COMMUNITY LIFE

Winchester House continues to place community values at the heart of its ethos, abiding by the School’s motto ‘Non Nobis Solum’, not for ourselves alone. Children and staff are regularly involved with a variety of community based activities and projects, as well as the creation of new initiatives designed to meet specific needs. Never before has community involvement been more important than during the pandemic.

In March 2020, when care homes were advised to close their doors to visitors, School created the ‘Flowers for Friends’ initiative whereby families gathered spring flowers from their gardens and brought the most wonderful bouquets into school. These were donated to local care homes, doctors’ surgeries and assisted living residences. The residents of Juniper House were delighted and sent the children small painted eggs in hand-knitted baskets with hand written messages and chocolate eggs inside.

Brackley Town Council distributed hundreds of food boxes created by SOFEA (a community based larder in Milton Keynes) and distributed them to nearby parishes and families in need within Brackley, as well as the Brackley Foodbank. All this was undertaken by the council at very short notice in April, with Mr Silman and the school mini bus helping with distribution.

As documented on page 5, as the news headlines turned to PPE shortages, Head of DT Martin Scouse fired up the laser cutter loaned by Oakham School to make face shields. With the help of the McGowan family’s nimble fingers, and Mr Irvine, Mr Silman and Mrs Gray overseeing distribution, 735 face shields were made and given to 25 hospitals, care homes, surgeries and charities. Recipients shared images of the face shields being worn, a poignant reminder of the vulnerability of key workers.

As the days of lock down marched on, care homes and the elderly spoke of growing loneliness. To keep the older generation in touch with the young, School embarked on a Pen Pal Scheme with over 35 children writing regularly to their companions. Both parties benefitted hugely from this interaction and the initiative continues to this day.

Food boxes ready for delivery.

Martin Scouse, Head of DT and face shield production.

Above: The McGowan production line and just a fraction of the face shields that the team produced.

One of many pen pal volunteers posting their letter.

Sheena Croston, the Manager of Kingsley Healthcare’s new Brackley Care Home, invited children and staff to name the home’s new dementia, residential and nursing wings. Sixteen children and staff entered the competition, with the owners choosing to use suggested names for three of the units. The Nursing Wing was named the ‘Delia Frost Suite’ as suggested by Mrs Gray (Delia Frost was the midwife at the Brackley Cottage Hospital for many years) and the two Dementia suites were called the ‘Rainbow Suite’ as suggested by Jonah Watkins (2020) and Classics teacher Mr Roberts and ‘McGowan Suite’ as suggested by Mr Keating. Kingsley Healthcare kindly gave all children who entered a very smart rainbow baseball cap.

During the Michaelmas term, Pre-Prep children sent the residents of Juniper House autumn cards. Carved pumpkins from the School’s Pumpkin Festival were delivered to Juniper House in time for Halloween, making for a very orange entrance to the home. On Wednesday 11th November, after the School’s virtual Armistice Service, trumpeter and Head of Drayton, Cate, played the Last Post outside Juniper House and Prefect Thalia read ‘In Flanders Fields’ for the residents who were seated in the entrance hall (see image right).

Above: Emma McGowan with Founder Sumi Thayan of Kingsley Healthcare. Bottom left: The autumn cards created by the Pre-Prep children. Below: The virtual Armistice Service.

Above: Evening carol singing outside Juniper House. Left: Hamper donations gratefully received from our parents for local care homes.

In December, WHS joined forces with the communityled ‘Brackley Elves’ campaign, to put together Christmas hampers for local care homes and assisted living residences. School was overwhelmed by the parents’ generosity and delivered a total of 13 large hampers to Brackley Care Home and Juniper House. The boarders also visited these care homes to sing evening carols in the last week of term. Although unable to interact with residents, the children enjoyed performing and waving through the windows.

Below: Emma McGowan, Cate and Thalia at Juniper House on 11th November. Below right: Head gardener Sam Webster-Smith delivering hampers to Sheila Croston.

With the Advent Fair thwarted by the second lock down, School ran a week long online Christmas Fair to support the businesses of current and former parents and staff. With exhibitors offering shoppers a generous 10% discount, many enjoyed browsing and buying from Petrina Martin and Jo Peppiatt’s So Souk, Lara Bateman’s Lara Piercy Stamp Artworks, Sam Hartigan’s The Little Bazaar, Miss Mobbs’ Fleurs Bedtime Stories, Tania Parsons’ Forever Wild Interiors, Abby Lord’s Kiki Zaza Jewellery, Jenny Dicks’ Bay Tree Cottage and Katharine Pooley’s boutique.

Brackley Elves’ first campaign of 2021 focused on a laptop donation scheme to help children learning from home with inadequate or no devices. Donated laptops were reconfigured by professionals with Microsoft Windows 10 Home Edition, with additional costs being covered by local crowd funding, and distributed to children in most need. Once again, the School community helped this vital cause.

To support local shops and businesses suffering from a third lock down, School commenced a ‘Shop Local’ social media campaign in early January. With many businesses moulding their offering to fit in with lock down restrictions and closure, followers were interested to hear of the shopping, collection and distribution offerings available.

With vaccines being widely distributed amongst the most in need, we look forward to re-gathering the Brackley Community Dementia-Friendly Choir when circumstances allow. Choir members have remained in touch and remain an important part of our community, and we look forward to welcoming many new members.

On 18th January, WHS was honoured to be awarded a ’Rose of Northamptonshire Award’ by Northamptonshire County Council. The award was created to recognise and celebrate the contributions of those who live or work in Northamptonshire to the County’s response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Whilst we merely played our part in supporting our many friends, local businesses, clubs and societies, we were delighted to accept the award. What has come to the forefront of the pandemic, is the vital importance of supporting those within the community. The phrase ‘in it together’ has never been truer and the extraordinary pooled efforts’ of all community members has been humbling. Non nobis solum. H