Class of 1985 40 Year Reunion – Matthew Stone StB’85
Class of 1995 30 Year Reunion – PJ Bailey R’95
2025 San Roque Gathering
2025 Dubai Gathering
Class of 2005 20 Year Reunion – James Longman B’05
Class of 2015 10 Year Reunion – Emily Hollings StM’15
Clubs Football – Andy Taylor
Rugby – James Kemp F’14
Hockey – Rosie Boggis StA’22
Netball – Catherine Glover StC’17
Golf – Matthew Wood B‘77
Music – Edward Dean
Debating – Mary Lou Burge
28 Global Action Awards
Celebrating 25 years of the Global Action Awards
Misha Hawksley C’24 – Called to know God and make him known
The Old Worthian Network
32 Covering the transition from Pope Francis to Leo –Christopher Lamb R’01 and Austen Ivereigh R’84
Trekking across our OW Asian Network – Teddy Scott F’24
From Humanitarian Frontlines to Public Policy –Antonia Foldes StM’11 40 Visiting the legacy of Fr Bede’s work in Peru –Emma Leach StM’21
41 Restaurant Review: The Real Junk Food Café, Brighton –Mary Lou Burge
42 Book Reviews
An Unlikely Cornerstone
By Dom Stephen Ortiger OSB
Reviewed by Michael Woodward, Three Peaks Press
Conflict
By Jay Michaelson StB’68
Reviewed by Claude Keith G’69
The Secret Dome
By Ewan-Ward-Thomas B’77
Reviewed by Joseph Teague, History Teacher at Worth School
Ronald Mack Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
By Justin Weisweiller C’85
Reviewed by Dr Paul Miller
The Old Worthian Network continued
Book Reviews continued
Sanctuary
By Tom Gaisford R’96
Reviewed by Andrew Keatley C’96
The Inherited Mind
By James Longman B’05
Reviewed by Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB
In through the Reef By Hugh Bonn G’02
Reviewed by Julian Clyde-Smith G’68
50 Caught on Camera
56 Announcements
58 News in Brief
62 Obituaries
Keith Owers – The Owers Family & Charlie Whelpton StB’75
Helen Sweetman – Fr Luke Jolly
Simon Slaughter R’64 – Jeremy Best C’64 Michael Setter G’65 – Chris Setter G’64
Guy Horton G’69 – John Harben G’69
Andrew Moor B’78 – Dan Moor
Tom Wild C’97 – John Wild C’70
Charles Slevin
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News from the Society Hub
Looking back at the past year through the pages of this issue - our biggest ever - fills me with a mixture of emotions. There is great happiness in the fantastic number of reunions and events that have taken place either here at Worth or in London (including our summer party and carol service), or at gatherings around the world. It is so rewarding to witness former pupils get so much joy from reconnecting with each other, and to see those who may not have been back to the School or Abbey for many years, immediately feel ‘at home’ when they finally do.
We can also feel extremely proud of the achievements of our alumni this year, many of which you can read about on the following pages. A big shout out in particular to the OW 1st XI football team who are making fantastic progress in the FA’s Alumni Arthurian League which they recently joined –2026 season promotion looks inevitable. The Society’s Global Action Award scheme celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with nearly £40,000 having been awarded to 50 OWs, which has allowed them to do some very rewarding voluntary work across many countries. The article on page 36, where two leavers were able to cross Asia with the help of OWs in each country, is truly heartwarming and shows the strength and far-reaching support from our network.
As our front cover indicates, one of Worth’s biggest celebrations this year has been the 50th anniversary of the consecration of our Abbey Church, and you can read about the building of this much-admired, iconic landmark on page 77. As part of the celebrations, the Society ran a competition for current Worth students to submit a piece of artwork to be featured in our magazine. We were so impressed with the all the creativity submitted but were won over by Year 9 Poppy’s beautiful painting capturing the Abbey Church at the heart of our busy community –you can see Poppy’s winning entry on the back cover.
We have, of course, had to say some deeply sad goodbyes this year, with the loss of some of the key ‘legends of the Worth story’. The funerals of Keith Owers in June and Fr Kevin in November brought hundreds of OWs back to the Abbey Church to say their personal farewells and with many more sending in their moving tributes. Fr Kevin’s passing in particular, as the last of the original monastic community from the start of the senior school in 1959, marks the end of an era.
We are also sad to see the departure of Head Master, Stuart McPherson, back to his homeland of Australia. Stuart has been a fantastic supporter of the Society over the years for which we are very grateful, and we wish him well in his new Headship at Sydney Grammar School. Michael May StB’67 painted a wonderful portrait which the Society presented to him as a leaving gift. With the recent announcement that Ben Pennington, currently Head of St Andrew’s School in Turi, Kenya, is to become Worth’s new Head from September 2026, we very much look forward to meeting him in the next issue.
Christopher Lamb R’01 and Austen Ivereigh R’84 have written us a fascinating article about reporting on another change of leadership – from Pope Francis to Pope Leo. Do enjoy the read on page 32.
If you haven’t already, do please register on our networking platform www.worthconnecting.org.uk so that you can update us with your latest contact information, reconnect with fellow OWs, sign up to be a careers mentor, find out latest news and event info, access event photos, and much more.
A big thank you to all those who have helped the Society in whatever way this year, particularly those who have contributed to making this another fantastic issue.
Mary Lou Burge, Society Manager Email: worthsociety@worth.org.uk
With Duncan & Ditas Pring at the Society’s stall at the School’s Welcome Festival in September
Greeting alumni at the 50th anniversary Mass in July
GravetyeManor
2024 London Carol Service
rd December 2024 saw an early start to the Christmas celebrations with our annual London Carol Service at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Farm Street, Mayfair, with another wonderful congregation of Old Worthians and their families that grows each year.
The evening began with a very jolly gathering in the Arrupe Hall next to the church with a mulled wine and mince pie reception served by the Worth Events team.
We had another fantastic turn-out of alumni singers who were supported by some of the resident Farm Street Singers. Worth’s Director of Music, Edward Dean,
conducted as we all sang the usual favourites and the choir sang The Infant King and Away in a Manger, both arranged by David Willcocks and, most appropriately, The Sussex Carol.
The lessons this year were a mix of traditional and more modern readings such as The Nativity by Saint Charles de Foucauld and The Joy of the Gospel by Pope Francis. It was lovely to have former Deputy Head, Anne Lynch, joining us this year as one of the readers.
This is now such a stellar event in our annual calendar and we encourage anybody who has not already joined us to come along.
2025 Careers Networking Evening
Since leaving Worth and starting university, I’ve been eager to remain involved and stay connected with the Worth Community. Worth Society has made that possible by offering opportunities to reconnect with other former students and take part in some great, rewarding events.
One of the highlights so far has been attending the Careers Networking Evening on 8th April 2025, a gathering I found both heartwarming and eye-opening. The event offered the chance to reconnect with the spirit of Worth, whilst meeting a wide range of alumni from all walks of life, professions, and experiences.
As a current Architecture student, I found the Careers Networking Evening particularly useful. It offered a great opportunity to not only expand my network for future internships and apprenticeships in that industry, but also to connect with individuals from diverse fields of work and learn from their unique experiences.
What stood out most to me during the evening was how often the conversation turned back to Worth itself. Despite the professional focus, many attendees naturally reflected on their time at Worth and how it had shaped their character, values and life choices. It was inspiring and often very amusing to listen to these shared memories and personal journeys.
For anyone who’s recently left Worth or hasn't been involved with the alumni community in a while, I wholeheartedly recommend attending one of the many events hosted by Worth Society. Beyond
Veronika
Abbot Mark leading us in prayer
The following alumni attended the 2025 Careers Networking Evening:
2025 Worth Society Summer Party
We managed to organise the weather again for another perfect summer’s evening at HMS President on 11th June 2025 for our annual summer bash. Wearing their summer shades, a great array of Old Worthians took to the Apron Deck for pre-dinner drinks with the Thames River boats cruising by.
Former Gervase Matron enjoyed catching up with some of her ‘old’ boys, who she said made her laugh explaining how they now make their beds each day like good boys,
but still don’t understand why their dirty laundry doesn’t get done by the Gervase fairies!
Worth Society Chair, Jerry Fletcher, spoke about the new challenges now facing the School, and new Deputy Head, Marisa Bosa, spoke about how she had been made to feel incredibly welcome into the heart of the Worth Community.
It was another impressive and extensive buffet in the Wardroom provided by Worth Catering, enough to feed virtually all the Royal Navy, and the bar was a busy hub of catching up and networking throughout the evening.
As we rang the ship’s bell, the sun set on another super gathering at this fantastic venue. We look forward to seeing our familiar as well as some new faces there again next June!
The following alumni attended the 2025 Summer Party:
Nick Melish WPS’61
Elaine Melish
Terence Delaney G’64
Kathy Delaney
Chris Dobson StB’66
Paul Burns C’66
James Windle C’66
Michael May StB’67
Jane May
Jay Lyons StB’68
John Watson StB’70
Richard Mitchell StB’71
Jerry Fletcher G’72
Julian Kirk StB’76
Fiona Kirk
Philip Lundberg C’80
Richard Brown C’81
Roger Bennett R’83
Nick Franck R’83
Alistair Clayton C’85
Frances Maslen
Johnny Greig G’85
Damian Chunilal R’86
Mark Collini StB’89
James Chick StB’90
Sarah Chick
Tom Blake James StB’97
Edward Simpson G’97
Barry Cullen StB’97
Daniel Brown B’04
Henry Morgan G’04
Lewis Stagnetto B’04
Sean Rebecchi B’05
Tobias Kulitz R’06
Matthew Doggett F’07
Christian Killoughery R’10
Sarah Grantham-Hill
Wilf Lytton C’10
Andrew Pring R’10
Fenella James Will Watkins C’10
Marco Casagrande C’11
Joanne Casagrande
Tim Long B’11
Kit Brown B’14
Alex Blake B’14
James Ferguson C’14
Oli Fletcher C’14
Alasdair Gordon-Macleod StB’14
Francesc Mora R’14
Ollie Rivers F’14
Peter Webb C’14
Georges Abousleiman F’15
Stephen Free C’15
Aless Hermitage StM’15
Charlotte Baker StA’17
Thomas Gray
Ollie Maude R’17
Riccardo Perris
Peter Webb, James Ferguson, Alex Blake & Ollie Rivers
Terence & Kathy Delaney
Duncan Pring, Andy Taylor & Jeremy Dowling
Chris Dobson, James Windle, Jeremy Dowling, Michael & Jane May
Will Mersh, Ciaran Nye, Ted Fuller, Philippe Wijs, Fred Greenslade, Tom Roberts & Sam Jolly
Senior Deputy Head, Marisa Bosa
Liam Bauress enjoyed linking up with some of his former students
Philip Lundberg, Fiona & Julian Kirk
The
Class of 1965 60 Year & Class of 1975 50 Year Reunion
Just comprehending it’s been 50 years since leaving Worth was one thing, but then seeing some of your contemporaries that you hadn’t seen for 50 years was both intriguing and very enjoyable. Most of us will have seen Robert Bathurst on TV, but it was great to catch up with him, having last seen him many years ago backstage after one of his earlier successful West End theatre performances. Peter Bain was always going to be either a successful inventor, scientist or similar and sure enough he is an eminent consultant neurologist. I had Charlie Whelpton down as a serial entrepreneur and true to form he was telling us all about his development of Paddle courts in the UK. I could go on!
I’m sure all the leavers of both the Class of 1965 and 1975 would want me to thank firstly Mary Lou Burge for organising such a memorable day on 20th June 2025 which brought back many fond memories of our time at Worth. Our thanks to her colleagues, Abbot Mark and the Head Boy and Head Girl who accompanied us around a number of the ‘new’ buildings including the very impressive Spencer Building. Our thanks also to the School’s theatrical group who kindly and enthusiastically put on an impromptu performance from Mamma Mia for us.
Following our guided tour we sat down to an excellent lunch (so much better than the school food of old) where we were joined by a number of our old teachers including
Mike Margrett and Fred Belcher, so lots more reminiscing. Sadly, Fr Kevin was not well enough on the day to attend and was much missed.
After a few words from the Head Master, who leaves the School at the end of the year having had Worth recognised as the winner of ‘Boarding School of the year 2024’, we also heard a heartfelt talk from Paddy Jago about the important part Worth School has played in his life including a long family link with the late and great Fr Stephen.
Our collective thanks to Worth for hosting such a memorable and very enjoyable reunion.
Andrew Hogge StB’75
The following from the Class of 1975
Former
The following attended the Class of
following attended the 2025 San Roque Gathering:
Class of 1985 40 Year Reunion
On the evening of 9th October 2025, 23 of us from the Class of 1985 met in the splendour of the Library in the Oriental Club in central London. It had been forty years since we had left Worth –the same day as Live Aid and before the Internet had even been invented! Some of us have remained in close touch and are godfathers to each others’ children, others hadn’t
seen each other since that day in 1985. However, it didn't take long for the years to fall away, and it was wonderful to catch up with some of our fantastic teachers from that era. Bowls of curry were on the menu and it was an incredibly enjoyable evening.
Matthew Stone StB’85
Class of 1995 30 Year Reunion
On the evening of 19th September 2025, 19 of us gathered for our 30 year reunion at the wonderful Ixchel restaurant and bar on London’s King’s Road. Old friends reconnected, sharing stories about past times, the paths taken since leaving Worth and various stages of parenting journeys. The special bonds we forged during our school days allowed us to slip back into conversation seamlessly, and we enjoyed catching up over tequila and tacos. The company of Alan Mitchell, Nick Robinson and Jeremy Dowling made the evening even more special, helping us recall the times we all shared.
PJ Bailey R’95
The following attended the Class of 1995 30 Year Reunion:
(Ball)
2025 San Roque Gathering
Avery jolly evening was had by all on 3rd May 2025 at the San Roque Golf Club in Sotogrande when a group of OWs and their families who are based in the region joined Worth School's Head Master, Stuart McPherson, and former Housemaster, Andy Taylor, who had flown in specially for this drinks and tapas reception.
A group of keen golfers had spent the afternoon on the course playing for a variety of prizes.
All players were presented with a Worth cap by the Head Master and special awards went to Mark Breen B’05 for the nearest to the pin and to Nick Bell-Young StB’05 who picked up the longest drive award as well as the match day trophy. A special thanks to Nick for helping us organise this event.
2025 Dubai Gathering
With Deputy Head, Gordon Pearce, attending a schools’ exhibition in Dubai, he was able to host a gathering of OWs in Dubai on 7th February 2025 at Café Belge, within The Ritz-Carlton, which Matthew Shanahan G’89 kindly co-ordinated for us.
Craig Reilly C’98, Patrick Armstrong and Florian Schacker B’07 were joined by Charlie Ridge F’18 and Giuseppe Moscarello G’18 who chatted about the property management business they have set up in the city called ‘Farwell & Gervase’. Ellen Brownings StA’18 and Lourdes Guzman Montanes StM’18 also just happened to be in town. It was a great evening of networking and established a WhatsApp group of alumni in the area. Do let us know if you regularly travel to the region or are thinking of relocating and we’ll put you in touch
The
Freddie Vasquez G’75, Christine Vasquez, Patrick Sheppard-Capurro C’83, Belen Sheppard-Capurro Guy Stagnetto B’88, Maite Stagnetto Luis Diez de Onate B’99, Sophie Allen Paul Stych B’04, Nick Bell Young StB’05, Katrina Isola, Nadine Bell-Young Mark Breen B’05, Anna Breen Joseph Holliday B’06,Toby Ingram B’06, Emily Ingram Teddy Sacarello B’06, Magdalena Sacarello Oliver Swift R’06, Javier Triay B’06, Seb Triay B’10, Emma Isola Mike Ryan F’14, Mark Green, Valerie Green, Stuart McPherson, Frances Hollings, Mike Hollings, Andy Taylor
Class of 2005 20 Year Reunion
Some people roll their eyes at having to go to school reunions. A lot of people don’t even go. But school was an incredibly important place for me. I was 8 years old when started at Worth, and when my dad died and my family life became very unpredictable, school was a haven. I was there until I was 18. Yes, being gay at an all-boys catholic boarding school for 10 years wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, and it was a part of myself did feel I had to hide until my twenties. But I loved everything else about school and all these years later, I’m still close to a lot of guys from my year, and some of my teachers too. set up our 10 year reunion, and I organised this one as well. We were to have a party in central London, and then old boys and their families would meet at the School itself over the weekend for a 5-a-side football tournament. It was important to me to be at both events, work permitting.
But, unfortunately, being Chief International Correspondent with ABC News, much of the time work does not permit. And this time, all hell was breaking loose in the Middle East. I’d been in Ahmedabad covering the horrific plane crash, when Israel launched its attack on Iran. And so when I got back to the UK, ABC’s coverage was in full motion and wasn’t needed. But then we started to wonder about an Iranian response, and I was sent to Iraq, where it was thought Iran would strike at US bases. had to admit defeat. It’s just a part of this job, having to miss important life events. But then a ceasefire was announced, and hope returned. It was Monday. The reunion was on Thursday 26th June 2025 at Ixchel Mexican restaurant on the Kings Road. Maybe I’d make it back?
The first 48 hours of any ceasefire are shaky, and so I had to sit tight. But when it seemed likely to hold, we made our plans to get home. Then the next hurdle: all flights out
of the recently reopened Erbil airport were fully booked. Hope dimmed. But in a job which constantly means letting people in my personal life down, I wasn’t prepared to allow a logistical issue to stop me. So was driven 10 hours out of Iraq to southern Turkey, got a connecting flight to Istanbul and then to London. My amazing colleagues managed to figure out a police escort out of Iraq and found myself in a small convoy with flashing blue lights, skipping 6 hour lines and racing through the night, all the way to Gazantiep. may have been awake for 36 hours, but was going to make it. And after a quick shower at home, got to the reunion on time. And boy was it worth it.
I’ve thought a lot about happiness over the last few years. Writing my book, The Inherited Mind (see book review on page 47), forced me to think deeply about what makes me truly happy. I identified a few things: my relationship with Alex, close friends, exercising and
eating well. Nothing especially mind blowing. But I think being around old friends generates a contentment not easily matched. It is a kind of zen state. There are no pretences, no performances. When I’m around the people I knew and who knew me before life became complicated, it is simple and unclouded joy.
When I’m with these people, I’m reconnecting to who was before life really started, before had to make difficult decisions. When we were just kids, and all we had to think about was having fun. We didn’t know that at the time, of course. The decisions you make at 15 can certainly feel life changing. But we were so lucky to have each other, and to still have each other nearly 30 years later. Some of my teachers were there too, including a housemaster and his wife who essentially became surrogate parents for me.
I’m now getting to the point where these important people from my childhood are starting to leave us, and there were few more important than Keith Owers. In my book I write:
Mr Owers was a large man who moved slowly. I regarded him as a kind of friendly giant. He radiated kindness, and when I think of my early school days, I picture my friends and me as small woodland creatures, while he was a kind of large magical bear who’d vowed to protect us.
So making it back from Iraq meant not only I could go to the reunion, but also make it back for this wonderful man’s funeral. sat in the Abbey Church listening to a tribute by Charlie Whelpton B’75 who described all the ways Keith was important to him. I cried, because he was voicing exactly how I felt, and probably hundreds if not thousands of others who were in his care over a nearly 40 year teaching career.
After the funeral, Alex was able to meet some of the other important people from my early life. And in the afternoon, more of our year started arriving for the second part of our reunion, the family day at the Worth Society’s 5-a-side Football Tournament. So many of my old friends now have kids of their own and we all sat in the shade of a tree on the Austin Oval, where years ago a number of these guys would sneak out for illicit cigarettes (Not me. I was less of a trouble-maker than some!) Now, more than 2 decades later, we were enjoying a picnic together in the same spot, sharing stories and watching the next generation explore a place that meant - and still means - so much to us all. If your younger years made you happy, go and find the people you knew back then. There is no happiness like it.
James Longman B’05
Class of 2015 10 Year Reunion
On the evening of the 13th September 2025, the Class of 2015 reunited for our 10-year anniversary at the Prince Albert Pub in Battersea.
Thankfully, the heavy rain and tube strikes weren’t enough to deter people from making the trip, and we had a great turnout of just over 30 Old Worthians. For some, it had only been a few weeks since last catching up; for others, it had almost been the full ten years – if not longer!
Despite this, everything clicked back into place like no time had passed, and it was great to hear what everyone has been up to in that time. We had ten years’ worth of new stories to swap – with anecdotes ranging between travelling, university, careers, living in London (and much further afield!), as well as a look-forward to exciting future plans.
Of course, there was also plenty of reminiscing (how couldn’t there be?); the house antics, teachers and lessons, detentions and parties, and all the small moments that, combined, made our time at Worth so special. We invited a few teachers but, unfortunately, none could make it (probably because they’re still recovering from teaching us all - and, honestly, fair enough).
Despite the years, it’s clear many of us remain connected to Worth in one way or another and the event was a testament to the strong memories that have kept us together.
Thanks to Worth Society for their help in organising such a special evening, and to everyone who came! Here’s to the next ten!
Emily Hollings StM’15
The following attended the Class of 2015 10 Year Reunion:
Aiden Atkinson
Georges Abousleiman
Edward Brooke
Ollie Campbell
Ellie Chadd
Will Chadd
Michael Cook
Charlotte Eberhard
Ben Eakin
Sam Elwes
Stephen Free
Abigail Glover
Emma Harris
Aless Hermitage
Giles Holland
Emily Hollings
Paddy Hollings
Toby Jozwiak
Benedict Konst
Paddy Leadsom
Ben Maher
Maddy Man
Monica Marsh
Sam McCarthy
Cian O’Mara
Otto Orssten
Thomas Pedder
Fiona Richards
Fergus Ryan
Polina Zoltova
Football 2024-2025 Season
This year has been dominated by The Arthurian League. Having gained accreditation last year, this year we entered into the 2 cup competitions that we were eligible for; The Junior League Cup, for divisions 2 to 5, and The David Woolcott Trophy, for divisions 4 and 5.
We were knocked out of the JLC by Berkhamstead, having defeated KCS Wimbledon in our first-round match.
However, it was a different story in the DWT. We went on an unbeaten run of 5 matches that took us all the way to the finals day which was played at Merchant Taylors in North London with a 2-0 win over Old Oundilians which presented us with a cup and a problem. Should we join the league, or just play in the cup? It went to a vote and 30 players have agreed to play. So next year Old Worthians FC will be in Division 5 of The Arthurian League.
Harry Woodman, Oli Rivers and myself went to pick up the engraved trophy at an awards ceremony in central London and Oli Rivers and I then went to The Arthurian League AGM at The East India Club, to officially register for next year. We have also registered in The Arthurian League Veterans Cup, which is an over 35s competition, and are hopeful that Mark Breen B’05 will captain this team next year.
The season review doesn’t end there as the 6-a-side team won their second league title in four years! There is little doubt in my mind that the reason for the 11-a-side team success this season is down to the core of that team
also playing for our 6-a-side team. Harry Woodman and Oli Rivers deserve a special mention for all they have achieved this year.
Arthurian League Players: Pietro Saletti R'24, Theo Rivers F'11, Ollie Maude R'17, Will Mersh C'18, Pip McGrath, Ollie Rivers F'14, Tim Long F’11, Alex Davis-White B'14, Oli Paisley C'19, Tom Taverner R'07, Harry Woodman F’11.
The OW 1st XI Arthurian League Winning Team
Ollie Rivers, Harry Woodman & Andy Taylor with The David Woolcott Trophy
On 29th March 2025, a gloriously sunny spring day, the OW 1st XI were in fine form and ready to retain the Henry Surtees Memorial Trophy which they won for the first time last year. The School 1st XI however had other ideas having put out a particularly strong team of players and an excellent goalie that the alumni team just could not infiltrate. It was a wonderful energetic game that resulted in a 3-0 win to the School. Head Master, Stuart McPherson, presented the cup back to the School Team Captain, Frederick Von Spee R’25, at the post-match tea in The Pitstop, named in Henry Surtees memory. We look forward to many of this year's school players joining the alumni team next year in an attempt to win back the cup!
