Old Princethorpians

Click on the attachment below to download the latest In the News posters featuring some of the Foundation's most recent media coverage.

J1728 PC and CH In the News Jan 13_Web.pdf

Many Old Princethorpians have supported the College over the years giving of their time and experience to help with events such as mock interviews, talks to pupils and presentations at events such as the Careers Fair and Prize Giving. This is invaluable and much appreciated.

We are aware that some OPs and Friends of Princethorpe may also wish to support the Foundation and its pupils financially. There are a number of ways in which this can be done.

Making a gift

You may wish to donate to a specific project such as our Development Fund, which aims to improve the facilities and site for future generations, or our Historic Buildings Appeal, which aims to preserve the fabric of our unique setting, an excellent example of this is the recent restoration of the Roundhouse. Alternatively there may be a subject with which you have a particular affinity, for example Sport, The Arts or Science.

Or you may wish to contribute to our Bursary Fund to help give others the opportunity to learn and develop at Princethorpe and Crackley Hall. Currently 65 of our pupils benefit from such financial assistance.

This support can be made through single gifts or regular donations on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. To make an electronic gift visit our Just Giving page. 

Leaving a legacy

If you would like to leave a lasting gift to the school you can do so in the form of a legacy in your will. As a registered charity any legacy made to the school is free from Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax.

If you decide to leave a legacy, it is essential that your will is legally drawn up, and correctly witnessed. Unless your affairs are very straightforward, it is best to consult a solicitor rather than try to do it by yourself. If you prepare thoroughly and collect all the relevant information, seeing a solicitor need not be too expensive. Solicitors generally charge by the hour - so the better prepared you are, the less money you will need to spend.

We are immensely appreciative of such gifts as they really do make a difference and help provide funds for both capital projects and bursaries over the long term, which cannot be financed by fee income alone.

For further information, or a confidential discussion about how you can help the School, please contact the Foundation Bursar, Eddie Tolcher on 01926 634200 or email
eddietolcher@princethorpe.co.uk.

The power of the Old Princethorpians network has been apparent recently in helping secure valuable work experience for some of our current pupils.

OPs Chairman, Peter Rollason, gives a recent example, "In September at the OPs Sports Day I spoke to the current and past pupils about how beneficial a large network is in business. This struck a chord with James Hobbs and his father and about six weeks later I had an e-mail from James on a Saturday morning asking if I could help find him a work experience placement in either stockbroking or merchant banking.

"By nine o'clock on the following Monday morning I had e-mailed John Naylor at Cave and Sons, an OP who I've come across in business, and by 10 o'clock James' work placement in a stockbroking firm based in Northampton had been secured, together with transport arrangements to and from Northampton because John lives in Leamington Spa!"

Work Placement Requests

We are now looking for help finding work placements for some of our Year 11 pupils to take place after their GCSEs in late June.

We have got pupils particularly interested in the following fields:

• Media
• Engineering
• Science
• ICT
• Politics

If you are able to offer a week or two weeks experience please contact Mike Taylor at the school, miketaylor@princethorpe.co.uk.

Our next College Careers Fair is due to take place in Spring 2014.  The inaugural event was hugely successful and we would like to make the next one bigger and better. We will be looking for presenters willing to talk to parents and pupils about different careers and professions and organisations to have stands providing information in the Careers Fair itself.

Many OPs who have visited recently have commented on the changes at the College since they were at school here, including the new Sixth Form Centre and restoration of the Roundhouse.  Happily they have seen these changes as sympathetic to the historic fabric of the school and in keeping with the site generally.

More changes are afoot and we are now at the detailed planning stage for a new 15-room classroom wing for English and Modern Foreign Languages which incorporates a language laboratory, two further IT suites and a buttery. This wing will be sited on the North Lawn side of the Sports Centre.

Comments, Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, "This is an exciting next stage of development at Princethorpe and will create much needed increased classroom accommodation, which will also enable us to be free of temporary classrooms in the grounds, greatly enhancing both the learning and the physical environment."

To see more images of the planned developments click here.

For those of you who didn't catch this last month, why not tune into the BBC's Fr Brown series to get a glimpse of the College on film.

The series is based on G K Chesterton’s stories involving the crime-solving Catholic priest Father Brown, played by the Fast Show and Harry Potter films' Mark Williams.  The episode filmed at Princethorpe over last year's summer holidays is entitled 'The Bride of Christ'.

