Old Princethorpians

We were delighted to hear that Old Princethorpian Anna Fraser, Class of 2016, has just graduated from Warwick Medical School and is now a fully qualified doctor.

Anna is celebrating the particular achievement of receiving the qualification with Honours, which are awarded only to the top 10% of the year's cohort for receiving the highest academic grades throughout the whole degree.

Anna's Science teachers from her time at Princethorpe are thrilled, but not surprised, to hear of Anna's success, as they recall her attitude and aptitude as a student were a positive influence on those around her. Joanne Smith reports, "I remember Anna being a very diligent pupil who was self-motivated and determined to achieve high grades. Anna was always an enthusiastic and engaged pupil: she had an attitude that encouraged and aided those around her". Similarly, Faye Roberts comments, "Anna was an exceptionally hard working and conscientious pupil who had an excellent work ethic and always tried her hardest".

Her former Year 8 Form Tutor, Clare White, remembers Anna being "intelligent and motivated and also the nicest, friendliest person", predicting that "her attributes will make her an amazing doctor."

Comments Anna, "I’m now working as a doctor in a big hospital down in Devon and am loving life near the sea!”

Congratulations to Anna and we wish her well in her new post.

We were delighted when OP Kate Adkins (formerly Whitfield) reached out to tell us about a Live Music event due to take place at the café she runs with her husband and fellow OP, Matt Adkins. We always enjoy catching up with our former pupils, but this was particularly heartwarming because the artist performing at this event is also an Old Princethorpian.

On Sunday 27 October, at Puddleduck Café And Gallery on Holt Farm, Southam, OP Georgina Dadson will be performing as a member of guitar duo, Eros Duo. Georgina studied at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, earning a degree in Music Performance. She has since completed a Masters degree and developed a portfolio career as a musician, engaging in recording sessions recently with a friend she met and studied alongside at the Conservatoire. She also works with a flautist for the charity, Live Music Now, who go into community settings from care homes to special educational needs schools, performing and leading participatory music workshops.

Comments Georgina, "I was very excited to see all that Kate is doing at the Puddleduck Café. I love how she is creating a real community through music and art and I’m really excited to be able to perform there."

Kate and Matt will be opening the café between 11.00am and 5.00pm on the Sunday, serving coffee, cake and sandwiches, and this lunchtime performance marks the café's last working day of the year before they close for the winter. They are promising that with this talented duo they will be closing the season on a high, so we encourage you to go along if you're free, in support of these three OPs who are so committed to serving their communities through music, art and refreshments!

You can follow the Puddleduck Café And Gallery on Facebook here: Puddleduck Café And Gallery

It is always good to hear from former pupils and back in May, after sending out the Trinity Term OP Newsletter, we were delighted to receive an update from three former boarders, Caspar Davies, Stjohn White and Tom Hilditch. 

The trio, self-professed extremely old boys, met up recently to conquer an arduous walk along the River Thames from Abingdon to Oxford. The three were boarders at Princethorpe between 1977 and 1984, and have been meeting on a near annual basis for the last 40 years to compare ailments, share family news, and reminisce on their years at Princethorpe College. 

They commented that, "Trundling between damp pubs on their three-day-tour, many important issues were explored. No verdicts were reached on the merits of DEI, Brexit, vaccinations or whether a tin foil hat would help Tom Hilditch. But the following was agreed: Caspar Davies brought superior walking boots and is still ridiculously organised, Stjohn’s moustache is a work of art (as is his impersonation of Mr O’Grady herding a lunchtime queue). We loved seeing Emilio Doorgasingh in Game of Thrones, and Alex Darkes will probably retire more often than Frank Sinatra.

And – most importantly – the friendships formed at school are one of life’s treasures."

Old Princethorpian Oliver Dunster-Sigtermans left Princethorpe in 2014, and it was a pleasure to hear from him and his family about what he's been up to in the decade since. Some things, it seems, never change, as this former student who showed great aptitude for music is now making a career out of this passion.

After A-Levels, Oliver went on to study at Leeds Conservatoire of Music, from 2014 to 2017, gaining a BA in Popular Music and specialising in Composition and Electric Guitar. He also gained a DipLCM diploma, with distinction, in Electric Guitar Teaching.

Oliver still lives in Leeds and enjoys a very busy musical life. He teaches across three different schools, plays in three bands, and yet finds time to also compose his own music. Earlier this year he was appointed as an Examiner for Rock School Examinations and has already examined around the country, with the opportunity in the future of conducting more examinations around the world.