The OW 1st XI Team consisted of: James Henwood B'07, Jack Jenkins C'07, Tom Taverner R'07, Tim Long B'11 (in goal), Theo Rivers F'11, Max Rivers G’16, Oli Fletcher C'14, Ollie Rivers F'14, Ollie Paisley C'19, Giulio Saletti R'22, Pietro Saletti R'24 and captained by Harry Woodman F'10.
5-a-side Tournament for the ‘H’ Trophy
The sun always shines on the Society's annual 5-a-side Football Tournament, and this year was no exception with 6 teams playing on the Astropitch at Worth in close to 30 degree heat on 28th June. The final match was Team Woodman, captained by Harry Woodman F'10, vs the Class of 2014 Team, captained by Oli Rivers F'14. Team Woodman showed their talent and experience from playing (and winning) in the London 6-a-side League and the FA's alumni league games, by taking home the 'H' Trophy with a 3-1 win. The OW 1st XI silverware was on
display for all to see. A huge well done to Harry, Tim Long F'10, Harry Luff C'10, Ollie Maude R'17 and Tom Bentley C'18. The Class of 2005 Team, The Braverman, captained by Mark Breen B'05, made a stirling effort, watched on by their families who were there in force to support the afternoon and enjoy being back at Worth as part of their 20 Year Reunion celebrations. Other teams that played were Past our Worth FC, captained by Oli Paisley C'19, Class of 2022 Team, captained by Will Speake F'22, and a Worth Staff Team, captained by Robin Moss. A big thank you to our refs, Alan Mitchell and Conrad Hughes.
Andy Taylor, Chair, Old Worthians Football Club
The following teams played in the 2025 5-a-side Tournament:
The Bravermen
Mark Breen B’05 - Captain
Stef Humphries C’05
Jack Rackham R’05
Dan Hyde StB’05
Craig Monteiro StB’05
Joaquin Guevara G’05
George Clyde-Smith G’05
Harry Bonn G’05
Chris Zaleski StB’05
Ed Michie B’05
Dan Brown B’04
Team Class of 2014
Oliver Rivers F’14 - Captain
Pip McGrath C’14
Oliver Fletcher C’14
James Kemp F’14
Louis Payne B’14
Team Woodman
Harry Woodman F’10 - Captain
Tim Long B’11
Harry Luff C’10
Ollie Maude R’17
Tom Bentley C’18
Past our Worth FC
Oli Paisley C’19 - Captain George Eaves StB’19
Matt Brown F’19
Monty Sparkes G’19
Jasper Sykes R’17
Team Class of 2022
Will Speake F’22 - Captain
Will Ritchie F‘22
Chris Ritchie F‘22
Oscar Chessells F‘22
Casper Cordeschi F‘22
Worth Staff Team
Robin Moss - Captain
Dan Weaver
Matthew Doggett
Daniel Harris
Laurence Parker
Harry Burge
Dominic Fiest
Follow https://worthconnecting. org.uk/clubs/view/owfootball for more information on the Old Worthians Football Club
Henry Surtees Memorial Trophy
Our 2025 5-a-side Tournament players
We are also delighted to start the 25/26 season with a fantastic new sponsor – T.M. Lewin the prestigious shirtmaker, who’s logo will adorn our new kit.
Team Woodman – winners of this year’s 5-a-side Tournament
School Captain Frederick Von Spee with OW Captain, Harry Woodman
The Henry Surtees Memorial match team at Worth in March
Remember this is your Club for all Worthians, and we always need new players. Everyone is welcome – even if you can’t commit to a full season. If you’re interested in playing, please contact one of the following:
James Kemp (Captain): 07577 199607
Nick Elvidge (Treasurer): 07784 255775
Desmond Calnan (Chairman): 07475 609128 or 01372 386511
Christian Killoughery (Secretary): 07702 911185
Dominic Robinson (Fixtures): 07917 044214
The 2024/25 season was a landmark campaign for WOBS, ending in promotion to the highest level the Club has ever reached. It began with a tense and hard-fought 28–21 away victory against Old Georgians, a result that demonstrated the resilience and determination within the squad. That early momentum was checked by a disappointing home defeat to Old Johnians, a team that has consistently troubled WOBS over the years. However, what followed was extraordinary. The team embarked on the longest unbeaten run (18 matches) in the Club's history, a stretch of performances that showcased tactical discipline, squad depth, and commitment, ultimately securing promotion.
Throughout the season, several players stood out with key contributions. Freddie Barrell, Giles Killoughery R’20 and Barney Elwes R’17 were instrumental in maintaining high standards across the pitch. New signing Max Texier made an immediate and powerful impact, adding fresh energy and strength to the squad. In the backs, Rhodri Skyrme’s box kicking was a constant source of control, allowing
WOBS to manage territory and tempo with precision. Jack Hearn’s communication and ability to slot in seamlessly across the back line gave the team flexibility and structure in key moments. Toby Purvis kept the scoreboard ticking over with his reliable and accurate kicking from the tee, often turning pressure into points and keeping WOBS ahead in tight contests. Tim Chandler StB’17 also deserves special mention for his selfless attitude and versatility, stepping into roles from scrum half to second row whenever the team needed him, always putting the Club first.
This season also saw recent leavers stepping up and becoming established members of the squad. Ali Webb F’24 showed great control and composure at scrum half, dictating play and keeping the team organised. Josh Webb F’24 demonstrated adaptability across the back line, filling in wherever needed and always delivering with commitment. Daniel Aghedo-Jacob G’23 impressed with his powerful running, consistently breaking tackles and gaining valuable ground. Anu Otto F’23 brought pace and dynamism to the wing, offering a constant threat and injecting energy into the attack. These players have already made a strong impact, and we hope they will be key to our success going forward.
There were also significant personal milestones. James Kemp F’14 marked his 150th appearance for the Club. Marco Casagrande C’11 and Curtis Widmer (inherited from Whitgift) both reached their 100th appearances for WOBS, with Curtis retiring at the end of the season after 11 years of dominant performances and unwavering dedication.
Among the season’s highlights were a professional 28–12 home win over Old Georgians and a gritty 20–17 away victory against Old Hamptonians, which secured the league title. Although the campaign ended with a cup defeat to Old Georgians, it gave a tired squad the opportunity to rest and recover ahead of the challenges of next season.
The Club extends its heartfelt thanks to the Worth Society for their continued support, and to Desmond, who remains the key reason we all play.
James Kemp F’14, Captain
The Adam Braverman Memorial Day
This year our 'Brav's Day' Summer Festival took place at Worth for the first time on 5th July 2025. This was a wellattended event which saw teams from a wide range of ages of Old Worthians. Adam's friends arrived in numbers and donned rather rogue Hawaiian shirts as their team kit. As ever, Desmond Calnan raised his own team of Worth Legends, whilst more recent leavers, Matt Redferne G’18, Ali Webb F’24, James Kemp F’14 and Christian Killoughery R’10, all raised teams too. Matt Redferne's team rightly came out on top in the end. Thank you again for the support from the Worth Society and the School in helping us to run this very important event. Adam StB’05 would have loved the fact that it was played at Worth this year.
James Kemp F’14, Captain
The Glenn Robertson Memorial Game
Our annual Younger vs Older match for The Glenn Robertson Memorial Trophy took place at Worth on 6th September 2025 as part of the School’s Welcome Festival. In a fast-paced 13-a-side clash between the Older Boys and Younger Boys, experience ultimately triumphed over youthful energy. Kempy was in fine form, bagging a couple of tries for the Old Boys, although he’ll be disappointed they don’t count toward his overall stats. For the Young Boys, Anu Otto R’23 was unstoppable, slicing through defenders to notch a brace of his own. Despite their flair and speed, the Young Boys couldn’t match the Old Boys’ size and physicality, with the veterans pulling away to claim a comfortable 36-24 win. It was really pleasing to see a large number of recent leavers take part, and Head Master, Stuart McPherson, made the presentation at tea.
Freddie Barrell, Vice Captain
19 James Kemp F’14, Barney Elwes R’17
18 Giles Killoughery R’20
17 George Eaves StB’19
16 Tim Chandler StB’17
14 Dominic Robinson B’11
10 Benedict Smith F’20
8 Dominic Suckling B’14
6
5
4 Tom Roberts F’18
3
2
Matthew Redferne G’18, Marco Casagrande C’11
Gabriel O'Brien F’17, Daniel Aghedo-Jacob G’23
Anu Otto F’23, Fred Greenslade G’18
Colm Geraghty C’22, Josh Webb F’24, Tom Cummins C’12, Ali Webb F’24, Ben Ritchie F’18, Andrew Furness F’08
1 Tommy Ferguson F’15, Raphael Gruber R’11, Casper Cordeschi F’22, George Melik B’23, Fergus Ryan B’15, Hugh Murphy B’14, Ed Kemp F’10, Nick Elvidge C’11
2025 Season Team
The Head Master presented the Glenn Robertson Memorial Trophy to Olders Captain, James Kemp
The Younger vs Older Teams at the Glenn Robertson Memorial Game at Worth in September
Hockey Netball
The annual Old Worthians vs 1st XI hockey match proved once again to be a spirited and competitive affair, filled with fast-paced action, moments of brilliance, and a wonderful sense of camaraderie across generations of Worth hockey players.
The Old Worthians started with intent, moving the ball quickly and taking early control of the midfield. Their experience, composure, and sharp finishing saw them race to a 3–0 lead within the first 20 minutes, taking full advantage of early opportunities in the circle. The top goal scorer was Gigi Dunbar-Johnson, who scored multiple goals and proved a constant threat in the attacking third, capitalising on quick transitions and showing excellent composure in front of goal.
Despite the early setback, the 1st XI responded with resilience. A quick counterattack brought a well-worked goal that gave the students momentum and belief going into halftime at 4–1.
The second half continued in much the same fashion — the Worthians' organisation and clinical execution proved difficult to contain. The alumni added several more goals, showing their quality and understanding built over years of play, with some lovely link-up play between Meggie McLoughlin, Ruby O’Donnell and Ben Pawson.
That said, the 1st XI did not go quietly. They showed strong character, pulling two more goals back through
well-constructed plays, and continued to battle until the final whistle. Their speed and fitness shone in moments, particularly in transition play, and they created several chances that kept the Worthians’ defence under pressure.
Ultimately, the Old Worthians’ experience told, as they added a final goal late in the match to seal an 8–3 win.
Despite the scoreline, the fixture was played with great energy, mutual respect, and plenty of good humour. The match highlighted the strength of the hockey programme at Worth, not only in the talent of the current students but in the enduring skill and commitment of those who’ve moved on.
As always, the event was more than just a match — it was a celebration of connection across generations, of shared memories, and of the pride that comes with pulling on a Worth shirt. The afternoon concluded with refreshments and warm conversations between past and present players — a fitting end to a truly memorable occasion.
Before leaving, the Old Worthians gathered to extend their best wishes to the current 1st XI for the season ahead, confident that the future of Worth hockey is in safe hands.
Rosie Boggis StA’22
Follow https://worthconnecting.org.uk/clubs/view/ owhockey for more information on OW Hockey
On 6th September 2025, the OW Netball Team took on the School 1st Team at Worth, as part of the Welcome Festival and Afternoon of Worthian Sport. Despite some impressive performances from the alumni team, the School were too strong a side to beat with a final score of 34-13. Our team consisted of Emily Hollings StM’15, Catherine Glover StC’17, Alice Grant StA’22, Lulu Price StC’24, Bea Brownings StA’24, Gigi Dunbar-Johnson StM’24, Abigail Glover StM’15 and Jennifer Glover StM’21, with Alice being declared Player of the Match. We look forward to the opportunity to take back the trophy next year!
The Women of Worth (WOW) Netball Team also play a 40 minute game every Monday (6:30pm-8pm) in London Victoria League against 8-10 other teams. It's a great way to start the week and catch up with other Worth alumnae. Do get in touch with me if you’d like to be included: catherineglover@icloud.com
Catherine Glover StC’17
Following https://worthconnecting.org.uk/clubs/ view/ownetball for more information on OW Netball
Rosie Boggis receives the trophy from the Head Master
The Women of Worth London League Team
Golf
2024-2025 Season
There was much excitement at the beginning of the season with a number of potential debuts in prospect. In the end we had just the one OW making their debut in the very welcome shape of Monty Sparkes G’19. More needed next year!
The season's opener was against the Old Gregorians, always a very enjoyable match with many of the oppo travelling considerable distances for the opportunity to play at Royal Ashdown. 36 holes of Foursomes, split either side of lunch, saw OWs as the comfortable winners.
A six-man team represented Worth at the Grafton Morrish played at Knole Park. We have never qualified for the Finals and this was another opportunity missed. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable day with the team sitting down to lunch beforehand and having a few consolatory beers afterwards. The Russell Bowl has been played between the leading Catholic Public Schools since the 1930s - 36 holes of foursomes played either side of lunch. Unfortunately, we had a last-minute dropout, who could not be replaced, and we ended up third. Had we been able to count our singles scores, we would have been comfortable winners.
Sadly, the matches against the School did not take place but there is a determination that this should be central in the calendar and hope to take this forward for 2026.
Players this year included: Stephen Bamford StB’68, Peter Gottelier R’70, Hugh Bett B’74, Hugh Maguire R’77, Paul Moran G’94, George Ross G’95, Joseph Rivers F’10, Oliver Rivers F’14, Monty Sparkes G’19 & myself.
Matthew Wood B’77
Follow https://worthconnecting.org.uk/clubs/view/ owgolf for more information on the Old Worthians Golfing Society
Music
The OW Music Society is well established with lots of opportunities to come and sing at Worth and other key events across the world!
There was a great gathering of former choristers and former staff to form an impressive alumni choir for the Society's London Advent Carol Service at the beautiful Church of the Immaculate Conception in Farm Street, Mayfair on 3rd December 2024. Supported by some Farm Street Singers and with a last-minute rehearsal, it was a seamless performance.
On 1st March 2025 the Abbey hosted a ‘Come and Sing Day’ where singers were invited to come and join the Worth Abbey Choir to prepare and perform Vivaldi's Gloria alongside a professional orchestra. The beautiful performance at the end of the day attracted many members of the public. It was a very successful event and will be repeated in 2026.
The special Mass to mark the 50th anniversary of consecration of the Abbey Church on 12th July saw several alumni return to Worth to help swell the ranks of Worthian singers.
Over the weekend of 16-17th August, the choir went on another successful overseas tour, this time to the beautiful city of Paris, for two concerts based on the theme of the Assumption – one at Saint-Sulpice, a church known to musicians throughout the word for its two superb Cavaille-Coll organs and renowned organists, and
‘The Come and Sing’ event in March brought many singers to the Abbey
the other at the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, known for the shrine of St Genevieve, patron saint of Paris.
A packed nave of eager listeners greeted us at Saint Sulpice with the Vierne Messe solennelle, particularly captivating those present and a great recognition of all the work the singers put in. In contrast to the formal concert at Saint-Sulpice, a more transient group of tourists enjoyed the varied programme at Saint-Etienne-du-Mont.
Former school choristers are most welcome to come and sing with the Abbey Choir at Mass throughout the year. For more information please contact edean@worth.org.uk
Edward Dean, Worth Abbey’s Director of Music
Follow https://worthconnecting.org.uk/clubs/view/ owmusic for more information on the Old Worthians Music Society
Church
Our alumni choir at the Society’s 2024 London Carol Service
On tour, at Saint Sulpice in Paris – Pierre-François Dub-Attenti/AROSS
Debating
OWs were involved with two debates back at Worth this year. The first of which was the School’s Inter-House Debating Cup Final on 29th November 2024. This annual celebration of debating within the School gives students in all 10 houses the opportunity to get involved.
The final between Gervase and girls house, St Catherine’s, took place in front of a panel of alumni judges which included King’s Counsel, Andrew Clutterbuck KC G'81, who was joined by barrister and Worth School governor, Christopher McCourt B'83, plus recent leavers Daniel Aghedo-Jacob G'23 and Tom Haller F'24 both of whom were hugely involved with debating during their time at Worth. Tom had kindly donated a trophy for the most promising newcomer which will now be known as the Haller Cup.
Congratulations to both houses who each debated superbly on the motion of 'This house believes that cannabis should be legalised', giving the judges an incredibly tough decision, and despite St Catherine’s valiant argument for the motion, it was Gervase who took the trophy home on the night.
Next up was the much anticipated OW vs School Debating Society rematch on 21st March 2025, the School having won the first ever debate last year. The OW Debating Team, made up this year of James Chaplin R’96, Akanimo Udofia G’23, Tom Haller F’24 & Daniel Aghedo-Jacob G’23, put on a stellar performance. The motion of 'This house believes that lab grown meat must be embraced as part of the protein intake of the western world' provided some heartfelt debate, but the School's argument as the Government, won over on the night. A big thank you also to our alumni judges Simon McMenemy R’89, Andrew Clutterbuck KC G’81 and Worth School’s Head of Economics, Julie Fleming.
The OW Debating Society look forward to the opportunity to win back the trophy in 2026!
Simon McMenemy presents the shield to the School’s winning team
Judges Simon McMenemy, Julie Fleming & Andrew Clutterbuck confer
Daniel Aghedo-Jacob, Christopher McCourt, Andrew Clutterbuck & Tom Haller
The 2025 OW Debating Team
GAAs Awarded since 2014
2025 Misha Hawksley C’24 – ‘Youth with a Mission’ in New Zealand £2,500
2024 Henry Wright F’23 – ‘Youth with a Mission’ in Canada & Japan £2,000
2023 Melissa Torkizadeh StC’17 – Medical Elective in Nepal £1,900
2022 Pia Middleton StM’21 – Volunteer Initiative Nepal £900
2020 Will Harries R’15 – ICS in Tanzania £1,700
2019 Sophie Enoizi StA’18 – Operation Raleigh in Costa Rica £1,000
Frances Oesterlin StM’15 – The Hope Agency in Cambodia £500
2017 Edward Bridge StB’11 – Medical Elective at The Western Regional Hospital, Belize and volunteering with ‘La Choza Chula’, Guatemala £1,000
Andrew Morris R’06 – Medical Elective at Ananthapuri Hospital, Kerala, India £1,500
2016 Antonia Foldes StM’11 – TECHO in Colombia £2,100
2015 Peter Webb C’14 – Manquehue Movement in Chile £1,000
Benjamin Booker B’13 – Puericultorio JAVA Orphanage in Peru £500
Beatrice Lewers StA’13 – Puericultorio JAVA Orphanage in Peru £500
Stephen Free C’15 – VSO & ICS in Tanzania £500
This year the Society is very proud to have celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Global Action Award (GAA) programme. What started as the WOBS Voluntary Services Award in 2000 has now granted bursaries totalling £38,280 to 50 Old Worthians, enabling them to embark on voluntary projects around the globe
The awards were created for Worth students to gain a different perspective of the world following their privileged education at the School. Although predominantly aimed at recent leavers taking a gap year, the awards are available to any OW proposing to spend at least 6 weeks in unpaid work for the good of others or the environment with a registered charity.
Projects undertaken by awardees have ranged from; teaching in China, Nepal and a range of African countries; building homes and schools in Zambia, Colombia and Costa Rica; running camps for disabled children in Ireland; setting up music groups for those with special education needs in the UK, and several spending time with the Manquehue Movement in Chile and with Worth’s very own Outreach programme in Peru. We have also supported medical students on overseas electives in Nepal and Guatemala.
This year saw Misha Hawksley C’24 head to New Zealand with charity ‘Youth with a Mission’ having been awarded £2,500 for his Global Action Award. Two days after a 52 hour journey home, Misha came into School to give an entertaining and interactive talk about his experience to Sixth Formers as part of a presentation by the Society about the GAA programme.
Applications are reviewed and awarded by the Society's Committee at a termly meeting. If you are interested in finding out more contact Mary Lou Burge, Society Manager at worthsociety@worth.org.uk or call her on 01342 710241
GAA –Called
to know God and make him known
Jesus calls us to go and make disciples of all nations
“Missionary work is not about forcing our own culture or ideas of God onto others. It’s about joining what God is already doing in that culture and following His lead.”
In January 2025 I went to New Zealand to do a DTS with YWAM. DTS stands for Discipleship Training School which is a six-month course designed to prepare people for missionary work. DTS is run by Youth With A Mission (YWAM), a global Christian movement with the mission ‘Know God and Make Him Known ’.
The course has two parts: the Lecture Phase and the Outreach Phase, both three months in length. I completed the Lecture Phase in New Zealand, then was part of the Outreach in Vanuatu in the Pacific Islands where you put into practice everything you’ve learned during lectures.
As my plane landed in Auckland I was filled with anticipation. My first task was to catch a bus to Tauranga where the Pacific Reach YWAM base is located. Unsure of where to go was relieved when I met Manu, another DTS student, who quickly became a good friend. We arrived at the base and were warmly welcomed and met the rest of our classmates - 28 in total - from many different countries including the USA, Canada, Europe and the Pacific Islands.
Misha sharing his GAA experience with Worth students upon his return in June
The next three months were spent exploring different topics from the Bible. These included; The Character and the Nature of God; Hearing God’s Voice; Identity in Christ; The Holy Spirit; and The Father Heart of God.
Each week a speaker from around the world would come and lecture. We had plenty of time to ask questions, reflect, and seek God for ourselves. A typical weekday included lectures, personal devotions, community worship, free time, and practical service like cooking, cleaning or maintaining the grounds.
Living in community taught me many lessons, but most of all learned that following Jesus means serving others in love - the same way He served us. One of my favourite weeks was Hearing God’s Voice when the speaker showed us that God is approachable and wants a real relationship with us. Another powerful week was The Father Heart of God which focused on experiencing God as a loving Father.
For the Outreach phase we were divided into three teams: one went to the Philippines, and two went to Vanuatu.
I joined the larger Vanuatu team and spent six weeks there: about a week and a half on the island of Efate, three weeks on Santo, and then a final week back on Efate.
On Efate, we began with three days of Bislama language lessons and cultural introductions. We also took part in an Easter celebration where we shared our faith in the community. We learned to prepare local food (kaikai) and some of us joined men’s gatherings where we shared what God had done in our lives. We were based at the Family Care Centre (FCC), a medical clinic connected to the YWAM base in New Zealand.
After a delayed ferry trip (which turned out to be a blessing since I had forgotten the team’s water container!), we travelled to Santo. There we partnered with long-term missionaries in the town of Luganville and helped with
children’s programs, a kindergarten, hospital ministry, and prayer walks.
We stayed for six days in a bush village called Tuturu where the people welcomed us warmly, sharing their homes, meals and way of life. Their generosity deeply moved me. They taught us how they live from the land and, more importantly, the value of relationships. In return, we would perform songs, dances or skits after dinner, which brought a lot of joy to the village. By the end of our stay, it felt as though we had gained more than we had given. Returning to Luganville we helped with building projects and homeschooling programs before finishing our Outreach back on Efate at the FCC.
If Outreach taught me one thing, it is this: missionary work is not about forcing our own culture or ideas of God onto others. It is about joining what God is already doing in that culture and following His lead. Every culture reveals a different aspect of God, and if we ignore that, we miss out on who He truly is. Missions is also not about one person giving and another receiving. It is about two people sharing how God is at work in their lives. Often, the ‘missionary’ receives just as much as they give and both sides encounter God in new ways.
When Outreach ended, we returned to New Zealand for three weeks of debriefing and further teaching. This time helped us process everything we had experienced and
encouraged us to keep living it out at home or in further YWAM pathways.
learned that missions/discipleship/outreach is not just a short-term trip - it is a way of life. Every Christian is called to missions/discipleship, whether across the world or across the street. Through this DTS, I discovered more of who God is: relational, alive, loving and eager to bring freedom to our lives. want to express my deepest gratitude to Worth Society for making it possible for me to do this DTS with YWAM and for giving me this opportunity to grow in my faith and encourage others.