In the episode  two nuns die in mysterious circumstances at St Agnes convent (aka Princethorpe), Father Brown investigates with the aid of Sister Boniface, an eager young fan of detective novels.

Look out for some lovely views of the Chapel, Quad, down by the old gasworks and the Dining Room disguised as an infirmary. Sister Boniface also gets pushed down some stairs which if we're not mistaken are in the Tower!!

Click here to view the episode on BBC iPlayer.

We are working on a way overseas OPs will be able to view the episode, watch this space.

As a benefit of the Headmaster's membership of HMC, the East India Club in St James's Square, London is offering full membership to Princethorpe gentlemen school leavers at a special rate. 

The offer can be taken up within 18 months of leaving school, and provides membership to 31 December following their 25th birthday for the one off sum of £350 in 2013.  If you would like more information please call Sandra Prendiville, Membership Secretary at the East India Club on 020 7930 1000.

For more information on the East India Club please go to their website www.eastindiaclub.co.uk/.

Old Princethorpian Ben Farr, who is now studying an Art Foundation Course at Mid Warwickshire College, has recently heard that two of his A-level Art and Photography pieces have been awarded second place in the Independent Schools’ Association’s National Art Competition.

The eighteen-year old’s painting ‘Teenage Dreams’ was inspired by the work of Anselm Kiefer. Ben drew on the 2011 riots to depict the troubled and isolated view that was presented in the media of Britain’s Youth. He focused on using texture in his work to represent the disjointed image of society at the time along with eroding surfaces to create a downbeat atmosphere.

In his photographic Triptych ‘Family through Time’ Farr used a narrow depth of field to manually focus on the eyes of his brother, father and grandmother. The stunning black and white images were acclaimed for their rich use of contrast which captured the human face.

The A* A-level Art student whose plans are to pursue a career in the world of painting is no stranger to winning awards at national level. As an Under 16 entrant Ben won the same painting category.

Head of Art, Paul Hubball commented, "Throughout his time at Princethorpe Ben was a model Art student dedicating himself both in and out of the classroom to hours of work perfecting his pieces. These prizes are a reflection of the talent and dedication that he has to make it to the very top of these competitive fields."

Old Princethorpian and this year's Princethorpe College Shield recipient Daniel Leung has been offered a post A-level unconditional offer from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge to read Modern Languages in October 2013.

Daniel achieved 2 A*s and 2 As at A-level in French, Music, Spanish and Maths along with 2 A grade AS levels. His Extended Project received full marks for his chosen area of study which combined his passion for Modern Languages and Music.

Daniel’s dissertation, ‘Was the transition from Romanticism to Modernism in French Literature and Music a natural or unnatural progression?’ enabled him to independently research French fiction and explore the cross overs with the burgeoning changes in classical music.

Daniel’s academic excellence was apparent the minute he joined Princethorpe. His extraordinary musical talent was often visible around the school as Daniel enriched assemblies and recitals by performing on the piano, bassoon, oboe and organ or by generously accompanying fellow music students in some capacity. Having achieved both his DipABRSM and LRSM diplomas in piano by the age of 17 Daniel was always on course for starry heights.

With eleven A*s and 1 A at GCSE level Daniel pursued his academic studies with rigour but also with a generosity of spirit.

When asked why he chose to read Modern Languages at Cambridge he replied, “I hope that by combining my linguistic skills with my passion for music I may one day inspire other people, especially children to develop their own confidence and interpersonal skills. Music, in my view, is a language in its own right. I enjoy performing because that is a method of communicating as much as I enjoy speaking other languages.”

During his Gap Year Daniel spent half a term assisting the Music Department at Princethorpe. He then went to Bologna in Italy in November to study Italian and is currently in Rabat, Morocco for three months as a volunteer teacher of English and Music, working at a primary school and an association which provides English lessons for people who cannot afford to go to school.

He is due to return to the UK in April, before hopefully returning to Italy in May to study a combined course of Italian and Music.

We wish Daniel well with the rest of his Gap Year and for October!

A bumper number of candidates sat the College's entrance examinations over two busy sessions at the end of January. 

