic young man by the name of Simon and we are enjoying immersing ourselves in tons of culture including lots of classical music concerts and jazz gigs, as well as art exhibitions in London and Europe. Still running my property business in between fun packed trips and working way too hard! Also still trying to sell my West Hampstead flat in a flatlining market but otherwise all good. Hope to see some OGs soon!!!
GIZ CRAGG (Schram) thecraggs@rogers.com The Craggs were lucky to have another good year. Grady and I have been enjoying being empty nesters and are reliving our youth going to concerts, movies, city breaks - lots of fun! Bron continues his PhD in Romania and presenting at academic conferences through Romania, Austria, Luxembourg and Spain. Several chapters and articles published this year and he seems to have found his people! Gray is mid his twoyear Masters been travelling a great deal. I was delighted to have my annual get together with the usual suspects: Gillian, Christina, Helen, Catherine and a hobbling Nikki who arrived in a wheelchair having broken her ankle the week before - a real trooper!! So grateful to these ladies for gathering every spring when I’m in town for meetings! Grady and I are heading to Amsterdam at the end of June to meet up with Bron to visit Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Bucharest.
JAYNE FRANKIN jayne.flanklin@gmail.com Still living life in North London with my husband of now 11 years - he works in the rail industry so I have fully embraced and love our train adventures –from the Caledonian Sleeper to the Italian Cinque Terre. I feel very lucky to see so much of the world. My most significant news is that after a period of ill health myself and losing two close friends under 60 I decided it was time for a change of pace so after 20 years as a Headteacher, most recently at Hospital School at Great Ormond Street and UCH, I left my job in August to work as a freelance consultantcoaching and mentoring young leaders in education and supporting mainstream schools in developing their provision for children with SEND, an ongoing and growing challenge in the current economic and political climate. It is the first time in my entire life I have not been beholden to school terms and am able to organise my own diary - feels almost rebellious!
KATIE PRATT info@katiepratt.net Met up with some old girls
SHARON ROBEY (Ross) slrobey@aol.com I’ve always enjoyed getting the OGs magazine but haven’t been great at sending in my own contribution. I can’t sugar coat the last few years for my family - it’s an understatement to say it’s been tough. Sadly my darling husband, Chris, died in September ‘22. He was struggling with his mental health and sadly didn’t get the medical help he needed. Our 3 children, Ellie, James and Katie, have been incredibly brave and we have supported each other to cope with the devastating consequences of losing him so suddenly. I took early retirement from the business Chris and I owned together and moved to York to be close to Katie who is about to graduate with a Psychology degree. It was the best decision I could have made as it’s such a lovely city with so much going on. York is also where Chris and I met in 1992 when we were at
Law School together so I have very happy memories here. Ellie lives in Sheffield and is planning on changing careers to become a paramedic. James currently lives with me in York. My sister Catriona Ross is literally my best friend and I’m so grateful for the love and support she gives me. I’ve seen Claire Wells regularly - we had a great trip to New York last year and met up with Gilly too. I’m hoping to go to the 40 year reunion and felt I should share my sad news before the day to save explaining it to everyone. Although I’m not living the life I expected I am making the best of the life I have - I know Chris would be so proud of us and he would want us to be happy. We live our lives to the best of our ability to honour him.
Joint Branch Secretaries 1988
CATHY BALDWIN (Palfreman)
Chiltern Lodge, 38 Clifton Road, Chesham Bois, Bucks, HP6 5PP
Email: cathybaldwin1@googlemail.com
LIZ HALL (Boswell)
27, Beechwood Cottages, Heronsgate Road, Chorleywood, Herts WD3 5BP
Email: liz.hall69@outlook.com
CATHY After nearly 4 years teaching at Feltham Young Offenders Institute, I’ve moved back into mainstream and I’m now working at Chiltern Hills Academy in Chesham. It’s lovely to have a 5 minute drive to work! We are also in the process of getting ready to sell our house, with a view to downsizing. It’s amazing how much rubbish you accumulate when you have children and life is busy - yesterday I found an old Blockbuster membership card! Other than that it’s been a quiet year. I’m still trying to keep running and I’ve signed up for a half marathon in September. I’m very slow but I love being outside in the early mornings. I don’t think anyone would ever have had me down as a runner back at school! Wishing you all every blessing - I love seeing your news on Facebook!
LIZ Still Primary supply-teaching and running Beaver Scouts. Teaching-work is steady and full of variety! Richard will drop to 1 day of teaching a week in the autumn which gives him plenty of time to spend on his bee hives! Empty nest syndrome now means we have 12 chickens and 5 bee hives; the honey was so popular we’ve run out. James (25) is working hard on his PhD in Nuclear Engineering at Manchester University, sponsored by Rolls Royce and will start his final year in September. Ben (23) is just coming to the end of his Masters in June, at Sussex Uni studying Astro-Physics and is probably taking a gap year. George (19) successfully got into Manchester Met to study Philosophy and has enjoyed his first year. James and George enjoy being in the same city! We will again be heading to the Isle of Wight for August to sail. Still in constant contact with Orley (Denman) and Dilly (Cole). We still need addresses for Gabrielle Cousins, Tessa Denham, Sally Hawkins and Sarah Taylor. Also Shazia Siddiqui and Margaret Thornton have gone AWOL. I regularly chat to loads of OGs on Facebook and add me or Cathy (we can hook you up with loads of people you may have lost touch with!) Our next reunion is 40 Years On: 13th May 2028 but meanwhile, keep in touch and make sure you tell us if you move/change emails
Branch Secretary 1989
SUSANNAH READ (Dornton)
Little Brockley, Broadway, Shipham, Somerset BS25 1UF
Email: susannah_read@hotmail.com
This year, I decided to resign as Branch Secretary for the 1989 Leavers, after 36 years in post! I’m delighted to announce that the new Joint Branch Secretaries will be Sara McLean (macleancomms@gmail. com) and Fiona Grace (fi.grace104@googlemail.com) – many thanks to them for their willingness to take this on. Huge thanks to Susannah for her long stint as BSec and thanks to Sara and Fiona for volunteering. Ed
SARAH FIOR It doesn’t seem like I’ve done much this past year but there are a few noteworthy changes - I found a job and celebrated my Anniversary there this week. It’s not as a solicitor, but it’s in the area of law I really enjoy - helping people who have been injured at work, which is initially what I wanted to get into 10 years ago when I was thinking about studying HR. Also, after 20 months of searching, I finally found somewhere I wanted to live - it’s my first and, hopefully, forever home until I’m ready for a care home! I last moved in my mid 30s: it is so much harder now!!! I also adopted a new cat this year, but lost my first ever cat who I’m sure received a dog memo rather than the cat one, as he was a total sook. The loss is getting easier and my new fur baby has learnt to no longer wriggle out of cuddles. I’ve recently been back in touch with Vanessa Ayiku and Kyoko - I love how strong St Helen’s friendships remain decade after decade.