Misha Hawksley C’24
GAA – Called to know God and make him known continued
Covering the transition from Pope Francis to Leo
In the life of journalists and commentators covering the Vatican, there is no more important or dramatic moment than the transition from one pope to the next, when the Catholic Church comes under a global spotlight. Christopher Lamb R’01 was in Rome covering the events as Vatican Correspondent for CNN, while Austen Ivereigh G’84 as a papal biographer, was contracted to the BBC as an expert commentator. Here they share their experiences.
Austen: think saw Christopher most of all in February, when the pope was in hospital with what looked like a fatal pneumonia on top of a chronic bronchitis.
Christopher was doing lives each day from the Gemelli hospital, about 20 minutes north of the Vatican, while was mostly writing tributes to Francis commissioned by various newspapers to be used in the event of his death. We met up or spoke after the daily briefings we had from the Holy See press office. We were all of us, in those days, trying to decode the medical bulletins, to work out what was really going on, and what was likely to happen. Journalists were arriving daily, in anticipation of a conclave. But then the Pope appeared to rally, and we heard he would be going to continue his recovery back at the Vatican but wouldn’t be able to see people. I headed back to the UK after a couple of weeks.
Christopher: was up at the Gemelli Hospital virtually every day for the almost six weeks that Pope Francis was hospitalised, doing live TV reports. I’d seen Francis the day of his hospitalisation (I accompanied Mark Thompson, the CEO of CNN, to a private audience with Francis on 14 February) and it was clear in the brief time that was with him that he was struggling, even though he was mentally alert. It was a time of great uncertainty with the risk of
misinformation about the pope spreading as the hours of waiting went by. The risk was heightened given that in previous papacies the Holy See had not been transparent about the pope’s health. But this time Francis ordered the Vatican – working with his medical team – to release detailed, and sometimes highly technical medical updates in Italian on the pope’s condition. It took quite a bit of work translating and unpacking each one. Austen and I would talk to discuss and dissect what each one meant. The bulletins were, however, very helpful as they gave us concrete material to use in reports and helped prevent the spread of false information. But my job wasn’t just to report on the daily updates. tried to include in my coverage longer reflections on how the Vatican was coping with the pope in hospital, and the increasing chatter about a forthcoming conclave.
Austen: When Easter came, the Pope made some dramatic appearances but looked very weak. He met King Charles and Queen Camilla, and later J.D. Vance, but seemed not quite there. Then we had the extraordinary moment when Francis toured St Peter’s Square in the popemobile. His last words were to his nurse, Massimiliano Strapetti: “Thank you for taking me back to the square”. The following morning, early on Easter
Christopher meets Pope Leo
Chris reported almost daily on the health of Pope Francis from Gemelli Hospital in Rome during February
Monday, 21st April, came the news of his death. I was in Wales, having breakfast with my mother in a hotel. had to leave straight away for home and then to Heathrow. My phone filled up with dozens upon dozens of unanswered messages; as Francis’s biographer, the world was coming for me. It was a grim and stressful day. I got to Rome late. The following morning a friend who is senior in the Vatican took me up to the Santa Marta guesthouse, where the body was on display. People were crying, praying, hugging. Afterwards I did a live on BBC News, where Maryam Moshiri asked me about what I had just done, and why was it important for Catholics to see the body?
‘I only found out yesterday morning and it hasn’t sunk in. But seeing the body helps. It’s him but it’s not him’. Afterwards, whenever did an interview that week – did some in Spanish and Portuguese – didn’t try to hide my grief. think I helped communicate the impact of Francis on the world by showing his effect on me.
Christopher: A Vatican official had told me before the pope died: “Francis will go when no one is looking and with his boots still on.” He was spot on. On Easter Monday morning, one of the quietest days of the year, we heard the news. rushed to St Peter’s Square and began the most intense weeks of reporting of my professional career. I was asked live on air what it had been like to report on Francis’s pontificate day-in-day out for a decade. I replied: “Well, there was never a dull moment!”. Francis never stopped with his travels, initiatives and surprises. In my reporting, tried to combine both the impact that Francis had on the papacy and the Catholic Church, while drawing
from my own memories and reflections of his personality. I did a short video on Francis’s sense of humour and what it was like meeting him with my family. think it’s important to put something of yourself into reporting a moment like this as it helps audiences engage with the story. While the funeral was extraordinary, one of the most moving moments was the procession of the coffin carrying the pope into St Peter’s Basilica. The pope, still wearing his black orthopaedic shoes, was brought up to the main altar as the choir sung the litany of the saints and the shards of sunlight beamed through the church. Anderson Cooper, CNN’s anchor, came at the story through the prism of grief and how the public grieving for a pope can connect with anyone who has lost a loved one. We discussed how the Church’s liturgy offers a timehonoured way of expressing and processing that grief.
Austen: For me the funeral of Francis was in many ways the most memorable part. I was up on the roof of the Augustinianum, overlooking the square, so had a bird’s eye view. was doing a lot of interviews before and after, but during the funeral itself, the presenters stayed quiet, to allow the liturgy to speak for itself. The BBC were incredibly professional and respectful; they were aware that this – even more, say, than the late Queen’s funeral – was a global moment, that the eyes of the world were on us. The cameramen were incredibly impressed with the Vatican’s live feeds: the swooping drone shots, the extraordinary theatrical solemnity of it all. During this I could feel the weight of grief lift, and hope return. Then afterwards, the wholly unexpected moment of the coffin on the back of an old popemobile: Francis with the people! was thrilled by that. Francis had always seen himself as part of the people, and they came out to return his love.
Christopher: The impact of the Conclave film only intensified media interest in the real conclave as cardinals walking to the pre-conclave meetings found themselves swarmed by reporters. I also reported on some of the political shenanigans going into the conclave with a well-funded conservative group producing a dossier on the candidates with the hope that the next pope would be very different to Francis. I interviewed a cardinal just before the conclave began and he said there could be an American pope. The name of Robert Prevost kept popping up and I had him on my shortlist. A few minutes after 6pm on 8th May the white smoke suddenly went
up. The atmosphere was electric, and the crowd filled St Peter’s Square. was live on set next to CNN anchor Erin Burnett when we heard that “Robertum Franciscum Prevost” had been elected. I jumped in straight away: “The first American pope!” An extraordinary, unforgettable moment. couldn’t quite believe was reporting that the cardinals had chosen the first American pope live on a US network.
Austen: had warned the BBC to expect that the next pope would be Robert Prevost. I had become pretty convinced it would be him. When you listened carefully to what the cardinals were saying they were looking for, on and off the record, he fitted the bill perfectly. But people dismissed the idea because of the idée fixe that you couldn’t have an American. But he had spent most of his life in Peru. I realised, when went into it, that Francis had been positioning him for this. So, when I heard the Latin-Americans were behind Prevost, that clinched it for me. (I even advised a friend back in London who wanted to bet on the conclave to put his money on Prevost. “But nobody’s heard of him! He’s on at 50:1!” he protested. “Trust me,” said: he did, put £100 down, and won £5,000.) The great thing about being prepared was that when the result came on air I could rattle off a lot about him, and also interpret the result. I felt Francis’s guiding hand through it all.
Christopher: The conclave is a mix between the “power of God and the ambition of men”. It has human, political and messy elements. Yet the process inside the Sistine Chapel is a profoundly spiritual process, with the cardinals on a form of retreat. While the secrecy of the election adds to the drama, you can also see the wisdom in the cardinal electors shutting themselves off from the world so they can reflect, discern and cast their votes. The end result was the election of a highly capable new leader in record time.
Austen: After the funeral, Abbot Christopher Jamison texted, saying he wasn’t sure which old Worthian to watch – Ivereigh on the BBC, Lamb on CNN, or James Longman on ABC. He asked if we could find time for a picture – which we did, sometime between the funeral and the conclave, on St Peter’s Square: three Worthians, in a moment of Catholic history, helping to tell a global story.
Christopher reporting on the death of Pope Francis on CNN
Linking up with fellow journalist, James Longman B’05, who was reporting from Rome for ABC News
Austen with the BBC’s Reeta Chakrabarti & Aleem Maqbool at Pope Francis’s funeral in St Peter’s Square
Austen in the BBC’s London studio reporting on the Inauguration of Pope Leo in May
Trekking across our OW Asian Network
After spending the first 18 years of my life in school communities, leaving and discovering the world out there was going to be a bit of a shock. But I was keen to travel in Asia during my gap year and so met with Mary Lou Burge and discussed my plan. We found three excellent and generous Worthians on my planned route who could provide advice and a friendly face whilst on the other side of the world.
Tobias Lewers C’24 and I headed out to Nepal at the end of December 2024, planning to explore together, but with separate work opportunities. Tobias was in the hilly region at two local schools, working with the 40 pupils and the teaching staff to develop their English skills. I worked in the sustainable tourism lodges ‘Tiger Tops’ nestled in the main national parks. I spent my days in the jungle with the guides, learning how to identify different birds, as well as where to find tigers, leopards, elephants and rhinos that roamed the area. I was lucky enough to be involved in the hunt and darting of an unwell tiger to get medical help, and also spent a week helping two Dutch doctors travelling around the local villages.
Tobias and I got to spend a few weeks together in the middle of our time when I visited him up in the hills. We caught some dodgy buses and jeeps up to Lake Rara, a secluded lake surrounded by snow-capped giants. Tobias then headed to Thailand while I did the spectacular
15 day Manaslu and Tsum Valley Circuit Hike through the Himalayas.
At the start of May I joined Tobias in Thailand for a brief stop-over on the way to Vietnam, with plans to return later. Our first OW encounter was with Robert Tyler G’02 who has travelled across lots of Asia. He advised us on travel throughout Thailand, as well as the surrounding countries. Although didn’t make it to Myanmar, I was very keen to go and he offered me connections to plenty of people there if I did choose to visit. He plotted our route out on a map and added all the locations that he recommended we visit. Whilst we were in Bangkok he very kindly took us for a large and unforgettable variety of local foods from a gorgeous restaurant opposite Wat Arun, its reflection illuminated across the river. Robert provided us with some helpful suggestions of how to fill our days in Bangkok – the ancient city of Ayutthaya was a definite visit.
We next met Nic Gordon-Macleod StB’12 living in Ho Chi Minh. Nic assisted us with tips and tricks for our 3 week traverse of Vietnam, including hiking up Mount Fansipan (the highest mountain in Indochina), motorbiking around the Ha Giang Loop, and canyoning down giant waterfalls in Da Lat, and countless other stops. Vietnam is packed with amazing scenery and fantastic activities, with regular buses taking us everywhere we needed to go. We
reached Nic in Ho Chi Minh where he welcomed us with a delicious noodle soup and then went to a peaceful cafe to catch up on Worth, as well as learning about his life in Vietnam, over a couple of fresh fruit smoothies. We told Nic that we had a few days with no plans. He suggested a bustling beach resort town to visit, which we included as a wonderful way to end our time in Vietnam.
With Vietnam completed, Tobias and I roamed Cambodia together, visiting Siem Reap with its amazing temples, Koh Rong for diving and Kep for its bustling crab markets, as well as visiting caves swarming with 16 million bats. At the end of June, Tobias headed down to Australia, and continued on through Asia. I headed into Thailand for a few weeks, visiting Kanchanaburi - where the British POWs had been captured to build the railway into Myanmar, and doing my advanced diving qualification on Koh Tao down in the south, before travelling down into Malaysia where I met Tom Broughton G’24 We travelled together for the next month and loved seeing orangutans in Sumatra, spending my birthday on the gorgeous Lake Toba with a motorbike tour of the island and finishing off by releasing baby turtles into the sea.
Our third OW stop was with Mike Seward R’77. It was a bit hit and miss whether we would make it to Jakarta in time, but I’m so glad we did as he hosted us for a mouthwatering Padang style meal - hundreds of dishes to choose from - with his family. Thanks to Mike's encouragement we had dishes that we wouldn’t have dared tried; most notably fish head soup and intestines! We met with him again on our second day in Jakarta,
where he took us to a spectacular central hotel where we had an ox-tail soup. Once he had explained to us how to eat it (with tail still intact) it proved delicious. Although Mike had to leave, we were able to stroll around the extensive gardens of the hotel which was a real treat.
Mike created a great list of places for us to visit, helping me fit in all the key sites whilst in Indonesia. I fell in love with the country so much and worried was going to have too little time to visit everything, so Mike helped connect me to the right people when I needed to extend my visa.
Tom headed home after Eastern Java, Indonesia, leaving me to continue on through Bali (which I agreed with Mike was slightly over touristy) and on to the Gili Islands, Lombok, Komodo and Flores, before finishing the trip with a few days in Singapore. By this time Nic GordonMacleod had moved there and provided me with a list of things to see and eat during my limited time there, all of which proved great fun.
It was an unforgettable trip and Tobias, Tom and I are all really grateful to Mary Lou, Robert, Nic and Mike for enhancing our trip so much and making travelling that bit easier. It was very comforting to know that a helping hand was just down the line thanks to the strength of the Old Worthian network. Lots of people go to Asia to ‘find themselves’ in their gap year - wouldn’t quite say I did, however I discovered the generosity of people reconfirmed my love for travel, of which I will never let go.
Teddy Scott F’24
With Robert Tyler by Watt Arun in Bangkok
Dining with Mike Seward in Jakarta
Teddy & Tobias at Khalanga Gumba Buddhist temple in Jumla
With Nic Gordon-Macleod in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
With Tom at Mount Bromo, Western Java, Indonesia
From Humanitarian Frontlines to Public Policy
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I packed my rucksack and left London for the Ukrainian border to help the many refugees fleeing into Poland. There wasn’t really a concrete decision or much back and forth, just the question of logistics. knew Poland well from my master’s degree there and luckily my friend, who was a peace activist and community organizer in Colombia, knew a contact who had already made the trip to the border. I took a plane, a train, and then walked to the location where I was told where refugees and volunteers alike were gathering, just 13km from the busiest border crossing with Ukraine.
I volunteered for two months in the Humanitarian Aid Center in Przymysl. The centre was established in an abandoned Tesco supermarket, where grassroots volunteers set up a canteen, transportation desks, sleeping shelters, and medical stations. “You speak languages, maybe you want to help on the transportation desk?” It all fell into place. Every day for hours I spoke Russian with
At a disused supermarket near the Ukrainian border, Antonia Foldes coordinated transportation for hundreds of refugees – a journey that would later take her to the Harvard Kennedy School and the world of public policy
the refugees to understand their onward travel plans and in German I would check the drivers offering to take people to Germany. The combination of these languages proved uniquely useful and I would eventually become coordinator of the German transport desk, acting as the key contact for hundreds of drivers and civil society organizations across Germany.
After working 12-hour shifts, I slept at a Catholic convent where the Polish nuns had kindly offered me a room while I volunteered at the centre. I witnessed a lot of good, kindness, and generosity, which coexisted alongside utter despair, selfishness and malintent. Even as the war sharpened reality to an immediacy I’d never known, it still brought moral dilemmas and difficult judgments that left me humbled.
Before my time on the Polish-Ukrainian border, I had always been interested in issues relating to peace and conflict. With the support of a Worth Society Global Action Award, had spent a summer working with a local NGO in Colombia, interviewing internally displaced
persons (IDPs) that had fled to Bogotá from the violence of drug cartels and paramilitary groups. During my internship at the EU Delegation to the UN in New York, I had been disappointed by the stalled Security Council discussions on international security and conflict.
For my master’s degree ultimately decided to return closer to home and study the memory of conflict in Eastern Europe. In 2016 I turned down a full scholarship at University College London and instead accepted the Leverhulme Trust’s Study Abroad Studentship to study at the oldest university in Poland, the Jagiellonian University. The courage paid off and my two years in Kraków opened the door to many other opportunities across the region: I interviewed a former WWII partisan in Lithuania, examined the NATO-destroyed buildings in Serbia, and visited the contested territory of Abkhazia. It was this repeated exposure to a history of conflict and violence that compelled me to act and return to Poland in 2022.
When the Red Cross finally took over the Humanitarian Aid Center in June, I was burnt out and exhausted. decided instead of moving into Ukraine and unloading deliveries to the frontlines, I would try to find a place where could maximise the impact of my skills and experience. In the year that followed applied and was accepted to Harvard’s Master in Public Policy program.
The Harvard Kennedy School offered an abundance of opportunity, engaged individuals, and professional networks. Arriving in the U.S., it was the first time did not have to fit into any prescribed box and could pursue whatever individual mission was driving me – Harvard gave us the freedom, access and support. I enrolled in classes such as “Conducting Negotiations on the Frontlines” and “Restorative and Transformative Justice,” even cross-registering at Harvard Law School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While my background in the humanities and history gave me a sense of direction, I valued the tools learnt in classes on decision-making, data analysis and economics.
Beyond the classroom, I observed how senior U.S. military leaders think about the war in events at Harvard’s Belfer Centre. Over the summer, worked on mitigating the risk of gender-based violence for CARE, a major international humanitarian agency. Then in my second year, was selected to work directly with former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, delivering research on wartime diplomacy and U.S. decision-making on Ukraine.
For my final capstone project, I spent eight months advising NGO Mercy Corps on how to improve their
humanitarian partnerships and empower local organizations in Ukraine. I had been deeply passionate about this topic for years, as knew the effectiveness of grassroots actors. When I was notified that I would receive the Carr-Ryan Prize for Human Rights at my Harvard graduation, took it as a sign that had finally bridged my on-the-ground experience with meaningful policy solutions.
After Harvard, joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as a Financial Intelligence Analyst. Working in their Major Economic Crimes Bureau, investigate international money laundering, illicit finance, and criminal activity involving New York’s financial system. Criminal activity is usually about profit and often accompanied by violence as a means to exert control over the profit source. see my work here in New York as part of an effort to disrupt criminal and violent activity that reaches across borders. It’s a tumultuous time here in the U.S., but I am grateful to serve the city that has welcomed me so warmly. I believe I will eventually return to Europe, bringing with me the lessons and experience I have gained here. I am curious to see which route will lead me there.
Antonia Foldes StM’11
At Harvard presenting my work on local partnerships in Ukraine in 2025
Receiving the Carr-Ryan Prize for Human Rights at my Harvard graduation
Final published report for Mercy Corps
Volunteering at the Humanitarian Aid Center in Przemysl, Poland in 2022
Visiting the legacy of Fr Bede’s work in Peru
Ihave just returned from two unforgettable months in Peru, including a month spent shadowing Juntos Trabajando Por Un Mejor Peru, a Peruvian NGO that is one of Worth’s Outreach Peru projects. Worth’s work in Peru was started by my grandfather’s cousin, Fr Bede Hill, which was what inspired me to get involved in the first place.
Juntos is located in Huancayo, the Peruvian Andes, and is a small but tight-knit team, consisting of only four people. They aim to promote the development of people living in poverty by providing access to essential resources such as education, healthcare, food, and decent housing, fostering social inclusion and economic empowerment. I was able to get involved with two of their projects during my visit:
Together for Healthy Spaces and Nutrition; a project that addresses inadequate living conditions and poor nutrition in Chongos Bajo. It equips families with better living spaces, sanitary facilities, kitchens, and livestock to boost nutrition and income. Through workshops on healthy eating, hygiene and leadership, families are empowered to improve both their homes and their habits.
Organizational and economic strengthening of rural women in family, community, district, and regional spaces; a project focusing on empowering women by offering training in leadership, finance, and civic participation. The project helps women recognise their value and rights within society; breaking cycles of inequality and fostering generational change.
Having shadowed both projects, I left with a bittersweet impression. It was heartbreaking to see the challenging living conditions. Many suffer from malnutrition and lack running water or a proper kitchen. Yet, it was uplifting to witness the strength of community spirit and mutual support, forcing me to reflect on my own life back in the UK.
After we had completed our work in someone’s home we were always welcomed to stay for a warm lunch that they had prepared for us. Over this hearty meal we would chat, encouraged to have seconds and thirds, almost becoming a part of their family. The Juntos team have this marvelous relationship with the families; marked by respect, adoration and love. Every time we met them, greetings are warm and affectionate, a testament to the close bond that the team has struck up with these families. Gratitude is plentiful; the families never shy to express their appreciation for Juntos’ work. There’s this beautiful sense of mutual affection that lingers in the air which almost led me to tears multiple times.
The team’s compassion clearly extends into their daily lives. Driven by kindness, they help anyone who crosses their path without complaint. They welcomed me into their home and treated me as if was their own daughter. Their work creates a strong sense of humanity in the city of Huancayo. Although there are only four of them, their work acts as a catalyst for change, helping to break the generational cycles of poverty in rural Peru.
Amidst the distressing themes that are hitting our headlines, Juntos stands out as a beacon of hope. Their determination to help those in dire need is inspiring, and something that deserves greater recognition. If you would like to find out more information about Juntos’ work and how you can support them do look at their website at www.porunmejorperu.org Feel free to also contact me at emmaleach36@gmail.com
Emma Leach StM’21
The Real Junk Food Café
Fitzherbert Community Hub
2 Bristol Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 1AP
Tuesday to Friday: 10am-2pm
Many will have heard of Worth’s Outreach Peru, but few know that Worth has a new outreach post, just down the road in Brighton. The ‘Monks in the City’ project was an initiative that began in 2021 with Fathers Rod, Aidan, Gabriel and Br Anthony moving to the parish of St John the Baptist in Kemptown with the aim of living as a small community with a simple lifestyle in an urban location, helping out with the needs of the parish. I thought it was time I went down to say hello.
Fr Aidan was my host and showed me around the Church which, being Grade II listed, has the most incredible historical significance. Built in 1835, it was the first Catholic church in Brighton after the removal of restrictions on Catholic worship, and at that time only the fourth new church to be consecrated in England since the Reformation. It was funded with a £1,000 donation from Maria Fitzherbert, the infamous twice-widowed Catholic who was secretly married to the Prince Regent in 1785 and who accompanied him whenever he visited Brighton, despite the marriage being declared illegal according to the Royal Marriages Act. ‘Mrs Fitzherbert’ is buried in the Church and the memorial stone and sculpture there show her wearing her three wedding rings.
But the main purpose of my visit was to try The Real Junk Food Café which is situated in The Fitzherbert Community Hub - the parish hall - and courtyard alongside the Church. The Hub - affectionately known as ‘The Fitz’- had a £1.5 million refurbishment a couple of years ago and is a partnership between the parish, Brighton Table Tennis Club, the charity ‘Voices in Exile’ and the Real Junk Food Project who, from the commercial standard kitchen, prepare delicious dishes from donated ingredients that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
The café space is large and airy with high ceilings and soundproof panels and – as the public can also rent the space for private parties – comes complete with sparkling disco ball in the centre of the room. Glass doors take you out to a very pretty garden courtyard in front of the church door – perfect for alfresco eating on a summer’s day. Being only one street back from the seafront and the sound of seagulls overhead there is very much a seaside vibe.
If you’re there from 10am (conveniently after 9:30am Mass) you’ll be served top grade barista coffee from the Conti coffee machine and can grab a cake or pastry from a selection donated by Gails Bakery. I counted 5 people in the kitchen preparing the main lunch dishes served from noon and there were an army of charming volunteers to help serve. Fr Aidan and I both opted for the Vegetable
Tikka Masala Curry; a hearty bowl of lentils, courgettes, cauliflower and onions in a creamy tikka sauce, served with perfectly cooked rice and a cucumber raita topping.
The other option was Mushroom and Leek Stroganoff on Toast, which looked equally delicious and comforting. Both dishes that day were vegetarian, but meat is often on the menu, including venison donated from a local estate. I spotted some very tempting sugared doughnuts available for pudding, but for the sake of my waistline I just had a cappuccino – which was so good it wouldn’t have been out of place in a Michelin starred establishment.
The volunteers were all incredibly welcoming and do the most amazing job, often coping with over 100 covers in one sitting. There is a ‘suggested contribution’ of £7 for lunch and £2 for coffee, but the café attracts many of Brighton’s homeless community, with some great characters welcomed every day to enjoy some top-quality cooking on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis.
Alongside the café I found an impressive food bank and then a corridor leading down to a room full of the smiling faces of youngsters, some with disabilities, playing table tennis to a champion-class standard. This hub has such a wonderful buzz of positivity about it, you can’t help but be impressed with the mission here. If you happen to find yourself in Brighton do pop in to say hello to the monks – they also have some great events planned for 2026 - www.monksinthecity.uk - and experience some truly creative cooking with food that would have otherwise gone to waste.