Comments, Alex Darkes, Assistant Head - Marketing and Operations, "We played host to over 240 prospective pupils across four year groups.  What's particularly lovely is the fact that we are seeing more and more OPs returning with their children to sit the exams. Feedback from parents and candidates alike has been very favourable indeed, which bodes very well for next September's intake."

"The marking machine swung into action, even before candidates had left the building and the Admissions Panel sat the following week to decide on the 130 or so boys and girls who will be joining us in September 2013."

Parents and children will be notified of the results next Monday 11 February.

Those interested in a place at the College in September 2014 can download our flyer below which includes key open events and admissions dates, like the forthcoming Open Evening on Wednesday 5 June from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

Updated PC Mailers Dec 12 v.5_Web.pdf

In March Frs Teddy O'Brien and Dan O'Connor are heading East for the trip of a lifetime to meet up with past pupils in Hong Kong.

The trip has come about after news of Fr Dan was publicised in the previous OP e-newsletter and several OPs asked to be put back in touch with their former Headmaster.

An OP task force headed by Alan Young (1978-1981) together with Vitus Leung, Nelson Ngai, Stephen Yeung and Heman Lam, have taken on board the organisation of the trip, including getting some 20 alumni to generously sponsor the pair's travel from the UK.

The pair are to stay in Hong Kong at the Catholic Diocese between Sunday 3 and Saturday 9 March. and a full itinerary has been planned for them including Mass at the Cathedral, sightseeing to Hong Kong highlights including the extraordinary Tian Tan Buddha statue and a Reunion Dinner on Friday 8 March.

Alan Young says, "This will be the biggest gathering since our time at Princethorpe back in the 70s and 80s. If anyone else would like to join us and the Fathers please do get in touch!"

For further information email ayoung@citac.hk or call Alan's mobile in HK at 93437890.

Hong Kong - Princethorpe Return Trip

Fellow OP Anthony Ku, 1978-1982, is hoping to organise a reunion trip back to Princethorpe with OPs from Malaysia and Hong Kong, if you are interested please contact Anthony at tangram88@gmail.com.

The College has started counting down to its 50th Anniversary which will take place during the academic year 2016-2017.

We are planning to celebrate in style with some key events aimed at the wider school community including of course OPs, and the publication of a commemorative book charting the school's history from the 60s to the present day.

We would like as many Old Princethorpians to get involved as possible, with ideas for the celebrations and to contribute to the book.

Planning is at a relatively early stage but we would like to share some key dates with you now.

• Jubilee Festival Day - Saturday 3 September 2016
  An informal event to include OPs Sports Day, tours of school and entertainment, culminating in a hog roast and firework display in the evening.
  
  
• Jubilee Ball - Saturday 1 July 2017
  A formal black tie event to take place in a marquee in the grounds.

We are looking at other events during the year including a Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, an extra special Prize Giving, plus a 50 Mile Charity Mountain Relay event.

We are particularly keen to get representatives from each decade involved to help encourage attendance at events from across the generations and to contribute their memories and photographs to the book. If this is something you would be interested in doing please email Old Princethorpians to register your interest.

Friday 17 May - 6.30pm

We are changing the format of the London Pub Meet, we will still be meeting at The Guinea, Bruton Place in Mayfair. This is a nice venue as we can gather outside on the cobbles if it is a warm evening.

For this event though we thought it would be nice to move a little later on to the Pizza Express opposite for a bite to eat around 8.00pm.

As we didn't have a London meet in November this year, we are hoping this one may attract a bigger crowd.

Saturday 23 March - 10.30am to 12.30pm

Crackley Hall and Little Crackers, Princethorpe's junior school and nursery in Kenilworth, is opening its doors for a Spring Open Morning on Saturday 23 March from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

There will be fun activities for children to participate in and Crackley pupils will be involved in sport and musical performances.

The nursery is now open 48 weeks a year and is carefully structured for two-year olds, three-year olds and pre-school, based on the exciting Reggio Emilia approach to learning.

All are welcome to look round the school, and to meet staff and pupils. No need to book.

For more information call 01926 514444 or visit www.crackleyhall.co.uk.

Saturday 16 March

On Saturday 16 March the College is competing in The Warwick Challenge at Wedgnock Shooting Ground, Warwick.  Other schools taking part include Warwick, Rugby, Millfield and Bloxham.