JOANNA HEWITT (Curtis) So another year has ticked by in Norwich and the girls are flourishing and loving life. I haven’t really settled, so after a big Hewitt girl con-flab we have decided to return to the States after Caitlin has finished her GCSEs next summer. Caitlin was reluctant for the longest time but after visiting Jeanna at Easter she independently told me she was ready. Not back to Texas but to Louisiana to be close to Jeanna! I hope she knows what she has signed up for! So a big move for us next year including two German Shepherds and two cats! At least I have a vet on hand! In other news Emily is loving her soccer, hockey and netball, Caitlin rowing and she has almost completed her silver DofE. We are also visiting Fia and Gigi in South Africa at Christmas. As always, I am eternally grateful for my school network of friends who have continued to love and support us over these tumultuous years.
SARA MACLEAN (Llewellyn) Last Summer I had a lovely visit to see Van Gogh’s ‘Poets and Lovers’ art exhibition with Miss Kendall and Fiona (Farquharson) at the National Gallery. This Spring we followed it up with lunch in Covent Garden followed by From Goya to Impressionism at the Courtauld Gallery. A lovely day, always lots to talk about and lots of fun. Still loving living in sunny Brighton with my husband, daughters and two naughty Jack Russell terriers. Work in my PR consultancy is very busy. Eldest daughter has just completed her Film Studies degree in Southampton. Youngest daughter is set to start uni in the Autumn.
Still loving life in the countryside, just outside Cambridge. The job in safeguarding is still going well and I manage to get a good balance of working from home and travelling across East Anglia and now also Hertfordshire, which has been added to the mix this year. Three years in and now enjoying running safeguarding training for the trust too and working with the next generation of teachers. I have just become a governor in a local school, so keeping my hand in more broadly in education too. The twins are now 17 and learning to drive, which hasn’t been as hair-
SALLY STEEDEN (Esom)
greying as I anticipated! Still love to travel and we all particularly enjoyed our ‘hot’ Christmas with the eldest in Tasmania last year. Keeping up with most of the usual old girls and get to see them whenever they all come back to the UK to visit.
JEANNA JOHNSTON SCULLY Hi Forever 18’s! Had a lovely 10-day visit with Jo (Curtis) and her 2 gorgeous girls, Caitlin and Emily, over Easter hols. We went on a paddle-wheeler down the Mighty Mississippi, visited Chalmette battlefield, site of the Battle of New Orleans, went on a ghost tour at a haunted plantation, enjoyed live Cajun music and food (and frozen daiquiris!) at the French Quarter festival, had a crawfish boil, went to the immersive titanic exhibit, went shopping, had an Easter egg hunt, and generally mooched by the pool and chatted endlessly….so much fun!!! Still in touch with Peta (Hosking) and Fiona (Farquharson) regularly, and hoping for a UK visit in November of next year. In other news, my son Brandon has completed his river pilot training and is now a fully-fledged Crescent River Port Pilot! He has bought a house and a dog (Gouda) and lives with his girlfriend Shane about 10 minutes from us. My other son Evan has just graduated from Louisiana State University with a BS in Kinesiology, and a minor in Biology. He is now home and working on an EMT/paramedic course over the summer and is applying to a Master’s program for this coming year. My sister Jenny still lives in NZ but I’ve seen a lot of her this past year as we have been working on moving my parents into assisted living (sad, but thankfully they are still together), and my niece got married at their lake house in Texas last November which was a fab celebration! Carl and I are still working, but considering retirement while we are still young enough to enjoy ourselves with some travel and other pursuits.
in beautiful parts of the world. Looking forward to the girls’ trip away with Rachel (Bird), Adhana (Walls), Antonia (Hughes), Vanessa (Cummins) and Louise Wyatt to Seville in October – such fun awaits
– as a celebration of 35 years of friendship. I have been enjoying teaching my Year 3 class at school and the highlight for me really has been our 35 years on reunion back at School this May. Lizanne (Tucker) has written a brilliant write up and captured the day so well (see page 10). It was a fantastic day and I am lost for words really – there were my fellow classmates who I left school in 1990 and not seen before and some who I had lost contact with and now friends for life. Oh, how we laughed! To all of you who came, thank you for such an uplifting day of incredible memories and more to come. Can’t wait for 40 years.
CORDELIA MCKECHNIE (Cole) Just getting to the end of the whirlwind of GCSE and A Level exams in our household this Summer. Everyone is looking forward to the break. I continue to be a consultant ophthalmologist at Bart’s Health NHS Trust and head of school for circa 160 trainee ophthalmologists in London. Still involved with our local church St Andrews, tennis and lots of gardening. Really enjoyed seeing everyone at the reunion. Noone has changed!! Met up with Katie (Taylor), Liz (Boswell) and Nimmy during the year. It would be great if we could get even more of us together in five years’ time. Thanks, Andie, for organising.