Mary Lou Burge, Society Manager
A family photo with the late Fr Bede Hill
A healthy eating workshop
Current beneficiaries of the project
Visiting a past beneficiary's organic garden
The team and gifting each other flowers on my last night in Huancayo
My host for the day, Fr Aidan Murray
The Fitzherbert Community Hub
My ‘Michelin standard’ cappucino
The beautiful and historical church of St John the Baptist
An Unlikely Cornerstone
By Dom Stephen Ortiger
Three Peaks Press 2025
The posthumous publication of Fr Stephen’s book
An Unlikely Cornerstone coincides with the 50th anniversary of the consecration of Worth Abbey Church which was commissioned by Abbot Victor in 1966, designed by the young architect Francis Pollen, and has been much loved and widely used by generations since.
Fr Stephen tells the story of the Abbey Church with his customary verve and eye for detail. He also reaches back in time to describe Victor’s origins and the considerable challenges he faced in order to become first prior (in 1957) and then (in 1965) Abbot of Worth. As Victor’s eventful life unfolds, so does the life of the young community with the initiatives of senior school, the mission to Peru, Worth Conferences, the Lay Community and the urban monastery at St Peter’s, Dulwich.
All this is set firmly in the context of sometimes bewildering changes in society and within the Catholic Church and the English Benedictine communities which Victor was re-elected many times to lead as their Abbot President.
It is a fascinating and illuminating read, and takes us behind the outward remoteness that went with Abbot Victor’s position to reveal a complex and intriguing character who valued family, and had a gift for inspiring people to meet new challenges.
Underpinning it all, Stephen sees Victor’s unswerving commitment to prayer as the source and the goal of his innovative and fruitful energy.
This book is complemented by a short booklet of 16 pages titled simply On Prayer, a concise summary of a 1971 talk by Abbot Victor that had a great influence on many people for decades.
Conflict
By Jay Michaelson StB’68 (nom de plume) Austin Macauley Publishers 2025
Conflict is the first published work by Jay Michaelson. A short work of fiction majoring on the little understood and largely self-regulated operation that is Lloyds of London.
Once it gets going this is an absorbing read that cuts to the chase literally and metaphorically. For the most part, it is written in short staccato sentences making it quick and easy to read. The language is punchy and unrefined. Descriptions and scene setting are brief and somewhat abbreviated. However, the author does allow himself some indulgences waxing lyrically about places and items of interest to him, such as the Bahamas and yachts.
The story takes the reader on a journey from London to Buenos Aires, to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, flirts with the Bahamas and includes Zurich, before returning to the homeland. The two protagonists, Justin De Ville, the lead character and his accomplice, Catriona Townend, are well fleshed out. We learn from their backstories that both are flawed, vulnerable, but also interesting and likeable. Many of their associates and colleagues likewise are brought to life, though perhaps less so are their adversaries.
The plot is well worked out and for all its changing scenes and locations is effectively crafted. There are moments that are unexpected and even surprising with a twist at the end, though that is not fully explained, making it arguably incredulous. The instances of action are gripping but a little too clinical and could have been extended to add further drama and emotion. Nevertheless, this criticism could hardly be levelled or extended to the love scenes, which are graphic, ‘hot’ and steamy. Some elements. particularly those concerning the assassin. are reminiscent of the late Frederick Forsyth’s Day of the Jackal. The ‘action man’ passages work and there is good exhilaration built-up in the escapades the lead characters get inveigled in.
The only real criticism one might have is that everything feels a little rushed and shorthanded. Occasionally the rationale behind decisions taken are missing or simply reduced leaving the reader craving for more.
The background behind this book is based on Jay’s recollections of and observations on the very specific and different world of Lloyd’s of London, a major player in the insurance and reinsurance world. Its history lies in having numerous private investors funding the operation who are known as ‘Names.’ They are very much dependent on the ‘Underwriters’ they are associated with. The latter’s
questionable level of accountability and self-regulation provides the ammunition and backcloth for this novel. High finance, personal interests and dubious dealings at the very top of brokers, underwriters and even in the corporation itself lends itself readily to this work of fiction.
Jay’s firsthand knowledge and experience is both an asset and a flaw. Positive because it gives the reader an insight into this aspect of finance. Negative because it assumes the reader is more understanding of this business than most will be. Despite this, any absence of knowledge does not overly detract from the flow or the enjoyment of the story itself.
The Foreword might have been the appropriate place to have given background explanation. Certainly more preferable than the current one which offers nothing positive. Indeed, one reads in this only a sense of personal betrayal and injustice. Even the words ‘Those who were literally sacrificed, may they live on in their defiance’ is arguably too much a cry from the heart. There too are other moments in the book where the author’s indignation comes through. Perhaps too much subjectivity is shown at times such as when dismissive of Lloyd’s generally he writes, it is ‘… tarnished enough on its own’.
That said this is a rattling good read by a writer who demonstrates ability to tell a story through interesting characters and intriguing relationships. There may be potential for a sequel given the knowledge, material and characters the writer has at hand.
Claude Keith G’69
Michael Woodward, Three Peaks Press
The Secret Dome: Anti-aircraft gunnery training in the Second World War
By Ewan Ward-Thomas B’77
Pen
& Sword Military 2025
Reviewing The Secret Dome: Anti-aircraft gunnery training in the Second World War has been an informative pleasure. His work covers the need for, and the development of, a training system which could help to simulate the experience of gunnery both in the air and from the ground. It is a personal work which pays fitting tribute to the inventor of the Dome Trainer, the author’s grandfather, and is meticulously researched.
Ward-Thomas uncovers the remarkable and littleknown story of the Dome Trainer - a pioneering British invention that revolutionized anti-aircraft gunnery training during the Second World War. Developed in secrecy by Lieutenant Commander Henry Stephens of the Royal Navy, the Dome Trainer was a response to the growing threat posed by aerial attacks, particularly those witnessed during the Spanish Civil War and anticipated in future conflicts.
Stephens, who had served in the First World War and later worked as a civilian photographer aboard HMS Milbrook at Jutland, recognized the vulnerability of naval vessels to fast-moving aircraft. In 1939, he proposed an innovative solution: a simulated training environment using projected images of attacking aircraft inside a dome-shaped structure. This allowed gunners to practice tracking and firing at moving targets in a controlled, immersive setting - far more effective than traditional methods.
The book is divided into three parts:
Part 1 focuses on the family of Henry Stephens and the influence of the Royal Navy on his professional career and later invention.
Part 2 focuses on the challenges of the Second World War, elegantly shaping the context in which the Dome Trainer comes into being. The shifting nature of the challenges presented are also covered and illustrate the usefulness of Henry Stephen’s work. The initial problem being protecting naval convoys from aerial attack, before moving onto the dome’s use across the pond once America join the war with an emphasis on air-to-air combat training. Ward-Thomas also covers the development of radar and the threat of the dreaded V1 and V2 attacks.
Part 3 focuses on the move to recognise, and reward, Henry Stephens as the inventor of the Dome Trainer.
The Secret Dome is incredibly researched and relies on varied personal testimony of those involved in using the Dome Trainer often which gives the work a moving personal touch and helps to make real the impact of Stephen’s invention. Ward-Thomas also weaves much of the general history of the period in which his grandfather’s invention was used and this provides fascinating context of the wider picture.
Drawing on newly uncovered archival material, personal accounts, and technical documentation, Ward-Thomas reconstructs the development, deployment, and impact of the Dome Trainer. He situates the invention within the broader context of wartime innovation, highlighting how necessity and imagination often converged under pressure. The narrative also explores the challenges Stephens faced—from bureaucratic resistance to technical hurdles—and the eventual recognition of his contribution to the war effort.
Illustrated with rare photographs and diagrams, The Secret Dome offers both a technical and human story. It sheds light on a forgotten chapter of military history, emphasizing the importance of training and simulation in modern warfare. For students and historians of World War II, the book provides a compelling case study in ingenuity, adaptation, and the hidden infrastructure behind frontline success.
Joesph Teague, Teacher of History, Worth School
Ronald Mack Chaucer’s Gatwick Tales
by Justin Weisweiller C’85 Thames Danube Publishing 2025
It is extraordinary to encounter a newly-published poem of c.15,000 lines (50% longer than Paradise Lost) in an age when our attention spans are supposedly narrowing because of over-exposure to modern technology. But fear not! With a structure based on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Justin Weisweiller’s Gatwick Tales comprises nearly fifty short stories in verse, preceded by a ‘General Prologue’ offering sketches of each of the characters who tell the tales. Those readers with limited attention spans can simply dip in for their entertainment, while those favouring sustained reading will discover a work that is not merely witty, profound and enjoyable when read in parts, but also impressive as an organic whole.
What starts as an apparently fanciful entertainment (the spirit of the historical Geoffrey Chaucer, having come to possess his twenty-first century descendant, is one of a group of travellers delayed indefinitely at Gatwick Airport) transforms itself into a poem meriting consideration as a serious literary achievement. The work explores a wide range of characters whom our twenty-first century ‘pilgrim’ meets and to whose tales he listens while awaiting his flight.
Characterisation and narrative apart, language, versification and ideas are the chief sources of amusement. The author is fascinated by language - its diversity and its potential for complex comic wordplay. The hallmark of the writing is a delight in experimenting not only with the English language but also with other languages, punning, inventing neologisms, and presenting witty, memorable aphorisms such as ‘In truth, time can’t be saved, but only spent’ (‘The Janitor’s Tale’, ln. 88), ‘Then better cashless taste than tasteless cash’ (‘The Sergeant’s Tale’, ln. 22), or ‘Now courtship is the time to germinate / The seeds that will become domestic hate’ (‘The Publican’s Tale’, lns. 227-28).
As in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, there is a distinction between the comic presentation of a rather inept authorial persona and the assured guiding hand of the true author, overseeing all and navigating a passage through the various tales. These tales can be thematically matched to their tellers, as can the mode of expression that each narrator adopts. Like Chaucer’s, our modern 'pilgrims' interact dramatically, as any one tale may spark a reaction or an imitation from another of the 'pilgrims'. Some tales form thematic groups such as ‘business tales’
or ‘marriage tales’ – even ‘shopping tales’! - reflecting the interests and language of the tellers. To bind whole groups of tales together dramatically and thematically while distinguishing between individual tales linguistically is an achievement worthy of comparison with Chaucer’s original.
Sustaining (and varying) Chaucerian versification over thousands of lines is a remarkable accomplishment. The Gatwick Tales combines fluent rhythm with a rare facility for ingenious and amusing rhymes. Furthermore, it sometimes takes an excursion from Chaucerian iambic pentameter couplets into other verse-forms – for example in ‘The Gossip’s Tale’ and ‘The Pollster’s Tale’. We even have a sixty-line detour into the beat of the opening bars of The Radetzky March in ‘The New Ager’s Tale’.
The work shows a broad and detailed understanding of the human psyche and of human society (did the author ever study Psychology and/or Anthropology?). It presents a range of recognisable types from modern professions: business, commerce, law, politics, medicine, academia, and media, as well as less lucrative occupations. The resulting portraits and tales are assured and often very funny.
Some tales are loosely modelled on Chaucerian precursors, for example, ‘The Director’s Tale’, ‘The Dustman’s Tale’, and ‘The Franker’s Tale’. Others draw on children’s stories (‘The Warden’s Tale’ and ‘The Screenwriter’s Tale’) or the Bible (‘The Consultant’s Tale’ and ‘The Midwife’s Tale’). There are fables and fairytales, parables and parodies, tragedy and comedy, satire, romance, and even horror-fiction, but all conducted in a characteristically wry tone. This reviewer’s personal favourites include ‘The New Ager’s Tale’, a disturbing, psychologically convincing account of a woman gradually being driven to distraction; ‘The Surgeon’s Tale’, a thoughtprovoking satirical fable about an ancient civilisation destroyed by faith in their priesthood; and ‘The Publican’s Tale’, a tour de force of wit, wisdom and versification.
Finally, I recommend that those who were in Justin Weisweiller’s class at Worth School should seek out ‘The Hack’s Tale’, which is based on a Geography lesson from his prep school days. They might just discover that they feature in a new comic classic!
Dr Paul Miller, Former Head of English
Sanctuary
by Tom Gaisford R’96
Bath
Publishing 2025
IAlex Donovan is a thirty-something immigration lawyer who provides determined and passionate advocacy for refugees seeking asylum in the UK. His increasing dissatisfaction and frustration with opaque bureaucracy has upset the professional applecart, and following a burnout and a demotion – and with his personal life couched in heartbreak – Donovan finds himself on a much-needed holiday in Cadiz looking for some muchneeded clarity. Or if not clarity then drastic action might do. So, as he stands in the arrivals queue at Stansted Airport Donovan claims to be an Argentinian national called Alejandro Guerrero – a man escaping persecution in his homeland from a made-up minority sect called La Vereda Frondosa – and begins the process of seeking asylum within the UK. Within minutes it is clear that Donovan has instantly managed to hit the inner bull of drastic action.
What inspires Donovan to undertake such an extreme flight of fancy is that he has more than a hunch that there are nefarious forces at work; he’s experienced first-hand how asylum seekers are unceremoniously ‘dispersed’ from his care to God knows where, and he suspects that the powers that be are picking and choosing which individuals to grant asylum to based on unlawful criteria. So where better to get to grips with the machinations than on the other side of the equation – and soon ‘Guerrero’ is facing the sort of hostility and mixed messaging that convinces Donovan that he is absolutely onto something. Sanctuary is many things. It is a complex and satisfying navigation of the UK asylum system, with Gaisford able to call on his own real-life experience in the front-line of providing legal counsel to those in need. It is also a political thriller, as we bunk in with Alex Donovan in his attempts to infiltrate the asylum experience and shine a light on some of the reprehensible actions that he suspects might be afoot. It is also a charming romance story, with a delightful couple of ‘will-they, won’t they’ sub-plots that sometimes threaten to overtake the main premise of the novel.
Even though I had a copy of the hardback, I looked into the idea of getting a copy of the audiobook too – and once I found out that it was Gaisford himself on narration duties I found myself beyond eager to be reunited with those familiar velvety bass tones. And with a cast of what was probably upwards of 50 recurring characters I was in for an absolute treat, with Gaisford jumping into a selection of international voices that under any other circumstances would result in immediate on-the-spot cancellation. But listening to Gaisford read the book – and conjure up the ghosts of all the men and women that no doubt inspired this story – provided an extra layer of depth that was immediate and often surprisingly moving. Beyond the enticing high-concept premise lies a terrific series of supporting characters on both sides of the asylum divide; the legal professionals that tend to split into the younger idealists and the older dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists, the knowing and not-so-knowing asylum seekers of all ages and backgrounds, and the various friends and acquaintances that Alex is able to call on for the odd favour – and who help to bring the story to its ultimate resolution.
At a time when the process of seeking asylum is as in the news and under the microscope as ever, Sanctuary provides a fascinating look behind the curtain – although how fair and accurate what Gaisford serves up to be glimpsed is very much up for grabs. But as the character of Alex Donovan gradually reveals himself to be a privateschool-educated theology student who was taught by monks, then there might at times only be a cigarette paper between what is fact and what is fiction.
Andrew Keatley C’96
The Inherited Mind: a story of family,
hope and the genetics of
mental illness
by
James
Longman B’05 Hyperion Avenue 2025
James Longman is blessed with an eccentric and diverse ancestry, and descriptions of these ancestors add an amusing dimension to this autobiography.
His devout Lebanese grandmother’s last words were: ‘Tell Andre (a cousin with whom she had fallen out and hence was expected to forgive on her deathbed) I will never forgive her’. This book is, however, a thoughtful search for an answer to some deadly serious questions, the most poignant of which is: can the experiences and traumas of our parents be passed down genetically? Written in the engaging style of the fine journalist that he is, the book combines science, history and autobiography in this exploration of mental health.
The starting point for this search is the nine-year-old James at Worth School being told by his housemaster Keith Owers that his father John had died. This account includes an appreciation of his housemaster’s kindness and of his time at Worth, while the acknowledgements lists school staff whom he thanks, full disclosure, including me. Yet the extent of the tragedy of his father’s death was only gradually revealed in the coming years until, aged 26, James learnt the circumstances in which his father had taken his own life.
The book opens in 20I9 on the front line of Western forces battling ISIS terrorists in their last stronghold in Syria, where James is ABC News’s correspondent reporting live from the war zone. When every sensible person is fleeing from war and disaster, James is usually heading into it. This fortitude of his professional life is also seen in the way he leads his personal life. I use the slightly dated word ‘fortitude’ rather than the now overused word ‘courage’. Fortitude is resilience over time as opposed to a heroic act which earns the label ‘courage’. And it is James’s resilience that stands out in this book. The final chapter is entitled ‘Witnessing Horror and Building Resilience’, which is a summary of the substance of the whole book.
James’s professional resilience is evident in many of the incidents describing his work as a reporter but the fortitude most evident in the book is his unwavering pursuit of two stories that are real but not news stories. Firstly, his pursuit of the facts about his father’s death which led eventually to local newspaper cuttings revealing the full extent of the tragedy, with the lurid headlines shown among the book’s many illustrations. Secondly, his pursuit of the science surrounding mental illness and suicide, seeking answers to the how and the why of
psychotic behaviour. Fortitude is required to keep seeking the history and the science of the suicide of a parent. And to understand the mental health episodes in his own life which led him to ask if psychosis can be inherited.
The pay off for this fortitude comes in the final chapters. James describes how he miraculously managed to contact both his father’s carer Liz and his psychiatric nurse Pat, both of whom have spent a lifetime in mental health work. Among their hundreds of patients, they have strong and appreciative memories of John Longman and also of meeting a very young James. John’s art school friends are another source of revelation whom James succeeds in tracking down. They say they see his father in James which moves him to tears. Through these extraordinary encounters, James has a very complete picture of his father and of his illness.
The missing piece is why. Why did John take his own life. The chapter on ‘Transcendental Meditation and Destabilizing a Chaotic Mind?’ hints at an answer but the question mark in the title is important. Towards the end of his life, John became deeply involved in the Transcendental Meditation movement, travelling to Switzerland to be fully engaged with the Maharishi who had moved there. As a meditating monk, found this chapter’s scientific analysis of meditation fascinating. In some settings, intensive meditation can cause psychosis in some people while for others it induces calm. This line of research is not yet fully developed but I was left wanting to know more.
Publishing this intensely honest book is another step along the author’s path of fortitude. It will resonate with anybody who has had to cope with mental illness in themselves or in others, which is pretty much everybody.
Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB
n 2021 Tom Gaisford paused his career as a barrister to write his debut novel Sanctuary and it falls on me to pass judgement.
In Through the Reef
by Hugh Bonn G’02
Rock Pipit Publishing 2024
In through the Reef : A voyage around the world on Little Coconut is an account of two epic ocean voyages and the spiritual journey of Hugh Bonn undertaken in 2011/2 and 2016/7.
In 2011 Hugh had been working in the mining industry in Australia and his brother Harry G’05 had been working in the railway industry in Hong Kong, when they conceived the idea of sailing from Australia back to the family home in Jersey. Although they were brought up with the challenging seas around the island, neither had any experience of ocean crossings.
(where their father left them), Reunion, and the notorious Agulhas current down the eastern coast of South Africa, where they narrowly avoided being run down by a large container ship - they had no AIS marine tracking or radar.
They found and purchased an elderly but sturdily built steel 30’ cutter with a flush deck and a canoe stern called ‘Little Coconut’. Whilst slow (4 knots under sail-5 knots at a push) but eminently seaworthy, it boasted an old Kubota diesel engine which was temperamental to say the least and singularly unreliable, despite being blessed and doused in copious amounts of holy water by their father Simon StB’71 before they set off.
Little Coconut was devoid of any comforts having no toilet, no water tanks, no shower, no taps, no fridge and no cooker. For a toilet the crew had to use a bucket at the bottom of the companionway or the bowsprit.
They set off from Brisbane for Darwin, some 700 miles away, in August 2011 on the first leg of their journey. This was probably the most challenging part of the journey as they got to know the boat and its idiosyncrasies with numerous incidents, including an unintentional beaching.
In Brisbane they installed wind vane self-steering gear and rigged up a Heath Robinson cooker, which hung on chains from the cabin ceiling, so that they could at least cook.
From Darwin they struck out westwards for the Cocus Keeling Islands (midway between Australia and Sri Lanka) where they were joined by their father for the next leg.
From there they sailed to the Rodrigues Islands, near the coast of Mauritius, and then on to Port Louis in Mauritius,
From Cape Town they zigzagged up the Atlantic, stopping off at St Helena and Ascension before arriving at Fortaleza in Brazil. Their father joined them again for the next leg to Barbados, where he came off worse from an encounter with Caribbean punch. After he had left, they carried on to St Lucia and then the Azores, where they were met by their mother, Melissa, and a family friend Madelaine. From there they continued up to Cornwall where their father had rented a fishing boat as a welcoming party, which to their great joy included their 86-year-old grandmother.
They finally reached Jersey in June 2012 to a warm and well-deserved reception having sailed some 17,600 miles from Brisbane. By any measure this was an extraordinary achievement. After their return to Jersey, Harry got married and was preparing for another trip with his wife when she got pregnant, which understandably put paid to that plan! Little Coconut was taken out of the water and stored in a field.
Hugh, who was restless for more adventure, went back to work in Australia. At this point in the book, he describes his lifelong spiritual journey leading to his developing a very strong faith, a faith that he shares with the woman, Miranda, who was to become his wife in 2016. Their marriage took place in Jersey and their married life started in Little Coconut, on which Miranda had agreed they could sail back from Jersey to Australia, which they did. She had no previous experience of boating but took an RYA competent crew course.
Little Coconut now sported a new oven, a gift from Harry, but was otherwise still bereft of any creature comforts. Hugh reports Miranda as ‘freezing’ when he picked up a bucket and said “toilet” and being told that the only washing facilities were being scrubbed down on deck! Their journey took them via Spain, Portugal, the Canaries, Cape Verde (where Hugh’s father joined them for the Atlantic crossing), the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Columbia, Ecuador, the Marquesas Islands (in the middle of the Pacific), the French Polynesia, Samoa and, at the start of the tropical storm season, Fiji, still some distance from Australia.
The journey was beset with problems with the engine regularly failing at critical moments. On one occasion there was a near mutiny when Hugh’s father and Miranda forbad Hugh from climbing the mast in a squall to recover a halyard - he wisely backed down in the face of such formidable opposition. Incidentally there was another grounding, this time in Ecuador, in circumstances which Hugh describes as a fiasco and ended up with an apology to the Navy!
It was in Fiji that the pressure and worry about the oncoming storm season took its toll on Hugh who writes about one frightening occasion when he had insisted on setting sail against Miranda’s wishes in the dark, with strong winds and heavy swells, she had been pushed too far.
The arrival on the Gold Coast of Australia in November 2017, after enduring a week of strong winds, was an emotional occasion for them both, having sailed 14,500 miles from Jersey over 14 months. Another extraordinary achievement. You might have expected the marina where they moored would have given them a welcome, but when the authorities discovered Hugh had no insurance for Little Coconut, Miranda was refused a shower (after sitting in salt for a week as Hugh puts it) and they were told to sail round to a local beach known as ‘Bum’s Bay’! Hugh candidly admits that Miranda found parts of this journey very hard and his honest description of their developing relationship in physically arduous circumstances is moving. You come away full of admiration for her.
I have roughly sketched out the routes taken on both journeys with a hint at some of the things that happened, but Hugh describes the journeys, the many incidents and the ups and downs vividly and with great humour in his very individualistic self-effacing and searingly honest way. It is well worth reading.
Julian Clyde-Smith G‘68
Caught on Camera
Nick Smyth StB’00, Johnny WPS’57 and Jack Harrison G’00 attended the Burning Man in the US this summer –Johnny’s first time, but apparently not his last!