There's the opportunity for Old Princethorpians to take part as individuals in the Old Boys category.

We have had some interest already, but if you have a good aim and would like to find out more, please contact Kate Marsden kate@marsdenweb.com as soon as possible.

Friday 1 March 2013 from 6.30pm

We have a change of venue for the Old Princethorpians Pub Meet on Friday 1 March 2013.

We will now be gathering at the popular Merchants Inn, 5-7 Little Church Street, Rugby, CV21 3AN.

As OPs might be coming straight from work we will also be providing a light buffet to stave off any hunger pangs. Quite a few OPs go on to have a curry afterwards.

Click here for directions.

We hope to see lots of OPs there!

An updated version of the Old Princethorpians event calendar for 2013 is available here for download or visit http://www.princethorpe.co.uk/old-princethorpians for more information on Old Princethorpians.

J1627 PC OP Calendar card web update.pdf

I live in the West of England, my parents remain in the Midlands and I have two younger brothers and a sister living in London.

I joined the army in 2005 after university and a short spell working in recruitment in London. I spent a year at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and commissioned into The Parachute Regiment.

Now a Captain, I've been lucky to travel across the world with my work - some places better than others! I split my time between where I work and Cardiff, where my girlfriend works as a doctor.

Age: 30

When were you at Princethorpe - years from and to? 1993-2000

What was the school like in your day?
I think the school had approximately 550 pupils when I was a pupil, and it felt as though you knew everyone. Fr Whelan was Headmaster, and Fr McManus used to talk to me about the old days, having seen my father and uncles through the school.

Having had a look around the school recently, the improvements and new developments are fantastic, but importantly haven't detracted from the intangible 'feel' of the College. 

How did Princethorpe affect the person you are today?
The teachers at Princethorpe, particularly Moira Weir, Mick Kitterick & Ralph Moore, would place a great emphasis on developing your personal skills - attempting to turn out young adults who were good people, as well as attaining their academic potential. Needless to say, they failed on both counts with me!

Mr Pete Griffin was my GCSE & A Level Economics teacher, and drummed in a discipline I badly required! Easily the best teacher I had at Princethorpe.

What advice would you give to your teenage self?
Enjoy being young, and don't be so shy with girls, but please concentrate on your exams!

Who or what has been the greatest influence on your life?
A cliche, but my parents are right up there. My mother is one of the kindest and most generous spirited people you could ever hope to meet; so I try to emulate her in how I treat people.

My father has worked hard from the factory floor upwards and demonstrated that determination, combined with a sharp mind can take you places. My Godfather Kevin was in the army in his youth so he offered me guidance. More importantly, his unflappable, calm demeanour inspires respect and I try to remember that when I'm at work.

What keeps you awake at night? 
Few things can keep me from my sleep!

What has been your proudest moment/greatest achievement so far?
There are several landmarks you hit as you go through life (School, graduation etc). You undoubtedly look back upon these with immense pride, and the structure of the army offers even more. Commanding soldiers in highly fluid and kinetic environments is a unique experience. Combine that with seeing those under your leadership develop and progress within the organisation, and the sense of achievement is immense.

What’s your biggest indulgence?
Last minute holidays booked on impulse.

If you had to have one last meal, what would it be? 
I love my food so a tough question. I suppose my favourite meal of the year is Christmas dinner with the family.

What is your favourite TV Show and why? 
I don't watch too much TV as it is difficult to be in a routine with my job. Boxsets, iPlayer and iTunes provide an opportunity to catch up on what I've missed, usually from my brother's recommendations.

I loved the BBC's 'The Thick of It' - sharp and topical comedy with a pang of fear that Westminster is accurately represented within the programme. I am addicted to the US series 'Homeland' at the moment. I like the actor Damian Lewis and the twists the writing throws up each week. 'The Office' was sublime as was 'Phoenix Nights'.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be and who would be with you? 
At the Hong Kong 7s rugby tournament with Cameron Diaz. Failing that, with my best mates and family.

Lasting memories of Princethorpe:
The Geography field trip to Swanage - being caught breaking the curfew by Mr Kitterick. Scoring my only two tries for the 1st XV within five minutes of each other. French home stay trips with educational wine tasting excursions. Rallying around the Mile Walk in Toddy's Escort, racing Craig Lakey's 4x4 on the prefect retreat, the atmosphere on the bus home on a Friday. A beautiful environment with some of the best staff you could hope for. 