SOPHIE LOVELL-SMITH (Jolly) slovellsmith2017@gmail.com Another busy year of “life-ing” has passed, and as I write this I’ve just started a well earned and neatly planned couple of months off before I start a new job in July. Having spent many years at the coalface of exec search, banking a lot of hard work and proud moments working with and placing senior folk in growth tech businesses, I find myself with an “as yet unfulfilled” yen to bring some value to the early end of the careers ladder. A bit of a leap of faith, but thinking YOLO and all that and fingers crossed that it all works out, my pension apps tell me I have 14 years left before I draw my pension so plenty of time to lean in! Still love and value our St Helen’s friendships, have spent fun times with Tanya and Catherine (Ross) over the last year, plus had such a lovely London day with Paula P when she was over followed by a very crazy Friday night eating Thai and drinking wine in the West End with Angie, Jo F, Claire W, Caroline plus Paula P again a few days later. Bumped into Kate English briefly at my gym, which was lovely! Justin and the boys are all well. My Mum is doing well, misses Dad a lot but we’re so proud and grateful that she’s embracing life and determined to have fun with us all and to make time count. Hoping to catch up with lots of you next year, as we’re 35 years on in 2026.
KIM RABIN DAVIDSON (Davidson) kimdavidsonuk@yahoo.co.uk
Joint Branch Secretaries 1992
YASMIN KASSAM
Email: yrkassam@yahoo.co.uk
ARTI LUKHA
Email: artiandcraig@gmail.com
Membership Secretary Andrea Cawthorne - address below
Branch Secretary 1990
35 years on 1990 - 1994
ANDREA CAWTHORNE (Croad)
33 Cedars Avenue, Rickmansworth, Herts Email: andreacawthorne@hotmail.com
This year I have had empty nest syndrome as Fraser away in Newcastle – first year studying Geography and this has given me the chance to explore the Northumberland coast and Hadrian’s Wall and Lindisfarne throughout the year. A beautiful coastline indeed! Even partied in Newcastle with Adhana (Walls) at Easter to celebrate her daughter’s 21st – amazing how paths cross. Emily is continuing her studies and will be starting fourth year of Medicine – again this has allowed us to travel and see Wales and climb Pen Y Fan in the Summer and fall in love with Brecon. I am fortunate to have two kids
EMMA JESSOP (Garton) With Thomas (16) at boarding school for 3 years now “mum life” has been a little quieter! No interest in rejoining the corporate world full-time but still working from home a few mornings a week. I’ve been singing with MTS Choral Soc for over a decade now and love performing joint concerts with current St Helen’s girls. Find my week is full again with a second choir, two art classes and a bit of volunteering - once a month at a local Youth Club and as newsletter editor for the Heath Robinson museum. So lovely to see so many of us at OG Day this year - well done Andie Great to have the WhatsApp group to keep in touch with everyone again too.
Branch Secretary 1991
ANGIE LAWRENCE
64 Monarch Court, Lyttelton Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London N2 0RB
Email: amlawrence1973@yahoo.com
Still keeping busy working on exciting Fringe shows and enjoyed working on a new musical ‘Supersonic Man’ at Southwark Playhouse in April and May, based on the true story of a man with motor neurone disease, which had fab music and lyrics and was really heartwarming and with a great team on and off stage. Through my theatregoing, I have also met Josephine Buchan several times this year and bumped into Patricia Hodge! The Zemel Choir also keeps me busy – we celebrated our 70th Anniversary in May and it was lovely to see Lynda Landsman, whom I am in touch with, in the audience. I regularly see Jo Finburgh, Jo (Harris), Emma Britten, Kim (Davidson), Sarah (Shackman) and Penny (Lacey-Smith). It was lovely to see Paula (Casey), Caroline (Grimshaw), Claire Walters, Jo Finburgh and Sophie (Jolly) when Paula was in London in December and visit Olivia (Carr) with Jo Finburgh in Wiltshire for a lovely day earlier this year. 2026 is our 35 Year Reunion, so I hope to see as many of you as possible (especially those across the pond and on the other side of the world) at Old Girls’ Day on 9 May 2026.
ELIZABETH KESSES DELPORT (Kesses) ejkesses@hotmail.com Last year has had its ups and downs. Mum had a bad stroke and is now in a care home in Northwood. She has settled in well and enjoying all the company and attention. Granny also passed away the same night as Mum had her stroke. Work has been bonkers with several TV shows on the way and new authors on board. DD and I still spend heaps time in Normandy where I spend hours digging and pruning in our lovely garden! Kids are good, all busy working and setting up home.
Still juggling job (Business Advisor for a charity helping get into work) and business (Kidaktive Exercise classes for children) which seems like spinning a lot of plates most of the time, as well as continuing with my amateur dramatics hobby, doing 42nd Street in October, after having just done Me & My Girl, Footloose and Legally Blond. Thanks to the ever supportive Angie, Sarah and Jo F for always coming to watch – it is much appreciated. I’ve had a great time with Jo F at Glastonbury for many years and very excited to enjoy it with Penny and Jo H as well this year! My children (22 and 20) are both at home and working, but it’s lovely to have them with us.
PAULA PALLARIA (CASEY) ppallaria@gmail.com A huge thanks to Angie for always keeping us connected. As we get older, I really treasure the time we spend together. We are sprinkled around the world but love the feeling of connection that stems from St Helen’s. Still in this “exciting” stage of life: menopause, elder care, kids growing up and creaking bones! Trying to embrace it all with humour, consistency and booking trips! HRT has been an absolute saving grace and my parents are in the process of moving closer to me so I can be more support for them. Isabella is close to finishing Nursing School, and Thomas graduates from High School this year, and has also been accepted to Nursing School. Proud of them for following their passion to help others. Travel is definitely high on the agenda for us now. Our list is long! I had a lovely trip with friends to Nova Scotia last May, with another one planned in September. December saw me back on British soil for a completely selfish solo trip to London. Since school days, I have great memories of our trips into London to see the Christmas lights and a show. I flew over for a week and saw as much as I could. It was more than I imagined. Sophie and I spent a non stop talking day together that I will treasure forever, and had a gut laughing dinner out with Angie, Caroline, Claire W, Jo F and Sophie L-S. So grateful to have friends who drop everything and travel from Paris, Manchester and across London to see get together. Nadia was in Toronto in July, and we spent a fantastic evening together. Jo F will be coming through Toronto this summer, looking forward to seeing her on Canadian soil! Our big trip this year, 3 weeks in February, was Vietnam and Taiwan. We hope to escape the brutal winters every year with a trip somewhere warmer! Loved Vietnam, such a beautiful place with the kindest people. Taiwan surprised us, it was a clean, amazing local transit, with great food. Looking forward to Sri Lanka in February and coming to Europe in May, with a stop in Northwood for OG Day. See you all on 9th May 2026!