James Metcalf R'12 & Dominic O'Donnell-Burke R'12 were busy training for the Klagenfurt Ironman in Austria which they completed in June 2025 in aid of the MS Trust
Society Manager, Mary Lou Burge, bumped into Stephen Wolseley R’98 at the St Patrick’s Day Parade at Wellington Barrack in March 2025 whilst supporting her nephew in the Irish Guards Damian Chunilal’s R’86 love of travel to remote and extreme places took him to the South Pole in 2025
Mickey Morrissey R’78 and his wife Sally-Anne with Seamus, the mascot of the Irish Guards, at the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade in March 2025 at Wellington Barracks
Some of the Class of 1983 decided to celebrate having turned 60 with a splendid dinner at the Bombay Brasserie in South Kensington in May 2025; l to r, Brett Hatton, Marcus Elwes, Paul Johnson, James Cockburn, Patrick Sheppard- Capurro, Tony Sugrue, Andrew Hobbs (hiding at the back), Rosie Wheeler, Charles Rangeley-Wilson, Andrew Mitchell, Justin van der Lande, Ben Drummond Anthony-Marc Barnard, David White, Sean Buckley & Jonathan Brasher
Christian Killoughery R’10 was well and truly supported by a group of OWs at his wedding in May 2025; l to r, James Kemp F’14, Maddy Ilsley StM’10, Ed Kemp F’10, Julia Kemp StM’11 (née Hollis), Ben Smith C’11, Richard Warren C’10, Harry Luff C’10, Andrew Pring R’10, Marc Giglioli R’10, Christian, Nick Elvidge C’11, Des Calnan R’69, Harry Killoughery R’12, Joe Rivers F’10, Oli Jacobs F’10, Claire Long StM’12 (née Hodkinson), Tim Long B’11, Harry Woodman F’10, Dom Robinson B’11, Freddie Boag-Jones R’15 & Giles Killoughery R’20
A group of recent alumni were delighted to be presented with their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards by Prince Edward at Buckingham Palace in May; to r, Julian Williams (who has overseen the DofE programme at Worth for many years), Jaslyn Cole StA’25, Will Baker G’25, Gabriel van Assche B’25 & Thomas Tyley StB’25
Paddy Morrissey R’84 and his wife Jo-Jo visited Fr Kevin in January 2025, 2 days before his 94th birthday
Jim Piddock B’74 popped in for tea with Fr Kevin in December 2024 when he came to give a Spencer Lecture about his life in Hollywood
Micheal Haran R’87 exhibiting at a solo show in Holland Park in June 2025, sponsored by investment company Cadro
John Bennett R’81 bumped into Edward Henry C‘80 at Ascot in June 2025
Giles Sacarello StB’08, Simon Cruz B ‘81, Rohan Cavaliero B ‘81, Charlie Cruz B ‘79 and John Bennett R’81 met up at the second Lions Test in Melbourne at the end of July 2025
Ben Nickell B’94 and father-in-law Nick Mellish WPS’61 were back at Worth in November 2025 to watch a hockey match
OW 1st XI Football Players Ethan Cunha F’21, Oli Brown F’21, Ollie Rivers F’14, Harry Woodman F’10, Will Neville-Smith StB’11 and Ciaran Nye C’18 were at Wembley with Team Manager, Andy Taylor in November 2025 to see England beat Serbia 2-0
Matthew Shanahan G’89 brought his son for a tour of Worth in June 2025 whilst visiting from his home in Dubai
Adrian Palengat R’86 enjoyed linking up with his Housemaster, Fr James, whilst on a visit to Worth with his son in October 2025
There was a strong representation of Butler boys at the funeral of former Housemaster, Keith Owers, at Worth in June 2025. L to r, Nick Moore B’82, Jamie O’Meara B’82, John Shepherd B’82, James Middleton B’82, Edward Macquisten B’82, and Angus Hamilton B’84
Some Class of 2002 leavers caught up in August 2025 at Lord’s Cricket Ground for the Test Match; Ronan Cloud B’02, Tom Carew Hunt StB’02, Chris Kellaway B’02, James Condie B’02, Ben Leslie B’02, Mark Churchman C’02, James Arney R’02, Ben Newman B’02 & Giles Turton F’02
The annual gathering of EBCS Dinner at the No Idea Café in Bangkok in December 2024 organised by Jim Sherry WPS’51
Bishop John MacWilliam StB’67 enjoying ‘semi-retirement’ in Algiers
Jack Harrison G’00 at home in Shanghai where his apartment was showcased in the Shanghai Daily
Giles Hamilton B’82 came along to Worth’s super car event in May 2025 with his classic Porsche 922 Turbo, here with Dominic Strickland C’81
Jamie Coutts Donald StB’01 was delighted to win best marque car at the Drivers Union Super Car Festival at Worth in May 2025, linking up with Colin Rowton R’98
Caught on Camera continued
Caught on Camera continued
Lorenzo Belpassi ’04 with his family on a trip to Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas 2025 Matthew Pardo B’01 (l) and Philip Symonds B’01 (r) were best men at Paddy Scott’s B’01 (centre) wedding in December 2024, with many other OWs of the 2001 vintage also in attendance
A gathering of Class of 2013 St Mary’s girls in Covent Garden in November 2024 with Mia Ryan, Former Housemistress Caroline Brown, Lizzie Narbeth, Kate Hamilton, Felicity Smith, Matron Nikki Webb, Heather Norris & Izzie Pollard
Claire (Hodkinson) StM’12 & Tim Long B’11 brought their new addition, our first OW baby, along to the Welcome Festival in 2025 and met up with newly weds Christian Killoughery R’10 and wife Sarah
Oli Jacobs F’10 (right) celebrating his third Grammy Award in February 2025 for his work as part of the team that won Best Engineered Non Classical Album for i/o by Peter Gabriel. He was also nominated for four other Grammys for his work with Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter
Phil Barnes StB’72, Paul Magoris B’72 & Nigel Burnford StB’72 met up in Dubai in February 2025 with a lot of laughter!
Oliver Taylor’s G’03 school crosscountry days clearly served him well as he became the 2025 British Trail Association Champion for the ‘Ultra’ category, having run the full 140km length of the National Ridgeway
Desmond Calnan R’69 catching up with Fr Luke at the School’s Welcome Festival in September 2025
Jamie Douglas B'92, Nick Thom B'92 and Dominic Crossley StB’92, aka The Atlantic Aardvarks, are in full training for ‘The World’s Toughest Row’ across the Atlantic at the end of 2026
Michael Spencer B’73 hosted his annual Worth lunch in September 2025 with the following attending l to r: Jerry Fletcher G’72, Hugh Bett B’73, Dominic Quennell C’74, Martin Hunt StB’81, Alex ScottBarrett StB’73, Michael, Andrew Robinson B’73, Robert Bodnar-Horvath B’74, Simon Crane StB’70, Mary Renouf StB’75 and Christian Rooney StB’84
The Clyde-Smith Family entertained Amanda Holden and Alan Carr at their holiday home in Corfu whilst the pair were on the island filming Amanda and Alan’s Greek Job
OW groomsmen Oliver Rivers F’14, Peter McGrath C’14, Sebastian Fairweather C’14 and Christopher Fairweather C’12, with Sebastian’s bride Marisa at their wedding in May 2025
A group of '98 leavers gathered for a Wolfrun 10K (very cold, wet and muddy) assault course in 2025: to r, Mike Eddleston R’98, Simon Albert G’98, Cormac Stanford StB’98, Hugo Terry C’98 and his wife Lel & Stephen Wolseley R’98
Neil Laughton C’82 (l) and Daniel Grace F’05 (r meeting John Blasford-Snell, founder of the Scientific Exploration Society at an event there in October 2025
Announcements
Marriages
Paddy Scott B’01 to Henrietta Whitfield on 7th December 2024 at Chelsea Old Church, London
Ramon Abaroa StB’09 to Maria Leonor Palacios Rumsey
Pinheiro Torres on 12th July 2025 at the Church of Santo António do Estoril in Portugal
Christian Killoughery R’10 to Sarah Grantham-Hill on 10th May 2025 at Somerley House, Hampshire
Julia Hollis StM’11 to James Kemp F’14 on 2nd August 2025 at St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Cothelstone, Taunton
Kitty Gibson StA’12 to Tom Simmons on 2nd August 2025 in Slinfold, West Sussex
Charlie Barclay-Hudson C’13 to Danielle Chick on 20th September 2025 at Owlpen Church, Gloucestershire
James Burns R’14 to Holly Ewart on 10th May 2025 at Kew Gardens
Sebastian Fairweather C’14 to Marisa Patel on on 5th May 2025 at The Ravenswood, East Grinstead
Emily Rothman StM’16 to Jack Shepherd-Cross on 12th July 2025 at St Mary’s Church, Balcombe
Tom Bentley C’18 to Isabella Blowey StB’17 on 17th July 2025 at St Anthony and St Georges Catholic Church in Duncton, West Sussex
Felicity Smith StM’13 to Henry Heath on 16th August 2025 in Teddington
Births
Florian Heiss StB’08 and Bettina, a daughter, Chiara, on 28th February 2025
Tim Long B’11 and Claire Long née Hodkinson StM’12, a daughter, Camilla Mary, on 9th July 2025
Theo Rivers F’11 and Nicola, a daughter, Mia Rose, on 23rd July 2025
Helen Marsh née Purle StM’16, a son, Stephen, on 22nd March 2025
Anniversaries
Peter and Anne Freeland (Former Head of Science) celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on 9th January 2025
Distinctions
Phil Barnes StB’72 was named one of Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders 2025
Nick Robinson StB’75 was awarded an OBE in The King’s Birthday Honours List 2025, recognising his exceptional service to disadvantaged young people, charitable fundraising and music
Andrew Caillard MW C’78 was the recipient of the Maurice O’Shea Award at the Australian Wine Industry Awards in July 2025 honouring a 45-year career in the Australian wine industry
Thomas Hammond-Davies C’03 was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in recognition of his distinguished contribution of Choral Conducting
Deaths
Dom Kevin Taggart WPS’44, Gervase Housemaster, Head Master ’77-’83 & Abbot of Worth ’10-’13, on 14th October 2025, aged 94
Simon MacLachlan WPS’48 on 17th April 2025, aged 90
Keith Owers (Former Butler Housemaster & Geography Teacher) on 17th May 2025, aged 90
Helen Sweetman (Former Matron) on 30th April 2025, aged 88
Ann Fagan (Former Art Teacher) on 9th May 2025, aged 82
Simon Slaughter R’64 on 22nd September 2025, aged 79
Michael Setter G’65 on 17th May 2025, aged 78
Dominic Croft C’66 on 26th August 2025, aged 78
Guy Horton G’69 on 21st December 2024, aged 73
Simon Drummond-Brady B’74 on 8th February 2025, aged 69
Eduardo Soriano StB’73 on 17th February 2025, aged 69
Andrew Moor B’78 on 23rd June 2025, aged 65
Richard Dawson R’82 on 26th July 2025, aged 61
Paul O’Dwyer C’87 on 30th April 2025, aged 56
Tom Wild C’97 on 17th August 2025, aged 46
Charles Slevin B’02 on 25th July 2025, aged 40
Philip Burling R’05 on 22nd July 2025, aged 38
Philip Ozorio R’05 on 8th July 2025, aged 38
Charlie & Danielle Barclay-Hudson Theo Rivers with Mia Rose Stephen Marsh Florian Heiss with Chiara
Anne & Peter Freeland
Nick Robinson OBE
Maria Torres & Ramon Abaroa
James Kemp & Julia Hollis Kitty & Tom Simmons Jack Shepherd-Cross & Emily Rothman
Sebastian & Marisa Fairweather James & Holly Burns Paddy & Henrietta Scott (with son Osprey) Bella Blowey & Tom Bentley
Felicity Smith & Matt Heath
News in Brief
Former Staff
Peter Freeland (Science Teacher 1970-1999) and my wife Anne celebrated our Diamond Wedding Anniversary on 9th January 2025. Considering how busy they must be it was so very kind of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to send us a card. Sixty years of ups and downs. We were the perfectly matched pair, me about 3 inches taller (see photo in Announcements). If you’re a newly married couple, hoping to set out on a long and fruitful life together, what advice would we offer? You’ll find the answers to most of life’s problems amongst sayings ancient and modern. Here are some to keep you happy and prepare you for what might come next: When the gorse is in flower, kissing is in season. Women have beauty, but not everyone sees it. You are what you eat, so avoid nuts and fruit cake. Don’t dig your grave with your knife and fork. Fortunate are those without expectations, for they will never be disappointed. Never act in haste – it was the second mouse that got the cheese. When you open your mouth, don’t put your foot in it. An argument a day keeps senility at bay.
George Daly (Teaching Staff 1976-1993) For those at Worth between 1976 and 1993, Liam Bauress and are starting to put together a website about the plays put on at Worth in those years. We already have a few bits of old videos, tape-recordings and photographs which we can use, but if by any chance you happen to have anything like that, we’d be grateful if you would share them with us by emailing them to georgedaly49@gmail.com
Worth Prep School
Nicholas de Piro WPS’54 owns Casa Rocca Piccola, a much-loved family palace in Valetta, Malta, which contains over 50 rooms, many of which are open to the public, and where you can learn all about the unique customs and traditions of the Maltese nobility. We have a collection of furniture, silver and paintings, that add to the aesthetic riches of Malta, and also World War II air raid shelters that provide a dramatic and exciting addition to the tour of the house. Do please come and visit! www.casaroccapiccola.com
Worth School 1960s
Sebastian Fairweather G’67 Having received the usual annual request for some sort of ditty for The Blue Paper and, at my age, with little news to report beyond the inevitabilities of death and taxes, find myself drawn to the past. Now a retired Consultant in Geriatric Medicine and living in Cornwall, my world, though changed, has been more stable than that of my grandmother, who lived through gaslight (now with a whole new meaning), two world wars, and the decline from opulence to modesty. I arrived at Worth in 1962, and as almost everything in my life, it came about by accident. had failed the 11+ and destined for my local Secondary Modern. had a Fairy Godmother who, whilst randomly driving in Sussex, happened on some wrought-iron gates, drove through them and found Worth Abbey. She reasoned that if was to find God anywhere it would be there. My chaotic prep school experience had resembled Lord of the Flies more than a place of learning. Worth, by contrast, was calm, competent, and decent - its monks sincere believers who lived their values, and teachers with great professionalism. My Housemaster, Fr Kevin, was a fine decent man completely devoid of angst. The then Head Master, Fr Dominic, was a bit more austere, but nevertheless a fine human being. Throughout my life I have learned from watching and listening to others, and Worth was the first time met a group of adults who I felt were really 'worthy' of watching. In the forty years I have been a practising physician it has been my privilege to work with and learn from some truly exceptional people. So, if have one piece of advice to the young, it is to always try and work or associate with people who are better than you are. I no longer believe, respect those who do, and found meaning in the rituals, the music, and the quiet moments of reflection, especially while serving private Masses or listening to Fr Thomas play Bach on the organ. Music and poetry have always moved me deeply and I now sing in a Cornish Male Voice Choir. I struggled with dyslexia and slow reading, but over time, persistence helped me improve, and I now see that many of life’s greatest achievements come not from talent alone, but from relentless effort. Worth gave me a lifelong friend I consider a brother (in addition to my 5 brothers and sisters) and taught me the value of surrounding oneself with people of integrity and excellence. The School didn’t push me, but it gave me space to grow, and I learned that
true education often lies in being left alone to find your own way. I’ve never lost respect for the School and the values it instilled—chief among them, the quiet, internal drive to be the best version of oneself. Whether in faith, work, or friendship, I’ve come to believe that goodness, though hard to define, is recognisable, and that holiness, whatever its source, shines through in those who live with openness, courage, and conviction. I hope Worth still teaches that striving for the-good matters, and that young people today are encouraged to read widely, think deeply, and live with purpose.
John MacWilliam StB ’67, now 76, has handed over the pastoral care of the diocese of Laghouat (Algerian Sahara) to a younger White Father missionary bishop and has rejoined a community in Algiers where he hopes to continue to serve the Lord with the Missionaries of Africa for many more years, but at a more ‘semi-retired’ pace. See Caught on Camera.
Michael May StB’67 Having recently completed the mural for the Savoy Hotel ‘Gallery’ Restaurant in October 2024, am now engaged in providing art work for Simpsons in the Strand, the iconic restaurant that has been closed since Covid lockdown and due to reopen in early 2026. Hopefully my last big project!
Claude Keith G’69 Currently getting back to doing a series of 9 'shortish' stories that provide my slightly different take on life and fun observations that I have made along the way! Unfortunately, have been drawn into doing a fair bit of scribbling for the local area in Victoria/ Westminster which includes the Cathedral. I have initiated a newsletter and have much correspondence with the Cathedral primarily on the subject of their security, as well as writing pieces for different residential groups including CARG (Cathedral Area Residents Group). All good fun and keeps me active and supposedly my mind alert?!
1970s
Patrick Bentham StB’73 The Catholic Student Network www.catholicstudentnetwork.co.uk is a small organisation that engenders the development of catholic student societies by providing training and mentoring for their leaders/ potential-leaders. Their work ensures that the faith of Catholic students is nurtured by supportive communities within their peer groups; school leavers may grow in faith and have the confidence to share it at a time in life when
it is easily lost. It is the kind of faith support that Catholic parents should want for their children, as they start to face the challenges of independent living, and those alumni who have already benefited from such help may also feel moved to promote its availability. It is facing potential closure due to a general reduction in the funding of charities.
Justin A. H. Brown C'78 Broadly experienced with Asian emerging markets focus. Track record in Myanmar (since 2000) with references to support. Introductions to the market with appropriate network to establish and represent.
Andrew Caillard C’78 was the recipient of the Maurice O’Shea Award at the Australian Wine Industry Awards in July 2025 honouring a 45-year career in the Australian wine industry, most notably penning The Australian Ark, along with Penfolds: The Rewards of Patience, the LANGTONS Classification of Australian Wine and The Vintage Journal
Hugh Hamshaw Thomas StB’78 Winner of the Ushaw Residency and Acquisition Prize 2024/25 in conjunction with Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair. Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens is a former Catholic Seminary situated in County Durham dating from1808 that was founded by scholars from the English College, Douai, who had fled France after the French Revolution. My work ‘The Sacred and the Secular. The manner of Things’ examines the manner in which objects are invested with meaning, be they sacred objects of worship or relics against artefacts that have become disengaged from their former contexts yet still resonate with narratives and associations. Five of my works have also recently been acquired for The Chancery Rosewood Hotel, the former American Embassy in Mayfair, London.
Christopher Kelly StB’78 undertook a tour of the Midwest, America, with conferences and workshops on Vézelay in Chicago, Milwaukee, Kalamzoo, Indainapolis and Notre Dame University in November 2025. I will also be running a couple of seminars in English in Vézelay in 2026. www.vezelay-visiteur.com/en/the-transformative-powerof-symbols/
Edward Mannix StB’79 Life continues apace in Zermatt with my wife Suzanne and Crazy Daisy, our loony springer spaniel. A victim of advancing age along with its associated physical inconveniences, I continue working as a guide/ instructor for one of the local ski schools. Summers are much more relaxed as a hiking guide.
1980s
Philip Lundberg C’80 News from the Hydes Farmhouse family of businesses. Cider is still growing and we are now in over 90 stockists throughout Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire and Wiltshire. Special code Worthian10 for 10% off. The Herriard Hound Hotel is also expanding and we are reaching capacity. Otherwise, all the family are well.
John Bennett R ’81 Pretty much retired from the heady world of insurance and concentrating on running an arable farm here in Suffolk whilst fighting off the slings and arrows bunged at us by a government who, to put it diplomatically, aren’t all that keen on supporting matters agricultural. Have been sitting as a JP for a good few years which keeps the grey matter ticking over. Family all well; daughters are thriving in their chosen careers and Debs and I celebrate 30 years married next year. Poor woman. Still break bread (and holiday!) with lots of alumni which is always great fun.
Jonathan Stordy StB’81 I am retired but keep my hand in the drinks industry by helping two gin and wine companies in Spain as an advisor. Loving the time to travel with Sarah and play more golf. Got to compete in Scottish Amateur this summer at Gullane. Played decently but as expected the super talented 20 year olds are on a different level. Ciaran StB’12 script editor on EastEnders at the BBC, whilst Anna StM’16 has been at Amazon helping brands to drive their sales on-line. Our biggest news is Ciaran is getting married to Clodagh in Donegal in November.
Nicholas Frank R’83 Was delighted to celebrate the marriage of my daughter, Catriona Jean Dunning Franck, who went to Mayfield, to Ben Hamilton-Brown, in the chapel of St. Leonards Mayfield on 2nd August 2025.
Damian Chunilal R’86 loves to travel to remote and extreme places. This year I went to Antarctica. To the mountains of Dronning Maud Land, the Polar Plateau in remote Eastern Antarctica and the South Pole. See Caught on Camera.
Micheal Haran R’87 Had a solo show in the summer in Holland Park sponsored by a very high end investment company called Cadro, in conjunction with Daisy Green Restaurants and Rise Art platform. As well as Instagram am also selling on Saatchi Art, exhibiting regularly and making lots of new art, mainly in oil or acrylic on canvas. www.michealharan.art/ See Caught on Camera.
1990s
Mel Carson B’90 who played the title roles in Worth School theatre productions of Amadeus and Romero in the late 1980s, finally returned to the stage in a stunning production of Sarah Ruhl’s, Eurydice, after THIRTY years away from acting. Produced by Bainbridge Island Performing Arts near Seattle, USA, Mel played ‘The Father’ to Eurydice in the acclaimed show that won a number of local awards.
Al Ferraro G’91 continues as a Renal Consultant but is now also Deputy Clinical Director for Medical Specialties within Nottingham’s Hospitals; working with a great team responsible for 5,000 staff and a budget of around £350 million. Still a Church Warden in his spare time. Meanwhile eldest son, Dan, has finished a sport-filled year-off, heavily disguised as work & Christian volunteering (being a summer ‘manny’ with Neilson, and a winter ‘Ski Angel’ at Ski Angels - Altitude Mission). He starts at Newcastle Medical School in Sept 2025. Sue and James also remain well and continue their varied work/ school/ christian/ sporting pursuits.
Dominic Crossley StB’92, Jamie Douglas B'92, Nick (now Colonel) Thom B'92 and myself, aka the Atlantic Aarvarks, are signed up to compete in the 'World’s Toughest Row' in December 2026: 3,000 miles of unsupported rowing from the Canaries to the Caribbean over, hopefully, about 40 gruelling days. Right now, the race seems like it’s the easy part! Naturally, we need to get fit. Thom’s military physique gives him an unfair advantage, but turning a middle-aged financier (Douglas) and a lawyer (me) into rowing hunks is no small feat. We’ve also had to learn how to raise money as the cost of the event is around £100,000. To help cover that, we’re seeking generous sponsors whose names will adorn Dotty, our gear, and our sparkling (and newly acquired) social media presence. We aim to raise £150,000 for causes close to our hearts: Breakthrough T1D, which transforms the lives of people with Type 1 diabetes; The London Irish Centre, which provides vital support to those facing difficult circumstances; Velosano, a transformative cancer charity, and The Army Benevolent Fund, which does exactly what its name suggests. If you’d like to support our adventure - whether through sponsorship or by donating to our chosen charities - take a look at our website www.atlanticaardvarks.com/ See Caught on Camera.
2000s
Jack Harrison G’00 This year was my third time at Burning Man. drove out in an RV from Los Angeles with my father, Johnny Harrison’s WPS’57, having stayed with Nick Smyth StB’00 and his family in Malibu. It was my father’s first time at the age of 81, but apparently not his final one!
Jamie Coutts Donald StB’01 came to Worth with one of my cars and managed to win the prize for best marque car at the Drivers Union Concourse on 25th May. Colin Rowton R’98 was with me. Great to come and see our old school. now work as a GP in Hampshire (Chalk Stream Medical). See Caught on Camera.