Are you in touch with any other Old Princethorpians, if so whom? 
Yep, Nick Todd, Tom Gleghorn and Alex Sedgfield. We were together at Nick's wedding last summer in France. A superb weekend with plenty of old stories and past teachers recounted. I am also long standing friends with Nick Cahill, a close family friend.

Is there anyone you would like to track down?When I first arrived, Joe James took me under his wing. He left after GCSEs to pursue an art career. I'm in touch with most people through Facebook, but not Joe.

Congratulations to OP and England cricketer, Ian Bell and his wife Chantal, on the birth of their first child, Joseph William in November.

Ian, made a dash from Mumbai to be at Chantal's side for the birth, but narrowly missed the big event.

Bell's conviction that fatherhood would make him a better and more relaxed batsman seem to have been borne out with a fantastic match-winning performance against India in the third Test in December, securing England's first win at Eden Gardens since 1977.

Congratulations to OP Rebecca Andrews nee Dyke and her husband John on the birth of their first child, Luca John.

Luca was born on 8 November 2012, weighing in at 6lbs 10oz.

The family are all doing well and live in Bengeo, Hertford.

Thanks to doting grandma Lynne Dyke, who worked as a Receptionist at the College for 11 years until she retired in July 2011, for sending us the photos. 

What a cutie he is! We wish them all well.

We are deeply sorry to hear of the recent tragic loss of one of our former pupils, Trudy Scott.

Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Margaret Robinson, remembers her here.

Trudy attended St Joseph’s School, later Crackley Hall, in Kenilworth and came to us in Year 7 when Princethorpe and St Joseph's merged in 2001. She was an absolutely lovely girl who was very popular with her fellow pupils and with those staff fortunate enough to teach her. She was unfailingly hard-working and determined to succeed and was talented in both English and Theatre Studies.

Trudy had a warm and approachable manner when helping younger pupils in College and she gave her time and energy to helping in these two subject areas in the school. It came as no surprise that, when she had completed her degree studies in English Literature at university, she decided to become a secondary school teacher. I know that she was very much enjoying her vocation and I am sure she will be missed by the pupils she taught as well as her friends from Princethorpe and St Joseph's.

Trudy's funeral will take place next Friday 15 February at 10.00am at Princethorpe.

Our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends.

Old Princethorpians love a challenge and when the call came through from the daughter of one of our OPs asking us to help track down a photo of her dad from his school days as a birthday surprise, we couldn't say no!

Michelle Crotty wanted to surprise her dad, Jude on the occasion of his 60th birthday this last Christmas Eve. All she could tell us was that Jude was at the College in the late 60s and that he had previously been at St Bede's.

Comments OPs Secretary, Melanie Butler, " It was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack as it was a long time ago and memories are fading, but with the help of Alex Darkes and Jean-Pierre Parsons, both contemporaries of Jude, we settled on a whole school photo that he should have been in and scanned the faces for some recognition."

"We emailed Michelle with a photo of the section containing who we thought might be Jude and miraculously we were right! We were delighted to be able to help and contribute to making his 60th that extra bit special!"

Jude is pictured in the 1968/69 Princethorpe whole school photo, second row from bottom, seventh in from right.

Old Princethorpian Michael Cox (1968-1974)  an ex-Sports Captain who now lives in Denmark has fond memories of the Sixth Form from 1974.

"Recently I was browsing the website and it reminded me somewhere I had an old photo of the Upper Sixth Form. It is way way back in time and 1974 was a memorable year - as the start of a professional career.  After a sabbatical it was off to the bright lights of London with an international pharmaceutical firm, followed by healthcare research in the UK Government.

Since then I moved to Denmark as a specialist consultant for therapeutic biologicals and enjoy living in a country which has been polled as “the happiest people in Europe”. My three other brothers, Robert in New Zealand, Patrick in Los Angeles and Terry in Ireland, are also Old Princethorpians, and doing well. I believe we were the first to have four from the same family at Princethorpe College (or maybe it was the Patterson brothers). Fr Clarkson, Fr Teddy O’Brien and Fr Dan O’Connor are but a few of the memorable individuals of our time."