POONAM SHUKLA It has been an interesting year! In March this year, after 16 months of intense coursework, exams and practicums I have qualified as a Kundalini Yoga Teacher. I have also completed my Mind and Meditation and Authentic Relationships qualifications and am currently doing a Yogic Science training. After having worked in the City and travelling loads for 25 years I have found this study far more challenging. However, this is my purpose and passion to share the teachings in a relatable way, to do talks, workshops and so forth and apply the teachings to everyday life, corporate processes as well as integrating the teachings into leadership and management programmes. For individuals to eliminate to illuminate, to empower and elevate themselves and embrace their inner strength and consciousness. I am still active as ever, despite having 2 ops this last year (nothing major) and plan to get even more active and embrace lots more this coming year, life is to be LIVED is my motto! I am currently living in Rickmansworth, whilst I figure out what I am going to do with all my training, but I have already been teaching a community class in Brixton and at a care home for experience and plan to just see what opportunities come and where I fit best, it is quite daunting but equally exciting! It has been wonderful to stay more connected with the gals from my year and it was awesome to catch up with Hulda, Louise, Arti and Giselle last December and I hope we can arrange more ad-hoc or planned catch ups moving forward. I also attended Calendar Sale this year and went to St Helens Enterprise day. It was very nostalgic walking around – fond loving memories but a toast to many more beautiful memories for us all!
Branch Secretary 1993
MIRIAM HARLEY (Bamford) 61 Milton Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex. BN21 1SN Email: miriamharley@yahoo.co.uk
What a wonderful year of celebrating our 50th’s! Esme (21) has graduated from University of Bath and is going travelling. Marcy (19) has enjoyed her ski season in Canada so much she has stayed for the summer season and is going to stay for a 2nd season before starting her Children’s Nursing degree at Birmingham University. Still enjoying PE teaching and love catching up with “The St. Helens Gang”. SARA DONNITHORNE (Demaine) demaine@gmail.com Been waiting to exhale for 16 years and finally, we have our citizenship in Bermuda so the celebrations have been ongoing! Like popcorn, it’s been absolutely amazing and a privilege seeing and hearing everyone turn 50 this year. Actually, I remember sitting in my A.Level textiles class listening to Mrs. McIntosh’s 50th birthday celebrations and wondered what we would be like at 50 years old and how long it would take and surprisingly for me not long at all, ha ha! DEBORAH LUND debslund1@gmail.com After a decade working in the Fresh Produce industry I read a Masters in Rural Estate Management in 2008-9 and then joined a small firm in Cheshire for 7 years, where I qualified as a Chartered Rural Surveyor. In 2016 I moved to the South Lakes to join Carter Jonas’ Kendal office, where I became a Fellow of the Association of Agricultural Valuers and company Partner in 2022. In 2019 I bought my house here and Mum moved in too (she’d moved up from Rickmansworth to near me in Cheshire after Dad died in 2014). We’ve successfully not killed each other for 6 years now!! Having overseen the transfer of the Carter Jonas Kendal team to a Northern firm, GSC Grays, from May last year (still recovering from major surgery a few months previously), I decided to review my work life balance and took a couple of months off this spring to ‘regenerate!’ I now work for a large rural Estate in my local area as
Property Manager, with responsibility for the entire built estate and an in house maintenance team. I’ve been collecting increasingly large swims since I moved to the Lakes, including the length of Coniston Water, Wastwater both ways, Scilly (2 day) swim challenge and the width of Lac Leman. Ullswater, Windermere and 1 day Scilly are still on my radar.
LISA SOLOMONS lisasolomons@sky.com We’ve had quite a year. We decided to move to Melbourne, Australia in April 2024 for an 18 month adventure. The kids have settled in really well at school and are thoroughly enjoying new activities and the lifestyle is brilliant. We’ve been tourists to Ayres rock, the Great Barrier Reef and been to many sporting events, the Grand Prix, the Australia Open and we will be attending the Ashes. Great 2024/2025. Still in touch with Suzanne Trisk, Vanessa and Melanie Walters
Branch Secretary 1994
THALIA CASSIMATIS
Email: cassimatis@hotmail.co.uk
Not much has changed for me this year. I’m still Head of Art at Rickmansworth School and, despite the long hours, enjoying my job immensely. Our Art block is undergoing an extensive refurbishment, so in the meantime, I am teaching in a science lab with an axolotl! Ianthe (12) will be joining my school in Sep which will be an exciting new chapter for her! She is looking forward to immersing herself in secondary school life and all the sports activities on offer, particularly football, hockey and cross country. Nephele (9) continues her love of gymnastics, theatre, dance and music. We enjoyed a wonderful family holiday in Holland at Easter and are looking forward to soaking up the sun in Greece this summer. Hope everyone is well and happy. I created a WhatsApp group last year so if you would like to join it, let me know.
JOANNA LAWLOR (Twining) joannalawlor@hotmail.co.uk Can’t believe how quickly a year has flown. Our son will be starting Year 11 when this is published (at Dr. Challoner’s Grammar school, Amersham) and my daughter will be in Year 5 and starting the dreaded 11+ tuition!! Still at AstraZeneca as Global Head of Congress, and I will soon be celebrating my 17th year. We celebrated my mum’s 80th in February (Ann Twining - French Teacher from 1990 - 2006) and I’m so grateful to every single OG and Old Teacher (!) who contributed towards the St. Helen’s Memory Book I got together for her. So many wonderful anecdotes of school trips and classroom antics. She was so happy to receive it and I’m so grateful to everyone that took the time to write a lovely memory! I’m looking forward to seeing Andrea Tolve in Barcelona in June. Still living in Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks. If you’re local, email me!!
CHIARA WILLIAMS chiara.williams@gmail.com I’m still in Margate - for now! The world feels rich with possibility; I’m excited for what’s next. The past couple of years have felt like a metamorphosis. Alongside my art practice, I’m writing a book, singing in a local choir, dancing, relearning piano, sea swimming and volunteering at a community sauna. My daughter Delphine (11) is thriving and endlessly surprising. I’m looking forward to my 50th next year and feeling more alive than ever. It was lovely to see Katie and Claire in January, though under sad circumstances — see my obit for Andrew Newton elsewhere in the magazine.
