School Visits

Effectively closed to visitors in the early months of 2021, we were delighted to open our doors once more during the summer. Since then we have enjoyed welcoming numerous OWs back to School, four of whom are mentioned below. Whether for an event, to talk to students or to take a trip down memory lane, a warm welcomes awaits.

BRIAN GRIFFITHS (OW 1974)

An open request for a birthday message for JJ, followed by a nostalgic email conversation, resulted in a visit to School and we are so glad that it did. In the Autumn term Brian Griffiths took a heartfelt trip down memory lane, meeting the Head and catching up with some teaching staff too. Brian is an OW, former parent (of son Paul - OW 2016) and contemporary as a fellow PE teacher in the city. Witnessing the reaction of teachers Nigel Crust and Theo King as Brian walked in confirmed the strength of the relationships and friendships made.

During his visit, Brian shared documents that his 94-year-old mother had recently found. Taking a moment to compose himself, Brian read the original letter notifying his parents that ‘a place has been reserved for your son in Wolverhampton Grammar School for the beginning of the Autumn term 1967’. "I owe everything to this", Brian recounted, but it wasn’t always easy. Of humble beginnings, WGS was worlds apart from what Brian was used to and he described the struggles that came with feeling like he didn’t fit in. Common ground with his peers was sport, in particular football, and resulted in acceptance. This paved the way for lifelong friendships within the team; they all return to School each year for the OWA Dinner.

A special ‘thank you’ to Brian’s mum for being a modest hoarder of school memorabilia, which already has its place in our Archives.

If you would enjoy a coffee, a tour of School and a trip down memory lane, please do get in touch with the Development Office, it would be great to see you.

TIM WHITE (OW 1970)

We were delighted to welcome Tim back to School in December, visiting for the first time since leaving WGS over 50 years ago.

Whilst enjoying coffee in the Meeting Room Tim was amazed to realise that he was seated within inches of where his LVIM (Lower Sixth Maths) desk had been and which, likely, he last sat at on 23 July 1969, the final day of that academic year. A truly surreal experience!

After dropping into the Library, Tim happily sat in on two Maths lessons with Sixth Form students; he even went away with some homework, which he planned to look at with friends that evening over a drink! Lunch in The Derry followed, which was a very different but nonetheless enjoyable experience.

Tim was pleased to meet and chat with Alex Frazer, the Head, Zoe Rowley, Head Librarian, Nick Brown (OW 2000), Head of Maths, as well as Dr Neil Bradley and other Maths Department staff. His visit gave Tim a real opportunity to reminisce and compare the School he knew as a boy to the one it is today.

We look forward to welcoming Tim back, and to finding out how he did with his homework!

See pages 18 and 19 for Tim’s article ‘Memories of the School, 1964 – 1970.

ALAN WALKER (OW 1981)

Whilst over for a visit from the US, with his wife Claire, Alan was able to visit School and watch staff and students run the Walker Memorial Mile.

The annual run was created in memory of Alan’s brother Chris, who tragically died in April 1983, in a drowning accident. Chris was 17 and an Upper Sixth student.

Alan is very grateful to John Johnson for continuing to invite his late parents to the event each July for nearly 40 years. Alan’s late father David Roger Walker was also an OW (1958).

ANNA HERRITTY (OW 2018)

It was great to welcome Anna Herritty, former Arkwright Scholar, back to School. Anna joined Year 10 Design & Technology lessons, at the launch of this year’s Arkwright Engineering Scholarships, and was able to share her experience of the application process together with her success in being awarded the Scholarship. Anna is currently a Design Engineer Intern at Worcester Bosch, in her fourth year studying Product Design & Manufacturing at the University of Nottingham.