Paddy Scott B’01 got married on 7th December 2024 with Matthew Pardo B’01 and Philip Symonds B’01 as best men (see Caught on Camera). Matthew and Philip are also Godparents to my son Osprey, born in 2022 and baptised by Fr Martin at Worth in 2024. Due to health issues, I’ve had to put my career as an Expedition Cameraman & Photographer behind me and have just finished an MSc in Environmental Politics & Policy, an area I’m looking to move into. Any pearls of wisdom or contacts from WOBs in the industry would be hugely appreciated.
Oliver Taylor G’03 School cross country days seem a long time ago now having turned 40 last year but clearly served me well as this year I became the British Trail Association Champion for the ‘ultra’ category, running the full length of the National Ridgeway starting Ivinghoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire & finishing Avebury, Wiltshire - a total distance of 140km. See Caught on Camera.
Lorenzo Belpassi G'04 After the closure of Belpassi Bros, my wife and moved to NYC at the end of 2019 and during Covid had 2 children; Paloma now 4, and Santino now 2. We relocated with Citadel Securities to Miami, FL, and bought our first home together. I now work for Natoora in Miami working with the top chefs and restaurants. The children go to school in Coconut Grove and Babushka our frenchie keeps us on our toes. See Caught on Camera.
2010s
Andrew Pring R’10 Greetings! After nine years of Regular service, I have now left the Army and moved to London. In an entirely unoriginal career move, I shall be consulting for PwC back into Defence. The Army may even let me solve the problems they wouldn't let me solve when I worked for them. I'll be working in London Bridge and look forward to reconnecting with Londonbased Old Worthians!
Kitty Gibson StA’12 continues to work in Exhibition Project Management, working with pharmaceutical clients internationally. I got married this year to Tom, so am officially a Simmons!
Sam Steers C'14 wrote a piece for The Blue Paper in 2022 after swam the English Channel. This year marks a significant milestone as the 150th anniversary since Matthew Webb first swam the Channel in 1875. To celebrate this, I’ve written a short book called How to Swim the English Channel, available from Amazon. In it I mention how got into the idea of swimming the channel first through completing a relay with my fellow classmates at Worth after our AS exams in summer 2013. It was all started by pupil Ben Barham R’10 who brought the tradition to Worth by managing to convince a few of his friends to do a relay with him and there were about 6-8 teams that attempted the crossing.
Keith William Owers
8th July 1934 - 17th May 2025
Keith was born in July 1934 in Chadwell Heath, Essex, adored only son of Margaret and Lawrence. At his 90th birthday celebration last year Dad talked of the love of his parents and described his own father, a Cockney shop keeper, as ‘his favourite man’, saying, “He taught me so much, not by what he spoke to me about but, by the way he lived.” In his own words, that is, in essence, exactly what we would like to say about Dad. Our favourite man.
His war-time experiences, as for so many, profoundly shaped who he was and the way he would live his long life. His memories of that time, despite the context, were always vivid and colourful. Evacuated in September 1939, aged 5, to Somerset. He didn’t like it much and, ‘borrowing’ some money from the mantlepiece of his hosts, he found his way back home to London by train, all on his own.
Dad recalled tormenting his mother by ‘playing chicken’ with the V1 rockets with his mates – sitting on the top of the Anderson shelter, waiting for their engines to stop, and then counting and diving for cover. Dad’s home was bombed out three times during the war – at the last of these, the house came down on top of his father whilst he was searching for our grandmother who was thought to be inside. Grandpa survived (albeit with dozens of stitches in his head and six months in hospital) but this experience, whilst still a very young boy, had a deep and lasting impact on Dad.
Through his time at Brentwood School, his National Service in Egypt, at Keble College, Oxford, at Adisadel College in Ghana (where he met his wife Gilly), at Worth and through his long retirement, Dad’s life was founded on the bedrock principles, formed during these early years, of openness, hospitality, respect, optimism, integrity, resourcefulness and, above all, kindness and humility.
Fr Luke Jolly’s homily at Keith’s funeral touched on how Benedictine Keith was, “He was wise and humble, with great integrity. He personified, not just to family but much more widely, the father who taught by word and example. Along with Gilly and their sons, sometimes perhaps against his better judgement, the family extended extraordinary hospitality to many people. I think would also add the monastic vow of stability: reflected in his 38 years as teacher, housemaster and so much more at Worth School, mostly living at East Lodge. Joining the staff of a monastic school only recently founded and with a 34-year-old Fr Dominic as Headmaster was certainly providential. Keith found his own humanity and ideals reflected particularly in the monks, but also in many of his fellow teachers.”
Following Keith’s final retirement from Worth, he continued his life of service and support, through so many different organisations, including: visits to Lewes prison, volunteering for Age UK as a driver and helping complete complex social security forms – where he was often a decade or two older than those he was helping, and for Citizens Advice Bureau – where his compassion, common sense, and practical ethos helped so many.
A compassionately competitive man who just over two years ago, was not going to be bested by his physical challenges, got himself up to and across London to Hammersmith to meet up with a team of walkers from the second of our four annual 14-mile Bridges Walks for Maggie’s, the cancer charity. When we arrived, Dad was enjoying his 2nd beverage of the day and quipped ‘what kept ya’?
In his later years, Dad spoke frequently, and thankfully, of the luck that he had seen during his life. That may well have been so, but luck is what you make it and there is no doubt that Dad’s life was one which was very well and fully-lived and which was largely lived for the benefit of others. Many, many people will remember Dad fondly; a fondness which he richly deserves, and one which gives us great comfort and strength as we start to navigate our future without him as our anchor.
Paul, Roly & Lawrence Owers G’83
Sometimes in life, if you are fortunate, you come across a person that has such a profound, inspirational and positive effect on your life. That person, for me, was Keith Owers. now know something that I always suspected, I was far from alone.
The vast number of tributes that flooded into the Worth Society are testament to the enormous respect, influence and love for Keith, amongst his many charges in Butler House, in the classroom, the common room, on the sports field and across the whole school.
Keith was a giant of a man, both physically and metaphorically – hence his nickname Beef.
He could be tough when he needed to be – but he was always unequivocally fair - he had integrity and a welladjusted moral compass. We’d know when we had stepped out of line - Keith was keen to point it out - often with a wry smile. Keeping control and the respect of 13–18-yearold boys must have been a nightmare - Keith managed it with great skill, mixing appropriate discipline with humour. He understood the important things in life and realised that boys needed a bit of latitude as well as guidance and boundaries on right and wrong. believe that it was finding this balance that endeared him to so many of the boys.
The sight and sound of Keith marching down the long gallery or appearing unexpectedly in a dormitory was sufficient to encourage us all to settle down and behave.
He had an uncanny ability to sniff out trouble. When he was on duty - we would wait to see the taillights of his BMW disappear in the direction of East Lodge before getting up to mischief - only to be rumbled when Keith popped up several minutes later. He loved the cat and mouse game!
Keith was a loving, caring and considerate man, he adored his wife Gilly, his three sons Paul, Lawrence and Roly, their wives and his ten wonderful grandchildren. Their house at East Lodge was a warm and homely place. An important refuge for many and always full to the gunwales with his boys and other members of the Owers family, not to mention the many dogs and occasional goat.
Keith was full of compassion, he had a well-developed sixth sense knowing when a boy was vulnerable or in trouble - he would quietly take them to one side and provide all the necessary support, warmth and care. He was also incredibly supportive of the misguided and, what he loved to call some of us – the rogues! He would see the good in everyone and help you through the hiccups and hurdles of growing up - encouraging us to be the best version of ourselves.
Keith had a great sense of humour; there are many examples of his sense of fun - often used to defuse a situation or add a touch of mirth to make a point. One particularly unkempt and unshaven boy was taken aside, “Young man can I suggest that the next time you have a shave you stand a bit closer to the razor”.
Keith was the first lay housemaster in the School –what an inspired choice! He quickly created a positive
culture in this newly established house. Those of us in Butler felt privileged to be part of it, inspired by Keith’s leadership and encouragement. We excelled at sport, driven on by our Housemaster’s enthusiasm. We fared less well in the house music competition and legend has it that Keith would retire if we ever won it! There was great camaraderie and spirit amongst the Butler boys. We all enjoyed the house parties in Keith’s study where he allowed us to let our hair down – usually over a beer or two.
Keith loved teaching and geography was his passion, and looking at the tributes it was clear that he taught with enthusiasm, humour and great skill. As one tribute read: “He made geography come to life in his always entertaining classes”.
Sport was another passion of Keith’s, he loved rugby, cricket and athletics; rugby he referred to as a hooligans game played by gentlemen. think the philosophy of play hard i.e. knock the hell out of each other – then shake hands and have a beer together afterwards - rather appealed to him. Keith was an inspiration to us all both on and off the field.
After retiring, Keith was highly sought after at Worth Society events and in particular the Old Boys dinners. At one such event, upon spotting his former Head of House, enlarged by several years of overindulgence – he remarked, “Look who’s BEEF now!”
Keith lived life to the full, he loved people, his work and he loved Worth School - more than anything he loved his family. But he also created another family – those thousands of boys whom he inspired, guided and cared for. He was the most rounded, compassionate and gifted of men. On behalf of us all Keith, thank you for everything you have done for so many of us and may you rest in peace.
Charlie Whelpton StB’75
Helen Agnes Sweetman
26th November 1936 – 30th April 1936
Helen’s faith came from her family and upbringing in Ireland. Family was always at the heart of her life. She was always mindful of her parents, devoted to her siblings and very proud of her nieces and nephews and their children.
In God’s providence Helen arrived at Worth via Glenstal Abbey in 1957. She was to be Matron Sweetman for an extraordinary 45 years, and then to remain on the campus for a further 18 years in her retirement. One of our monastic vows is the vow of Stability, through which we commit ourselves to this particular community in this particular place. Does this sound rather like Helen? There were many aspects of her life that reflect the Benedictine way of life: her perseverance and patience; having just one room in Junior House for her own private use; being firm and gentle with her boys; doing the small things with loving care. Helen was held in affection by most of her charges and greatly appreciated by her colleagues. There was something of the touch of God about her, and people responded to this. The award of the Papal Benemerenti medal was a fitting recognition of a working life of service to others.
Helen’s well-earned retirement in 2002 allowed time and space for making new friendships on and off the campus and the development of wider interests. Once again, think we can see God’s providence at work. A number of young families on the estate developed a close bond with Helen, and they were greatly saddened to hear of her death. Helen was much loved in the old people’s Circle Club. Then in Balcombe she got fully involved in the Women’s Institute, becoming the Chair in the centenary year. Many of us were perhaps surprised that she took on such a role, but perhaps we should not have been. Her faith in God and trust in others gave her an inner strength. Another wonderful expression of this was her joining a number of pilgrimages to the Marian shrine of Medjugorje. These were powerful confirmations of her devotion to Our Lady and of the power of the Rosary.
In her declining years Helen needed residential and then nursing care. There seemed a calm acceptance on Helen’s part, as well as a hidden strength, to carry on much longer than might be expected. As long as she could respond she was eager to pray the rosary and receive Communion.
Helen’s life on earth has come to an end, but she is promised eternal life in heaven.
Taken from Fr Luke Jolly’s Homily at Helen’s Funeral Mass at Worth on 24th May 2025
Simon Slaughter R’64
15th January 1946 – 22nd September 2025
Simon was born in London in January 1946, the only child of Basil Gerard and Estelle Slaughter, after which the family moved to Devon. He became a pupil at Worth Preparatory School in 1954 which is where first came to know him, aged 8. We were then amongst the 28 founder members of what is now Worth School, and both of us studied there until Simon left in 1964.
After he left Worth, Simon’s father encouraged him to work in an office, so he got a job in Torquay with the Bristol & West Building Society. He didn’t enjoy office work, and wanted a job with more adventure, and so chose the Royal Navy, but before applying went to Technical College in Exeter to obtain the extra qualifications he would need.
Whilst at Exeter Tech he learnt to play the guitar and joined a band playing in local folk clubs in Devon. He also learnt to play squash and enjoyed driving around the country in his old sports cars.
He passed his training for the Fleet Air Arm with flying colours, and although he was a little older than many of the new recruits, they soon came to respect his knowledge and technical abilities. He served from 1972 until 1994 when he was re-employed as a civil servant, but still working for the Royal Navy.
Simon loved his life in the Fleet Air Arm, based with the helicopters at HMS Heron at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton. During his career he regularly spent time on board the carriers HMS Hermes, HMS Illustrious, and HMS Invincible. He went to The Falklands at the end of the war in the South Atlantic and was proud to have served his country.
He became a very good squash player, representing the Royal Navy. He met his wife Sarah in Exeter on the squash courts. It was game, set and match, and they were married in 1987, and ultimately made their home in Hampshire.
He finally retired from the Civil Service in 2012 and, through the technical knowledge he had gained, was able to keep all the family cars serviced and in good running order. In his retirement he enjoyed many walking holidays with Sarah in the mountains of Austria, Switzerland and France. He particularly loved the scenery and the feeling of freedom that such holidays gave him.
He was a very meticulous man with everything he did; his paperwork, his belongings, his cars, and his appearance. He loved to socialise and tell a joke, and at times play tricks, particularly on the monks at Worth when he was a young boy. He always had a story to tell and took great satisfaction in making people laugh. He always had a ready smile, and a good sense of fun. Simon was a much loved and well-respected person, and we will all miss him.
Jeremy Best C’64
Simon was a devout Catholic and served in the RC church in Bishops Waltham as a Eucharistic Minister, supporting his parish priest in visiting the elderly and sick.
Michael Peter Setter G’65
24th April 1947 – 17th May 2025
Michael was born, the youngest of three children, at the family home in Henleaze, Bristol.
Early education at La Retraite Convent in Bristol was followed in 1955 by Worth Preparatory School with a view to his later going to Downside, a much handier location for Bristol. His first Head Master was Fr Maurice Bell, and his time at Worth began in Tower House with Fr Roger Bacon, followed by Junior House with Fr Theodore James. In 1957 Worth became independent of Downside and Michael could remember a tree planting ceremony to mark the occasion. He struck up a friendship with the then Bursar, Prior and subsequently (though not in Michael's time), Abbot Victor Farwell, whose influence on Michael’s religious adherence was a major part of the rest of his life. His progress continued with Fr Denis Agius in Chapman House, Fr Fabian Glencross in Butler and finally Fr Edward Cruise in Ford.
His success at persuading his parents to allow him to join the recently opened Worth Senior School saw him enter Gervase House with Fr Kevin Taggart in 1960 and Head Master Fr Dominic Gaisford. Though at times reluctant to admit it, it's fair to say Michael enjoyed his time at the School and on leaving in 1965 missed the Benedictine environment.
Following his time at Worth, Michael studied at Bristol Polytechnic and became a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He then joined the family firm, Stone & Co (Bristol) Ltd, where he was a Director and later formed his own company Stone Ecclesiastical Ltd.
Michael always had a great interest in building safety and in 1973 he set up The Building Safety Group. He led the organisation with vision, integrity, and unwavering dedication for several decades. His passion for reducing the occupational risks faced by those working in the building trade led him to becoming Chairman of BSG in 1986 for 34 years. Many would agree that it was Michael’s foresight and entrepreneurial skills that saw BSG grow from its humble beginnings in Bristol, with just one Safety Advisor, to a national provider of health and safety consultancy services to construction companies throughout the UK.
Michael served the Bristol community over his working life by joining the Board of Directors for the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Initiative from 1991–2001, being President from 1992–1993 and serving on the Board of Directors for the Clifton Diocese.
He was a Trustee of the Diocese between 2015–2022 under Bishop Declan Lang, who was succeeded by Bishop Bosco MacDonald who Michael had got to know well over the years. Michael felt it was a privilege to be a Director and a Trustee; he was valued for his great knowledge of property matters and served on the Property Committee as well as the Audit Committee, Fundraising Committee and Safeguarding Committee and was much missed when he stepped down from the Board.
Michael had a great interest in classic cars, owning amongst others, an Alvis 12/50 Beetleback, Lotus 7 and a Triumph TR3A and took part in many car rallies both in the UK and abroad. He followed F1, enjoyed playing squash, continuing well into his sixties and had a lifelong love of rugby, supporting Bristol for many years, as well as an enduring fan of England – weekends lost every February and March to the Six Nations!
Michael sadly died in May 2025, following a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Rosemary with whom he lived in Bristol, their four daughters and four grandchildren.
Chris Setter G’64
Guy Anthony Horton G’69
28 March 1951 – 21 December 2024
We met on our first day at Worth in 1964 when Guy helped me put on my stiff collar and stud in Pickering dormitory. We sat next to each other in the potting shed classrooms; went smoking down the Red Road on Sunday afternoons; and helped our tongue-tied friends write love letters to convent girls with whom they had fallen in love at school dances. We stayed friends for 50 years.
Guy had an innate toughness that may in part have been formed when, after his first seven years growing up in India where his father worked for ICI, he was separated from his parents to stay with his grandparents and go to English schools, arriving at Worth and Gervase House in 1964.
Though brittle-boned, Guy loved sport and made the school’s rugby first XV. My skill, on the other hand, was finding ways with Sister Eadie to get off games and when Guy was nursing another broken arm or leg we indulged together an enormous appetite for reading and music.
On one occasion Guy and accepted a challenge from the classics master, Russell Coleburt, to argue that Bob Dylan’s lyrics were a match for the poetry of Keats in a memorable meeting of Coleburt’s elitist after-school club for aesthetes, Philokolai. Our English master, Ian Bonner, inspired in Guy a lifelong love of T S Eliot and D H Lawrence and we shared forever the memory of being on Ian’s unofficial trip to a Cream concert in London.
Our ways parted when Guy went to read English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and I went to Trinity College Dublin. He graduated and completed a Master’s in 1975. He taught English at Woolwich College, south-east London; Evesham College, Warwickshire; and the Open University.
In the 1990s he moved to Oxford, where he studied psychotherapy and worked as a therapist for the local health authority.
Guy Horton was one of those rare people who carried the idealism of his teenage years into the rest of his life.
Deeply moved by the humanitarian catastrophe in Burma, he proposed that the city of Oxford grant honorary citizenship to Aung San Suu Kyi then a detained human rights activist and later a politician, whose reputation latterly became tarnished by what Guy called her “complicity with tyranny”.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s husband, Michael Aris G’64, got in touch to thank him and, discovering they had both been at Worth, they became close friends. Michael
suggested Guy visit Burma, and in 1998, Guy travelled there, eventually becoming a special rapporteur for the United Nations as the situation in the country became increasingly unstable.
While in Manerplaw, a border area under the control of insurgents, Guy’s life was saved from the approaching Burmese military by locals who put him on an ageing elephant that pushed through overgrown jungle paths and across the landmine-strewn border to Thailand. Guy believed that the elephant had retained its memory of the pathway from the Second World War when it frequently made the journey with Allied guerrilla fighters.
From 2002, Guy taught English and human rights to refugees in Thailand, funded by the Open Society and the Netherlands government; he was a visiting lecturer at SOAS, London University; and was a prolific freelance journalist for titles as varied as The Times and International Herald Tribune, always championing the cause of those opposed to and suffering at the hands of the junta.
In 2017 the onset of Parkinson’s disease obliged him to leave Asia where the heat had overcome the kindness of local people who cared for him and whose photographs were by his bedside when he returned to England.
Guy settled in Rottingdean, East Sussex. Always fond of good food and wine it was clever of him to find a flat above the village’s best restaurant where the eponymous owner Franck became a close friend. In very little time Guy had become part of the community and when I would visit him (staying at the wonderful convent of St Martha’s) any walk to a pub or to breakfast at a seashore café would be interrupted by greetings from scores of well-wishers. He gave adult education classes in human rights at a local community centre, while also writing short stories and poems.
Guy’s connections with Worth were augmented by his encounters at Clackett Lane service station on the M25 with Desmond Calnan R’69 and the late-lamented James Wheeler C’69 who would help him make his journeys to stay with me at my home in Norfolk.
Guy never married and he is survived by his elder brother, Robin G’67
Johnny Harben G’69
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Andrew Richard Garnault Moor B’78
20th May 1960 - 23rd June 2025
t is with great sadness we announce the passing of Andrew Richard Garnault Moor on 23rd June 2025 in Toronto. Andrew attended Worth from ’70 to ’77 and reflected fondly on his school days as a time that fostered his love of nature and the sciences and allowed him to build friendships he cherished all his life.
Born on 30th May 1960 in London, Andrew was the eldest son of John and Mary Moor, and the proud older brother to four siblings. Andrew spent his childhood in the English countryside developing a love of nature, birds and sailing on the nearby sea. He cherished his English roots and his accent was part of his charm during his adult life in Canada.
After graduating from University College London, Andrew began his career as a mechanical engineer. He then transitioned into business after an MBA at the University of British Columbia. Andrew initially built his career at CIBC Wood Gundy, Smed and Invis before becoming CEO of Equitable Bank. Under Andrew’s leadership, Equitable transformed from a small trust company to Canada’s seventh-largest bank and launched the digital platform, EQ Bank. Today, EQ Bank serves over 700,000 customers and is known as Canada’s Challenger Bank. Andrew was a passionate advocate for fintech innovation that would challenge the status quo and benefit everyday Canadians. He cherished his colleagues and led with a style that was down-to-earth, enthusiastic and empathetic. He always had a good sense of humour and his distinctive laugh frequently reverberated the halls of the office.
Andrew lived a vibrant life and was joyful, warm and kind. He had a genuine interest in others and enjoyed engaging conversation with his family and friends. Andrew loved the outdoors and was an avid sailor, cyclist and skier. He took great joy from the people and communities that surrounded these activities. However, Andrew’s greatest treasure was his family. The adventure of his life was building a loving home in Canada with his wife, Mags. He was a proud and dedicated father. He encouraged his kids to chase their dreams and provided unwavering support. His family will forever remember his example of living with passion and integrity.
Andrew is survived by his wife of 37 years, Mags; his children Dan, Cat and Sarah ‘Bear’; his mother Mary; his siblings Ali, Helen, Mel, and Dom and extended family.
Dan Moor
Thomas Andrew Robert Wild C’97
17th May 1979 – 17th August 2025
An ode to Tom, our wonderful bro Bro, you were the best brother we could have got, for that we have to thank God an awful lot. Coz some people get brothers who are a bit crap, but you really were a jolly good chap. You were kind, generous and oh so funny, you made us laugh even if the joke was really crummy. And as young children, if Clare and I pissed you off oooh gosh, you’d scrunch your fist and just give us a boff. And when we’d plot revenge in return, you’d just give us a well practiced Chinese burn.
To Nottingham University all three of us went together, so lucky because it made us so close for forever. Tom, our marvellous Tom, you were everything analogue and absolutely nothing .com. You disliked anything digital and would dismiss it off the cuff and go and buy lots of old-fashioned stuff. From this and that and gosh, I don’t know what... But remembering his collections... he has rather a lot! From cameras and art, stamps, stuff and lots of books. When hunting for those things Tom always knew where to look. His boxes were always neatly stacked. Totally in order and mentally mapped.
You were such a practical man. Never said ‘I can’t’, it was always ‘I can’. You had a tool, or a solution to every single problem. If asked for something, you’d always have one. For everything Tom had, his clothes, watches and bags, he had a unique style. Even from far away you could spot him from a mile. He’d turn up to parties and gatherings and make everyone smile. That was him! THOM…ARSE ANDREW ROBERT WILD. Because everyone loved our wonderful bro.
When he was around there were many laughs close in tow. He had his Big Green Egg, which was his posh BBQ. Always experimenting with cooking something new. He had every utensil, cooking pot and (more importantly) drinking surface you could need to create a delicious meal, you couldn’t believe. Lamb chops or a hunk of ham with a pile of potatoes, he was always proud when he cooked all of those.
He loved his camping and his special ‘snow peak’ bell tent. His cycling, his painting, his love for his music, the effort he put in was always 100 percent. He often shared favourite songs on our Wild family chat, that included lots of David Bowie, but none of Take That!