1995
- 1999
Membership Secretary Lucy Turner 37 Farm Way, Northwood, HA6 3EE
Branch Secretary 1995
Joint Branch Secretaries 1996
JOANNA MORRISON (Galinsky)
Email: joannalmorrison@yahoo.co.uk
KATE BRADLEY-KIDD (Ogden)
Email: katebkidd@gmail.com
JO It’s hard to believe that next year will be 30 years since we left St Helen’s! We’ll definitely organise a reunion and hope to see lots from our year there! As for me, I’m feeling very grown up with an 18-year-old son sitting A Levels and heading for Uni in September, and an almost 15-year-old daughter doing GCSE’s next year. After a long career in advertising, I moved into school marketing and admissions. Following ten years at Edge Grove School, I have been at St Albans School for the past three years as Director of Marketing and Admissions. I love it when old St Helen’s girls pop up at our open days and other events! It’s always lovely to catch up with old school friends and I’m regularly in touch with Louise (Kitchner) and Vicky (Bednar) who lives in Melbourne.
KATE Having reached the incredible milestone of her 100th birthday in February 2024, Molly Bradley-Kidd sadly passed away in December. Molly had written down some of her memories of her time at St Helen’s for the ‘Girls in Green’ book and it was wonderful that Sally Fleming was able to make the journey to Pembrokeshire for Molly’s funeral to share these memories as part of the celebration of Molly’s life. Hard to believe that next year will be our 30 years on reunion. Please save the date (Saturday 9 May 2026) - it would be great to see lots of you there!
LOUISE CRYSTAL (Kitchner) In September 2024 we celebrated the milestone of my youngest daughter Sophie’s Bat Mitzvah. It was a lovely weekend, especially as due to Covid we were unable to celebrate our elder two children’s Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s. There were a good few St Helen’s girls there to celebrate with me including Jo (Galinsky), Rachel (Finkel), Michelle (Arnold) and Juliette (Lampert). In other news, my eldest son Harry is just finishing the Lower Sixth Form and is starting to think about university, and my middle child, Chloe, is in the middle of her GCSE’s. I’m looking forward to starting a new job soon as a Client Services Manager at a cancer charity.
LUCINDA GLASSER (Caplan) I think this is my first time (in 30 years) writing for the OGs mag but I look forward to receiving it every year and read it cover to cover! In September I started my second job having been in my first job for 22 years! I have become Deputy Head at a boys’ school in Dollis Hill. I am a mum to four children, three girls aged 11,13 and 15 and a boy aged 6. I live with my husband Martin in Hendon, North West London. I am still in touch with Natalie Hubert, Judith Engel and Rachel Finkel. My mum still lives in Northwood and I love driving past St Helen’s when I go to see my mum!
ROSANNE PLEASE (Smith) I’m still living in Great Missenden but no longer working in London as I decided to make a career change. I have just completed a BSc in Humanistic Counselling and plan to start my own private practice. It turns out doing a degree in your 40s is much harder than the first time around but it’s been a brilliant experience and I’ve met some great people along the way. My girls are also doing their GCSEs this year, which has taken me back to my days at St Helen’s! I hope you are all well.
ANNABELLE SPINNEY (Holburn) Another busy year for the Spinney family. With the girls getting older (12, 10 and 8) Dan and I have had a bit more time and energy to pursue our hobbies. I spent 2 weeks volunteering at a veterinary clinic in Sao Tome - an African island in the Gulf of Guinea. I took part in a neutering campaign where we provided medical treatment and neutered over 500 street dogs who would otherwise have no veterinary care. A huge challenge but very rewarding, and an absolutely beautiful island renowned for its coffee and chocolate plantations. I am also a student again, studying remotely for further qualifications in advanced veterinary practice. A very different experience to university the first time around! Alongside this I have been juggling work, family life and open water swimming. Lots of plans for the summer including a trip to the French Alps so that Dan can cycle up lots of big hills, and we’ll all enjoy the water sports and mountains. Sadly, not regularly in touch with any school friends, but if anyone’s ever visiting Bristol/Bath, do get in touch!
Joint Branch Secretaries 1997
SARAH MORGAN (Bater)
“The Cedar” 2 Fringewood Close, Northwood, Middx, HA6 2TB
Email: sarahabater@yahoo.co.uk
JO MORRIS (Packman)
7b Bourne Road, Bushey, Herts WD23 3NH
Email: joannamorris@live.com
JO Time is flying! My eldest has just finished Year 9 and my youngest is wrapping up primary school - how did that happen? I still feel like I’ve only just left school myself! Work-wise, Mini Lingos (musical Spanish for the under 5s) is thriving and I’ve recently franchised the business. Now I’m on the lookout for some “mini me’s” to run their own Mini Lingos across the UK!
SARAH It’s been another busy year full of work, school, travel, adventures, family and friendship. We continue to enjoy meeting up with OGs, a particular highlight was Jo (Packman)’s eldest son’s Bar Mitzvah in August. It was lovely to see Tracey (Carr), Laura (Jackson) and Georgie (Cohen) there! As we creep to our 30 year anniversary of leaving school we’d love to hear from more of you! LAURA SOUTHERN (Jackson) Suddenly feeling old as my baby sister, Katie, had her 20 year reunion in May and my eldest is currently doing his GCSEs which I have such vivid memories of. I’m still working in nutrition focussing on peri-menopause. Check out my website: www.londonfoodtherapy.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 1998
MONICA BHANDARI (Chowdry) 3 Linksway, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 2XA Email: monica.bhandari@hotmail.co.uk
ASHRINA PARMAR (Patel) 85 Woodland Drive, Watford, Herts WD17 3LA Email: ashrinaparmar@gmail.com
and am in 2 choirs! City Academy Singers (we have summer and Xmas performances for our 10th anniversary this year – tickets on Eventbrite!) My second choir is London International Gospel Choirlast year with a small group of LIGC singers I supported Joss Stone and entered a global gospel music competition, both at the Royal Albert Hall. I’m also proud of the community work from light switch-on at Covent Garden to singing in nursing homes and at Grenfell Tower. This summer I’m singing at Leeds Castle. I’d highly recommend joining a choir particularly if you’re looking for ways to keep your creative side going! When I’m not making music, I manage a team of supplier managers at an asset management firm and still live in Beckenham. LORNA CROFT It’s been a busy year both professionally and personally with family life! I have recently started a new role at Standard Chartered in London heading up the Credit Insurance business for Europe and US. A busy role but great to be back in the city after 5 years working from home! Marnie is now 20 months old and loving life - she is great fun and non-stop all day every day! I still live in Twickenham with husband Dan, Marnie and Melba our labrador.