There are some great 70s hairstyles and snappy dressers on display, Michael is pictured back row, fourth from the left.  We have a few names but if you can identify anyone from the photo, please get in touch.

Paul Gallagher and Nick Dando would like to meet up with some old friends they have lost touch with since they left the college in the mid 80s.

They are planning on coming to the Pub Meet in Rugby on Friday 1 March and would be pleased to see the following OPs there.

• Sean Rielly
• Mark Cannon
• Andy Lucas
• Ian Lucas
• Luke Farrell
• Finbar Roche Kelly
• Sean Daly
• Dave Fitzgerald
• Sean Byrne
• Dominic Ryan
• Luke Gusterson

Let us know if you think you could make it!

OP Mark Cosgrove is looking to get back in touch with fellow pupil Simon McElwain.

Mark takes up the story, " I helped Simon to do the lighting on many of the school plays along with John Hopwood, a physics teacher.

"Simon was a professional photographer and worked in the local area based in Leamington Spa and taught photography at Princethorpe some evenings. Simon’s father was a local GP and died not long after I left in 1982 and this triggered Simon into going to University with the aim of following in his father’s footsteps as a doctor."

"I'd love to meet up with him again and go for a beer."

The College’s last news of Simon, was that he was running a restaurant in the Guildford area with his step-sister, if anyone knows of Simon's whereabouts now please let us know.

Clem Clements is trying to track down his old PE teacher, Taff, or Brian Neil as he was more properly known.

Clem remembers him as having long hair and a droopy moustache and was taught by him in the early 70s.

He left the College in the mid 70s and we have not heard anything of him for many years.

If anyone has any news please contact Old Princethorpians.

Even though I only spent two years at the College (1986-1988) I would like to class myself as an Old Princethorpian.  Father Sweeney was the Headmaster at the time. Mr Griffin was Head of 4th/5th years.

I joined the Army, straight after leaving Princethorpe. Father MacManus used to drive me to my interviews in Coventry at the Army Recruitment Centre. I saw active duty in Northern Ireland in the late 1980s.

I am now a qualified electrician, and more to date, a Project Manager for Google Worldwide, within the AV industry, including sound/lighting/video, video content walls, sound distribution, and lighting decks/rack, also organising and project management.

My achievements were minimal at school, but included representing the College in cross-country on several occasions, painting the 5th Form Common Room, and acting as stage crew on the production of HMS Pinafore.

My favourite areas were always the Mile Walk, the cricket pitch, the fishpond, the roach-pond, and the orchard. I also loved the woods, in summer, so full of bluebells, and peace.

OP Dan Fiddis (2002-2009)  left Princethorpe to go to Loughborough to study Industrial Design, graduating in 2012.

He worked during the summer as a Market Researcher to generate funds to travel across Australia and South Africa over the next few months.  His journey started in India with the Half Marathon in Mumbai which he completed on Sunday 20 January 2013 in 1 hour and 50 minutes. His father, Richard, who partnered him on the run, finished just six seconds after him.

Dan was raising money for Myton Hospice and Kankids an Indian charity for children with cancer. He also did it as part of his own recovery from a bad skiing accident two years ago.  He has raised over £500 for Myton Hospice in Warwick. 

Please visit Dan's Just Giving site below if you would like to find out more or to help him raise funds. https://www.justgiving.com/Dan-Fiddis

We wish Dan well with the rest of his travels!

In November Marcos Gonzalez made a return trip to Princethorpe for the first time since he left the college in 1990.

Marcus has been working in the media and communications field, most recently with his father on a health service TV channel. Fancying a change of direction and some travel, Marcos headed for the UK, to stay with family who live local to Princethorpe and with a view to looking for work.

His tour of the school included meeting up with old form teacher, Alex Darkes, and provoked memories of pillow fights in the dorms and good times with his fellow Spanish OPs.

Commented Marcos, "Thank you very much for letting me visit the college again. I remembered many moments that happened when I was studying in Princethorpe. It's been a lovely day even with the rain in the background."

Now back in Madrid, after a brief sojourn in Paris, he is setting up his own communications company called Audiovisual Management and Consulting. We wish him well with this new undertaking!

If you would like to revisit the College but can't make any of our events please contact Old Princethorpians and we can arrange a tour for you.