He loved the energy and culture of living in the city, and in Blackheath, it IS incredibly pretty. He was more at
home though in the countryside and would visit friends and family far and wide. He had as much passion for visiting museums as chopping logs, discussing art and architecture as walking in mud and through the fog. Even if he never owned much land, he managed to grow things by his own hand. A lovely array of tiny stunted vegetables he could produce, as well as many arguably better formed fruits! Tomatoes, courgettes, mini carrots and runner beans, looking after them were Tom and Moi’s daily routine.
Like everyone, he also liked getting away, sometimes near but sometimes far away. Venice and Cornwall were his favourites recent haunts. He loved roughing it but also visiting those luxury resorts! Tom has always loved his work, almost obsessed with all his trains, proudly show us his rolling stock, over and over, again and again! He loved public transport and never owned a car. Under duress he would rent one if he had to go too far, usually leaving us all quivering wrecks. Thank goodness he found his public transport projects!
What we would give to have one more chance to do all these things again and re-live all those laughs! An amazing husband and father to Sara and Moi, a brilliant brother and son since he was a boy. A wonderful cousin, uncle and nephew. We are all hugely, totally, terribly, missing you. His glass was always full, right up to the brim. He was one in 8 billion, one of a kind... No one like him again will we ever find. He was so active, never lazy, he worked right up to the end. Never just a colleague, but everyone’s friend. He was a shining star and a beacon of light, right up until his last day and his last night.
Darling Tom, we know you knew we all loved you so, you’re the very best bro that we could ever know.
Davinia Wild
Charles Rafael Slevin
B’02
13th October 1984 – 25th July 2025
Charles was one of the most charming, exuberant and larger than life individuals any of us are ever likely to meet. was lucky enough to have known him for close to 30 years having first met during our time together at Worth. They say the most important years in a man’s life are his ‘teenage years’ as this is when he forms the character that will shape him for the rest of his life. Taking influences from those around them and forming their view of the world. Well, he certainly had a big influence on me. From that first day I knew he was someone special — full of energy, curiosity, an irresistible love of life, a rebel attitude and a wicked sense of humour with rapier sharp wit. He was someone you naturally gravitated towards and so I did, and he kindly took me under his wing and we became firm friends.
Charles’ achievements at school were perhaps modest to start with. Neither captain of the 1st XV Rugby, nor the top scholar, although from the tales he told you’d have thought he was both. seem to remember he once claimed to have been the highest try scorer for the Junior house Cs, although from memory there was only an A and B team. Tall tales were always part of life with Charles but perhaps this was just his creativity coming out from his love of the arts. He was never happier than with an instrument in his hands and an audience in front of him, with many an evenings spent ‘jamming’ with his school band, Clyde.
After Worth, Charles returned to his roots in Ireland and spent the next few years at Trinity. This is where he met Maeve and from there, Charles and then later, Ursula were the wonderful result. Being from an Irish/Venezuelan background, family was very important to him and his pride in his children was always so evident. He loved to share pictures or videos of them riding, sailing or playing one of his many musical instruments with him, or taking them to concerts or showing them great art and museums. He was always looking to share an experience with themto broaden their horizons and encourage their interests.
As a voracious reader (evident by his book collection), he was always keen to share a book or a poem. will especially miss his experimental cocktail videos. These would usually appear by WhatsApp late at night. Charles doing his best impression of Keith Floyd - invariably with some unusual combination of spirits of various guises and with the odd Alka-Seltzer or Lemsip included for good health.
He was also a keen golfer and graciously shared his beloved Ardglass with me on a number of occasions. Now he may not have had the handicap that he thought he deserved but a round with him was always filled with much laughter. He was also a sailor with a mad sense of adventure, forever keen to have people visit his boat - although this usually just ended up as a drinks party rather than actually sailing anywhere! But there were certainly some achievements in there too. I know winning the Strangford Sailing Regatta a few years ago was a crowning moment for him and he was incredibly proud of this. I know from the many messages he would send how much he enjoyed his time on his and Bob’s crazy trips across the channel to explore the Scilly Isles or further afield in Brittany. How he believed a tailored suit and tie with pocket square to match was suitable sailing gear I’ll never know, although in Charles’ mind that was perfectly normal and just the way he rolled, always impeccably turned out and sartorially on point. He claimed to me to be able to ski ‘Le Face’ quicker than any human alive. but I never witnessed this. He was a talented rider – another passion he’s passed on to his children which I know made him proud. A truly wonderful cook and host, generous in all he gave, be it spectacular wines or a delicious feast, which in recent years seemed to always include a lobster or two pilfered from pots in the lough. But through all this he was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve and was on occasion a man of contradictions. For someone who appeared to thrive in the limelight he could shun it occasionally. Claiming he didn’t want to make a fuss about turning 40 he instead chose to celebrate his 39th birthday – but with a party to rival any I’ve ever witnessed, and then 12 months later, announce a repeat performance and duly celebrated his 40th in even grander style!
But what really defined him was his unique spiritoutgoing, generous, and larger than life. He had a gift for making people feel welcome and included, and he lived every single day as if it truly mattered. A truly special friend, a great musician, a captain of your own boat, a father, husband, brother and son.
James Wallace StB’02
Philip Martin Ozorio R’05
24th November 1986 – 8th July 2025
Philip carried his mother’s capability, his father’s intelligence, his grandpa’s integrity and his grandma’s diligence. He was born a happy kid, full of laughter and courage. He went to study at Worth from Hong Kong aged 11 - so far away when email was not popular and facetime didn’t exist. He went with his trusted pal and all-time friend - his puffy little bear. Those days in the UK made him a determined and tough person. He matured through his ups and downs, overcame challenges on his own, and always managed to stand on his own feet.
Philip left Worth to study at Swansea University and graduated as an electronic and electrical engineer. After 20 years living in the UK he moved on and took up a new adventure – coming home. He joined his uncle’s company in Hong Kong and explored a new page in his life. His engineering work gained appreciation from customers and brought new business opportunities. Philip’s dedication injected energy into the team as his colleagues looked up to him. He learnt the running of the business and his uncle was expecting him to be heir to the company and take it to the next level.
Philip was a born achiever. Once committed, he would do his best and not budge for anything but perfection. He had the same attitude to hobbies. Whether he was playing music or cycling, he would keep practising, excel in performance and go for competition. Returning to Hong Kong, he adapted quickly and settled down with a new job, got into a relationship, made lots of new friends and enjoyed his various hobbies.
He was dynamic and studious, self-teaching online practically everything and anything; from coding for sophisticated electronic firmware to command crossroads traffic lights, to designing and making his perfect bike, and even beating his Italian uncle at making the perfect espresso. He was incredibly knowledgeable on many topics; from religion to politics, the economy to cooking.
Although he could be quite a chatterbox, Philip seemed quiet at times, but was always listening and observant. He had a kind heart and was always ready to help others.
A caring nephew, a loving son, a romantic companion, a sportsman, an excellent company leader, a role model, a gifted investor. Time was stolen from him, however his love has made an eternal, indelible engraving on our hearts. The pain of losing him will never heal, until we meet again.
Lucy Lo-Ozorio & Daniel Ozorio
Rt. Rev Dom Kevin Taggart OSB
12th January 1931 – 14th October 2025
Dom Kevin (John) Taggart, 94 years of age, returned peacefully to the Lord on Tuesday 14th October after a long period of illness. He was born on 12th January 1931 in Sevenoaks, Kent, the youngest of seven children. His parents, Hugh and Francis, were both medical doctors and this was the profession followed by Dom Kevin’s twin brother, Michael.
He was educated at Worth Preparatory School which, on account of the Second World War, had been evacuated to Downside, 1940-44. He continued his secondary education in the senior school at Downside from 1944-49. Here he was heavily involved in the sporting life of the School
especially in rugby and hockey where he was captain of the rugby 1st XV and the hockey 1st XI; he was also a distinguished athlete. His sporting interests and gregarious nature later found a fitting outlet in golf which he enjoyed playing with his many clergy friends from the local diocese, including Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor.
Dom Kevin was solemnly professed as a monk of Downside by Abbot Christopher Butler on 2nd October 1953 and proceeded to priestly ordination on 3rd July 1955. At this time Worth Priory, founded by Abbot John Chapman in 1933, was a dependent house of Downside Abbey. Dom Kevin spent a year at Worth Priory from September 1955 and then went up to Benet House, Cambridge to read English at Christ’s College. In 1957 he became a founder member of the newly independent Worth Priory. Dom Kevin was the last surviving member of the founding community.
On his return from Cambridge in 1959, he joined the staff of the newly opened senior school and in 1960 became housemaster of Gervase House. From there Dom Kevin went on to become Head Master (1977-1983), Bursar (1984-1988), Parish Priest and Claustral Prior. On 2nd June 2010, at the age of 79, he was elected fifth Abbot of Worth in succession to Dom Christopher Jamison, a post he held until 2nd June 2013.
Dom Kevin led a varied and very active monastic life and in his many posts he was renowned for his pastoral skill and sensitivity. He enjoyed being with people and was always willing to lend a helping hand and to respond at short notice to someone in distress. His approach was very much that of his Master: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”.
There was a constant demand from former students and their families for baptisms, weddings and funerals. No request would go unanswered; nothing was too much for his kind nature. Dom Kevin was a humble monk and the words on humility from Chapter 7 of the Rule come to mind: “Now, therefore, after ascending all these steps of humility, the monk will quickly arrive at that perfect love of God which casts out fear” (I John 4:18).
May Dom Kevin be generously rewarded by the Lord for the greatness of his heart.
Abbot Mark Barrett
Fifth Abbot of Worth, 2010-13
Extracts from the Homily given by Abbot Mark Barrett at Fr Kevin’s Funeral at Worth Abbey on 1st November 2025
We commend to the Lord the soul of our beloved brother, Dom Kevin Taggart, a monk for 76 years and a priest for 71 years; our former abbot, a housemaster and headmaster, bursar, parish priest; above all, a friend and a brother in Christ. A man of deep humanity, humility, and grace.
If Kevin had laid down any plans for his funeral, he would have specified, ‘No fuss’. Well, while I can’t promise to emulate today the example of Kevin’s brief and profound homilies (they tell me his record was under 50 seconds), hope I shall not be guilty of ‘fuss’.
Kevin was the last surviving member of our 1957 foundation community, the last of the monks who came from St Gregory’s, Downside, to establish the monastery that is now Worth Abbey. That alone is a remarkable thing.
But Kevin would never have drawn attention to himself for that reason, or for any other. He did not seek the spotlight. He did not make noise. But he built up others, he formed, he listened, he remained. And it is because of such persevering fidelity that this community stands today.
Kevin received the monastic habit in 1949, in a different world. A different Church. A different England. He gave himself to the monastic way, and he kept giving; for 76
“One could always recognise that Dom Kevin was being guided by an inner Light by the quiet, gentle smile that seldom left his face” OW G’66
years. Three quarters of a century of monastic life: the rhythm of the Divine Office, the common life, the vows of stability, obedience, and conversion of life; lived day in and day out with faithfulness, humour, humility, and joy.
And what joy he brought! The many tributes to Kevin we have received since his death confirm everything we experienced of him: the twinkle in the eye, kindness in word and silence, his winning warmth and those flashes of wit that were never harsh, never cynical, but always lightening the mood and lifting the heart.
He could laugh, and he often did, and he could listen. As you all know, Kevin listened deeply. His capacity for friendship was extraordinary. Many here today, and many more who cannot be here, would say their life was better because Kevin was in it. His was a gift of quiet presence, of empathy, of wisdom shared without show.
He really loved sport. As a young man, Kevin was known as a formidable rugby player: powerful, agile, competitive. He played with the kind of passion that would surprise those who only knew the gentle, elderly monk with the soft voice. We might perhaps say that rugby was not a hobby for Kevin; it was an expression of something deeper: of his love of life, of the depth of fraternity that flows from the best kind of unity in competition.
In his later years, he turned more to golf, and with typical grace and humility, approached the game not to dominate it, but to enjoy and share it. He walked many courses with friends, interested both in the company and in the score.
Quietly, he would return to Worth, often bearing trophies of which he never spoke, let alone boasted. And of which his brethren would only ever hear, if we heard at all, from others.
Kevin spent his long life building up many different aspects of the life of Worth, not just as a monk, but as an educator and pastor, the one to whom everyone turned when difficulty arose or tragedy struck. He was a founder of Worth School and became its second headmaster. In that role, he didn’t just run the School, he helped define its character, its heart. Kevin’s headship was characterised by the person-centred kindness that became his trademark; always choosing the personal care of individuals as his higher priority. One valued colleague summed up the strengths, and the perils, of such a leadership style: ‘I’d die for that man,’ he said of Kevin, ‘if he doesn’t kill me first’.
Kevin knew that education is not just about results or reputation, but about forming young people to become wise, compassionate, and free. He shaped generations of students not just by what he taught, but by who he was. Many of those some-time students as alumni turned to Kevin to preside at their weddings and to baptise their children.
Then, in what most would consider the twilight of life, at the age of 80, Kevin was elected the fifth Abbot of Worth. He certainly never sought the office but accepted it with characteristic humility. As Abbot, he guided us
“The ultimate practitioner of the maxim that there is nothing that needs to be said that needs to be said unkindly.” OW C’74
As a young man
As a Worth Prep pupil
“A true legend of the Worth Story” OW StB’68
with gentleness, seeking above all to be a father to his brethren - steady, kind, thoughtful, and prayerful. He trusted the community. He listened to it. Not a man of power, but a man of peace. And when the job was done, with characteristic grace he stepped aside to allow others to guide where he well knew he was unable to go.
Kevin’s parting gift to us all was that he showed us what it means to grow old in Christ: not to become bitter or nostalgic, but to become more tender, more free, more trusting. He bore the limitations both of old age and of increasing infirmity with serenity.
A deeply private man, he learned to allow his carers access to his needs; in their turn they allowed him into their hearts. Never complaining, he experienced real diminishment in so many dimensions of the life he had loved, while his brethren, friends, and those who worked in caring for him discovered Kevin’s deep care for them.
No longer able to attend public prayer, his personal prayer travelled on. His friendships endured. He remained vitally interested in others, finding new reserves of energy for the visits of family members and those who were able to spend time with him, always responding to the mention of familiar names with animation even as his capacity for engagement with the everyday slipped away from him. Kevin lived well, and he died gently, as he had lived.
Fr Kevin Taggart Memorial Fund
Fr Kevin began his monastic life at the age of 18, and died at the age of 94, the last member of Worth Abbey’s 1957 founding generation. He dedicated himself to the life and mission of Worth Abbey. To sustain his legacy, we have established this Memorial Fund which is intended to help support the monastic community and its mission to others into the future. The Fr Kevin Taggart Memorial Fund will help us support the costs of training new members of the monastic community at Worth and the care needs of elderly and infirm brethren. All contributions will be dedicated to sustaining a monastic presence at Worth for many years to come. www.worthabbey.net/ donate-to-our-bursary-funds/
As 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the consecration of our Abbey Church, it is only fitting to look back at how this remarkable building has come to life – not in one leap, but through careful planning, thoughtful design and phased construction that has spanned the decades.
The vision for the new church took shape in the early 1960s, a time of great change in the Catholic Church. Inspired by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which called for a more communal style of Worship, the monks of Worth led by the first abbot, Dom Victor Farwell, wanted a church that would reflect these new ideals. They found the perfect partner in architect Francis Pollen, known for his ability to blend modern design with deep respect for tradition.
Pollen’s initial work with the Worth community began in 1957 on an earlier chapel project, but the real breakthrough came in 1961 when he and the monks developed plans for an entirely new church. The concept moved away from the traditional long, narrow design of older churches. Instead, they imagined a centralised space where the altar would truly be the heart of the community.
The resulting design centred on a circle inscribed within a square – a shape full of meaning, symbolising the meeting of the divine and the earthly. The space would gently slope inward, drawing worshippers towards the altar. Above it all, a great conical roof would crown the building, open at the top to let in natural light that would shift and change throughout the day.
Turning this vision into reality required a phased approach. The first major stage of construction focused on the building’s core structure. From 1964-1965 the main concrete framework took shape. Eight substantial columns, irregularly spaced and clad in warm brick, supported the dramatic ring beam from which the roof would radiate. Next came the roof itself – a masterpiece of engineering and craftsmanship. Pre-cast concrete beams reached out like spokes from the centre, their undersides lined with timber to soften the space visually. At the apex, a central cylinder – often called the ‘lantern’ – was carefully constructed to channel daylight down onto the altar below. The combination of strength and elegance in this structure create an atmosphere of calm and focus that has become a hallmark of the Abbey Church.
A true advocate of Benedictine hospitality
A proposed design for the Abbey Church, 1957
Building our Abbey Church –Through the decades continued
50 years on, the church is a Grade II listed building of 17,000 square feet seating around 900 people, but most importantly remains a living testament to thoughtful design, patient craftsmanship, and the enduring vision of those who brought it into being.
Taken from Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Abbey Church which is available in the Worth Abbey Bookshop.
While the basic shell of the building was in place by the mid-1960s, with the foundation stone being laid in 1968, the interior finishing unfolded more gradually. Budget realities meant that the completion of brickwork, flooring and furnishings stretched into the early 1970s. Much of the distinctive interior brickwork was laid under the guidance of John Lisles, a teacher at the School, adding a personal touch to the building’s fabric.
Throughout the process, Pollen remained true to his design philosophy: the church should feel as though it has ‘just happened’ – arising naturally from light. This meant keeping ornamentation to a minimum, allowing the building’s simple, strong forms to speak for themselves.
The final touches included many custom-designed elements by Pollen and his family. His brother Arthur sculpted the central crucifix and a Madonna and Child for the Lady Chapel, and his brother Patrick created the tabernacle doors. Even the light fittings were fashioned from weathered iron pipes, in keeping with the church’s unpretentious character.
On 12th July 1975, after years of planning and building, Worth Abbey Church was dedicated.
In 2011 the monastic community resolved to complete the interior as it was always meant to be. But rather than
selecting off-the-shelf furnishings, they sought a designer with the imagination and sensitivity to enhance the spiritual quality of the space. They approached Thomas Heatherwick — a rising star of British design, already acclaimed for his work on London’s Routemaster bus and the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo.
Known for his bold, sculptural works, Heatherwick needed to create something quieter that would sit in harmony with Pollen’s architecture, enriching rather than competing with it. Rather than simply designing pews, he proposed a broader vision, considering how furnishings, materials, and spatial flow could unify the experience of worship. His design team paid close attention to the church’s geometry – and the resulting furniture solution was ingenious. The new pews were constructed on a square grid, then subtly fanned to echo the curve of the church — creating a visual rhythm that draws the eye around the space. For materials, Heatherwick chose American black walnut, a richly toned timber that grounds the interior with warmth and depth. Fine threads of ash run through the walnut as subtle inlays, a nod to traditional craftsmanship that rewards close inspection. The furnishings feel as if they have always belonged, their presence enhancing the church’s calm and contemplative atmosphere.
“When the Abbey Church was dedicated in 1975, it stood as a bold response to the vision of the Second Vatican Council. Abbot Victor Farwell’s vision and Architect Francis Pollen’s design gave physical form to a renewed understanding of the Church; a community of the People of God, gathering around the altar, sharing in the work of the worship. Half a century later, that vision and that architecture remains as powerful as ever. What makes our Abbey Church truly enduring is not only its architectural quality, but its ability to serve a living community. It is a place of prayer for the monastic community, where the Divine Office is celebrated daily, and serves Worth School, shaping the spiritual life of its students and families. It is also a beloved parish church for the local Catholic community and welcomes countless visitors and pilgrims drawn by the beauty of the place and the peace they find here.”
Rt Rev Dom Mark Barrett OSB
Key events in the life of the Abbey Church
1968 Laying of the Foundation Stone
1975 Worth Abbey Church Consecrated
1988 Abbot Dominic Gaisford elected Abbot
1994 Abbot Stephen Ortiger elected Abbot
1998 Worth begins a Retreat Programme
2002 Abbot Christopher Jamison elected Abbot
2005 The retreat programme is renamed The Open Cloister
2005 The Monastery is aired on the BBC with The Monastery Revisited a year later
2010 The Big Silence is aired on the BBC
2010 Abbot Kevin Taggart elected Abbot
2011 Interior renovation undertaken by Thomas Heatherwick
2013 Abbot Luke Jolly elected Abbot
2021 Abbot Mark Barrett elected Abbot
2022 The visit of the Relics of Saint Bernadette
2025 50th anniversary celebrations
Laying the foundation stone, 1968
Heatherwick’s 2011 interior redesign
A Year of celebration, reflection and remembrance at Worth Abbey
This past year at Worth Abbey has been marked by joyful gatherings, spiritual renewal, and a moment of solemn reflection. As well as enjoying many celebrations centred around a momentous milestone: the 50th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Abbey Church, we also mourned the passing of a beloved member of the monastic family, Fr Kevin in October with a farewell at his Funeral Mass on 1st November 2025.
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Abbey Church
We were honoured to welcome alumni, friends and members of the wider community to commemorate five decades of faith, hope and unity on 12th July 2025.
The Abbey Church has stood as a beacon of spiritual life since its consecration in 1975, and this 50th anniversary offered a chance to reflect on its enduring legacy and the remarkable journey of Worth’s mission. The day was filled with prayer, celebration, and connection with friends and the wider community. It was a time to honour the past, rejoice in the present, and look forward to the future with renewed inspiration. A particular highlight was the inspiring address delivered by Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder, whose words resonated deeply with all in attendance. Another feature of the day was the launch of the 50th Anniversary commemorative book, written to mark this significant milestone. Many guests also enjoyed an exhibition, thoughtfully curated and displayed in the Narthex, which beautifully captured the spirit and history of Worth Abbey.
Celebrating the Vision: 50 Years of Francis Pollen’s Worth Abbey Church
As part of our anniversary year, we hosted a special event on 4th October 2025 that explored the architectural and spiritual significance of the Abbey Church. Architect Fred Manson (Associate Director, Heatherwick Studio) joined Abbot Christopher Jamison, Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation, for an engaging conversation about Francis Pollen’s visionary design and its place in the life of the monastic community.
Welcoming St Benedict: A New Statue for Worth Abbey
Another highlight of our anniversary year was the unveiling of a beautiful new statue of St Benedict, created by sculptor Richard Watts. This contemplative work of art now graces the staircase leading from the Narthex into the Abbey Church. Commissioned for Worth Abbey and made possible through the generous support of our benefactors and a kind donation from the Lay Community of St Benedict, the statue feels so perfectly placed that it seems as though it has always belonged there. Richard Watts reflected, “For many of us (perhaps especially when we were young) the Abbey Church represented our 'spiritual cave', our Subiaco.” The statue’s location, halfway down the stairs beneath the oculus, was chosen to echo this descent into sacred space, illuminated by natural light and enhanced by subtle artificial lighting.
An Unlikely Cornerstone: The Life and Times of Dom Victor Farwell
We were also proud to announce the publication of a significant new biography: An Unlikely Cornerstone, written by the late Fr Stephen Ortiger OSB (1940–2024) – see book review on page 42. This moving tribute chronicles the life of Dom Victor Farwell, Worth’s first Abbot and a pivotal figure in the Abbey’s history. Abbot Victor led Worth for over 31 years, first as Conventual Prior from 1957, and then as Abbot from 1965 to 1988. He guided the community through the transformative years of the Second Vatican Council and oversaw the construction of the Abbey Church, now recognised as a landmark of modern ecclesiastical architecture. Fr Stephen, himself a former Abbot of Worth, brings clarity and insight to the story of a man whose vision, prayerful leadership and quiet strength helped shape the spiritual and pastoral identity of Worth Abbey. Copies of the book are available in the Abbey Bookshop, and we invite you to pick one up and discover the story of a foundational figure in Worth’s history.
Worth Abbey Pilgrims continues to flourish
Alongside these special celebrations, Worth Abbey Pilgrims continued to offer their annual programme of events reflecting the rhythm of liturgical life at the Abbey Highlights included: Fr Martin’s Lent Talk saw a large and engaged audience gathered for ‘Finding God in the Everyday.’ Drawing on the Rule of St Benedict and the lives of the Algerian martyrs, Fr Martin offered practical insights into integrating spirituality into daily life. He concluded with a clip from Of Gods and Men, a powerful film about the monks of Tibhirine. For those who missed it, a recording is available on the Abbey website’s news page. Our joyous Easter Sunday Celebration brought together families, friends and the monastic community in a vibrant celebration of resurrection and renewal. After the service, guests enjoyed festive refreshments and chocolate treats, with special activities for children adding to the joyful atmosphere. An opportunity was offered to share the names of loved ones with the monastic community, so they could be remembered in prayer throughout the month of November and at the Mass for All Souls.