HELEN DOKELMAN I’m still living in Limoges, France, managing a small private English school. Madame Twinning would be proud of me! If anyone is in the area don’t hesitate to look me up at Wall Street English! My daughter ice skates, so my life involves lots of sequins and travelling across France to competitions right now.
CLARA HEIMERDINGER In the past year I’ve launched an exciting new business ‘Comedy in the Office’ which brings comedy club shows into corporate workspaces for team building days and company socials. I was also so happy to win a Silver Award at the Best Business Women Awards for Best Creative Business.
JOANNA KENNEDY (Leigh) The last 12 months have been very busy! I was honoured to be shortlisted for PICCASO European Executive of the Year and move to a new role in global data governance, specialising in data protection and AI governance. Apart from that, I’m still travelling for work regularly, mostly to the US now, where I’m discovering a love for San Diego!
CAROLINE OSBORNE (Wheeler) No big changes to report - still working in PE and very happy where I am. Family are great - though my eldest is now officially taller than me and my youngest is catching up fast. I have seen the usual suspects throughout the year, but not quite as often as I’d like! We are off to visit the in-laws in Australia this summer, which we are so looking forward to, with a brief stop in Singapore on the way – I can’t wait.
TRACEY BRAVO
Email: traceybravo@gmail.com
ADA SHUM I’m still living in London with my husband and kids, and am in touch with Emma Husband, Kate Young, Donna Kwok, Ilona Paterson, Michelle Igoe and Puja Saujani. Think I even bumped into Antonia Voss at the GP once and took a few of Bansi’s yoga classes - they’re amazing - highly recommended! My eldest child just started secondary school, so it has been super chaotic here, as we all had to adapt to different routines. Watching my kid go through this change, I’ve been thinking a lot about when I started in 3A and the awesome experience of being at St Helen’s. Thanks for being part of those amazing memories. And can you imagine if we had social media back then? Yikes!
MONICA Still living in Northwood and running Fruity Fresh on Green Lane. The girls are well into teenage-dom and we are enjoying the trials and tribulation of that! Enjoyed catching up with the Green Girls on our annual holiday and if you’re ever in Northwood do pop in for a coffee at the shop and say “Hi”.
ASHRINA Two children now in senior school and the teenage years are upon us. Holidays have taken us to Bali, Singapore, Paris, Iceland and South Africa this year and just returned from our annual trip to Turkey with Alka, Emma, Joy, Monica, Sujana and Sylvia. Since my sabbatical ended in September, I’m back working in change management in the construction industry – it has been 20+ years since I was last out on-site - building Terminal 5! NANA ADUSEI (Amonoo-Kuofi) I’ve enjoyed singing recently
EMMA SCOURFIELD (Harrison) I’m still working as a TV Line Producer/Production Manager. In the past year, I’ve worked on the US Elections for the BBC, The Trophy Hassan II Golf Tournament and Eid Live/Celebrity Eid - so an eclectic mix! I’m currently doing the Genesis Scottish Open for the second year running. I’ve just started playing in Chiltern Concert Band and am loving playing the clarinet again! My son has nearly finished his first year at secondary school where he’s been getting really involved in various musical groups. My daughter is in Year 3 and thoroughly enjoying being part of Stagecoach in her spare time. I loved going to see Lynette in a play last year - she was so good!
KARINA TANNER (Izatt) We made it to Florida! Bought a house in the horse capital of the world Ocala and safely flew the horses and dogs over. We have just launched our new business, so fingers crossed it’s a success. Honestly, it was the best move we could have ever made, we love it here!
Joint Branch Secretaries 1999
SARAH WHITE (Chandler)
Email: sarahwhite100@me.com
PIPPA WILKINS (Durrant)
Email: philippaann@yahoo.com
Branch Secretary 2000
KIM CARR (Fishman)
Email: mrskimcarr@hotmail.com
What a fabulous day the 25 Year On reunion was, although I can’t quite grasp how it has been that long! We now have a class of ‘00 WhatsApp group, so if you are not on it and want to be, send me an email or FB me and I can add you! I’m still living in Radlett, and both kids (11 and 9) are starting new schools in September so lots of change about to come our way! Love and good health to you all.
NADIA RAMJOHN I loved catching up with everyone at the 25 Year On reunion where you all honestly looked the same! I currently live on a farm near Tunbridge Wells that my husband and I built. I am a wagyu beef farmer and GP specialising in perimenopause with 2 children. My husband is an equine veterinary surgeon. My sis, Farah, has her dental practice in N. London and lives in Hampstead, a regular farm visitor. I keep in contact with Emma K, Nikhita and Emma E who lives locally so has popped up to the farm. If anyone is ever local to Tunbridge Wells give me a shout.
ROXY SHARLAND (Shariff) You’ll mostly find me sprinting after our 2-year-old, Dylan, who seems to think life is a non-stop obstacle course. We’ve just swapped London for leafy Godalming and are in the thick of settling into our new home—which has been amazing so far. We’re surrounded by gorgeous countryside, and the girls (9 and 6) have started at their new school, which gives me major St Helen’s déjà vu. Still happily tethered to the other half and wondering where the years have gone. I’m toying with ideas for my next work adventure. Until then, I’m embracing the chaos: outdoorsy days, child-wrangling, and my current gig as full-time chef/taxi driver/cleaner/ PA.