His former Music teacher, Director of Music Gil Cowlishaw, remembers Oliver fondly: "Oli was in my GCSE class, which I took over when joining the school, and then carried on into A-Level as well. He was a really bright and enthusiastic student who absolutely loved drumming, especially as the drummer in our popular Jazz Band. He was also really keen on films and film music, and I remember having some great nerdy conversations over coursework feedback! Composition was a particular strength of his and it's great to know that he has gone on to forge a successful career in Music."

We wish Oliver well in his future musical endeavours. 

Back in June, OP Sean Hedigan (Class of 1989) got in touch to share the news that he had met up with Father Sweeney. 35 years after leaving Princethorpe College, Sean had decided it was high time he caught up with his former headmaster and after making a few enquiries he had managed to track him down.

Sean met Fr. Sweeney on Tuesday 4 June in Galway in Ireland, he very much enjoyed talking to Fr. Sweeney, sharing many stories and reminiscing on the good old days of Princethorpe when the College was a boarding school. 

We last heard from Sean back in the summer of 2019, when he gave us an update on his life post Princethorpe for the Old Princethorpian newsletter (if you didn't get the chance then, you can read it here: https://oldprincethorpian.co.uk).

We also enjoy hearing from OPs, many thanks for sharing this with us Sean.

Old Princethorpian Jack Neale was a pupil at Princethorpe between 2014 and 2021. He has just completed his degree in Agriculture at Nottingham University, and, being a keen member of East Midlands Universities Air Squadron, is now intending to join the RAF as a pilot.

As a pupil, Jack demonstrated a passion for physical challenge and service to the community through his participation in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Nominated by former Head of Outdoor Education, Will Bower, he became one of Princethorpe's first DoE Young Ambassadors, along with OP Luke Brotherton. Together, they worked alongside Princethorpe’s Duke of Edinburgh team promoting, guiding and mentoring pupils participating in the Awards scheme. 

Jack was then elected to be Head Boy for the 2020-21 academic year, and as much of that time at school was disrupted by COVID 19, he worked particularly hard to engage the pupil community.

Since leaving the College, Jack's love of the outdoors and commitment to service has continued, indicated by his choice of degree and his involvment in military service, culminating now in his latest endeavour, to raise money for a military welfare charity.

Comments Jack, "Those who know me will concur that the military, and the RAF in particular, is a passion that I hold very close to my heart. I also love challenging myself physically, so therefore on the 20 October 2024 I will be running the Yorkshire Marathon in support of a truly great cause."

He explains, "The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is a leading military welfare charity which supports current and former members of the RAF, their partners and families, providing practical, emotional and financial support, whenever it is needed. I’d like to thank you for being kind enough to take a look at my Just Giving page. If you can’t spare any donations, please feel free to share the page."

We wish him the best of luck in the Marathon.

You find out more about Jack's fundraising challenge, and donate, here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jack-neale

Old Princethorpian Harry Bromwich was a pupil at Princethorpe between 2015 and 2022. He is now entering his final year of a BSc. in Real Estate at Oxford Brookes University.

Alongside his studies, however, Harry is currently in training for the Oxford Half Marathon which takes place on Sunday 13 October. Harry is taking on the challenge to raise funds for a charity close to his and his family's hearts.

The Get A-Head Charitable Trust supports people with head and neck diseases, particularly cancer, and Harry's family have long been associated with this Midlands-founded charity.

Due to his family's medical history, Harry underwent major thyroid surgery when he was in primary school as a preventative measure to avoid a rare form of cancer. He comments, "The only lasting impact for me really is that I have to take daily medication to control my thyroxin levels and have to undergo routine blood tests. On a much wider scale however, the research funded by Get A-Head means that a simple blood test has now been developed which will determine whether anyone else in our family or anywhere else in the world has the faulty gene responsible for causing familial medullary thyroid carcinoma.

It’s for this reason and all the other great work Get A-Head does to fund research, education and equipment, to support people with head and neck diseases, that I have decided to run the Oxford Half Marathon. I want to give something back and this will be a big challenge."

September 2024 marks the beginning of Harry's final year at university, and afterwards he hopes to work in the property industry and become a chartered surveyor.

We wish him the best of luck in the Marathon.

You find out more and donate through his Just Giving page at Harry Bromwich_Oxford Half Marathon

OP Luke Daniel (Class of 2019), along with his father Simon and brother Martin, took on the challenge of the Rugby Round Table's Skinflint Rally this September, in order to raise money for a charity that has made a huge impact on their family's lives.

The Skinflint Rally is a charity car rally with the aim of having a great time whilst driving some of Europes best roads, all in the name of fundraising. The rule that makes it particularly challenging is that the cars driven must cost no more than £500. Teams are then allowed to spend more money making it roadworthy and ready for the three-day pan-European road trip. There are various check-in points and treasure hunts and along the way.