OP Nick Cahill (1996 – 2002) has recently relocated from London to Beijing to set up a management consultancy business providing advisory services to infrastructure owners and operators in China.

He is pictured with his colleagues, Jessica Zhang and Cheng Ding, on the 80th floor of the China World Trade Centre in Beijing.

Nick has been an extremely valued member of the OPs Committee for the last few years, we will miss him at our meetings, but wish him well and know he will keep in touch!

I started at Princethorpe in 1980, having only moved to the Midlands from Cheshire a week before. It took a long time to get used to the accents, but I soon realised that the school would suit me. I developed so many skills and personal attributes as I took on everything the school had to offer. I was one of two brothers to be Head Boy (my brother Jeremy did it in 1983-4), and was honoured to lead a fantastic group of prefects in 1986-7. It was an experience which formed me in so many ways - boarding and therefore having to look after myself, learning to compromise, delegate and listen to others.

In October 1987, I was only partially successful at A-levels, something I put down to too many nights at the Three Horseshoes and the Barn, but in retrospect it was because I took passing them for granted. I was incredibly fortunate to get into my second choice medical school, St Mary's Hospital in London. I got BCC at A level - nowadays 3 As are needed!!

I spent five fantastic years at medical school, mainly playing rugby and cricket, and drinking too much, and somehow qualifying, somewhat to my bemusement at the time, as a doctor in 1992. Things were very different then compared to now, as we worked very long hours but with great camaradarie and having great fun - life for young doctors is very different now.

As a houseman (first year doctor), I met a lovely young nurse on my ward called Maxine, very Mills and Boon! Twenty years later, we're still happily together, having married in 1997, and have two wonderful children, Libby aged 11, and Greg aged 8. I've worked throughout southern England, and since 2003 have been a hospital consultant specialising in Diabetes in Poole, Dorset. We're incredibly lucky to have found ourselves living in such a beautiful place, and I'm lucky to have chanced upon a job I love. In particular, in the past few years I've become very involved in postgraduate medical training having completed a Masters in Education, helping junior doctors as they train to become GPs or Consultants. I currently work for half of the week co-ordinating the early years of medical training in Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire.

My main passion, apart from my family, remains sport. In 2000, through a set of circumstances too long to describe here, I became a crowd doctor at the local football league club, AFC Bournemouth. I still do it to this day, having been through some highs (play off win in 2003, promotion in 2009) and lots of lows (too many to mention). My son Greg is now a football fanatic, accompanying me to every AFC Bournemouth match, and he plays for a local team that I've found myself coaching!!

As an experienced crowd doctor, I was privileged to be selected to head up a team of volunteers providing care for the crowd at the Olympic Stadium for London 2012. Being a London 2012 Olympic gamesmaker was one of the experiences of my life, working with great people, and having a ringside seat watching Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis, Usain Bolt and too many others to mention. One of the values I got from Princethorpe was to value helping others, and I think this manifested itself in my volunteering at the Olympics.

I still keep in touch with Joe Clune, my best buddy at Princethorpe, but have gradually lost touch with everyone else from the College (I'd love to hear from anyone who remembers me - mike.masding@talktalk.net).

I was privileged to spend time with some great characters at school, and the wonderful teachers who helped us to develop us as ourselves  - especially (in no particular order) Mr Philpott, the Weirs, Mr Moroney (who dropped me from the rugby team, which taught me a lot - at the time it hurt, but now I can laugh!!), Mr White, Mr Darkes, Fr Whelan - I could go on and on. As we now have to choose a secondary school for my daughter, I just hope that she goes somewhere like Princethorpe!

Since leaving the College after Sixth Form in 2008, I gained First Class Honours in BA Hons Journalism and English Literature from the University of Salford.

Following my graduation, I decided to combine my passions for media, film and wildlife, and continue my postgraduate study. In September 2012 I completed the prestigious MA in Wildlife Documentary Production, also at the University of Salford. For this MA degree I produced my own independent wildlife documentary, ‘Secrets of the White Tower’.

I carried out all the components for this film myself, including: writing, logistics, filming on location in Poland for four weeks, and editing.

I am now working for the BBC’s Factual Unit in Bristol, and I am focussing on a career specifically in Natural History Production Management.

I also maintain my love of literature, and am currently writing my first novel. I am pleased with its progress and hope for it to be published in the not too distant future.