Branch Secretary 2001
EMMA ARCH (Young)
31 Denham Lane, Chalfont St. Peter, Gerrards Cross, Bucks SL9 0EP
Email: emma.young@cantab.net
Joint Branch Secretaries 2002
CAT ANDERSSON
Seaton Cottage, 33 West Common, Gerrards Cross, SL9 7RE
Email: catandersson@gmail.com
ANGE HOUSE (Balakrishnan)
2 Brackendale, London, N21 3DG
Email: angebalakrishnan@gmail.com
CAT Still working at Sony Pictures, recent career highlights include working on Karate Kid: Legends and 28 Years Later. My little girl Cameron is now 6, and my little boy Rory is now 4. They are a great pair. I still hang out with OGs including Ange, Sam G, Nirvana,
Pandora, Mel and Fi M, and was delighted to meet Fi’s second girl Bobbie, a cutie born in Sept 2025. Fully embrace being an old millennial by chasing you all down for news for this magazine, with limited success. I always enjoy bumping into OGs, shout out to Susan (Bruce) who I have worked on some films with, and I also enjoyed discovering Priyanca Hunt is a beloved teacher at my children’s school.
ANGE I’m still working, parenting and now have added Hyrox fitness challenges to the mix. Cat and I celebrated our pearl friendiversary this year with a spa getaway and I’m hoping she’ll finally put a ring on it before the year is out.
SAM GREGSON (Vong) After a wonderful year of celebrating 40th birthdays, this last year has flown by, time marked by the far too short school terms and my rapidly growing son. I am still an M&A tax consultant, working at GIC, doing the London commute from Surrey 4 days a week. My parents moved to Guildford to be nearer to us, which has been a real blessing. Max (6) has started to learn the piano and violin. We hope that he has inherited the musical gene from his parents. He has also joined the Guildford City swim club, which means I am spending far too many evenings sweating in the viewing gallery of the local pool. But life is good here and we are content.
FI PATERSON We are all doing fine and have planned a trip to Italy in September to visit Lizzie (Sharples) who is posted there with the foreign office. Sarah (Isaacs) is rocking 3 children and about to become deputy head of her school, Cat (Brown) is surviving building works, Anna (Thompson) has a new job with HSBC and Khilna (Shah) and I are embarking on 11+ struggles with our eldest, regretting our life choices to move to Bucks!
Joint Branch Secretaries 2003
SHOSHANA WHYBROW (Abrams)
The Ramblers, High Street, Barley, SG8 8JA
Email: shoshanawhybrow@gmail.com
MARIANNE FULLER (Wilkerson)
146 Delaware Mansions, Delaware Road, London, W9 2LL
Email: mariannewilkerson@msn.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2004
ROSIE TOWERS (Driver)
Email: rosie_44@hotmail.co.uk
RIDHIMA PATEL
Email: ridhimavpatel@gmail.com
ROSIE I’m still teaching English in Leeds, albeit a lot closer to home and my little girl is growing at a remarkable rate. Watching her grow up is a real privilege and we try really hard to embrace the little things such as a recent camping trip in the sunshine and pony rides in the half term break. We have been incredibly lucky to travel as a family and have been lucky to embrace skiing in France this past winter as well as a summer holiday in the south of France. Last summer we introduced Poppie to her first camping and festival experience. Apart from the rain and mud she loved it so long may it continue that she will join us. I still keep in touch with Ridhima, Laura, Liz, Punam, Meera and Ellie with Ellie making a recent move up north so we are attempting to see more of each other. There have been a few more children added to our group of 7 and we are attempting to make plans for some time just girls and without the small people.
RIDHIMA After recently starting a new role as a pharmacist for a skincare company, I’ve been enjoying the exciting blend of science and wellbeing that the field offers. Life at home is just as full - my two daughters are now 9 and 6, and it’s been a joy to watch them grow into their own personalities. We love travelling as a family and have enjoyed recent adventures to Italy, Bali, Thailand and Dubai. I keep in touch with Neena, Rosie, Liz, Laura, Rishma, Meera, Punam, and Eleanor—and we’re all looking forward to celebrating our 40th birthdays together this year. It’s a special reminder of how enduring and meaningful those school connections continue to be.
Joint Branch Secretaries 2005
JENNIE HOLLOWAY (Morgan)
Email: JennieHolloway1@gmail.com
ANNIE TAYLOR-GOOBY
Email: annietaylorgooby@gmail.com
JENNIE It was great to see Nicola, Sarah-Jane, Sophie, Jo, Hannah, Sabrina, Georgina, Katie, Alice, Kate and Gabriela at OG Day. Bravo Shackleton on the highest attendance! All in the Class of 2005: please email me your phone numbers so you can be added to the WhatsApp group.
Branch Secretary 2006
NIKKI THOMAS (Shah) 5 Tower View, Bushey, WD23 1PT
Branch Secretary 2007
NEMESHA PATEL (Balasundaram)
Email: nemeshab@hotmail.co.uk
Joint Branch Secretaries 2008
ABBIE WOODROW (Phillips)
Email: abbie722@hotmail.com
TAMMY JANSEN (Clark)
Email: Tc8963@my.bristol.ac.uk
ABBIE WOODROW (Phillips) We had another baby last summer and are now officially outnumbered! Lovely coincidence bumping into Teesta at an antenatal appointment. We managed to go for brunch once the bubbas had safely arrived.
OLIVIA BASQUILL (Clayton) Stayed in medicine and am (slowly) progressing towards being a cardiology consultant. Currently based in Taunton, Somerset with my husband Joe and Cora (2). Still musical, playing violin with a local orchestra, and dabble in a social netball league (no lacrosse in these parts sadly). Always striving to find that golden work-life balance and find time and space for quiet momentsnot easy!
EMILY MARTINEZ It’s been a busy and creative year. I released my first single, “London” – a song written during a homesick moment that celebrates the city’s quirky charm. It has a reggae-pop-rock feel and is out on all streaming platforms under my artist name, Emily Jane. I’ve been living in Switzerland for nearly 12 years and have started the process for citizenship, which feels like a big milestone. Alongside music, I’m still running my small business Bee Creative, which offers music lessons, birthday parties and holiday clubs for children. The birthday party side has grown through word of mouth, and I’m still teaching piano and singing – my students are performing at a festival in my hometown later this summer! Music is where most of my energy goes – my next single “Wrong Side of Me” is coming out in June. Very much enjoying being a godmother to several of my friends’ lovely children. I managed to travel a bit this year too – Costa Rica was a real highlight and comes highly recommended if you ever get the chance to go!