Luke, Simon and Martin chose to stand out in thrifty style, driving a Barbie-pink PT Cruiser. The journey began in their hometown of Rugby and was completed in the Spanish city of Barcelona, but whilst the rally itself was a fun-filled adventure for the team, they were ultimately driven by their desire to fundraise for the Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.

The charity provided essential support for Luke's sister Laura and her husband Dave, including a place to stay, during their daughter, Mollie’s, treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for a rare genetic condition.

Luke was hoping to raise £5,000 to sponsor a bedroom for a year at the Ronald McDonald House, which is attached to Birmingham Children's Hospital. Amazingly, the team has almost doubled their initial target and is now hoping to be able to support two bedrooms.

You can find out more about their fundraising challenge and donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/simon-daniel-skinflint2024

You can follow the Skinflint Rally on Instagram here: Instagram - Skinflint Rally

In our last newsletter, we shared that OP Jim Lowe (Class of 2013) was preparing to take on the challenge of the South West Costal Path, walking 630 miles from Minehead to Poole in 29 days. He was embarking on the challenge to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, in memory of his Grandpa John.

We are pleased to announce that Jim completed this challenge in August and he comments:

“Walking the South West Coast Path was an absolutely incredible experience and one I will not forget. I would encourage anyone to take the time to embark on an adventure of their own if they have the opportunity, especially if it is for a worthy cause.

I would like to thank the Princethorpe Foundation community for their generous donations and words of encouragement along the way. I’m pleased to say that with their contributions we have raised a whopping £8,126 for the MND Association, helping the many people that live with this cruel disease. Thank you!”

You can see Jim's comments and photos, charting his progress, on his Instagram account here: https://www.instagram.com/jim_walks4mnda

We congratulate Jim on his accomplishment and wish him well as he rests and recovers.

We regularly receive requests from OPs to come and visit their old school and it is a pleasure to be able to welcome them back and accompany them on a wander around the site. 

During the Summer, Princethorpe College was delighted to welcome two past pupils, neither of whom had been back to the school since they were pupils.

Dan Cronin attended the College from 1999 to 2007. Almost twenty years on, he remains well connected to the life of the College and fellow OPs (OP Committee member Ed Hunter was Best Man at Dan's wedding), but this was the first time he had set foot on the grounds since he left.

As Alumni Relations and Development Officer, Caroline Spencer, accompanied him, Dan nostalgically pointed out his Years 7, 8 and 9 Form Rooms, and was slightly disoriented to discover the conversion of his old Sixth Form Common Room into what is now F7, one of our Textiles rooms. Dan was impressed by the Sixth Form Centre which was built in 2008, just after he left, and marvelled at the Science Centre, commenting that it was all a lovely but surreal experience to see how the College has evolved. 

Since leaving the College, Dan has become a husband and proud father of two young girls, and has gained over 13 years experience in the field of marketing. Dan is now the Founding Director of Phygital Media, a marketing agency which prides itself in being a local partner with national and international expertise. It was great to welcome Dan back to Princethorpe and we wish him and his family all the best.

Our other summertime College walkabout was an opportunity ceased by Paul Doherty, who was collecting in person his purchase of three copies of A Spirit of Family: The First Fifty Years of Princethorpe College, by Alex Darkes and Nick Baker. The book holds particular significance for Paul as Alex Darkes was his first Form Tutor, and the additional copies were to be gifts for his brothers, fellow OPs Patrick Doherty (Class of 1989) and Martin Doherty (Class of 1976), both now living abroad. Paul was a pupil here between 1979 and 1984 so this visit coincided with his 40th anniversary of leaving the College.

Paul enjoyed spotting himself and other familiar faces in the school photos along the Cloisters corridor, and recalled that his friends, Tommy and Mark McGarry, were usually getting into some sort of mischief. In the Refectory, the sights and smells brought back memories of school dinners and washing up duty, and the Honours Boards reminded him of his achievements playing Table Tennis (see the Gallery).

Nowadays, Paul is Director of Rix Oakleys Midlands, part of the family-owned fuel supplier Rix Petroleum, and he shared that it was through his work that he'd recently reconnected with another OP peer, Adam Beaty. Paul has fond memories of his time at Princethorpe and was pleased to be able to take a wander around the site, even visiting his old form room, now a Geography classroom.

We enjoy welcoming all OPs, past parents and former staff, so please do get in touch by emailing oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk, or calling 01926 634209, if you would like to arrange a visit.

If you would like to reconnect with old school friends and keep in touch with the life of the College and its wider community, you can sign up to Princethorpe Connect here.