The Old Berkhamstedians’ Office & Questionnaire Results

2022 was a return to ‘normal’ for us in the office, with the reintroduction of a lot of our events and reunions. Notable events for this year included the Memorial Service for John Davison, whose original memorial service was postponed by the onset of Covid back in March 2020.

We were delighted to invite around 250 people back to school to pay tribute to this great teacher back in April, on the same weekend that we also paid tribute to Mary Rose Farley, former headmistress of the Girls School. Our thanks for both of these events go to everyone who was involved who helped make it a truly memorable weekend.

We are currently looking at events for 2023, and, at the end of the magazine you can see the forthcoming dates that have already been set. We are also looking into how we can extend these events to a wider audience around the world and hope to announce some dates for these in the new year, but if you are interested in helping us host an event, please do get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

Berkhamsted Connections continues to be a great success for us with over 2600 people now signed up, 156 stories online, 161 mentors, all the photos from our events this year, and over 57500 hits on the archive page (in the last 12 months). If you have anything that you would like us to include on Berkhamsted Connections, again please just let us know, or add your own story if you would like to! The platform is also the best way to stay in touch, with the capacity for you to search for others online and make contact directly through the system, so why not try to get back in touch with friends from the past.

Sarah and I are based in the offices at Overton House on Berkhamsted High Street and are in the offices every morning, so if we can be of any help at all, please drop us and email or give us a call.

Vicky Rees (Hon)

The Old Berkhamstedian Administrator

Sarah Cox (Hon) The Berkhamsted Society Office Assistant; The Old Berkhamstedian Office Assistant

OB Questionnaire Results

Your Feedback Shapes Our Future

In 2021, a sub-committee of your OB Council undertook a major project. Led by William Parsey, a questionnaire was drafted, with a lot of work by Vicky Rees too, who masterfully put it all together. Huge thanks must go to everyone involved. Here is a summary of our findings together with updates on how we have been working to use the information you provided to help steer the events and work we do for you.

Over 6000 OBs were contacted and asked if they would like to take part in our questionnaire. Our aim being to get an idea of what you, our members, want from your alumni organisation.

We were delighted with the response. 6008 questionnaires were sent out, either by email or post card, and we received 641 replies. A 10.7% overall response rate. We received some great feedback, whether that be for more events, different types of events, more reunions, a larger range of clubs as well as what your preferred method of communication should be.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our Questionnaire.

Who responded?

Most were based in the UK (83.2%) followed by Europe (excluding the UK) at 4.2%. The US had 3.9% with Australia/New Zealand at 3.7%. Hong Kong/ Singapore had 1.5% while 3.5% respondents lived elsewhere.

Age Groups

The profile of respondents

You will see from figure 1 that 53% were over 60 years old, but the 18-45 age group were only just under a 1/4 of the total, as were the 46-60 group. So we had good representation from all age groups.

What is the most valuable benefit of TOB

(percentage replies) 73% of you use the organisation to stay in touch and share memories (figure 2).

We asked you about the type of events you would attend (figure 3)

You told us you enjoy school events and reunions. We host the 10 and 20 year reunions every year. We had lots of requests for the Annual London Dinner and this continues to be a regular fixture in the calendar taking place in early December.

Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, the initial memorial service for JAD had to be postponed. Many asked if it would still possible for this to go ahead and we were delighted to be able to rearrange this in early April 2022.

It was fantastic that so many of you attended and it was a most memorable occasion. You can read the report here in the magazine and see more photos from the event on Connections.

Many of you asked for more regional clubs to enable you to make contact with OBs in your area. 23 of you said you would be interested in volunteering to be regional reps. We have contacted each of these individuals who gave us their details and are helping support regional events in the UK and around the world.

What information would you like to receive from TOB? (figure 4)

All the above items were of some interest, with the archives and school anecdotes scoring highest and OB business of least interest. Current school news and updates are now regularly shared on the OB Connections platform and we do encourage our members to sign up to this and to enjoy having this resource to dip in and out of.

We are working on including a summarised School News entry in the OB magazine as well, as there is significant interest in this. We hope to be able to give a brief summary if this is ready before going to press this year, but a fuller version is definitely planned for next year’s magazine.

What would you be interested to take part in?

(figure 5)

As well as Sports clubs, and requests for CCF reunions, of particular note was the feedback that a significant number of OBs wanted more Arts events.

We had previously held the OB talent Show in Centenary Theatre, which was a great success. We were therefore delighted to be able to reintroduce this event in February 2022 and hope to continue to host it annually. It was also lovely to bring so many of you together to sing at the John Davison and Mary Rose Farley memorial events. We are currently hoping to introduce an event giving OBs the opportunity to view sixth form A-Level art and photography work when this is exhibited in the summer. We are working with the school to arrange this, hopefully combined with a tour of the School. So if this is the kind of event you might be interested in, please look out for it when launched later in the year.