A warm welcome to the new Monastic Interns
We were pleased to welcome a new group of Monastic Interns through our unique Internship programme. Over the course of two months, the interns took part in daily prayer, work and community life, gaining a deeper understanding of monastic tradition and spiritual growth. Their presence brought fresh energy and perspective, and we were grateful for the contributions they made during their time with us. The internship programme continues with new interns booked for the next session of the programme from 27th April -19th June 2026. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in taking part in the programme, please get in touch with Fr Luke.
Retreats and Spiritual Renewal
Throughout the year, Worth Abbey welcomed many guests for retreats, offering space for rest, reflection and spiritual growth. From silent retreats to guided weekends, our programme continued to support those seeking deeper connection and peace. We are particularly delighted to have Abbot Christopher Jamison, Abbot Mark Barrett and former Abbot, Fr Luke Jolly coming together in April 2026 to lead a retreat on 'Listening to the Future: Monastic Wisdom for Today's World'.
Discover Archway Lodge: A Tranquil Escape on the Worth Abbey Estate
We were delighted to introduce Archway Lodge to visitors as a peaceful retreat available to book through Airbnb. Tucked away in the heart of the Worth Abbey estate and surrounded by 450 acres of parkland and ancient woodland, this charming lodge offers a serene escape immersed in nature. Just a short walk from the Abbey Church, St Bruno’s Retreat Centre and the Quiet Garden, Archway Lodge is perfectly placed for those visiting the Abbey.
Stay Connected: Introducing the Worth Abbey Newsletter
This year, Worth Abbey proudly launched its new quarterly newsletter, Abbey Life, offering a rich blend of reflections, stories and updates from across the monastic community. Available from the Narthex, and online via the Abbey website, Abbey Life provides a vibrant insight into the life and mission of Worth. Each issue includes news from the community, details of upcoming services, retreats and special gatherings, updates from the monks based in Brighton, and highlights from St Bruno’s Retreat Centre. A great way of staying connected with all that is unfolding at Worth Abbey.
If you haven’t yet signed up to the Worth Abbey Pilgrims database, we warmly encourage you to do so by emailing Kelly O’Hara at kohara@worth.org.uk This will ensure you receive the latest news and updates from the Abbey.
Kelly O’Hara, Worth Abbey Pilgrims
The Abbey’s new statue of St Benedict by Richard Watts
Abbot Mark Barrett with the family of Francis Pollen Archway Lodge is now available as an Airbnb
Abbot Christopher, Abbot Mark and former abbot Fr Luke look forward to leading a special retreat at Worth in April 2026
A warm welcome from the Worth Abbey Pilgrims at their annual Carol Service
Fred Manson from Heatherwick Studio delivered a fascinating talk in October, offering deep insights into the design and construction of the Abbey Church
A Year in the life of the School
As the leaves began to turn beneath the quiet watch of the abbey bell, the Worth community returned in September with renewed energy for what would be another remarkable year in the life of the School. True to tradition, the term kicked off with the much-loved Welcome Festival, organised in collaboration with our Friends of Worth parent association. The festival – the first of our “Three Peaks of Worth” annual events –follows Family Mass and sets the tone for the months ahead: warm, inclusive and full of promise. Drizzle may have replaced the previous year’s blistering sunshine but nothing could dampen the joy of reconnecting, welcoming new faces, playing games at the house stalls, enjoying the music, cheering on the sport including Old Worthians’ matches, all while tucking into a delicious array of food and drink. In short, we celebrated all that makes Worth unique.
It was also here that we proudly introduced Ms Marisa Bosa as our new Senior Deputy Head, who has been quick to make a deep and lasting impact in her first year.
The Autumn Term is always a whirlwind of energy, creativity and new beginnings. As ever, pupils explored a diverse programme of activities and events in addition to their classroom studies, ranging from high-spirited House Band nights and subject-specific trips to inspirational talks including environmentalist Nicola Peel (about the fascinating power of biomimicry, the ways in which nature inspires innovation and technology) and visiting alumni sharing their stories about working in aviation. We also laughed and sang along to the stellar Senior School production of Sister Act . Debating flourished, sports fixtures returned in earnest, and Sixth Form Politics students engaged directly with democracy, welcoming local MP Mims Davies for a lively Q&A.
In a tremendous moment of recognition, Worth was named Boarding School of the Year at the Independent Schools Awards in October. This honour, perfectly timed with our “Worth the Journey” marketing campaign for prospective London families, shared the message of our distinct values-led approach to an education with heart and soul
Shortly after, we were called to an unannounced ISI inspection which, we hasten to add, was passed with flying colours, a testament to the strength of our teaching, pastoral care and strong community.
Service remained at the core of our identity throughout the term. From Sixth Formers sharing leisure time with the elderly through our lovely local partnership with Befriended, to fundraising for Mary’s Meals and other charities, students gave of themselves generously.
The term drew to a close in a fittingly festive way: our “Christmas Cheer” event, the second of the “Three Peaks of Worth”, brought the whole community together in joyful celebration before the sacred beauty of our candlelit Carol Service in the Abbey Church.
Lent Term
New year, renewed purpose. Many returning from school ski trips in Austria or surf adventures in Morocco, all our students came back invigorated and ready for the term ahead.
We were thrilled to receive an outstanding review from The Good Schools Guide following the journalist’s full day’s visit in February, speaking with staff and pupils, which praised Worth as “a must-visit for anyone, religious or not, who cherishes strong human values.”
It was a proud moment for our whole community and a reflection of what so many already know: this is a place where intellect meets integrity.
The Lent Term was packed with achievements across all spheres. On the sporting front, our students excelled in
rugby, netball and cross-country, with congratulations to individuals qualifying for the English Schools Cross Country Championships.
Creativity continued to flourish, too. The Middle School captivated audiences with a compelling production of Lord of the Flies , and the Chamber Choir once more performed at Chichester Cathedral’s Choral Evensong
Autumn Term
Senior production of ‘Sister Act’
Gervase win the Inter-house debating competition
Staff embracing the Christmas spirit
England U18 Tate Williams
The ultimate start to the year, the Worth Welcome Festival
Senior Deputy Marisa Bosa Head Master and politics students meet MP Mims Davies
which was deeply moving and our Tenebrae service in the Abbey Church offered a beautiful and contemplative close to Lent.
Throughout the term, music filled campus, from Scholars’ and Ensembles Concerts to informal showcases celebrating brass, woodwind, drums and guitars.
Summer Term
As blossom gave way to sunshine, the Summer Term brought with it an unmistakable buzz of anticipation. Even amid the pressure of public exams, the spirit of discovery and community remained alive in every corner of the school.
Pupils ventured far and wide – from historical explorations at Hampton Court to a French language immersion trip to Paris. At home, they shone on stage in the Junior School’s exuberant Matilda production and engaged with thought-provoking speakers tackling complex social issues such as knife crime.
Religious life remained central. The whole-school Procession of the Blessed Sacrament up the long drive – banners waving and houses united – was a beautiful expression of faith and belonging. Many students were also confirmed during this term in the Abbey Church, marking an important step on their spiritual journey.
Community outreach was once again a priority.
Rutherford House earned the Caritas Shield for their inspiring Movember fundraising campaign, and our Environmental Society helped the school earn CAFOD’s Live Simply Award – recognition of our collective commitment to living with compassion and sustainability.
We also saw triumphs in sport and personal development: two Year 13 students proudly became rugby internationals this year, and many celebrated achieving Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards, which included a very special visit to Buckingham Palace! Our Worth Musician of the Year, flautist Louisa Campling StC’25, was crowned after an exciting final, showcasing remarkable young talent.
Finally, the last of our “Three Peaks of Worth”, Speech Day Weekend, brought together everything we love about the School. The Summer Dinner for parents on the Friday evening, followed by Saturday’s Family Mass and prize-giving created a fitting and joyful finale to the year – and, thankfully, the sun shone again while families grazed on the lawns listening to the orchestra and enjoying Afternoon Tea. Later in June we cheered on our Year 11 and Year 13 students at their celebratory balls. As we all know though, when those Year 13s leave Worth, it is never really ‘goodbye’; they are and always will be Worthians.
A farewell message from the Head Master
As I look back over the last year, I am struck by what an extraordinary time it has been for Worth. In a climate of unprecedented challenge and change, not least the introduction of VAT on school fees (implemented on 1 January 2025), our community has shown both resilience and purpose. Once more I am reminded why Worth is different, and why its values continue to set it apart within the independent sector.
Here at Worth, academic ambition is never pursued at the expense of character. The ‘Worth Way’ as we call it –rooted in respect, compassion and purpose – continues to shape not just what our pupils achieve, but who they become. Our close connection with the Abbey Church and monastic community gives Worth its unique heart and soul, a living spiritual presence that underpins everything we do. It is this combination of intellectual stretch and moral grounding that makes Worth such an incredible place to learn and to live and, I’m sure you will agree, one which no one wants to leave.
There has been much to celebrate this year. Construction began on our new science laboratories which opened to great acclaim a few weeks ago, transforming the learning environment for generations to come. Plans for improved pitches are also progressing within our development portfolio, enabling Worth to host matches and tournaments worthy of our sporting ambition.
Of course, the year was rich in moments that brought our community together:
September’s now-famous Welcome Festival, organised in conjunction with the Friends of Worth parent association – featuring Mass, music, sports, and celebrations –perfectly opened the year, uniting pupils past and present, the Abbey and its Pilgrims network.
The Worth Society Carol Service in London was once again a highlight in December, a joyous occasion that saw the choir of Old Worthians gather in song and prayer.
The entertaining alumni versus school (two brave and brilliant Year 11 pupils) debate in March, and the spirited sports fixtures that pit former pupils against current teams, are reminders that our alumni are ever present in school life – guiding, mentoring and inspiring the next generation.
In the Summer Term we were delighted to welcome back 10 alumni to share their professional journeys along with ideas and anecdotes at our School careers fair, and I particularly enjoyed the 50 and 60 year reunions which were further proof of the lifelong connection that Worth fosters. All these are not isolated events but threads in a vibrant tapestry of friendship and faith.
This year has also brought moments of sadness and reflection. The recent passing of Fr Kevin Taggart at the age of 94 (Head Master of the School between 1977-1983 and Abbot of Worth from 2010–2013), has reminded us of the deep continuity of service that runs through Worth’s history.
As I prepare to leave Worth after 10 profoundly rewarding years, do so with immense affection and gratitude. It is bittersweet to say goodbye, but leave confident in the continued strength of the School. In fact, Worth is more than ‘school’; it is a family, a lifelong network, a way of being – and for those of us fortunate enough to have been part of it, it never really is ‘goodbye’. Like our alumni who spread their wings all over the world, will simply be embarking on a new way of staying connected.
My special thanks go to Mary Lou and the award-winning Worth Society, whose work is powered by loyalty, integrity and love for this place. Worth’s future is bright, because its foundations are so strong. Thank you to you all.
Mary Lou Burge presenting Stuart McPherson with a leaving gift from the Society; a portrait by one of our alumni, Michael May StB’67
The pinnacle of the academic year, Speech Day 2025
Junior production of ‘Matilda’
House Shout competition
House Bands competition
School Staff –
Autumn 2024-Summer 2025
Mr Stuart McPherson, MA, Head Master
Ms Marisa Bosa, BA, BEd, Senior Deputy
Dr Daniel Coughlan, BA, MA, PhD, Deputy Head (Academic)
Mr Gordon Pearce, MA, Deputy Head (External)
Mr Julian Williams, BSc, MA, Dip TESL, Deputy Head (Co-Curricular and Partnerships)
Mr Mark Macdonald, BSc, Assistant Head (Pastoral)
Mr Matthew Doggett, MA, MSc, Assistant Head (Sixth Form)
Mrs Sarah Flint, BA, Assistant Head (Head of Middle School)
Mr Daniel Harris, Director of Mission
Mr Anthony Moore, MA (Oxon), MBA (INSEAD), Chief Operating Officer
Miss Sarai Adams, LLB, MA, English
Mr Paul Ambridge, BA, Physics
Mrs Esmé Mustian Atkinson, BA, Librarian
Mr Garry Backshell, BSc (Hons), MSc, Physics
Mrs Frances Baily, BSc, MSc, Physics (Head of Department)
Mrs Andrea Beadle, BA, MA, German (Subject Lead)
Ms Mica Bearman, BSc, Physics
Mrs Sophie Belloul, BA, French (Subject Lead)
Mrs Sarah Bennett, Examinations Officer
Miss Maria Bilton, Youth Minister
Mr Jonathan Bindloss, BA, MA, Religious Studies (Head of Department), Theory of Knowledge
Mr Stuart Blackhurst, HND, Head of Digital Strategy
Mr Lewis Brito-Babapulle, MA, Director of Music
Mr Thomas Brocklehurst, Graduate Sports Assistant
Mrs Bethany Browning, MA, Mathematics
Mr William Burch, MSc, Maths, Games, Rutherford Deputy Housemaster
Mrs Caroline Burton, MSc, Biology, St Anne’s Housemistress
Mr David Burton, BEd, Director of Sport
Mrs Lucinda Button, BA, Art & Design
Mrs Katie Camp, BA, Art
Miss Lily Campbell, Youth Minister
Mrs Olivia Carter, BSc, Mathematics, Assistant to Head of Sixth Form (A Level)
Miss Mariana Chan Dominguez, Youth Minister
Mr Raj Chaudhuri, BCom, ECB Level 4, Master in charge of Cricket
Mr Paul Cheeseman, BA, Design and Technology, Farwell Housemaster
Miss Sarah Clarke, BA, History (Head of Department), Classics (Head of Department), Sociology (Head of Department)
Mrs Dawn Clubb, BA, MA, English (Head of Department), Media Studies (Head of Department)
Mr James Coleman, BA, Religious Studies, Assistant to Head of Sixth Form (IB)
Mr Daniel Collins, LLB, Head of Football
Mr William Crénel, LLCE, French, St Bede's Housemaster
Mrs Claire Cross, BA, Religious Studies
Miss Taya Davidson, BA, Graduate Performing Arts Assistant
Miss Stephanie Dawes, BSc, Psychology (Subject Lead), St Mary’s (Sixth) Deputy Housemistress
Mr Augustine de Menezes, Youth Minister
Miss Maria Isabel Del Valle, BA (Hons), Spanish, French
Mr John Dent, MEng, Mathematics, St Bede’s Deputy Housemaster
Mr Charlie Douglas-Hughes, Director of Lettings and Wider Curriculum
Mr Kieran Elson, BA, MA, History
Mr John Everest, BA, Photography (Subject Lead), Assistant to Head of Middle School
Mrs Hannah Fennelly, BSC (Hons), MSc, Physics
Mrs Sally Finn, BA, Spanish
Ms Debora Finotti, BA, MA, Italian
Mrs Julie Fleming, LLB, Economics and Business (Head of Department)
Dr Barbara Gehrhus, Diplomchemiker, PhD, Chemistry
Mr Calum Giles, Head of Hockey and Master in Charge of Golf
Mrs Sarah Glanville, BA, English
Mrs Danielle Gwynne, BSc, Mathematics (Head of Department)
Mr Paul Harrison, BSc, Geography, Careers Coordinator, Chapman Assistant Housemaster
Mrs Jo Harvey-Barnes, Cert Ed, Games & Physical Education, Biology, St Catherine's Housemistress
Miss Juley Hudson, BA, MA, Visual Art (Interim Head of Department)
Mr Andrew Hunter, BA, MA, MSc, English
Mr Joseph Huntley, BA, Religious Studies, Head of PSHE
Mrs Sarah James, BSc, Science
Mr Toby Jones, Youth Minister
Mr Lewis Kelly, Trainee Teacher of PE
Mrs Jo-Anne Kennedy, BA, Art, Visual Arts Technician
Mrs Andrea Kirpalani, BSc, Head of Science, Chemistry (Head of Department)
Mr James Laird, BA, Economics
Miss Naomy Larkin, BA, English (Second in Department)
Mrs Catherine Latham, BSc, MSc, Head of Learning Support and SENCO
Mrs Rachel Le Mare, BA, MA, Business
Mrs Daniele Lloyd, French
Miss Lucy Lockwood, BA, Music Technology
Miss Elizabeth Longstaff, BA, Learning Support Maths, St Mary’s (Middle) Deputy Housemistress
Mrs Natalie Lynch, BA, Director of Drama
Mrs Anna MacMahon, BA, MEd, Austin Housemistress, Head of Development
Mr Alick Macleod, MSc, Geography, Gervase Housemaster, Head of Boarding
Mrs Helen Macleod, BA, History
Mr David Marks, BA, MA, English as an Additional Language (Head of Department)
Mr Matthew Walsh, BSc, Assistant Director of Sport, Head of Academic and Core PE
Mr William Warwick, MA, History, Gifted and Talented Coordinator
Mr Edward Watson, BSc, Economics
Mr Dan Weaver, BA, Design and Technology (Head of Department), Butler Flexi Boarding Tutor
Mr Matthew Wellman, BA, MA, Assistant Director of Drama, Farwell Assistant Housemaster
Mr Tom Wilkinson, BSc, Sports Coach – Performance
Mrs Jennifer Williamson, BA, Design and Technology
Dr Michelle Wood, BSc, PhD, Science
Mrs Bethanie Wright, BA, Med, Psychology
Mr Chris Wyles, BSc, Religious Studies, Games, Social Outreach Coordinator
Miss Bei Yu, BSc, Mandarin
2025 Worth School Careers Fair Heart and Soul Campaign Development Update
Worth Sixth Form students enjoyed a range of hugely informative talks at a two-day Careers and Further Education event in June 2025.
Guest speakers, including a number of current parents, came into School to deliver talks on a variety of careers covering investment banking, law, medicine, cyber insurance, politics, civil service, physiotherapy, robotics, marketing, aviation and the Armed Forces.
The science world was covered by Rory Ryan C’09 a biotech entrepreneur who is contributing to the cure for cancer through the use of AI with his company PentaBind, and Tom Taverner R’07, a trained physiotherapist who uses robotic technology at his neurological rehabilitation centre in Sussex.
Kit Brown B’14, as Policy & Engagement Lead at the Department of Health and Social Care, covered the civil service, whilst James Chidgey C’19 spoke about his career so far as a Cyber Insurance Broker, and Maddy Ilsley StM’10 inspired budding marketeers with her marketing career in a legal setting.
Charlotte Cotterell StA’12 & Connor Thornton Clark StB’14, both pilots with British Airways, enthralled their audience with their intensive training and alternative ‘day at the office’ with their short haul work on the Airbus A320.
With degree apprenticeships becoming an increasingly popular post-school route to employment, Niall Quinn R’18 and Anubhav Mathur ’23 returned to talk about their own paths as a Mechanical Design Engineer Apprentice with Rolls Royce and a Data Analyst Degree Apprentice with PwC, respectively. Ted Fuller G’20 came along for the second year running to talk about Investment 20/20, the UK investment management trainee programme.
Thank you to all our guest speakers for helping to make this another highly successful and invaluable event for students.
Since our foundation, philanthropy has played a vital role in shaping Worth. Over the decades, many generous individuals have helped us grow and evolve, and this spirit of giving continues to transform our community. The recent opening of our new Science laboratories in June 2025 is a powerful example - already enriching teaching and learning and demonstrating our commitment to excellence.
At this important time, Worth School and Worth Abbey have come together to launch the Heart and Soul Campaign, a shared initiative focused on three key priorities: enhancing our sporting facilities, investing in science and creating a Welcome Centre for Worth Abbey. These are not simply infrastructure projects - they reflect our values and a commitment to the heart and soul of our community, now and for future generations.
Our vision for sport at Worth is ambitious. Alongside the recent installation of advanced drainage systems and the planned resurfacing of the hockey pitch, we are committed to delivering a new artificial pitch and upgrading other key sporting facilities. These improvements will ensure our students have access to first-class environments that inspire excellence, foster wellbeing and strengthen the spirit of community that defines Worth. The Heart and Soul Campaign marks an exciting chapter in our journey - one that honours our heritage while building a vibrant future.
Old Worthian Support for the Heart and Soul Campaign
Paddy Jago StB’75 remains deeply connected to Worth and is proud to support the Heart and Soul Campaign. “For me, the campaign is about sustaining the qualities that make Worth unique – a place where people are welcomed, inspired and challenged to grow,” he says. His generosity reflects the lifelong bond alumni share with the School and Abbey, and a commitment to preserving Worth’s values for future generations.
In November, we hosted a gathering of Old Worthians at the Gherkin in London to share further information about the campaign. If you are interested in attending a future event or would like to learn more about the campaign, please contact Anna MacMahon in the development office on development@worth.org.uk.
Anna MacMahon, Head of Development
Mary Lou Burge
Niall Quinn & Anubhav Mathur (centre)
James Chidgey (left), Kit Brown, Ted Fuller & Maddy Ilsley joined some Worth parent speakers
Charlotte Cotterell & Connor Thornton Clark
University Destinations 2025
Student University Course
Kublai Khan* Bristol, UWE Architecture
Yuliia Kushnir Nottingham Liberal Arts
Matthew Laird Bristol, UWE Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies
Ethan Liu Oxford Brookes Biomedical Science Tianqi Lu Bristol Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Leonardo Maccan Bocconi Economics & Management
Harry Magnus King's College London Ancient History
Libby Mallinder Loughborough Media & Communication
Isaure Marraud des Grottes St Andrews Economics & International Relations
Harry Marsh Crawley College Electrical Diploma
Elliot Mathews Liverpool Business Economics
Dante Maynard Loughborough Energy Engineering
Oscar Morgan* Newcastle Chemical Engineering
Faye Mullins* Swansea Sport & Exercise Science
Simbarashe Munemo St Mary's Twickenham Business Management
Eden Murphy York English/Philosophy
Chloe-Sheila Ngabirano Essex Psychology
Sara Niedringhaus Nottingham Animal Science
Luke Norris Loughborough Automotive Materials
Ayodeji Oke Warwick Law
Olivia O'Mahony Queen's Belfast Law
William Page Cardiff History
Anna
Daniel
Daniel
Emilie
Pietro Saletti* Nottingham PPE
Ryunosuke Sato Nottingham Architecture
Management
Charlotta Graefin von Moy* Bath Criminology
Edward Green Leeds Law
Oliver Hancock* Oxford Brookes Business & Management
Matthew Hatter Oxford Brookes International Hospitality & Tourism Management
Robert Haussler St Gallen Economics
Elizabeth Hester* York English
Harry Higginson Portsmouth Global Sport Management
Ferdinand Hopfen Bayreuth Law
Victoria Idiaghe York Economics
Catherine Ireland* Kent Business & Management
Josh Jacobsen Bath International Management
Huafei Ji University of the Arts London Ceramic Design
Jakub Kajkowski Delft Aerospace Engineering
Christopher Katsambas Bath Spa Sports Management
Michael Kellock Ryle Brunel Accounting & Business Management
WORTH THE JOURNEY
Christian Shapcott Reading Real Estate
Daniel Sharp Nottingham Biochemistry
Junxing Shen Royal Holloway Law
Randeep Sidhu Leicester Psychology
Ranveer Singh Tamber Keele Economics & Finance
Rocco Soro EHL Swiss School of Tourism & Hospitality Hospitality Management
Filippo Taddei Bath Management
Lily Tait Liverpool Biological Sciences Foundation
*Denotes 2024 leaver Based on information available at time of going to press
Education with Heart and Soul in Sussex’s glorious countryside 35 minutes by train from central London A Worth education is a journey in itself, a transformative experience that enriches minds, shapes character and provides endless opportunities.
Catholic co-educational Day, boarding and flexible boarding 11-18 years Qualifications include GCSE, A-levels and IB