HAYLEY RENAK (Marks) I have become a mum again to another beautiful girl. I am enjoying this tiring time as a mummy to my toddler and 4-month-old, and growing my business as an infant massage instructor and sensory classes for babies. Still in Borehamwood.
Joint Branch Secretaries 2009
LOUISE BURFITT
Email: louise@louiseburfitt.com
AMY WALTER
Email: amywalter_1@hotmail.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2010
JAIMINI MEHTA
22 Ardross Avenue, Northwood, HA6 3DS
Email: jaimini_22@hotmail.co.uk
LAURA WILSON
10 Nower Hill, Pinner, HA5 5QU
Email: laurawilson@hotmail.co.uk
Branch Secretary 2011
SAMANTHA SIMON (Phillips)
2 The Broadwalk, Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 2XD
Email: samanthaphillips276@hotmail.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2012
FRANCESCA CLARKE
41 Chapman Close, Stannington, Sheffield S6 5BX Email: francescaclarke@hotmail.co.uk
RACHEL MAHONEY (Hallet)
20 Dale Close, Stanway, Colchester CO3 0FG
Email: rachel_hallet@hotmail.com
FRANCESCA An exciting update for me this year, Jack proposed last summer so we’re in full planning mode for our April 2026 wedding. I’m excited for the big day of course and to planning our honeymoon, we’re thinking a safari.
RACHEL This is possibly the first year in a while that I’ve written news where things are much the same! We are still enjoying life in Colchester, with our family. Violet will be 4 this year, and has just accepted a school place for September, and Jesse will be 2 and starting nursery in the Autumn. Life is chaotic with two, but we have loved keeping busy with them over the last year!
CHLOË RUDETTE The past 3 years have been a total whirlwind of adventure for me! I got married in October 2022 which was just the best day of my life. I moved house in November 2023 and started an exciting new job in February 2024 as a Senior Project Operations Manager at The Mix. Am sharing this update from my latest adventure as we have just welcomed our first child in April 2025. Taking motherhood in my stride, with my amazing husband by my side, I cannot wait to see what the next 3 years holds in store for us and our little girl… maybe she’s a future Girl in Green!
LARA This year I finished up my studies as a therapist and launched my own online therapy business Lara Listens Therapy. I’ll be offering therapy in English to clients around the world. I’m still based happily in Valencia (7 years on!) and living with my boyfriend. As a side project, I have also written a fiction book - a romantic comedy.
Joint Branch Secretaries 2013
YASMIN LAZARUS-KENNY (Lazarus)
Email: yasmin@yasminlazarus.com
CHARLOTTE GREIG (Caine)
Email: c-caine@live.com
YASMIN I am continuing to work as an Educational Psychologist and enjoying all the reward that brings. My health is not always great at times but I am still rock climbing, and cuddling with our newly adopted cat, Boo!
CHARLOTTE A hectic year! I returned to teaching in December after having my second daughter and spending some time supporting my extended family during maternity leave. I am enjoying the challenge of raising two very independent and strong-willed daughters whilst trying to keep my sanity. Apparently, my girls take after their mother!
Joint Branch Secretaries 2014
ELEANOR DOKE
Email: dokeeleanor@gmail.com
OLIVIA CHERKAS
Email: olivia.cherkas@icloud.com
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10 years on
Joint Branch Secretaries 2015
GRACE ANDREWS
Fogaback, Chenies Hill, Latimer, HP5 1FF
Email: gracedvandrews@gmail.com
HARSHANA SHAH
Shanta Nivas, Sandy Lane, Northwood HA6 3ES
Email: harshana.shah32@gmail.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2016
SHIVANI ANATH
Email: shivani@anaths.co.uk
YASS RAD
Email: yass_rad@hotmail.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2017
EMMA BROWN
Email: emma@madisonbrown.co.uk
RIA GAGLANI
Email: ria.gaglani02@gmail.com
RHIANNE ADAMSON
Email: rhianneadamson@hotmail.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2018
BETHAN WILKINSON
Riverglade, Riversdale, Bourne End SL8 5EB
Email: bethanw17@gmail.com
BETHANY BROWN
1A Sonia Close, Watford WD19 4PD
Email: bethanyalixbrown@gmail.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2019
UMA GURAV
Email: uma14@hotmail.co.uk
PRIYANKHA KHINDRI
Email: p.khindri@icloud.com
5 years on
Joint Branch Secretaries 2020
MAYA KATELI
Email: maya.kateli@gmail.com
LUCY MEADE
Email: lucmeade@gmail.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2021
VERITY LEAKE
Email: verity.leake@outlook.com
RAKHEE SHAH
Email: rakheeshah67@hotmail.co.uk
5 YEARS ON REUNION: Saturday 9th May 2026 (Old Girls’ Club will pay for your tickets to your first reunion)
Joint Branch Secretaries 2022
ASHA KATELI
Email: ashakateli@icloud.com
MAARIYA KHALID
Email: mnkhalid@icloud.com
LAYLA LADAK
Email: layla@kadal.org.uk
Branch Secretary 2023
RHEA WASANI
Email: rheawasani@outlook.com
Joint Branch Secretaries 2024 DIYA SHAH diyashah06@icloud.com
TANUJA HANMANTGAD tanuja.hanmantgad@gmail.com
Staff News
VALERY COWLEY Reading, research & writing keep me occupied. A weekly stretch & balance class is beneficial. Contacts decline alarmingly.
WELCOME TO NEW BRANCH SECRETARIES 2025 ANA CHATOO anachatoo@icloud.com and RHEA SHAH Rhea1712@icloud.com
WELCOME TO ANA and RHEA and to the CLASS of 2025
All present members send you best wishes for all you do in the future and good luck in whatever career you choose in the years to come!
St. Helen’s
Helen’s
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