Interest in the entrepreneur network also scored highly. We have promoted our mentor scheme and currently have over 150 OBs from a wide variety of different professions offering their services to current sixth form and fellow OBs. The Entrepreneur network is one of the clubs available on our Connections website, so again, do take a look if networking with fellow OBs is of interest to you in this or any other area.

Following analysis of all your responses, we put together a “Frequently Asked Questions” section on Connections. Some of the Q&As are listed below – more can be found linked to the Questionnaire news article on Connections (Oct 2021).

What is Connections and how do I sign up?

Connections is the online hub for The Old Berkhamstedians (TOB). It is full of interesting news from the OB community as well as updates from current School life. It is a great way to get in touch with fellow Old Berkhamstedians around the world and to join existing clubs, networks or societies that aim to bring the OB community closer together. There are also back issues of both the School and The Old Berkhamstedian magazines available to peruse in the Archive section and you can sign up to be an OB mentor or seek help from an OB mentor. This exciting project was only launched in 2020, so as more OBs sign up, the Connections network will go from strength to strength. Currently over 2500 are signed up. Sign up using this link: https:// connections.berkhamsted.com

Is Connections open to anybody and is my data safe if I sign up?

Only Old Berkhamstedians, that is former pupils and honorary members, are able to sign up to Connections. It is NOT a public site. Each person who signs up has to be checked against the database and be authorised before access to the site is granted. We are extremely mindful of and adhere to current Data Protection law. More information on these policies can be obtained from the website.

Do I need to pay a subscription to be involved in TOB?

A subscription is no longer required to be a member of TOB. If you have attended the senior School or sixth form for more than one year you are automatically entitled to become a member of TOB and it is free to sign up to Connections.

How do I find a pupil or teacher I was at school with?

The best place to start is on Connections where you can easily search for past pupils and teachers (provided they too have signed up to Connections) but you can also contact TOB via the office (ob@berkhamsted.com) and we will do what we can to put you in touch.

How do I hear about reunions?

TOB already organise 10 and 20 year reunions and the office will contact you to invite you along when your year is celebrating those milestones. If you have not been contacted but believe you should have been, then do please contact the office. We are looking into the possibility of combining year groups for reunions as per the feedback from the questionnaire.

Will TOB help me organise an event or reunion?

If you would like to arrange your own reunion, and have enough interest amongst your friends, then please contact TOB via the office (ob@berkhamsted.com) and they will be happy to help. These events can be hosted at school or elsewhere. Please note, that we do not have the resources to physically run these extra events, but can help you reach the group of OBs you are wanting to meet with.

Can I view old copies of The Old Berkhamstedian magazine?

Some years ago TOB funded the digitisation of all every copy of The Berkhamstedian, Girls Chronicle and The Old Berkhamstedian magazines, dating back to the 1880s! Our new OB magazines are added to the archive every year. These can all be viewed by visiting the ‘Archive’ section via the Connections homepage. You can search the magazines by year and for individual names or events! It is a wonderful resource and will bring back many a memory.

Is there anywhere I can view old photos of the School?

The ‘Archive’ section on the Connections website has a wonderful selection of old photos and stories. If you have any questions about the School Archives, any stories to tell or would like any further information then please email archives@berkhamsted.com

How can I be more involved in TOB?

We are always looking for willing volunteers to become involved in TOB! Please contact the office if you would like more information or to volunteer.

Do I have to join the committee in order to become more involved?

No, you can be involved as much or as little as you like. We appreciate that not everyone wants to commit to joining the committee but may be happy to volunteer to help out at events or to bring together other OBs in their area. The annual AGM is now run via Zoom and every OB is very welcome to attend. If you wish to vote at this event, you need to be a signed up member of TOB Co Ltd. Please contact the OB office for more information.

How can I find out about upcoming events for TOB?

TOB events will be posted on Connections but you will also receive an email with details – provided you have agreed to receive emails from TOB. If you are unsure you can check with the office (ob@berkhamsted.com)

How does TOB support the School?

TOB supports the School through its charitable arm, The Old Berkhamstedians Trust Company Ltd. This contributes to the School’s Anniversary Bursary Fund as well as supporting successful applicants in Year 12 with Travel Grants every year.

How can I help support the School?

The School welcomes donations and bequests from individual Old Berkhamstedians. At the moment the School is funnelling all gifts into its Anniversary Bursary Fund. You can find more details about this on the Connections and School websites.

William Parsey (Hon) Clare Edwards (Battye, ’95) Brigitta Case (née Norris, NS ’80)